“What’s the point of meddling in so much? We just need to focus on doing our own jobs well.”
Wang Xiaomi stretched out her hand, took two cards, and turned directly to look for Shui Miao. Just now, her words to Zhao Xiaolu had been slightly harsh. To an ordinary person, it would have seemed like a normal idle comment, but to Wang Xiaomi, this idle chatter could potentially lead to a major security breach. If something were to happen, the consequences could be extremely serious.
“Pfft, what’s so great about that? So she became an assistant,” Zhao Xiaolu muttered discontentedly, watching Wang Xiaomi walk away.
“Zhao Xiaolu!”
Suddenly, Li Lan, who was monitoring from not far away, stood up and sternly called Zhao Xiaolu’s name.
“Here!”
Zhao Xiaolu was startled and quickly stood up.
Li Lan approached Zhao Xiaolu solemnly and reprimanded her, “As a soldier, where is your awareness? You know Wang Xiaomi’s character well enough. She found work but still remembered us girls, showing her loyalty and righteousness. How could you complain about her behind her back? Where did she go wrong? In the barracks, soldiers must not gossip about their superiors. Here, Shui Miao is now the superior; you must not gossip about him either. This is the basic awareness of a soldier and the fundamental trust owed between good friends.”
“Reporting, squad leader, I was wrong, and I will definitely reflect on it!”
Zhao Xiaolu turned red from Li Lan’s scolding, but she knew the squad leader couldn’t be wrong.
Li Lan had an extremely strong sense of principle. Deep down, she was a soldier. After being discharged, she found it hard to adapt to civilian life habits. Shui Miao and Lin Qing’er had given her a second chance, for which she was deeply grateful. Like Wang Xiaomi, she was both loyal and capable. Zhao Xiaolu herself was also highly skilled, especially in computer technology, where she was an absolute top expert. In her life, Zhao Xiaolu had never respected many people, but she deeply admired Squad Leader Li Lan.
Therefore, she willingly accepted Squad Leader Li Lan’s reprimand.
※※※
“What a Li Lan! It’s really a waste to have her stuck in this hotel.” Shui Miao watched the surveillance monitor and listened to the conversation between Li Lan and Zhao Xiaolu. He greatly admired Li Lan’s clear thinking and firm, unwavering principles. He was deeply moved by her unique military charm.
“That’s for sure. The squad leader has a very high overall quality. Even if the entire hotel were handed over to her, she could manage it well. It’s just that the squad leader is sometimes overly persistent. When dealing with conflicts between the hotel and guests, she isn’t as smooth and tactful as Sister Tang.” Wang Xiaomi placed the cards on the table, stood beside Shui Miao, and had also seen the recent events, “By the way, actually Zhao Xiaolu isn’t that bad, she’s just occasionally a bit willful. I’ll go comfort her later, and everything will be fine.”
Wang Xiaomi, Li Lan, and others often watched the surveillance footage and noticed Sister Tang’s exceptional abilities. When dealing with various customers, the different personalities she displayed deeply impressed Li Lan and the others.
“You’ve gone through a lot, Xiao Mi!”
Shui Miao sighed, then invited Wang Xiaomi to sit on the sofa.
Shui Miao picked up the card and, facing Wang Xiaomi, recounted his background, the story of Liu Hongmei, and the tale of the female ghost queen, all related to this bank card. After finishing, he turned to Wang Xiaomi and asked, “Xiao Mi, to be honest, I don’t know whether I should use the money in this card. I trust you; help me make a bold decision.”
Although Wang Xiaomi found this somewhat incredible, she believed Shui Miao was not lying and had no reason to deceive her.
Moved by Shui Miao’s trust in her, Wang Xiaomi felt deeply touched.
After thinking carefully, Wang Xiaomi smiled slightly and said, “Just consider it as compensation for emotional distress from Liu Hongmei. However, to use this money, it’s best to make several transfers first. If someone tries to trace the funds, we should find ways to block their investigation, ensuring everything is foolproof.”
“Can you handle that?”
Shui Miao also wanted to use the money. He had considered the same points as Wang Xiaomi and was just waiting for her to agree to help.
“Of course, I can handle this without needing Zhao Xiaolu’s help.”
Wang Xiaomi was confident. In fact, she had learned a lot from Zhao Xiaolu, and this kind of task was not difficult for her.
Thus, Shui Miao handed the computer over to Wang Xiaomi.
After a series of operations, five million yuan from Liu Hongmei’s card was transferred into Shui Miao’s own account.
