“What?!” Suddenly hearing the message from his son, Li Kaitian also couldn’t help but leap up from the sofa, his face filled with shock: “Wang Zhongyong?
“Dad, do you remember the murder case in Liu City from a while back?” Li Zhihu said, looking puzzled: “Last night when we were having dinner, he asked me to investigate the current progress of this case, and to inform him immediately if any new clues emerge.
The Liu City murder case?!” Li Kaitai suddenly stood up, speaking in a deep voice: “Why is he looking for you about this instead of going to the police?!”
“I found it strange too, but after thinking about it last night, I think I understand a bit,” Li Zhihu said. “From his demeanor, it seems that among those who died, there might be… a murderer he wants to investigate and find to take revenge. This is an unsolved case that hasn’t found any useful clues, causing the investigation to drag on. If he goes to the police now, he’d only be asking for trouble. So he came to me to probe around discreetly, and he even said…”
“What?”
“He said that if I could tell him everything I investigate, he would be extremely grateful to the Li family,” Li Zhihu hesitated. “I think what he means is…”
“I understand,” Li Kaitai nodded, clearly comprehending the hidden meaning behind Rong Binghui’s words. “Pay close attention to this matter. If I get any new information, pass it on to him.
The mayoral race is imminent, and gaining the support of a wealthy businessman worth over 6 billion would be a strategic advantage, with obvious benefits!
It’s just the latest clue in a murder case, and with Li Kaitai’s position, he could easily find out the latest developments with just a word.
This is the difference between the wealthy and officials – an official’s power far exceeds the money in a rich man’s hands. One has money, the other has power. This is the point of collusion between officials and businessmen.
After Li Kaitai and Li Zhihu ended their call in the office directly across from Nie Meying’s office…”
Look, I’ve bought everything. Hao Yunyang raised the plastic bag and shook it, then turned his gaze to Wang Shiyu, saying, “Shiyu, aren’t you buying anything?”
“When I was back then—”
“Stop!” Before Wang Shiyu could boast about his glorious past experiences in Africa, Hao Yunyang made a gesture to halt him, saying, “I know all about your old stories. Since you’re not buying—”
“I’ve already bought some,” Wang Shiyu said calmly. “A bottle of facial cleanser, a moisturizing cream, a lip balm, a bottle of Dabao—”
Seeing Hao Yunyang’s speechless expression, Zhao Chenxin’s face revealed a smile, with a hint of barely suppressed laughter that added to her charm.
Hao Yunyang, already feeling guilty, was somewhat shaken. Fortunately, reason prevailed, and he suppressed the impulse to kiss Zhao Chenxin’s face. He turned and said, “Let’s go. We still have a long way ahead.”
Throughout the journey, Hao Yunyang resisted the idea of stopping at a hotel. They took turns driving, with each person driving for three hours. From Liushi to Xining, Qinghai, the route was nearly 2,700 kilometers. Considering stops for meals and other breaks, they finally entered Xining’s territory around 8 PM the next day.
Thirty-six hours total!
“This is my disgrace,” Wang Shiyu said mercilessly. “Don’t tell anyone I drove here in the future.”
Hao Yunyang was stunned.
As usual, the first task upon arriving was to find accommodation. Given Hao Yunyang’s estimate that this Xining trip might take over a week, finding a hotel was essential.
“Let’s check if there’s a good hotel nearby,” Hao Yunyang turned to Wang Shiyu. “Preferably close to Victory Road to make things convenient.”
“Mm,” Wang Shiyu nodded, searching on the navigation. Soon, he found a suitable location. “East Lake Century Hotel, four-star. Very close to Victory Road.”
“Okay, let’s go there,” Hao Yunyang nodded and smiled. “We’ll have a good meal, book two rooms, take showers, sleep, and not do anything today. We’ll rest and recharge.”
Zhao Chenxin and Wang Shiyu had no objections to Hao Yunyang’s arrangements.
After reaching a consensus, Wang Shiyu pressed the accelerator under Hao Yunyang’s nod, driving towards East Lake Century Hotel as guided by the navigation system.
Noticing Zhao Chenxin’s movement, Hao Yunyang could only break out in a cold sweat, wondering if his lie was too convincing or if Zhao Chenxin’s trust in him was too high? Vaguely, Hao Yunyang even felt a sense of guilt. The restaurant was still operating as usual, with six tall hostesses in cheongsams standing in two rows at the entrance. As soon as Hao Yunyang and his group entered, they heard the sweet welcome from the six hostesses.
“Can we still order food?” Hao Yunyang glanced at the gold-themed hall and asked with a smile.
“Yes, please follow me.” One of the hostesses smiled slightly, and somehow pulled out a handheld ordering device in the blink of an eye, instantly transforming from a hostess to an order taker, which left Hao Yunyang speechless.
It turned out that front-line staff temporarily filling various roles was not just a phenomenon in Leqing, but everywhere.
“Are there any specialty dishes?” After walking around the ordering room and seeing some unfamiliar dishes, Hao Yunyang could only turn to the hostess-turned-order taker and ask, “Something light.”
“Hehe, yes.” The girl smiled and gestured to a display stand nearby, “Those are Halal dishes, which are relatively light.”
“Hmm.” Hao Yunyang didn’t walk over there, but thought for a moment and said, “Three meat, two vegetable dishes, and one soup, all light. Just order for me. Where’s the private room?”
“Okay, the private room is on the third floor, room 303,” the girl answered brightly.
Although Halal cuisine is light, it doesn’t mean it’s cheap. A Halal dish here probably has at least a five-yuan commission.
Sitting in the private room, Xiao Ming, after a while, Hao Yunyang ate and said, “Tomorrow morning, we’ll look around here and try some local specialties. In the afternoon, we’ll visit someone, and then I heard Qinghai Lake is beautiful, so we’ll go see it the day after tomorrow, so we don’t come to Xining for nothing.”
“Mm, I’ve heard about it,” Zhao Chenxin nodded excitedly, “I heard it has seven colors!”
“Hehe, I just picked up this,” Hao Yunyang shook the Xining tourism map in his hand proudly, “The scenic spots on it look good.”
“Not working?” Wang Shiyu, who had been silent, suddenly asked.
“Of course we’re working,” Hao Yunyang looked at him seriously, “But we also need to balance work and rest, right? Go around Qinghai Lake, then visit Tar Temple, and then eat street food at Water Well Lane. I estimate we’ll be done with our work after this.”
“Play,” Zhao Chenxin was skeptical, “is this related to work?”
“Hehe, you’ll get used to it soon.” As they finished their meal, Hao Yunyang rubbed his belly and said, “Are we done eating?”
“Mm,” Zhao Chenxin and the others nodded.
“Let’s go get rooms,” Hao Yunyang’s heart raced, feeling somewhat guilty. The words “get rooms” sounded so ambiguous. Hearing this, Zhao Chenxin’s face turned bright red, an alluring charm spreading around her. Get rooms?
The friendly receptionist smiled and nodded, typing on the keyboard for a moment before looking up and asking Hao Yunyang: “Would you like two standard rooms, or…?”
“Do you have a presidential suite?” Hao Yunyang pondered for a moment. Finally, he chose the legendary presidential suite, after all, it was his first time.
The receptionist smiled and said: “The presidential suite must be checked out before 12 noon each day. It’s 6,888 yuan per day, and half of the items inside can be used free of charge. Items that require payment have clear pricing inside the room.”
