Before the staff could answer, the woman began blasting away.
“Consumers are all the same, you can’t play favorites like this! What, do I look easy to bully?”
She jerked her shoulders, squeezed past Jiang Fuyue and Xie Dingyuan, and stood at the counter, her spit flying straight onto the receptionist’s face.
“Believe it or not, I’ll call the consumer complaint hotline and expose you?! Let the whole country see how terrible your hotel service is! With quality like this you still dare open inside a scenic area? Who gave you the privilege to act so arrogant like you’re something big?”
The receptionist girl was stunned at first. When she reacted and wanted to explain…
Before she could speak, the woman’s second round of bombardment had already begun, “I don’t care. Today you must give me a satisfactory explanation, otherwise this matter isn’t over!”
Receptionist: “Ma’am, please don’t rush, listen to me explain, ”
“Explain?” The woman’s voice turned sharp. Seeing the other party speaking gently, seeming to want to smooth things over, she became even more relentless. “Who do you think you are? What right do you have to explain to me? Call your boss! If there’s an explanation, let him explain!”
The receptionist showed a troubled look. “It’s like this, we…”
“Do you not understand what people say? I told you to call your boss!” Then suddenly she turned toward Jiang Fuyue and Xie Dingyuan beside her. “And you two don’t leave either! Today this matter must be made clear!”
To effectively protect from the sun, Jiang Fuyue and Xie Dingyuan were both wearing large sunglasses, sun-protective clothing, plus a breathable polymer mask. One could say they were covered tightly, so much that even their mothers wouldn’t recognize them.
With the woman making such a fuss, it instantly attracted many onlookers eager for gossip.
“Yeah, why discriminate like this? Businesses like this should be taught a lesson!”
“Aren’t customers supposed to be God? Looks more like slaves. From now on I’m avoiding this hotel.”
“I originally planned to book here too, but online it showed fully booked with no rooms. I just asked at the front desk earlier and they also said none. How come the moment these two arrive there’s a room?”
“Maybe they booked in advance?”
“Those who book in advance only get the lower floors and yellow room cards. Look at the card in that guy’s hand, it’s silver. Those rooms can’t be reserved in advance; you can only get them at the front desk.”
“Oh… then that’s pretty disgusting. Staying at a hotel and still dividing people into ranks. The Qing dynasty’s long gone.”
“The front desk’s way of handling this is weird too. In this kind of situation shouldn’t they calm the person down first to avoid damaging the hotel’s reputation? Yet she’s standing there arguing…”
“There’s only this one hotel in the scenic area, monopoly business. Even if the service attitude is bad it doesn’t matter; it won’t affect their profits anyway.”
“This is way too outrageous! Hurry and call the consumer complaint hotline and expose them!”
“Right! Support defending your rights!”
“There’s no such logic. Business should follow first come, first served.”
“…”
A group of gossiping onlookers were indignant, pulling out their phones to record.
Over there, the receptionist had also been angered by the woman’s unreasonable attitude of making trouble and refusing to listen to explanations, and couldn’t help raising her voice, “Ma’am! Please calm down! Our hotel is not…”
“Calm down my *ss!” the woman said excitedly, pointing at her in warning. “Don’t talk! This isn’t your place to speak!”
“I’ll say it again, if the boss doesn’t come out today and personally apologize, then just wait for complaints!”
The receptionist was so anxious she was almost crying. Several times she tried to speak, but each time the woman blocked her back with unreasonable interruptions.
“I told you not to speak! What qualification do you have to talk to me?! Can you make decisions?!”
The surrounding crowd nodded repeatedly in agreement, sarcastic remarks coming one after another, “Exactly! A little front desk girl can’t handle this, hurry and get the person in charge.”
“The boss is probably hiding because things have gotten too big to handle, right?”
“A shady hotel like this doesn’t even have the attitude to solve problems, expose them! Must expose them!”
“Fine! I’m canceling my reservation! As long as I run fast enough, this shady hotel won’t earn my money!”
“I was originally looking forward to staying here, didn’t expect it to be this kind of place. Goodbye then!”
“…”
Everyone talking at once, chattering endlessly.
Almost all of them were accusing the hotel and standing up for the woman.
Seeing everyone support her so much, she lifted her chin, feeling more and more justified, as if she were the embodiment of justice.
Seeing the situation getting out of control, one of the front desk staff hurried away, probably to find the boss.
Seeing this, a smug look flashed across the woman’s face. Didn’t they go get him now?
Hmph! Still trying to put on airs with her? What nonsense?!
Then she turned her head again, staring fixedly at Jiang Fuyue and Xie Dingyuan. “You two better not think about slipping away! Everyone’s watching! There are cameras here too!”
