Chapter 12: The Male Lead and Supporting Female Arrive
Two pot-bellied men entered the room but soon came back out.
In their rush to reach Jianglin Hotel quickly, they hadn't brought much with them. Now that they were settled, they began regretting leaving their supplies behind and decided to return to retrieve everything they hadn't brought.
Chu Jiangyue advised them to wait until sunset before going back, but they refused—any later, and their villa's supplies might fall into others' hands.
Though Chu Jiangyue thought risking it for those supplies wasn't worth it, she was just the hotel owner. She could guide her guests' decisions but couldn't dictate them.
Since they insisted, all she could do was wish them a safe journey.
「Host, I detect the male lead and supporting female approaching the hotel.」
The little fox suddenly spoke up. Hearing it was news about the male lead and supporting female, Chu Jiangyue immediately lost interest.
One greasy man, one pretentious woman—if she were the female lead, she'd gladly lock them together forever.
Who knows which unlucky soul ended up with such a male lead and female supporting character pair.
「Host, they seem to be heading toward the hotel」
The little fox now harbors no goodwill toward the male lead, Zheng Wen'an, and is solely focused on finding the female lead as quickly as possible.
Chu Jiangyue, however, was puzzled. That day, she had kicked Liu Yiyi multiple times—shouldn't Liu Yiyi despise her by now? Why would she still come to the hotel?
Isn't this just asking for trouble?
"Brother Wen'an, this is the place!"
Before the pair even stepped through the hotel entrance, Chu Jiangyue heard Liu Yiyi's voice.
As the words faded, Zheng Wen'an and Liu Yiyi indeed walked in.
Chu Jiangyue remained seated behind the counter, showing no intention of standing to greet them.
She treated people based on her preferences—for those she disliked, she couldn't bring herself to offer them quality service, no matter how hard she tried.
"Hey! Can't you see we've entered? Since you're running a hotel, how can your service attitude be so awful!"
Liu Yiyi disliked Chu Jiangyue from their very first meeting because she hated that face - more beautiful than her own.
"In all of Splendid China Metropolis, only my place remains unaffected by the scorching weather. If you find my attitude unsatisfactory, you're free not to come."
She hadn't forgotten how Liu Yiyi had tried to shove her out the hotel entrance during their first encounter.
Had it not been for the little fox insisting she stay, Liu Yiyi wouldn't have survived the day she attempted to expel her.
"Miss Jiangyue…"
"Address me as Proprietor Chu!"
Hearing her name uttered by Zheng Wen'an's mouth made Chu Jiangyue's skin crawl with visceral discomfort.
Zheng Wen'an never expected his infallible charm tactic would be so abruptly countered by Chu Jiangyue's interruption.
Yet, being a man of remarkable restraint, he quickly regained his composure.
"We heard there are unoccupied rooms available. Please arrange two for us."
Upon hearing Zheng Wen'an's words, Chu Jiangyue raised an eyebrow—she hadn't expected the male lead to move in as well. Would this affect the plot's progression?
The thought crossed Chu Jiangyue's mind, and she casually asked Little Fox in her head as well.
「It… shouldn't affect it, right? At this point in the timeline, the male lead is still staying at Shengshi Huadu with Liu Yiyi. According to the plot, they'll leave Shengshi Huadu together with the rescue team half a month later.」
Well, as long as they're all within Shengshi Huadu's vicinity, there shouldn't be any issues, right?
Regardless of whether it affects the plot or not, the hotel only has one room left now.
Chu Jiangyue was actually quite curious to see how these two would handle it.
"There were rooms available earlier, but you came at an unfortunate time—now there's only one single room left.
So… who's staying?"
With a faint smile, Chu Jiangyue watched the two with mild amusement.
Sure enough, when they heard there was only one single room left, both Zheng Wen'an and Liu Yiyi fell silent. Neither wanted to be the one to ruin their image, yet neither was willing to concede the advantage.
"You two need to decide quickly, otherwise when others arrive, the room will go to whoever pays first."
"How much? I'll take it!"
Zheng Wen'an spoke before Liu Yiyi could, afraid the room would be gone if he hesitated.
"Brother Wen'an, don't abandon me! I'd be scared staying outside alone!"
Liu Yiyi clearly hadn't expected Zheng Wen'an to refuse yielding the room to her. As she spoke, she removed her gold bangles, silver bracelets, and jade bracelets, placing them on the exchanger's tray.
She ignored the amount announced by the exchanger and directly clicked "Confirm Exchange.
Zheng Wen'an was at a disadvantage—this was his first time here, and he knew nothing about the process.
"I've exchanged mine! Hurry up and book the room for me—five days!"
After Lui Yiyi's exchange, Zheng Wen'an hurriedly placed his prepared jade Guanyin pendant and a silver brooch on the exchanger's tray to convert them into copper coins.
"I've exchanged mine too—the room is mine!"
These two individuals exemplified the saying "Husband and wife are birds of a flock, yet when disaster strikes each flies alone" to perfection, though they weren't actually married.
However, given the long-standing friendship between their families, had the apocalypse not occurred, they likely would have ended up as husband and wife.
China's tradition of strengthening family ties through marriage has profoundly far-reaching influences.
"Swipe your own cards—whoever gets recognized gets the room."
Chu Jiangyue wasn't about to make the decision for them, leaving it to their own capabilities.
Both swiftly placed their identity cards on the scanner.
[Dear Ms. Liu Yiyi, welcome to Jianglin Hotel. Duration of stay: 5 days. Fee: 1000 copper coins, deducted. We wish you a pleasant stay!]
"Congratulations."
Chu Jiangyue looked at Liu Yiyi, offering words of congratulation while inwardly anticipating some drama.
Failing to swipe successfully, Zheng Wen'an's expression darkened noticeably—a shift Liu Yiyi, standing right beside him, felt most acutely.
"Brother Wen'an, I didn't want this either, but…you know, my parents are away on business. They're not home, and I'm scared staying alone…"
Zheng Wen'an's parents and Liu Yiyi's parents went on the business trip together. Before leaving, both sets of parents called them together and asked them to take care of each other.
Needless to say, there was also some intention to matchmake them.
"It's fine. You're a girl—it's only right you get the room."
Chu Jiangyue rolled her eyes internally. Nice words, but if he'd succeeded in swiping the card, it wasn't certain he'd have given the room to Liu Yiyi.
「Host, this male lead is so hypocritical! How was he even chosen as the male lead?!!」
Seeing Zheng Wen'an for the second time and reconfirming his status as the male lead, the little fox's composure still cracked.
Who on earth chose him? Did they even look when selecting the male lead?
The little fox's rant nearly made Chu Jiangyue burst out laughing. Before anyone could notice anything amiss, she covered her mouth.
"Non-hotel guests are only permitted to stay in the hotel for a cumulative total of 2 hours per day. Those who exceed this time limit without leaving will be forcibly removed."
As for where they might be expelled to - that wasn't something she could guarantee.
Zheng Wen'an remained silent, quietly purchased some steamed buns and meat buns, then left the hotel alone.
They had come here, of course, after making inquiries and understanding what the hotel's expulsion policy entailed?