Restaurant.
Xie Dingyuan: “Want more?”
Jiang Fuyue put down her fork, the tiramisu for dessert had been eaten clean.
Hearing that, she shook her head. “I’m full.”
“Then let’s go.”
“I’m going to the restroom.”
Xie Dingyuan nodded, picked up her coat for her. “I’ll go settle the bill first, wait for me outside.”
“Okay.”
At the counter—
Server: “Your total is…”
Xie Dingyuan handed over his card.
“Please sign here.”
After paying, he pushed the door open to leave. Just as someone was coming in, the two brushed past each other.
Xie Dingyuan didn’t glance sideways; Lou Mingshen walked straight ahead.
Suddenly, his steps faltered.
“What is it, President Lou?” The manager’s heart skipped a beat; he wiped his sweat nervously.
Lou Mingshen turned around. The restaurant’s revolving door was still spinning, but the person who had passed through was already gone.
“Nothing.” He withdrew his gaze and walked on.
The manager sighed in relief and hurried after him. “President Wei has contacted me again, insisting on meeting you, and I—”
Jiang Fuyue came out of the restroom, walked through the hall, and headed straight for the exit.
As she passed one table, the server was respectfully collecting menus. “All right, please wait a moment.”
Saying that, the server turned and left.
Lou Mingshen tossed his paper towel aside. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a tall, slender back disappearing through the revolving door. He didn’t think much of it, only turned back to the manager and said blandly, “I’m not free tomorrow. Not seeing him.”
The manager instantly felt his head splitting.
Inwardly he cried out: Heavens! Someone please come collect this ancestor!
…
Xie Dingyuan heard footsteps and turned. Sure enough, it was her.
“Put your coat on, don’t catch a cold.” As he spoke, he shook out the coat and lifted it for her.
Jiang Fuyue moved with his motion, slipping her arms through the sleeves.
He helped her put it on and even buttoned it himself.
“Thank you.”
The two strolled along the garden path. Jiang Fuyue looked ahead at a vintage corridor strung with lanterns and said on a whim, “Wanna go over there?”
“Sure.”
They crossed the garden and stepped into the corridor. A faint scent of sandalwood drifted through the air.
Jiang Fuyue brushed her hand over one of the pillars. “Rosewood?”
No wonder it smelled so fragrant.
But such a large corridor, with dozens of pillars, all made of rosewood, that was quite a splurge.
“Would you like to go inside?” a staff member stationed outside asked.
Xie Dingyuan nodded.
Jiang Fuyue asked, “What’s inside?”
“It’s an exhibition hall introducing the hotel’s history. There’s also a tearoom and café inside, with two performances scheduled every week. Coincidentally, there’s one tonight. If you have time, you can take a look.”
“What kind of performance?”
“Magic. It starts in half an hour.”
“Okay, thank you.”
The staff handed each of them a mask. Xie Dingyuan got a lion, Jiang Fuyue a fox.
Quite a fitting pair.
“Since it’s a magic-themed event, to enhance the mystery and atmosphere, all guests are required to wear masks inside.”
After Jiang Fuyue put hers on, she reached out and adjusted his slightly.
“Is it straight now?” he asked.
“Perfectly straight!” She nearly forgot his damn OCD.
Satisfied, Xie Dingyuan took her hand, and they walked in together.
On both sides of the corridor were large display shelves lined with the hotel’s business licenses and various awards.
Jiang Fuyue noticed that the hotel’s history was actually quite short, only about twenty years. She didn’t understand why they’d bother setting up a grand “heritage” exhibition like some century-old establishment.
And it wasn’t half-hearted, either. Judging from the layout and décor, they’d clearly poured a lot of money into it.
There was even a tour guide—
“…Originally, Yuegui Manor had another name: Yaotai Mirror Villas. The owner felt the word ‘villa’ was too Western and didn’t fit our traditional aesthetic, so he changed it to Yuegui Manor. ‘Yuegui’ evokes elegance, ‘manor’ a sense of classic charm — the meaning fits perfectly.”
Someone asked, “Why ‘Yuegui’? Is there some special story behind it?”
Guide: “Because ‘Yaotai Mirror’ and ‘Yuegui’ both mean the same thing.”
“Huh? What do they mean?”
“They both refer to the moon.”
“Oh—! No wonder all those lanterns outside show Chang’e flying to the moon, the Jade Rabbit pounding elixirs, and Wu Gang chopping the laurel tree! Your boss must have some special fondness for the moon, haha…”
The man joked.
