Driver Master Zhang was currently at his home over twenty kilometers away from Anyang County. Originally, during this Ghost Festival, his family had gone to sweep the graves in the morning. Master Zhang had even taken advantage of the occasion to pick up quite a few fares to the outskirts, all round trips for people paying respects to their ancestors.
The Anyang County cemetery was right next to the crematorium, yet it was one of the few places where traditional burials were still allowed. Because the area bordered the mountains, over time it had become a large cemetery. During the day, Master Zhang had driven a family there to pay their respects.
At this very moment, at one o’clock in the morning, Master Zhang, who had received a call from a passenger, initially didn’t want to go out. After all, it was the Zhongyuan Festival, the Opening of the Ghost Gate. Going to the cemetery was inauspicious even on ordinary days, let alone now. But the other party offered a flat rate of five thousand yuan, which immediately made Master Zhang agree on the spot.
Driving his taxi toward the cemetery, Master Zhang turned on the car stereo and played a festive song like “Good Days.” As a taxi driver, he only earned around seven thousand yuan a month. If this trip really paid five thousand, he could sign his daughter up for the study summer camp she loved most. Originally, the family couldn’t afford it, but for five thousand yuan, he had ventured out.
He maintained a cheerful mood the whole way and wasn’t too scared. As he drove out from the city and gradually reached the outskirts, perhaps because of the Ghost Festival, the surroundings became desolate and deserted. There wasn’t a soul by the roadside, not even streetlights—just pitch-black darkness, which was genuinely frightening.
But for five thousand yuan, Master Zhang gritted his teeth and turned up the music. Accompanied by the cheerful songs all the way, he finally arrived at the Anyang County cemetery. From a distance as he drove over, he could see the rows of tombstones and the only light in the entire area.
He drove toward the room with the light, his nerves on edge. Upon arriving, he turned off the music, rolled down the window, and called out inside.
“Is anyone there? I’m the driver! I’m here to pick someone up!”
During the call on the way, he was told the person was in this caretaker’s room. Master Zhang stared anxiously at the closed door, his heart racing with tension.
With a creaking sound, the door of the small room was pushed open, and out walked a tall, handsome young man dressed in black sportswear. As Xie Tingzhou’s face appeared under the light, Master Zhang’s heart instantly settled, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
“You must be Master Zhang?” Xie Tingzhou closed the door of the caretaker’s room and walked over to the car window to ask.
“Yes, that’s me. We spoke on the phone. Young man, get in the car.”
Seeing Xie Tingzhou’s face, which was even more handsome than the young celebrities in his daughter’s phone, Master Zhang’s fear immediately halved. He put on an enthusiastic smile and invited him into the car.
Xie Tingzhou nodded, then opened the back door and got in, saying, “Master Zhang, take me to the biggest hotel around here, preferably one near a shopping mall.”
Hearing this, Master Zhang felt the other half of his worry disappear and said cheerfully, “No problem. The biggest hotel in Daxi City is the Hillery Hotel. It’s just a bit far—might take over two hours to get there. It’s surrounded by shopping malls and car dealerships. Little brother, what were you doing at the cemetery in the middle of the night?”
Taxi drivers tend to be quite talkative, and Xie Tingzhou didn’t mind chatting with this driver uncle.
“I came during the day to pay respects to a relative, but my car broke down. I thought I’d just make do here for the night, but it was too frightening after dark. I happened to find your business card, Master Zhang, so I called. I’m really sorry to trouble you so late at night.”
Having cleaned off the dirt from his body, Xie Tingzhou’s face was fair and clean. Who would think this person had crawled out of a grave?
“Oh, I see. That makes sense. It is pretty scary being alone out there. I was terrified just driving over.”
Master Zhang relaxed completely. As long as he was sure he was picking up a human, that was enough. Otherwise, this late at night would have been enough to scare anyone to death.
The two chatted like this, though most of the time it was Master Zhang doing the talking. After all, the drive would take over two hours—it wouldn’t do to stay silent the whole time.
In Xie Tingzhou’s previous world, it was a zombie apocalypse, and there was no one to talk to. Back then, he was surrounded by mindless, ugly zombies. Now, having someone to chat with felt quite pleasant.
Just like that, two hours passed in a flash. With few vehicles on the road at night, Master Zhang’s taxi smoothly arrived at the entrance of the Hillray Hotel.
