“Could there be other hidden issues?”
Lin Mi silently speculated. The staff member earlier had been holding a toolbox and came from the back kitchen.
So… had someone at the hotel also noticed the safety hazard in the kitchen?
Or perhaps her anonymous complaint really had worked, so the hotel sent someone to inspect?
But then the inspector got into a conflict with the kitchen staff?
The more she thought, the more her brows tightened.
Maybe the cause of the fire wasn’t merely a simple safety oversight. It could involve internal management issues, equipment malfunctions… or even human factors.
Could that argument she heard have something to do with the potential danger?
Maybe the original risk wasn’t serious, but a combination of factors ended up causing the final disastrous outcome.
If those internal conflicts or equipment problems could be resolved, wouldn’t that stop the fire from happening in the afternoon?
This thought instantly energized her.
She was about to take another step toward the kitchen area to investigate—when she turned and ran straight into someone.
“Sorry!” Lin Mi quickly apologized. When she looked up, she froze slightly.
Wei Xun!
Why was he here?
Wasn’t the summit on the fourth floor?
Judging by the direction, did he just come out of the restroom?
Earlier at the entrance, surrounded by media, he looked imposing and distant, like someone untouchable. Now, in the quiet corridor, he seemed less sharp—more casual and relaxed.
“It’s you?”
Wei Xun also paused, momentarily surprised to see her again. But her sneaky movements made him curious.
What was she up to?
He adjusted his glasses slightly, a trace of confusion in his eyes before his faint, unreadable smile returned.
“Uh… you still remember me?” Lin Mi asked, a bit surprised. She thought of how he’d helped her escape the awkward situation at the banquet…and then of the fire that would happen this afternoon.
Her heart stirred. Without thinking, she spoke.
“Hello, Mr. Wei.”
She straightened her posture, hesitated, then decided to give him a subtle reminder.
“Um… if you don’t have anything particularly important this afternoon, I suggest you leave the hotel earlier.”
“…”
Hearing this seemingly disjointed statement, Wei Xun raised an eyebrow.
What was this new kind of script?
This was an important international industry summit—how could he just leave midway? Unless something extremely serious were to happen.
But what did she mean by this?
She didn’t seem like the type to randomly approach men.
Otherwise, at the banquet that day, she wouldn’t have needed rescuing—her eyes then were clear and stubborn.
“Uh, I know it sounds strange. Actually… I noticed the hotel’s safety measures are lacking. I gave them feedback, but they didn’t respond.”
Seeing he didn’t react, Lin Mi paused. If reasonable explanations didn’t work, she might as well pretend to be mysterious.
“There are issues with the hotel’s safety. I have a feeling this place won’t be very safe this afternoon. If you trust me, leave before then—consider it my thanks for helping me last time.”
“Not very safe?”
Wei Xun’s gaze deepened. He studied her carefully, brows tightening slightly.
“Why do you say that? Did you see something? Hear something?”
His tone carried a probing edge.
After all, reaching his current status had not been easy. There were plenty of people who disliked him—or wished for his downfall.
“Do you know… mysticism? Some things can’t be explained. The so-called ‘heavenly secrets should not be revealed.’”
Putting on an air of mystery, Lin Mi waved her hand. Her presence here couldn’t be explained anyway. The more she spoke, the more mistakes she’d make. A single lie needed many more to cover it up.
She couldn’t explain this to any authority, so how could she explain it to Wei Xun?
If not for the fact that he had helped her before, she wouldn’t be going through all this effort.
Wei Xun didn’t continue interrogating her. He stood still, eyes dark, as if assessing the credibility of her words.
After a few seconds, he let out a soft chuckle—a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Thank you for the reminder.”
His tone was calm, giving nothing away—neither belief nor doubt—but it remained polite.
“I’ll be careful.”
He didn’t question her further, nor did he display impatience or suspicion about her sanity. He simply nodded and walked past her.
Watching his retreating figure, Lin Mi sighed inwardly.
He probably didn’t believe her.
Anyway, she tried.
Back in the hotel lobby, she exhaled deeply, then marched toward the reception desk with an intentionally fierce expression.
“What is going on with your hotel? A star-rated hotel shouldn’t have such sloppy safety measures! And during an inspection, your staff are arguing in the kitchen? Is the guests’ safety important or your staff’s tempers? Do you even understand how serious security is in a hotel—”
In order to change the “future trending search,” Lin Mi threw aside her usual caution and played the role of a difficult customer for the first time.
She made her expression and tone deliberately sharp, nitpicky, and hard to deal with.
A hotel like Starlight International cared deeply about guest experience and service. Especially since she made a fuss publicly at the front desk—the hotel wouldn’t dare brush her off.
Sigh. She had no choice. There were surveillance cameras everywhere. She might have a powerful system, but she wasn’t omnipotent.
She was still just an ordinary person—she couldn’t avoid cameras, nor could she fabricate dozens of lies flawlessly.
So she chose to “step into the situation,” making her presence in the hotel reasonable and traceable.
She had already pretended to be someone who got lost upstairs, hanging around the kitchen area intentionally, setting up her story.
Now, by acting like a picky, overly serious guest, everything aligned naturally.
“I’m very sorry, miss. Thank you for your feedback. We’ll address this immediately. Could you tell us specifically what happened—”
The lobby manager quickly stepped forward with a professional smile, trying to pacify her.
Seeing this, Lin Mi eased her tone and followed along, sitting down to give detailed feedback. She exaggerated the things she had seen and heard upstairs.
Fortunately, her efforts weren’t in vain. The hotel promptly sent another inspection team to the third floor.
Unexpectedly—they actually found issues with the gas stoves and wiring.
In the end, to thank her for her feedback, the hotel even gave her a lunch voucher for the buffet restaurant.
“…”
Just in time for lunch. She had been busy all morning and was indeed hungry.
So, Lin Mi gladly accepted it.
(End of this chapter)