Chapter 253 - 212: Morning Encounter

Chapter 253: Chapter 212: Morning Encounter

「The next day, early morning.」

Inside the executive suite, Tian Xiqwei sat before her vanity mirror, looking like she had powered on but hadn’t fully booted up.

She was drowsy, completely unable to keep her eyes open.

THUD...

Lu Ya walked in, carrying three iced Americanos.

"Sister Ya..."

"You’ve got to reboot Xiaotian."

"Otherwise, how am I supposed to do her eye makeup?"

The makeup artist standing behind Tian Xiqwei pleaded with a helpless expression upon seeing Lu Ya enter the room.

"Sorry about that."

"Tiantian was up too late reading her script last night and didn’t get enough sleep."

Lu Ya spoke as she handed one of the coffees to her. "Rourou, you take a coffee break. I have a way to reboot her."

"Thanks, Sister Ya."

The makeup artist nodded and stepped aside with the coffee.

Lu Ya watched Tian Xiqwei in the vanity mirror, her head already lolling to one side as she drifted back to sleep, and couldn’t help but shake her head.

They had worked together for five years, so Lu Ya knew Tian Xiqwei inside and out.

Tian Xiqwei was indeed a girl bursting with energy, but only on the condition that she got a full night’s sleep. Otherwise, she was like a wilted flower.

Tian Xiqwei hadn’t returned until nearly three in the morning, and after a fair bit of drinking, she was in a state between tipsy and sober.

She woke up at eight this morning, and though the alcohol had worn off, she was obviously sleep-deprived, looking utterly listless the moment she got up.

"Tiantian, wake up."

Lu Ya walked over to Tian Xiqwei’s side and gently tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hm?"

"Sister Ya, you’re back?"

Tian Xiqwei forced her eyes open. "Quick, quick, I need coffee to survive, or I’m really going to pass out."

"You just did pass out."

Lu Ya said, a little exasperated, as she handed Tian Xiqwei the coffee.

"But I’m just so sleepy."

Tian Xiqwei placed her rosy lips on the straw, her pale cheeks puffing out as she took a huge sip.

"Guess who I just ran into downstairs?"

Lu Ya lowered her voice.

"Who?"

Tian Xiqwei’s voice was languid; even with a mouthful of coffee, her eyelids still felt heavy.

"Gu Heng!"

The moment Lu Ya said his name, it was as if a switch had been flipped in Tian Xiqwei. Her drowsy eyes, which had been about to close, instantly lit up.

"Sister Ya, where did you see him?"

All trace of sleepiness vanished. Tian Xiqwei’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she asked the question.

"In the hotel restaurant."

"It looked like Gu Heng was conducting an inspection there."

Lu Ya knew Tian Xiqwei would react like this. Ever since she had returned from the executive lounge last night, Tian Xiqwei would unconsciously adopt a girlish, flustered air whenever Gu Heng’s name was mentioned.

Although Lu Ya hadn’t pressed for details, she could tell from Tian Xiqwei’s reaction that something must have happened between the two of them in the executive lounge last night.

"Sister Rourou, hurry, come do my makeup!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiqwei immediately called out to the makeup artist.

"Well, well."

"Sister Ya, you’re really something else!"

"I tried everything I could just now, but I got no reaction out of Xiaotian."

"And you revived her back to full health with just a few words?"

The makeup artist came over, marveling as she looked at Tian Xiqwei, who was once again brimming with energy.

"Of course."

"I have my ways."

Lu Ya smiled at the makeup artist, then headed into Tian Xiqwei’s bedroom to get her things ready.

...

Winter is the peak tourist season for the Northeast. The period from October to March of the following year is the golden age for the hotel industry in Beichun.

Even though it was a weekday, the hotel restaurant was still crowded with diners.

Accompanied by Dong Qiming and the Director of Food and Beverage, Yan Feng, Gu Heng had just stepped out of the kitchen.

