Chapter 531

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Protagonist:

Chen Yi

In Xijing's evening, even the rosy clouds seemed stained a dusty gray, hazy like the shadows beneath towering skyscrapers, or the grime on the Heavenly Father's crotch.

In weather like this, aside from those hurrying home and pleasure-seekers who never look at the sky, few people continued to wander.

The Four Seasons Hotel on Xi Da Jie, its bright lights illuminating two whole blocks. Inside and outside the glass doors seemed like two different worlds; the sweltering prosperity and bustle were trapped inside the building, waiting for a release that would never come.

A dark red Saab cut across the intersection and slowly pulled up in front of the Four Seasons Hotel on Xi Da Jie. The tall doorman gently opened the door, prefacing it with a thousand-times-honed "Welcome."

Chen Yi nodded at him and strode in with his head held high.

Power gives a man confidence; confidence generates strength.

A youthful face and a composed bearing — a flash of inspiration struck the doorman's mind; he silently fished out a photo to compare, then chased after him and said softly, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Chen Yi?"

"That's me." Chen Yi stopped.

"Miss Han Jie is on the 27th floor." As he spoke, he took the initiative to run up and press the elevator button, then stood outside the door, looking at Hou Wei behind Chen Yi with neither servility nor arrogance.

The latter fished out a red envelope and handed it to him, praising, "Your memory is really good."

"Thank you." A doorman is a profession that survives on tips; he took the red envelope with some surprise, pinched it, and smiled again, "Truly a person who pays attention to propriety."

Foreigners like to give money directly; Chinese people pay attention to subtlety. This subtle way of giving reward money via red envelopes is hard to see even in Xijing nowadays.

Hou Wei gave a hehe smile, his voice nearly a whisper: "My phone number is on the back; keep your eyes peeled."

"I understand." The doorman grew even more astonished.

A phone call might serve no purpose, or it might serve a huge one; this move of Hou Wei's was actually adapted from the noble families of the West Continent.

Thousands of years of inheritance — focusing on the details is how you survive.

The express elevator accelerated toward God with fearless abandon.

Hou Wei and the Naked Bear stood with hands clasped on either side of the door.

Jiangning has a Martial Arts Hall Inspection Team composed of Divine Art Knights and Combat Knights; the remaining Inspection Team members have deployed en masse to Xijing, and Hou Wei is one of them.

He was once one of the highest-ranked Martial Arts Hall students; now, having barely reached Body Technique Level 7, he has fallen far behind, but because he is Chen Yi's "Disciple," his trust level is high enough that he can always follow at his side.

At a time like this, trust level is an important reference value.

The elevator door opened, and the sound of laughter and noise from inside the room was immediately audible.

No matter how good the soundproofing facilities, faced with high-decibel girl screams, they can only show helplessness.

Cat-eyes at both ends of the corridor had people observing; seeing it was Chen Yi, they did not retreat.

"Master, I'll knock." Hou Wei tried hard to read the situation.

Chen Yi flicked a finger against his skull, saying, "Call me Hall Master."

"Yes." Hou Wei rubbed the sore spot, smiling happily as he went to press the doorbell. In the Martial Arts Hall, not many people have the qualification to be flicked on the forehead.

"Ding-dong."

"Ding-dong!"

After two clear laughs, the laughter and noise inside the room abruptly stopped.

"Who is it?" A timid voice came from behind the door.

Hou Wei answered habitually: "It is Lord Chen Yi."

The address "Lord" is the most fitting in the West Continent, especially when the other party's noble rank and identity are unclear; it is the height of politeness. Hou Wei had grown used to this form of address and, having just arrived in Xijing, hadn't managed to change it.

The timid girl behind the door fell silent; the living room erupted in giggles, and another clear-voiced girl shouted, "Lord Chen Yi graces us with his presence — what for?"

Chen Yi smiled faintly, finding it interesting instead.

Hou Wei glanced sideways, saw Chen Yi wasn't angry, and thought: Good thing the Hall Master's mood is good.

Turning his head, he switched tones and shouted: "Hello, can you open the door and talk?"

"Oh, okay." The timid voice replied, and the door locks clattered.

"Security awareness is really not bad. You're like you built a bunker inside a hotel." Chen Yi heard at least three locks; when the door opened, the first thing he saw was still two female bodyguards.

"Lord Chen Yi! We're defending against a barbarian invasion." A girl in a fiery red dress jumped out, smiling as she performed a ceremonial greeting, then hugged the chubby girl next to her and let out "giggle-giggle" foolish laughs, like a proud hen that just laid three eggs at once.

Chen Yi said helplessly: "Is Han Jie here?"

"The moment you came, she ran off."

"Oh."

"Do you know why?" The girl in the fiery red dress grew curious instead.

Chen Yi shook his head faintly.

When he doesn't speak, even people like Grand Knight Silva have to wait silently before him; what have these girls been through? They couldn't even get out their hee-hee-haha jokes.

A girl who looked like a middle schooler tugged the fiery red dress, whispering: "Min Hui, let's go back to the room."

"What's there to be afraid of." The girl in the fiery red dress forced out a sentence, and truly left.

The others naturally followed with full force; in a moment, the living room that originally had over a dozen girls was left with only Chen Yi and Hou Wei.

"Hall Master, guess what they're doing?" Hou Wei couldn't sit still after a while.

Chen Yi didn't make a sound.

