Shui Miao pulled Lin Qing’er into the video hall and immediately saw, on the facing wall, the words “Private Rooms Upstairs” written in red, accompanied by a red arrow pointing toward a stairwell. A couple of meters up the stairs were a series of small private rooms, each about three meters long and two meters wide. Inside each room was a bed, two chairs, and a coffee table.
To his surprise, there was actually a bed in the room, and Shui Miao felt a bit awkward, thinking he might have entered the wrong place.
But every room was exactly the same.
“Well, I guess we’ll just have to make do,” Shui Miao said.
Though he felt the setup was inappropriate, he reasoned that they weren’t here for anything else—just to talk—and pulled Lin Qing’er inside.
Lin Qing’er bit her lip, standing at the doorway, her heart in turmoil.
Shui Miao didn’t notice her unease. He pulled aside the curtain and saw a glass wall. Through the glass, a massive movie screen was visible.
“The boss here is really clever, setting up these little rooms and doubling them as mini hotels. Actually, it’s not a bad place to have a conversation,” he said, turning back. Seeing Lin Qing’er still standing, he quickly took out a tissue to wipe the chair clean for her to sit.
But when Lin Qing’er saw him take out the tissue, she was startled, covered her mouth, and was about to leave.
Just as she turned, she realized he was only wiping the chair, and she paused, immediately wondering if she had misunderstood him. Shui Miao wouldn’t be that kind of person, right?
“Lin Jie, please sit,” Shui Miao said, “I’ll tell you what happened today.”
After wiping the chair clean, he sat on the other chair.
“…”
Lin Qing’er looked at Shui Miao and sat down. “Shui, is this your first time here?” she asked cautiously. She wasn’t entirely at ease, suspecting he might have had ulterior motives. But he didn’t seem like it, which only made her more confused.
“I’ve been here once or twice, about a year ago. Back then, I was a server, and during downtime, I came here with a few friends to watch movies. We only paid five yuan back then. Now the price has gone up, and if it weren’t for something important, I wouldn’t have spent the money.”
“Something important? What exactly is it?” Lin Qing’er asked nervously.
“Well, let me explain…”
Shui Miao paused and first recounted how he had confronted the various department managers after she had left that morning.
Hearing how boldly he had handled the department managers, Lin Qing’er was stunned.
But when she heard his next plan, she thought his approach actually made sense.
However, when Shui Miao mentioned Lao Shao, she was shocked again.
“Lao Shao was my setup. Because of his surveillance system, I was able to control the entire hotel and uncover the managers’ embezzlement. But I didn’t expect him to be spying on me too, and even leaking the information to Gao Bo. He’s betrayed me, and it’s dangerous. I must get him under control immediately, or the consequences will be unimaginable.”
Lin Qing’er finally understood why Shui Miao had brought her here secretly. Shocked, she quickly called one of her friends.
As Lin Qing’er was on the phone, moaning sounds from the video drifted over. Shui Miao turned and saw the indecent images on the screen. Immediately, he pulled down the curtain, went downstairs, and asked the elderly woman to switch the movie to “Sanmao’s Wandering.”
When Shui Miao returned upstairs, Lin Qing’er had already finished her call.
“Shui, don’t worry. The special police will arrive in no more than fifteen minutes to arrest Lao Shao. This matter must go through the police, otherwise it won’t be resolved. Besides this, do you have anything else to say?”
Lin Qing’er was furious. She had lived, eaten, slept, and even used the restroom upstairs. If Lao Shao had recorded everything, the consequences would be terrifying.
Special police! Shui Miao was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Lin Jie to have such strong connections. “There are a few minor issues, like hiring staff and dealing with leftover food and drinks…”
“Don’t bother telling me about those small things. You can handle them yourself. Also, after dealing with Lao Shao, I’ll bring in two trusted assistants to take over the finance and HR departments. You can discuss things with them.”
