“Lin Jie, what is this?”
Shui Miao approached Lin Qing’er but was immediately met with the twin beauties’ intense, unblinking gaze. Their eyes radiated open passion and heat, making Shui Miao feel a burning sensation on his face. As he passed by them, he caught a whiff of a subtle, unique fragrance. It was so special that he couldn’t wait to smell it again and again. This perfume not only refreshed him but also seemed to soothe his soul.
“Xiao Shui, aren’t you studying Feng Shui techniques? This is a bronze Feng Shui sword I specially bought at a high price from a friend. It was carefully designed by a Feng Shui master in Hong Kong and crafted by top artisans over three years. Anyway, I don’t really understand much about it. You can take it back and study it yourself,” Lin Qing’er said with a warm, relaxed smile, clearly unaware of the recent incident at the hotel.
The long box was entirely deep red, made of rosewood. Judging from the exquisite craftsmanship of the box, one could easily infer how precious the sword inside must be. Regardless of the Hong Kong Feng Shui master’s involvement, the fact that top artisans spent three years crafting it was enough to prove this bronze sword was no ordinary item.
“Lin Jie, how can I possibly accept such a valuable gift…”
Shui Miao glanced at the wooden box twice but didn’t reach out to take it, as he felt the gift was too precious for him to accept.
Before Shui Miao could finish speaking, Lin Qing’er interrupted him. “Alright, alright, no more of that. There are also two beauties here I haven’t introduced yet. Come… Let me introduce them. Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang, this is the Shui Miao I told you about. Don’t underestimate him because of his young age—he’s very capable.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Da Shuang. Water Manager, I hope we can work together closely in the future. Please take care of me,” Da Shuang extended her soft little hand toward Shui Miao.
“Pleased to meet you too…”
Shui Miao hurriedly reached out his hand and, upon shaking Da Shuang’s, found her hand warm, like a freshly steamed meat bun. Her smooth skin, combined with the faint fragrance, made Shui Miao feel refreshed and delighted again.
“Hello, Shui Miao. I’m Xiao Shuang. Nice to meet you. In the future, I’ll be in charge of the human resources department. If you need any talent, just let me know. I’ll do my best to find the right people for you,” Xiao Shuang playfully clenched her fist and extended her hand toward Shui Miao.
“I’m also very pleased to meet you…”
This was Shui Miao’s first time formally shaking hands with a beautiful woman. He felt slightly embarrassed and admired them both. Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang appeared young but exuded an air of aristocratic elegance. Clearly, they had experienced many things and seen grand occasions. Their family background was obviously good, unlike his own humble origins as a former waiter. Shaking their hands made him feel somewhat self-conscious.
“Didn’t expect Water Manager Shui to be so shy!”
Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang themselves were quite shy, but seeing Shui Miao’s slightly blushing face made them relax. They turned the tables and playfully teased Shui Miao.
In terms of social interaction, compared to Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang, Shui Miao was indeed somewhat inexperienced. However, he wasn’t so inexperienced that he couldn’t respond. Based on the situation, Shui Miao smiled slightly, gracefully shrugged his shoulders, and turned to pick up the long box. The box weighed at least thirty pounds, explaining why Lin Qing’er was reluctant to carry it. In such a situation, whatever response Shui Miao gave would seem somewhat mundane. It was hard to come up with a witty reply to Da Shuang in a short time. A smile and a shrug not only showed respect but also contained Western humor, perfectly balancing the situation.
“Lin Jie, how much exactly did this sword cost? Let me calculate how many years I need to work for you to repay this amount,” Shui Miao half-jokingly asked while half-curious. He had made up his mind—if Lin Jie insisted on giving him the gift, he would just accept it, find out the price, and look for an opportunity to repay her in the future.
“Alright, alright, forget about money. It’s just a small gift,” Lin Qing’er seemed to have already guessed Shui Miao’s thoughts and gently pushed him. “You put the item away first. We’re about to open for business, and it doesn’t look good for all of us to stand here. Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang, you two go to my office first. I’ll park the car and come right away.”
Lin Qing’er disliked others driving her car and never allowed waiters to help park.
Upon Lin Qing’er’s command, everyone went their separate ways.
Shui Miao took the wooden box and headed toward the repair department. There were surveillance cameras inside, making it the best office for him.
Seeing everyone leave, Sister Tang hurriedly tiptoed out and told Lin Qing’er about the incident that had just occurred in the hotel. After listening, Lin Qing’er’s eyes turned, and she asked Sister Tang to go back first before heading directly to the security room to review the video recordings. However, the security room’s video recordings had already been taken away by the police. Thus, Lin Qing’er came to the repair department.
At this moment, Shui Miao had already opened the wooden box.
