Besides, he was the one who saved him. Didn’t he owe him half his life?
I shouldn’t look. He’s going down the wrong path.
“Please enjoy your meal, everyone. I have something to take care of, so I’ll step out for a moment and be right back.”
Zhou Chiye suddenly stood up and crushed out his cigarette.
“Yu Bo, could you help look after everyone for me?”
Old Yu looked on, completely confused.
“Where are you going?”
Zhou Chiye didn’t answer. Once outside, he headed straight for the third-floor guest rooms—he’d noticed earlier that the note stuck to the room key read 305.
Just as Zhou Chiye was making his way upstairs, Director Zhang arrived downstairs. He took a call at the front desk and prepared to head up as well.
The call was from Chen Qinghe, who was staying in Room 306, directly across the hall from Room 303.
After returning to the inn, Gu Shaonan felt uneasy and didn’t leave right away.
Chen Qinghe thought to himself: It might actually be good for Gu Shaonan to catch this shady character red-handed. Maybe Lin Sui is here too.
They clearly weren’t up to any good. Let Gu Shaonan see their true colors.
Back in his room, Chen Qinghe left the door ajar and kept a close watch. Only after seeing the man enter did he wait a few minutes before calling Director Zhang to say, “You can come up now.”
When Gu Shaonan asked who he was calling, Chen Qinghe wasn’t sure the plan would work, so he held back. “Just the front desk. There was an issue with the water pressure earlier, but it’s fixed now.”
Gu Shaonan didn’t suspect a thing.
“How are you feeling now?”
“If you’re alright, I’ll head back first.”
Though their engagement was settled, they weren’t married yet. It wouldn’t look good if someone saw them together this late. And Chen Qinghe was a proper young woman—of course she wouldn’t let him stay the night.
“I’m fine now.”
Glancing at the time, Chen Qinghe smiled and said, “Let me walk you down.”
As soon as they stepped out, they saw Director Zhang leading a group of people up the stairs. But why were there three extra people? Two women and one man. The man was tall and sturdy, with a commanding, stern presence that felt intimidating. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he’d come to catch someone in adultery too. Could it be Lin Sui or that Luo Feifei?
So he’s playing around with multiple women at once—this is going to get even more interesting.
Gu Shaonan recognized Director Zhang from the factory, and Zhou Chiye felt a growing sense of unease.
Before anyone could say a word, the older woman leading the group banged loudly on the door of Room 303.
Inside, Guo Weiqiang thought it was Luo Feifei. Wearing nothing but a pair of underwear, he trotted over to open the door—only to receive a sharp slap across the face.
“You bastard, Guo Weiqiang! Today I’ll drown you for good!”
She wasn’t joking. Mrs. Guo had actually brought a pair of scissors with her. Right after the slap, she lunged forward, aiming straight for his groin.
If Guo Weiqiang hadn’t reacted fast and rolled backward onto the bed, he would have been left sterile.
Even so, he was left trembling in sheer terror.
Panicked, he grabbed the quilt and pulled it up to cover himself.
“Y-you… what do you want here?”
“What do I want? You dare ask me that?”
Mrs. Guo immediately spotted an open box on the table, its wrapping already torn. This good-for-nothing man couldn’t even wait! I’ll kill you!
The two began to struggle violently, and the scene grew more chaotic by the second. Everyone watching—including Zhou Chiye—stood frozen, stunned.
“Where is she?”
“Right… where is she?”
That was exactly what Chen Qinghe and Director Zhang were wondering too.
“Whoa now, what’s going on here? Quite the commotion!”
Lin Sui and Luo Feifei stepped out from Room 305, two doors down, looking utterly surprised. “Secretary Zhou? What are you doing here?”
Her surprise was genuine. She wasn’t shocked to see Chen Qinghe and Gu Shaonan—she’d deliberately let Chen Qinghe overhear their conversation earlier. She’d also let Luo Feifei book a room with her boyfriend, just to see if Chen Qinghe would dare report them.
That was why seeing Director Zhang here didn’t surprise her either.
