Chapter 18: New Guests Checking In

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As soon as Chu Jiangyue appeared, everyone surged toward her, their eyes full of anticipation.

“The hotel does have new rooms now. Everyone can check the details at the front desk of Building 1.”

The hotel had been upgraded, all rooms in Building 1 were fully unlocked, and the front desk had been upgraded as well.

Above the counter, a virtual screen allowed guests to see floor plans of all rooms, making it clear which rooms were available and which were already occupied.

The lobby was already overcrowded due to the number of people wanting to stay at Jianglin Hotel.

Zheng Wen’an, Liu Yiyi, and Jiang Jianhai were drawn out by the noise from outside, and soon they opened their doors and stepped out of their rooms.

Chu Jiangyue didn’t pay attention to their little actions. After all, no matter who stayed at the hotel, it ultimately meant profit for her.

During the day, the outside temperature had reached 50°C, and with water and power cut off, even inside a building, it was almost unbearable.

Besides the survivors Shen Zhigui had brought early this morning, many of the original residents of Shengshi Huadu also came, some dragging entire families along.

The fact that Jianglin Hotel was unaffected by the outside weather had already spread throughout the Shengshi Huadu community.

“Boss Chu, we have elderly and children in our family. Do you have a family suite? Three bedrooms will do—we’re not picky.”

The question came from a man around 30, accompanied by his wife holding a young child and four elderly relatives.

A grown man, with elders, children, and a seemingly fragile wife—Chu Jiangyue felt a pang of sympathy for him.

But in the apocalypse, being able to stay with family was a kind of luck.

There were indeed three-person suites, but the cost was significantly higher than single rooms.

“Three-person suites come in standard and deluxe options: 600 copper coins per day and 1200 copper coins per day.

If six people stay in one suite, you need to register spousal relationships so two people can share a bedroom. The child must also be registered with a guardian.”

While the suites were available, 600/1200 copper coins per day was quite steep for ordinary people.

But they had no choice. Their Shengshi Huadu villa had run out of provisions, and staying there any longer meant waiting to die.

Jianglin Hotel was their last hope.

“Thank you, Boss Chu. We’ll stay! Just the standard suite for a month.”

Perhaps in a month, Guo Jia would have found a solution, and their lives could return to normal.

Chu Jiangyue didn’t hesitate and immediately operated the virtual screen in front of her: “Each person swipe their card once.”

Following fairness principles, the hotel deducted 3,000 copper coins per person from the six identity cards—equivalent to 30 silver coins.

The baby under eight years old could stay with a guardian without paying.

The four elderly relatives winced as they saw their balances drop by 3,000 copper coins each.

Chu Jiangyue noticed but said nothing. If they chose Jianglin Hotel, they had to follow the rules.

Otherwise, if she gave discounts to everyone pretending to be pitiful, she might as well run a charity instead of a hotel.

“Boss, we’re also a couple. The double room is too expensive. Can we two share a single room?”

Chu Jiangyue raised an eyebrow. She had agreed to the double room earlier, so refusing the single room now would be inconsistent.

“Register your spousal relationship, and once the system approves, you can.”

The couple’s eyes lit up at her confirmation—they only needed 50 copper coins per day, enough to last them quite some time.

Chu Jiangyue didn’t know their thoughts. Once they finished checking in, she called the next guest.

“Boss Chu, I have family in another province. Can the hotel help me find them?”

“Find someone?”

Chu Jiangyue had never encountered such a request before.

“Host, host! I can do it! But… this function consumes a lot of energy. They’ll have to compensate me, and I don’t work for free.”

The little fox implied that energy usage must be compensated, plus extra payment.

“Where is the person you want to find?” Chu Jiangyue asked calmly.

“In Province H. We just talked by phone yesterday!”

If he had known about the apocalypse, he would have gone to Province H before it happened.

“Host, do you want to buy the information and find them yourself, or have us locate them and bring them back? First option: 1 gold coin; second option: 10 gold coins. No bargaining.”

The little fox immediately set high prices—it was a seller’s market and it wasn’t afraid of no business.

1 gold coin equals 10,000 copper coins; 10 gold coins equals 100,000 copper coins—Chu Jiangyue thought the little fox was asking exorbitantly.

Still, it was her fox, so she understood its priorities.

“The hotel doesn’t normally offer this service, but since you need it, it’s possible.

However… I’m a businessperson. I don’t do trades at a loss. How much can you pay?”

“Boss Chu, we haven’t even checked in yet. Can this be handled later?”

Chu Jiangyue glanced at the long queue and felt slightly embarrassed.

“Then sit over there for now. I’ll attend to other guests first.”

The man understood she was busy. His request would take time, so he sat on a nearby sofa, waiting.

Chu Jiangyue disliked keeping people waiting, so her pace noticeably quickened.

After a long while, she finally completed all check-ins.

Although many people were present, a total of only 63 guests had checked in today.

The task required 100 people, so they were still short.

But now, the priority was to handle the “finding someone” request.

Chu Jiangyue left the counter and sat in the lounge area.

“Jin Churan?”

He was an original resident of Shengshi Huadu, but Chu Jiangyue felt like she had heard the name before.

“Host, host! I know!”

The little fox suddenly spoke, startling Chu Jiangyue.

“What do you know now?”

The last time it startled her like this was when encountering the central air-conditioning guy.

“Host, he has an identity!”

The little fox hadn’t noticed before, but approaching Jin Churan unlocked a lot of information.

“Explain.”