Chapter 70: Eternal Guardian

“Alright, let’s upload this onto the internet…”

Shui Miao turned and walked away.

Upon hearing this, Yin Yangyang hurriedly chased after him and grabbed his arm, completely disregarding her revealing three-piece swimsuit!

“Woah, not bad at all!” Shui Miao glanced at Yin Yangyang’s figure, grinned, then shook his head disapprovingly. “Too bad though, you’re about to become a world-famous celebrity soon. If you come out like this, it’ll create quite the scene! Who knows, our hotel might even gain tremendous popularity because of this.”

“Shui, if you dare to upload these videos online, I’ll kill you and then commit suicide!” Yin Yangyang stomped her foot, then ran back to the warehouse to hurriedly put on the clothes she had just taken off.

When Yin Yangyang came out again, Shui Miao was already gone.

She immediately went upstairs to change clothes in the office, then came back to negotiate with Shui Miao.

Outside the repair department, Guo Ming and Guo Liang saw Shui Miao returning and hurriedly approached with smiling faces. “Manager, please help us! We brothers didn’t earn much from selling leftovers. At most, we could give you half of our earnings if you’d like!”

“Yeah! We didn’t earn much either, about ninety thousand or a hundred thousand yuan maybe.”

Guo Ming and Guo Liang spoke one after another.

Shui Miao sighed, stared at the two for a while, then shook his head and said, “Sorry guys, I can’t help you with this. You two shouldn’t even continue working as repairmen. Go back and prepare for the lawsuit.”

“What? What do you mean, Manager?”

As Shui Miao turned to leave, Guo Ming hurriedly grabbed his arm.

Shui Miao frowned, clearly unhappy. “I told you, I can only help you if you tell me the truth, but did you tell me the truth? Tell me exactly how much money you earned, down to the last cent. If there’s any deception, I won’t waste another word on you. That’s just who I am—someone who values trust, but only if you’re honest with me.”

Shui Miao was convinced these two brothers were hiding the truth.

Guo Ming and Guo Liang had been working at the hotel for seven or eight years. The leftover food and drinks from the hotel were worth at least 500 yuan daily, and that was a very conservative estimate. Over seven or eight years, that would amount to 1.5 million yuan. Yet they claimed to have earned only 100,000 yuan, which pushed Shui Miao to anger.

“I’m sorry, I… I didn’t tell the truth… We actually earned five…”

Guo Ming stuttered, but Shui Miao interrupted him.

“Stop! I’m warning you very seriously, I already know the approximate figure. The reason I asked you to tell me was to test your sincerity. If you’re not sincere, I absolutely won’t help you anymore. Now, please give me the exact amount. If you hide even a bit, I’ll go call security to arrest you right now.”

Shui Miao stared at Guo Ming with a very serious expression.

“I’ll tell you!”

Suddenly, Guo Liang couldn’t hold back anymore. He directly said, “Brother Shui, it’s obvious you genuinely want to help us brothers. I won’t hide anything from you. In these seven or eight years, we actually earned around 2.6 million yuan. But most of that money has already been spent, leaving us with about 1.2 million yuan now. I’ve told you everything, so please help us figure out what to do next. Whatever you decide, even if it means we have to go to jail, I’ll accept it.”

…

Upon hearing his younger brother’s frank confession, Guo Ming could only reluctantly lower his head.

“One million? One million isn’t enough! You earned 2.6 million. According to the law, you should return all of it, plus the lawsuit costs and other expenses. At least 2.7 million!” Seeing Guo Ming’s不服气 expression, Shui Miao decided to pressure him further. He turned to Guo Liang and asked, “Where are you guys from originally? I bet you built a house back home. Looking at you, you don’t seem like the kind of people who spend money recklessly. How could you have spent so much?”

“We did build a house, which cost a million. I spent over 100,000 myself. The rest is with my sister-in-law.” Guo Liang was straightforward, spilling everything like beans from a bamboo tube.

