After changing my clothes, I glanced at my reflection in the mirror, picked up the hairspray, and styled my hair.
Brother Hui was naturally suspicious, so I had to be careful in every detail.
I called Wen Siqiang to pick me up.
He had been tailing Brother Hui that afternoon, so I wanted to ask him about the situation.
Just then, Lan Ya returned from her errands. Seeing me dressed up, she smiled and asked, "Are you going on a date?"
I replied, "If it were a date, that would be great. I'm going to see Brother Hui, and he doesn't want anyone to accompany me. I have to go alone."
Lan Ya exclaimed in surprise, "Ah! See him? Is it Sheng Hao or Li Hua?"
I said, "Of course, it's Sheng Hao. If he knew I was Li Hua, he'd skin me alive."
Lan Ya looked at me with concern, "Why don't I go with you?"
I said, "Destiny determines life and wealth lies in heaven. If we're going to die, we won't come back alive. Why add another person to the risk? If it's not malicious, your presence might make him suspicious. I'll go alone. Tonight, those people are likely to attack. I've already arranged for Da Kui to cooperate with Wu Laosan to watch your place closely. If I return early, I'll rush over. You don't do anything today. Just stay in the office, assign more security guards, and be prepared. If they break through the defenses, hide in the darkroom. Don't confront them at all. These people are afraid even of Wu Laosan; we are no match for them."
Lan Ya nodded and accompanied me downstairs.
Wen Siqiang had already arrived and honked his horn below.
I asked Lan Ya to check in with Da Kui and Wu Laosan later to finalize the plan and emphasized that they must not be careless.
Lan Ya said, "Don't worry, I understand."
Sitting in the car, I asked Wen Siqiang if he had found out where Brother Hui had gone.
Wen Siqiang said that after Brother Hui and his group left our room, they didn't leave the hotel at all. They went directly to the presidential suite on the top floor, which they had probably booked in advance. Later, Xie Jiabao came down alone from upstairs and left. Afterward, the senior's people dispersed in the lobby to monitor them, and I was able to get away to pick you up.
I nodded. It was probably after Xie Jiabao returned to the factory and found the goods delayed for a long time that he called me.
I nodded. Just as the senior had said, it was better to stay under his nose. These Daoist brothers could take turns watching them.
I checked the time, it was 7:40. I urged Wen Siqiang to hurry a bit. The place Brother Hui had arranged was diagonally opposite to us, one southeast and the other northwest. Time was tight.
Wen Siqiang was already driving fast, but with my urging, he stomped on the accelerator. The car lurched forward and sped off.
Although the roads were not wide back then, and there were few cars, the concept of traffic jams didn't exist. As long as they weren't stopped by the police, they could drive as fast as they wanted.
At 7:55, the car stopped at the entrance of the restaurant. The timing was perfect.
Wen Siqiang asked if I wanted him to go up with me. I shook my head and asked him to wait for me downstairs without turning off the engine, waiting for me to come down.
Wen Siqiang parked the car in a spot from which he could drive away at any moment. I turned and walked into the lobby, asked for the location of the Rose Hall, and a server responded and led me upstairs.
The Rose Hall was on the top floor, the 28th floor of the hotel.
There weren't many tall buildings at that time, and this hotel was the tallest building in Ruili, touted as a landmark.
The elevator was a sightseeing elevator. As the elevator ascended, the entire city unfolded before my eyes.
I never understood why Brother Hui had asked me to meet him so far away.
When I came up, I handed Li Hua's phone to Wen Siqiang and held Sheng Hao's phone.
If Li Hua's phone rang, it would be troublesome.
When I was playing Sheng Hao, my clothes were immaculate, I wore a suit and tie, put on a pair of glasses, and my hair was parted in a three-seven split, with a lock of hair falling on my forehead, presenting the image of a melancholic urban youth.
Li Hua, on the other hand, wore casual clothes, with his hair falling freely, looking like an angry young man.
Except for those who were very familiar with me, people who had only met me a few times would find it difficult to connect these two people.
The elevator stopped at the 28th floor. A young woman waited for the elevator doors to open and blocked them for me, letting me exit first.
The 28th floor was still guest rooms. The sky garden was on the floor above, so I had to take the stairs.
The server gestured for me to take the stairs and accompanied me step by step.
The Rose Hall was at the very end. The entire sky garden was a restaurant, half of which was open-air and the other half private rooms. The entire building had floor-to-ceiling windows, so one could enjoy the view while dining.
As I arrived at the door of the Rose Hall, the server gently knocked and then opened it for me, making a gesture of invitation.
I walked in. Inside, there was a small room with two servers standing there. Seeing me, they shouted in unison, "Welcome," and then bowed ninety degrees.
The server opened the door for me and let me enter.
The first person I saw was Brother Hui, standing by the window looking outside.
I didn't see his bodyguards. There were two other people standing on the other side. Seeing these two people made me more fearful than seeing Brother Hui!
The two gentlemen beside him were both acquaintances of mine.