In just about ten minutes, the transfer was completed.
“Great! I can expand the Jing Shui Village project without touching the hotel’s funds.” Shui Miao sighed in relief, “Xiao Mi, call Xiao Liu and the others, let’s go to Jing Shui Village; I want to rent a piece of land.”
“No problem, I’ll contact them right away.”
Wang Xiaomi originally thought Shui Miao would indulge and enjoy life after acquiring so much money, but she was surprised to find that Shui Miao was instead focused on expanding the project and growing their business. This greatly impressed her, making her admire Shui Miao’s lofty aspirations and feel confident in following him. Thus, Wang Xiaomi immediately contacted the security room downstairs to notify Xiao Liu and the others to assemble at the side entrance.
Wang Xiaomi drove, taking Shui Miao and Xiao Tudou.
Xiao Liu and the others followed in a minivan, bringing along a group of former male security guards.
On the way, Shui Miao received a call from Huang Yatou.
As soon as the call connected, Huang Yatou urgently said, “Xiao Shui, something terrible has happened. My father called me, saying that Grandpa Lin is sending his son to take over the hotel and even sending assassins to kill you. I’ve been called back to Taiwan by my father and am about to board a plane. I can’t help much anymore. You’d better find a place to hide quickly. Oh, and I’ve already arranged everything for building the Taoist temple in Jing Shui Village and paid the money for the land. The land was expensive, so with five million, I only managed to buy one plot. Oh no, someone’s coming; I have to hang up now! Just go directly to Cheng Wancheng, the village secretary of Jing Shui Village.”
Huang Yatou hung up in a rush.
“How interesting! Grandpa Lin actually wants to send assassins to kill me. Do we have such deep hatred?” Shui Miao muttered to himself, puzzled as to why Grandpa Lin was so extreme.
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaomi quickly said, “General Manager, it’s easier to dodge a spear in front than an arrow from behind. You’d better hide for a while.”
“Yeah, Senior Brother, let’s focus on cultivating ourselves and avoid fighting with those bad people,” Xiao Tudou also expressed concern.
Shui Miao thought for a moment, stroking his chin, then coldly smiled, “There’s nothing to be afraid of. With a few adjustments, I can ensure they won’t return. However, I should also consider the hotel. Given the current situation, they might actually take over the hotel.”
“General Manager, if you leave the hotel, I, Wang Xiaomi, am willing to start a new venture with you.”
Wang Xiaomi said without hesitation.
“Great! We have a deal.”
Shui Miao laughed heartily but soon fell into thought again. The situation was getting more serious, and he needed to plan carefully.
※※※
Cheng Wancheng, the village secretary of Jing Shui Village, warmly received Shui Miao and took him to see the land that Huang Yatou had already purchased.
To the village, this land was essentially useless, overgrown with reeds, crisscrossed with ditches, uneven in elevation, located at the southernmost part of the village. Further south was a wide river called Jing Shui River. To the south of the river was also a large area of wasteland, making the entire area look desolate at a glance.
Cheng Wancheng, the village secretary, was of medium build, with curly short hair and a square face. Around forty years old, he held a cigarette and enthusiastically described to Shui Miao how great this piece of land was.
Shui Miao grew tired of listening and interrupted, “Secretary Cheng, let’s be straightforward. Don’t think I’m too young to understand anything. If I didn’t want to build a Taoist temple, there’s no way I would want this wasteland. Now, the price you sold it to Huang Yatou for is way above my budget. I’m investing money to rebuild the temple for the village, which is a good deed that brings blessings to the villagers. The village should have provided the land for free. Now I’m paying so much money for it, I’m already regretting it. I’m thinking about asking Huang Yatou to cancel the agreement.”
Upon hearing Shui Miao’s words, Secretary Cheng was momentarily stunned.
Cheng Wancheng had investigated Huang Yatou and knew he absolutely couldn’t afford to offend her.
If Huang Yatou wanted to cancel the contract, the village would have to unconditionally return the money. Cheng Wancheng knew Huang Yatou could easily take his life.
“Boss Shui, this… this isn’t good, right…”
Cheng Wancheng desperately tried to salvage the money. How could the cooked duck fly away?
“This land may be a bit barren now, but our village is right next to Zhonghai City. In three to five years, urban development will reach this area. This land will at least triple in value!”