The guide smiled politely, clearly, she’d heard this many times. “That I’m not sure of. You’d have to ask the owner. Now, let’s move on to this next photo…”
A gate. A stone stele. Words carved on it, something something “Park.” Because of glare in the photo, the first two words before “Park” were washed out, only a white blur remained.
Guide: “The hotel’s site was originally a hot spring park. But because it was built on the mountain and few people visited, construction stopped halfway and was abandoned. Twenty years ago, the owner bought the land and turned it into a hotel, that’s how Yuegui Manor came to be.”
Jiang Fuyue paused in front of that photo. So those two missing words were probably “Hot Spring.”
Hot Spring Park…
Her eyes swept over the gate and stele in the picture, she felt like she’d seen them somewhere before.
Suddenly, a scene flashed in her mind. Standing atop the mountain earlier that day, looking down at the hotel from above, that same angle…
Jiang Fuyue’s gaze sharpened. She remembered!
Back then, she, Lou Mingshen, and Lou Mingxin had come to this park, even climbed to the summit!
From the top, the view below was exactly the gate and stele in this photo.
Yuegui Manor…
A cold smile tugged at Jiang Fuyue’s lips.
Just then, the guide led everyone to the hall’s only display case.
Through the glass, the items inside could be seen clearly.
A calligraphy inscription. A photograph.
The inscription read: “Beautiful scenery, delightful to behold.”
In the bottom right corner, no name, no seal, only a date: Summer 2027.
The photo was shot on film, slightly yellowed with age, but still clear enough to make out the people and background.
In front of the hot spring park’s gate, two young girls leaned against the stone stele.
The one on the left was tall and fair-skinned. Though her lips curved faintly upward, there was a cool aloofness in her brows, elegant and unapproachable, every small movement radiating poise.
The one on the right was plainer, her figure and features less striking, but her smile was open and bright, full of youthful vigor.
In the frame, there was also a boy’s back, right beside the two girls. He must have turned suddenly at the moment the shutter clicked, so only his back was captured.
The youth stood tall and straight, long-legged and lean like a slender poplar tree beside them.
Someone asked, “Who are these people? They’re beautiful…”
“Not exactly beautiful, but that kind of cool, elegant beauty.”
“See those three supercars behind them? Back then, anyone driving a LaFerrari, Aventador, and McLaren P1, definitely from an ultra-wealthy family.”
“With that kind of background, they’d rank among the top circles in the capital. Who could they be?”
“Hey, guide, tell us!”
“Yeah! This inscription and photo are sealed up so carefully, displayed so prominently, what’s the story behind them?”
The guide hesitated. “I’m not entirely sure either, but it’s said these two items hold extraordinary meaning for the owner, they were the inspiration behind building this hotel. That’s why they’re placed in the most important spot, as a reminder not to forget his original intention. For example, the glass of this case is bulletproof, and the lock uses a brand-new encryption algorithm…”
“Let’s go,” Jiang Fuyue said, pulling Xie Dingyuan around the display toward the inner room. “Pretentious nonsense.”
Inside was a small auditorium, seats arranged in tiers.
Not long after they sat down, others began filing in, the magic show was about to start.
The magician, dressed in a black tailcoat, walked onstage to applause and opened with a close-up trick, earning gasps.
Then came card tricks.
The finale was a “human transformation” act. The magician invited a random volunteer: “When the spotlight lands on you, come up and help me with this final illusion, all right?”
Audience: “Yes—!”
A white beam swept back and forth, teasing suspense and finally stopped.
Under everyone’s gaze, Jiang Fuyue slowly stood up.
The magician feigned surprise. “Looks like I got lucky tonight — I’ve picked a beautiful lady as my assistant. Too bad her boyfriend seems to be right beside her…”
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
A voice from the audience shouted teasingly, “That’s fine! You can make her disappear then she’ll be yours!”
The magician widened his eyes in mock alarm. “My friend, that’s a dangerous thought!”
“Hahahahaha!” The room erupted in laughter.
Jiang Fuyue leaned toward Xie Dingyuan and murmured, “Don’t worry, I won’t let him trick me away.”
Then she rose from her seat and walked toward the stage.
Xie Dingyuan’s eyes never left her. No one’s getting that chance.
Following the magician’s directions, Jiang Fuyue stepped onto the table. A large piece of black fabric was raised, shielding the two of them from view.
The magician: “Next comes the moment of witnessing a miracle — three, two, one!”