Shui Miao understood immediately. It turned out the brothers had a dispute over dividing the spoils, with the older brother taking more, which made the younger brother resentful. He seized the opportunity to confess everything, ready to start over from scratch.

However, Guo Ming still kept his head down, giving off a vibe of不服气.

Observing this, Shui Miao suspected Guo Ming might be planning to flee with the money.

“Alright, Guo Liang, your attitude is good. Also, remember this: Lin Jie is the big boss, with connections in both underworld and official circles. She’s someone who responds to softness but not to force. If you confront her head-on, she’ll definitely pursue the matter relentlessly. However, if you honestly confess and with my intervention, I believe she’ll probably take back about half. Also, there are surveillance cameras everywhere here. She’ll see everything you do. For now, go back and prepare the money. Wait for my call for a private settlement. Of course, if you have other ideas, I won’t stop you.”

“Manager, roughly how much money would it take for you to help us settle this privately?”

Guo Liang raised his head, getting straight to the point.

Shui Miao shook his head. “I can’t say exactly. It depends on what Lin Jie wants. Of course, you can express your willingness to cooperate.”

“Ah! Since things have come to this point, I won’t insist anymore. I can contribute up to one million. Another 200,000 was lost gambling last month. If you really want it, you can mortgage the small restaurant to you.” Guo Ming’s eyes flickered as he spoke.

Guo Liang was taken aback. He knew his older brother never gambled, so this was clearly a lie! His brother’s intention was obviously to keep that 200,000 as capital for a comeback! Understanding his brother’s thoughts, Guo Liang quickly said, “Manager, that small restaurant is still worth quite a bit. Why don’t you help us plead with Lin Jie to only ask for one million? We’ll give you the restaurant for operation. We signed a ten-year contract originally, and there are still three years left.”

…

Shui Miao looked at Guo Liang, who appeared dejected, seemingly completely desperate.

“Hmm, we’ll talk about this later.”

Shui Miao waved his hand and walked toward the restroom.

There were no surveillance cameras in the restroom. Guo Ming and Guo Liang exchanged glances and hurriedly followed.

Shui Miao looked at the two brothers and sighed, “We’re all just workers, none of us have it easy. Here’s an idea: you hand over the restaurant’s operating rights to me, give me 600,000 yuan, and the remaining 400,000 you brothers can take to start a business elsewhere. But you can’t stay in Zhonghai City anymore. It’s best if you return to your hometown and never come back. As for the rest, I’ll handle it for you.”

“Manager… you’ve saved our lives!”

“Thank you, Manager! Thank you, Manager!”

Guo Liang and Guo Ming, two grown men, were so moved they wanted to kneel before Shui Miao!

Shui Miao hurriedly helped them up, lowering his voice to say, “Based on my relationship, Lin Jie will probably agree to this. Let me be clear with you, I don’t want the 600,000 yuan. What I want is the restaurant. Later, I’ll convert it into dormitories, just for more comfortable living. Also, you’d better leave tonight. I know Lin Jie well—she hates betrayal the most. If she doesn’t see you, she’ll forget about you. But if she happens to see you one day, I can’t guarantee she won’t come after you again.”

Guo Liang nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, we’ll leave tonight, we’ll leave tonight…”

“Manager, what about the money and the restaurant agreement? When should we hand them over to you?” Guo Ming quickly asked.

Shui Miao checked his watch. “It’s already time to finish work. I’ll come to your restaurant half an hour later. Just hand everything over to me then.”

Guo Ming and Guo Liang repeatedly agreed, then quickly left the hotel.

Shui Miao immediately called Chen Bing to inform him of the situation and asked him to secretly monitor Guo Ming and Guo Liang. He couldn’t let this small restaurant slip away so easily.

Things went smoothly—resolving the issue with Guo Ming and Guo Liang while also gaining a small restaurant. Shui Miao felt delighted.

Returning to the repair room, Shui Miao received a call from Lin Qing’er.

