Chapter 92 A Plan to Turn the Tide

Jiang Mingyue called the hotel's duty manager and asked him to investigate the customer service staff who came to clean the room today, or to provide the corridor surveillance footage.

The duty manager's surname is Huang. Since this matter concerns hotel safety, Manager Huang took it very seriously and immediately launched an investigation. He also upgraded Jiang Mingyue to a deluxe suite free of charge.

"Ms. Jiang, I am very sorry for what happened. Our hotel will definitely not shirk its responsibility and will do its best to help you find out the truth."

“Manager Huang, I’m not one to make things difficult for people. Upgrading to a deluxe suite is just a temporary solution for me. The room key can be stolen at any time.”

Jiang Mingyue sat upright on the sofa without moving, giving the hotel half an hour to investigate. If there was still no conclusion after half an hour, she would choose to call the police or provide the hotel with a list of all its employees.

Manager Huang's biggest fear is dealing with difficult and persistent customers. Calling the police is definitely not an option, as it would affect other customers, cause rumors to spread online, and have unimaginable consequences.

He dared not offend Jiang Mingyue, even though this female celebrity had retired from the entertainment industry. She was still active on trending topics and had a huge fan base. If not handled properly, it would have a significant impact on the hotel's public image.

Manager Huang patiently smiled and said kind words, and immediately dispatched the housekeeping manager to thoroughly investigate the matter, while he himself went to the monitoring room.

Half an hour later, Manager Huang stood in front of Jiang Mingyue with a look of shame on his face.

The security cameras in the corridor on the floor where Jiang Mingyue is located have been broken for two days and haven't been fixed yet.

Today, Liu Fang, the customer service manager, cleaned her room. When important clients stay at the hotel, Liu Fang usually cleans the room herself, while she learns from the two new staff members.

Liu Fang and the other two testified to each other and swore that they would never do anything that violated professional ethics, or they would be struck by lightning.

Jiang Mingyue carefully examined the faces of Liu Fang and the other two, believed their story, and waved for them to leave first so as not to delay their shift.

Manager Huang breathed a sigh of relief and continued the communication, "Ms. Jiang, there are about a hundred employees in the hotel. Some employees work day shifts and some work night shifts. It's not realistic to call them all over to check now."

"Look, it's getting late. Why don't you rest first, and we'll continue the investigation tomorrow morning?"

Jiang Mingyue had anticipated this outcome; nothing could be found.

From the hotel's perspective, Manager Huang's approach of trying to quell the matter was not wrong, but since it concerned her personal safety, she was very dissatisfied with the investigation results.

While Manager Huang was investigating the surveillance footage, Jiang Mingyue searched for Langham Hotel online and looked up its background.

Langham Hotel is a luxury five-star hotel, and the legal representative listed on its business license is Du Manlin.

It is worth noting that Du Manlin was Ren Zhongtian's first wife.

When they subdued that evil spirit in Huai County, Yan Qian talked to her about the secrets of Ren Kai's second uncle.

Ren Zhongtian and Du Manlin had a son. When the child was fifteen, he discovered Ren Zhongtian's extramarital affair. On his way to school, he was in a daze and got into a car accident. Although he was rescued in time, he became a vegetable.

Du Manlin divorced Ren Zhongtian as a result.

Jiang Mingyue had previously asked Manager Huang for information on the hotel staff, but Manager Huang explained that it involved citizens' privacy rights and that she could not access it.

If that's the case, then don't blame her for making a big deal out of it.

Manager Huang waited anxiously in place, his heart pounding with unease as Jiang Mingyue remained silent.

Oh dear, the worst thing is if this lady doesn't respond. If she does respond, we can still talk. If the luxury suite isn't enough, there's the presidential suite. Everything is negotiable.

If all else fails, they can apply to higher authorities for a full waiver of room fees.

After a moment, Jiang Mingyue looked up at Manager Huang and said, "Time waits for no one. After tonight, all the evidence may be gone. I'm sorry to keep you from getting off work."

Under Manager Huang's wide-eyed gaze, Jiang Mingyue calmly made a phone call to the police, and then contacted Yan Qian.

On the other end of the phone, Yan Qian seemed to be in the middle of a social engagement. "Hello? Good evening, Miss Jiang. What can I do for you?"

Jiang Mingyue said directly, "Mr. Yan, I'm in room 1018 of the Langham Hotel. Someone has planted a hidden camera in my room. Would it be convenient for you to come over?"

Yan Qian and Jiang Mingyue had worked together three times, and their tacit understanding was already very strong. She and Tang Huang had just watched a concert, so it was obvious that she came to him instead of Tang Huang. It was clear that this matter was somewhat related to him.

