I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

The man in the monitoring room looked to be in his early forties, wearing a suit, and had a somewhat honest and simple appearance.

He is Sun Hongjun, the general manager of this Haobo Hotel.

Sun Hongjun looked at the parking lot's surveillance camera again, but didn't see any new cars coming in, so he temporarily looked away and glanced at other surveillance cameras.

One of the surveillance cameras showed a rest area in the hotel lobby.

Several men were standing or sitting here.

Although these men were all in their thirties or forties, past their prime, and of average appearance, they were all dressed quite smartly.

At the center of the crowd was a man sitting there.

The man, in his forties, named Niu Haisheng, was the CEO of Haike Machinery and the organizer of this industry conference at the Haobo Hotel. He had covered all the expenses.

The two middle-aged men with round faces and the middle-aged man with square faces who had just entered the hotel were also in the crowd.

The square-faced man, all smiles, was talking to Niu Haisheng: "...Everyone's talking about the economic crisis, and we've definitely felt it. We're practically tightening our belts to make ends meet. But Mr. Niu is still living quite comfortably, which is enviable."

Niu Haisheng waved his hands repeatedly, adopting a humble posture: "I wouldn't say we're living a comfortable life, we're just barely surviving. The impact of the economic crisis is all-encompassing, and everyone is having a tough time right now, which is why I'm holding this meeting. As the saying goes, a single chopstick is easy to break, but a bundle of chopsticks is unbreakable. In these special times, we must stick together and support each other to get through this difficult period."

This industry conference at Haobo Hotel was organized by Mr. Niu Haisheng.

All expenses were borne by Mr. Niu, and none of the invited attendees needed to pay a single penny.

"Mr. Niu is too modest..."

After chatting for a few more minutes, the conversation turned to the two rows of welcoming staff at the main entrance of the hotel.

A manager with many acne scars standing nearby said, "I used to organize events at this hotel too. Back then, I thought about having some greeters stand at the entrance to make a good impression. The cost didn't matter, the most important thing was the prestige. But at that time, the hotel absolutely refused, saying they didn't provide that kind of service. How did you manage to do it, Mr. Niu?"

Upon hearing this, Niu Haisheng finally revealed a hint of humility beneath his modesty, "I have some connections with Manager Sun of this store. He might not give this kind of face to others, but he still has to give me this face when I come."

In fact, Niu Haisheng didn't know how he did it.

Initially, when he approached Manager Sun Hongjun and made this request, Manager Sun Hongjun refused to agree, saying that their hotel did not provide such services.

But just two days later, Manager Sun Hongjun suddenly called Niu Haisheng and said it was okay.

It was all really inexplicable.

But it doesn't matter, as long as it works out.

"Boss Niu really has a lot of influence," the square-faced man praised.

The round-faced man also offered a couple of compliments, while the CEO with acne scars was rather perfunctory.

As Niu Haisheng received the flattery from the two men, he glanced at the CEO with acne scars and sneered inwardly.

Not far away, two middle-aged men were watching this side.

The one on the left, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a suit, doesn't look like a businessman; he looks more like an old scholar.

The old scholar glanced at Niu Haisheng and his group and chuckled, "Old Niu's starting to brag again."

The guy on the right, a tall, thin man, smiled upon hearing this. "He's not just bragging; he really does have some skills. In this economic climate, to be able to fund a conference out of his own pocket, he's doing quite well, much better than many others."

"That's true."

The old scholar nodded in agreement, then, as if struck by a thought, chuckled again: "Old Chen, doesn't this look like a martial arts tournament? I think Old Niu just wants to be the leader of this martial arts alliance."

The tall, thin man didn't care: "If he can lead everyone to survive, what's wrong with letting him be the leader of the martial arts alliance? I'm just afraid he doesn't have the ability."

The old scholar seemed thoughtful. "I think Old Niu is really capable. To be able to live quite comfortably in this environment, that's skill one. To be able to arrange such a welcoming lineup here, that's skill two. And I think there's still a lot about Old Niu that we don't know..."

Sun Hongjun, who was in the monitoring room, saw what was happening here.

But Sun Hongjun couldn't hear what these people were saying, and he wasn't interested in what they were talking about.

Sun Hongjun simply glanced at the parking lot's surveillance footage once more.

A car has entered the parking lot.

Sun Hongjun looked at the minibus and watched the group of people get off.

The appearance of one of the boys made Sun Hongjun's spirits lift, and after a closer look, he was sure it was him.

This is the male college student named Shen Kang.

Sun Hongjun thought to himself silently.

He first heard the name Shen Kang more than ten days ago.

