“What’s the point of getting involved in so much? We just need to focus on doing our jobs well,” Wang Xiaomi said, as she picked up two cards and turned around to look for Shui Miao. She felt that her previous words to Zhao Xiaolu had been a bit too harsh. To an ordinary person, it had been just a casual remark, but in Wang Xiaomi’s eyes, such a comment could potentially lead to serious trouble. If something were to happen, the consequences could be very severe.
“Tsk, what’s so great about being an assistant?” Zhao Xiaolu muttered to herself, feeling a bit upset as Wang Xiaomi walked away.
“Zhao Xiaolu!”
Suddenly, Li Lan, who was monitoring from not far away, stood up and sternly called out Zhao Xiaolu’s name.
“Here!”
Zhao Xiaolu was startled and quickly stood up.
Li Lan walked over to Zhao Xiaolu with a serious expression and reprimanded her. “As a soldier, where is your sense of discipline? You know Wang Xiaomi’s character. Even after she found a job, she still remembered us girls, showing her loyalty and integrity. How could you complain about her behind her back? Where did she ever let you down? In the military camp, soldiers must never gossip about their superiors. Here, Shui Miao is now your superior, and you must not speak poorly of him either. This is the basic awareness a soldier should have, and also the fundamental trust that good friends must maintain.”
“Reporting, Squad Leader, I was wrong, and I will definitely reflect on it!”
Zhao Xiaolu, after hearing Li Lan’s words, was flushed with embarrassment, but she knew the squad leader couldn’t be wrong.
Li Lan possessed an exceptionally strong sense of principle. At her core, she was a soldier. After retiring from the military, she found it challenging to adjust to the routines of civilian life. Shui Miao and Lin Qing’er offered her a second chance, for which she felt profoundly grateful. Like Wang Xiaomi, she was also competent and loyal. Zhao Xiaolu was highly capable as well, particularly in computer-related work, in which she was an expert. Throughout her life, Zhao Xiaolu had never truly respected anyone—except Squad Leader Li Lan.
Therefore, she accepted Squad Leader Li Lan’s reprimand willingly.
※※※
“What a Li Lan, she’s really underutilized in this hotel,” Shui Miao said as he watched the monitor screen and listened to the conversation between Li Lan and Zhao Xiaolu. He greatly admired Li Lan’s clear thinking and unwavering principles, and was deeply moved by her unique military charm.
“That’s for sure. The squad leader’s overall quality is very high. Even if the entire hotel were handed over to her, she would manage it well. It’s just that the squad leader is sometimes too stubborn. When dealing with conflicts between the hotel and guests, she’s far less flexible than Sister Tang.” Wang Xiaomi put the cards on the table, standing beside Shui Miao, having also witnessed the recent incident. “By the way, actually Zhao Xiaolu isn’t that bad; she just occasionally acts on a whim. I’ll go comfort her later, and everything will be fine.”
Through frequent monitoring of the surveillance footage, Wang Xiaomi, Li Lan, and others often observed Sister Tang’s exceptional abilities. The different personalities she displayed when dealing with various types of guests deeply impressed Li Lan and the others.
“You’ve been through a lot, Xiao Mi!”
Shui Miao sighed, then asked Wang Xiaomi to sit on the sofa.
Shui Miao picked up the card and told Wang Xiaomi about his background, the incident involving Liu Hongmei, and the story of the female ghost queen, Wang Ruyan—all connected to this bank card. After he finished, he turned to Wang Xiaomi and asked, “Xiaomi, to be honest, I really don’t know whether I should use the money on this card. I trust you, so please help me make a bold decision.”
Although Wang Xiaomi found Shui Miao’s words somewhat incredible, she felt that Shui Miao was not lying and had no reason to deceive her.
Deeply moved by Shui Miao’s trust in her, Wang Xiaomi carefully thought for a moment and then smiled slightly. “Just consider it as compensation for emotional distress from Liu Hongmei. However, to use this money, it would be best to transfer it several times first. If someone tries to trace this money, we must ensure they find nothing, making everything completely safe.”