“Young man, this is the Hillray Hotel—the best hotel in Daxi City.” Master Zhang stopped the car and turned to look at Xie Tingzhou, still full of enthusiasm.
“How would you like to pay—Alipay or WeChat?”
Five thousand yuan… A few hours of work in one night earning five thousand yuan. Master Zhang’s eyes practically sparkled as he looked at Xie Tingzhou.
“Card,” Xie Tingzhou said, taking out his black card. He knew Master Zhang carried a card reader, as it was mentioned on his business card.
“Alright, alright! I’ll get the POS machine right away!”
Seems like a big spender indeed. Master Zhang quickly took out his POS machine. After taking the black card and inserting it into the slot, he thought to himself that he’d never seen a black card like this before. But when he entered five thousand yuan, the receipt printed without even needing a password. His eyes widened in surprise.
“How come your card doesn’t have a password? Young man, what if you lose it?” He hurriedly handed the black card and the receipt requiring a signature to Xie Tingzhou in the back seat. Both of them heard the sharp honking of a car horn behind them.
“It won’t get lost.” Xie Tingzhou smiled. This Infinite Black Card was soul-bound—how could it possibly get lost?
After thanking Master Zhang, he opened the car door and got out. Master Zhang was no fool—he had locked the doors before Xie Tingzhou swiped the card.
Once Xie Tingzhou was out of the car, Master Zhang started his engine, clicking his tongue in amazement, and hummed a cheerful tune.
“Today is a good day~ Everything I wish for comes true~”
As the driver hummed his way off, Xie Tingzhou was already being warmly welcomed by the doorman into the Hillray Hotel lobby. It had to be said that the Hillray Hotel truly lived up to its reputation as a grand hotel. The entire lobby was opulent and magnificent, glowing brilliantly under the night lights, giving off an aura of lavish wealth.
Hotels in every city have tailored decor. For Daxi City, such splendid decor added to the sense of grandeur, especially since the Hillray Hotel was located in the city’s commercial district, making it all the more magnificent.
“Does the guest have a reserved room?” After entering, the new front desk lady still wore a smile as she asked, guiding Xie Tingzhou to the lounge area. As soon as he sat down, a server brought tea and snacks, all exquisitely prepared.
“No.” Xie Tingzhou simply wanted to find a comfortable place to rest, and the softness of the sofa relaxed him greatly.
“Then the guest can choose from several types of guest rooms at our hotel. This is the promotional brochure, which includes various room types. If you find one you like, you can proceed to the front desk to check in. Of course, I can also help you with the check-in process.”
From the moment Xie Tingzhou walked in, the front desk lady noticed that although he was dressed simply and somewhat disheveled, he carried himself with a calm and dignified air. The sneakers on his feet were filthy but clearly recognizable as a trendy brand, the kind that cost several thousand yuan a pair.
Someone like this could certainly afford to stay at the hotel.
Xie Tingzhou opened the promotional brochure. The first few pages featured standard rooms and king-size beds, while further back were executive suites, luxury suites, and presidential suites. Given that this was just an ordinary third-tier city, the price for the presidential suite was surprisingly only 6,666 yuan per night—truly inexpensive.
Noticing Xie Tingzhou’s gaze lingering on the presidential suite, the front desk lady immediately spoke up.
“If you’d like to book the presidential suite today, our Hillray Hotel is currently running a promotion with a 10% discount. You can check in for just 5,999 yuan. Would you like to consider it?”
Just as the front desk lady was introducing the rooms to Xie Tingzhou, a pot-bellied, bald man walked over with a scantily clad woman in his arms. Hearing her words, he sneered.
“Someone who came by taxi can afford a presidential suite? I’m telling you, Zheng Xiao, even if you gave him a 90% discount, he still couldn’t afford it. How about you break his legs instead?”
The man, who stood under 1.7 meters tall, sat down on the sofa opposite Xie Tingzhou with the woman in his arms, deliberately looking at Xie Tingzhou with contempt. He despised poor people like Xie Tingzhou the most—those who relied on their looks to charm women into supporting them. A woman he once pursued had run off with a pretty boy just like him.
Since his family’s house was demolished and he came into money, he had gone through countless women. The bald man frequented the hotel and naturally recognized the front desk lady. He had once tried to make advances but was warned by the hotel staff, forcing him to back off.
Zheng Xiao was one of the women he had harassed. Front desk ladies were usually attractive, and she inwardly cursed her bad luck but still managed to curl her lips into a professional, insincere smile as she looked at the bald man.