A little over ten days ago, Haobo Hotel suddenly had a business transfer. The venue sponsorship that was originally handled in Huawan District was transferred to this store in Tianchang District.

This puzzled Sun Hongjun.

He knew about the venue sponsorship. It was originally arranged that both events would be handled by the Huawan District. Why did it suddenly have to be moved to the Tianchang District?

What's most puzzling is that this order came from the Qianlin Provincial Headquarters.

The Qianlin Provincial Headquarters has always issued strategic and overarching policies. It is very rare for them to get involved in such specific matters.

Sun Hongjun keenly sensed something amiss, so he found Dai Wangyan, the general manager of the Huawan store, and invited him out for drinks to inquire about the matter.

He had a good relationship with Dai Wangyan, and learned the name "Shen Kang" and the specific events of those days from Dai Wangyan.

After further analysis, Sun Hongjun basically guessed what had happened: it was obvious that Meng Shaoping had messed things up, incurring the displeasure of his superiors, and possibly even Zhou Man herself, which was why the venue was moved to Tianchang District. And the fact that things had developed this way meant that Dai Wangyan's guess was correct; that Shen Kang was indeed no ordinary person.

Upon learning this, Sun Hongjun was both pleasantly surprised and hesitant.

The surprise was that Sun Hongjun had no background or powerful connections within the group, and felt he had reached his limit in his current position, which he was quite unwilling to accept. Now, this "suspected heir" was coming to stay at his hotel, which might be a stroke of luck, allowing him to find a "backer" within the group and further advance his career!

Hesitation stems from the precedent set by Huawan District; if one doesn't handle things properly, the opportunity might turn into a disaster.

Therefore, Sun Hongjun has been treating this matter as the most important thing at the moment, repeatedly reviewing the "Huawan Store Incident" and pondering it repeatedly, and has gradually developed a reception strategy.

"That should be right..."

As Sun Hongjun was thinking, the door to the monitoring room opened, and a young man in uniform walked in.

"Uncle, over at the catering department..."

Before the young man could finish speaking, Sun Hongjun interrupted him: "How many times have I told you? Use your job title when you're at work!"

This young man is named Sun Yu, the son of Sun Hongjun's elder brother. He majored in hotel management and joined Haobo Hotel Tianchang District Branch immediately after graduation. Now he is the deputy manager of the catering department of Haobo Hotel Tianchang District Branch.

Upon hearing Sun Hongjun's words, Sun Yu hesitated for a moment, then immediately changed his tune: "President Sun, the catering department has already been inspected."

Then they recounted them in great detail.

"Normally, we provide the participating teams with regular Northeast rice, but we provide them with Wuchang duck rice. During the cooking process, we also mix in one-tenth of the regular rice to ensure that the appearance is basically the same as regular rice, with the only difference being the aroma and taste."

"Regarding the dishes, while others serve regular mushroom soup, their team uses thinly sliced ​​wild matsutake mushrooms. The kitchen processes them to make them visually indistinguishable from regular king oyster mushrooms, but with a richer aroma and more complex flavor profile..."

"For dessert, we provided regular yogurt to the other teams, but bird's nest stewed milk to their team, served in the same cups, with some almond slices sprinkled on top to cover the bird's nest texture..."

After listing a series of items, Sun Yu concluded, "I can guarantee that the meals provided to their team will appear identical to those of others on the surface, but will be completely different in reality. The tableware will also be specially marked and packaged separately in the kitchen to avoid confusion."

After listening, Sun Hongjun nodded in satisfaction, "Very good."

Then, glancing at his nephew, he said, "Don't think it's troublesome, and don't be dismissive or think it's unnecessary. Based on my analysis, this person is rather low-key and doesn't like making a big fuss, but we can't really do nothing. For this type, this 'silent approach' is a very good way to receive them. It won't offend them, and it will make them feel respected. Remember this, and you'll need it in the future."

After teaching his nephew, Sun Hongjun looked at the monitor screen, pointed to someone on it, and said to Sun Yu, "Look, someone's here."

Sun Hongjun watched the person on the monitor screen with great interest. The other person was simply walking, but he watched it as if he were watching an exciting sports game.

Sun Yu also looked at the monitor screen, and after a couple of glances, he couldn't help but say, "Mr. Sun, even if he's a big shot from above, this is still too much..."

The following words were a bit unpleasant, so he swallowed them and didn't say them aloud.

Sun Hongjun, however, could guess what he was trying to say, and smiled, "You mean 'flattery,' right?"

Then she turned to Sun Yu and asked, "So, according to your idea, what should we do?"

