Chapter 27: Records of the Halls of Ten Thousand Affairs

Records of the Halls of Ten Thousand Affairs: Chapter 27: Ghost Hotel (Part 10)

Su Xiaoyu searched everywhere for people, but all the adults were running around with panicked expressions. Some kind person carried her to a safe place, but didn’t give her a chance to ask questions, leaving after confirming her safety.

She watched the coming and going crowd in bewilderment, feeling some intense sense of crisis. This unease had surfaced when she was very young, watching her parents get in a car and wave goodbye to her.

Just as she clenched her fists and resolved to run out alone, a fluffy sensation suddenly brushed against her calf.

Su Xiaoyu looked down. Chen Xiaoxuan was walking back and forth rubbing against her, seemingly sensing her anxious emotions to offer comfort.

“Xiaoxuan! Where did you run off to!” She bent down in delight and hugged Chen Xiaoxuan tightly.

Xiaoxuan is still here, so the boss couldn’t possibly not come back, Su Xiaoyu thought to herself.

Chen Xiaoxuan rubbed against her face, tail raised high. It had always been a very independent cat. When its owner was too busy to care for it, it could take good care of itself.

Before long, Xu Xin shouted two names as she charged through the crowd, going against the flow, struggling to squeeze into this cleared out area. Only after seeing Su Xiaoyu did she let out a heavy sigh of relief.

“You scared me to death… I saw the video and didn’t expect the fire was at this hotel. Thank goodness you’re both okay…” Xu Xin leaned on her knees, gasping wildly. Running this distance was still too physically demanding for this office worker who sat all year round.

After recovering for a moment, she raised her head, looked left and right, and asked Su Xiaoyu, “Why is it just you? Where’s Chen Jiu?”

Su Xiaoyu held up Chen Xiaoxuan and said, “Xiaoxuan and I are waiting for her here.”

Xu Xin laughed and cried at the same time, finally sighing, “Can’t get through on the phone either. But she’s so capable, she should be fine, right?”

The moment the two words “something happened” left her mouth, they successfully triggered their own nerves. The big one and small one looked at each other for a moment, ultimately still unable to feel at ease.

Chen Xiaoxuan suddenly broke free from Su Xiaoyu’s embrace, kicked its back legs, and ran outside.

Su Xiaoyu took off after it. Xu Xin hadn’t recovered her strength yet, gasping sharply, but there was truly no other way. Her innate sense of responsibility compelled her to grit her teeth and follow.

The Chen Xiaoxuan up ahead slowed its pace, looking back to see if people had caught up, deliberately stopping to observe for a while, waiting for the two of them to catch up before continuing to run forward.

Su Xiaoyu shouted from behind, “Xiaoxuan! Where are you going!”

Before she could finish asking, charging across the street through the small path corner, she collided head on with someone coming the other way.

Chen Jiu clutched her stomach, looking utterly defeated: “Su Xiaoyu… have you practiced iron head kung fu?!”

If she hadn’t expended so much vitality just now, she wouldn’t have failed to dodge this head on collision. Now it was truly new injuries added to old ones.

Su Xiaoyu saw who it was and shouted as she threw herself forward, “Boss! Boss!”

Chen Jiu caught her, “Still alive, still alive. Are you calling back my soul or what!”

Xu Xin, who came later, leaned against the wall, her face a bit pale from running. Seeing Chen Jiu was fine, she waved her hands repeatedly, unable to speak a single word.

After running this whole lap, her calves were about to cramp.

A moment later, Chen Jiu had a cat standing on her shoulder, a child in her arms, and Xu Xin walked up with tears in her eyes to embrace her.

Miao Yin watched from the side, her eye sockets still ringed with red, but a faint smile floated on her face, somewhat envious of Chen Jiu.

Chen Jiu asked, “Want to join the hug too?”

“No no.” Miao Yin quickly waved her hands.

“How did you two end up here?” Xu Xin stepped back to check their injuries. Their faces and bodies had various scrapes and bruises, but fortunately both could still walk on their own, so the injuries shouldn’t be serious.

Su Xiaoyu looked up at Chen Jiu and said, “Xiaoxuan brought us to find you.”

“Yes yes, Xiaoxuan is good, you are too.” Chen Jiu patted her head and said to Xu Xin, “It’s a long story. Let’s go back first.”

Xu Xin changed her posture to support her, “Aiya, I called you so many times and you didn’t answer.”

“Was busy, had no time to look at all.” Chen Jiu said, “The situation was urgent.”

The group chattered back and forth, supporting each other as they found a safe lounge to simply treat their wounds.

When Xu Xin heard the part about Zhao Fusheng actually wanting to target Miao Yin too, her anger finally reached its peak. She slapped the table hard, only to cry out in pain from the recoil.

Chen Jiu: “…”

Miao Yin blew on her hand and said, “Don’t get worked up, don’t get worked up.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Xu Xin said awkwardly, “I’m just too angry.”

Miao Yin smiled, “It’s all in the past. If Zhao Fusheng didn’t die in this fire, all these crimes combined would be enough for him to serve life in prison.”

“Then, what about you?” Xu Xin considered that blow from behind she had given Zhao Fusheng, unsure how that should be sentenced.

“Not afraid, sis has money.” Miao Yin’s expression truly relaxed, saying with rare dominance, “Get a good lawyer, that’s all. And I know too much inside information. If I voluntarily confess, maybe I can get it reduced even further.”