Xie Dingyuan: “…”
Jiang Fuyue: “…”
The woman sized them up from head to toe and suddenly sneered. “You two have connections, don’t you? Whose relationship did you go through? Say it.”
“…” It was just… quite speechless.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t say. There are so many people here recording anyway. Once it’s posted online, netizens will naturally dig out your information. And when that time comes, no matter how strong your backing is, you’ll still only end up being uprooted completely!”
In modern society, countless companies have been boycotted because of online exposés, businesses collapsed, families ruined, and rich heirs, celebrities, high-ranking officials, and socialites all disgraced.
So nowadays many nouveau riche and newly rich people know to avoid cameras, let alone those with truly illustrious identities.
From this one could also see the powerful destructive force of public opinion.
Seeing the two remain silent, the woman thought she had intimidated them, and her voice grew even more relaxed and smug.
“Dressed up like this because you know you have no face to show? Heh, at least you have a bit of self-awareness.”
And the gossiping crowd was just that easily led by the rhythm, especially in matters involving social class, wealth gaps, and abuse of privilege. Their hatred of the rich directly buried their intelligence.
“Yeah! If they can get special treatment, they definitely went through the back door.”
“The boss’s relatives? Or some high-ranking officials?”
“These two look pretty young. More likely rich second-generation.”
“Heh, with children like this, no wonder wealth doesn’t last three generations. The destruction of wealthy families always starts with unworthy descendants.”
“They say playboy heirs are the ultimate weapon for flattening wealthy families. I didn’t understand before, now I do.”
“Stop talking, your ancestors’ coffin lids are about to burst open.”
“Hurry and record it, post it online and expose them.”
“Could these two be idiots? They’re just standing there without moving, not even saying a word in rebuttal?”
“…”
Xie Dingyuan and Jiang Fuyue looked at each other, both seeing the same helplessness and blank indifference on the other’s face.
It was the kind of boredom that came from thinking, “The opponent isn’t even on the same level, so I don’t even have the interest to respond.”
The woman threw heavy punches, but every time they landed on cotton, those two simply didn’t take the bait.
She was so angry her eyes widened and her teeth clenched tight.
But those two still looked as if they couldn’t hear anything she was saying,
Infuriating!
Just then, accompanied by the indignant discussions and denunciations of the crowd, the “boss” finally appeared.
A slightly hunched figure came running over, panting heavily, sweat covering his forehead.
As the distance grew closer, the person’s face became clearer. The next second, everyone’s pupils shook in shock.
Wasn’t this “boss” the same Director Zhao who had just been introducing plant specimens to them in the exhibition hall earlier?!
The gossiping crowd looked at each other: What’s going on? Why is the director here?
The woman’s expression quickly turned gloomy, and she aimed her fire at the front desk. “I told you to find the boss. You brought the director instead, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Trying to mediate? Sorry, I don’t accept it! Today I must see the boss before I’ll stop. Don’t say director, even if the Heavenly King himself comes, it won’t work!”
“If you’re trying to drag things out and wear down my patience, heh, sorry, I’ll accompany you to the end!”
Harsh words kept flying out one after another, mixed with cheers from the crowd. The scene was like a pot of boiling water.
Director Zhao was seventy-nine years old this year. After retiring, he had been rehired to continue serving as the head of the botanical garden. Besides that, he himself was also a well-known botanist, a leading authority in the field.
Most of the time he stayed in the research lab or in the cultivation fields. Today he had come to the visitor area specifically to receive two distinguished guests. On a whim, he had even given the tourists an on-site explanation.
Unexpectedly, a girl from the hotel front desk suddenly ran over to find him, saying something had happened.
How could that be ignored?
Director Zhao hurried over.
He had bronchitis, and after running all the way here just now, sweat had soaked through his shirt and his hair was messy, making him look somewhat disheveled.
After listening to the woman’s speech, he took a deep breath and stepped forward slowly, speaking calmly: “Madam, I’m very sorry for the trouble caused to you. The hotel is a directly affiliated enterprise of the Xishuang Banna Tropical Botanical Garden. It belongs to the garden’s assets and indirectly counts as state-run in nature, so there is no boss.”
“But as the director, I am the person in charge of the botanical garden and naturally also the person responsible for the hotel. If you have any opinions or suggestions, you can tell me, and I will certainly give you a satisfactory answer.”
The elderly man with graying temples addressed her respectfully with “you” each time, his attitude humble and kind, making everyone feel a bit uncomfortable watching.
The woman’s face flushed red, but after thinking about it, she was the one in the right!
What was she afraid of?!
“Director, I’m not deliberately looking for trouble. It’s just that the way you handle things is too infuriating!”
“This… how so?”
