I parked the car under a willow tree opposite the inn. Leyao once again put on her hat and sunglasses, and after getting out of the car, she avoided the gaze of tourists and walked into the inn ahead of me.
Inside the inn, the boy was playing an online game on his laptop. When he suddenly saw Leyao, he didn’t react immediately and instinctively asked, “Checking in?”
Leyao took off her sunglasses and hat and said to him, “Young man, please prepare a suite for me.”
The boy’s expression instantly became complicated and he stammered, “Leyao… Leyao jie, is that really you?”
Leyao smiled and said, “What kind of expression is that? I’ve studied acting for so many years, but I still can’t make such a face!”
“Uh… Probably a forced smile that looks worse than crying… Leyao jie, please give me your ID card for registration.”
Leyao took out her ID card from her handbag and handed it to him. As she looked around the newly renovated inn, she asked, “How much is it?” only after the boy returned her ID card.
The boy looked at me behind Leyao, and I shook my head to signal not to charge.
After receiving my signal, the boy quickly said, “No need to pay, Leyao jie.”
“If no one pays, then you and Zhaoyang will have to live off air.”
After saying this, Leyao took out 500 yuan in cash from her wallet and placed it on the counter. Then she signaled to the confused boy to help her carry her luggage to the room.
After hesitating for a moment, the boy took the suitcase from Leyao’s hands, grabbed the room key, and led her upstairs.
Almost simultaneously, the woman in red also walked into our inn with her suitcase. I looked at her in confusion, while she stared at me expressionlessly.
As I exchanged glances with the woman in red, Leyao, who was walking upstairs, suddenly turned around and said to me, “Zhaoyang, order some takeout for me later.”
I snapped back to attention and immediately replied, “No problem.”
Leyao nodded, but her gaze lingered on the woman in red. After their brief eye contact, Leyao turned back and continued upstairs.
In the not-so-large reception hall, only I and the woman in red remained. Looking in the direction Leyao had gone, she curiously asked me, “Your friend?”
“Yes, a friend for many years!” I answered, then hesitantly asked while looking at the suitcase in her hand, “Are you planning to stay at our inn?”
“Not welcome?”
When I thought about seeing her ID card if she stayed, I quickly said, “Since you’re here, you’re our guest. How could we not welcome you?”
“Alright then, I need a suite.”
I hesitated and told her, “We only have one suite in the inn, which has already been booked by the lady who just went upstairs. Maybe…”
Before I could finish, she interrupted, “I only stay in suites.”
“I know you’re rich and generous, but you don’t have to insist on a suite. The king room has everything you need.”
“This is just my habit. If you don’t have a suite, I’ll go to another inn.”
I frowned and said, “Do you think I would let such a business opportunity slip away?”
Her expression was even colder than mine, “Are you trying to force me to stay here?”
“Exactly, you have no choice but to stay here.”
She looked at me contemptuously, unimpressed by my intimidation, and pulled her suitcase toward the exit.
Although I spoke harshly, I couldn’t really force her to stay, so I could only watch helplessly as she left, sighing in my heart: It’s just a name, why make it so suspenseful, like those writers of serial novels who always keep people hanging!
…
I ordered takeout for Leyao and delivered it to her suite. After opening the door, I found her sitting on the sofa in the living room watching a TV drama she had acted in.
I handed the takeout to her and said, “What’s the point of watching your own TV drama?”
“I also think this life-and-death love story is not interesting at all!”
“Then why are you watching it?”
Leyao took the takeout from my hand and said, “I’m observing where my acting might be lacking.”
“You’re really dedicated.”
“The entertainment industry is the hardest to survive in. Being more dedicated helps you last longer!”
I laughed and said, “With such awareness, you’ll become an evergreen in the entertainment industry!”
Leyao nodded, but her attention was not on our conversation. While eating the takeout, she kept her eyes fixed on the TV drama that was playing.
I remained silent out of boredom for quite some time before finally asking her, “How is Roben’s first love doing now?”
“I already told you, I’ll let you know after a few days once the information is confirmed!”
Seeing her firm attitude, I instinctively sighed, “Another woman who keeps people hanging!”
“Another one? Who else is keeping you in suspense?”
“Do I have to tell you?”
“Tsk, you’re also keeping me hanging!”
I thought to myself, this truly was a night of suspense… So I simply suppressed my curiosity because sometimes, the truth is best revealed at the most appropriate time.
…
That night, I didn’t bother Leyao much. After she finished her takeout, I left her room and returned to the service desk downstairs. I ate my own takeout and then plunged into work again until ten o’clock in the evening, when I temporarily completed the tasks I had set for myself that day.
Handing over the inn to the boy for the night, I once again walked along the streets of Xitang in the dark, trying to relax myself through this kind of stroll and find the best solution to my problems.
After walking most of the street, I saw the woman in red sitting on the stone steps by the riverside again. I circled around from a stone bridge and approached her, asking, “This is almost the peak season for tourism in Xitang. Did you manage to book a suite?”
“Do you think all the inns are like yours with only one suite available?”
I retorted, “Good then, I thought you would end up wandering the streets because of your unreasonable insistence!”
She remained silent… As I was about to turn to leave, she suddenly called me back, “Hey, have you solved your problem of insufficient guest capacity yet?”
“Not yet.”
She asked again, “If I’m not mistaken, the woman who checked into your inn today is a popular female celebrity, right?”
“You’re right.”
“There’s something I don’t quite understand: Since you’ve been friends with her for many years, why don’t you take advantage of her celebrity status to promote your inn? Even if she just posts a single microblog about this inn, the effect would be better than doing a special advertisement on a travel website.”
Her question seemed to enlighten me. Why was Leyao willing to lend me hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop the inn, yet never use her celebrity status to promote it?
Thinking further, I realized this question was actually meaningless because I myself was not very comfortable accepting help for the inn through celebrity influence. In my subconscious, Leyao was just Leyao, not a shining star, even though I often called her “Big Shot Leyao.”
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