The hotel lobby was brightly lit, and the antique British grandfather clock showed the time to be 4:27 AM.
The lobby manager asked Ningma to wait in the lounge area. A moment later, he approached. “I’m sorry, sir. The Molton Holiday Inn has given you a bad experience. To express our apologies, please accept this change we’ve made for you.” He handed over a black room card.
Ningma’s first reaction upon seeing the “VIP” on the card was hesitation, but considering his previous room had been easily accessed, he accepted it after a moment.
“I’ve already asked a bellhop to wait at your room door,” the lobby manager said apologetically. “He’ll take you to your new room.”
Seeing the hotel’s sincerity, Ningma didn’t say anything more. He looked at the manager standing across from him: the hotel’s exclusive suit stretched over a slightly protruding beer belly, and his plump face was shiny from staying up all night. He maintained a respectful attitude throughout. However, Ningma noticed that he wasn’t wearing a name tag above his chest as usual, so he asked, “May I ask your surname?”
“My surname is Huang,” the night manager, Huang Caide, said with a smile. “Feel free to contact us anytime if you need anything.”
Ningma nodded. “If the police come to investigate later, they can come directly to me.”
“Okay,” the night manager, Huang Caide, said, pressing the elevator button first. “Mr. Ningma, please!”
Ningma entered the elevator, and the doors closed behind him. A faint fragrance, soft music, and orange lighting filled the air, giving a comfortable and peaceful feeling.
[You see this text, please exit reading mode, or go to the “source web page” to read normally]
[Please go to the source web page to read, the following content is automatically replaced to prevent crawling] you – I, big – small, many – few, up – down, left – right….
The passenger elevator was large, thoughtfully equipped with hand sanitizer and paper towels. The golden elevator car gleamed like a mirror, reflecting a not very eye-catching, or rather, very ordinary face.
Outside the elevator, a bellhop dressed as a service attendant was already waiting at the room door. Ningma packed up briefly, handed the suitcase to the attendant, and casually asked, “Did a tall guy deliver luggage here a few hours ago?”
The slightly shorter attendant replied immediately, “Are you talking about Luo Kang? The manager asked him to go downstairs. I don’t know anything else.”
Ningma didn’t press further. He followed the attendant through a narrow corridor that made a right-angle turn, still on the fifth floor. He swiped open a noticeably more upscale wooden door with the black room card. Pushing it open, the room was flooded with light, the light of a five-star hotel’s luxurious suite.
The interior decoration was noticeably a grade lower. Besides the various faux-wood furniture, the soft furnishings also exuded comfort, including a two-meter European-style bed draped with black gauze curtains, not to mention the other valuable decorations and ornaments.
“Enjoy your stay,” the attendant said, leaving the suitcase at the door and hurrying away, leaving Ningma without time to react. With the “click” of the door lock closing, the room was well-soundproofed, and only the sound of rain outside the window could be faintly heard.
He took the necessary items out of the suitcase again, changed into the wet robe, Ningma glanced at the neatly arranged bed and still chose to sink into the faux leather sofa, guessing that before long a police car with flashing red and blue lights would arrive, and he would have to deal with a series of questions.
He took a bottle of red wine that looked decent from the bar, opened it with a “pop,” and poured it into a glass. The bright red **color couldn’t help but remind him of the blood he had just seen. He took a sip without waiting for the wine to breathe, a mix of tartness and a hint of sweetness.
4:47.
Ningma glanced at the silent wall clock and picked up a local tourist guide from a row of bookshelves. It was printed on glossy paper and introduced every aspect of the Jiuhuang Valley Scenic Area, even some attractions that ordinary tourists would hardly choose, inhabited by local indigenous people and roaming horses all over the mountains.
Browsing the local customs and culture in the book, the white window gradually brightened, although the rain was still falling, at least the sky was no longer a dark mass, until some natural light shone through the window and reflected on the eyes staring at the book…
Was it dawn?
Ningma rubbed his sore eyes and looked up at the time. The hour hand was almost pointing to “7”. The expected doorbell never rang, and not even the sound of a vehicle’s horn was heard.
No police cars or ambulances?
Ningma went to the window, but unfortunately, the “L”-shaped corner blocked the view of the inner courtyard. From the deluxe room, he could only see the winding, pale green mountains, like peaks outlined with light brushstrokes and pale colors, with clouds lingering around the mountainside.
“Hello,” Ningma dialed the internal phone line. “Did anyone come looking for me?”
The question was abrupt, and the operator on the other end reacted for two seconds. “Are you Mr. Ningma staying in 5103?”
“Yes,” Ningma said, remembering the night manager, Huang Caide, he had met a few hours ago. “Is your lobby manager there?”
“Yes, he is,” the operator replied immediately. “Please wait a moment, I’ll have him call you back.”
A few seconds later, the internal line rang, and Ningma answered the phone. “Hello, is this Manager Huang?”
A male voice came over the phone. “Mr. Ningma, hello, how can I help you?”
It was Ningma’s turn to be stunned. “Where’s Manager Huang?”
“Oh, he handed over the shift half an hour ago. Do you need me to contact him?” the male voice asked politely in a professional tone.
“Uh,” Ningma was about to say “yes,” but the next second he said, “No, please check me out later.” He hung up the phone.
He packed up briefly, still with only one suitcase. As he reached out to close the room door, he found that a service attendant was already waiting at the door. In the light of the corridor overhead, he realized it was the tall attendant who had initially led him last night.
“Good morning, sir,” Luo Kang said with a smile. “Please give me your luggage.” As he spoke, he smoothly lifted the suitcase and placed it on the luggage cart.
Ningma glanced at the back lifting the suitcase. The shoulders were just as broad, and the figure just as straight. The only difference was the white uniform in the darkness. Of course, it was also possible that he was being paranoid. Could the person who snatched the Heart Bead last night be the same person?
But he was clearly standing in front of him at this moment…
“Sir, please,” Luo Kang waited for the guest to enter the elevator first. As the elevator doors quickly closed, only two people stood one behind the other in the narrow space.
Through the golden mirror in front of him, Ningma’s eyes glanced over the bellhop who was smiling the entire time, maintaining the same posture in the confined elevator, until the elevator doors quickly reopened.
A female manager in professional attire and a short skirt was already waiting at the door, also with a friendly smile. “We are really sorry, sir.”
Ningma was wearing a set of outdoor clothing suitable for traveling in the wilderness. Seeing the manager’s attire, he asked, “Can I store my luggage here for a few days? Or stay another night when I come back?”
“I’m sorry, sir,” the female lobby manager said apologetically. “It’s like this, we just received a notice from the County Disaster Prevention Office that not only the scenic area but also the main roads have experienced a series of landslides due to the heavy rain, including the shuttle buses to and from the airport and passenger transport center, which have all been suspended. All tourists need to stay in the hotels they are staying in, which is also for the safety of the guests.”
Ningma asked uncertainly, “You mean… I can’t go out?”
“I’m afraid so,” the manager handed over a printed paper with a bright red official seal copied on it. “We also contacted the local meteorological department as soon as possible. There is still very heavy rain in the next few days. Only after the rain stops can we organize repairs to the road surface. During this time, we can only ask you to stay at this hotel, but rest assured, your room and food expenses will be subsidized by the government.”
“So, you see—” The day manager, Solang Lunzhu, gestured for Luo Kang behind Ningma to push the luggage cart back into the elevator, and at the same time nodded slightly and said, “Please understand and be considerate.”