He readily agreed, "It's convenient, I'll be right there."

Without Jiang Mingyue giving him any special instructions over the phone, he kidnapped his second uncle.

Uncle Yan is a professional civil litigator, with a record of nine wins and one loss, earning him the nickname "the devil's nightmare." Uncle Yan was on his way to play cards when his nephew intercepted him as he descended the stairs.

The club was crowded and noisy. Once outside the main gate, Yan Qian told them, "Jiang Mingyue has run into trouble at the Langham Hotel. I'd like to trouble you to accompany me."

Just as Uncle Yan was about to tease her, he suddenly remembered the owner of the Langham Hotel, and his smile vanished. "I haven't been drinking. I'll drive. I can't keep Miss Jiang waiting."

Yan Qian: "I didn't drink either."

Uncle Yan gave him a disdainful look. "Your driving skills are terrible."

Yan Qian: "..." He felt that he had detected another meaning in his words.

Fifteen minutes later, the police officers from the local police station arrived at almost the same time as Yan Qian.

When Jiang Mingyue saw that Yan Qian had brought along members of the Yan family who looked similar to him, a hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes, but then she regained her composure.

As luck would have it, Uncle Yan had met the two police officers before, and he immediately greeted them, saying, "Excuse me, officers, we meet again."

One of the men was older and surnamed Wu.

Uncle Wu nodded to Uncle Yan, then looked at Jiang Mingyue, who had called the police, and asked her routine question, "Miss Jiang, what is your relationship with these two?"

Before Yan Qian could speak, Jiang Mingyue blinked, her eyes reddening, looking as if she was about to cry.

She reached up and supported her forehead. "President Yan is my friend. I'm a stranger in Beijing, and I'm really scared to have encountered such a big thing. I don't even dare to sleep."

The implication is that they were afraid of being bullied by the Langham Hotel, so they sought help from the Yan family.

Yan Qian took the opportunity to explain, "My second uncle is Miss Jiang's lawyer."

Manager Huang, standing to the side, was left speechless, unable to express his bitterness.

Why is Miss Jiang suddenly so weak and unable to take care of herself?! Where did her murderous look go?!

Uncle Yan gave Yan Qian a meaningful look. As expected of a female star, the young girl's acting was really good.

Yan Qian pretended not to see it.

Manager Huang deliberately brought up a sore spot, "But it was Mr. Tang who booked the room for Miss Jiang..."

Under Jiang Mingyue's dark gaze, Manager Huang swallowed the rest of his words.

Jiang Mingyue sat up a little straighter. "Teacher Tang is also my friend, but I've already troubled him for three days, so I'm really embarrassed to bother him again tonight."

Uncle Wu knew that Miss Jiang had many friends, but the Yan family was definitely the ones who could really influence people in Beijing.

"Ms. Jiang, let's get back to the main point. Besides discovering the pinhole..."

An hour later, Jiang Mingyue checked out and left with Yan Qian, while Uncle Yan stayed behind to continue negotiations with the Langham Hotel.

Jiang Mingyue's demand is simple: if the Langham Hotel cannot find the culprit, then it must publicly apologize to her.

In the back seat of the black van, Jiang Mingyue sent a message to Tang Huang informing him of what had just happened.

Fearing that Don Juan might overthink things, she added, "This matter is complicated, involving the Ren family's early investments in Huai County. I broke the Ren family's feng shui arrangement, and Jinghua Group acquired the Ren family's mess. Yan Qian is the most suitable person to step in."

Don Juan, being sensible, immediately replied, "Okay, I won't interfere. Do you need me to rearrange your hotel?"

Even knowing that Yan Qian was there and that he didn't need to worry about changing hotels, Don Juan still had to inquire, since it was he who arranged the Langham Hotel.

She got into trouble at the Langham Hotel, and he is partly to blame.

Jiang Mingyue replied to him, "No need, I'm going back to my master's place, Mao'er Hutong. It's a safe place with guards on duty."

Don Juan was surprised to find guards in Mao'er Hutong behind the ancient city, which showed that Jiang Mingyue's master was no ordinary person.

It was indeed safer there than the hotel. He didn't say anything more, only replying "okay".

A luxury villa in the suburbs of Beijing.

The villa's female owner, holding a glass of red wine, slumped onto the sofa. "What's there to be afraid of? Public apology? Dream on. We'll just find a scapegoat tomorrow."

The vice president on the other end of the phone sounded very uneasy. "Chairman Du, but Jiang Mingyue has hired the second son of the Yan family as her lawyer. Yan Baixun is not someone you can easily fool."

