Chapter 68: A Place of Right and Wrong

Lao Shao let out a desperate scream, but it was his own fault, after all!

Within just over a minute, Xiao Liu opened the side door, and a group of people dressed in tactical police uniforms rushed in and took Lao Shao away. They moved swiftly, wearing police uniforms, driving police cars, and carrying submachine guns. At first glance, they looked exactly like special police officers conducting an operation. Shui Miao couldn’t help but wonder if these people were actually real officers.

If they weren’t, then Huang Yatou was truly terrifying. For the mafia to operate so brazenly was simply shocking!

Lao Shao was taken away, but his apprentice remained.

Shui Miao instructed Xiao Hu and several other security guards not to talk recklessly, to avoid inviting disaster and ending up like Lao Shao. Xiao Hu and the others nodded nervously, their faces pale with fear—they certainly wouldn’t dare to go around spreading rumors. Shui Miao then went to the warehouse, where several security guards and Chen Bing were interrogating Da Hua and Er Hua. Shui Miao picked up the notes Chen Bing had taken and saw that the two had confessed to watching Chairman Lin bathe. His heart sank immediately. This was a disaster—if Lin Jie found out, these two were as good as dead.

“Shui Ge, what should we do?”

Chen Bing also realized the seriousness of the situation. Lin Jie’s reputation was paramount.

“There’s no choice. We’ll keep them detained for now while I go talk to Lin Jie and see what we should do next.” Shui Miao glanced at Da Hua and Er Hua, who seemed completely unaware of the gravity of their situation. Annoyed, he said to Chen Bing, “There’s no point in asking them anything else. Let’s just knock some sense into them first, so they understand how serious this is.”

With that, Shui Miao turned and left.

“What a mess! I never thought I’d get caught up in something like this. Those two little bastards are too reckless—if I tell Lin Jie, they’re finished. If I don’t, and they go around blabbing, Lin Jie’s reputation will be ruined. I can’t let them go, but I can’t keep them either. This is so damn complicated!”

Shui Miao muttered to himself, his thoughts in chaos, unsure how to explain the situation to Lin Jie. As he walked toward the repair department, lost in thought, Sun Yan suddenly stepped out of a private room in the corridor.

Sun Yan frowned and hurried toward the warehouse. Inside, Chen Bing was threatening Da Hua and Er Hua, warning them not to say anything or else. Hiding outside the door, Sun Yan listened and pieced together what was going on before heading to a room to call her big boss in Taiwan.

※※※

“Lin Jie, how’s it going?”

Shui Miao stood outside the repair department and gently knocked on the door.

The door opened, and Lin Qing’er’s face was pale with anger. “Everything’s mostly under control. I deleted everything on the computer that needed to be erased. Were Lao Shao and his apprentice taken away?”

Shui Miao awkwardly scratched his head. “Lao Shao was taken, but his apprentice wasn’t…”

“What?!” Lin Qing’er raised her voice. “Don’t tell me you let them go.”

“Lin Jie, they’re still locked up in the warehouse. This is a matter of life and death. Can’t we think of another way? Lao Shao got what he deserved, but Da Hua and Er Hua are still young. Can’t we find a middle ground and spare their lives?” Shui Miao really didn’t want to be responsible for anyone’s death. Normally, he would have preferred to report it to the police, but the problem was that this couldn’t be reported or made public.

“That bastard Lao Shao must have spilled everything! No way—I’m replacing all the security guards too!” Lin Qing’er was furious, her body trembling slightly. She picked up the phone to call the tactical officers again.

Replacing the guards sent a chill through Shui Miao’s spine. Was he also in danger of being replaced or even eliminated by those officers?

“Lin Jie, don’t get so worked up. It’s not that bad, is it?” Shui Miao didn’t know how else to calm her down. “How about we just send Da Hua and Er Hua back to their hometown? That should solve the problem.”

“Enough! They’re living people with mouths and legs. What if they’ve already uploaded those videos online and release them after leaving? How could I live with myself? Shouldn’t such criminals be punished?” Lin Qing’er said as she dialed the phone again. “Huang Mei, there are still two people left here. Come take them away…”

Shui Miao watched helplessly as Lin Qing’er made the call.

But just after she hung up, Chen Bing came running in, out of breath. “Shui Ge, it’s bad! Sun Yan let Da Hua and Er Hua go. She knows martial arts and knocked me and the other guards out!”

