Chapter 32: The Ideal Dali, A Sentiment All Its Own

“You’re right. Even the influencer industry is fiercely competitive now—being beautiful is just the baseline. These days, if I scroll through Douyin hoping to see someone less attractive, it’s nearly impossible,” Lin Shenlu nodded in agreement.

After a brief pause, he continued, “So I’d like to ask you, what are your plans going forward? Will you stick to the path of a pure influencer, diving into e-commerce, or do you want to keep running this hotel? You know, with your fanbase of several million, the money you could make from livestream sales and advertising in a year is something this hotel can’t compete with.” Lin Shenlu’s tone was probing as he directed his question to Hailan Jing.

“Of course, I’ll keep running the hotel, the inn. This is about my passion—it’s something I want to devote my entire life to. Whether I have a few million or tens of millions of followers online, it’s just a way to draw more people here, to make this place known. As for e-commerce, I haven’t really considered it. Besides, it’s not as easy as it looks. I just want to run my hotel without worries and meet more people.” Hailan Jing sighed as she spoke.

Lin Shenlu nodded in understanding.

“Well, that makes things easier. If you find being an influencer brings in easy money, there’s no need to keep the hotel—just focus on the influencer path and you’ll never want for anything. But if you still hold onto your ideals, if you want to protect a piece of tranquility in your heart, then there’s a lot that needs to change. No matter which path you choose, I can offer some honest advice. But if you want to stick with the hotel, I probably have more ideas to share.” Lin Shenlu spoke thoughtfully.

“Oh? You know how to run a hotel?” Hailan Jing looked at him with curiosity.

“No, not at all. But from a traveler’s perspective, I know what your place needs. I’m a travel writer—I've seen all kinds of unique inns in the country. I can tell you what could be added here. As for passion, I think it’s not enough to simply keep a room by the mountains and water. That was the old Dali, the nostalgia of the past. People now want to find their own sense of devotion.” Lin Shenlu smiled.

“Their own sense of devotion?” Hailan Jing repeated, a bit puzzled.

“Of course.” Lin Shenlu took a sip of milk, smiling as he spoke.

By now, Lin Shenlu already had a series of preliminary ideas forming in his mind.

“So how do you give each person their own sense of devotion?” Hailan Jing pressed further.

“I have some ideas. If you trust me, I’ll write up a proposal when I get back. Give me some time, and I promise your inn will see a big transformation,” Lin Shenlu replied with confidence.

Hailan Jing frowned slightly, her expression adorably skeptical as she looked at him.

“Really?” she asked, intrigued.

“Of course. If you don’t believe me, there’s still time to back out. Worst case, I’ll take my proposal to another hotel. After all, not everyone can truly understand what passion means. If I sold this plan to an advertising agency… let me tell you, it’d fetch a good price!” Lin Shenlu leaned back in his chair.

Hailan Jing glanced around the large restaurant, noticing how few people were having breakfast. She nodded, albeit with some reluctance.

There was no helping it—the current climate really left much to be desired.

Although she couldn’t fill every room every day, the online exposure still attracted some tourists. She wasn’t getting rich, but at least she wasn’t losing money either.

Just yesterday, two more hotels in the Erhai group chat announced they were closing down.

The tourism industry had truly collapsed during the pandemic…

“All right, it’s settled then. I’ll have the proposal ready before your livestream tonight. When you start, call me, and I’ll walk you through how to put it into action,” Lin Shenlu said with a smile.

He felt genuinely confident about this.

As a certified 4A travel blogger with Tuyu Travel, writing copy and creating plans came naturally to him.

But this would be his first time putting theory into practice, and Lin Shenlu felt a hint of anticipation.

Was he finally about to realize the ideas he’d harbored for so long?

…

After breakfast, Lin Shenlu returned to his room and opened his laptop to start typing.

Honestly, this step was something he’d contemplated for quite some time.

As for Dali as a whole, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment.

The grand sense of nostalgia was there, but it lacked the unique details that truly captivated people.

Many things other bloggers and travel writers tried to promote didn’t really impress Lin Shenlu.

So, if recommending places wasn’t enough, Lin Shenlu decided he’d clear the way himself! If the grass didn’t grow well, he’d reseed it! That was the Dali he wanted to see.

Only such passion was worthy of the name.

…

By noon, Lin Shenlu stretched lazily.

The comprehensive proposal for transforming the Whale and Deer Scenic Spot was complete.

He carefully reviewed it one last time before leaving his room.

After a morning’s hard work and thousands of words written, he definitely deserved a reward.

Lunch had to be something special.

He couldn’t forget his original intention… eating well was the true path.

As he walked downstairs, the receptionist seemed to notice him and immediately reached for the phone.

After a quick conversation, she hung up and waved to him.

“Mr. Lin!”

“Yes? What’s the matter?” Lin Shenlu asked curiously.

“Well, around ten o’clock this morning, a friend of yours came looking for you. He checked in and Ms. Jing told us you were busy writing, so we didn’t disturb you. Your friend asked that when you came down, I should call and let him know, and have you wait here for a moment,” the receptionist explained.

Lin Shenlu was taken aback.

Who could it be?

Did he even have any friends here?

In Dali, the only person he could call a friend was An Muxi, but there was no way she knew he was here.

Second would be Gu Moning, owner of the Erduo Inn, but she certainly wouldn’t come looking for him.

Third… perhaps Lu Yu from the bar, a casual acquaintance at best.

Fourth… the old man he sometimes smoked with…

But no one knew he was staying here.

“What did this person look like? I mean, is this friend a man or a woman? About how old?” Lin Shenlu wondered. Could it really be An Muxi who found him?

That would be too much of a surprise.

But it seemed unlikely.

“It was a young man, tall and thin, a bit disheveled. Oh, and he booked a king room for three days…” The receptionist paused. “He put it under your name…”

“What?” Lin Shenlu’s eyes widened.

How did it end up under his name? How could that be? Why would it be under his name? Who was this person?

“We weren’t sure if you’d agree, so we wanted to let you know. If you don’t know him, we can handle it from here,” the receptionist said.

There was no point getting angry at the hotel staff.

But Lin Shenlu was genuinely baffled.

Who on earth would be so brazen? Who would do something like this?

“Hey, buddy! It’s me!” came a man’s voice from behind him.