Chapter 59: Emerging from the Darkness

When an ordinary person hears such a statement, they would surely be startled.

But Shui Miao was different. He could sense Lin Qing’er’s inner sorrow. The reason there was hope in her eyes was because she still deeply loved the man who had passed away. Her devotion moved Shui Miao, making him take her situation seriously. He felt that his words might influence her entire life. If she loved that deceased person so much, would she choose to commit suicide upon hearing what he had seen, joining her lover in death? Many people live and die for love, and such things are not uncommon. Lin Qing’er’s passionate gaze was the best proof of that.

But if he told her he had seen nothing, would she become disappointed and lose hope?

Shui Miao had his own share of misfortunes. Seeing Lin Qing’er in such a state, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of empathy.

Soon, Shui Miao had made up his mind—he would stall for time. In situations where the circumstances are unclear, one must never speak recklessly. Once someone makes a rash decision because of your words, how could your conscience ever be at peace? After all, he had only come to invite everyone to dinner; why should he get involved in so many other matters?

“Well, to be honest, I really haven’t seen anything yet. You must understand, it’s broad daylight now,” Shui Miao shrugged his lips and stood up. “Madam Lin, I think I should be going now. Let’s talk about the dinner invitation another time.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

Lin Qing’er quickly apologized, sat back down, and took out the menu for Shui Miao to choose dishes.

“…”

Shui Miao sat back down again. Looking at her now, she seemed to have already recovered seven or eight parts of her emotional composure.

There were more than a hundred employees, some of whom were not present. At most, they would need ten tables. Given the price of dishes at this hotel, even a modest banquet for ten tables would cost at least ten thousand yuan, while a better one would cost over thirty thousand. Shui Miao had no intention of spending that much money—he only planned to add a few seafood dishes that people couldn’t normally eat. Thus, he directly told Lin Qing’er that he only wanted to order twenty Australian lobsters. The hotel wouldn’t charge for processing, two hundred yuan per lobster, twenty in total would be four thousand yuan. To Shui Miao, this already felt like a significant amount of money; it was enough to express his goodwill.

“Just twenty lobsters?”

Lin Qing’er was a bit doubtful. Could it be that Shui Miao had gone through all this trouble just to order a few lobsters? How could more than a hundred people eat with only twenty lobsters?

“Boss, my ability is limited; this is just an extra dish for the staff meal,” Shui Miao scratched his nose. “Hehe, I’m not a rich guy with lots of money! Our grassroots employees have never tasted lobster before, so I just wanted to give them an opportunity to try it.” Shui Miao was quite straightforward, speaking his mind openly. It’s not shameful to lack money; what’s shameful is being hypocritical.

“Oh, that’s what you meant. Alright, I understand.” Lin Qing’er nodded with a knowing smile. “You’re very genuine. I’ll call the head chef right away to make the arrangements.”

Lin Qing’er immediately called Chef Bi, asking him to prepare forty Australian lobsters for the staff meal.

After Lin Qing’er put down her phone, Shui Miao quickly raised two fingers. “Madam Lin, I asked for twenty… why did you ask for forty?”

“The other twenty are on me. I’m just so happy to have gotten rid of that parasite, Huang Fei. Who knows how much loss I can recover for the company now.” Lin Qing’er looked at Shui Miao. “You… can you tell me what you plan to do after leaving here? I’m currently looking for investment projects. Maybe I can help you financially.”

Lin Qing’er looked at Shui Miao with growing interest.

Shui Miao was somewhat taken aback. “Madam Lin, you’re not joking with me, are you? I’m just an ordinary employee. Why do you think so highly of me?”

“It’s simple—you’re a man of feeling and integrity, a genuine person who can be trusted.” Lin Qing’er sighed softly and stood by the window, looking out at the tall buildings outside. “Actually, I don’t like business. Dealing with all sorts of people is so annoying. They either want my money or desire my body. I hate them, and I don’t like this society. When I saw you, I felt you were someone trustworthy, that’s why I said what I did.”

Indeed, there was a kind of ethereal aura about Lin Qing’er.

Moreover, these words indirectly revealed Lin Qing’er’s purity, simplicity, kindness, and sincerity.

“Uh… I don’t even know what to say…” Shui Miao was excited. It was the first time someone had shown him such respect. Just by hearing Lin Qing’er’s words, he felt a strong desire to repay her kindness with his life. “But Madam Lin, my abilities are limited. I’m afraid I won’t be up to the task! How about I find a sure-win business opportunity first, then come back to you for investment?”

Most people would probably agree immediately and express their gratitude in such a situation.

But Shui Miao didn’t think much about it. If he had to choose between money and sentiment, he would definitely choose sentiment without hesitation.

In Shui Miao’s heart, money was important, but not the only thing. If money became the top priority, the meaning of life would change.

Shui Miao didn’t want to be a slave to money, nor did he want to carry someone else’s favor.

“Just call me Sister Lin. I don’t know why, but the moment I saw you, I thought of my younger brother in Taiwan. It’s been three years since I came here, and I’ve never gone back, nor have they come to visit me. Of course, if you’re not comfortable with it, I won’t force you…” Lin Qing’er smiled sweetly and looked out the window again. Her eyes filled with the happy memories of playing with her younger brother when they were little. “I’ve talked too much today, but I believe in you. Just go ahead boldly. Even if you fail, it’s okay. I believe you will succeed eventually.”

“…”

Her expression, her voice, and the emotions she conveyed were all filled with deep sadness…

Shui Miao was somewhat infected by her mood, as if she had brought him into a dark world full of sorrow. There she was, curled up in a dark corner, speaking of the only happiness left in her heart.