Upon hearing that Yan Baixun had also gotten involved, Du Manlin frowned immediately. The second son of the Yan family was a madman who wouldn't stop until he got a piece of meat.

"Find a reliable scapegoat, don't give yourself away, and give him a good amount of money."

Before the vice president could reply, Du Manlin hung up the phone and looked at the old man across the sofa.

“Old Qian, you’ve suspected the wrong person. If Jiang Mingyue were really that capable, why would she need the Yan family’s help tonight? She would have come directly to our door.”

The old man was wearing a gray long gown, with white hair and thin cheeks. His left eye was cloudy and he could not see. His face was gloomy.

“Your nephew’s secretary said that she broke my feng shui arrangement, so he wouldn’t dare to lie to me.”

Ren Kai's secretary was indeed someone who dared not lie; he was greedy for money and had no backbone.

Du Manlin still couldn't believe it. How could Jiang Mingyue, a retired female celebrity, who was so young, possibly have such great abilities?

The incredible legends about her circulating online are likely all exaggerated.

Besides, knowing incantation techniques is nothing special; it's just a folk remedy.

But she couldn't afford to break ties with Mr. Qian; he was a stubborn man, and there was still something she could use him for.

"Mr. Qian, now that the feng shui arrangement has been broken and Biyue Garden has been bought by Jinghua Group, is there still a chance for Xiaoxiao to wake up?"

When Ren Xiao was mentioned, the old man's face turned frosty. "Don't worry, Madam Ren, I will continue to do what I promised you. However, at this critical juncture, I must find Jiang Mingyue's weakness, otherwise she will ruin my grand plan again."

Seeing this, Du Manlin pondered for a moment and said, "Please tell me what you need me to do, and I will do my best to do it."

The old man looked up and said, "Find a way to take Jiang Mingyue to the Ren family."

Old Master Ren had dealt with Old Master Qian before and trusted him quite a bit, so Old Master Qian could visit the Ren family at any time.

At this point, Du Manlin paused, having come up with an idea, but she didn't rule it out completely, saying, "Let me think of something."

Yan Qian parked his car in a parking space not far from Mao'er Hutong, and got out to take Jiang Mingyue to Mao'er Hutong.

"You mean the feng shui master behind Ren Zhongtian is behind this, and Du Manlin is involved too?"

At 10:30 p.m., most of the shops on the street had already closed, and only a few pedestrians hurried by.

Firstly, Jiang Mingyue has offended very few people recently, and secondly, she noticed that someone had been to the abandoned cemetery next to the Sanshui River.

"I don't believe that the surveillance cameras in the corridors of a five-star hotel like Langham could be out of service for two days. At least I'm sure this wasn't done by my obsessive fans."

It was definitely not her sasaeng fans who did it, Yan Qian agreed with this point. After all, before she officially retired from the entertainment industry, even actress Hai Wei had confronted her to her face, not to mention other haters. Although the haters disliked her, they wouldn't be stupid enough to stalk her.

"Even if they don't make a move in Beijing, they'll make a move in Huai County. What do you plan to do?"

"Use their plan against them."

Yan Qian immediately understood that if this plan failed tonight, they would come up with another one. Rather than waiting to be killed, he might as well go with the flow.

“Miss Jiang, in the end you are still implicated because of me, I apologize to you.”

Under the streetlights, Yan Qian solemnly apologized to Jiang Mingyue again.

Jiang Mingyue shook her head, "President Yan, this has nothing to do with you. You just happened to want to buy the land in Biyue Garden. I promised my fans first."

Yan Qian understood, but even so, he still had to make a statement.

He suddenly realized that the tension between him and her was no longer palpable, which was a good sign.

However, she still has a long way to go before she can achieve the same intimate relationship as Don Juan.

The road ahead is long and arduous.

As they talked, they soon arrived at Mao'er Hutong.

The guard at No. 63 Mao'er Hutong has changed.

Aunt Wang said that the guards usually get off work until 2 a.m. and other guards come to relieve them at 5 a.m. They sleep in the guard room in the front yard.

Yan Qian initially thought her master's friend lived in an ordinary family in Mao'er Hutong, but she didn't expect it to be this family.

He looked at Jiang Mingyue meaningfully, "Miss Jiang, is your master's friend the master of traditional Chinese painting, Teacher Qin?"

Yan Qian knew the owner of number 63, which didn't surprise Jiang Mingyue. They, as members of high society, had some connections with celebrities.

"Yes, it's Teacher Qin Xue."

