I Have a Five-star Seaside Hotel

This time, he stood there until the morning light broke, with a faint glow appearing at the edge of the horizon.

Soft and weak sunlight spread across the distant sky, and the lights on the hexagonal golden candy jar carousel gradually dimmed. 

Almost the moment the morning light appeared on the horizon,

the mermaids raised their hands to cover their eyes, their magnificent tails flicking as they leaped into the lake and disappeared...

Pang Xuehen stood dumbfounded by the lake.

The lights of the hexagonal golden candy jar carousel went out, as if everything had been a dream.

But the dream seemed too real, 

so real that he could still clearly hear the singing and laughter of those beautiful creatures.

After standing in a daze for a while,

suddenly Pang Xuehen turned around and rushed back to the first-floor reception hall as if his life depended on it. 

Under the astonished gazes of the receptionist and the night-shift staff, he dashed into the elevator, ran back to his room, grabbed a pencil, and began frantically drawing on the paper...

Gradually, a legend began to spread throughout Lion Castle Hotel.

There was a tough guy who, aside from standing by Emerald Lake at 1 AM and 4 AM every night, spent all his remaining time in the haunted room 1703.

Even the hotel's most proud and lavish breakfast offerings were completely ignored by him. He never once came down to enjoy them, surviving entirely on instant noodles in his room. 

According to the cleaning staff,

even though the window outside offered a view of the hotel's most beautiful rose-covered hills, the rich floral scent couldn't mask the smell of beef-flavored instant noodles. Every time they entered to clean, it felt like stepping back into their hometown.

But that wasn't the scariest part.

"His drawings are really, really, really terrifying!"

In the staff break room, three or four employees huddled together, holding the hotel's free-supplied juice and milk tea, whispering gossip.

"What does he draw?!" someone asked curiously.

"Something like mermaids... Oh, all sorts of things, demons and ghosts. I didn't look too closely."

"I noticed he's been eating instant noodles every day. Maybe I'll make a trip this afternoon to bring him some fresh fruit. Eating like that isn't good for his health, lacking vitamins..."

"Then I'll bring some snacks too. You can take them together."

"Right, today the pastry kitchen made strawberry cake, chocolate soft cookies, and butter puff pastries. I'll grab some of those too."

"Mm-hmm!"

After clarifying their tasks, they set their fruit tea and milk tea cups on the table, got up, and left the room.

"Knock knock~~~"

A gentle knock came at the door.

"Hello, housekeeping. Is anyone in the room?"

Pang Xuehen's brush paused, and he frowned slightly.

He wanted to pretend no one was there and stay silent, but if he didn't respond, the staff could still use their key card to open the door.

Helpless,

Pang Xuehen stood up irritably, suppressing his anger as he pressed the door handle, planning to make it clear to the hotel staff today that his room didn't need cleaning. He would leave the garbage outside the door every day and asked them not to disturb his creative process.

With a "bang," he opened the door. 

The staff in the hallway was visibly startled by Pang Xuehen's fierce demeanor, their smile stiffening slightly.

But then, 

their daily training and professionalism kicked in, and they smiled sweetly, saying softly: 

"Good evening, sir. This is some fresh fruit and snacks prepared for you by the hotel, free of charge. We hope you enjoy them."

Pang Xuehen: "..."

You don't hit a smiling person.

The dissatisfaction Pang Xuehen had been about to vent was instantly stifled by the staff's gentle tone.

On the tray in front of him were various fresh fruits arranged by color and size, offering different flavors and sweetness levels. Beside the tray were soft, fresh strawberry cakes and cookies.

At a glance, it looked like a gift box of fruits.

"This... is really free for me?" Pang Xuehen asked uncertainly.

To be honest, three cups of instant noodles a day had really worn him out.

He had thought about going to the buffet for breakfast, but he simply couldn't get up.

Every night from 1 AM to 4 AM, he was by the lake "dreaming," and after returning to his room, he had to quickly sketch the scenes from his dreams.

By the time he lay down to sleep, it was almost 7 AM,

and by the time he woke up, the sun was already setting.