Inside the box was a bronze broadsword, 1.6 meters long, palm wide, and two fingers thick. At first glance, it didn’t seem particularly special. However, the sword handle featured movable yin-yang fish and a compass on both sides. Shui Miao carefully examined it, shook his head in frustration. What was the point of spending three years crafting this? It seemed completely worthless. Moreover, it weighed more than twenty pounds. Who could even wield such a heavy sword? Even if someone could, what would be the purpose of using it these days? Carrying it around would only make him a laughingstock.
“Clang!”
Accidentally, Shui Miao touched the two protruding points on the yin-yang fish and heard a crisp sound. The sword handle suddenly loosened. Shui Miao quickly examined it and discovered another sword hidden inside the broadsword. This wasn’t a bronze sword but an authentic peach wood sword. Judging from the wood quality and its fragrance, Shui Miao determined it must be a high-grade peach wood.
Shui Miao was about to channel his energy and open his Yin-Yang eye to examine the attributes of this peach wood sword when he heard footsteps approaching. Lin Qing’er had arrived.
“Xiao Shui, I heard someone came to cause trouble at the hotel?”
Lin Qing’er said as she directly pulled up a chair and sat in front of the computer desk, opening the surveillance records to review them.
“Yeah! Fortunately, there was an undercover female police officer here. Otherwise, I would have been in serious danger. They said that the entertainment department manager, Gao Bo, sent them. He paid them ten thousand yuan, specifically instructing them to attack me and Chen Bing!” Shui Miao had originally planned to tell Lin Qing’er about this incident later. If this matter couldn’t be resolved, Gao Bo would surely trouble him again in the future.
“So serious, why didn’t you tell me earlier!?”
Lin Qing’er’s face immediately turned grave. She quickly pulled up the video recordings and noticed some issues, then turned to Shui Miao with suspicion. “You seem to know these two female officers?”
“No, at first I even thought they were the financial and HR managers you hired,” Shui Miao shook his head. “Later I found out they were from Huang Hai City. Before I could say anything else, those hooligans came to cause trouble.”
“How could this happen?”
Lin Qing’er became even more serious. “Xiao Shui, did you do something wrong in Huang Hai City?”
“No way!”
Shui Miao suddenly had an idea and thought of the two suitcases his godfather had brought him. “Perhaps, maybe, they have something to do with my godfather?”
“What happened? Tell me specifically about your godfather,” Lin Qing’er was very concerned about Shui Miao.
Shui Miao nodded and decided to recount everything that had happened when he went back. After listening, Lin Qing’er’s eyebrows furrowed, and she stood up to tell Shui Miao, “This matter is complicated and should be related to those two suitcases. For safety’s sake, Xiao Shui, you should go back to that Liu Hongmei’s house first. After I investigate the matter thoroughly and inform you, you can come out again.”
“Lin Jie, there’s so much going on at the hotel, I…”
Shui Miao didn’t think the situation was that serious. At most, he was a bit worried that Gao Bo might send another group of hooligans to attack him.
“Enough, the hotel matters are my responsibility. Do you think your sister has no ability at all? Let me tell you, not only one Gao Bo, even ten of him, I can take them all down,” Lin Qing’er interrupted Shui Miao with a frown. “Now, don’t say anything else. If you still consider me your sister, listen to me. Immediately take the bronze sword and leave. Don’t run around outside. Stay inside all day. Oh, and tell me the address of that Liu Hongmei’s house. I’ll send someone to protect you later.”
“Lin Jie, that’s not necessary!”
Shui Miao genuinely didn’t want to leave. The situation at the hotel was very complicated, and it was unreasonable for him, a grown man, to hide instead of stepping forward.
“Where do you get all this nonsense? Do you want to make me angry!?” Lin Qing’er suddenly got upset, slapped the table with a “Pah!” sound, and her eyes immediately became teary, as if she was about to cry. “Xiao Shui, I’ve always considered you as my younger brother. My real younger brother got into trouble because he didn’t listen to me. Now you’re acting the same way. Do you still want me to live or not?”
“Don’t, don’t, Sister, don’t cry. I’ll listen to you. I’ll do whatever you say, okay!?”
Shui Miao knew Lin Qing’er had a fragile heart.
Shui Miao had also thought about why Lin Qing’er’s family hadn’t come to find her or show concern during the time she had been away. After hearing her words about her younger brother, Shui Miao immediately guessed the truth. It must be because Lin Qing’er’s brother had gotten into serious trouble and was seriously injured or disabled due to disobedience, which led to Lin Qing’er being estranged from her family.
If that was indeed the case, then Lin Qing’er was truly pitiful!
To prevent Lin Qing’er from getting upset, Shui Miao quickly agreed to obey her.
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