Having nearly died once, she suddenly discovered she wasn’t as dependent on some belief or some support as she had imagined. If Zhao Fusheng rotted, let him rot. With her current abilities, she could live a flourishing life entirely on her own.

Having relied on this false “family affection” for too long, she had nearly forgotten that she had originally come into this world alone, and that warmth her adoptive parents had given her was merely a brief gift bestowed by heaven.

That night, news of Zhao Fusheng’s death spread. As if by the natural order of heaven and karma, his manner of death was the same as all his victims: perishing in the sea of flames.

It was said that when firefighters found him, his knees were drawn up, both fists pressed against his chest, as if he had been begging something for mercy. Of course, this was actually the typical “pugilist’s posture” in fires, where muscles contract under high temperatures, pulling the limbs into a bent shape.

After Zhao Fusheng’s death, the court seized, detained, and froze all his assets. Based on the economic and emotional damages of each fire victim, they calculated the total amount of civil compensation owed to the victims’ families. All of Zhao Fusheng’s confiscated legitimate property would be prioritized for paying the above civil compensation.

After hearing the ending of this story… oh no, this incident, Chen Jiu glanced at the payment notification on her phone. Her compensation was ultimately covered by Miao Yin.

The two didn’t formally say goodbye either. When leaving, they simply exchanged brief messages on their phones.

Chen Jiu asked what she planned to do next.

Miao Yin said: Zhao Fusheng fell, and the hotel industry in Qinghua opened up a huge chunk of market. The connections and experience I’ve accumulated over these years, I don’t need to keep working for him anymore. I plan to become a small boss myself.

Yes, what was this evil crooked big boss Zhao Fusheng? She was the one who had truly managed the entire building, knew how to control costs, how to attract customers, how to handle service.

She had managed a big operation. Now wanting to do something small and exquisite herself, why couldn’t she?

Chen Jiu said very understandingly: Sure, Boss Miao. When I come eat at your place later, remember to give me a discount.

Miao Yin: When I grow big and strong later, opening chains nationwide, you eat free at any location.

This trip had delayed quite a bit of time. After finishing her business, Xu Xin had to return to the bustling city to report, reluctantly bidding farewell to Chen Jiu and Su Xiaoyu.

Chen Jiu said, “You can go back with peace of mind. Drive carefully on the road yourself. Call me if anything happens.”

Su Xiaoyu shouted loudly, “Goodbye Sister Xin!”

After going around in a circle, it was back to just one big, one small, and one cat.

Chen Jiu held Su Xiaoyu’s hand and walked for a while, suddenly remembering something: “Oh no, forgot to ask your teacher for leave. Are we over time?”

Su Xiaoyu: “!!!”

Unfortunately, in the end they still couldn’t avoid a scolding from Teacher Xu. The two apologized repeatedly on the other end of the phone, barely managing to apply for an extended leave.

Fortunately, they weren’t far from the sect now. Chen Jiu called a private car and instructed in the vehicle, “You can’t call me boss anymore from now on. You have to call me senior sister, understand?”

Speaking of the word senior sister, she felt somewhat proud in her heart. The sect hadn’t had any new top level arrivals in a long time. Since she came down the mountain, she hadn’t heard the word senior sister many times, and had never had such a tiny little junior sister.

Su Xiaoyu oh’d, blinked her eyes, but still couldn’t quite bring herself to say it.

Two hours later, they got off the car at the foot of Qinghua Mountain.

This year the foot of the mountain was already full of internet famous shops, all thanks to the heavy online promotion of Qinghua scenic area these past two years, packed with people during every holiday.

But today wasn’t a holiday, yet it was still fairly lively. Chen Jiu instructed Su Xiaoyu to hold on tight to her, not to run off in the blink of an eye.

“Boss Senior Sister, is this your home?” Su Xiaoyu looked around and asked, “Your home is so lively.”

Chen Jiu smiled mysteriously, wagging her finger, “Not there yet.”

The originally winding and potholed mountain road had widened considerably, even having several elevators going straight to the mountainside. Chen Jiu was too lazy to walk on foot anymore, thinking she had just earned a big sum, so she simply splurged with Su Xiaoyu.

Su Xiaoyu pressed against the transparent glass door, looking utterly fascinated, looking down at her feet, then at the distant mountains: “Wow…”

Chen Jiu leaned loosely against the seat, “You have quite the guts, not even afraid of heights.”

“Hehe.” Su Xiaoyu laughed a few times, sat back in her seat, and Chen Xiaoxuan jumped onto her lap, finding a comfortable position to continue grooming itself.

At the same time, another descending elevator passed by them, carrying a family of three inside.

That little boy looked two years younger than Su Xiaoyu, right at the age of mischief and troublemaking that everyone detests. He was jumping up and down in the elevator, yet the parents didn’t stop him at all, just sitting and smiling as they watched him, even pulling out their phones to record video for their son.

Su Xiaoyu rubbed her eyes, seeing something flash past behind the transparent glass door, quickly disappearing.

Chen Jiu’s brows raised. She saw much more. This family of three had dark greenish black on their faces, likely facing a blood disaster.

Chen Jiu picked up Su Xiaoyu, pointing at that little boy, meaningfully: “Boss Senior Sister, there’s something very strange about him.” Chen Jiu had a look of gratification at finding her pupil teachable, “Xiaoyu, you’re about to enter the Dao. In the future, I’ll assign you more homework like observing people and reading faces.”