“Mr. Wang, I’m currently attending to a new guest. Could you please let Xiao Hui arrange a room for you first? It’s quite late—you should rest.”
As she spoke, she glanced at Xiao Hui behind the bald man, but he refused to let it go.
“No way. I want you to check me in today. What’s the matter? You smile like a flower for a pretty boy but don’t want to serve me? Don’t you know the customer is God? How much money do I contribute to your hotel every month? I stay in the presidential suite twenty out of thirty days. Are you trying to make your hotel lose me, its God?”
The bald man spoke while leering at Zheng Xiao unabashedly, his plump body trembling slightly. His hands wandered indecently over the woman beside him, squeezing a few times—utterly repulsive.
Only then did Xie Tingzhou withdraw his gaze from the promotional brochure. As he looked up at the bald man, the Black Card mission echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Emergency mission activated! Someone actually dares to doubt that the host cannot afford a presidential suite—utterly unforgivable! Please spend five million within twenty minutes. This amount can only be used at this hotel. Countdown begins now: 19:59…]
So that’s how it is…
Now Xie Tingzhou understood why the previous owner of the Infinite Black Card had met an untimely end. The cardholder might have been a coward, but the Infinite Black Card possessed the heart of a Long Aotian (Overpowered Protagonist). With too many missions like this, wouldn’t a cowardly host be played to death?
The bald, overweight man noticed Xie Tingzhou’s gaze. He felt as if the calmness in Xie Tingzhou’s eyes held a hint of mockery directed at him, instantly fueling his anger again. He sneered sarcastically.
“Zheng Xiao, look at your new guest—he doesn’t seem in a hurry. Maybe he can’t even afford a standard room. You’re so quick to fawn over anyone who looks decent, ignoring an old patron like me. Be careful, or I’ll complain to your manager. I still want the presidential suite today, the usual room. Hurry up and get it done for me!”
He deliberately spoke this way in front of Xie Tingzhou, slowly fumbling in his pocket to pull out his card. But due to his excessive weight, he struggled for a long time without success.
Zheng Xiao felt helpless, knowing this man was deliberately making things difficult for her. She turned to Xie Tingzhou, intending to apologize and let Xiao Hui assist the new guest first.
“How many guest rooms does your hotel have in total?”
Xie Tingzhou looked up at Zheng Xiao as if casually asking.
“Our hotel has over three hundred rooms in total. Besides the three hundred standard rooms, there are thirty business suites and deluxe suites combined, and three presidential suites. We can arrange any room you wish to stay in. However, I need to attend to something first. Would it be alright if I let Xiao Hui handle the check-in for you?”
Her voice remained gentle and friendly, but Xie Tingzhou sensed the woman’s predicament. Recalling the promotional page he had just seen, ordinary standard rooms and king rooms cost only two to three hundred yuan, while the business and deluxe suites ranged from three to five thousand yuan per night. Even five million wouldn’t be enough to spend it all at this hotel.
“No need. You handle it. Charge five million as a deposit. This card has no password. Starting today, I’m booking all the rooms in your hotel. From now on, you only need to serve me. As for certain people who offend my eyes, I hope not to see them again.”
Xie Tingzhou calmly took out the Black Card and his ID from his pocket, handing them both to the front desk attendant, Zheng Xiao.
At that moment, under the soft lighting, the black bank card captured everyone’s attention. Zheng Xiao’s hands trembled as she reached out to take it.
Their hotel had naturally hosted guests with Black Cards before. Generally, those who possessed Black Cards were esteemed clients of the bank, with assets of at least tens of millions to qualify. This… this was a major client…
“Yes, sir. I’ll process the deposit for you right away.”
Zheng Xiao immediately beamed with delight, then instantly shot a meaningful glance at Xiao Hui. Xiao Hui, who worked as a receptionist in the lobby, naturally had a keen sense of awareness and quickly strode toward the entrance.
While Zheng Xiao went to handle the prepayment procedures, the three people in the rest area fell into silence. Xie Tingzhou idly flipped through the promotional brochure of the Sheraton Hotel, while the bald, overweight man grew increasingly restless. The moment he saw Xie Tingzhou take out the black card, he knew he had offended someone he shouldn’t have. His face turned grim, but with the woman by his side, he couldn’t bring himself to utter any words of apology.
