...
Gao Neng didn't know anything about Tang Weiwei's so-called "perfect plan." Still, Tang Weiwei was so enthusiastic and eager to hand over the cash that Gao Neng was genuinely touched. He couldn't find an excuse to refuse.
Fifty Alliance Coins in hand. 'Maybe I can make my plan a little more thorough?'
Gao Neng pondered for a moment before gritting his teeth. 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained,' he thought. To be on the safe side, he decided to get a room.
"Excuse me, miss. Do you have any rooms available by the hour?" Gao Neng approached the hotel lobby with a bashful expression, cautiously asking a female receptionist at the registration desk.
"A room by the hour? We're full—huh? Hey, little guy, are you getting a room by the hour all by yourself?" The receptionist looked up, annoyed, but her attitude did a complete 180 the moment she saw Gao Neng's face.
"Yep, just me." Gao Neng gave a sunny nod.
"Heh heh. Don't tell me you're here for an 'accidental encounter' with Shen Ning'Er too, little guy? She's on the eighth floor... Room 818..." The receptionist got the hint. Gao Neng clearly looked like a high school student, and she couldn't count how many high schoolers had come asking about Shen Ning'Er today.
But this one... he was clearly different!
'He's so handsome!'
"No, actually, I'm here for an 'accidental encounter' with Lieutenant Qin." Gao Neng blinked. Since he'd already gotten the info on Shen Ning'Er, he decided to be a little more low-key.
"'An accidental encounter' with Lieutenant Qin? Heh heh, you've got a sense of humor, little guy. But since you're so ambitious, I feel bad not helping you. Okay, I'll let you in on a little secret. Lieutenant Qin is in Room 708 on the seventh floor. Since you're here for him, I'll get you Room 707. It's right next door." The more the receptionist looked at Gao Neng, the more she liked him.
"Thank you, miss! You're the best!"
...
Soon, the check-in process was complete.
As the receptionist stared at him, utterly captivated, Gao Neng received a keycard. He also had to part with forty Alliance Coins, which stung. 'Rooms by the hour at the Golden Grand Hotel are this expensive?!'
'I should've just hidden in a hallway for a few hours...'
Gao Neng regretted his impulse, but he didn't dwell on it. He knew that only by renting a room could his presence in the Golden Grand Hotel be considered "legitimate."
He glanced at the time. There were still ten minutes until 9:30.
Time was tight.
Normally, this would be the time to change into a stealth suit and start the operation according to Tang Weiwei's instructions. But he wasn't a normal person, so he didn't.
Gao Neng chose to go back to his room and take a hot shower first.
He'd spent forty Alliance Coins. How could he do justice to such a huge sum if he didn't enjoy a nice, hot shower?
As for stealing an internal keycard?
The thought had never even crossed his mind.
Because he hadn't believed a single word Tang Weiwei said.
In fact, he had already spotted the bouquet of fiery red roses Tang Weiwei had hidden in the flowerbed. He didn't even need to guess what those were for.
Claiming he was looking for Qin Tianxiong when he was really looking for Shen Ning'Er?
If there wasn't something fishy about that, he'd eat his hat.
"LA LA LA..." While Gao Neng was in his room, taking a hot shower and comfortably humming a little tune, Tang Weiwei and Ah Si were shivering in the lonely wind at the hotel entrance.
The two of them just stood there stiffly outside the hotel, getting blasted by the wind for an entire hour...
The time approached 10:30.
Tang Weiwei finally couldn't take it anymore.
"ACHOO!" Tang Weiwei sneezed, his teeth grinding audibly. "That Gao Neng... how dare he deceive me? I'll freaking kill him tomorrow!"
"Brother Tang, what do we do now? You don't think that kid Gao Neng got caught, do you? If he rats us out, we'll be..." Ah Si said, filled with worry.
"Stop guessing! You go in and see."
"Me?!"
"You expect me to go?"
"Well... if I manage to steal an internal keycard, do I also get a hundred Alliance Coins?" Ah Si's eyes darted around as he asked cautiously.
"You want money too?" Tang Weiwei's eyebrow shot up.
"Heh heh, who doesn't want to make money when there's money to be made? It's only fair... right, Brother Tang?"
"Fair? Are you as handsome as Gao Neng?"
"..."
"Are your grades as good as Gao Neng's?"
"..."
"You have no looks and no brains, what the hell makes you think you can compare yourself to him? Get lost! If you don't get that keycard, I'll cripple you!" Tang Weiwei kicked Ah Si's butt.