“Hmph! I came to book a room and the front desk said there were none left. But these two came later than me, and your front desk immediately processed their check-in and even arranged a VIP room on a higher floor. I’m wondering, aren’t guests supposed to be served on a first-come, first-served basis?”
After hearing this, the director followed the direction she pointed and looked toward Jiang Fuyue and Xie Dingyuan.
The next second his eyes suddenly widened, “Professor Xie?! Ms. Jiang?! You’ve arrived?!”
How… did no one inform him?
Out of courtesy, the two removed their sunglasses and masks.
Jiang Fuyue nodded slightly. “Hello.”
Xie Dingyuan stepped forward and shook his hand. “Sorry for the trouble.”
Director Zhao was both surprised and flattered. The two distinguished guests he had been waiting for were exactly the man and woman before him.
Yet he had never expected to meet them in such an awkward situation…
“My apologies, this must be amusing to you. Please wait a moment while I handle this matter first.”
“Alright.”
Xie Dingyuan gestured with his hand. “Please, go ahead.”
Meanwhile, the crowd of onlookers had completely gone dumbfounded,
“Is it just me, or do those two look really familiar?”
“Professor Xie? Ms. Jiang? Is it the same ‘Xie’ and ‘Jiang’ I’m thinking of?”
“My god! I actually saw Professor and Sister Yue in person! So excited!”
“I apologize for my ignorance and rudeness.”
“I also take back what I said earlier. Rich second-generation, prodigal heir, playboy, none of that exists.”
“As a hardcore YuanYue CP fan, I didn’t recognize the real couple at first glance! My heart hurts, I can’t breathe.”
“Quietly saying, Professor and Sister Yue are wearing matching couple outfits ahhhh! Mom, I’m shipping them again, it’s so sweet it’s overwhelming!”
“…”
But there were also a few discordant voices, “Speaking objectively, are Xie Dingyuan and Jiang Fuyue getting special treatment?”
“Didn’t take off their masks earlier because they had no face to show? Now that it’s about to be exposed, they reveal their identities to confuse people and shift the topic? Quite a master move.”
“What? Xie Dingyuan and Jiang Fuyue don’t have to follow the first-come-first-served rule and can get special treatment? Heh, who gave you that much power?”
“What kind of talk is that? Professor Xie and Sister Yue have contributed so much to the country and the world. Even if they cut in line and enjoy some special treatment, so what? Some people’s worldview is only the size of a needle tip, petty and narrow-minded!”
“Heh! First time I’ve heard someone make special privilege sound so refined. Are you a dog raised by YuanYue?”
“Whether I’m a dog isn’t your concern, but the way you bark incompetently really does sound like a dog.”
“You!”
Just as the crowd split into two camps and argued endlessly, Director Zhao suddenly walked up to the woman.
“Madam, I think you may have misunderstood.”
“…What?”
Director Zhao subconsciously raised his voice, his words firm and resounding:
“The Botanical Garden Hotel is a directly affiliated enterprise of the Xishuang Banna Tropical Botanical Garden under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It developed from the original ‘Scientists’ Activity Center.’ Therefore the hotel carries multiple responsibilities such as internal reception for the garden, academic exchanges, educational training, and scientific research. It is not a purely commercial hotel.”
“So they can stay here, but you cannot. Ordinary people don’t have that qualification either!”
The woman was stunned, her face turning pale then red.
…
That night, someone uploaded the video online. Two hours later, it successfully climbed onto the trending searches.
【Pfft, I’m embarrassed for that woman】
【Shocked now, aren’t you? A bunch of gossiping prairie dogs!】
【The moment the director opened his mouth, you knew the truth】
【Those two front desk girls probably wanted to explain exactly that from the beginning, but that woman never gave them a chance to speak】
【Ahhh, what kind of modern face-slapping drama is this?】
【More satisfying-novel plots like this please, thank you!】
【The person filming first said Professor and Sister Yue must have used connections, but then… hahaha they don’t need connections because they themselves are the connection, the strongest cheat code!】
【The Botanical Garden Hotel is originally meant to prioritize scientists. Only the remaining empty rooms are opened for tourists to reserve. Yet someone really treated it like an ordinary hotel? Opening their mouth about consumer complaints all the time, what a thick face!】
【So Professor Xie and Sister Yue went to Banna for vacation?】
【My god! That’s way too sweet!】
【Traveling together, waiting for the wind together, admiring flowers and the moon, discussing life… they’re living like the male and female leads of a fairy-tale romance. I envy them so much】
【If you count the timing, Ming University just started winter break and Sister Yue immediately came out for a two-person world with Professor, kswl (shipping them to death)!】
【Am I the only one who noticed Professor Xie and Sister Yue only took one room card?】
Netizens: “!”
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