On the way out of the hotel, Yan Qian invited her to stay at the Jinghua Hotel, but she declined. She briefly told Yan Qian that she was learning embroidery from a double-sided embroidery teacher in Huai County.

Her master lives in Mao'er Hutong; just take her there.

"That's quite a coincidence. Do you know who Teacher Qin's grandson is?"

Teacher Qin's grandson.

Jiang Mingyue turned to look at Yan Qian, "It couldn't possibly be you."

Yan Qian chuckled, "That definitely wouldn't be me. You know this person too."

Now it was Jiang Mingyue's turn to be surprised. She really couldn't imagine that among the people she knew, there was one who was Qin Xue's grandson.

"Mr. Yan, stop keeping me in suspense and just tell me. I'm too lazy to guess."

"Captain Meng of the Lingcheng Criminal Police Brigade."

Jiang Mingyue: "!"

This was the first time Yan Qian had seen a look of discomfiture on Jiang Mingyue's face, and he felt a surge of satisfaction. He hadn't expected that there would be things she couldn't have guessed.

Jiang Mingyue snapped out of her daze and frowned deeply. She had seen the photo of Qin Xue and her daughter, and Captain Meng didn't look like his mother at all.

"Is Mr. Yan sure? I've seen photos of Teacher Qin's daughter; she doesn't look like Captain Meng at all."

She could tell at a glance whether they were mother and son.

"Captain Meng is the child that Aunt Qin adopted. Aunt Qin was married to her ex-husband for three years but could not get pregnant, so she adopted a child. Her ex-husband cheated on her and did not want the child, so Aunt Qin raised him by her side."

"After Captain Meng was admitted to university, Aunt Qin married the junior who had been pursuing her for many years. Fearing gossip, the two of them went abroad to settle down."

I see.

Captain Meng seems to be everywhere.

It turns out there was such a complicated story behind it all. Now that I think about it, Teacher Qin is really all alone. But it's alright, she has her as her apprentice now.

Yan Qian dropped the person off and left, agreeing to contact them by phone the next day.

The new guard must have been informed in advance, because upon seeing Jiang Mingyue, he took the initiative to greet her, "Good evening, Miss Jiang."

Jiang Mingyue smiled and said thank you for your hard work, then pressed her fingerprint to open the door and went inside.

The courtyard was lit, and she made her way to the second courtyard, where she could still hear voices coming from the main house.

Afraid of startling them, Jiang Mingyue stood in the courtyard and called out, "Masters, I'm here."

Hearing the commotion, Shao Quan and Qin Xue hurriedly opened the window and saw Jiang Mingyue standing in the yard with a backpack. They were startled and then rushed out of the main house to greet her.

"Mingyue, why are you here so late? What happened?"

Shao Quan stepped forward and circled around Jiang Mingyue. "Mingyue, did someone bully you?"

Jiang Mingyue didn't mention the Ren family, only saying that she was followed by obsessive fans at the hotel, and the fans hid in her room, so she dared not stay in hotels anymore.

Qin Xue clutched her chest and exclaimed in horror, "Then you really can't stay in a hotel. Don't worry, nobody dares to come here, so feel free to stay here."

Shao Quan nodded in agreement, "Yes, there are guards outside. If they dare to follow us, they'll be caught red-handed."

Qin Xue held Jiang Mingyue's hand. "Aunt Wang has already made up your room and bed this afternoon, just waiting for you to come over on Saturday afternoon. It's perfect that you're here now. Come on, I'll take you there."

The two masters accompanied Jiang Mingyue to the east wing opposite the restaurant, the room closest to the east side room.

The room is fully furnished with all the necessary furniture and cabinets, and is clean and tidy. The bedding and sheets are all new, and it even has its own shower room.

Jiang Mingyue kept praising him.

Qin Xue smiled as she stepped into the shower room and continued to introduce the toiletries to Jiang Mingyue, "Mingyue, these toiletries are all new and unopened. You can just open them and use them when you want to take a shower."

Jiang Mingyue was quite satisfied with the temporary accommodation. "Okay, I understand. Thank you, Master. You two go and rest. I can manage on my own."

Shao Quan and Qin Xue left together. Since they were in the same courtyard, they could hear each other if anything happened.

It was getting late, so Jiang Mingyue quickly washed up, then turned off the lights and went to sleep.

The next day, she got up early on time. Before her two masters woke up, she tiptoed out of the house and started jogging along the alley.

One morning, a netizen on his way to work saw her jogging, and out of curiosity, took out his phone to take a picture of her, which was then posted online.

"How lucky! It turns out Sister Jiang also lives in Mao'er Hutong. She's already jogging early this morning."