She glanced at the time. “It’s almost time. Let’s go back. You need to cut the network cable—I’m afraid he might upload important data online.”
“Okay, I’ll do it right away.”
Though Shui Miao didn’t know exactly what Lin Qing’er meant by “important data,” he knew it must be serious. He immediately called Guo Ming and told him to cut the network cable, preferably cutting off the power to Lao Shao’s room as well.
Guo Ming was already at the hotel. After receiving the call, he understood that Shui Miao was preparing to move against Lao Shao. He immediately went to cut off the power to the back area.
“What the hell! Why did the power go out!?”
Lao Shao pushed the door open and saw Da Hua and Er Hua drinking beer.
Lao Shao was short, with no beard or eyebrows, making him look strange. His lips were red, and anyone with experience could easily imagine an ancient eunuch from the imperial court—Lao Shao bore a striking resemblance.
“Oh, I’ll go check!”
“Me too, me too!”
Da Hua and Er Hua rushed to the electrical room, only to find the door locked with a chain.
“Damn it, who did this!?”
Da Hua shouted, kicked the door, and told Er Hua to get tools to break the lock.
Er Hua hurried to the repair department, and Lao Shao asked what was going on. After hearing the explanation, Lao Shao frowned, muttering to himself, “Strange. Who would dare do this in the hotel? Why lock the electrical room? No, I need to check if the restaurant has power.”
Without closing the door, he rushed to the restaurant. Seeing that the restaurant had electricity, and spotting Shui Miao and Lin Qing’er returning on the road, his heart sank. “Oh no, they might have found out!” Feeling guilty, he ran back, but when he reached the repair department’s door, Xiao Hu suddenly jumped out from a room and punched him straight in the face, knocking him to the ground with a bloody nose.
By the time Shui Miao and Lin Qing’er returned, Lao Shao, Da Hua, and Er Hua had already been subdued.
“Shui, I didn’t expect you to coordinate the security department so quickly and effectively. Great job! Everyone in security will get a bonus this month.”
Seeing that Lao Shao was captured, Lin Qing’er felt relieved. She glanced at the time and whispered instructions into Shui Miao’s ear.
“Alright, leave it to me.”
Following Lin Qing’er’s instructions, Shui Miao led a group of security guards to escort Lao Shao, Da Hua, and Er Hua to the security room. He asked Xiao Liu to wait outside for the special police car and guide it to the back entrance to avoid alarming guests. Meanwhile, Lin Qing’er had Guo Ming restore the power and entered the repair room alone.
※※※
Security Room
Lao Shao and the other two were tied to chairs, with three guards watching them.
Shui Miao checked the time—five minutes left. He felt uneasy without getting any information, so he coldly confronted Lao Shao.
“Old bastard, Madam Lin treated you well, yet you betrayed her and colluded with Gao Bo. Do you really think Madam Lin is someone who can be taken advantage of?”
Lao Shao looked pitiful with blood streaming from his nose.
Da Hua and Er Hua were still confused, but upon hearing Shui Miao accuse Lao Shao of betraying the chairman, they became terrified. In their minds, their master was just an electrician, and compared to the chairman, he was nothing.
“Manager, this has nothing to do with us. We’re just apprentices…”
“Yes, yes! We only helped him watch the door. Please let us go. We don’t even want our wages. We’ll just leave!”
Da Hua and Er Hua, inexperienced and scared, pleaded desperately.
Shui Miao glanced at them, then signaled the guards behind them. “These two are just small fry. Take them to the warehouse and make them confess. Have Chen Bing record their statements. If they lie even once, I’ll make sure they rot in prison for life.”
“We promise we won’t lie! We promise!”
Da Hua and Er Hua, terrified, were clearly willing to cooperate.
After the guards took them away, Lao Shao suddenly laughed and sneered at Shui Miao.
