Chapter 45. When three people walk together, one of them is bound to be my rival. ...
Two days later, during the routine meeting at Tianze Store, the store manager announced a new task: a client wanted to book the banquet hall in Area B of the hotel to host a birthday party, and specifically named Xia Chan as the person in charge.
"Me?" Xia Chan was taken aback and instinctively refused. "But manager, the 'Dayline' production team is also very busy every day. Area A is already stretched thin with people watching over it. If we take on another large birthday party, I'm afraid we won't be able to spare the time."
Yu Lianxin glanced at her silently from the side. The store manager said, "The 'Date Line' project is now on track. We don't need to be on duty 24/7 like we were at the beginning. We can manage to keep busy. Besides, the crew will be leaving at the end of the month, and the birthday party is in the middle of next month. We've allowed enough time to stagger the events."
“This client is a major client recorded by the group headquarters, so we can’t refuse. You can find a few people to form an event team and overcome the difficulties.”
Xia Chan sighed helplessly and could only accept it.
That afternoon, the details of the birthday party had already been sent over from the store manager.
The client's staff will be fully responsible for the set design and event flow for this birthday party, while their own staff will only be responsible for overall coordination and catering planning.
Xia Chan was still suspicious of what kind of customer would choose their hotel and insist that she be in charge of the whole process.
Within two days, a rough layout of the banquet area B was completed, and the store manager also said that the client would come to the hotel that afternoon to inspect the place and confirm the menu.
In the afternoon, before the client's scheduled arrival time, Xia Chan and several front office staff waited downstairs in the banquet hall to greet them.
The early summer sun blazed high in the sky, its bright rays shining on the spotless revolving glass door, as if it were melting the glass itself.
The parking lot plaza in front of the hotel was completely shaded.
A sports car screeched to a halt in the parking lot, its massive engine rattling so loudly it made your eardrums throb.
The sports car's striking diamond blue color was eye-catching, but it lacked even a tenth of the ostentation of the person who followed—tall and handsome, with long legs striding lazily, dressed in trendy designer clothes, exuding an air of unbridled freedom.
He wore huge sunglasses, chewed gum, casually tossed his car keys to the doorman, and then walked over here, staring in a certain direction and smiling.
Xia Chan nearly fainted the moment she saw him, and the others in the front office around her let out a soft gasp of shock...
Guan Bohan.
-
In the reception room, Xia Chan gently knocked on the door, carrying two cups of tea, and then stepped inside.
The store manager and Guan Bohan were chatting.
"Mr. Guan, rest assured, that's settled on the overall menu and process. You can contact our manager for specific details. I'll draft the contract later..."
Seeing Xia Chan arrive, the store manager quickly smiled and beckoned her forward, "Come here! Xia! Come over and discuss the details with Mr. Guan! Mr. Guan, would you like to speak with our manager, Ms. Xia, first? I have some other work to do, so please excuse me. You can call me again if you need anything..."
Xia Chan placed the teacups on the coffee table, pursed her lips, and didn't even glance at Guan Bohan. Guan Bohan's gaze, however, remained fixed on her. He slightly curved his lips, waved his hand, and took his leave in response to the manager's request.
After the store manager closed the door and left, Guan Bohan finally smiled broadly, casually crossing his legs as he greeted Xia Chan, "Manager Xia, long time no see, please have a seat."
Xia Chan didn't move, but simply stood there with her hands clasped together, taking a quiet and deep breath.
When she looked up again and met his eyes behind his sunglasses, her smile returned to that familiar, official one. "Mr. Guan, you really are persistent."
His eyes, however, were indifferent.
"Manager Xia, I told you we'd meet again." Guan Bohan took off his sunglasses, stood up, and smiled at her, his dark eyes filled with a playful expression. "How about it, are you surprised?"
Xia Chan stared at his eyes expressionlessly, her lips pressed tightly together. "Please tell our store manager to find someone else to be in charge of your birthday party. I can't handle this event."
"Why?" Guan Bohan feigned ignorance. "I've heard that your hotel's employees can earn a substantial commission if they independently manage such large-scale events."