Cheng Wancheng continued to boast…
“Alright, no more talk about it. I only look at the present; I can’t invest so much money in long-term projects.” Shui Miao waved his hand, interrupting Cheng Wancheng, and frowned as he looked north. Feeling the timing was right, he spoke again, “Look, this area is completely isolated, not even a proper road. If I were to buy land, I’d prefer the one at the village entrance. Buying here is too inconvenient unless…”
“Unless what?”
Cheng Wancheng had already felt hopeless, but upon hearing the word “unless,” his heart suddenly stirred.
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes, “Unless you give me another twenty mu of land at the village entrance.”
“Twenty mu! Twenty mu is too much!!”
Cheng Wancheng was startled, “Boss Shui, it’s not that I’m unwilling to give up the land, but I don’t have the authority. Even if Huang Yatou can smooth things over with the higher-ups, the villagers won’t agree to give up twenty mu of good farmland at the village entrance. If things escalate, I won’t be able to handle the consequences.”
“Understood…”
Shui Miao licked his lips, feigning difficulty. After a pause, he suddenly said, “By the way, I heard there’s a dry well left from over a hundred years ago in the village. Where is it?”
“A dry well!”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Wancheng’s eyes lit up immediately. The land around the dry well was also barren. Not even wild grass could grow there, covering about five mu.
“Boss Shui, I can’t promise anything else, but I can offer you three mu of land near the dry well!”
“Alright! Let’s go take a look first.” Shui Miao waved his hand, feeling pleased. He hadn’t expected his words to win him another three mu of land. Three mu, about 2000 square meters, was already a great gain for him.
Seeing Shui Miao’s interest, Cheng Wancheng quickly led him to a piece of wasteland on the west side of the village. The dry well was covered by a heavy concrete slab. Within a radius of 500 meters around the well, not a single blade of grass could be seen.
“Why bother with so much? We just need to focus on doing our own work well.”
Wang Xiaomi reached out, picked up two cards, and turned directly to find Shui Miao. Just moments ago, her words to Zhao Xiaolu had been a bit harsh. To an ordinary person, it might have seemed like an ordinary casual remark, but in Wang Xiaomi’s eyes, that casual remark could potentially breed significant trouble—a leak of information that, if anything went wrong, could lead to very serious consequences.
“Tch, what’s so great about her? She’s just an assistant now,” Zhao Xiaolu muttered discontentedly to herself after Wang Xiaomi left, feeling somewhat unsettled.
“Zhao Xiaolu!”
Suddenly, Li Lan, who had been monitoring from not far away, stood up and sternly called out Zhao Xiaolu’s name.
“Here!”
Zhao Xiaolu was startled and quickly rose to her feet.
Li Lan walked over to Zhao Xiaolu with a serious expression and reprimanded her, “As a soldier, where is your sense of duty? You know exactly what kind of person Wang Xiaomi is. She found a job and still remembers us sisters—that shows she has loyalty and integrity. How could you complain about her behind her back? What did she do wrong? In the military, as soldiers, we don’t gossip about our superiors. Here, Shui Miao is now the superior, and you must not gossip about him either. This is a basic sense of duty for a soldier and the fundamental trust that good sisters should have.”
“Reporting, Squad Leader, I was wrong. I will reflect on this!”
Zhao Xiaolu’s face flushed red with embarrassment at Li Lan’s words, but she knew the squad leader couldn’t be wrong.
Li Lan had exceptionally strong principles. Deep down, she was a soldier through and through. After retiring from the military, she struggled to adapt to civilian life. Shui Miao and Lin Qing’er had given her a chance to start over, and she was deeply grateful. Like Wang Xiaomi, she was both capable and principled. Zhao Xiaolu was also highly skilled, especially in computing, where she was absolutely top-tier. Zhao Xiaolu had never admired many people in her life, but she held Squad Leader Li Lan in the highest regard.
Therefore, she accepted Li Lan’s reprimand wholeheartedly.
※※※
“That Li Lan is something else. It’s such a waste of her talent to have her in this hotel,” Shui Miao remarked as he watched the surveillance monitor and listened to the conversation between Li Lan and Zhao Xiaolu. He greatly admired Li Lan’s clear thinking and unwavering principles, and he was deeply impressed by her unique military charm.
“Of course. The squad leader has excellent overall qualities. She could manage the entire hotel if it were handed over to her. But sometimes she can be a bit too rigid, especially when handling conflicts between the hotel and guests. She’s far less smooth than that Sister Xiao Tang,” Wang Xiaomi said, placing the cards on the table and standing beside Shui Miao as she watched the scene unfold. “By the way, Zhao Xiaolu is actually quite good too. She just acts out occasionally. I’ll cheer her up later, and it’ll be fine.”
