The receptionist spoke with a soft, gentle Shanghai accent, but her eyes were sharp, as if she were already treating her like a class enemy.
"See, I told you, you can't stay in a hotel without a letter of introduction." A Lei appeared behind her with a grin. Seeing him, Qin Xiaoyu was annoyed, but for some reason, she felt relieved.
"Sir, would you like to check in?" The receptionist abandoned Qin Xiaoyu and focused on dealing with A Lei.
“Look, I have a letter of introduction.” Are showed off, spreading the letter of introduction on the marble countertop.
"Okay, I'll process your paperwork right away." The receptionist said with a smile.
“Sorry, I don’t stay here. I’m just watching how many hotels will reject this lady.” A Lei put away the letter of introduction and looked at Qin Xiaoyu smugly.
"Childish!" Qin Xiaoyu huffed and dragged her suitcase out.
Although food was delivered from the dining car after A Lei left the sleeper compartment, and she ate her fill before disembarking, her stomach was still acting up after all that trouble, growling louder and louder.
She decided to feed herself first before looking for a place to stay.
Her favorite food used to be crab roe noodles, but they were too expensive for her to eat often. Now she could finally indulge. She made sure to bring plenty of cash with her before leaving home, determined not to deprive herself.
She found a small but quaint shop, and it was pleasing to the eye as soon as she entered.
Seeing her petite frame, she ordered a bowl of crab roe noodles, another bowl of crab meat noodles, and two drunken crabs. The waiter's eyes seemed to be filled with warnings about the shame of wasting food.
Southerners find it difficult to objectively understand the gluttony of northerners.
Now that Qin Xiaoyu is all alone, she feels thick-skinned and doesn't care about what others think. She ignores the waiter's gaze and insists on ordering.
Autumn is the perfect time to enjoy crabs, and the crab roe and meat filling are plentiful, making the first bite amazing.
After finishing the bowl, she finally understood that this was the legendary case of having big eyes but a small stomach; she simply couldn't eat any more.
"Thank you, I'm hungry too." A Lei, like a persistent ghost, served her the crab noodles right in front of her.
"Hey! What are you doing!" Qin Xiaoyu reached out to grab it.
"You've been eating me all this way, and now I can't even have a bowl of noodles from you? Are you even human?" A Lei said rudely, and Qin Xiaoyu chickened out again.
She focused on the drunken crabs; although there were only two small ones, they were plump and tasted just right, not too sweet.
Qin Xiaoyu paid the bill and left. She was determined not to pay any attention to A Lei. If she stuck on this scoundrel, she would have to peel off a layer of skin when she took it off.
She checked into two more hotels, realizing that finding a place to stay was out of the question. The temperature in Shanghai was just right now, though it might get a little cooler at night; she had a coat in her suitcase.
As she traveled south, she took off her clothes along the way, from her coat to her sweater and then to her thin skirt, but thankfully she was well-equipped.
She glanced at the benches on the Bund. If she really couldn't find a place to stay, she would just have to spend the night there. Wearing a coat shouldn't be a problem.
A Lei's patience was limited; after following for a while longer, he disappeared. Although Qin Xiaoyu was dragging her suitcase, women don't feel tired when they're shopping.
As dusk fell, she ate some snacks and then found a bench to sit down.
Across the river was Pudong, still pitch black. The high-rise buildings along the Bund, decorated with small lights, were gradually lighting up, finally giving it the appearance of a metropolis.
Qin Xiaoyu put on her coat; the night breeze was a bit chilly, especially by the river.
She was surrounded by couples, some embracing, some holding hands, whispering sweet nothings.
She was all alone, walking by herself, and looked exceptionally lonely.
As the full moon slowly rose, Qin Xiaoyu's eyes gradually welled up with tears. Was she destined to walk alone in this life?
Suddenly there seemed to be a commotion not far away. Two young men ran quickly past her bench, followed by several people wearing red armbands.
Qin Xiaoyu instinctively hugged her suitcase tighter; it seemed the neighborhood wasn't very safe.
"There's one here!" The people running behind spotted Qin Xiaoyu. Two people broke away from the group and walked past her.
Qin Xiaoyu was a little nervous and sat up straight.
"Comrade, please show your letter of introduction." Someone shone a large flashlight rudely into Qin Xiaoyu's face, and she closed her eyes briefly.
"I lost my letter of introduction," Qin Xiaoyu had no choice but to lie.
"Lost it? What other documents do you have?" The men became wary.
"I don't have any other documents, that's why I can't stay in a hotel. It's so cold here," Qin Xiaoyu said in a low voice, knowing that showing weakness was an advantage now.
"Come with us!" one of them said, rushing over to grab Qin Xiaoyu's suitcase.
Her heart sank, and she suddenly felt a little scared. Although these men were wearing red armbands with the name of security guards, they didn't look like regular security personnel.
What if they take her somewhere that could be detrimental to her?
"I think I'll find a hotel." Qin Xiaoyu protected her suitcase.
"You don't have a letter of introduction, no one will dare to take you in. Come with us!" The man was strong and snatched the suitcase in the blink of an eye.
"Give it back to me! I'm not going!" Qin Xiaoyu shouted anxiously.
"Please move aside." Are appeared at just the right time.
"Who are you?" The security guard's eyes lit up when he saw the man and woman. He had arrested most people for indecent behavior on the Bund, and this couple seemed to have a history.
“I’m her friend. She lost her letter of introduction, but I didn’t. Look,” A Lei said, handing over the letter of introduction.
"This needs to be taken back for verification." The security guard casually stuffed the letter of introduction into his pocket, intending to take A Lei with him as well. Qin Xiaoyu was relieved to see that he had been dragged into this mess.
"No need to check anymore, take a look at this." A Lei took something out of his pocket and tossed it to the nearest security guard.
This is the hotel door key, with a number plate showing the room number and hotel name.
"Peace Hotel, Room 62!" the security guard said, and as if the key were burning his hand, he immediately shoved it into A Lei's hand.
Before Qin Xiaoyu could even process what was happening, those people had already disappeared.
"What is that?" Qin Xiaoyu felt refreshed every time she saw A Lei slap someone's face in different ways. As long as he didn't hit her face, it didn't matter how he did it.
“This is the hotel room key. If you don’t come with me, I won’t come out to get you. Just stay here and wait for something to happen. Maybe tomorrow there will be another floating corpse in the Huangpu River.” A Lei walked towards Nanjing Road without looking back.
Qin Xiaoyu wanted to stay, but when she looked back, there was no one around. The moment the security guards rushed in, everyone had already run away. She didn't have the courage to stay alone, staring at the dark river.
But is the Peace Hotel really that easy to stay in? Who knows what kind of trouble A Lei is up to this time?
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