“Ten million, delivery at XX Hot Spring Resort at eight o’clock three days later. One second late, and the deal is void.” Lu Qingjia made his request.
The other side immediately replied, “Are you kidding? That place has long turned into ruins.”
“Trust in your great abilities, it will definitely be fine.” Lu Qingjia said, “After all, you were able to come and go freely in such terrible weather back then; the difficulty of going up the mountain now can’t be greater than it was then.”
The other side fell completely silent, and Lu Qingjia was not in a hurry.
It wasn’t difficult to trace Mrs. Li’s husband, especially since he had now become a person of importance. It was impossible for him to risk everything for a mere ten million.
Even if he might play tricks on the way, all Lu Qingjia needed was for him to come.
Putting away his smartphone, Lu Qingjia went to the restaurant. At this time, the guests had already taken their seats, and the staff began to serve the dishes one after another.
Due to limited customer flow and high transportation costs, the menu naturally couldn’t compare with those outside.
Tonight, the restaurant was serving Western cuisine, with several set meal options, as well as some slightly more expensive individual dishes and drinks.
However, the kitchen’s skills were quite good, and the guests were all enjoying their meals, creating a pleasant dining atmosphere.
At that moment, a dissatisfied complaint came from a corner of the restaurant by the window—
“I swore to the heavens before coming here that I would be guaranteed something good, and this is what you give me to fool me?”
“There’s nothing I want, just a few options. Am I eating in a fast-food cafeteria?”
“Enough! I’ve had it. I’m going down tomorrow. You really know how to mess up our anniversary.”
After saying this, a graceful figure stood up and left the restaurant, it was Mrs. Li.
Her outburst affected the dining atmosphere in the entire restaurant, and the staff felt quite awkward.
Lu Qingjia approached their table, glanced at the nearly untouched food, and smiled.
He then turned to reassure the other guests and offered each of them a dessert after the meal.
Once the restaurant’s atmosphere finally returned to normal, Lu Qingjia went to the kitchen, and a moment later, he brought a tray upstairs and knocked on Mrs. Li’s room.
At that moment, Mrs. Li was smoking on the balcony. When she opened the door, her expression was still quite sour, but upon seeing Lu Qingjia, her demeanor softened considerably.
Remembering that Lu Qingjia was the manager here, Mrs. Li felt a bit embarrassed: “I’m sorry, I lost my temper just now and didn’t consider the occasion. I caused you trouble.”
Lu Qingjia shook his head: “The menu tonight might not have what you wanted, so I had the kitchen prepare something else.”
The luxurious suite had a small dining area where one could enjoy the snow view while dining. Lu Qingjia set the food down and lifted the cover.
Seeing what was inside, Mrs. Li’s appetite was instantly piqued.
It wasn’t anything extravagant, and it was even less sumptuous than the set meals in the restaurant—just a plate of fried rice, a plate of spicy pig liver that smelled enticing, and a small dish of pickles.
Mrs. Li’s face showed surprise and emotion: “How did you—”
Lu Qingjia smiled: “This afternoon, you mentioned you had a taste for Sichuan cuisine. No matter how much gourmet food you eat from around the world, in the end, nothing beats home-cooked meals.”
“When I was helping you organize your luggage, your passport fell on the floor, and it happened to be the page stamped recently, so I realized you just returned from Europe this morning.”
“And then you rushed over here. Compared to Western cuisine, I figured you must be craving home-cooked dishes.”
Mrs. Li felt both warm and bittersweet upon hearing this. She had been on a business trip abroad, and the first thing she wanted to do upon returning was to have a couple of her favorite hometown dishes.
But she had hurried back to spend her wedding anniversary with her husband, and not only had she chosen a desolate place, but she also hadn’t considered herself at all, preparing nothing.
On the way here, she had specifically mentioned how she had been craving home-cooked meals for over half a month. When she saw the Western cuisine in the restaurant, her mood had completely collapsed.
Mrs. Li sat down and took a bite of the fried rice with the spicy pig liver, and the anxiety and longing of the past few days were instantly relieved, making her want to let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing Lu Qingjia pull out a chair and sit down, Mrs. Li finally couldn’t help but confide—
“Do you think that after getting married, men become indifferent? Or is it that I’m getting older and not attractive enough?”
“Such things are usually not worth discussing with outsiders, but I really— I can clearly feel that my husband is becoming more and more indifferent.”
Lu Qingjia smiled: “How could that be? Truly charming people don’t lose their allure over time; they only reveal different layers of beauty after settling down.”
“You are a beautiful person inside and out; don’t doubt yourself because of others.”
Mrs. Li’s face flushed, and she retorted half-heartedly, “Is everyone in your line of work so sweet-tongued?”