Sun Yu thought for a moment, then said, "Mr. Sun, I think ability is the most important thing. Even if some big shot comes, as long as we do our job well and demonstrate our ability and professionalism, there's no need to flatter them like this."

He still said the word.

Sun Hongjun summarized, "You mean, it's enough to be a 'capable minister,' but we're acting like 'treacherous ministers' now?"

Sun Yu nodded.

That's exactly what he thought.

The main reason is that Sun Yu had never seen his uncle like this before: Sun Hongjun had always given Sun Yu the impression of being very dignified, and he was fair and just in his work, always balancing kindness and strictness. He was practically Sun Yu's idol.

However, during this period, Sun Yu witnessed Sun Hongjun's obsequious side. In order to figure out how to please the other party, he neglected his work and spent all his time on research.

This huge contrast was hard for Sun Yu to accept, and he subconsciously rejected it.

"Deputy Manager Sun,"

Hearing his nephew compare him to a "treacherous minister," Sun Hongjun wasn't annoyed. He simply said slowly, "Your idea that ability is everything is still too naive. You need to change that."

Seeing that Sun Yu was somewhat unconvinced, Sun Hongjun gestured for him to hold back, indicating that he shouldn't argue. "Let me give you a simple example. You know Dai Wangyan, the general manager of the Huawan store. His abilities are no less than mine, are they?"

Sun Yu nodded.

Sun Hongjun continued, "The previous general manager of Dai Wangyan was about as capable as us. At that time, that general manager was in charge of the Huawan store, while I was in the Tianchang store. However, three years ago, that general manager was promoted, which led to Dai Wangyan taking over the Huawan store."

"At the time, my abilities were about the same as that general manager's, and the person being promoted was chosen from among us. Why was he promoted and not me? It's because he had powerful connections and influence within the group."

"Ability is certainly important. But when several people have similar abilities, relationships become the winning factor."

Sun Yu listened silently, feeling that what Sun Hongjun said seemed to make sense, but he still couldn't change his mindset all at once.

Sun Hongjun had no time to deal with him. He stood up and left the monitoring room.

The other party was almost there, so he went to check on his initial arrangements to see if they were satisfied. If they were, that would be ideal; if not, then further adjustments would be needed.

The camera's resolution is still too low; Sun Hongjun still needs to go to the site and observe these subtle reactions in person for a more accurate assessment.

Sun Hongjun hurried out of the monitoring room.

The hotel staff he encountered along the way all greeted him, calling him "General Manager Sun"...

Sun Hongjun didn't have time to respond, he just nodded and kept walking.

Soon, he arrived at the hotel lobby on the first floor and walked towards the main entrance, but instead of getting close, he stopped a short distance to the left of a sculpture in the lobby.

This location is relatively secluded, yet offers a good view of people approaching from the main entrance, making it a very good spot.

Sun Hongjun stared intently at the main entrance, looking silently towards it.

It's normal that his nephew doesn't understand why he went to such lengths.

Because his nephew didn't have the same opportunities as him, but missed them all because he "didn't have connections in high places".

Sun Hongjun had even given up, thinking that staying in this position until retirement wouldn't be bad.

And then, at that very moment, this happened.

Sun Hongjun was like a guy waiting to die in the desert who suddenly discovered a pond in the distance. How could he not go to great lengths to prepare for battle?

Under Sun Hongjun's watchful gaze, a group of teachers and students walked in through the main entrance.

They are the teachers and students of Pingxi College.

In the hotel lobby, there was a college student-looking boy holding a mobile phone, adjusting the frame of the camera, preparing to take a picture of the group.

Although the teachers and students of Pingxi College knew that they had taken advantage of someone else's welcoming service, they still prepared to take photos to commemorate the occasion.

The college-aged boy in the hotel lobby was a student from another school who had also participated in the innovation and entrepreneurship competition, and whom Yao Shubin had found earlier when he came in alone.

The boy was quite easy to talk to. As soon as he heard that Yao Shubin and the others wanted to take photos, he immediately agreed and became the photographer.

Over there, Lu Zijian was walking in the group.

When he arrived at the entrance, Lu Zijian looked at the two rows of welcoming staff in front of him. They were dressed in neat uniforms, with good posture and smiles on their faces.

Lu Zijian had never been in a relationship before, and being stared at by two rows of girls made him a little embarrassed, so he unconsciously lowered his head slightly.

Fortunately, he didn't stumble and managed to walk the rest of the way to the hotel lobby, which relieved Lu Zijian.

As soon as they entered the lobby, the students from Pingxi College surrounded the "photographer" who had been hastily conscripted, chattering away: "Did you take any pictures?" "Show us a few, let's see what they look like." "This one isn't very good, I only managed to get half of his face in the shot."...

