I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

"Director Li." With this greeting, he realized that the person in front of him was actually the director of the guesthouse.

Wang Defa was suddenly overjoyed, and his steps became lighter.

He still remembered the last time he met Director Li. At that time, the other party was kind and polite, and he must have been impressed by his student leader demeanor and his impassioned speech.

Wang Defa inwardly scoffed, finding Li Jing'an increasingly unremarkable and lacking any leadership qualities. Even the Youth League Secretary at his school had a presence ten times stronger than this man.

With this kind of appearance, how can they manage such a large guesthouse? I doubt it.

Thinking about it this way, Wang Defa felt a strange sense of mission rising on his shoulders, and even a surge of pride, as if "heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility upon this person." It seemed that the future of this guesthouse would depend on young people like him who were cultured and had management experience. It was truly a daunting task—he hadn't expected that he would have such a heavy burden on his shoulders so soon after graduating and starting work.

He glanced around the impressive guesthouse again, a surge of pride rising within him. He began to plan his grand ambitions: upon arrival, he would first renovate the guesthouse, advancing one step at a time each year, achieving results through his own abilities, quickly gaining promotion, and eventually being transferred back to the steel rolling mill headquarters—that was the real stage, the place to realize his ambitions.

Of those who were assigned here together, only he and one other person were assigned to the guesthouse; the rest stayed at the factory headquarters. Staying at the factory headquarters seemed respectable, but it didn't necessarily offer an opportunity to showcase one's abilities. Wang Defa thought to himself, "Just wait and see; it won't be long before I can return in glory based on my own skills."

Before the personnel department could formally introduce him, Wang Defa stepped forward, a deliberately composed expression on his face, and extended his hand to Li Jing'an, his tone revealing undisguised arrogance: "Director Li, I didn't expect to see you again. Don't worry, I will bring all my management experience from the school to my work, and I will definitely take the guesthouse to a higher level."

He spoke with such confidence, as if the future and fate of the guesthouse were already in his hands.

Looking at his smug expression, Li Jing'an couldn't suppress the smile on his lips, but a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes. He reached out and shook hands with him, his tone calm yet meaningful: "Hello, hello, I really didn't expect to see you again."

"You two know each other?" Section Chief Zhang, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

"I've met him once. This comrade left a very deep impression on me." Li Jing'an smiled, his words carrying a deeper meaning, but to others it was just ordinary politeness.

"That's quite a coincidence," Section Chief Zhang remarked, without giving it any further thought.

Li Jing'an then shook hands with the other three people in turn, asking their names—the female cadre was named Song Yun, the female accountant was named Lin Xiaomei, and the other male college student was named Liu Jianye. He then offered a few brief words of welcome.

After exchanging pleasantries, Section Chief Zhang gave a few instructions on the handover, and then left with the personnel department employee.

Li Jing'an led the four men into the director's office. He gestured for them to sit down, picked up a cigarette from the table, and smiled as he gestured for them to sit around.

To his surprise, among the group of people, only the seemingly inexperienced young female accountant, Lin Xiaomei, waved her hand and said she didn't smoke, while the intellectual female cadre, Song Yun, took the cigarette very naturally, her movements were skillful, and she was obviously a regular smoker.

Once everyone was seated, Li Jing'an began by offering a few polite words of welcome to the new comrade and a promise to work together to run the guesthouse well. His tone was calm and showed little emotion.

"Before officially assigning positions, I'd like to hear your thoughts first. Feel free to share your preferences." Li Jing'an's gaze slowly swept over the four of them, his tone seemingly soliciting opinions, but in reality, he had his own considerations.

Lin Xiaomei, who was assigned to the accounting position, knew that her job was fixed and she didn't have much to choose from, so she just sat quietly without saying a word. The other two were also well-versed in workplace etiquette and expressed their willingness to follow the department's arrangements and not to be picky.