“Sister…”

Shui Miao lowered his head and instinctively called out, as if calling to that lonely figure in the dark.

“…”

Lin Qing’er turned around and looked at Shui Miao. She seemed a bit disbelieving of her own ears. Looking at Shui Miao’s dazed expression, she suddenly thought of her beloved one from before… his dazed look was exactly the same…

“Sister, you’re not alone. If anyone should be sad, it’s me, yet I’m still bravely alive. You should move on from that relationship. The world isn’t as heartless as you imagine. As long as we’re willing to open our hearts, you’ll find that we’re not lonely at all.” Influenced by Lin Qing’er’s sadness and thinking of his own background, Shui Miao spoke from the depths of his heart.

“Can you tell me your story?”

Lin Qing’er gently sat beside Shui Miao and lovingly patted his back. When she was young, she often comforted her crying younger brother like this.

Since Lin Qing’er had shown him such kindness and trust, Shui Miao decided to help her move past that painful emotion.

To help her, he first needed to open her heart.

The simplest and most effective way to open her heart was to share his own tragic background, letting her know that his life was even more unfortunate than hers, making her feel that they were kindred spirits. Once she accepted him, he could gradually help her change, leading her out of darkness and showing her that in life, besides the deceased, there are many other things worth cherishing.

Shui Miao shared his background with Lin Qing’er, who listened in astonishment. She never expected that such an optimistic and genuine young man could have experienced such misfortune!

Moreover, Shui Miao even told her about his current struggle with Liu Hongmei.

When talking about Liu Hongmei, Shui Miao intentionally lightened the mood, describing Liu Hongmei’s awkward situations to make Lin Qing’er laugh, subtly guiding her to change.

After finishing the story about Liu Hongmei, Shui Miao told Lin Qing’er some amusing childhood stories, which made Lin Qing’er feel cheerful and refreshed. Influenced by Shui Miao, she herself shared a couple of funny childhood incidents. Although they weren’t particularly funny, Shui Miao exaggerated his laughter, making her feel as if they were genuinely amusing.

Thus, within just two or three hours of meeting, Shui Miao and Lin Qing’er became as close as siblings.

“Knock knock knock!”

Just as Shui Miao was running out of things to say, Security Guard Xiao Liu excitedly ran over. He was holding a bag in his hand, bulging with a bag of money. “Madam Lin, Huang Fei brought the money back. It’s a total of three hundred thousand yuan, just withdrawn from the bank.”

Xiao Liu ran over with a flushed face. Seeing Shui Miao chatting with the chairman, he was obviously surprised and curiously looked at Shui Miao a few times.

“Where is Huang Fei now?”

Lin Qing’er immediately stood up. She didn’t rush to check the money in the bag. To her, this amount of money was nothing significant.

“He left. I heard he went to get his marriage certificate with his mistress,” Xiao Liu pointed outside with his hand. He clearly didn’t talk much with Lin Qing’er, his expression was somewhat stiff, and his words were a bit tense. “He gave me the money, so I came back. Madam Lin, you should count it. Otherwise, if later some hundreds are missing, I won’t be able to explain.”

If it really was missing, would you have an explanation now?

Besides, why would someone leave behind three hundred thousand but take away a hundred or two hundred? That didn’t make sense either!

Xiao Liu was tall and strong, but he was very honest and kind-hearted. He had worked at the hotel for more than two years and had always been conscientious and diligent. Shui Miao knew this best of all.

Seeing how genuinely clueless Xiao Liu was, Lin Qing’er lightly smiled and gently patted Shui Miao’s shoulder. “Brother, what do you think I should do to reward Xiao Liu?”

“In my opinion, let Xiao Liu replace Old Wang as the head of security. That would be great,” Shui Miao didn’t think much about it. Since Lin Qing’er asked for his opinion, he spoke freely.

“What about Old Wang then?” Lin Qing’er asked.

Shui Miao thought for a moment. “Old Wang always gossips and likes to hang around the female dormitory, messing around with the girls. He’s old but still behaves indecently. Such a person isn’t worth keeping.”

“Alright, I understand. I’ll announce it during dinner.” Lin Qing’er rarely went out. The hotel’s affairs were always handled by the department managers. Now that she had this “younger brother,” of course, she would listen to Shui Miao. “Oh, by the way, Brother, I want you to temporarily take over Huang Fei’s position. First, I want to thoroughly reform the hotel. Since I’ve long neglected the hotel’s affairs, not only was Huang Fei’s department problematic, but other departments also had issues. Second, you’re my brother, and I trust you. I just wonder if you’re willing to help your sister out?”

“…”

Shui Miao looked at Lin Qing’er, confirming she wasn’t joking, and making sure he wasn’t dreaming. Then he suddenly stood up, grabbed Xiao Liu’s shoulder, and walked outside. “Xiao Liu, you’re going to be my personal bodyguard from now on. Together, we’ll help Madam Lin eliminate the corrupt, root out the wicked, and restore order.”

“Brother, wait for me. I’m coming down too…”

Lin Qing’er’s heart had finally opened. She had been isolated here for three years. Those three years had taught her a lot, but also cost her dearly. Shui Miao’s arrival had suddenly brought her out of darkness.

Looking back at the smile on Lin Qing’er’s face, Shui Miao felt deeply moved. In fact, helping someone isn’t difficult at all. It’s just that we usually wrap ourselves up too tightly, with too many worries, making society feel cold. If everyone could give a little more warmth to their friends around them, then this world would truly be a beautiful paradise!