Captain Lu was aloof again today.

Chapter 164 Hotel
He is not afraid of waiting.

If it's her, then all the waiting will become incredibly meaningful.

Upon hearing his words, Wei Qingsong was slightly taken aback, then smiled.

In the past, Lu Jingming was actually a person who disliked waiting. He believed that time was precious and that every minute and second that passed should be used for more valuable things.

Even so, he waited for her day after day for those six years when she didn't know when she would return.

Without a God's-eye view, he didn't know when she would return—perhaps tomorrow, perhaps never.

But he kept waiting.

His obsession has taken deep root in his heart and can no longer be eradicated.

Even if he pretends to be indifferent and uncaring on the surface, the fact that he can only sleep peacefully when he thinks of her every night has already said it all.

They are actually the same kind of people.

The same stubbornness, the same tenacity, the same deep love.

"Get in the car." Lu Jingming opened the passenger door.

"okay."

After a moment of reflection, Wei Qingsong nodded, bent down, and got into the car.

Lu Jingming closed the car door, went around to the driver's seat, started the car, and drove onto the main road.

"What should we do?" Wei Qingsong turned her head to look at Lu Jingming.

They are now heading to the Liyang Hotel, their purpose, of course, to secretly investigate the hotel and see if there are any instances of forced prostitution or other illegal activities.

However, how to investigate without alerting the target is a question worth exploring.

"Do you have any good ideas?" Lu Jingming asked instead of answering.

If Liyang Hotel really is forcing young girls to engage in illegal activities, then the staff inside are unlikely to speak out easily. After all, the water has already been stirred up so much that the whole pond will never be clean again.

“I think we can test the attitude of the other hotel staff first,” Wei Qingsong said thoughtfully. “There are many staff members in the hotel, and we can’t possibly meet and question them one by one. That would take too long and be easy to expose. If we do ask questions, we must not be too obvious and should not arouse their suspicion.”

"Yes." Lu Jingming nodded. "You're right. Let's take it slow and focus on observation."

They cannot act rashly now and must proceed with caution.

The car pulled up in front of the Liyang Hotel, and Lu Jingming and Wei Qingsong got out and walked toward the lobby.

At the reception desk in the lobby, two elegantly dressed waitresses were talking.

The hotel staff uniforms are all white skirt suits. Compared to the usual formal suits in hotels, the uniforms at Liyang Hotel are much more glamorous.

The white shirt features a V-neck design at the chest, allowing glimpses of the inappropriately white bodice.

The short skirt on her lower body seemed to be designed to save on fabric, barely covering her hips, as if it covered everything, yet also as if it covered nothing at all.

Although the weather in Tangzhou wasn't too cold yet, it was still a bit chilly at nine o'clock in the morning. Without exception, all the young girls on the street were wearing long pants, not daring to risk getting rheumatism by going out in the heat of the moment.

In contrast, the two waitresses were dressed very provocatively. They looked young, but their makeup was exaggerated. Thick foundation covered their original skin tone, and even their closest relatives would probably have difficulty recognizing their facial features.

Clearly, this is not the proper makeup that a hotel waiter should have.

Wei Qingsong looked around, lowered her voice, and said softly, "It seems there are no male waiters here, only girls."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jingming raised an eyebrow and said, "It is indeed very unusual."

In service industries like this, most employees are gentle and patient women.

But in such a large hotel, there will always be a few male waiters.

In addition, their clothing did not conform to the industry's standards.

If they had even the slightest doubt about the Pei siblings' story before arriving at the Liyang Hotel, then seeing this scene completely dispelled any remaining doubts.

It seems this hotel really is a den of iniquity.

The hotel's interior is very luxurious, with a spacious and bright lobby, huge oil paintings on the walls, a row of sofas and coffee tables by the floor-to-ceiling windows, and some green plants all around.

The entire hall was filled with a rich aroma of fragrance, which made people feel drowsy.

When the two waitresses saw them approaching, they immediately stopped talking, bowed respectfully, and greeted them in sweet voices, carrying a unique charm and allure.

"Gentlemen, how may I help you?"

Wei Qingsong felt a surge of annoyance and unconsciously furrowed her beautiful brows.

She could see it clearly: those two waitresses practically had their eyes glued to Lu Jingming.

Lu Jingming didn't react much, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor.

"Get us a room, preferably with a bathtub," Lu Jingming instructed simply, speaking slowly and deliberately, so that no one could detect anything amiss.

The waitress on the left, wearing blue eyeshadow, gave a formulaic smile: "Okay, please show me your VIP card."

"Do I need a VIP card to book a room at your hotel?" Wei Qingsong couldn't help but interject.

Such a rule is truly unheard of.

"I'm sorry, this is our hotel's policy," the blue-eyed waitress explained with a smile. "Our hotel only offers VIP service."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry, we're from out of town and not familiar with your rules. A friend mentioned it at the party last time, saying the service here is excellent. I didn't expect there to be such rules." Lu Jingming continued calmly, "So, how do we apply for VIP status?"

The waitress on the right, wearing red eyeshadow, frowned, tugged at the sleeve of the one with blue eyeshadow, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Let's send them away. The manager said we can't serve unfamiliar faces lately."

"What are you afraid of? Besides, didn't you hear them say that they are from out of town and have acquaintances among their guests? There won't be any problems."

The hotel's VIP guests are all wealthy and powerful. She looked at the man in front of her. Although his clothes were simple, he exuded an air of nobility in his every move. She thought that this man must be someone of great importance.

"Please follow me." With that, the saleswoman at the Blue Eyeshadow counter smiled sweetly, stepped out from behind the counter, and extended her right hand in a gesture of invitation. "This way, please."

"Hey, Xiaoya!" The person with red eyeshadow called out anxiously from behind her.

Xiaoya ignored her and walked ahead on her own.

Lu Jingming gave the red eyeshadow a deep look before following Xiaoya forward, with Wei Qingsong close behind.

The woman with red eyeshadow gently bit her lip, frozen in place.

She couldn't quite explain what Lu Jingming's look meant, but just one glance from him made her feel uneasy, as if some dangerous signal was slowly approaching.

(End of this chapter)