Chapter 128
Chapter 128
*Knock, knock, knock-*
Not long after Jiang Li had seen the Old Lady off, a knock sounded at her door.
“Jiang Li, are you there?”
The voice was sweet and delicate-it was the Young Lady staying in Room 206.
Jiang Li gave a quick response and walked over to open the door.
The door swung open.
A pair of festering, pus-filled hands gave Jiang Li’s visual nerves a sharp jolt.
“Jiang Li, um… my skin condition has flared up these past two days. Your hotel’s Hot Spring Pool is quite effective; it has great detoxifying and skin-nourishing properties. I want to go for a soak today.”
Those unnaturally rotten hands twisted together uneasily in front of Jiang Li.
“Of course,” Jiang Li said, calmly averting her gaze. “The Hot Spring Pool is at the end of the corridor. Would you like me to take you there?”
Girl 206 hesitated.
There was a moment of silence.
Girl 206 lowered her voice and leaned closer to Jiang Li shyly, stating her request:
“It’s just that… there’s a Stalker who has been following me. I’m a little scared.
Jiang Li, could I trouble you to accompany me to the Hot Spring Pool?
Would you mind soaking with me? You can use the Employee Pool; I just need you to stay with me.”
The Red Hands in front of her scratched unnaturally at the back of each other.
She scratched hard.
Where her nails clawed, foul-smelling pus oozed out.
The “Stalker” the girl mentioned should be the Red-clothed Man that Red Infant had brought up before.
The two accounts matched perfectly; the girl wasn’t lying.
Thinking of this, Jiang Li lowered her eyes and replied, “Certainly.”
Girl 206’s tone noticeably relaxed. “That’s wonderful!”
The night before, the girl had just thrown a fit at Jiang Li.
Even though she knew her anger was fake-merely an act to fool those *things*-she was still afraid that if Jiang Li had taken it seriously, she might refuse to help her this time. If that happened, she would be in a difficult position.
The girl excitedly clutched her chest.
After a moment’s thought, she lowered her voice again, speaking to Jiang Li in a barely audible whisper:
“Thank you, Jiang Li. I’ll remember your kindness for helping me today. Also… I’m really sorry for losing my temper with you yesterday.”
Seeing the girl’s guilty reaction, a trace of a smile appeared at the corners of Jiang Li’s mouth. “It’s fine. If you truly feel bad about it, why don’t you…”
Jiang Li changed the subject and pulled out a Score Sheet.
“Why don’t you give me a Positive Review? We both get what we need, and you won’t have to carry any psychological burden.”
Jiang Li respectfully handed over the Score Sheet.
Along with it, she offered a fountain pen with the cap already removed.
Rather than empty words of gratitude, Jiang Li preferred practical benefits.
Seeing Jiang Li make such a blunt request, Girl 206 looked stunned for a moment.
“…O-Of course.”
From the girl’s slightly hesitant voice, Jiang Li could detect a hint of reluctance.
Perhaps the girl hadn’t intended to give Jiang Li a Positive Review so soon.
Originally, she could have used this power to keep Jiang Li under her thumb for a while longer.
But now, the atmosphere had been built up to this point.
If the girl refused Jiang Li now, wouldn’t that prove that her previous words of “thanks and apologies” were all hypocritical?
Looking at the Score Sheet Jiang Li held out, the girl’s fingers subconsciously curled and tightened.
She didn’t want to give it.
But… she was backed into a corner.
Under Jiang Li’s watchful gaze, the girl took the Score Sheet with extremely stiff movements.
The girl gripped the pen tightly, the tip hovering over the rating column for a long time.
The ink almost seemed to bleed into the paper.
Finally, as if having made up her mind, the girl quickly scribbled the number “8.”
Anything from 8 to 10 points fell within the range of a Positive Review.
The girl had grudgingly given the lowest possible passing score.
“I’ve finished writing.”
Girl 206 shoved the Score Sheet and the pen back into Jiang Li’s hands.
With the Positive Review in hand, Jiang Li took the paper and pen with a beaming smile and tucked them away.
“Thank you for your review. Now, regarding your visit to the Hot Spring Pool, shall we head over now?”
The girl gave a low “mm,” her voice clearly three degrees colder than before.