"Director Yan, the Zhen Cui Group is also one of my businesses."

Gu Heng instructed Yan Feng as they walked away from the kitchen, "In the high-end restaurant industry, the Zhen Cui Group is a top player and has considerable experience. I’ll give President Qi from Zhen Cui a call later, and you two can exchange some ideas."

"Understood."

"Chairman Gu, rest assured."

Yan Feng immediately declared, "Our Food and Beverage Department will certainly learn with humility and strive to take our service quality to the next level."

"Let’s go."

"Let’s go take a look at the restaurant environment."

Gu Heng gave a slight nod and led the way toward the dining area, with Dong Qiming and Yan Feng following close behind.

The weather was beautiful that day. Golden morning light spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making the entire restaurant look exceptionally bright and clear.

Pausing here and there, Gu Heng found himself near the crew of *Half-Ripe Men and Women* before he knew it.

Since they were all from the same production and the main cast and crew were present, the other staff had spontaneously gathered around them, forming a sort of hub.

Gu Heng easily spotted Tian Xiqwei in the crowd.

She was wearing a loose, gray, cartoon-print sweatshirt. Her once long, straight black hair had been curled into waves and tied up in an adorable ponytail.

If the Tian Xiqwei from last night was a cool, mature woman, then today’s Tian Xiqwei was, through and through, a Sweet Sister.

The moment Gu Heng saw Tian Xiqwei, she saw him too.

Their eyes met mid-air, and then Gu Heng strode directly toward Tian Xiqwei’s table.

Having come to inspect the Food and Beverage Department this morning, Gu Heng was dressed rather formally.

He wore a pearly-white silk business shirt with custom-tailored black trousers, and on his feet were black leather shoes, exclusively customized for him by the world-class footwear brand Berluti.

Gu Heng was already young to begin with, and the white shirt made him seem even more boyish. However, when contrasted with Dong Qiming and Yan Feng, and coupled with the powerful aura he had gradually cultivated from his years in a high position, he exuded a strong sense of authority in every movement, despite his youthful appearance.

In short, he was the spitting image of a young, domineering CEO.

This was especially true since Tian Xiqwei was seated by the window. The morning sun scattered across Gu Heng’s white shirt, making him look like a character straight out of a manga.

"Who’s that?"

"He’s so handsome!"

Some of the staff had gone ahead to the film set yesterday to prepare the scenery, while others had been on a day off, so many of them had never seen Gu Heng and didn’t know who he was.

"He’s the chairman of this five-star hotel!"

"And he’s already an A10 Level billionaire at such a young age!"

A crew member who had been present yesterday immediately started filling everyone in.

"Holy crap!"

"Is this the legendary Chosen One?!"

"He’s basically a bug in the game of Earth Online!"

Hearing this, many of the hard-working grunts on the crew felt their emotional defenses instantly crumble.

As all eyes were on him, Gu Heng walked directly up to Tian Xiqwei.

"I’m surprised you didn’t sleep in. You actually managed to crawl out of bed for breakfast."

Gu Heng greeted her in a familiar tone, looking at the Tian Xiqwei whose entire aura was completely different from the night before.

"Because I was hungry..."

Tian Xiqwei had been thinking she would be lucky just to catch a glimpse of Gu Heng from a distance this morning; she never imagined he would walk right up to her. Facing the surreptitious glances of the many crew members around them, she felt a little shy.

"How is it?"

Gu Heng asked with a smile, "Is our hotel’s breakfast to your liking?"

"It’s very good."

"The selection is quite extensive."

"And it tastes great, too."

Tian Xiqwei gave Gu Heng a thumbs-up, and two cute, distinct dimples appeared on her cheeks.

Hearing this, Director Yan of the Food and Beverage Department, standing beside Gu Heng, let out a quiet sigh of relief.

And just as Gu Heng and Tian Xiqwei were talking, a slender woman with delicate features, wearing a baseball cap not far away, quietly turned her gaze toward them...