Ah Si stumbled from the kick. He stared at Tang Weiwei, biting his lip slightly, his monkey-like face flushing an even deeper red.
'What kind of world is this?'
'You even need good looks to be a thief?'
Ah Si felt deeply wronged.
But he had no one to vent to, because even finding someone to listen to your complaints required good looks.
"What are you waiting for?! Go!" Tang Weiwei roared.
"Brother Tang, wait for my good news!" With that, Ah Si scurried into the hotel, looking for all the world like an ugly, shameless monkey.
However, Ah Si did have his talents.
This was the main reason Tang Weiwei kept him around.
In no time at all, Ah Si returned to Tang Weiwei with an internal keycard in hand, though his clothes were now filthy.
"Not bad. I'll get you a new set of clothes tomorrow." Tang Weiwei was a generous person, a trait that was especially obvious when he was in a good mood.
"Thank you, Brother Tang!" The moment Ah Si heard this, the gloom in his heart was swept away.
Tang Weiwei straightened his collar.
Today was a momentous occasion in his life.
Because he was in love.
From the first moment he saw Shen Ning'Er, he had been captivated by her beauty.
It was the feeling of his heart being stirred.
Tang Weiwei's heart had been stirred. He decided that for the sake of love, he would go through hell and high water. This was youth... and youth should have no regrets.
He kicked Ah Si aside as the latter was about to grab the flowers.
The fiery red roses.
They could not be defiled by someone ugly.
He picked up the roses, the symbol of love, and patted the pocket of his jacket. A confident smile bloomed on his face, as if he were basking in a gentle spring breeze.
"Go for it, Brother Tang!" Ah Si scrambled up from the ground and shouted his support.
Tang Weiwei tilted his head back and strode forward, composed and confident.
He walked into the lobby of the Golden Grand Hotel.
Then into the elevator.
And went straight to the eighth floor.
Soon, he arrived at the door to Room 818.
He knew that the place that would change his destiny was in this very room. The girl he couldn't forget was in here, and she would soon be moved by his sincerity.
BEEP!
The internal keycard swiped.
The door opened.
Dim light illuminated the room. Before him was a spacious reception parlor, and from the bedroom within, he could hear the sound of SPLASHING water.
'Taking a shower?' Tang Weiwei's eyes narrowed slightly, and his face immediately lit up with ecstasy. 'This must be a blessing from the heavens. It'd be hard to fail even if I tried.'
Countless classic love stories began with someone accidentally seeing... a certain kind of scene.
Such moments were filled with humanity's most primal desires and many complex, indescribable emotions. Even the most brilliant masters could not interpret their subtleties.
Tang Weiwei's heart was pounding.
He was so excited his whole body was trembling. This opportunity was too rare to pass up. If he couldn't even seize a chance like this, how could he, Tang Weiwei, call himself a playboy?
CLICK!
The water in the bathroom shut off.
The figure inside began to dry themself off.
Tang Weiwei was nervous. He crouched at the bathroom entrance, ready to make his move.
A moment later, the bathroom door opened, and a figure wrapped in a bath towel stepped out.
In a flash, Tang Weiwei lunged forward like a hungry dog pouncing on its food. He threw himself at the figure's feet and, in one smooth motion, yanked the towel wrapped around them.
RIIIIP!
The bath towel was ripped away and fell to the floor.
The instant the towel hit the ground, Tang Weiwei dropped to one knee, held up the fiery red roses, and shouted with an absolutely confident and sunny smile.
"Shen Ning'Er, I love you!"
"..."
The air went still.
This was just as Tang Weiwei had expected.
He predicted that Shen Ning'Er would be stunned by this "accident."
Next should be a scream, followed by Shen Ning'Er's flustered attempt to snatch back the towel he had "accidentally" pulled off in her shame and indignation.
He had already prepared his lines and was about to seize the opportunity to display his gentlemanly demeanor by draping the towel back over her.
'So, go ahead and scream your heart out!'
"..."
He waited for another three seconds.
But the expected scream never came.
'Why isn't she screaming?'
Tang Weiwei slowly raised his head. And then, from behind the fiery red roses, he saw two long legs covered in thick, dark hair. This made him a little confused.
'Huh? Why is there leg hair?'
(A thank you to the handsome Xin Yi, the cool Wandiren Zuo'an, the beautiful Book Friend 201809..., and the combat-power-off-the-charts Wushu Dao for the tips! P.S. Please leave recommendation votes! Please add to your library! Please leave a tip!)