Ice-cold water dripped from Qiyu's sharply defined jawline, each drop echoing clearly in the silent suite. His hawk-like eyes, now burning with shock and barely suppressed fury, were locked intently on Xiaochen Yan.
The air felt frozen solid.
Xiaochen's heart pounded like a drum, the adrenaline surge giving way to a tinge of fear. Her fingers, still clutching the empty ice bucket, trembled slightly, but her back remained straight, her gaze unyielding as she met his eyes. Poverty couldn't strip her of her dignity.
Just as the tension reached its peak—
"What's going on?! What happened?!" Hotel Manager Zhang Wei pushed open the slightly ajar door, panting heavily. He had clearly been notified by the team leader and rushed over. The moment he saw Qiyu drenched and glowering, and Xiaochen standing defiantly with the ice bucket, his face turned pale.
"M-Mr. Qi! My deepest apologies! This is a severe oversight on our part!" Manager Zhang bowed nearly ninety degrees, his voice trembling, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He whipped around to face Xiaochen, his tone sharp and harsh. "Xiaochen Yan! What did you do?! Apologize to Mr. Qi immediately!"
"He mistook me for... that kind of woman and insulted me with money," Xiaochen tried to explain, her voice tight with anger.
"Silence!" Manager Zhang didn't dare let her continue, afraid she might say something else to provoke Qiyu. Qiyu was the true owner of the hotel; a single word from him could cost everyone present their jobs. His only thought now was to appease Qiyu's anger, no matter the cost.
"Mr. Qi, I am so sorry! This is a new temporary worker. She doesn't know the rules and has offended you! We will handle this immediately!" Manager Zhang bowed apologetically before turning to Xiaochen with finality. "You're fired! Go to the finance department now to settle your wages and leave the hotel immediately!"
Xiaochen froze. She had expected punishment, but immediate termination... This job was far too important to her!
She opened her mouth to argue but saw Qiyu coldly avert his gaze, as if the entire scene were nothing more than a tedious farce. He didn't even bother to look at her again, merely waving his hand impatiently, signaling for them to disappear.
That utter indifference was more suffocating than anger.
Dignity and reality warred within her. In the end, she bit her lip hard, swallowing all her humiliation and arguments, threw down the ice bucket, turned, and quickly walked away from the place that had brought her such shame. Her departure was resolute, yet carried a barely noticeable stumble.
A few hours later, early morning.
Qiyu woke up in the extravagant presidential suite, his head throbbing painfully. Sunlight pierced through the gaps in the heavy curtains.
Fragmented memories from the previous night flooded his mind—the underhanded tactics of business rivals, the endless glasses of alcohol at the dinner table, and... a woman, with a bucket of ice water.
He sat up abruptly, his expression dark and foreboding.
"Li Ming," he called his assistant, his voice hoarse from the hangover but leaving no room for doubt. "Pull all the surveillance footage from my suite's entrance and the hallway last night. Also, find out who that female cleaner was who showed up in my room."
Half an hour later, Assistant Li Ming stood respectfully before Qiyu, holding a tablet.
"Mr. Qi, I've retrieved the surveillance footage. Also, here is the information on that employee." Li Ming handed over the tablet, displaying Xiaochen Yan's employment file. The photo showed a girl with delicate features and clear eyes, seemingly at odds with the bold, defiant figure from last night.
Qiyu expressionlessly fast-forwarded through the footage.
He saw himself stumbling drunkenly back to the room.
He saw her knocking and entering.
He saw himself throwing money on the floor and yelling at her.
He saw her picking up the ice bucket... and splashing it toward him.
Qiyu's brow twitched violently.
But what followed in the footage made him pause slightly.
The girl he had fired—after the manager left with anger and fear—had actually... come back?
The surveillance showed her hesitating at the door for a few seconds before finally frowning and stepping back inside. Silently, she cleaned up the mess, carefully sweeping away the broken glass, helped him remove his expensive suit jacket soaked in ice water, and even found a clean blanket from the bathroom, clumsily yet gently draping it over him.
At one point, he seemed uncomfortable from the alcohol, groaning and furrowing his brows. She even went to the bathroom, soaked a towel in warm water, and carefully wiped his face and hands.
Only after doing all this did she finally leave, gently closing the door behind her, her figure disappearing from the surveillance frame.
Qiyu stared at the screen, his gaze deep and unreadable, his long fingers tapping the desk unconsciously. So, after he had humiliated her and gotten her fired, she had still come back to take care of him in his drunken state?
"Mr. Qi," Li Ming cautiously broke the silence, "should I contact her and offer a confidentiality fee? To ensure last night's incident doesn't leak." It was the standard procedure.
Qiyu looked up, a glint of intense interest flashing in his deep eyes. He recalled her defiant, unyielding gaze when she splashed the water and her careful, almost gentle actions when she covered him with the blanket.
This woman was intriguingly contradictory.
The corners of his lips curved into an elusive smile, his voice low and authoritative:
"No. Find her."
(End of Chapter 2)