Lu Qingjia shook his head: “It’s not just flattery. Even though you were in a bad mood earlier, you still remembered to leave a tip on the table before you left.”
“Isn’t that to let the kitchen and staff know that it’s not about their service quality?”
Although she had already known he was attentive, Mrs. Li couldn’t help but feel her eyes sting. Just having someone beside her who understood her thoughts was enough to make her feel satisfied.
She couldn’t help but look at this handsome young man. If her previous fondness was merely due to his good looks and attentiveness, now he had truly touched her.
At this moment, Lu Qingjia stood up and smiled: “You must be tired. After your meal, get a good night’s sleep. If you need anything, just call the front desk. I’ll be on night duty tonight.”
Mrs. Li felt a bit disappointed but ultimately didn’t try to keep him. Only a wave of endless regret surged in her heart, as if such light-hearted conversations would no longer exist in the future.
Before leaving, Lu Qingjia specifically reminded her: “By the way, Mrs. Li, the bathroom door lock in this room is broken; it can’t be opened from the inside. If you want to take a shower, remember not to close the door.”
“Okay, thank you.” Mrs. Li’s voice was a bit airy, “It would have been better if I had this reminder before that.”
After saying this, it seemed she didn’t even know what she had just said. She shook her head, regained her composure, and smiled as she bid farewell to Lu Qingjia.
Lu Qingjia closed the door from the outside, confirming the escape rhythm of this game scenario.
It seemed that Mrs. Li and the others in the resort did not die on the same night.
This was expected, as it was clear from the meticulous planning of Mrs. Li’s husband that he hadn’t intended for things to escalate this far.
However, the subsequent blizzard sealed off the mountain, and Mrs. Li’s death triggered other chain reactions, ultimately revealing too many flaws, prompting the other party to simply take drastic measures.
Just a small test earlier confirmed that Mrs. Li’s time of death was much earlier than expected, likely tonight.
Sure enough, after dinner, the guests each enjoyed the hot springs, admired the snow, and went to the bar for drinks. By around eleven o’clock, most of them gradually returned to their rooms.
At that moment, a commotion arose upstairs, and when everyone went up, they learned that Mrs. Li had already died.
By the time Lu Qingjia arrived, the room was already filled with people, including Manager Hao and three staff members, as well as several guests among the players.
It was said that Mrs. Li’s husband had returned from the bar after a few drinks and heard water running in the bathroom, thinking his wife was taking a shower.
But after more than half an hour had passed and she still hadn’t come out, he was in a hurry to use the toilet and opened the door to check.
He found his wife collapsed on the floor, wrapped in a towel, her face purple and swollen in pain, already dead for some time.
At this moment, other players also sensed something was off, and many around them mentioned Mrs. Li’s husband repeatedly, but after looking around, there was no sign of him.
At this time, a customer who claimed to be a doctor examined the scene and concluded: “It’s chemical gas poisoning.”
He then glanced at the bathroom and noticed the overturned cleaning agent on the shelf, which had reacted chemically with the cleaning liquid Mrs. Li had brought herself.
At first glance, this seemed like an accident, as the wind and snow outside had intensified since the evening, blocking signals, and they could only wait for the signal to restore to call the police.
Thus, everyone could only move Mrs. Li’s body to the bed and provide the surrounding guests with empty rooms on other floors before they dispersed, feeling uneasy.
However, Lu Qingjia did not miss the moment when Manager Hao showed a moment of realization upon hearing the doctor’s judgment about the cause of death.
After settling the guests, Lu Qingjia saw Manager Hao coming out of an empty room on the second floor.
He had an excited expression on his face, clearly happy despite the fact that a death had just occurred in the hotel, and the management would surely be held accountable.
Lu Qingjia smiled and called out to him, “Manager Hao, I took a look at the recent purchase orders and inventory this afternoon. That cleaning liquid is a brand you suddenly switched to this month, right?”
“With stock still available in the warehouse, the product you switched to caused the guest’s death.”
Manager Hao’s previously flushed face turned pale instantly, stammering, “Y-you’re slandering me.”
“I-I only changed it because I received numerous complaints from guests saying the previous brand was ineffective.”
Lu Qingjia raised an eyebrow: “Where are the complaint records?”
“What?” Manager Hao panicked, “How would I know? Maybe they lost them.”
Manager Hao was sweating profusely, looking at the new superior in front of him, his earlier excitement completely vanished, and he didn’t even dare to breathe loudly in front of him.
Fortunately, after a moment of silence, the other party seemed to have no intention of pursuing the matter further and smiled at him: “Alright, I was just asking. After all, once the signal is restored, neither of us will escape accountability.”
“I just found your indifferent attitude a bit displeasing; I didn’t mean to blame you.”