But Zhou Chiye’s presence was completely unexpected. Zhou Chiye himself wondered if he’d misunderstood something.
Then the girl standing beside Lin Sui darted into the room, screaming at the top of her lungs: “Guo Weiqiang, you lying cheat! I’ll beat you to a pulp!”
What started as one woman against one man quickly turned into three women ganging up on him—the third being Mrs. Guo’s younger sister.
Never underestimate women. In moments like this, their hidden strength is boundless.
Guo Weiqiang was beaten until his face swelled up like a pig’s head, taking slap after slap.
Luo Feifei, her hair in disarray, yelled, “Guo Weiqiang! You lied and said you weren’t married! Then who is this woman?”
Mrs. Guo, also with her hair messy, turned to her. “And who are you?”
“So you’re Mrs. Guo! I am so sorry—if I’d known he had a wife, I would have dumped him ages ago! A man like this deserves to have no offspring! You should divorce him right now!” Luo Feifei spat out in rage.
Lin Sui almost cheered her on. In her past life, this scoundrel had caused Luo Feifei nothing but misery. She couldn’t help but step forward and kick him hard.
“Good thing our Feifei was smart and didn’t let things go all the way. Otherwise, I’d have castrated you myself!”
Mrs. Guo quickly realized what had happened. So this worthless piece of trash went looking for another woman and ended up getting caught red-handed. She burst into tears.
“Guo, we’re getting a divorce!”
Off to the side, Director Zhang was still confused. “Wait, I received a report saying Luo Feifei was here having an improper relationship. What in the world is going on now?”
Only then did Luo Feifei notice him. “Director? What did you say? Someone reported me? Who?”
“I don’t know. The caller only said their surname was Chen.”
Chen Qinghe had held back from giving his full name, unsure if the plan would work. But giving just his surname was safe—if it succeeded, he’d be credited for reporting it. And if Luo Feifei got fired from the shoe factory, then even though his brother wouldn’t get the job, he, as a college graduate, could easily take the position himself. It was supposed to be a win-win situation. How had things gone so wrong?
Lin Sui glanced at Chen Qinghe. Feeling guilty, Chen Qinghe instinctively moved closer to Gu Shaonan.
Gu Shaonan stiffened slightly, his gaze shifting between the two women, a vague sense of unease settling in his chest.
“Well, well… isn’t that Group Leader Gu? What are you doing here? I thought you said you were going to the movies?” Lin Sui asked with feigned shock.
It finally clicked for Chen Qinghe: This was a trap set by Lin Sui and her friend—not just for Guo Weiqiang, but for me as well.
Gu Shaonan frowned in confusion. “How did you know I was going to the movies?”
“Your girlfriend told us! We ran into her downstairs in the lobby a little while ago. She said you two were going to see Police Story and even asked if we wanted to join.”
Chen Qinghe burned with embarrassment and anger, but forced a smile. Her voice trembled slightly as she said, “My stomach suddenly started feeling unwell.”
“Is that so? What a coincidence,” Lin Sui replied pointedly. “You wouldn’t have heard us talking, jumped to conclusions, and filed a false report just to frame us, would you? You’re Chen Bin’s older sister, so your surname is Chen too, isn’t it?”
“It wasn’t me!” Chen Qinghe insisted.
Director Zhang paused. “But the voice on the phone sounded just like yours. And your surname is Chen too.”
“Lots of women sound similar! And Chen is one of the most common surnames in the country—there are thousands of people with that name! Why does it have to be me? What reason would I have to do something like that?”
“Exactly. We’ve never done anything to you. Why go to such lengths?” Lin Sui added, her tone dripping with mockery.
Director Zhang looked skeptically at Gu Shaonan. “I’ve worked in personnel for over twenty years—my ears are sharp, and I never mistake a voice. Xiao Gu, she’s your girlfriend, and your brother-in-law applied for a job here. You wouldn’t be plotting to get Luo Feifei fired so you could take her position, would you?”
He’d seen every trick in the book over the years. This was nothing but a scheme driven by ambition.