3 Hotel
After the driver got in, he rolled down the window wide open. The cool March air rushed in swiftly, blowing directly onto Wen Dong. Her hair tangled wildly across her face, obscuring her view, making even her phone screen hard to see.
At the intersection, the light turned red. Wen Dong urgently called out, “Window, window, window! Close it a bit!”
The driver obeyed, rolling the window up and chuckling, “You young folks can’t handle even a little wind.”
Wen Dong snapped back fiercely, “Why don’t you come back here and try it yourself!”
Easier said than done.
The driver replied, “If I come back there, who’ll drive the car?”
Wen Dong shot back, “I’ve driven before, you know.”
The voice navigation warned that they were about to enter the river-crossing bridge ahead, advising caution for vehicles behind.
The driver glanced at Wen Dong through the rearview mirror and joked, “Come on, better to drive into the river than this.”
“Who do you think you’re looking down on?” she snapped.
The driver laughed again, “Hey, for such a little girl, you’ve got quite the temper.”
Wen Dong was busy replying to Li Manyue’s message. Only after finishing did she catch his words and replied without backing down, “You started it.”
“Alright, alright, I apologize. Happy now?”
Wen Dong scoffed and lowered her head, continuing to type.
As the car climbed onto the river-crossing bridge, Zhang Xingxu turned his head to look outside. The cables receded endlessly, and the green river water shimmered with white flashes, resembling fragmented afternoon dreams from a film.
“Are you from out of town, young man?” the driver asked.
Zhang Xingxu gave a brief “Mm.”
After waiting two seconds without further response, the driver pressed on, “Where from?”
“Guanhua.”
“Guanhua? Guanhuashi is great! The economy’s booming there. Are you here for school or tourism?” Glancing in the mirror, he hesitated, then tentatively asked, “Looking for a girlfriend?”
“Not really,” Zhang Xingxu replied.
The driver studied him for a moment, sensing something odd but letting it go. He changed the topic, asking where he planned to go next.
Zhang Xingxu’s gaze fell on the driver’s navigation screen and he countered, “You’re driving, don’t you know?”
Wen Dong burst out laughing, clutching the seat back as her shoulders shook, “Driver, chatting with him is harder than arguing with me.”
These two were definitely nuts.
One was touchy and irritable at the slightest thing; the other was like a mute robot, barely uttering two words.
Truly a pair of hidden talents.
The driver floored the accelerator towards Lecheng, falling silent for the rest of the journey.
Wen Dong put on her headphones to listen to music, angrily typing about the misdeeds of Li Manyue’s online boyfriend. Zhang Xingxu enjoyed the quiet, closing his eyes for a brief rest. The car was calm for a while.
Approaching their destination, Li Manyue called to ask where they were. Wen Dong said, “We’re entering the city. Just one more overpass and we’ll be there.”
She asked, “Is he still swimming?”
Li Manyue snorted coldly, “He went to the steam room with that woman.”
Wen Dong blurted a curse, “How can you stand that?!”
She turned to the driver, “Please hurry up!”
The driver casually glanced at her, flicked on the turn signal, and sped past another vehicle.
Zhang Xingxu opened his eyes and looked back at Wen Dong.
She was still on the phone, sounding shocked by what she heard through the headset. She gasped and exclaimed, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? You know you’ll end up swallowing your snot!”
A rather disgusting image.
Zhang Xingxu furrowed his brow.
“I’m warning you, once you wear that green hat, you can’t take it off,” Wen Dong said seriously, as if she were observing an international battlefield.
Zhang Xingxu snapped his fingers. Wen Dong looked at him, signaling to get to the point.
He pointed at her phone, “The fare.”
“Driver, can you calculate it for him?” Wen Dong rummaged in her bag for lipstick, replying to the person on the other end, “You even had someone block the door?”
“Alright, I’ll be out soon. No more than two minutes.”
After hanging up, she twisted the lipstick open and carefully applied it, barely noticing when her fingertip got stained. She leaned forward, pulling some tissues from the central console, and reminded the driver, “Remember to deduct twenty yuan for the sausage.”
The driver shot her a look and glanced at the phone mounted on the dashboard.
It displayed the trip route and fare details.
Wen Dong patted Zhang Xingxu’s shoulder, “That amount plus the seat fee minus twenty,” then asked the driver, “How much is the seat fee?”
“Fifty,” he replied.
Wen Dong gasped, “Fifty?! Why don’t you go rob someone!”
“You’re charging me twenty just for a sausage stick.”
“Can that be the same thing?”
“What difference does it make?”
“Of course it’s different! You’re picking up passengers; I’m catching a cheating partner. Totally different!”
What on earth did a sausage have to do with any of that?
The driver paused, instinctively studying Zhang Xingxu’s expression. “Catching a cheater? Whose?”
“Wen Dong’s,” Zhang Xingxu answered.
Just as the two were about to argue again, Zhang Xingxu suddenly said, “Give me the payment code.”
Wen Dong pulled it out and handed it over.
A beep sounded, followed by the payment confirmation.
Zhang Xingxu said, “I’ll cover the seat fee.”
Wen Dong stared at the screen showing the payment amount—¥400.00—and suddenly realized, “Wait, how do you know my name?”
Zhang Xingxu showed no expression and transferred the money to the driver. “I saw it when buying the ticket.”
Wen Dong found the four hundred yuan a bit strange but couldn’t quite put her finger on what felt off.