Manager Hao smiled awkwardly, thinking that even in such a situation, he wasn’t being blamed? Having experienced this young man’s tenacity, he didn’t dare to say anything unnecessary.
Finally, Lu Qingjia patted his shoulder, implying, “It’s late; you should go rest. Tomorrow, you’ll have to continue playing the role of Mrs. Li’s husband.”
Manager Hao’s face turned even more panicked, his heart racing. He knew the other party couldn’t possibly know the details, but he couldn’t help but feel paranoid.
Watching the other party’s figure disappear down the corridor, Manager Hao’s expression grew increasingly sinister.
The other five players, having noticed useful clues, initially wanted to discuss with Lu Qingjia, but seeing him busy playing the role of a manager and comforting guests without a moment’s pause, they had no choice but to return to their rooms to discuss and wait until tomorrow to find Lu Qingjia.
Following the lead of Mrs. Li’s husband, their thoughts progressed, and the players were quite pleased, finally squeezing into one room to sleep late at night.
At three in the morning, the players, who had just begun to doze off, suddenly heard some noises coming from the bathroom.
They opened their eyes to see a faint light coming from the already dark bathroom.
Getting up to take a closer look, a hand suddenly slapped against the frosted glass, making a loud “bang” that echoed with intense sorrow.
The players were startled, their hearts racing, and they quickly got out of bed.
One of them exclaimed in terror, “No way? It’s only the first night, and it’s already haunted? That woman died less than six hours ago.”
Another replied, “Shut up! What if she really comes out?”
Having experienced several worlds, the players had some resources at their disposal.
They had physical points to use and items they could buy from the exchange window, so they were somewhat prepared.
Despite their ordinary appearances, after going through several worlds, their physical qualities had improved enough to rival athletes.
The noises from the bathroom grew louder, the sound of nails scratching against the glass made them uneasy, and the bathroom door, which had seemed sturdy, now appeared on the verge of collapse, as if a ghost could burst through at any moment.
Even with the room lights turned up to the brightest, the players instinctively felt the urge to flee, sticking together to avoid being alone.
The player with glasses, who had previously spoken with Lu Qingjia, saw the commotion inside growing louder while the entire resort seemed to fall into silence, showing no reaction to their situation. Finally, he steeled himself and pulled out a paper talisman he had exchanged for before entering.
He rushed forward and slapped it against the bathroom door, and in an instant, everything fell silent, leaving only their faint breathing in the room.
After waiting for several seconds and seeing that all noise had ceased, one of the female players let out a sigh of relief—
“Thank goodness, the first night isn’t too hard to deal with. Otherwise, with the talismans we have, we wouldn’t last until the final night.”
The others also felt fortunate, knowing that items were always in short supply, and they needed to conserve as much as possible.
Just as the glasses-wearing player was about to return, he noticed the terrified expressions of the people facing him.
He felt a sudden wave of humid mist behind him, as if someone who had just taken a hot shower was standing right behind him.
Goosebumps erupted all over his body, and he felt his scalp tingle, blood rushing down to his legs.
Run!
Without a second thought, he bolted out, even faster than the other players.
By the time the others reacted and followed him, he had already opened the room door.
The five of them squeezed out, only to collide head-on with Lu Qingjia, who was supposedly on night duty.
They thought to themselves that this guy really took his role as manager seriously, but such a useful player had to be warned—
“Run! The woman who died tonight has already turned into a ghost.”
However, upon hearing this, Lu Qingjia showed no intention of fleeing. Instead, he walked up to their room door.
This bold reversal made the other five turn to see what he was up to.
The door slowly opened, revealing a figure wrapped in a towel, with a purple face and a graceful figure.
With the naked eye, one could see the resentment that had accumulated over the years, as if it were tangible. This was a very powerful vengeful spirit, and everyone understood.
However, the next moment’s development left them questioning their lives.
Because Lu Qingjia, who was facing the female ghost, not only showed no intention of running but also had no change in expression.
Instead, he looked at her with appreciation and concern, saying, “Oh, it’s Mrs. Li. You look very beautiful in this appearance as well.”
“But it’s quite late now. To avoid disturbing others’ rest, could you please return for now?”
The vengeful spirit, Mrs. Li, froze upon seeing Lu Qingjia, as if she wanted to avoid showing her disheveled appearance.
However, upon hearing Lu Qingjia’s compliment, a hint of blush visibly flashed across her purple face, leaving everyone else dumbfounded.
In the end, the vengeful spirit that had seemed so fierce just a moment ago actually listened to Lu Qingjia’s words, slowly releasing her grip on the door and gradually retreating into the darkness, disappearing from sight.
The five of them: What the hell? This is a horror game, not a seduction game!