After a while, he really started craving some fruit.

"Yes, sir. This is provided free of charge by the hotel. If you need anything else, please let us know at any time."

The hotel staff said warmly, "We won't disturb you any further."

After saying this, the staff gently closed the door from the outside.

Pang Xuehen, holding the tray full of fruit, picked up a bright red plum and took a bite.

The ripe plum had thin skin and juicy flesh. With a gentle bite, the sweet juice burst in his mouth, flowing down his throat and making life feel sweet and delightful.

"So sweet!!"

Pang Xuehen's eyes sparkled. 

He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten such a sweet plum. Once he started eating, he couldn't stop. He sat on the chair, munching away.

Finally, after finishing the fruit on the tray,

Pang Xuehen added a few more strokes to his drawing, then stood up and stepped back to examine the artwork carefully.

"Maybe... let these mermaids eat some fruit too~~"

A glint of excitement flashed in Pang Xuehen's eyes as he picked up his pencil and began sketching rapidly.

...

While Lion Castle Hotel was bustling with various promotional activities, 

the internal employee training programs for Langai, Jasmine, and Lion Castle hotels had finally drafted the first batch of training plans.

"Boss, the first batch of employees going abroad for training consists of 80 people, with a training duration of three weeks."

"Based on your previous requirements and arrangements, we have selected three classical hotels known for their long history, high service standards, and outstanding cityscapes and cultural heritage as the primary destinations for this large-scale overseas training."

"Here are the hotel details, the list of participants, and the budget for accommodations and meals."

"Boss, please let us know if there are any areas that need further refinement or additions."

In the boss's office at Lion Castle Hotel, 

Minister Xie Zhulongxiong placed a thick folder on Chen Jianhai's desk.

"You finished this so quickly??"

Chen Jianhai looked at Minister Xie in surprise, flipping through the folder.

When he had brought the employees to Lion Castle Hotel, he realized that the staff had seen too little of the world.

Many of them had joined his hotel straight out of school, without even enjoying a graduation trip, and had immediately thrown themselves into the intense flow of work, living the 9-to-5 grind.

Although fresh graduates often have pure hearts, full of fantasies and hopes for society and the future, and easily develop a sense of belonging and identity with their first workplace, 

this alone was far from enough if they wanted to elevate the overall service standards of the hotel.

Even though Nanjiang Tourism Vocational College and the Coconut Umbrella Hotel Industry Association frequently organized professional and systematic training sessions, 

service is about feeling and intention, not just textbook doctrines and theories.

If a hotel employee has never experienced high-quality service or felt what good and bad service is like from a guest's perspective, it's hard for them to improve in their work.

Chen Jianhai had only casually mentioned this to Minister Xie, not treating it as a strict task.

But he truly hadn't expected Minister Xie to be so reliable, not only fully grasping his intentions but also preparing the plans and participant list.

Romantic Film Hotel in Chuhua Country, Crown Jewel Hotel in Silver Bridge Country, Woodpecker Hotel in Birch Country...

Wow, 

Chen Jianhai hadn't heard of any of them.

Although he was in the hotel business, to be honest, his limited overseas experiences since childhood had been spent staying at his friend Dawave's place.

After taking over his family's hotel business, his focus had remained on local high-end hotels, and his knowledge of international hotels was minimal.

Fortunately, Minister Xie's materials were incredibly detailed, with plenty of pictures and text, allowing even someone with no background knowledge to understand most of it.

"Take a seat. Let me take a look."

Chen Jianhai said as he flipped through the documents.

Minister Xie, hearing this, didn't hesitate and sat down across from Chen Jianhai, quietly waiting for him to finish reading.

"How did you select the employees for this first batch of overseas training?" Chen Jianhai asked.

"By seniority," Minister Xie replied simply.

Although seniority-based selection isn't always a good thing, in certain contexts, it's a relatively fair approach.

"From the start until now, our hotel has conducted about four large-scale recruitment drives, each bringing in many new employees."

"These new and old employees work together, each contributing diligently to the hotel."

