Chương 32: Old Zhou: "She doesn't give me face, what can I do?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Then Old Zhou's voice came through, his tone carrying a knowing "You're calling me again."

"Where are you?"

"Old Ma's Barbecue Restaurant".

"... Just the two of you?"

Just the two of us.

Old Zhou was silent for a moment again. This moment was a little longer than before. Then his voice came, a tone lower than before, as if he were speaking while holding an enamel mug.

"You made her drink?"

"No. She drank them herself." Lin Zhou glanced down at Su Wan's head resting on his shoulder.

"Five bottles, four of them were drunk by me. She even said I wasn't good enough."

A soft sound came from the other end of the phone. It was unclear whether Old Zhou had placed his enamel mug on the table or sighed.

"And then?"

"Then she threw up, cried, and said not to call her Officer Su, but to call her Wanwan. After I told her that, she fell asleep." Lin Zhou switched the phone to the other hand.

"What do we do now? Should I take her to the police station?"

"Sending him to the police station won't do any good," Old Zhou said.

"I'm off work now. The two men on duty are Xiao Li and Xiao Wang. There's no one to clean up for her."

Lin Zhou remained silent for two seconds.

"What should we do then?"

There was silence again on the other end of the phone. This time, the silence lasted the longest. Lin Zhou could hear Lao Zhou picking up his enamel mug, putting it down, and picking it up again. The mug tapped softly on the table, once, then again. Then Lao Zhou's voice came through, his tone as even as when he said "Please cooperate with the investigation" in the interrogation room.

"Find a hotel. Book a room, let her in. Leave her a bottle of water on the bedside table; she'll drink it if she wakes up in the middle of the night. Then you leave. Just close the door behind you."

Lin Zhou opened his mouth. He understood what Lao Zhou meant. Get a room. Put her in. Then leave.

Old Zhou added another sentence on the other end of the phone.

His tone suddenly became very indifferent, as if he were talking about something very trivial.

"I believe you. After all, with your skills, if you want to do something bad—no door can stop you."

It's over.

A busy tone came from the receiver, ringing incessantly. Lin Zhou took the phone away from his ear. The call interface on the screen returned to the dial pad. He squatted on the ground, Su Wan still asleep on his shoulder. The hood of her dark gray hoodie brushed against his chin, her breathing even, rhythmic.

The live chat exploded.

"Brother Zhou: I believe you. After all, if you want to do something bad, no door can stop you."

"Is Lao Zhou trusting him or reminding him?"

"Yes, all of them. Brother Zhou was probably holding an enamel mug when he said that."

"Old Zhou: You're a good person. But if you want to do bad things, you can do them too. I'm giving you the choice."

"Brother Zhou is a philosophy mentor."

"The lock-picking king's expression showed that he was thinking about Old Zhou's last words."

"His hand didn't move. His shoulder didn't move either. Su Wan was still leaning on his shoulder."

"Three-Second King: What's going on here? I called Lao Zhou for help and was given a task to book a hotel room, along with a morally binding sentence."

Lin Zhou put his phone back in his pocket.

Squatting on the ground, Su Wan's breath brushed against his collarbone, warm and carrying the scent of beer.

He was thinking about opening a hotel.

He helped Su Wan up from his shoulder.

She leaned back in her chair, her head tilted back, her short hair spread out, revealing a red mark on her forehead from being pressed against the hoodie.

He stood up, and his knee clicked.

I've been squatting for too long.

Then he took out his phone and started searching for nearby hotels.

Lin Zhou found the nearest budget hotel, less than 400 meters from the barbecue restaurant.

He helped Su Wan up from the chair, supporting her arm with one hand and placing it on his shoulder, while carrying his tool bag and Su Wan's bag with the other.

Su Wan showed no signs of waking up; her breathing was still even, and her short hair brushed against his neck.

When I arrived at the hotel entrance.

The receptionist was a girl in her early twenties.

The latest update is now available on Cola Novels; we await your interpretation.

She was wearing a black uniform and her hair was tied in a low ponytail.

They saw Lin Zhou carrying an unconscious woman as he pushed open the door and came in.

Her smile froze for a moment, then quickly returned to its professional curve.

"Hello, welcome. Please show your ID."

Lin Zhou put Su Wan on the sofa.

As soon as Su Wan touched the sofa, she slumped to the side. He quickly helped her straighten up and made her lean against the sofa armrest.

He took his ID card out of his pocket and handed it over.

The receptionist took it, glanced at it, and then looked at Su Wan, who was leaning to one side on the sofa.

"Sir, this lady also needs to show her ID. In addition, according to regulations, we need to confirm that she agrees to check in."

Lin Zhou walked to the sofa.

He bent down and gently patted Su Wan's shoulder.

"Officer Su, Su Wan, Wanwan."

They called me by all three names in turn.

Su Wan did not react.

Breathing evenly, eyelashes resting quietly on the lower eyelids.

She tilted her head against the sofa armrest and fell asleep again.

Lin Zhou straightened up.

The receptionist was still smiling.

Standard, professional, unwavering.

"She's drunk."

Lin Zhou said, "You can tell. Can I get a room, let her in, and then I'll leave?"

The receptionist should keep smiling.

"Sir, this is the rule. Both of your ID cards need to be registered. If you can't provide her ID card, I can't check you in."

The comments section erupted with schadenfreude.

Receptionist: Smile. It's the rule. Smile. It's the rule.

"The more perfect her smile, the less the locksmith could handle it."

"The Three-Second King can open any lock in the world, but he can't open the mouth of a hotel receptionist."

"Can't wake him up, can't get his ID, can't check into a hotel. Three-Second King experienced his first failure in life, except for unlocking a door."

Lin Zhou took out his phone.

I dialed Lao Zhou's number again.

It rang about twice before being answered.

Before Lin Zhou could speak, Old Zhou spoke first.

"What's wrong now?"

"The hotel needs both of our ID cards, and she also needs to give her consent. I can't wake her up, and her ID card is in her bag, so I can't go through her bag."

Lin Zhou glanced at Su Wan, who was tilting her head on the sofa.

"The front desk won't let us stay."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then Lao Zhou said, "Give the phone to the front desk."

Lin Zhou handed his phone to the front desk.

The receptionist took it, held it to her ear, and her smile hadn't faded yet.

"Hello."

Then she listened for a while.

He nodded twice.

He hummed in agreement. Then he hummed in agreement again.

Then he handed the phone back to Lin Zhou, still smiling.

Lin Zhou took the phone.

"How is it? Can we go in now?"

"No," Old Zhou said.

Lin Zhou stood in the hotel lobby.

The crystal chandelier overhead made the marble floor reflect light.

He looked at Su Wan, who was tilting her head on the sofa, and then at the unwavering smile on the front desk.

My mind was racing—I was told to give the phone to the front desk, but after talking for a long time, it still wouldn't work.

Then what do you want me to ask her?

He opened his mouth, but managed to force the words out of his throat.

"Then what do you want me to ask?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Old Zhou's quietness was different from the professional silence of the receptionist.

Old Zhou's quietness has substance.

.