“Can you handle that?”
Shui Miao also wanted to use this money. Whatever Wang Xiaomi was thinking, Shui Miao had already considered as well. He was simply waiting for Wang Xiaomi’s agreement to assist.
“Of course, I can handle this without needing Zhao Xiaolu’s help.”
Wang Xiaomi was full of confidence. In fact, she had learned a lot from Zhao Xiaolu, and this kind of task was not a big deal at all.
So, Shui Miao gave his computer to Wang Xiaomi.
After a series of operations, the five million yuan from Liu Hongmei’s card was transferred into Shui Miao’s own account.
In just about ten minutes, the transfer was completed.
“Great! Now I can expand the Jing Shui Village project without using the hotel’s funds,” Shui Miao sighed in relief. “Xiao Mi, call Xiao Liu and the others, let’s go to Jing Shui Village. I want to rent a piece of land.”
“No problem, I’ll contact them right away.”
Wang Xiaomi originally thought that after receiving so much money, Shui Miao would indulge a bit and enjoy life. Unexpectedly, Shui Miao was considering expanding the project and pursuing further development, which greatly impressed Wang Xiaomi. She felt that Shui Miao had great ambitions, and that following him would certainly be the right decision. Therefore, Wang Xiaomi immediately contacted the security room downstairs to notify Xiao Liu and the others to assemble at the side entrance.
Wang Xiaomi drove, taking Shui Miao and Xiao Tudou with her.
Xiao Liu and the others followed behind in a minivan, bringing along a group of former male security guards.
On the way, Shui Miao received a call from Huang Yatou.
As soon as the call connected, Huang Yatou urgently said, “Xiao Shui, something terrible has happened. My dad called me, saying that Lin Laoye is sending his son to take over the hotel and even dispatching assassins to kill you. I’ve been recalled back to Taiwan by my dad and am about to board the plane. I can’t help much anymore. You’d better find a place to hide quickly. Oh, I’ve already sorted out the connections for building the Taoist temple in Jing Shui Village, and the money for the land has been paid. Because the land was expensive, I only managed to buy a piece with five million. Oh no, someone’s coming. I have to hang up now! Just go directly to Cheng Wancheng, the village secretary of Jing Shui Village.”
Huang Yatou hung up the phone in a hurry.
“How interesting, this Lin Laoye actually wants to send assassins to kill me. Do I have such deep enmity with him?” Shui Miao muttered to himself, puzzled as to why Lin Laoye was so extreme.
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaomi quickly said, “General Manager, it’s easy to dodge a spear in front, but hard to avoid a hidden arrow. You should lie low for a while.”
“Yeah, Senior Brother, let’s focus on cultivating our skills and not fight with those bad people,” Xiao Tudou also expressed his concern.
Shui Miao thought for a moment, stroking his chin, then coldly smiled. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I just need to make some adjustments, and they won’t be able to return. However, I also need to think about the hotel. Given the current situation, it’s possible they might actually take over the hotel.”
“General Manager, if you leave the hotel, I, Wang Xiaomi, am willing to start a new venture with you.”
Wang Xiaomi said without hesitation.
“Great! We have a deal.”
Shui Miao laughed heartily, soon falling into deep thought again. The situation was getting more serious, and he needed to plan carefully.
※※※
Cheng Wancheng, the village head of Jing Shui Village, warmly received Shui Miao and took him to see the land that Huang Yatou had already purchased.
For the village, this piece of land was essentially wasteland, covered with reeds, crisscrossed by complex ditches, uneven in terrain, with high and low spots. Located at the southernmost part of the village, further south was a wide river called Jing Shui River. To the south of the river was also a large expanse of wasteland, making the entire area look desolate.