Wang Xiaomi and Li Lan often observed the surveillance footage and noticed that Sister Xiao Tang had exceptional skills. Her ability to interact with all kinds of guests, displaying different personalities, deeply impressed Li Lan and the others.
“It’s been hard on you, Xiaomi!”
Shui Miao sighed and invited Wang Xiaomi to sit on the sofa.
Shui Miao picked up the cards, looked at them, and then told Wang Xiaomi about his background, his history with Liu Hongmei, and the matter of the female ghost Wang Ruyan—all revolving around this bank card. After finishing, he asked Wang Xiaomi, “Xiaomi, to be honest, I don’t know whether I should use the money in here. I trust you. Help me make a bold decision.”
Although Shui Miao’s story sounded somewhat unbelievable, Wang Xiaomi felt he wasn’t lying and had no reason to lie to her.
Touched by Shui Miao’s trust, Wang Xiaomi thought carefully and then smiled slightly. “Consider it compensation for emotional distress from Liu Hongmei. But if you want to use this money, it’s best to make several transfers first. If anyone tries to trace the funds, we’ll find a way to make it untraceable. That way, we can ensure everything is foolproof.”
“Can you handle that?”
Shui Miao also wanted to use the money. He had already considered what Wang Xiaomi mentioned and was waiting for her to agree to help.
“Of course. I don’t need Zhao Xiaolu’s help for this. I can handle it myself.”
Wang Xiaomi was brimming with confidence. In fact, she had learned a lot from Zhao Xiaolu, and this task was nothing to her.
So, Shui Miao handed the computer over to Wang Xiaomi.
After a series of transactions, the five million yuan from Liu Hongmei’s card was successfully transferred into Shui Miao’s account.
It took only about ten minutes to complete the transfer.
“Excellent! Now I can expand the Jingshui Village project without using the hotel’s funds,” Shui Miao said with relief. “Xiaomi, gather Xiao Liu and the others. We’re going to Jingshui Village. I want to lease a piece of land.”
“No problem. I’ll contact them right away.”
Wang Xiaomi had initially thought Shui Miao might squander the money or enjoy life after obtaining such a large sum. She was greatly impressed to see him focused on expanding projects and developing further. It made her feel that Shui Miao had grand ambitions and that following him was the right choice. So, she immediately contacted the security room downstairs and instructed Xiao Liu and the others to gather at the side entrance.
Wang Xiaomi drove, taking Shui Miao and Little Potato.
Xiao Liu and the others followed in a van with a group of former male security guards.
On the way, Shui Miao received a call from Huang Yatou.
As soon as the call connected, Huang Yatou urgently said, “Xiao Shui, something terrible has happened! My dad called me and said Old Man Lin is sending his son to take over the hotel and is also sending assassins to kill you. I’ve been summoned back to Taiwan by my dad and am about to board the plane. There’s not much I can do to help. You should find a place to hide quickly. Oh, and regarding the construction of the Taoist temple in Jingshui Village, I’ve smoothed out all the connections for you. The money for the land has already been paid. Because the land is quite expensive, the five million only bought one plot. Oh no, someone’s coming. I have to go! You can go directly to Cheng Wancheng, the village party secretary of Jingshui Village.”
Huang Yatou hung up in a rush.
“How interesting. This Old Man Lin actually wants to send assassins after me. Do we have such deep-seated hatred?” Shui Miao muttered to himself, utterly perplexed as to why Old Man Lin was so extreme.
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaomi quickly said, “General Manager, it’s easy to dodge an open spear but hard to avoid a hidden arrow. You should hide for a while.”
“Yes, Senior Brother. Let’s focus on cultivating ourselves and not fight with those bad people,” Little Potato also expressed concern.
Shui Miao stroked his chin thoughtfully, then smirked coldly. “There’s nothing to fear. With a few adjustments, I can make sure they don’t return. However, I should also think about the hotel. Given the current situation, it’s possible they might actually seize it.”
“General Manager, if you leave the hotel, I, Wang Xiaomi, am willing to start anew with you.”
Wang Xiaomi said without hesitation.
“Good! It’s a deal.”
Shui Miao laughed heartily but soon fell into thought again. The situation was becoming increasingly serious, and he needed to plan carefully.
※※※
Cheng Wancheng, the village party secretary of Jingshui Village, warmly received Shui Miao and took him to see the land Huang Yatou had already purchased.
