Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Zhang Qiong stared at the girl in front of her, her mind going blank as her heart hammered against her ribs.

For some reason, this girl filled her with an inexplicable sense of dread.

Huang Yuanrui used her foot to block the door, crossing her arms over her chest. She enunciated every word with sharp precision:

“I asked you a question. Who. Are. You?”

Zhang Qiong’s mind raced. Realizing this wasn’t just some random guest, she quickly forced a conciliatory smile.

“Oh, I am so sorry, miss! Please, don’t be upset. I’m the new Guest Room Manager; I just started this week. Manager Hu arranged for me to come by this afternoon to inspect the toilet. I’m in the habit of locking the door while I work, so I bolted it from the inside. I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience! How about I have a fruit and dessert platter sent up for you in a bit? Please, don’t hold this against me!”

Huang Yuanrui let out a cold snort. “New, are you? Why don’t you go ask your Manager Hu who I am? Do you really think I need you to send me fruit?”

Zhang Qiong felt a slight wave of relief, and her tone became more natural. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I’ve only just arrived and don’t know the ropes yet. It’s all my fault for bothering you. I’ll go find Manager Hu later to accept my punishment!”

Huang Yuanrui rolled her eyes. “Are you done? When exactly are you going to stop blocking my way?”

Zhang Qiong pressed her palms together and bowed. “Miss, it’s like this-the smart toilet in here is malfunctioning. There’s… well, filth leaked everywhere. The bathroom is a stinking mess right now! I was just in the middle of cleaning it up. Why don’t you… come in and sit for a moment? I promise I’ll disappear the second I’m finished!”

Huang Yuanrui took a step back, covering her nose. “Why didn’t you say it was the toilet sooner? That’s disgusting! What’s wrong with you people? It was working perfectly fine before; how did it suddenly break? Did someone use my toilet?”

Zhang Qiong understood now-Room 302 was this girl’s private quarters.

She bowed low, maintaining her placating smile. “Miss, the toilet issue was purely a matter of quality; it just started leaking out of nowhere! Rest assured, absolutely no one has used your toilet!”

She stepped aside, clearing a path for Huang Yuanrui. “Miss, don’t just stand there. Come in and sit down. I’ll be gone as soon as I’m done cleaning!”

Huang Yuanrui took another step back. “Are you crazy? You want me to sit inside while you’re cleaning a toilet? If you aren’t disgusted by it, I certainly am. I’m going down to the lobby to wait. Get it done quickly! It has to be fixed tonight, and open all the windows to air the place out! If I smell even a hint of an odor when I come back, you can forget about working here!”

Zhang Qiong hurried to agree. “Yes, of course, miss! Then I’ll have to trouble you to wait downstairs for a moment. I’ll get right to it!”

Huang Yuanrui gave her a harsh glare, turned on her heel, and walked away.

Zhang Qiong closed the door and let out a long, shaky breath.

She rapidly stuffed all her belongings into a bag, smoothed out the bedding, and wiped the water from the bathroom floor. After checking everything twice to ensure no traces were left, she hurriedly dialed Qin Song’s number.

“Sis, I’m still at the company. Just a few more minutes…”

“Stop talking and listen to me, Qin Song! A girl just showed up at 302! It sounds like she’s the regular resident of this room. She was pounding on the door and demanding to know who I was. Who is she? Do you know anything about her?”

Qin Song was stunned. “Holy crap! She’s there?! She didn’t say she was coming!”

Zhang Qiong said, “I didn’t let her in. I told her I was the Guest Room Manager here to fix her toilet. She thought it was too filthy to enter, so she’s probably sitting in the first-floor lobby waiting right now!”

Qin Song replied, “Okay, okay. Sis, stay calm. Just stay calm!”
Zhang Qiong: “I am calm!”

Qin Song: “Okay, okay, I know. No, wait, I’m the one who isn’t calm right now…”

Zhang Qiong: “Fine, I get it. I won’t ask too many questions about your romantic entanglements, but you’d better figure out how to handle this. She’s still in the lobby on the first floor! I’ve already packed my things and put everything in the room back where it belongs. I’m retreating now. Hurry up and contact Hu Heng; have him receive her and take her back to the room!”

Qin Song: “Alright, we’ll talk about her later. Go to the elevator now, head down to B1, and leave through the underground garage. Take a taxi and find a five-star hotel to stay in for now. Tomorrow…”

Zhang Qiong: “Oh, for heaven’s sake, don’t worry about me! Just think about how to deal with that young lady! You didn’t even know she was coming to City A; you must have really pissed her off before, and she’s been stewing over it! It’ll be hard to keep up the lie I just told. If she notices something’s off later, you’re really going to get it!”

Qin Song: “Sister, I understand. You retreat first, and I’ll handle the rest!”

After hanging up, Zhang Qiong quickly slipped out of the room, ran from the underground garage to the street level, and hailed a taxi.

Qin Song frantically dialed Hu Heng’s number.

“Old Hu, where are you? Huang Yuanrui is here!!”

Hu Heng: “I’m at home. Why are you panicking just because she’s here? Doesn’t she come every month… Holy crap! Is Sister Zhang staying in 302 today?”

Qin Song: “Exactly! But Zhang Qiong has already made her escape. Huang Yuanrui is sitting in the lobby right now. I’m giving you a heads-up, so listen carefully! Huang Yuanrui just went to bang on the door of 302. Zhang Qiong lied and said she was the Guest Room Manager repairing the toilet. Huang thought it was disgusting and went to wait on the first floor…”

Hu Heng: “I understand. I’m heading to the hotel right now!”

***

When Hu Heng arrived at the hotel lobby, Huang Yuanrui was impatiently playing with her phone.

“Yuanrui, you’re here? Oh, you didn’t even tell me you were coming. I only found out because the Guest Room Manager gave me the heads-up!”

Huang Yuanrui gave a stiff smile. “Yes. If I hadn’t come now, I wouldn’t even be able to get through your doors.”

Hu Heng let out a hollow laugh. “Nonsense, haha. That woman just now? She’s new! It’s my fault for not giving her proper instructions. I mean, if you’re fixing a toilet, you fix the toilet-why lock the door? I’ve already sent her off to write a self-reflection report. She’s finished the repairs, so you can go up now!”

Huang Yuanrui stood up slowly, staring coldly into Hu Heng’s eyes.

Hu Heng’s face felt like it would cramp if he smiled any longer, but he did his best to maintain a polite expression.

Huang Yuanrui turned and headed upstairs. Hu Heng slumped onto a sofa in the lobby and pulled out his phone.

“Old Qin, Huang Yuanrui has gone upstairs. My mission is complete; you’re on your own for the rest. I told you a long time ago not to have an extra-marit-”

Qin Song interrupted him. “Don’t start with that now. Don’t go home yet. I don’t know how well Zhang Qiong cleaned up the room. Follow her and check it out!”

Hu Heng: “Fine, fine.”

When Hu Heng reached the third floor, he happened to run into Huang Yuanrui walking out of the room.

Hu Heng noticed the girl had lost a lot of weight; her clothes looked empty as she walked.

She didn’t say a word, walking toward Hu Heng step by step with a lifeless expression.

Hu Heng’s palms were drenched in sweat, and his heart was in his throat.

“Manager Hu.” Huang Yuanrui stopped in front of him. Her face was still pointed forward, but her eyes slanted upward to stare into his face as she spoke slowly. “Where are my personal belongings that were in the room?”