The next day, when Chen Jianhai saw Liu Fuhou playing badminton in the association's sports hall with a cast on his left hand, sweating profusely, he was completely stunned.
Was this hero... really this hardcore?
It wasn't just Chen Jianhai.
Everyone in the hall was awed by such an unyielding sports spirit.
When Liu Fuhou even managed to pull off a stylish smash in retaliation, he earned a round of enthusiastic applause from the spectators.
However, since his wrist was still in a cast, Liu Fuhou only swung his racket a couple of times to warm up and didn't play for long before stepping off the court. After all, he couldn't afford to sweat with his left hand still immobilized.
"Secretary Liu, do you love playing badminton this much?" Chen Jianhai asked with admiration.
"It's a habit. I feel off if I don't swing a racket a few times every day," Liu Fuhou replied as he put his racket back into his bag.
Chen Jianhai, ever attentive, picked up a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and handed him a sports drink.
"Is your wrist okay?"
Liu Fuhou said, "It's fine. Just a minor fracture. It'll heal in a couple of days—no big deal."
Hearing this, Chen Jianhai felt slightly relieved. It seemed the injury wasn't too serious and shouldn't affect his ability to write reports.
"I have some matters to attend to in Zaomen and will be leaving Nanjiang this afternoon. Please hold the fort here at the association," Chen Jianhai said.
Liu Fuhou nodded. "Chairman, how are you planning to return to Zaomen this afternoon? Do you need me to arrange a car for you?"
Chen Jianhai replied, "I've already made arrangements. I'll contact you if anything comes up."
Nanjiang was Chen Jianhai's hometown, and the Langai Hotel's headquarters were also here. If he needed to go to the airport or train station, he could just ask the bellboys to drive him—far more convenient than relying on the association's vehicles.
And it wasn't that Chen Jianhai looked down on the association… well, actually, he did.
The Coconut Umbrella Hotel Industry Association didn't even have a parking lot! Everyone commuted to work via Bus No. 63. He genuinely couldn't imagine where the association would conjure up a car to send him off.
What if Liu Fuhou made a grand promise to arrange a car, only to hand him a Nanjiang public transport card and tell him to take Bus No. 63? That would be beyond awkward.
That afternoon, Chen Jianhai boarded the high-speed train to Zaomen once again.
People are most afraid of getting used to things.
Chen Jianhai was a lazybones by nature, content to stay at home and reluctant to go anywhere. Yet, over the past month, he'd been shuttling back and forth between Zaomen and Nanjiang so frequently that stepping onto the train today gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity—like he was heading home.
This feeling… was terrifying!
Chen Jianhai even worried that if he got too accustomed to this frequent travel, his life might become rootless and unstable.
He needed to find a way to make things more comfortable.
"System!" he called out in his mind.
"Ding~"
The system's familiar, cold voice echoed in his head.
Chen Jianhai said, "System, do you have a spatial portal? Like, one where I can push open a door at the Langai Hotel and step right into the Zaomen Hotel?"
System: "Please respect science, Host. Do not propose such unrealistic questions."
Chen Jianhai: ???
Unrealistic?!
The most unrealistic thing here is you, damn it!
Refusing to give up, Chen Jianhai opened the system mall and scoured it for any similar items. But after searching for a long time, he found nothing.
"You don't even have a Doraemon-style Anywhere Door, and you dare call yourself a system… pah! Worthless!"
Chen Jianhai ruthlessly shut down the system.
Plan "Anywhere Door": Failed ×
---
Two hours later, the high-speed train arrived at Zaomen Station.
Chen Yu, having received Chen Jianhai's message, was already waiting in the underground parking lot with a car.
"Chairman, you've worked hard. I brought some washed fruit for you to snack on," Chen Yu said, handing Chen Jianhai a small bag of cleaned kumquats. A bottle of sparkling water was also prepared beside the seat.
Unlike hotels, the association couldn't provide exquisite cakes or desserts in the shuttle car. But kumquats had the advantage of being peel-and-eat, bite-sized, and not messy.
Their refreshing taste was a nice change for Chen Jianhai, who had been drinking too many red date, wolfberry, and peach gum concoctions lately. He happily peeled and ate them one after another.
"Chairman, are you heading back to the association or the hotel?" Chen Yu asked as he drove out of the parking lot.
"The association," Chen Jianhai replied.
A new broom sweeps clean.
