Chapter 36. Celebrity. Yes, I like him. ...
At one o'clock in the afternoon, Xia Chan was woken up by her phone alarm. She quickly put on makeup, changed her clothes, and got ready for work.
The celebrity ancestor that Du Na mentioned would be checking in around 5 PM today, and all the front desk staff would be on duty to welcome him. As the manager, she needed to make all the necessary preparations in advance.
The only room at Tianze Hotel that best met all the celebrity's requirements was a deluxe suite. Xia Chan changed into shoe covers and carefully inspected every corner of the suite, making sure there was no visible dust in the entire room. She then checked the details against his request list one by one.
She personally ironed each of the duvet covers, ensuring there wasn't a single loose thread or wrinkle.
She had someone buy the incense from a fragrance brand in the mall and then specially hired a professional to carefully apply it.
Finally, the most suitable cassia seed pillow was retrieved from the warehouse and sterilized at high temperature. Xia Chan carefully put it in the pillowcase and placed it neatly at the head of the bed, ensuring that everything was accurate and without any mistakes. She then turned off the lights and left the room.
At 4:47 p.m., the hotel lobby was already bustling with people, with guests checking in and out coming and going, creating a lively and busy scene.
When a luxury RV slowly came to a stop in front of the hotel, it still attracted curious glances from many people in the lobby.
Two men who looked like bodyguards got out of the front of the RV, then opened the back door and escorted one person out. Xia Chan pinpointed her target and whispered into her earpiece, "They're here." Almost half of the front office staff immediately stood up and prepared to greet the guest.
Then, a figure stepped out of the RV, surrounded by two bodyguards and several assistants. The moment he entered the hotel, a small commotion broke out in the lobby.
"Guan Bohan?"
"It's Guan Bohan!"
"Guan Bohan! It's actually..."
The young man who walked in was about 1.85 meters tall and around 24 or 25 years old. He was dressed in designer clothes, a black jacket over a burgundy shirt, which was flamboyant and eye-catching, but his posture and expression made it seem somewhat incongruous.
He had his hands in his pockets, chewing gum, and huge sunglasses that covered most of his face, leaving only his slightly moving crimson lips. His whole demeanor was unrestrained, casual, and exceptionally imposing.
He remained unfazed by the surprised looks and stares of the crowd, and walked straight toward the suite elevator.
Du Na and several other girls from the front office were pleasantly surprised to see this, but fortunately they managed to maintain their professionalism and didn't show it on their faces at all.
Xia Chan and Deputy Manager Yu Lianxin stood at the front row. When he and his group walked up to them, they bowed respectfully with their hands clasped together and said, "Welcome." Then they naturally followed behind them into the elevator.
Inside the elevator, the gleaming mirror walls reflected the dozen or so people inside.
Seven or eight bodyguards and assistants surrounded Guan Bohan in the center, while Xia Chan and her colleagues from the front office stood around them.
Guests in suites can enter their rooms first and then check in separately. The elevator lobby was silent for a moment. After thinking for a moment, Deputy Manager Yu Lianxin took the initiative to smile and speak to Guan Bohan's right.
"Hello Mr. Guan, welcome to the 'Yahai Tianze' Hotel. I am Yu Lianxin, the hotel's front office deputy manager. Please feel free to come to me if you need anything from today onwards. It would be my honor to serve you."
Guan Bohan glanced at her slightly with his sunglasses tilted, but didn't say anything. Du Na, on the other hand, showed some reluctance, glancing at Xia Chan in the elevator mirror and pursing her lips.
Xia Chan gently shook her head at her.
After a long silence, Yu Lianxin, seemingly getting a little embarrassed, pursed her lips and smiled again, saying, "The suite we prepared for you is on the 32nd floor, with a beautiful view. The room has been furnished according to your request, and the incense is CULTI sandalwood. We hope you like it. Also..."
"It's so noisy," Guan Bohan suddenly said.
His voice was also flat and lacked intonation.
Sunglasses make it even harder to see emotions.