“Sun Yan!”

Shui Miao was shocked. “What did you say? Sun Yan knows martial arts?”

“Yeah. She pushed me a bit, but the other guards were all knocked out by her.” Chen Bing looked at Shui Miao, still in disbelief. They had worked together for two years, and he had no idea she had such skills.

“Huang Mei, don’t send anyone anymore. Sun Yan has already taken care of it.” Lin Qing’er made another call. She hadn’t known that Sun Yan was actually sent by her father until she saw some of Lao Shao’s communication records. Now that Sun Yan had taken Da Hua and Er Hua away, it was clearly her father’s order. Those two would definitely be eliminated.

“Alright, pretend this never happened. As for the guards who know about this, Xiao Shui, you handle them. I trust you won’t let me down.” Lin Qing’er was most worried about Lao Shao and his two apprentices, since they had seen the video with their own eyes. Other people with secondhand knowledge weren’t as dangerous.

Shui Miao and Chen Bing stood there, stunned. They felt like this wasn’t over, and it shouldn’t be over like this—those were two lives at stake!

After walking about five or six meters away, Lin Qing’er suddenly stopped and turned back to Shui Miao. “Oh, this room will be your dorm from now on, Xiao Shui. Arrange the equipment inside. As for the cameras and bugs outside, remove the ones that are unnecessary and keep the useful ones. You know what to do—I trust you.”

“I understand…”

Shui Miao nodded heavily, his expression serious.

“One more thing: Xiao Shui, settle the catering department issue as soon as possible. In a few days, you’ll replace Gao Bo as manager. Arrange everything accordingly. I have something to do now and need to go out. If anything urgent comes up, call me directly on my mobile.”

Lin Qing’er left.

Shui Miao looked at Chen Bing and then entered the repair room, sitting down quietly to think.

He couldn’t save Da Hua and Er Hua, and it left a bitter taste in his heart.

Chen Bing sat on the steps, holding his head, and muttered, “Shui Ge, do you think we did something wrong? I feel so uneasy. Did we basically kill Da Hua and Er Hua ourselves?”

“Don’t think like that. They brought it upon themselves. People without principles can only expect such a fate.” Shui Miao took a deep breath and looked at Chen Bing. “Bro, quit. This place isn’t good. I’ll give you money to open a restaurant with Chen Xiang. I’ll help you get leftover food and drinks from here. I’ll also transfer the guards who heard about this. The income will be no worse than here.”

Lin Qing’er had shown her cruel and ruthless side, and it terrified Shui Miao.

He wasn’t worried about himself—he thought he could manage.

But he deeply worried about his friends. Chen Bing must not get dragged into this mess—it was a den of danger, a bottomless pit.

“Shui Ge, I understand what you mean. I’ll follow your advice. Just tell me when I should leave.” Chen Bing realized the seriousness of the situation. He was here to earn money, not to risk his life.

“Wait a few days and find a good excuse. Leaving now would definitely raise suspicion.” Shui Miao patted Chen Bing’s shoulder. “Alright, forget about Da Hua and Er Hua. Focus on managing the catering department and learn as much as you can. Oh, and gather the guards involved in this and warn them not to talk. Otherwise, the consequences will be really serious.”

“Got it. I’ll go.”

Chen Bing had been excited about becoming deputy manager just the day before, but now that excitement had turned into pressure and burden.

Shui Miao opened the computer and checked the surveillance areas. He was shocked to find that Lao Shao had indeed been up to no good. He had installed cameras and bugs in nearly every room and bathroom in the guest department, especially in Lin Qing’er’s bathroom. Even more shocking, he found similar devices in the offices of several other department managers. Throughout the entire building—including private rooms in the catering department—Lao Shao had installed at least five or six hundred surveillance points!

What a pervert! If guests discovered this and reported it, the hotel’s reputation would be completely ruined.

No wonder the old man always stayed inside—he must have been watching all of this the whole time.

“Hmm? What’s going on here?” As Shui Miao was looking around, he suddenly noticed that in an upstairs office, Feng An’an from the finance department, Yin Yangyang from HR, and Wei Qi from the guest department were gathered together.

“Three troublemakers together? They must be up to no good. Let me see what they’re planning…”

With growing interest, Shui Miao zoomed in on the surveillance video and turned up the audio feed.