The black cloth dropped.
The magician was still there. The table was still there.
But Jiang Fuyue was gone.
Xie Dingyuan’s pupils contracted sharply.
The crowd gasped—
“She really disappeared? A living person, just gone!”
“My god! That’s incredible! How did he do that?”
“Could there be some mechanism?”
“I bet that pretty girl was a plant. There’s no way someone can actually vanish.”
“A plant? But wasn’t she chosen at random?”
“You actually believe that?”
The audience chattered noisily.
The magician circled the stage twice, then to prove there was no trick, even moved the wooden table that served as his prop.
Then he spread his hands to show everyone.
“She’s really gone.”
“Hey, shouldn’t he bring her back now?”
“Of course, that’s how it works.”
Sure enough, the magician bent down to pick up the black cloth again, gave it a flick, and agilely jumped back onto the table. The fabric hung down, blocking the audience’s view.
“Now, once again, it’s time to witness a miracle—three, two, one!”
The cloth fell—
And the entire audience erupted in shock.
Even the magician’s smile froze on his face—
Because Jiang Fuyue hadn’t reappeared.
Everything behind the black cloth was exactly the same as before. Not a thing had changed.
“Cr*p! The trick failed?”
“Good thing I kept recording. Got everything on video—this’ll go viral online!”
“Where’d she go? Don’t tell me this turns into some murder mystery like in dramas—scary!”
“The magician looks freaked out. When he lifted the cloth, he totally froze, didn’t he?”
“So I wasn’t the only one who saw that! His pupils literally screamed what the h*ll?!”
“This botched trick is even more entertaining than the magic show!”
“Come on, let’s bet—will he manage to bring her back or not?”
“Ten bucks says he will.”
“Twenty, he will.”
“A hundred, says he won’t.”
The room buzzed with excitement.
On stage, the magician picked up the black cloth again for a second try. But this time, his mouth had lost its confident patter, and his eyes lacked the composure they had before.
“Look—he’s starting again!”
“Not gonna lie, I don’t even dare blink now.”
The black cloth rose, then dropped again— And still, the stage was eerily unchanged.
No Jiang Fuyue.
A silence swept the audience. Even the magician could no longer hide the shock in his eyes.
Just then, a figure suddenly stood up among the crowd.
The spotlight swung over—
Who else could it be but the missing Jiang Fuyue?
A roar broke out—
“She’s in the audience, not on stage!”
“Whoa, that twist! Didn’t see that coming.”
“That magician’s acting really sold it, I totally thought he messed up!”
“A magician who can’t act isn’t a good magician.”
“Scared me half to death! I thought she was gone for real!”
“How the heck did they pull that off?”
“I’m stunned.”
The magician invited Jiang Fuyue back onto the stage. The two bowed together to the audience, marking the end of the performance.
Afterward, Xie Dingyuan and Jiang Fuyue followed the crowd out. Back at their room, they washed up, exchanged goodnights, and soon fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
They were both exhausted, sleeping soundly till morning— Only to learn that the hotel’s exhibition items had been stolen.
What went missing were precisely the inscribed calligraphy and the photo displayed in that glass case!
The police had already come that night, reviewed the surveillance, analyzed the scene but found nothing.
The alarm system hadn’t gone off, the bulletproof glass was intact, and the coded lock had been opened normally. No signs of forced entry or damage anywhere.
Police: “You’re sure it was stolen? Couldn’t an employee have just moved it somewhere else?”
“Or maybe someone with access took it without telling anyone?”
The hotel manager, dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, hair disheveled and shirt wrinkled, looked haggard and anxious, cigarette butts scattered at his feet.
“Impossible!” he snapped. “Only the owner knows the password, and I’ve already confirmed—he didn’t take it!”
“Besides, if it were as you say, why is there no surveillance footage at all?”
The police fell silent.
“If it really was a theft, then it’s likely an inside job. We suggest you start screening your employees while we continue investigating. Two-pronged approach.”
“Got it, I’ll arrange that right away!”
That night, chaos engulfed the entire hotel.
….
“So, did they find out who did it?” Jiang Fuyue asked as she set down her spoon and wiped her mouth with a napkin, speaking to an older woman at the next breakfast table.
“How could they, this fast? The footage’s gone. I bet it’ll end up another unsolved case.”
Another woman at the table said,
“What I don’t get is those calligraphy and photos aren’t worth millions. Why such a big fuss?”
“Heard the manager didn’t sleep all night. Looked more panicked than if they’d lost a person.”
