Chapter Thirty-Four: The Elevator

We rushed out of the departure lounge and hailed a taxi as soon as we reached the exit.

“XY Grand Hotel,” I told the driver, who nodded in acknowledgment.

“What’s wrong with you? You almost wrenched my arm off! Are you out of your mind, idiot!” Xiaoxue clutched her arm, shrieking hysterically.

I glanced over and saw several purple bruises where she’d been grabbed.

“Are you okay, Xiaoxue?” I asked, then turned to Mengya. “Couldn’t you be a bit gentler? Why did you have to use so much force?”

“I…”

“What? You’re just getting back at me, that’s what it is.” Xiaoxue cut Mengya off before she could finish.

“If it weren’t for me, that old man would’ve caught you by now, maybe even killed you.”

Smack! Xiaoxue slapped Mengya across the face and sneered, “You’re just a shop assistant, and you dare speak to me like that? Do you even know who I, Li Xiaoxue, am in Beijing’s antique circles?”

“Xiaoxue, how could you hit someone?” Xiao Shao said anxiously.

I glared at Li Xiaoxue, my eyes wide with anger. “What are you trying to do?”

She shoved Xiao Shao aside and let out a cold laugh. “Qiu Tong, does it hurt you to see me hit her?”

I could no longer tolerate Li Xiaoxue’s spoiled arrogance. I raised my right hand, ready to slap her.

“Don’t.” Mengya said softly, grabbing my wrist. When I looked back at her, she gave me a sweet smile and shook her head. “I’m fine.”

I gently stroked her cheek and smiled back before turning to Li Xiaoxue with a cold snort.

Fifteen minutes later, the taxi pulled up at the XY Grand Hotel. Xiao Shao paid the fare, and we walked into the lobby.

“Three rooms, please,” I said to the receptionist, handing over our four ID cards.

“Wait, why are you booking three rooms?” Xiaoxue protested.

I ignored her. Xiao Shao pulled her aside and whispered something in her ear.

Mengya and I went up to our suite on the third floor. Sitting on the bed, I leaned close to her. “Does it still hurt?”

She gave a cold snort. “What do you think? If I weren’t worried about causing trouble for you, I would’ve slapped her first.”

I chuckled and tried to slip my arm around her waist, but she dodged with a look of disdain. “You’ve really got some energy. I’m starving, and this is what you’re thinking about?”

It dawned on me then. I glanced at my watch—quarter past two in the afternoon.

“Come on, let’s go downstairs and get something to eat.”

Hand in hand, we took the elevator down and entered the hotel’s restaurant.

The menu boasted all ten great cuisines of China—truly worthy of a grand Hong Kong hotel.

“Brother Qiu, treating us to dinner?” Xiao Shao and Li Xiaoxue approached just as we were about to order.

I grinned teasingly, “Brother Shao, you’re here on official business, but secretly sneaking around with Xiaoxue? She’s only twenty-five. If you don’t treat us to dinner today, I’ll have to tell your wife when we get back.”

“Brother Qiu, you wrong me! Who in the whole antiques market dares tease Xiaoxue except you? Even that notorious Yang Puchao wouldn’t dare. Besides, I have kids at home.”

I scoffed, “When did I ever tease her?” Sighing, I pulled out my phone. “Looks like I’ll be going hungry today. I’ll just call your wife for a chat.”

“No, no, no, eat as you like. Dinner’s on me tonight!”

Mengya laughed, “If you said Qiu Tong was sneaking around, I’d believe it. But Xiao Shao? Not a chance.”

I grabbed the menu with a smile. “To celebrate Brother Shao’s pure and virtuous reputation, let’s order the 588-yuan roasted lamb.”

Xiao Shao spat, “That’s just spite!”

And so, we made Xiao Shao treat us to a feast. The bill came to over five thousand, and his hands shook as he paid.

Mengya and I ate until we were full. I looked at her. “It’s not even four yet. How about a stroll?”

Hand in hand, we left the hotel.

The streets of Hong Kong were nothing like the old-world charm of Beijing, but rather steeped in postmodern flair. Blond foreigners could be seen here and there.