The front desk staff were taken aback, and Yu Lianxin was even startled. A man who looked like a personal assistant explained, "Our artist has just been on a plane for more than ten hours and is a bit tired. If it's not necessary, we'll refrain from communicating for now."
Yu Lianxin's face stiffened, and she could only nod with a forced smile. Du Na, on the other hand, lowered her head slightly and pursed her lips.
Guan Bohan's gaze then seemed to be looking through the elevator mirror at someone on the left, and he suddenly asked, "What's your name?"
Everyone was taken aback again. Xia Chan paused for a moment before realizing he was asking about her, and calmly replied, "Xia Chan."
Guan Bohan glanced at the nameplate on her chest and scoffed.
"Is the manager mute? Can't he speak?"
"..." A nitpicker can find fault from any angle, and it's unclear who this statement is implying.
Yu Lianxin's face grew even more unpleasant, and she pressed her lips tightly together. Xia Chan silently took a breath, her official smile and tone equally formal, "Mr. Guan, welcome to your room."
Guan Bohan gave a half-smile and a sneer.
They arrived at the 32nd floor. Guan Bohan stepped out of the elevator, paused, and then looked back at the group of people who had followed him. He ordered, "Don't follow me. You," he pointed at Xia Chan, "check in."
He turned and left.
After Xia Chan finished checking Guan Bohan in and went downstairs, she heard several girls chattering excitedly as she approached the staff room.
"Guan Bohan!"
"It's Guan Bohan?!!!!"
"He's so handsome! Even more handsome than on TV! But his temper is worse than the media says, hahaha..."
Xia Chan took off her headset and walked straight inside, but almost bumped into a figure at the door and paused.
Yu Lianxin was supposed to be on the evening shift today, but she came early to welcome Guan Bohan. She had already changed into her own clothes and was probably planning to go home first. She looked very unwell.
When she ran into Xia Chan, she paused for a moment, then glared at her with a hint of resentment before walking away.
Xia Chan walked straight in without thinking much, "What are you all talking about?"
"Xia Chan!"
"Manager Xia!"
Du Na and the others greeted her with smiles, offering her fruit and yogurt, and asked all at once, "Have you checked Guan Bohan in yet?"
"How was it? Did he give you any trouble?"
"Is he wearing no makeup? Does he look handsome without his sunglasses?"
Xia Chan smiled and met the curious gazes of the group, ate two grapes, and said, "It's alright, two eyes and one mouth."
The group was amused by her dry humor and patted her lightly before starting to chatter about Guan Bohan again.
Guan Bohan is currently one of the most popular male celebrities in China. He is considered a dark horse, and his good looks and talent allow him to stand out in the talent-filled entertainment industry. He has played several hit leading roles and is known for his sharp tongue, arrogance, and straight-laced male personas.
As many fans have put it, he's such a handsome guy, but he just happens to have a mouth.
Although his lip shape isn't exactly appealing, he's undeniably handsome, and some people actually find his style appealing, resulting in a large and loyal fanbase.
But Xia Chan silently shook her head, feeling that it was pure masochism.
"Sigh... He's handsome, but his mouth is just too much. I like my Lu Sheng much more!" a girl said during the discussion.
Another girl chuckled, "Alright, alright! Your Lu Sheng is the best, he's so quiet, like a taciturn guy!"
"That's called being mature and composed, okay?!"
"Okay, okay! Tch~"
“If you ask me, I still prefer the one with the sunken boat!” another girl suddenly said.
Xia Chan was tidying up things she hadn't had time to organize before when she heard this, and her heart skipped a beat.
"Chenzhoudu... he's too mysterious! He rarely appears except to release songs and promote them. Last time, there were rumors that he was in the drama 'Painting Realm,' and I was looking forward to it for so long! In the end, after all that hype, he just sang an OST. I really feel sorry for his face..."
"That's perfect! It shows he keeps his work and personal life separate. And in that interview I saw last time, he had such a great personality—polite, considerate, and with a beautiful smile! I think that's what a normal man should be like..."
She put things down very slowly, and before she knew it, her wrist had slipped, and something had bounced off her hand and landed at the feet of the group.
