Chapter 298: A Formal Introduction
"O-Okay, one moment, please."
The receptionist obediently used the front desk landline to call the hotel manager.
The first call was hung up on.
"Keep calling! Don’t stop until he picks up."
Yun Zijin sat down on a sofa in the first-floor lounge, positioned to face the front desk, and simply watched the receptionist make the calls.
The employees of the Shire Hotel all knew that a young woman had shown up at the front desk, demanding to see the manager right away.
When she found out the manager wasn’t at his post during work hours, she flew into a rage and even made the receptionist relentlessly call him.
Many of them were already silently sympathizing with the receptionist.
Although the manager of the Shire Hotel was a slacker, the hotel’s benefits and salary were still quite good.
This was one of the reasons people were still willing to work there, even though business at the Shire Hotel was so bleak.
The receptionist made five consecutive calls before the manager on the other end finally picked up.
"Manager Zhu, you..."
Before the receptionist could even finish, a torrent of curses erupted from the other end. The voice was so loud that she had to hold the receiver away from her ear.
Yun Zijin rose from the sofa, took the landline receiver from the receptionist’s hand, and held it to her ear. "Manager Zhu, is it? I’m Yun Zijin. If you aren’t at this hotel in ten minutes, then don’t bother coming at all!"
’As for the severance pay required for firing an employee, Yun Zijin had absolutely no intention of paying it.’
’With an attitude like Manager Zhu’s, he was lucky she wasn’t demanding compensation from him!’
After saying her piece, Yun Zijin hung up the phone with a sharp CLICK.
The receptionist looked at Yun Zijin with the reverence one would show a hero. ’Wow, this girl is so brave!’
"Are... Are you sure this is okay?"
The receptionist thought Yun Zijin’s actions were a little strange.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, Zhu Jingliang found the name "Yun Zijin" very familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite place it.
However, the caller’s furious tone as she ordered him back to the hotel gave Zhu Jingliang a bad feeling.
Though reluctant, he ultimately decided to head back to the hotel.
He completely ignored Yun Zijin’s ten-minute deadline.
By the time Zhu Jingliang returned to the Shire Hotel, a full forty minutes had passed since the call ended.
The longer she waited, the darker Yun Zijin’s expression became.
Mei Lin, Zero One, and the others stood behind the sofa where Yun Zijin was sitting, waiting with her.
"Manager Zhu!"
The receptionist hadn’t dared to breathe for the entire forty minutes. Seeing Zhu Jingliang return, she found her boss to be a welcome sight for the first time ever.
Yun Zijin followed the receptionist’s gaze, spotted Zhu Jingliang, and slowly stood up.
"Manager Zhu?"
The moment Zhu Jingliang entered the hotel, he noticed Yun Zijin, and a flash of stunned admiration crossed his eyes.
But as soon as Yun Zijin spoke, he recognized her as the person who had yelled at him on the phone.
"You were the one on the phone just now?"
Realizing the person on the phone had been Yun Zijin, Zhu Jingliang’s admiration soured into repulsion.
Yun Zijin ignored his question. "Work starts at 9:00 AM. It’s now 11:10 AM. You sure have a comfortable shift, Manager Zhu."
’He was two hours late for a four-hour morning shift!’
’Does he think the Shire Hotel is his personal ATM, spitting out money for him every month?’
"Business is terrible right now, so I was out trying to attract customers. And who the hell are you? I’m the manager of the Shire Hotel. When I show up for work is none of your business.
Mind your own damn business, you little wench, or you won’t even know what hit you!"
Zhu Jingliang resorted to threats.
"Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Yun Zijin, and I am the new owner of the Shire Hotel. Now... am I qualified to manage you?"
Hearing this, Zhu Jingliang’s eyes flickered. He had considered many possibilities, but never once did it cross his mind that Yun Zijin was the new owner of the Shire Hotel.
The receptionist, overhearing them, also looked on in utter astonishment.
But a moment later, she began to snicker secretly.
’She had long since grown sick of Zhu Jingliang’s conduct. Unfortunately, rank had its privileges, and as a mere receptionist, there was nothing she could say.’
’Now that someone who could finally put him in his place had appeared, she was absolutely delighted.’
"Y-You say you’re the new owner, but does that make it true? What proof do you have?"
Zhu Jingliang tried one last, desperate struggle.
"Heh... I don’t need you to believe me. The fact that I’m the new owner of the Shire Hotel is already a done deal.
Now, I’ll give you two choices. First, you resign. Second, you’re fired.
Don’t even think about severance pay. I’m already being merciful by not demanding you compensate the hotel for its losses."
With his unjustified absenteeism, Zhu Jingliang wouldn’t have a case even if he went to labor arbitration.
She had the time to drag him through a lawsuit, but the same couldn’t be said for him.
At around thirty years old, he was at an age where he likely had parents to support and children to raise. If Zhu Jingliang lost his job as the Shire Hotel’s manager, his next job might not come with the same benefits.
"Y-You can’t do this! I’ve worked in this hotel ever since I graduated from college. It took me so long to get to this position. You’re just casting me aside now that you don’t need me!"
Of course, Zhu Jingliang knew he couldn’t afford to lose this job, but his nervousness made his words jumbled and incoherent.
"Whether or not that’s the case, aren’t you perfectly clear on the reason, Manager Zhu?
Complete the work handover. Otherwise... I’m sure you wouldn’t want to find yourself unable to get another job in Dijing, Manager Zhu."
If Yun Zijin wanted it, it was not impossible to achieve.
Resentment swelled in Zhu Jingliang’s heart. ’He had worked diligently at the hotel for so many years. So what if he was occasionally a little late? Yun Zijin was being far too aggressive.’
"I understand. I’ll handle the handover. However... President Yun, you are young and impetuous. It’s often best not to act on impulse."
But Yun Zijin didn’t even look at Zhu Jingliang. Whether the Shire Hotel would survive in the future was not something he could decide.
Yun Zijin also believed that since Randomly Spend had given her the Shire Hotel as a reward, there must be a good reason for it.
Zhu Jingliang gave Yun Zijin a long, meaningful look, then took out his phone to find the hotel’s deputy manager and prepare for the handover.
It was only then that the deputy manager, Zou Yi, learned that Yun Zijin, the person who had been waiting in the lobby all this time, was actually the new owner of the Shire Hotel.
When he hurried over, his face was beaded with sweat.
Seeing Zou Yi, Yun Zijin discreetly sized him up.
’He looks much younger than Zhu Jingliang,’ she thought, ’but I wonder what his character is like.’
"President Yun, I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. I’m Zou Yi, the hotel’s deputy manager. You can just call me Xiao Zou."
Today was supposed to be his day off. He only came in because the receptionist had called him for help.
However, he lived quite far from the hotel, so it had taken him a while to get there.
He hadn’t expected to find out, just as he was arriving, that Zhu Jingliang had managed to offend the new owner.
As the deputy manager, he could only sigh at their bad luck.
"Deputy Manager?"
Yun Zijin looked at Zou Yi.
Zou Yi nodded. "Yes."
"Perfect. You can handle the work handover with Manager Zhu. From now on, you’re the hotel manager.
As for the deputy manager position, if you have a suitable candidate in mind, Manager Zou, feel free to promote them."