“Kid, you’re too young to fight me. This is a society ruled by law. Illegally detaining and beating employees is illegal! You think you can scare them, and even scare me? Be smart and let me go, or you’ll regret it.”
Lao Shao was too naive, thinking these words could intimidate Shui Miao.
“You don’t need to say anything to me. I don’t care,” Shui Miao shrugged indifferently and glanced at the time. “In five minutes, the special police Madam Lin called will arrive. Then we’ll see how tough you are. Besides, the evidence in the repair department is solid, and with Da Hua and Er Hua’s testimony, you won’t be able to deny anything with just a few words.”
“Special police!?”
Lao Shao’s eyes flickered. “Could it be Huang Yazi’s people?”
Huang Yazi?
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes. Could it be that the people Lin Qing’er had called weren’t really special police?
Lao Shao suddenly looked terrified. “Shui, quickly get Madam Lin here. I have something important to tell her. She can’t hand me over to Huang Yazi. If she does, I’ll be dead!”
“You deserve to die,” Shui Miao replied coldly.
Hearing the word “die,” Lao Shao lost control. “No! Don’t hand me over to Huang Yazi! I was sent by Madam Lin’s father to protect her. Sun Yan was sent too. Please, help me find Sun Yan! At least! I’ll give you money! As much as you want!”
Sun Yan was a mole!
Shui Miao’s mind raced. That explained her strange behavior.
“Money? That’s an interesting offer,” Shui Miao said, stroking his chin. “Fine, tell me what you want to say to Madam Lin. I’ll pass it on. Don’t try to bargain with me. I won’t go looking for anyone for you now.” He was now very interested in Lao Shao—his background was clearly complicated.
Lao Shao had no choice. Unable to see Madam Lin or Sun Yan, he said, “It’s not what you think. Old Chairman sent me and gave me a lot of money. I wouldn’t embezzle or make money from the hotel. I told Gao Bo about you because Old Chairman favors him. Gao Bo is Old Chairman’s future son-in-law. I didn’t betray anyone. You must tell the young Madam this. If I fall into Huang Yazi’s hands, I’ll be dead for sure!”
“Who is Huang Yazi?”
Shui Miao wasn’t as nervous as Lao Shao. He was now very curious about Huang Yazi.
“What are you asking for? Hurry up and call the Madam!” Lao Shao was almost in tears.
Shui Miao smirked again. “I won’t call her unless you tell me. It’s up to you.”
“Fine! Fine! I’ll tell you, but remember—curiosity killed the cat.” Lao Shao gritted his teeth, as if he wanted to devour Shui Miao. “Huang Yazi is the youngest daughter of the leader of the Sanzhu Gang in Taiwan. She runs over a dozen underground casinos in Hai City. The so-called special police under her command are actually ruthless killers. If she sends them, I’ll be dead for sure! You really want to see me die, you little brat!?”
Lao Shao roared, his eyes bloodshot.
“OK, I’ll contact Madam Lin.”
Having obtained the information he wanted, Shui Miao picked up his phone and called Lin Qing’er. “Lin Jie, Lao Shao says he was sent by your father…”
“Hand him over to the special police,” Lin Qing’er replied coldly.
Shui Miao licked his lips. “He also said it was arranged by your father, including Gao Bo being your father’s future son-in-law…”
“I said, hand him over to the special police,” Lin Qing’er slammed the table with a loud bang.
This concerned Lao Shao’s life, and Shui Miao ignored her anger. “This is a matter of life and death. He said if he falls into the hands of the special police, he’ll be dead with no burial!”
“Shui Miao, I’m telling you for the last time—hand him over to the special police, or I’ll come over and kill him myself. You believe me, right?”
Lin Qing’er clenched her teeth as she said this. At that moment, on the computer screen in front of her, the video clips of her showering, recorded by Lao Shao and edited into over a hundred episodes, were playing.
“Alright!”
Shui Miao hung up the phone and helplessly shook his head at Lao Shao…
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