"Yes," Xia Chan readily admitted, but added, "But I don't want to accept it."
"But I specifically want you to take charge."
"I can't take responsibility."
"You want me to file a complaint?" He just smiled casually, his tone a nonchalant threat. Seeing her face stiffen slightly for a moment, he smiled with a hint of smugness.
Xia Chan slowly clenched her fists, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and when she opened them again to face him, she tried her best to be sincere.
“Mr. Guan,” she said, “if you were offended by me on the basketball court that time, causing you to lose face and be embarrassed, I sincerely apologize.”
"But that time I was doing it for work. It's true you're a big client, but every customer in the hotel is a client we need to maintain. Under those circumstances, I had no choice but to do that. I'm usually very busy with work and don't have time to joke around with you. I was willing to tolerate every difficult thing you did before because you were staying here at the time, and all your needs were within my job scope. But right now I really don't have the time or energy to put up with your antics anymore. So please find someone else, and please be lenient and let this lowly employee off the hook!"
Her calm and composed attitude made Guan Bohan's deliberately teasing smile fade. He stared at her silently for a moment, then quickly replaced it with a sincere smile, saying, "Don't worry, Manager Xia, since you're apologizing to me so sincerely... then I'll also sincerely tell you the truth!"
"I really just want to have a nice birthday party this time, not to make things difficult for you. All the event planning has been done by the publicity department. All you need to do is help me keep an eye on the schedule, and I promise I won't make things difficult for you during this time."
"I know it's not easy for you working for someone else, so consider this my apology for all the trouble I've caused you before! Manager Xia, this is a huge bonus that's practically handed to you for free. How about it? Think about it, hmm?"
He stared at her, his eyebrows slightly raised, his eyes curving upwards, the arc of his peach blossom eyes possessing a deliberately seductive allure. Xia Chan looked at him, yet still felt inexplicably strange, her brows furrowing deeply.
Seeing that she was about to refuse, he spoke first, "Give it a try, Manager Xia! I'm really sincere. And since I'm apologizing to you, you should at least give me a chance to reciprocate, right? Besides, aren't you the one who's fearless and overcomes all difficulties? Why not give it a try?"
He raised an eyebrow and smiled brightly at her again, this time the smile was truly pure and without any hint of teasing.
Xia Chan stared into his eyes and inexplicably thought of another pure person, and of the amount on the contract... Finally, she agreed.
-
After Guan Bohan and Xia Chan finalized the birthday party arrangements, Guan Bohan went upstairs to the suite to visit Chen Zhoudu.
In the large suite that the 36-story film crew had booked, the crew of "The Internationale" was also taking a break during a location change. Shen Zhoudu was sitting in the dressing room in the inner bedroom, getting her makeup changed and touched up with the help of a makeup artist.
"Hey! Bro!" Guan Bohan walked right up to him and casually hooked his arm around his shoulder. "Long time no see, surprise!"
"Get out of my way." Chen Zhoudu shoved him aside without any politeness. "Don't mess up my look."
"..."
The entire suite was in a chaotic state, with many staff members laying out rotating tracks and adjusting the machines.
Director Wang Yue came back from outside with a glass of water and sat down in front of the monitor to look at the composition.
As soon as Guan Bohan saw him, she immediately smiled and stepped forward to get closer, "Hi Director Wang! Long time no see, when can I have a chance to act in one of your films and have some fun..."
Director Wang chuckled and told the cameraman to zoom in a bit more. "You can talk about this again when you've changed your domineering CEO acting style from those idol dramas!"
Several assistant directors nearby couldn't help but laugh and chatted for a bit. They were all in the same industry and knew each other, even if they weren't close.
Several junior directors on set also took the opportunity to expand their network.
A figure hurriedly appeared at the suite door, dressed in the uniform of the Asia Ocean Hotel. He called over the assistant director, who usually handled communications, and led him into the hallway, saying, "Assistant Director Li, regarding the circuit change you mentioned earlier, I spoke with our electrical technician, and he said..."