Lu Zijian did not surround them.

Yao Shubin didn't go over yet, standing next to Lu Zijian and lamenting, "The setup looks quite grand, but it's missing something. If these two rows of people bowed all at once when we walked over, that would be even more impressive..."

Lu Zijian said, "You're just being naive. Didn't you see? Even business people, when they walk in, they're just standing there smiling and welcoming them."

Earlier, they had been discussing whether or not to take photos at the hotel entrance for a while. During that time, they also saw some business people entering the hotel, presumably the guests invited by Mr. Niu, as well as a few individual guests. But regardless of who they were, the welcoming staff simply stood and smiled to greet them.

Just as the two were talking.

Two more businessmen, accompanied by their entourage, came in.

These two were clearly far more worldly-wise than these college students—Lu Zijian and the others were silent and trembling as they walked through the welcoming crowd. These two, however, chatted and laughed, and you could vaguely hear them saying something like "Boss Niu has gone all out." They walked in amidst the smiling welcoming staff on both sides, quite dashing.

After entering the hotel lobby, the two business people were about to check in when they glanced around and saw two other people in the lobby.

The two businessmen then turned and walked towards the two men. After a few steps, they reached each other, and one of them laughed and greeted them, "You've arrived quite early."

The two businessmen who went over to greet the two men were the tall, thin man and the old scholar who were chatting in the lobby.

Upon seeing the two arrive, the old scholar simply smiled, "You're not late either. Mr. Feng, you look radiant; it seems business has been good lately?"

Mr. Feng looked gloomy and shook his head repeatedly, "Don't even mention it. In this kind of situation, who can have an easy time? We're barely managing to stay alive."

The other person laughed and said, "Whose life is easy? I think Boss Niu's life is pretty good. I can hear his voice from here, it's full of energy..."

After saying a few words to Boss Niu, the group brought up the greeters arranged at the entrance again.

The tall, thin man smiled and subconsciously looked over, only to see several young men and women and a middle-aged man walk in. They looked just like the college student teams participating in the competition that he often saw in the hotel today.

The tall, thin man paused slightly, his eyes showing surprise, when he saw one of the boys in the group.

Meanwhile, Yao Shubin and Lu Zijian, who were chatting with the teachers and students of Pingxi College, noticed that another participating team had arrived.

"That girl is so pretty."

Yao Shubin's attention was immediately drawn to a girl in the crowd, who amazed him.

Lu Zijian also glanced at the girl a few more times and was equally amazed.

Under Lu Zijian's watchful gaze, the group stepped into the passageway formed by two welcoming rows.

Then, something unexpected happened to Lu Zijian.

The two rows of welcoming staff, with smiles on their faces, bowed slightly to the center without warning or prior arrangement.

"?"

Yao Shubin also witnessed this scene, and was filled with questions.

No, did these greeters receive their own brainwaves and temporarily change the service process?

Lu Zijian was also very surprised.

Ye Jintong was equally surprised.

The team that is walking in is none other than Shen Kang and his group.

Seeing the greeters on both sides suddenly bow in unison, Ye Jintong was startled. She leaned close to Shen Kang and whispered, "Boss, what's going on? I saw the people coming in earlier didn't bow at all. Are we going to have to pay some kind of bowing fee later?"

Shen Kang remained calm and said, "Anyway, I have no money. If I really want to charge a bowing fee, I'll leave you here to mop the floor to pay off my debt."

Ye Jintong wailed in a low voice, "The tonic..."

As they talked to each other, the group walked through the passageway formed by the two welcoming lines and entered the hotel lobby.

After they passed by, the two rows of welcoming guests straightened up again, smiled, and returned to their previous posture.

Not many people noticed this scene; very few.

Just then, another guest came in, and a hotel staff member helped push a hotel luggage cart in front of him.

However, when they entered, the welcoming lines on both sides simply smiled and did not bow.

"It seems like we're the only ones who have it."

When Ye Jintong turned around and saw this scene, she became even more certain.

Qian Ming'en pretended not to know anything, but in his heart he thought it was probably related to that kid Shen Kang again.

Shen Kang, on the other hand, seemed to be deep in thought. After scanning the lobby, his gaze stopped near a sculpture not far away.

A man in a suit was standing over there, looking in their direction.

When Shen Kang looked over, the man smiled, appearing very kind.

Shen Kang seemed to be deep in thought, then grinned and smiled back at him. In his heart, he was thinking that he should bring over Meng Shaoping from the Huawan store, the one who played background music when he went on stage, to learn the art of flattery.

Although Meng Shaoping is a bit abstract, he's quite entertaining, so it's all good.