"If we were to judge based on performance at this point, it could easily hurt morale."

"So I decided to base the selection on the length of service."

After listening to Minister Xie's reasoning, Chen Jianhai pondered for a moment. "That works. Proceed with your plan."

"Sigh, the hotels are well-chosen, and the schedule is reasonable, but it's going to cost a fortune..."

Chen Jianhai stared at the budget numbers and sighed heavily.

He had thought that his Lion Castle Hotel was gradually getting on track, and he could relax a bit this year.

But it seemed he still needed to find more ways to make money.

As Minister Xie picked up the documents and turned to leave to implement the training plan, Chen Jianhai muttered resentfully:

"Minister Xie, when are you going to arrange a trip for me?"

"I've never stayed at such nice hotels before."

At these words, Minister Xie suddenly froze, his body stiffening as he turned around, completely unsure what Chen Jianhai meant by this.

Was he unhappy with the arrangements or satisfied with them??

The entire hotel is yours. You can go wherever you want... You don't need me to arrange it! 

What does this mean?!?!

Just as Minister Xie was frantically trying to figure out how to respond, a savior arrived.

Lin Suyang appeared at the door of Chen Jianhai's office, holding a rolled-up painting.

Seeing Minister Xie, Lin Suyang paused, then turned to leave, thinking the two were discussing something and planning to come back later.

Minister Xie, however, wasn't about to let him go. He quickly said, "My business here is done," and after greeting Chen Jianhai, he left.

"What's up?" Chen Jianhai asked.

"Boss, the mermaid concept art is done. Take a look!"

Lin Suyang handed the rolled-up painting to Chen Jianhai, his expression slightly anxious.

"It's finished already?"

Chen Jianhai took the painting in surprise, unrolling it as he asked, "What did he draw?"

Lin Suyang: "Mermaids."

"Mermaids?" Chen Jianhai raised an eyebrow skeptically.

He had been hoping to see Vikam! 

In his romantic mermaid city, the entire street was filled with mermaids. Even if you gave Dawave a pencil, he could probably sketch one from memory.

But the next moment, as he unfolded the painting, Chen Jianhai was stunned.

The entire canvas was filled with dark pencil strokes, oppressive and dense, like a cloud-covered night.

In the blank spaces of the darkness, 

six elegant and beautiful mermaids sat on a hexagonal candy jar carousel, their lotus-like tails swaying as they enjoyed themselves.

Although their faces were unclear, 

a few strokes vividly captured the mermaids' dazzling tails, soft and wet long hair, and slender, agile waists and arms. 

Even through the painting, one could feel the joy of the mermaids on the carousel.

"He drew this??" Chen Jianhai's voice wavered.

Lin Suyang nodded: "He did."

"He's been staying in room 1703 for almost a week. He said these are scenes he saw in his dreams."

Chen Jianhai's voice trembled: "He saw them in his dreams? He said he saw them in his dreams??"

Lin Suyang nodded again, then whispered: "Actually, he's sleepwalking."

Chen Jianhai was baffled: "What do you mean by sleepwalking?"

Lin Suyang explained softly: "Artists seem to have their quirks. This comic artist goes out every night at 1 AM, stands by the lake, and only returns to his room at 4 AM."

"No normal person goes out in the middle of the night every day!"

Hearing this, Chen Jianhai was genuinely frightened.

No doubt about it, 

this guy must have seen the real mermaids in the lake and thought it was a dream, faithfully drawing what he saw.

Thank goodness he thought it was a dream.

If he had reported seeing them in real life, his hotel would be shut down, the employees' overseas training canceled, and they'd all be waiting for investigations and reforms.

"Boss, do you think his work is acceptable?"

Lin Suyang stood nearby, watching Chen Jianhai frown as he stared at the painting, unsure if he was satisfied with Pang Xuehen's work.

Chen Jianhai nodded with difficulty.

Wow, he's seen real mermaids. Who dares to say his work isn't good?! 

But this time, I'm at a bit of a loss!

Even I, the boss, haven't seen what mermaids look like, and yet my guest has.