Seeing everyone's reactions, Li Jing'an smiled slightly. Just as he was about to speak, Wang Defa suddenly sat up straight and spoke first.

"Director Li, I want a position that best hones my skills; I absolutely refuse to take a leisurely one!" Wang Defa straightened his back, his face righteous and his tone firm and resolute. "Don't think that just because I'm a college graduate and a branch secretary in school, I have management experience, you can relax your expectations of me. You must hold me to high standards, criticize me when necessary, and correct me when needed. I will also hold myself to even higher standards and will never seek special treatment!"

His impassioned speech immediately drew the attention of the other three people—some surprised, some unexpected, and some somewhat puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Li Jing'an's eyes gleamed with even greater interest, but his expression remained impassive as he slowly nodded: "Good...that's ambitious. Rest assured, I, Li Jing'an, will never let any talent go to waste."

He pondered for a moment, as if after careful consideration, and then made the arrangement: "Since you want to hone your skills and go to an important position, then how about this, you go to the external liaison department. This job is of utmost importance to our guesthouse. You'll be dealing with the factory and the metallurgical bureau every day, and it will be the ultimate test of your abilities."

Li Jing'an beckoned to Lao Huang, who had been waiting, and asked him to go to the next office to call Xu Damao over.

A short while later, Xu Damao strode into the office, a respectful smile plastered on his face: "Brother Li, what can I do for you?"

"Da Mao, we have a few new comrades today. This Comrade Wang Defa will be working with you on external liaison from now on. He's a rare talent, quick-witted and full of ideas. You'll have to take good care of him and look after him." Li Jing'an pointed to Wang Defa, his tone full of "high regard".

Xu Damao glanced at Wang Defa in the direction he was pointing and quickly replied, "Don't worry, Brother Li, I will definitely cooperate well with Comrade Wang."

"You should first take him around to familiarize him with the environment and explain the rules of external liaison work."

"Okay." Xu Damao agreed, turned to Wang Defa and gestured for him to leave. The two left the office one after the other.

Only after Wang Defa's figure disappeared through the door did Li Jing'an turn his gaze away and re-examine the remaining three people.

Liu Jianye, who was assigned there at the same time, looked honest and unassuming, not talkative, with a steady gaze; he seemed like a reliable and hardworking person. Li Jing'an thought for a moment and then made a decision: "You'll go to the logistics department. The logistics department has a lot of work to do, managing the guesthouse's supplies and logistical support. You're reliable and steady, so it's perfect for you to go there and learn how to manage that. From now on, the guesthouse's logistics will depend on you a lot."

Liu Jianguo nodded quickly and said sincerely, "I will follow Director Li's arrangements and do my best."

Looking at Song Yun, she spoke calmly and exuded an intellectual beauty. She clearly had work experience and was skilled at dealing with people. The guesthouse's housekeeping department had the most staff and the most complex tasks, so it needed someone to manage it.

Afterwards, Li Jing'an let Lao Huang in and took the three of them to their respective posts.

Li Jing'an leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table as he pondered to himself. Of the people he had, Wang Defa was a pleasant surprise. The other two were well taken care of and could help share a lot of the workload—but he still needed to deal with the new accountant first.

The guesthouse's accounts, financial transactions, and expense accounting are all in the hands of the accountant. Whether it's daily operations or subsequent arrangements, everything relies on the finance department's cooperation. The accountant must be made a loyal follower; arrangements for everyone else can be postponed.

As he was thinking, Li Jing'an suddenly couldn't help but laugh out loud again, and Wang Defa's image reappeared in his mind.

After their last meeting, he became increasingly angry the more he thought about it. Sometimes, even lying in bed at night, he would feel like slapping himself when he recalled the scene.

He thought it would be just a fleeting encounter, and that they would never cross paths again. But fate played a cruel trick on him, and after all the twists and turns, this person ended up in his hands.

The days ahead are unlikely to be boring.

Find a time to talk things out with Xu Damao and let him take the initiative to properly deal with Wang Defa.