Chapter 27: The Hotelier

It was late at night. Lin Ting had been restless for half the night, and just as she finally managed to drift off, she was jolted awake by a piercing scream.

In the darkness, she opened her eyes abruptly, wondering for a moment if the sound had been part of a dream. But soon, the cry rang out again. It was a young woman, screaming for help. The hotel’s soundproofing was excellent, so the fact that she could hear the desperate shouting meant the person was very close to her room.

Another scream followed. Lin Ting climbed out of bed, grabbed a jacket, and headed for the door as she pulled it on. She stepped out into the hallway.

At the entrance to the neighboring room, a young woman in a hotel uniform lay on the floor, struggling to crawl away while someone inside the room pulled at her. When the woman caught sight of Lin Ting, she didn't hesitate to plead for help: "Save me! Please, save me!"

Lin Ting rushed over immediately. The man inside, clutching the woman’s ankle, growled, "Get back in here! What are you screaming about? It’s not like I won't treat you well."

Lin Ting kicked him away and quickly pulled the woman to her feet. The girl was terrified, her legs trembling so violently she couldn't stand. As Lin Ting helped her up, she stumbled again. Lin Ting supported her firmly, practically carrying her a few steps away from the room.

The man scrambled out after them. "Stop right there! Who the hell are you? How dare you interfere with my business!"

The girl shuddered even harder at the sound of his voice. Lin Ting ignored him and continued guiding the girl toward her own room. Seeing he was being disregarded, the man lunged forward.

"Stand steady," Lin Ting said, pushing the girl toward the wall. The girl grabbed the wall to steady herself.

Lin Ting turned and caught the man’s outstretched hand. Just as she prepared to exert force, he quickly broke free and threw a punch with his other hand. Lin Ting dodged to the side and countered with an elbow strike, which he managed to block.

Lin Ting, already irritable from being woken up, felt her annoyance deepen. She frowned, clenched her fists, and unleashed a rapid flurry of strikes—one, two, three. Elbows, punches, knee strikes, and a side kick sent the man reeling. He staggered back, regained his footing, and immediately assumed a fighting stance.

At that moment, two men in black emerged from the room across from the man’s. They were clearly his bodyguards.

"Little girl, stop meddling in things that don't concern you, or you’ll end up in trouble," the man warned. "There are some things you simply cannot handle."

Lin Ting didn't want to waste breath on him and moved forward. The two bodyguards stepped in to block her path. In three minutes, Lin Ting had neutralized both of them.

The man charged again. The girl, leaning against the wall, finally regained some composure and ran into Lin Ting’s room to call the front desk, reporting that someone was causing trouble on their floor.

As Lin Ting pinned the man against the wall and landed two punches to his face, the hotel security team arrived. Over a dozen guards rushed toward them.

"Get her!" the man commanded.

With that single order, the head of the security team and his men moved to attack Lin Ting. The security staff at the Interstellar Hotel were all rigorously screened and were no mere figureheads; each one was highly capable in a fight.

The girl, hiding in the room, grew even more terrified. She had intended to help, but felt she had only made things worse. Watching from the doorway, she saw Lin Ting take down the guards one by one. Scanning the room, she grabbed a vase, ran over, and hurled it at one of the guards. Regardless of whether it hit its mark, she dashed back, grabbed a desk lamp, threw it, and retreated again. On her third trip out, she grabbed a bronze statue and struck one of the guards in the foot. Realizing she could actually contribute, she began throwing items with renewed vigor.

Lin Ting snatched a collapsible baton from one guard and struck the leader across the legs. Just then, Wei Zhishu and Fang Cheng emerged from the other side and began engaging the remaining guards.

Lin Ting kicked the leader aside and caught sight of Shang Moting behind Wei and Fang. The three of them looked as though they had just returned from outside. What were they doing out in the middle of the night?

Lin Ting downed another guard. The remaining ones turned their attention to Wei and Fang. She glanced at Shang Moting through the fray, then looked at the girl beside her. The girl had dragged a chair out of the room and was holding it up with trembling arms, but it was too heavy for her to stand steady.

Lin Ting reached out to help her steady the chair, quipping, "Quite the artistic flair—are you doing a folk dance?"

The girl looked at her, embarrassed. Lin Ting set the chair down, noticed the girl’s torn uniform, and draped her own jacket over her shoulders.

"Thank you," the girl whispered, head bowed. "I called security, but I think I just made things worse."

Lin Ting said nothing, instead asking, "Were you on duty tonight?"

The girl nodded. "He called the front desk and asked for some water. When I brought it up, he wouldn't let me leave."

"Mr. Shang? You're staying here?" the man interrupted, his tone shifting.

Lin Ting looked over. Wei Zhishu and Fang Cheng had finished off most of the guards. Shang Moting stared at the man.

The man bowed slightly before Shang. "I’m Song Zhiyuan. We met at the Lu family’s residence last month. I didn't expect to run into you here."

Shang Moting looked at him. "What happened to your face?"

"Just a little scuffle with a brat. Nothing to worry about. I’ll contact the hotel owner immediately and have her thrown out tonight," Song said. "I’ll handle this right away; I won't let it disturb your rest."

Shang Moting glanced at Lin Ting. She met his gaze for a second before leading the girl back into her room.

Shang Moting raised an eyebrow. "You know the hotel owner well?"

"He’s a friend of mine," Song replied.

"That’s convenient," Shang said. "Have him come over. I have something to discuss with him."

"Yes, of course," Song said. "I’ll arrange it immediately."

Shang Moting said nothing more and returned to his room. Wei Zhishu and Fang Cheng followed suit.

Song Zhiyuan looked at the men sprawled on the floor and his expression turned vicious. "A bunch of useless trash!"

His bodyguard approached him. "Mr. Song, that girl is very skilled, and she’s staying on the top floor of the Interstellar Hotel. Could she have a background we don't know about?"

"She’s pretty, but who knows whose connections she used to get in here," Song sneered. "Why should we fear her? This is the Interstellar Hotel. In Jiangcheng, this place calls the shots; nobody’s influence matters here."

The bodyguard nodded.

Song touched his split lip and winced. "Damn brat! I’ll strip her and throw her out on the street to teach her the consequences of crossing me. The insolent thing—she’s ruined my night."

"Should we contact Mr. Xiang now?" the bodyguard asked. Xiang Zheng was the general manager of the Jiangcheng Interstellar Hotel.

"It’s too late. We’ll talk tomorrow," Song said.

"But Mr. Shang said he wanted to see Mr. Xiang as well," the bodyguard reminded him.

"Mr. Shang needs to rest. If I bring Xiang Zheng here to knock on Mr. Shang’s door in the middle of the night, am I looking for a death sentence?" Song snapped.

The bodyguard fell silent.

Song clutched his lip and headed back to his room. "Tomorrow morning, I’m going to finish off that brat. It hurts like hell. Go find a first-aid kit!"