“Make sure your friend pays on the platform,” the driver reminded Wen Dong.
She looked out the window and saw they had arrived directly opposite the Weierman Hotel. After turning around, they would be there.
But the order clearly showed 392 yuan. Wen Dong anxiously said, “Why did you transfer extra?”
She got flustered, fumbling with the phone lock several times before unlocking it.
“You can buy some mints,” Zhang Xingxu said.
Wen Dong was startled, recalling how he hadn’t given her any mints earlier when she asked.
She was a bit puzzled, “You really care about that?”
The car turned at the intersection. In the distance, she saw Li Manyue in a black dress standing at the hotel entrance. Wen Dong’s mind went blank. “Thanks, man. If fate brings us together again, I’ll definitely treat you to a meal!”
She spoke quickly, then earnestly patted his shoulder before opening the door and sprinting out.
Zhang Xingxu’s eyes shifted from Wen Dong’s retreating figure to the hotel’s name.
The driver asked where he was headed. Zhang Xingxu inquired, “What attractions are there in Lecheng?”
The driver clicked his tongue and shook his head, then pointed with a finger, “Young man, that character—”
Following the gesture, Zhang Xingxu saw a huge billboard towering among the dense buildings, boldly inscribed in standard black font: “Welcome to Lecheng.”
“It’s pronounced ‘Yao,’ like in ‘The benevolent delight in mountains, the wise delight in water.’ There’s a mountain called Lezhishan over in Jing’an District. Want to go?”
“Is it far?”
“Pfft, what far?” The driver swiped his finger across the screen, exited the app, and turned off the display. “About ten minutes. Wait, I’ll take you there.”
The unlicensed cab drove off, leaving the Weierman Hotel behind.
The rearview mirror still caught sight of a small figure in a sweater and floral skirt running, full of vitality, like a sunflower growing in a cornfield.
Wen Dong panted heavily, running while retrieving her camera.
Though it was only a few dozen meters, she ran as if preparing for an eight-hundred-meter dash.
Only when she got close did she see Li Manyue wearing a long, tailored black blazer over her black dress. It looked like the FENDI Widow series she had complained about last week.
Dressed entirely in black, Li Manyue looked solemn and heavy, as if attending a funeral.
The only color was the dark red lipstick on her lips, resembling a bloodthirsty vampire.
Even as a vampire, Li Manyue’s makeup was meticulous and flawless, and her long, wavy hair was smooth and glossy, as if freshly emerged from a shampoo commercial.
Behind her stood two tall, broad-shouldered men holding umbrellas, their stern faces textbook examples of bodyguards.
Li Manyue lowered her eyes as she completed the order payment, arms crossed, watching Wen Dong rush toward her.
Her words were sharp, like poison, dripping with mockery: “If you’d been any later, their kids would’ve already been registered.”
Wen Dong was immune to the barb. She raised the camera, gasping for breath, “Ready? Let’s catch them!”
Li Manyue slightly tilted her head toward the bodyguards. One of the tall men strode to the hotel door and bent down to open it.
Wen Dong followed Li Manyue into the hotel.
Apparently, the front desk had been informed early on. They didn’t ask any questions, simply swiping the elevator card and escorting them upstairs.
The elevator was luxuriously decorated with an unknown material that seemed to brighten their complexions.
Wen Dong leaned closer, studying a pimple at Li Manyue’s mouth corner. “Look, it just appeared. It wasn’t there this morning.”
Li Manyue said, “Once we’ve dealt with those two scoundrels, I’ll have someone dismantle the elevator and put it in your bedroom so you can look at yourself all day.”
“Better not,” Wen Dong backed away, adjusting the camera strap length and wrapping it around her hand several times. “Don’t worry. I’ll capture everything from the first-person perspective and ruin his reputation.”
Li Manyue snorted coldly.
The elevator stopped, and hotel staff gestured politely. The two bodyguards strode ahead, leading the way.
Passing through the fitness and leisure area, they drew curious glances from everyone. Wen Dong shielded her camera and walked quickly to Li Manyue’s side.
The Weierman was a five-star, high-end international hotel. Its elegant and upscale decor extended even to the steam rooms, which were private suites, providing ample personal space.
But any privacy was meaningless when it came to Li Manyue.
She swiped the card to open one of the rooms. A wave of hot steam rushed out, forcing Wen Dong to turn away.
Unfazed, Li Manyue stepped inside, and Wen Dong hurried after her.
What she saw inside stunned her.
The room was lavishly appointed with a starry ceiling, swirling purple galaxies, and soft, elegant English songs playing. Wen Dong felt like raising a glass of red wine right there.
In the corner, two shadowy figures leaned closely together, their posture so intimate it was almost unbearable to watch.
Wen Dong silently raised her camera, only to find the lens fogged up, everything blurred beyond recognition. Her phone was the same. Alarmed, she quickly covered the lens, afraid it might get waterlogged.
Li Manyue’s anger flared. “Lu Zhiyi, get out here right now!”
...
Five minutes later, Wen Dong sat in the lounge area, peeling off her chipped nail polish, her eyes darting everywhere except at the person before her.
In front of her, the camera’s recording was fixed on the very man they had come to catch—Lu Zhiyi.
Li Manyue’s hair was slightly disheveled from anger, but she still struggled to maintain composure. Facing the man who had spent six figures on her online, even in this humiliating situation, she left him a shred of dignity.
She lifted her chin slightly. “Speak. What’s going on between you and Wan Yun?”