His family had been compensated with over twenty million yuan due to a demolition, and he had been introduced to what was called the “social circle,” where he had seen people use black cards. He knew that those who possessed black cards had assets far beyond what a demolition-compensated household like his could compare to. Now, he could only sit there stiffly.
Just then, a well-dressed lobby manager hurried over, followed by several security guards and receptionists.
The lobby manager had already received Zheng Xiao’s notification and was stunned to learn that a major guest had prepaid five million yuan to reserve all the hotel’s rooms. After hearing Zheng Xiao’s explanation of the situation, he immediately brought his team over.
“Mr. Xie, your prepayment procedures are being processed and will be completed shortly. Rest assured, the Sheraton Hotel will provide you with the highest quality service.”
He first greeted Xie Tingzhou and, after receiving a nod in response, turned to face the bald man.
“Mr. Wang, all the rooms in our hotel have been reserved by Mr. Xie. Please step outside temporarily so we can better serve Mr. Xie.”
Seeing this Mr. Wang, the lobby manager nearly rolled his eyes. This overweight man had frequently harassed the hotel’s receptionists, to the point where the hotel had almost called the police. Naturally, the lobby manager was pleased to see someone like him being put in his place.
As for losing a presidential suite client—please! This Mr. Wang had nearly driven several receptionists to resign due to his harassment. Did anyone think it was easy to hire attractive receptionists these days? Besides, five million yuan! Unless Mr. Wang stayed at their hotel for two or three years, how could he possibly match that?
The bald man sitting on the sofa looked grim. Although the words were polite, the reality was that he was being kicked out. He felt utterly humiliated but could only obediently stand up, not even bothering about the woman beside him.
“Hmph! I’ll never come to the Sheraton Hotel again! Your hotel looks down on people!”
After delivering this harsh remark, the bald Mr. Wang dragged his overweight body angrily toward the entrance, with the woman who had accompanied him quickly following behind. From start to finish, Xie Tingzhou had only glanced at him once at the beginning.
When Zheng Xiao returned with the card and ID, less than ten minutes had passed, and Mr. Wang was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he saw his manager being exceptionally attentive to Mr. Xie.
“Mr. Xie, this is your top-tier VIP card. It has a prepaid balance of five million yuan. After deducting the cost of all remaining vacant rooms for today, there is still 4.81 million yuan left, which you can use for any expenses at our hotel. We hope you enjoy your stay at the Sheraton Hotel.”
The moment Xie Tingzhou took the card and his ID, the notification sound for the black card chimed again.
[Ding dong! Congratulations to the host for completing the emergency task, successfully spending five million! Slapping the bald man in the face! The system’s cashback of two hundred fifty thousand has been transferred to the host’s card. Please feel free to spend as you wish.]
Hearing this sound, Xie Tingzhou raised an eyebrow, thinking this black card was quite fun. He could play with it for a few days before going to find his wife and child.
“I’m tired.”
He spoke, and the lobby manager immediately said.
“Zheng Xiao, hurry up and take Mr. Xie to our presidential suite on the top floor to rest? Mr. Xie, you just rest. If you have any needs, you can notify Zheng Xiao. All our Hilton Hotel staff are available 24 hours a day to provide you with the highest quality service.”
Zheng Xiao also understood the importance of this guest and immediately led Xie Tingzhou to the exclusive presidential suite elevator to go upstairs, working together with the presidential suite butler to serve this major client diligently.
As Xie Tingzhou’s figure disappeared, the lobby manager’s face broke into an uncontrollable smile. Xiao Hui, who was nearby, leaned over and whispered curiously.
“Manager Zhang, how long can five million cover all the rooms in our hotel? That Mr. Xie is so rich…”
Manager Zhang glanced at the curious Xiao Hui and mysteriously shook his head.
“How many days it covers isn’t important. What’s important is making Mr. Xie feel at home. I’m going to notify the general manager now. We’ll probably have an emergency meeting because of this Mr. Xie. You inform everyone and have them all be prepared.”
This was a major five-million-yuan hotel booking business! Manager Zhang hurriedly picked up his phone to make calls. He hadn’t had time earlier, as he was solely focused on retaining this major client, Xie Tingzhou.
And just as all the hotel staff began to fall into busyness and amazed discussions because of Xie Tingzhou, Xie Tingzhou was already lying in the presidential suite’s hot spring bathtub, enjoying himself…