Though Chen Jianhai had been elevated to the chairman position as a figurehead to "challenge the senior hotel association," that didn't mean he was content being a puppet.
Even if he couldn't mold the association into an ironclad unit like his hotels, he still needed to make some "regime change" moves.
And today, Chen Jianhai was here to light the first fire under the Shell Association.
This fire would start in the kitchen!
---
The next morning, Chen Jianhai woke up in his office, freshened up, and went downstairs to the cafeteria for breakfast.
After swiping his meal card, he entered the dining hall, where a row of insulated food warmers stood opposite the entrance.
At a glance:
Bland noodle soup, dry steamed buns, hard-boiled eggs, egg drop soup, and two types of pickles—radish and cucumber.
At the very end of the condiment counter sat a jar of fermented tofu.
Many diners would pick up a piece with their chopsticks and spread it on their steamed buns.
What kind of eating habit was this?
Chen Jianhai rarely ate fermented tofu, but seeing everyone else doing it, he curiously picked up a piece.
Sitting at the table, he imitated the others, spreading the fermented tofu on his bun like jam and taking a big bite.
"Yuck…!"
The overwhelming saltiness nearly knocked him out.
This was way too salty!
Did everyone at the Shell Association have such heavy tastes?
The pickled radish and cucumber were way better!
Secretly spitting out the bite into a napkin, Chen Jianhai washed it down with a sip of the egg drop soup—only to taste a thick starchy flavor.
Good grief…
If they'd added any more starch, it would've turned into egg drop paste.
Perfect!
The cafeteria breakfast was as terrible as ever.
Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Chen Jianhai scraped off the excess fermented tofu and forced himself to finish the bun.
Hmm?
The mild saltiness of the fermented tofu mixed with the natural sweetness of the bun as he chewed, creating a strangely satisfying texture. The fermented tofu's smoothness made it oddly addictive.
Compared to the fermented tofu, the pickled radish and cucumber suddenly seemed bland.
After cleaning his plate, Chen Jianhai returned it to the collection area and left.
Compared to breakfast, the Shell Association's cafeteria was much livelier at lunch.
Chen Jianhai entered 10 minutes after opening, by which time nearly 200 people were already eating at the tables.
At the front row near the serving counter, an empty table was conspicuously reserved—clearly for Chen Jianhai.
Grabbing a tray, Chen Jianhai surveyed the options:
Steamed rice, sweet potatoes, corn porridge, stir-fried celery with wood ear mushrooms, mapo tofu, scallion-braised lamb, and a mixed mushroom soup.
At the end of the counter, another freshly opened jar of fermented tofu sat waiting.
Though the selection wasn't extensive, at least there was some meat.
As for the taste…
Perfect!
Still terrible!
Staring at the "scallion-braised lamb" on his plate, Chen Jianhai wouldn't have recognized it as lamb if not for the menu clearly labeling it as such. It looked more like "cumin-fried scallions."
It wasn't that there was no lamb—just that there was so little of it.
Even the skewers at Xiao Lang's barbecue joint had more meat!
The cafeteria's dishes were also overly oily and salty. The stir-fried celery with wood ear mushrooms was as greasy as a boiled fish dish.
The most popular item, surprisingly, was the corn porridge.
Chen Jianhai watched as an older colleague filled an entire lunchbox with corn porridge, dumped two spoonfuls of sugar on top, sealed it, stuffed it into his bag, and walked off without a second glance.
What a tragedy!
Chen Jianhai mournfully scooped up a bit of fermented tofu.
In the cafeteria of a mid-tier hotel industry association, employees were taking home corn porridge instead of proper dishes like mapo tofu or scallion-braised lamb?
How embarrassing!
If the cafeteria of a hotel association was this bad, how could anyone expect the hotels under its umbrella to serve decent food?
Would guests be happy staying there?
No way!
Lighting a fire required a proper justification.
Chen Jianhai was satisfied.
---
That afternoon, Chen Jianhai summoned the association's administrative director with a single phone call.
According to Su Jie's personnel files, the administrative director was named Ning Shanliang, a man just over 40.
Despite his burly appearance, he had an oddly gentle smile, making him seem like someone whose intimidating silhouette belied a pushover personality.
But Chen Jianhai wasn't fooled.
Those in charge of logistics were rarely fools.
Beyond the regular office staff, the administrative director oversaw all the association's property management, security, and cleaning personnel—a mix of all sorts.