The visitor was Xia Chan, who was chatting with the scene assistant director about work.
Sitting in the inner room, Chen Zhoudu noticed that her back stiffened slightly, and she almost hurriedly finished the last bit of makeup before quietly walking to the door.
Guan Bohan had seen Xia Chan the moment she appeared, and was slightly surprised. After briefly dealing with the young director who came to negotiate, he walked to the door and leisurely crossed his arms to look at her.
After the two finished communicating, Guan Bohan stepped forward first to greet her, "Manager Xia!"
Chenzhoudu, who was about to step forward, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Xia Chan paused, silently rolling her eyes in her mind.
But he still had to maintain his composure and politeness, and when he turned back to face him, he resumed his artificial smile and said, "Mr. Guan."
"Manager Xia, I'll be troubling you with the arrangements for my birthday party. Let's keep in touch if anything else comes up..."
At this moment, Guan Bohan also pretended to be a polite gentleman and communicated with her in a pretentious manner.
Xia Chan maintained a smile throughout, occasionally nodding.
Some crew members occasionally walked past the two of them and couldn't help but glance at Xia Chan a few more times.
Xia Chan was speechless and wanted to find an excuse to leave, but her eyes paused slightly when she caught a glimpse of a figure slowly walking up behind him.
Chen Zhoudu stepped forward. Guan Bohan saw him, grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him forward, as if showing off something to Xia Chanbo:
"Come on, Manager Xia! Let me introduce you! This is my good buddy, Chen Zhoudu! You should know him, right? He's really popular right now, you must have heard his songs, right?"
"Manager Xia," Shen Zhoudu said in a low voice before Xia Chan could respond, his gaze fixed on her deeply, "It's been a long time."
Xia Chan pursed her lips slightly, looked at him with a complicated expression, and smiled politely at him, "Hello, Mr. Shen."
To Xia Chan's surprise, Shen Zhoudu and Guan Bohan actually knew each other.
And they're quite familiar with each other.
But that makes sense.
They are all from the same circle, and even more so, from the same social stratum. That is the world he truly inhabits.
Guan Bohan paused, looking around at the two of them with a strange expression, but quickly remembered something, slapped his thigh, and exclaimed, "Oh right! You've been filming here for so long, you should have gotten to know Manager Xia by now. Let me tell you, Manager Xia is in charge of my birthday party, so you absolutely have to come!"
Chen Zhoudu stared at her, utterly bewildered. Xia Chan merely glanced at Guan Bohan indifferently and shook her head inwardly.
"Mr. Guan, Mr. Shen, please go ahead with your work. I have some work to do, so I'll have to go now. Excuse me, see you later."
She quickly ended the conversation under the pretext of work, smiled politely at them again, glanced at them, and turned to leave without giving Chen Zhoudu another second look.
As Chen Zhoudu watched her retreating figure, he subconsciously wanted to catch up, but he stopped himself when he thought about the current situation, and his knuckles tightened silently.
Guan Bohan, standing beside him, was still excitedly saying, "Hey buddy, don't you think Manager Xia is a pretty interesting guy? He's also very good-looking. If he went into the entertainment industry..."
Chen Zhoudu's gaze lingered on his friend's face, still full of doubt. He hesitated before asking, "You and Manager Xia..."
"Do you remember when I told you about that interesting girl at your hotel?" Guan Bohan winked at him mysteriously.
Chen Zhoudu's heart skipped a beat; he already had a premonition.
"It's her."
His heart suddenly started pounding, pounding so hard it made his eardrums ring, while his nerves felt like a dilapidated boat slowly sinking on the sea.
—You say she's cold? She can still smile at you; you say she's warm? But her smile is so artificial, it has no emotion at all;
—You say she's respectful to you? But the way she talks to you sounds like she's criticizing you; you say she's disrespectful? But her attitude is exceptionally good!
"Oh, and most importantly... she can even play basketball! Don't you think she's interested?" His gaze lingered on the spot where she had left, lost in thought for a long time, then he took a deep breath, as if his breathing became labored. It was her...
It was her...
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