Cheng Wancheng, the village head, was of medium build, with curly short hair and a square face. Around forty years old, he held a cigarette and enthusiastically introduced to Shui Miao how good this piece of land was.
Tired of listening, Shui Miao interrupted, “Secretary Cheng, let’s be straightforward. Don’t think I’m too young to know anything. If I weren’t planning to build a Taoist temple, I definitely wouldn’t want this wasteland. Now, the price you sold it to Huang Yatou for is way above my expected budget. I’m investing money to rebuild the temple for the village, which is a good deed that brings blessings to the villagers. The village should have provided the land for free. Now I’m paying so much money, I’m already regretting it. I’m thinking about asking Huang Yatou to cancel the agreement.”
Upon hearing Shui Miao’s words, Secretary Cheng was momentarily stunned.
Cheng Wancheng had investigated Huang Yatou and knew he couldn’t possibly offend her.
If Huang Yatou wanted to cancel the agreement, the village would have to unconditionally return the money. Cheng Wancheng knew Huang Yatou could easily take his life.
“Boss Shui, this… this isn’t good…”
Cheng Wancheng desperately tried to salvage the situation. How could he let the cooked duck fly away? “This land may be a bit desolate now, but our village is right next to Zhonghai City. Within three to five years, urban development will reach this area, and the land value will at least triple!”
Cheng Wancheng continued to boast…
“Alright, no more talk about it. I only focus on the present. I can’t invest so much money for long-term returns.” Shui Miao waved his hand, interrupting Cheng Wancheng. Frowning, he looked northward. As the timing seemed right, he spoke again, “Look, this whole area is a dead end, without even a proper road. If I were to buy land, I’d prefer the plot at the village entrance. Buying here is too inconvenient, unless…”
“Unless what?”
Cheng Wancheng, who had already felt hopeless, perked up at the word “unless.”
Shui Miao narrowed his eyes. “Unless you give me another twenty acres at the village entrance.”
“Twenty acres! Twenty acres is too much!!”
Cheng Wancheng was startled. “Boss Shui, it’s not that I’m unwilling to part with the land, but I don’t have the authority. Even if Huang Yatou can get the upper connections sorted, the villagers won’t agree to giving away twenty acres of good farmland at the village entrance. If things escalate, I won’t be able to handle the pressure.”
“I see…”
Shui Miao licked his lips, feigning difficulty. After a pause, he suddenly said, “By the way, I heard there’s an old dry well left from over a hundred years ago in the village. Where is that well located?”
“The dry well!”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Wancheng’s eyes lit up. The land around the dry well was also wasteland. It couldn’t grow crops, not even wild grass, covering about five acres. “Boss Shui, I can’t promise anything else, but I can offer you three acres near the dry well!”
“Fine! Let’s go take a look first.” Shui Miao waved his hand, feeling pleased inside. He didn’t expect his words to have secured another three acres. Three acres equated to about 2,000 square meters. Gaining this much for free already made Shui Miao quite satisfied.
Seeing Shui Miao’s interest, Cheng Wancheng quickly led Shui Miao to a piece of wasteland on the western side of the village. The dry well was covered with a heavy concrete slab. Within a radius of 500 meters around the well, not a single blade of grass could be seen.
However, Shui Miao thought the land looked quite flat and seemed promising. Before Shui Miao could speak, Xiao Tudou quickly pulled him aside and whispered in his ear, “Senior Brother, the earth’s spiritual energy in this land has been cut off, not even grass can grow. However, the good news is that the spiritual energy underground the well is very strong. It seems the energy source has been blocked by something. If we can dig out that object, this land will definitely become the best piece of land.”
“No grass can grow, isn’t this a cursed land? Secretary Cheng, you’re ruining me!”
After hearing Xiao Tudou’s words, Shui Miao’s heart stirred, and he widened his eyes, pretending to be extremely surprised and looking at Cheng Wancheng.
“Uh… this…”
Caught in the act, Cheng Wancheng immediately felt embarrassed.
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