Mengya walked beside me, her beautiful face radiant with happiness. The romantic atmosphere warmed both our hearts, washing away all the fear we’d felt before coming to Hong Kong.

We stopped at a café by the street and ordered two cappuccinos, stirring them slowly with our spoons.

Across from me, Mengya’s face, as elegant as a fairy’s, wore a faint smile.

“You’ve changed,” I said quietly.

She snorted with a smile. “Have I grown ugly? It’s all your fault if I have.”

“Do you remember the old Mengya, the one who was unbeatable at school?” I teased.

“Stop it—I was never like that,” she said haughtily. “Hey, what did you like about me back then?”

“What did you like about me? I was weak, always getting bullied.”

She thought for a moment, hesitated, and then said, “I liked that I could bully you every day.”

I laughed and nodded. I looked out the window, then back at the beautiful woman before me, more mature and graceful than ever, and sighed. “It’s been seven or eight years in a flash…”

“I’ve always been by your side, haven’t I?” Mengya said, taking my hand in hers.

We smiled at each other. Talking about the past always brings some nostalgia, but at least we hadn’t lost one another—we still belonged to each other.

Joyful times pass like a videotape on fast-forward, gone in the blink of an eye. The sun had set and the moon had risen by the time I checked my phone—it was already seven thirty. I took Mengya’s hand, and together we strolled back to the hotel.

Back in the lobby, we waited for the elevator.

“Hey, what’s that?” Mengya seemed to notice something.

Following her gaze, I saw that next to each of the six elevators was a yellow talisman, covered in bizarre red symbols, looking eerie and unsettling.

“Maybe we should take the stairs? There’s a viewing platform there,” I said with a nervous laugh.

Mengya nodded, so we turned and headed for the hotel’s stairwell with its observation deck.

Hong Kong’s nightscape was even more dazzling than by day, the city lights like stars in the sky, bursting with color. We quickly made our way back to the fourth floor and returned to our room.

After sitting on the bed for a while, I took off the Warring States S-Dragon pendant from my neck, slipped it under the pillow, and got ready for a shower before bed.

“Hey, could you go downstairs and buy me some snacks?” Mengya asked lazily from the bed.

“You’re hungry again?” I asked, looking at her.

She nodded, so I sighed and headed out.

Walking down the fourth-floor corridor—wait, what’s that? Up ahead, by the stairs, I saw a white figure crouched on the ground, doing something.

I walked over and found a middle-aged man in white, hiding there and smoking.

“Got a light, brother?” he asked, leering at me with a sly, annoying grin.

“No, I don’t smoke.”

He stuck out his tongue. “A kid your age who doesn’t even smoke?”

I was about to head for the stairs when he stood up. “Hey, hey, this is my room.”

Looking closer, I realized—wait, this wasn’t a stairwell but a private suite.

“Sorry, I just checked in and I’m not familiar with the place,” I apologized.

“The elevators are over there. Go take the elevator.” He crouched back down and said no more.

I nodded but thought to myself, I’m not taking that elevator—who knows what’s up with it?

Just then, my phone rang. It was Xiao Shao, but as soon as I answered, the call dropped.

I put my phone back in my pocket and reached in—damn, I’d left my wallet in the room. I turned back to get it.

“You’re back?” Mengya asked.

“Forgot my wallet, so—”

Before I could finish, my phone rang again—Xiao Shao.

“Qiu, something’s wrong! This place we’re staying at—it’s a place of great misfortune!” came Xiao Shao’s panicked voice.

“What?” I asked, startled.

“The room next to the fourth-floor stairwell—someone died there four years ago. Supposedly, he burned to death after lighting a cigarette and setting the bedding on fire.”

A chill ran down my spine. I snatched up my wallet and dashed out, determined to confront the front desk.

I hurried to the elevators.

Click!

A terrifying scene unfolded before me. As I rushed up to the elevators, all six doors slid open at once, their orange lights flickering, the cars empty.

I stood there, petrified, my face drained of color, as if turned to stone. The elevators didn’t close, as though waiting for me.

I spun on my heels and ran back to the room.