If Ning Shanliang were a pushover, Chen Jianhai wouldn't even need to light a fire—these people would've squeezed him dry long ago.
"Chairman Chen, you wanted to see me?" Ning Shanliang asked with a guileless smile, looking utterly harmless.
"Brother Ning, please sit. Don't be nervous. By age, I should be calling you 'big brother.' I just wanted to chat today," Chen Jianhai said warmly, his smile even brighter than Ning Shanliang's.
Though he hadn't yet figured Ning Shanliang out, he knew it was best to kill with kindness.
If the other guy liked to smile, he'd just smile even harder!
Fight magic with magic!
Thus, in the congenial atmosphere Chen Jianhai carefully crafted, they discussed everything from children's schooling to spouses' workplaces, from career histories to barbecue philosophies.
Mostly, Chen Jianhai talked while Ning Shanliang played along.
Though Chen Jianhai sat in the chairman's seat, he carried no airs, as if they were just two old acquaintances catching up.
Ning Shanliang followed Chen Jianhai's lead, playing the perfect straight man.
The association had already done its homework on Chen Jianhai's background.
At a young age, he'd successfully founded three major hotels. On his very first day in the association, he'd been exceptionally promoted to chairman of the Shell Hotel Industry Association.
His connections ran deep—the deputy mayor of Nanjiang and Song Zhan, chairman of Rushan Real Estate, had personally attended his hotel's opening ceremony.
Such a man was not to be trifled with!
As they subtly probed each other, Chen Jianhai checked his watch.
"Oh! It's almost time. Work's about to end."
Ning Shanliang knew it was time to leave.
"Chairman, I've taken up enough of your time. I'll let you get back to work."
Chen Jianhai waved it off. "Work? What work? Didn't you say your wife picks up the kids in the evening? I've got nothing going on at the association."
"How about you join me for dinner in the cafeteria before heading home? We can keep talking."
With that, Chen Jianhai cheerfully stood and ushered Ning Shanliang out the door without waiting for a reply.
Ning Shanliang had no choice but to follow, though he smoothly fell half a step behind Chen Jianhai as they exited the office.
Was this finally the main event?
Ning Shanliang shot Chen Jianhai an imperceptible glance.
The Shell Hotel Industry Association's workday ended at 5:15 PM, but the cafeteria opened at 5:10 PM.
Due to lax management, many employees would head down at 5:00 PM to grab a bite before going home.
By the time Chen Jianhai and Ning Shanliang entered, about 30 people were already eating.
Their arrival sparked hushed whispers.
Higher-ups usually came down half an hour later. A chairman showing up before closing time was a rare sight.
The cafeteria's dinner menu was practically identical to lunch's—leftovers from noon.
If the "scallion-braised lamb" at lunch had at least some lamb, by dinner, it was essentially "scallion-braised scallions."
The corn porridge was lukewarm, the broth evaporated, leaving dry corn kernels clumped in the pot with a thick layer of starch on top.
Though Chen Jianhai had never raised pigs, this corn porridge looked fit for swine.
Perhaps aware of its unpalatability, the cafeteria had thoughtfully provided a thermos of hot water.
Chen Jianhai ladled half a bowl of porridge, then poured in hot water from the thermos.
A quick stir with his chopsticks, and voilà—a perfectly reconstituted bowl of corn porridge.
Ning Shanliang's expression grew strained.
Ignoring him, Chen Jianhai moved on to the other dishes:
Greasy stir-fried celery with wood ear mushrooms, crumbly mapo tofu, scallion-fried scallions, and lukewarm, clumpy rice.
Ning Shanliang's face darkened with each step.
Finally, Chen Jianhai followed local custom by picking up a piece of fermented tofu and heading to a table.
It wasn't that he liked fermented tofu—it was just that the food was so… special!
Without something salty like fermented tofu, the meal would've been unbearable.
Ning Shanliang reluctantly filled his plate and joined Chen Jianhai at the table.
The cafeteria doors were wide open.
As employees passed by on their way home, they saw Chen Jianhai and Ning Shanliang eating together.
At the table, Chen Jianhai continued his small talk, while Ning Shanliang's smile grew increasingly wooden.
They chatted amiably, like old friends.
After the meal, Chen Jianhai wiped his mouth and said,
"Thanks for joining me, Brother Ning. Your wife and kids are probably home by now. Head back and cook them something nice."
Ning Shanliang smiled. "Thank you for your concern, Chairman. I'll go cook for them right away."