Chapter 2 Hotel Dining Complaints Piling Up, Shen Muyan, You’ll Regret This
Am I really going to set up a stall to sell stir-fried noodles?
Lu Qin wasn’t disappointed by the system’s first skill. In fact, he didn’t feel any sense of frustration at all. He had once been a top student at Tsinghua University. If he hadn’t gotten married, he might have made a name for himself in the high-tech industry.
But he didn’t regret marrying, because how else would he have such a lively and adorable little girl? His daughter was the greatest gift life had given him.
No job is inherently better than another. Success comes in many forms, and Lu Qin believed that as long as you put your heart into your work, even selling food at a street stall could lead to success.
Besides, now Lu Qin had the system to back him up. And on top of that, his little girl had always loved the food he made, which made him enjoy cooking even more.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city…
In a massive office, the floor was a perfect sweep of gray marble, flawlessly polished. Exquisite art adorned the pristine white walls, and the minimalist design gave the space a cold, distant feel.
Shen Muyan had just returned from the Civil Affairs Bureau and immediately buried herself in work. The divorce didn’t faze her in the slightest. Her marriage to Lu Qin had always been more symbolic than real. The marriage certificate was just a piece of paper.
Sitting at her desk, she quickly fell into her rhythm, flipping through files. The first few documents were customer complaints.
[A couple in Room 5431 complained about the dish ‘Pork Tripe with Jade Beans,’ saying, ‘Did the chef stir-fry this with his feet? It’s terrible!].
[The VIP guest in the presidential suite, Mr. Zou, expressed disappointment with our Michelin chef. He simply requested basic fried rice, but was left unsatisfied.].
Shen Muyan rubbed her temples, feeling the familiar weight of frustration. Guests’ expectations for hotel dining had become increasingly high, not just at her Ourei Hotel but across Jiang City. Especially for five-star chains like Ourei, where the clientele was either wealthy or powerful, expectations for food and accommodation were sky-high.
Under her meticulous management, Ourei had perfected its room services to the point of almost no complaints. Yet, the dining services remained a sore spot.
In a country where food was a significant part of cultural pride, dissatisfaction with the hotel’s dining was more than just a minor inconvenience. It was a serious flaw.
For instance, at Ourei’s Annan District location, she had replaced the kitchen staff multiple times. They had hired top chefs from five-star hotels in China, even poaching famous Michelin-starred chefs, some of whom had appeared on TV cooking shows.
Yet, despite all these efforts, guest satisfaction with the food hadn’t improved. It gave Shen Muyan a headache. Catering to everyone’s taste was impossible. Should she bring in national banquet chefs? That wasn’t realistic.
She closed the file, deep in thought. Her eyes drifted to the nearby divorce certificate. For a few moments, she stared at it blankly, her mind elsewhere.
For the first time, Shen Muyan felt an odd emptiness inside her. Her work, usually a distraction, wasn’t enough to fill it. She moved to the leather sofa in the lounge, crossing her long, slender legs beneath her black business suit. She closed her eyes to rest and had her assistant bring her a cup of coffee. Her petite secretary, Song Xuanxuan, knew about the divorce. As Shen Muyan’s trusted assistant, she was naturally in the loop.
Six years had passed since the CEO’s quiet, rushed wedding, and during all that time, Shen Muyan had rarely mentioned her husband. Song Xuanxuan was curious about what kind of man Shen Muyan had married. There weren’t even any photos of him in her office.
She speculated that their relationship had been distant. But then, why did they marry in the first place? And now, why had they divorced so quickly?
Her curiosity gnawed at her, but she didn’t dare ask.
“Boss, are you tired? Should I give you a shoulder massage?” She offered.
“Mmm,” Shen Muyan nodded, just as her phone rang.
“Shen Muyan! You got divorced!” The voice on the other end was practically a shriek.
Shen Muyan calmly held the phone farther from her ear and responded, “Yes, I got divorced. Why does that surprise you?”
“I can’t believe it! Lu Qin is such a great guy—handsome and all! Why would you get divorced? Seriously, who else could stand someone like you? You’re a total workaholic with no fun in your life!”
“There were no feelings between us,” Shen Muyan said, her voice even.
“Feelings can grow! But you never gave it a chance. All you ever did was work. You couldn’t have tried spending more time with him? What about your daughter?”
Her best friend, Fang Ya, was exasperated. She couldn’t understand how Shen Muyan could walk away from Lu Qin, a handsome, kind, and thoughtful man. Shen was going to regret this.
“And what about precious little Yao Yao?” Fang Ya asked.
“She’s staying with him,” Shen replied.
“You—you—! Shen Muyan, you’re impossible!” Fang Ya fumed. “You’re going to regret this, mark my words. I’m on Lu Qin’s side this time.”
With that, Fang Ya hung up, too angry to keep talking to someone she felt had foolishly thrown away a perfect family.
At some point, Song Xuanxuan had quietly left the room, leaving Shen Muyan alone in the vast, luxurious office. Taking a sip of her coffee, Shen Muyan’s thoughts drifted to the face of the man she had just divorced.
To be honest, even with her critical eye, she had always found Lu Qin pleasant to look at. From what little she knew of him, his personality and character were quite good too. Perhaps if they had taken the time to date properly, things could have unfolded differently. Maybe they could have built a beautiful life together.
But from the very beginning, their meeting had been at the wrong time and place—a mistake between two strangers. And then, they had a child. Both she and Lu Qin had been blindsided by that huge, life-altering event, and their lives had taken unexpected turns.
As Shen Muyan slipped deeper into her memories, she recalled the many nights she would return home exhausted, only to find the house perfectly organized, instantly putting her at ease.
Lu Qin had always been thoughtful, even though they were never close. He would cook noodles for her—just simple egg noodles—but the aroma was irresistible, better than anything she’d ever had at a restaurant. Each time, she finished the whole bowl, despite not usually eating late at night.
Now, images of Lu Qin’s handsome face, their adorable daughter, and those delicious noodles swirled in her mind. But her phone rang again, shattering the warmth of her memories.
She glanced at the screen—it was a work call.
The workaholic in her took over as she stood up and returned to her desk, diving back into her files as if nothing had happened.
In the Old Southern District…
“Hey young man, it’s a fair price—3,000 yuan a month, and you even get a little courtyard,” the landlady said, her voice matter-of-fact.
“I see you’ve got a kid with you, so no need for the three-month deposit. Just pay the first month’s rent, and you’re good.”
Lu Qin appreciated her straightforwardness and wasted no time signing the contract and paying the rent. The main reason he chose this place was its proximity to his daughter’s kindergarten—only a ten-minute walk.
Though the area was old, it was clean, and the environment was peaceful. The old neighbors were friendly too. When they saw new tenants moving in, they came over to say hello.
Lu Qin’s daughter, Yao Yao, always sweet and polite, greeted them with her soft, endearing voice, instantly winning herself an apple and an orange in her two small, white hands. They had gone from living in a luxury villa to a modest home in an ordinary residential area. It seemed like a big downgrade, but neither Lu Qin nor his daughter minded.
Little Yao Yao, full of curiosity, wandered around the new place, fascinated by everything.
“Daddy, let me help you move things,” she said, running over with quick little steps as she saw her father carrying a big box.
“Why don’t you take your stuffed toys into the house first, Yao Yao?” Lu Qin suggested.
“Okay, Daddy!” she replied, her eyes lighting up as she eagerly went to move her precious toys.