The girl said, “Come with me now. We’ll pass by Room 206, and I’ll stop in to grab a few things.”
Jiang Li stepped out from the doorway, turned around, and closed the lounge door.
“By the way, Jiang Li, you shouldn’t be able to see me, right?” As the girl asked this, her tone rose slightly with a hint of playfulness.
“Actually, I…” Jiang Li hesitated, wondering whether she should explain.
But before she could get more than three words out, the girl’s excited voice drowned her out.
“It’s a good thing you can’t see me right now. If you saw how ugly I look, I’d have to go into hiding. I’d be too embarrassed to see you for at least half a month.”
Hearing this, Jiang Li swallowed the truth she had been about to reveal.
No one likes to make things harder for themselves.
Jiang Li was no exception.
If she told the truth, there was a chance Girl 206 would refuse to leave the room no matter what.
In that case, the task of getting the girl out would only become exponentially more difficult.
“Right, Jiang Li, what were you saying just now? ‘Actually, I’ what?” the girl asked.
Jiang Li picked up the conversation naturally, smiling as she said, “I was going to say, actually… I’ve done quite a bit of research on soaking in hot springs.”
“Is that so?” The girl let out a soft laugh. “It seems I made the right choice asking you to accompany me to the Hot Spring Pool.”
Jiang Li didn’t say anything more.
She simply let the girl lead her by the hand as they arrived at the door of Room 206.
“Wait here for a moment,” the girl said, letting go of Jiang Li’s hand. “I’ll grab a few things and be right out.”
“Alright,” Jiang Li agreed with a smile.
Girl 206 skillfully swiped her card and opened the door.
Jiang Li stood in the hallway waiting, taking the opportunity to wipe the pus that had smeared onto her wrist.
At that moment, an extremely faint male voice reached her ears.
“Don’t go to the Hot Spring Pool.”
Jiang Li glanced back.
The source of the voice was the Red-clothed Man.
As soon as he finished speaking, he retreated three meters away with incredible speed.
Jiang Li stared at those Red Hands for a few seconds before withdrawing her gaze.
Not long after, the man’s extremely faint whisper sounded in her ear again. “Don’t go to the Hot Spring Pool.”
When Jiang Li turned her head again, those Red Hands had once more retreated three meters back.
“Who’s talking? I heard a man’s voice.” The door to Room 206 suddenly swung open from the inside.
The girl’s voice was laced with a chilling coldness as it reached Jiang Li.
Jiang Li’s brow twitched.
She quickly pulled back her gaze. “It’s nothing. My son was just whispering to me.”
The Red-clothed Man remained silent. “…”
The Red Infant on her shoulder scratched his head in confusion. “???”
Girl 206 stared at the Red Infant for two seconds.
Her gaze held a hint of wariness.
After a long pause, the girl finally spoke. “Fine.”
Girl 206 stepped out of the room, closed the door, and took Jiang Li’s hand again.
“Then let’s go to the Hot Spring Pool. I brought two sets of toiletries. We’ll each take a shower first, then soak in the hot spring together.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Li was led by the girl, following close behind her.
She couldn’t help but peek at the bag in the girl’s hand.
It was a transparent plastic bag.
Inside, besides some basic toiletries, there was a pack of things that looked like razor blades.
A whole pack of blades…
What exactly did Guest 206 intend to do?
Meanwhile, the Red-clothed Man behind them seemed to be following even closer now.
Jiang Li walked behind the girl.
And the Red-clothed Man stayed about a meter behind Jiang Li, following her every step.
Several times during the walk, the Red-clothed Man reached out his hand in an Aberration-like manner, attempting to pull at Jiang Li’s clothes.
“Don’t go to the Hot Spring Pool.” The Red-clothed Man’s words continued to circle in Jiang Li’s mind.
Was the Red-clothed Man a friend or a foe?
Why would he say such a thing?
The Red-clothed Man and Girl 206 were enemies.
So, was the man trying to mislead her, or… was there another reason?
Jiang Li suppressed the panic in her heart.
Taking advantage of the fact that Girl 206 was leading the way and not paying attention to her, she quickly pulled the Note from her pocket and scanned it once more.
When her eyes landed on a certain word, Jiang Li’s heart skipped a beat.