That night, Ding Yuanying was truly drunk and slept until the afternoon of the next day. At four o'clock in the afternoon, he left Beijing with Xiao Yawen, Director Ma, and Xiao Zhao, a group of four.
Beijing is over 300 kilometers away from the ancient city. The car had been driving on the expressway for over four hours before it reached the ancient city. Xiao Yawen called Rui Xiaodan when the car left Beijing and made another call when they entered the urban area of the ancient city. At nine o'clock in the evening, their car drove into the Nancun Community of the ancient city.
Behind Rui Xiaodan, a Santana police car was parked. She was in her police uniform. Standing beside her was a young man in his twenties, a kitchen worker at the Venus Hotel, who had been temporarily sent here to watch the house 24 hours a day. She did this on purpose, hinting at a sense of distance and more information to make the other party more sensible. Although she had never met Ding Yuanying, the whole affair had already made her dislike this man.
The car stopped a few meters away from Rui Xiaodan, and Xiao Yawen got out first. Due to the special occasion, the enthusiasm between the two was naturally less casual.
Xiao Yawen briefly introduced everyone.
Rui Xiaodan, as the host, took the initiative to reach out and shook hands with Ding Yuanying ceremoniously, saying, "Hello."
Ding Yuanying also said, "Hello. Sorry to trouble you."
Ding Yuanying was still a bit tipsy, and there was a smell of alcohol on him. Rui Xiaodan immediately remembered what Xiao Yawen had said: alcoholism, women, and a debauched lifestyle. This further worsened her already poor impression of this man. She felt uncomfortable, like a dull thorn hidden in her skin whose exact location she couldn't find.
Rui Xiaodan introduced, "There's a clinic and a vegetable market in this community. There are no factories around, so it's very quiet, and the rent isn't high. Walk more than a hundred meters south from here, and there's a street full of food stalls, which is very convenient. Let's go and have a look at the room first."
Everyone went up to the fifth floor, which was also the top floor. Since the furniture, electrical appliances, and other daily necessities had already been transported, Ding Yuanying didn't have much luggage this time, just a suitcase, a travel bag of clothes, and a bag of CD records bought in Berlin.
As soon as they entered the room, a stuffy heat hit them. Rui Xiaodan said, "There's no heat insulation layer on the roof of the fifth floor. After a day of sun exposure, it gets really hot. You need to install an air conditioner. The landlord has a condition: if you install one, it has to be a famous-brand floor-standing unit, and half of the air conditioner cost can be counted as part of next year's rent. Since it's not urgent, I waited for you to decide."
Ding Yuanying said, "I got it."
This was a new, 70-square-meter, two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment. The walls were painted with white imitation porcelain paint, the floor was gray cement, and the doors and windows were all painted white. No one had ever lived in it, and there had been no renovation. The dark green velvet curtains were newly hung, plain without patterns, and almost black under the light, giving a sense of oppressive calm. All the things in the house were Ding Yuanying's daily necessities transported from Beijing. The bed, writing desk, Sofa, and coffee table were already in position. More than a thousand CD records neatly filled the bookcase in the bedroom. Only in the east corner of the living room were a TV, a set of audio equipment, two laptop computers, and other electrical appliances piled together.
Xiao Yawen pointed at a pile of electrical appliances and said, "Mr. Ding, we don't know how to install these, so we didn't touch them."
Ding Yuanying went to the bathroom to look at the newly installed electric water heater, and then came to the kitchen. The kitchen was empty, except for his set of Gongfu tea set placed on the tiled counter.
Xiao Yawen said, "You told us not to buy cooking utensils."
Ding Yuanying said, "I won't need them. It's more convenient to eat out."
Director Ma said after looking around, "Brother Ding, it's too simple. Will it be okay?"
Ding Yuanying said contentedly, "There's food, a place to wash, things to listen to, and things to watch. It's fine."
Rui Xiaodan said, "Mr. Ding, the door lock is newly replaced, but there's been someone watching the house since the things were moved in. You'd better change it again so that everyone can feel at ease."
Ding Yuanying said, "No need, thank you."
Rui Xiaodan handed Ding Yuanying a piece of paper and said coldly and politely, "Mr. Ding, this is my phone number. Yawen is my friend, so there's noperlative in the text. If you need any help in the future, just give me a call."
Ding Yuanying took the paper and said "Thank you", then said to everyone, "I'm all set here. You can go back."
Xiao Yawen also said to Rui Xiaodan, "We have to rush back overnight, so we won't chat this time."
Rui Xiaodan said, "We'll talk when there's a chance. You should hurry on your way. It'll be the second half of the night when you get back to Beijing. Since I'm absent from my post now, I'm going back too. I'm on the night shift today."
Rui Xiaodan politely said goodbye to Ding Yuanying and the others, and went downstairs with the young man who was watching the house. Xiao Yawen followed to see her off, and they said a few words of mutual care and farewell downstairs.
Rui Xiaodan drove the police car and sent the young man to the Venus Hotel.
Longfu Street was the most prosperous commercial street in the ancient city, with numerous large and small restaurants, tea houses, and dance halls. In the night, the colorful neon lights flickered with a bewitching glow, outlining gorgeous and unpredictable pictures. The Venus Hotel was located in the central section of this street. It was a restaurant mainly serving Cantonese cuisine. In front of the hotel, many cars of different brands were parked, and the hotel was brightly lit inside and out.
The car stopped in front of the Venus Hotel, and the young man from the 酒店 got out.
The owner, Ouyang Xue, pushed the door open and walked towards Rui Xiaodan with a smile.
Ouyang Xue was 28 years old, with a well-proportioned figure and fair skin. Dressed in a light cyan dress made of luxurious fabric with exquisite craftsmanship, her long hair flowed like gentle waves behind her. Her plump lips had clear yet soft lines, and her charming eyes contained a bit of mature calmness and confidence. She exuded a different kind of sexy and glamorous beauty from every angle, highlighting her full bosom and slender figure.
Rui Xiaodan turned the car around, didn't turn off the engine, and didn't get out of the car. She smiled at Ouyang Xue through the car window.
Ouyang Xue walked up and asked, "Have you got rid of them all?"
Rui Xiaodan said, "Yes."
Ouyang Xue said, "Just wait. In a few days, he'll find an excuse to call you."
Rui Xiaodan said, "Let him call."
Ouyang Xue said, "Men are all the same."
Rui Xiaodan sneered, waved her hand, stepped on the accelerator, and drove away.