"Is it like on TV, a lingerie party or something?" Hou Wei talked to himself: "I'm sure it is; otherwise, what's so fun about over a dozen people hiding in a room?"

"Maybe it's just to hide from you." Chen Yi saw clearly, though.

Storm clouds gather before the mountain rain. The struggles of the Cao Family and the He Family are seen by all. In these final moments, keeping their children at home isn't necessarily safe.

He sat idly for three to five minutes, then the girls came swarming out again with hee-hee-haha laughter, red and yellow and green clothes like bees splashed with paint, pouring out in a swarm.

Han Jie changed into a pale purple evening dress, with a sparkling black pearl necklace around her neck. Her hair was meticulously styled, the strands floating in midair adding to her noble bearing.

Chen Yi naturally stood up, walked to the far end of the living room, and waited with hands clasped.

"Han Jie is pretty, right? Stunned, aren't you!" The girl in fiery red clothes disrupted the tacit atmosphere in the room with an exaggerated tone.

Chen Yi didn't know whether to laugh or cry; a beautiful feeling truly is for private enjoyment.

The girls clamored in a chaotic mess, like a Vienna slaughterhouse. Once the hundred-plus square meter living room got noisy, the volume truly rivaled a stadium.

Han Jie adorably wrinkled her nose, smiling before speaking to Chen Yi: "We're all locked in the hotel, everyone's so bored we can only entertain ourselves. Min Hui has been stuck for two days, she's about to die of anxiety."

Although it seemed like she was explaining the girls' situation, her words still revealed no small amount of information. Two days ago was when the gold theft case occurred; Min Hui was confined to the hotel then, showing the Min family's assessment of the situation.

The Min family also belongs to the Han faction; they are a mainstream power in the capital. Since they made that judgment yet chose to wait and see, it naturally also indicates their attitude.

Perhaps absolute neutrality, perhaps neutrality leaning toward the Chen family — in any case, it falls under the category of a pleasantly unexpected outcome.

Such a meticulous and subtle explanation is not something Chen Yi could produce.

He looked at Han Jie with surprise and seriousness, asking crudely: "You thought to avoid trouble two days ago already?"

A conversation full of tacit understanding instantly turned into a vulgar political negotiation.

Han Jie had no choice but to nod heavily.

Chen Yi instantly felt the pleasure of casting pearls before swine, and laughed out loud.

Min Hui wouldn't let up verbally: "You looked pretty cool when you weren't smiling, but smiling is so boring; you don't understand restraint at all."

A group of rich young ladies jeered with drawn-out "Oh"s.

Locked up for a day, truly enough to drive someone to death by anxiety.

If they knew the culprit behind their forced confinement was Chen Yi, it definitely wouldn't just be jeering.

Chen Yi shook his head, decisively ignoring the fiery red extroverted girl, addressing only Han Jie: "Is it safe for you staying in the hotel?"

"If there's no major incident, then of course it's safe."

"Good then, if there's nothing going on, I'll just leave." Chen Yi was preparing to escape.

Han Jie didn't get a chance to speak before Min Hui shouted arrogantly: "Don't think about running, we're just short a barbecue boy, come help quick."

She actively dragged Chen Yi toward the balcony.

Although the hotel doesn't allow barbecuing, given this group of young ladies' face, what rule cannot be changed? At worst we burn down the hotel.

"Min Hui, Chen Yi is busy." Han Jie mediated from the side.

Min Hui planted her hands on her hips, fiercely pointing at Chen Yi: "Are you that busy? An hour round trip to the hotel, and you don't even have time to barbecue?"

Chen Yi smiled wryly. He truly wasn't busy; after the preliminary work was done, the capital's situation was no longer something he could control. How far things could go was the Chen Clan's collective game; by now even the old master couldn't change much.

The world turns on its own; only when results manifest do people suddenly realize.

"Alright, where to barbecue?"

"The balcony, the balcony!" Min Hui seemed to have won a round, jumping up.

Actually it was truly too boring.

It's called a balcony but is practically the size of the living room, and mostly recessed into the wall. No fewer swimming pools and flower beds; on the artificial turf sat barbecue racks and a fridge, all sorts of seasonings fully stocked — swap in a competent chef and the food would rival the hotel kitchen.

Actually, the barbecuing here is mostly operated by the hotel kitchen.

"Know how to use it? Practice with burgers, my chicken wings absolutely cannot go to waste." Min Hui circled Chen Yi concernedly.

"I'll help." Han Jie swapped her necklace. Her evening dress was a short skirt style, no more complex than an ordinary skirt suit.

Chen Yi stopped her, smiling: "Just let Hou Wei help."

Finished speaking he waved his hand, saying: "Move the grill rack to face the direction, toward the south."

"Oh." Hou Wei, Body Technique Level 7, nothing much in the martial arts hall, but placed outside is already a strongman's existence; he alone moved the heavy barbecue rack away.

Only then did Chen Yi operate it himself, eyes gazing at that stretch of low buildings in the distance.

Han Jie said concernedly: "If you're busy tonight, don't mind us."

"Same here." Chen Yi guessed this might be Grandpa's purpose. A group of rich young ladies guarding him — not only safe, but also the best witnesses.

Since Xi Tan returned to Xijing, who knows how many people are watching Chen Yi.

Him coming here instead disperses the other side's attention.

In the distance, the pitch-black mountain ranges, like a witness, looked down upon the various buildings scattered across central Xijing.

……(Unfinished. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian. com) to vote recommendation tickets, monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)