“Little Shui, two of my good friends are about to come to the hotel. They’ll take over Yin Yangyang and Feng An’an’s positions. You need to bring two security guards to assist them. Also, regarding Gao Bo’s matter, I’ll come personally later to resolve it. I’ll dismiss him publicly in front of all the management under the entertainment department and have you take over.”

“Okay, I’ll definitely cooperate. By the way, Lin Jie, something else happened at the hotel. Chen Bing and Yin Yangyang were having an improper relationship in the warehouse and have already been fired by me. Also, Guo Ming and Guo Liang took leftover food from the hotel to their small restaurant…”

Before Shui Miao could finish speaking, Lin Qing’er interrupted him, “Leftover food and drinks are going to be thrown away anyway. If they help us dispose of them, we save on garbage disposal. Such a trivial matter, you can handle it yourself. As for Chen Bing, you were too harsh! He’s your good friend and fellow townsman, right?”

Shui Miao felt a shift in his mind, surprised by Lin Jie’s attitude toward the leftover food issue.

“Lin Jie, I’m the manager. I can’t show favoritism or pervert justice,” Shui Miao quickly thought.

Lin Qing’er immediately countered, “I believe Chen Bing isn’t that kind of person. Yin Yangyang used to work in a nightclub before. It must have been her who seduced Chen Bing. Have you ever thought about how heartbroken Chen Bing must feel after being fired by you?”

“Lin Jie, since you care so much about Chen Bing, I actually have a good way to compensate him while also creating profits for the hotel.” Shui Miao rubbed his nose, secretly wondering why he seemed so much smarter now. He could easily come up with brilliant ideas. Could it be because he had practiced the Five-Star Qigong?

“What’s your idea?” Lin Qing’er cared deeply about her friends.

Shui Miao immediately explained in detail, “Well, Chen Bing has always wanted to start his own business, like opening a restaurant. How about we find a small restaurant nearby for him to operate, and give him the hotel’s leftover food and drinks? This way, he can save on costs while the hotel can earn some profits…”

“I understand what you mean. This idea isn’t bad. However, I still want him to return to work at the hotel. If he really doesn’t want to come back, then we’ll proceed with your plan. The hotel won’t charge him a penny, and we can even send a master chef to help him out.” Lin Qing’er genuinely considered Chen Bing a friend, and these words came straight from her heart.

Hearing these words, Shui Miao felt a deep emotional impact, never expecting Lin Jie to be so sincere.

“Lin Jie, there’s another thing about Guo Ming…”

Deeply moved by Lin Qing’er’s sincerity, Shui Miao was about to reveal the details about Guo Ming and Guo Liang compensating for the losses when Lin Qing’er impatiently interrupted him, “Oh, Shui! I’ve always treated you like my own younger brother. I appointed you as the manager and will eventually entrust the entire hotel to you. Can’t you make some decisions on your own without consulting me about everything? I’ve told you long ago that even if you lose some money, I won’t blame you. You can handle Guo Ming and Guo Liang however you like. At worst, just have them leave and ask them to compensate some money. Even if you use some of the restaurant’s funds to subsidize Chen Bing’s small restaurant, that’s fine too. You can think of whatever solutions you like. Don’t keep asking me about everything. When will you grow into a true manager if you keep relying on me for every decision? Alright, alright, I have other things to do. You handle it yourself.”

Lin Qing’er truly regarded Shui Miao as her younger brother!

Even if Shui Miao used the restaurant’s money to operate a small restaurant, Lin Qing’er wouldn’t mind. Wasn’t that proof enough?

“Lin Jie actually treats me this well!” Shui Miao, who originally had some selfish thoughts, was stunned after hanging up the phone. “Is this the power of familial love? If she were really my sister, I’d probably wake up laughing in my dreams! Well then! Lin Jie, I swear from now on I’ll follow you forever. I’m willing to stay by your side forever and protect you eternally!”