To the village, that piece of land was essentially wasteland—overgrown with reeds, crisscrossed with intricate ditches, with some areas elevated and others sunken. It was located at the southernmost part of the village, beyond which lay a wide river called the Jingshui River. South of the river were also vast stretches of barren land. In short, the area looked particularly desolate at a glance.
Cheng Wancheng, of medium height with curly short hair and a square face, was in his forties. Holding a cigarette, he enthusiastically praised the village’s land to Shui Miao.
Growing tired of the spiel, Shui Miao interrupted, “Secretary Cheng, let’s be frank. Don’t think that just because I’m young, I know nothing. If it weren’t for my plan to build a Taoist temple, I would never consider this wasteland. The price you charged Huang Yatou already far exceeds my expectations. I’m spending money to rebuild the Taoist temple for the village—a contribution that will bring blessings to the villagers. The village should have provided the land for free. Instead, I’ve spent so much money, and I’m already having second thoughts. I’m considering asking Huang Yatou to void the agreement.”
Hearing this, Secretary Cheng was stunned.
He had looked into Huang Yatou’s background and knew he couldn’t afford to offend her.
If Huang Yatou wanted to cancel the agreement, the village would have to unconditionally return the money. Cheng Wancheng knew that Huang Yatou could easily end his life.
“Boss Shui, this… this isn’t good…”
Cheng Wancheng desperately wanted to keep the money—he couldn’t let a cooked duck fly away. “Although this land is a bit barren now, our village is right next to Zhonghai City. In three to five years, urban development will reach here, and this land will at least triple in value!”
Cheng Wancheng continued to boast…
“Enough, no need to say more. I only care about the present. I can’t invest so much money for the long term,” Shui Miao waved his hand, cutting off Cheng Wancheng. Frowning, he looked northward. Seizing the moment, he added, “Look, this area is a dead zone. There isn’t even a proper road. If I were to buy land, I’d prefer the plot at the village entrance. This place is too inconvenient. Unless…”
“Unless what?”
Cheng Wancheng, who had almost given up hope, perked up at the word “unless.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes. “Unless you also give me twenty acres of land at the village entrance.”
“Twenty acres? That’s too much!!”
Cheng Wancheng was taken aback. “Boss Shui, it’s not that I’m unwilling, but I don’t have the authority. Even if Huang Yatou can pull strings with higher-ups, the villagers won’t agree to give up twenty acres of prime farmland at the village entrance. If this escalates, I won’t be able to handle it.”
“In that case…”
Shui Miao licked his lips, pretending to be troubled. After a pause, he suddenly said, “By the way, I heard there’s a dried-up well in the village that’s over a hundred years old. Where is it located?”
“The dried-up well!”
Hearing this, Cheng Wancheng’s eyes lit up. The land around the dried-up well was also wasteland—unsuitable for crops, not even weeds could grow there. It covered about five acres. “Boss Shui, I can’t promise much else, but I can agree to give you three acres around the dried-up well!”
“Deal! Let’s go take a look first.” Shui Miao waved his hand, feeling pleased. He hadn’t expected his words to secure another three acres of land—about 2,000 square meters. Getting this much for free was more than enough for him.
Seeing Shui Miao’s interest, Cheng Wancheng quickly led him to the wasteland west of the village. The dried-up well was covered by a heavy concrete slab. Within a radius of 500 meters, not a single blade of grass could be seen.
However, Shui Miao thought the land looked very flat and quite promising. Before he could speak, Little Potato pulled him aside and whispered in his ear, “Senior Brother, the earth energy of this land has been cut off. Even small grasses can’t grow here. But the good news is, the earth energy below the dried-up well is very strong. It seems the energy channel is blocked by something. If we remove it, this land will definitely become the best plot.”
“Not even grass grows—isn’t this a dead zone? Secretary Cheng, are you trying to trick me?”
After hearing Little Potato’s words, Shui Miao’s heart stirred. He widened his eyes and feigned extreme surprise as he looked at Cheng Wancheng.
“Uh… well…”
Exposed, Cheng Wancheng instantly felt embarrassed.
“No grass grows here; isn’t this cursed land? Secretary Cheng, you’re deceiving me!”
After hearing Xiao Tudou’s words, Shui Miao’s heart stirred, and he widened his eyes, pretending to be extremely surprised and staring at Cheng Wancheng.
“Uh… this…”
Caught red-handed, Cheng Wancheng immediately felt embarrassed.
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