The others turned around at the commotion. Du Na picked up the small wooden cicada pendant from beside her feet, handed it to Xia Chan, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I couldn't hold on to it." Xia Chan just smiled and took it.
The little wooden cicada was quite old; it had become shiny and black, and some of the carvings on it had almost been worn away.
A girl asked, "Manager Xia, why do you still wear this fly pendant every day?"
Xia Chan: "..."
“That’s a cicada! The ‘cicada’ of summer!” Du Na explained proactively, even taking Xia Chan’s arm to show their close friendship. “It was a gift from a friend of Manager Xia.”
Xia Chan tilted her head and smiled at her. Du Na added, "But... it does look quite like a fly."
"..." Her gratitude immediately turned into a flick on the forehead.
The girls, however, had already become interested and asked curiously, "Hey, Manager Xia, which celebrity do you like? Or who is it?"
Xia Chan gripped the wooden cicada's hand slightly tighter.
Xia Chan, the front office manager, is somewhat mysterious to most of the front office staff.
Among them, apart from Du Na and Xia Chan who were from the same batch, the others were all later junior students or management trainees. When Xia Chan came to Tianze, she was already a supervisor, so they naturally had a sense of awe towards her as a leader.
After spending more time with her, they realized that she was a really good leader. In private, she never treated them as superiors or subordinates and would joke and gossip with them.
She focuses on the big picture at work and doesn't care much about other people's slacking off once she's done her job. However, she always seems aloof, and no matter how much they try to get to know her, they never seem to understand her enough, which always makes them want to explore her more.
"I..." Xia Chan hesitated for a long time, her lips pursed, unable to utter a coherent sentence. Several people waited expectantly for a while, then one girl suddenly slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Oh! I know!"
"Is that even a question? Our Manager Xia definitely likes Senior Brother Song!"
Oh~~~
"Oh, I see!"
The other girls immediately started making fun of her, not wanting to miss out on the fun. Xia Chan paused, looking helpless, and was about to speak up when her gaze accidentally swept towards the window, causing her to stop abruptly.
Outside the window, the neon lights of evening were gradually illuminating the scene, and a W·S store on the street was taking down its giant billboard.
The billboard showed Shen Zhoudu's face, half of which had been torn to shreds.
His gaze was fixed on the camera, still clean, quiet, warm, and with a broken smile.
Several people followed her gaze and were slightly surprised for a moment, and couldn't help but discuss it.
"Isn't that the Sunken Boat Ferry? W.S. is going to pull all his publicity stunts so quickly!"
"That's what you call capital! It's clearly their fault, but they're making it seem like the fault of the shipwrecked ferryman..."
"Shameless!"
Du Na observed her expression as if she had vaguely discovered something. "Xia Chan, you like Chen Zhoudu?"
These words also surprised the other girls. Xia Chan's heart skipped a beat.
Then the girl who had previously mentioned liking Chenzhoudu exclaimed in surprise, "Ah! Manager Xia, you like Chenzhoudu too?"
"So you and I are fans of the same brand? Ahhh, even Manager Xia likes Chen Zhoudu! That means Manager Xia has approved of Chen Zhoudu! Aren't you convinced?"
The girls laughed and joked around as if they had discovered a new continent. Xia Chan felt a sense of relief, and she sighed softly as she looked into the distance, saying, "Yes."
The poster had already been taken down, and she gazed at the silent smile that slowly drifted to the ground.
He held the wooden cicada with his palm for a long, long time and whispered, "I like him."
-
Guan Bohan dismissed all his assistants and bodyguards in the suite, took a shower, and then collapsed on the bed, fiddling with his phone.
Bored out of his mind, he scrolled through his WeChat contacts, found a profile picture, and made a voice call.
The profile picture looked like a painting: a small boat floating on a blue ocean. The only thing Guan Bohan didn't quite understand was why there was a fly on the shore; he had asked the WeChat user, but the user never told him.
The phone rang for a while, and after a moment, it was finally answered on the other end. "Hello."
The voice coming from the sound tube was clear and calm. It was a unique timbre belonging to Chenzhoudu.
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