“Honestly, it was weird locking those things in some bulletproof, fireproof case like that in the first place, don’t you think?”
“The guide said last night the boss thought they had special meaning.”
“Which makes it even stranger! If something means that much to you, wouldn’t you keep it at home or on your person? Why display it publicly, behind bulletproof glass with a coded lock—practically inviting thieves?”
“Hiss—makes sense when you put it that way!”
Even Jiang Fuyue couldn’t help nodding.
“Showing off like that, it’d be strange not to get robbed.”
“Maybe the thief knew how important those things were to the owner and stole them to blackmail him later?”
“Could be! Anyway, people steal for money or gain. Nobody’s crazy enough to risk everything just to steal those two items for fun. Might as well steal one of those sandalwood pillars—worth more!”
Jiang Fuyue listened, sipping her milk.
Ah, another beautiful day.
After breakfast, she and Xie Dingyuan went out shopping, entirely unaffected by the chaos raging in the hotel.
….
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in one of the rooms was heavy and suffocating.
Hou Hao stood stiffly in the middle, head lowered, barely daring to breathe. The longer the silence dragged on, the more sweat poured down his back until his shirt clung cold against his skin just like his sinking heart.
Finally—
A voice, low and dead calm:
“Found anything yet?”
“The p-police are still following up,” Hou Hao stammered. “So far… nothing. The internal screening turned up no issues. All on-site staff have been cleared.”
“So you’re saying the items just flew away on their own?!”
Hou Hao’s knees nearly buckled.
“No, I—I didn’t mean—”
“Useless!”
The man stood up abruptly and walked out. Hou Hao snapped to his senses and hurried after him.
Soon, Lou Mingshen arrived at the exhibition hall.
Yellow police tape cordoned off the entrance. The place was deserted, the lanterns along the corridor extinguished, casting an air of desolate chill.
Lou Mingshen approached the display case. As the police had said, the bulletproof glass was untouched, the coded lock unbroken.
“All the surveillance cameras were disabled?”
“Only the ones in this hall,” Hou Hao said.
“Pull up the hallway footage.”
“Now?”
Lou Mingshen gave him a cold glance.
Hou Hao tensed. “Right away!”
Fifteen minutes later, footage from three hallway cameras was sent to Lou Mingshen’s phone. He sped through it at triple speed.
It showed the heaviest visitor flow was between 9:00 and 10:30 p.m. The hall was closed at 11:00, when the theft was discovered.
Which meant— The thief was among those visitors.
“What was happening last night?” Lou Mingshen asked.
“A magic show.”
“Attendance?”
“Packed. The atmosphere was lively.”
“Pull the surveillance from the performance hall entrance.”
“The police already reviewed it last night.”
“Their conclusion?”
“No one left during the time of the theft.”
“Not a single person?!” Lou Mingshen’s gaze was sharp enough to cut.
Hou Hao nodded firmly.
“I was there when the police checked. During the show, not one person left, not even to use the restroom.”
So, the thief was among them. Yet during the theft, not a single person had left the hall.
Then how had the theft happened?
Lou Mingshen stood before the display case, laying a hand on the cold glass. The chill seeped from his fingertips into his chest.
Suddenly, he crouched down, examined the coded lock, and entered a string of numbers— Click. The case opened.
“Tell me,” he said quietly, “how can you open this without damaging the lock?”
Hou Hao blurted out, “You’d have to know the password.”
“Know the password…” Lou Mingshen murmured thoughtfully.
Hou Hao froze, realizing too late what that implied. Only Lou Mingshen himself knew the password.
Had he just accused his own boss of theft?
Cold sweat poured down his temples.
“President Lou, I didn’t mean it that way! I just, I meant maybe the thief somehow guessed it! Or he’s an expert, maybe he cracked it! Or overheard something….uh…”
He gave up halfway, face ashen.
But Lou Mingshen didn’t get angry. He just stared at the lock and muttered softly,
“Knew how to crack it…”
That encryption method— It had been created by her.
Besides her and himself, who else in this world would know it?
For a fleeting second, confusion clouded the man’s eyes, the lost expression of a child who’d wandered off.
Hou Hao blinked, thinking he must be seeing things. When he looked again, the usual cold, ruthless Lou Mingshen had returned, expression unreadable, aura intimidating.
Whatever, that softness was an illusion.
“Hou Hao,” Lou Mingshen said at last, pointing at a spot on the surveillance footage, “Investigate this person.”
