Haiyue Hotel does not recruit interns. If one aspires to join the management team at Haiyue Hotel, they must first intern at another brand, the chain of Haixin Hotels, and then be promoted to Haiyue; or they should have experience in managing high-end hotels.

Of course, there are exceptions, such as high-level recommended personnel, commonly known as “backdoor entry.” However, they also need to pass exams and interviews for selection. Nevertheless, Jing Ran used a small favor to secure a job for his future wife without a test at the hotel. Fearing that Jing Li might not adapt to the workplace environment, he brought in two friends to work alongside her.

Originally, Jing Ran wanted to invite Jing Li’s roommates to work at Haiyue Hotel, but everyone had good job offers elsewhere, so they didn’t come. When he learned that Fang Zhenzhen was looking for summer job, he had her come to the hotel as an intern. As for Chen Wenbin, because he and Fang Zhenzhen hadn’t reconciled yet, he had to come to work to see her every day.

After a brief greeting with the head of the personnel department, Jing Ran went to the sales department.

Jing Li and her two friends arrived relatively early, and later, several young people who looked like students arrived one after another, all interns of the same period.

While waiting for the person in charge to appear, everyone exchanged brief greetings. It was then that Jing Li learned that these interns were nominally interns but actually summer workers. They were relatives of the hotel management, coming to experience life and accumulate social experience.

The oldest among them were Jing Li and Chen Wenbin, soon-to-be seniors. Fang Zhenzhen was a soon-to-be junior, and the rest were either soon-to-be freshmen or sophomores who had just finished the college entrance examination.

However, Jing Ran used to come here for summer work every year, rotating through various front-line positions. This year, he was transferred to the sales department. This is how the hotel industry operates in China – the management team starts from the grassroots, mastering the work essentials of each position to better manage the staff.

But if Jing Li were directly given a managerial position, she would probably feel uneasy. She prefers to start from the grassroots, accumulating step by step and mastering the essentials gradually.

There are 16 interns, supervised by two employees from the personnel department named Sister Hua and Sister Ling. They are divided into two groups, with Jing Li, Fang Zhenzhen, and Chen Wenbin in the same group, under the training of Sister Hua. Because front-line positions are relatively hard, most of the interns are boys. In Sister Hua’s group, there are only two female interns, namely Jing Li and Fang Zhenzhen.

The first day of training was relatively relaxed, focusing on introducing the group’s industries, hotel rules, and important considerations.

Lunch is served in the hotel’s staff cafeteria, following a buffet-style setup where each employee selects their preferred dishes. Jing Li and her fellow interns arrived at the cafeteria, chose a table to gather, and then dispersed to pick their desired dishes.

Coincidentally, Jing Ran, who works in the sales department, arrived at the cafeteria after finishing work. Perhaps due to a telepathic connection between lovers, he spotted Jing Li choosing her food as soon as he entered. At the entrance of the cafeteria, he grabbed a tray and walked towards Jing Li.

The dishes in the cafeteria were exquisite, with each style presented on a small plate. Jing Li wanted to try many of them, but if she took a small plate for each, she could only manage two plates along with a bowl of rice.

“Lili,” Jing Ran walked up to Jing Li and called out.

“Hey, Ranran, what a coincidence!”

“Yeah,” Jing Ran nodded and asked, “What do you want to eat?”

Jing Li looked conflicted, “I want to have fish, prawns, and vegetables… there’s also spicy crayfish, I want to try that too. But everything is served on small plates, and I can’t eat so many different dishes.”

“Then I’ll share with you.”

“Sure.”

Jing Li followed behind Jing Ran as they selected dishes. She noticed some young female employees in the cafeteria glancing at Jing Ran from time to time. Others treated him like an ordinary person, without any exaggerated respect. She whispered, “Ranran, do the hotel staff not know that you’re the grandson of the big boss?”

Jing Ran, still choosing dishes, nodded, “Yeah.”

Jing Li asked in a hushed tone again, “Are you planning to conceal your identity to avoid flattery? So that you can learn more at the hotel and have people obey you when you manage it in the future?”

TV dramas often depict wealthy heirs actively working in their own hotels, washing dishes to toughen up and experience life.

Jing Ran glanced at Jing Li and replied, “No, they didn’t ask me, so I didn’t say…”

Jing Li: “…”

Initially, she didn’t know about Jing Ran’s background, thinking it might be impolite to ask about someone’s parents’ occupations in the early stages of dating. Later, she found out he was a discreet third-generation heir.

Jing Li had to return to eat with the interns, not wanting to stand out. Jing Ran selected the dishes Jing Li wanted and redistributed them on an empty table, allowing Jing Li to take them back to the intern group’s eating area.

Complaining, Jing Li said, “You gave me too much; I can’t finish all of this.”

Jing Ran calmly explained, “Starting today, you should eat more because tomorrow’s frontline positions are demanding. I lose about five or six pounds every summer break—no exaggeration.”

“Well, okay… but I can’t eat that much today.”

Jing Ran didn’t compromise, “Eat a bit more; it won’t hurt.”

Jing Li: “…”

The afternoon training took place in a small meeting room to learn about the company’s job requirements.

In the end, the interns from the Sister Hua’s team were assigned to the Banquet Department. Jing Li had heard from senior classmates about some departments and jobs inside the hotel before. The Banquet Department was widely known as the most demanding, where women were used like men, and men were treated like beasts. No wonder Jing Ran mentioned losing five or six pounds every summer break.

After receiving notice from Sister Hua about an upcoming banquet in two days, Jing Li was informed that they would have to go to set up the venue tomorrow, possibly working overnight.

Jing Ran had an office position, working from nine to six, rarely having to do overtime. The interns, following the administrative department’s working hours, finished training at 6 pm on their first day. Jing Li went to the parking lot, found Jing Ran, got into his car, and they went to the supermarket before heading home.

“How was your day?” Jing Ran asked, knowing that it was Jing Li’s first day.

Because she held a foreign passport, it wasn’t easy for Jing Li to find part-time or full-time work in China. It required a lot of procedures to be completed before starting a job. Most employers found these procedures cumbersome, and considering her average grades, they were hesitant to hire her. However, with her family’s hotel being the exception, the HR department had already taken care of the necessary paperwork for her.

“Um… it was okay,” Jing Li briefly shared her feelings, considering it was only the first day and she was still in the familiarization stage.

Jing Ran drove the car, looked at the road ahead, and asked, “Which department were you assigned to?”

“The Banquet Department.”

“Mm,” Jing Ran continued, “The Banquet Department of the hotel is quite busy, especially in the initial stages, which can be tough. As interns who are new to the hotel, you’ll probably be assigned to do some basic tasks under the guidance of supervisors. After a while, you’ll be given more specific roles, and everyone will have the opportunity to learn useful things.”

Jing Li attentively listened to Jing Ran’s explanation and nodded, “Mm.”

“What do you feel like eating today?” Jing Ran asked.

“You decide.”