Alice lay in bed thinking for a long time about his confession. He had said, "Just don't move." His Per Se was so warm that she didn't want to leave…
He had said, "You need to be more patient than me."
But she couldn't bring herself to say it. Her patience had been exhausted long ago, day after day.
As usual, she got up early to work. On the subway, she received his message: "Did you sleep well last night? I'm going on business for a week, let's have dinner together when I am back."
Alice couldn't help but smile, "Is it just the impression of eating that I left you with?"
John replied, "More or less." He turned off his phone and boarded the plane. Last night, he had dropped her off at home and then gone back to Lemon to handle business. This morning, he had left for the airport directly and planned to get some rest on the plane—he was too busy.
After this period of busy time, Alice felt that the hotel had become much quieter, but it wasn't exactly quiet—it had just returned to its usual state, which was already a great relief.
"Miss Smith, the interns have changed into their uniforms and are waiting downstairs now." Ruth poked her head in from the door.
Alice reapplied her lipstick and replied, "I'll be right there." This batch of new interns was from Harvard University's Tourism College, and Roosevelt was their contracted internship company. After the personnel department's selection, about 16 interns would be assigned to different departments.
It was the first day of reporting, and Alice first met with the vice dean Mary Taylor in the office. In her forties, the dignified and proper professor showed great concern for her students. Mrs Taylor listed the interns' strengths and weaknesses, personalities, and other details for Alice. As a result, Alice easily assigned each student to the corresponding department.
After confirming with Alice, who left in a hurry to return to school, Alice was in charge of taking them around to familiarize with the hotel environment. From the administrative building stairs, she looked out and saw the excited interns. She looked at her watch and realized it was a good time since there weren't many guests around, so she took advantage of the opportunity.
As soon as Alice stepped out, she inwardly sighed--a garden of desolation and coldness was immediately dispelled by the infinite vitality of the young people. Moreover, each of them, carefully selected by the personnel department, was now meticulously made up with their hair tied up. They were in special designed uniforms, and Alice's gaze fell on one of the girls, who was even more impressive than magazine models.
She raised her voice slightly and introduced herself briefly. The crowd immediately quieted down, and several girls looked at Alice with admiration. Alice remembered her first day at Roosevelt, also full of innocence, never expected the hard work that lay ahead, the relentless shifts, nothing like the surface shine.
She took them around and introduced each building: the restaurants, the club, the eight uniquely styled guest accommodation buildings. By the time they finished the introduction, it was long past lunchtime. As they walked, she explained, "Take a good look at the map in your hands and try to memorize the routes as soon as possible. If a guest asks you for ways, try not to reply 'I'm not sure' ." She thought for a moment and added, "Even interns can't do that."
The garden was large, and the girls were probably wearing high heels for the first time and walking such a long distance, so they fell behind. Coincidentally, they reached the restaurant. Alice approached the girls and said, "Hang in there, once we get to the studio in the restaurant, we'll take a break."
One of the girls, who was extremely pretty and not shy, said, "Thank you, Miss Smith, we can manage."
Alice just smiled and looked at her name tag, Nancy. Seeing her in the uniform of the room department, Alice thought that such a pretty girl would better transfer to her department. Even the most difficult guests would be well dealt with when they saw such a beauty.
When they finally entered the restaurant, the servers were already cleaning up. The atmosphere heated up immediately. Alice took off her coat first and then called out to everyone, "Working at Roosevelt, don't be afraid of trouble, especially in winter. Remember to keep your coat with you at all times, because it's not good to catch a cold. Of course, Take off your coat when you enter the floor, otherwise, you'll also get a cod, So now take off your coat please."
The interns all laughed and took off their coats and held them in their hands. Alice was about to walk inside when she saw a familiar figure stepping out of the elevator. She paused for a moment. Since Christmas, she hadn't seen John for some time. However, her professional habit kicked in, and she slightly shifted her body to the side and smiled, saying, "Hello, Mr. Williams, hello, Director Miller." She motioned with her eyes for the interns not to block the door.
John didn't expect to see her here and had been away on business for over half a month. He had come back to entertain guests and hadn't contacted her. When he heard her greet, he slowed down his steps. Before he could speak, the Director Miller next to him stopped, "Miss Smith? You seem busy."
Alice felt a bit embarrassed and only looked at Director Miller with a smile. She suddenly felt that she couldn't face John after that night and conveniently pretended to focus on the conversation with Director Miller: "Have you finished eating?" They chatted casually for a few words, and then Director Miller led a group of people out the door first.
The lobby was crowded, and John had been watching her from the side. Her hair was neatly tied back, and he had applied light makeup. Her complexion seemed a bit better, and though she didn't look in her direction, her face gradually flushed pink—whether it was due to the air conditioning, he couldn't tell. He gently smiled and shook his head.
Alice said goodbye to them and entered the dining hall, asking, "Did any of you smile and greet the guests just now?"
The interns were taken aback.
"It's okay this time, but you must always have the service mindset in your mind—every guest at Roosevelt is a VIP. No matter where you meet them, in the restaurant, guest rooms, or park, whether you recognize them or not, always remember to smile and greet."
Someone muttered, "That gentleman looks so familiar."