---
Chapter 33: Revisiting the Old Place
Yandong City, Long-Distance Bus Station.
Around eight o'clock in the evening, the sky had just darkened, and Li Yi and the others finally arrived at their destination.
"This is Yandong City? It looks much more rundown than our Jiang City!" one of the group members remarked.
"As you said, Jiang City is still the capital of the province. Yandong can't compare," another person added.
"Okay, stop acting like you've never seen the world; we're from a meat factory," Wei Sanpao chimed in, making the others laugh in unison.
Amidst the laughter, Li Yi led the group to a small hotel.
Li Yi had visited this hotel before, or rather, a few years later.
At that time, his company was just starting up, and he had traveled to Yandong City specifically to discuss business. By the time the business meeting ended, it was already late, and he had missed the time to check in. Being short on money, he had chosen this small, cheap hotel as a place to stay.
Standing at the entrance of the hotel now, Li Yi couldn't help but reminisce about what had happened back then.
Yandong City had changed significantly over the years, but the ancient Ming and Qing Street remained, almost unchanged from Li Yi's memory.
"Tongfu Hotel!"
The plaque was exactly as he remembered, though the quality of the place had clearly improved. It was obvious that the hotel had been in operation for a long time.
Li Yi recalled the owner of the hotel, a man who had left a deep impression on him. Back then, he had met the hotel's hostess, who had a fever, and the male owner was about to take her to the hospital.
When Li Yi arrived, the man surprised him by saying, "The room card is at the front desk. Just pick one; I'll register you when I get back from taking my wife to the hospital."
This spontaneous trust was unusual, especially from strangers.
Li Yi had been curious at the time, wondering what had led the couple to trust him so easily, letting him choose any room without any formalities. Instead of taking the room card immediately, Li Yi had waited outside for the man to return with his wife from the hospital.
Now, standing at the same hotel again, Li Yi's heart was filled with mixed emotions.
"Brother Yi, what are you waiting for? Why don't you go in?" Wei Sanpao asked, walking toward the door.
Li Yi took a deep breath and followed him inside.
As soon as he stepped into the hotel, Li Yi sensed something was off. A man in black was standing inside, holding something in his hand. When he saw Li Yi and the others enter, he quickly tried to hide it behind his clothes.
At the front desk, the wife of the couple Li Yi remembered was standing. But now, she was a tall, graceful young woman, looking very pale, as though she had been frightened.
Li Yi narrowed his eyes. Something was definitely wrong here.
"Sanpao, show me what that kid is holding!"
When Wei Sanpao heard the command, he hesitated for a moment before noticing the panic-stricken man standing nearby. Immediately, he narrowed his eyes.
"Hey, kid! You heard what my big brother said! Show me what you've got!"
The man panicked and raised his hands in surrender.
With a sharp, metallic clink, a dagger fell to the ground.
Li Yi's gaze hardened. The man had been trying to rob them.
When Wei Sanpao saw the dagger, his suspicion turned into certainty.
Although Wei Sanpao was usually carefree, he wasn't naive. This man was clearly a robber who had been caught in the act. It was just his luck that Li Yi and the others had arrived at the wrong time for him.
"You little brat, trying to pull this stunt in broad daylight!"
Wei Sanpao immediately kicked the man, knocking him to his knees.
"Brothers! I've got someone else's big brother here, but I swear I didn't want to do this!"
Li Yi shook his head. Big brother? This kid was seriously unlucky.
Robbers usually expected to make at least 10,000 yuan, which would be a sky-high amount for a small-time crook in these times. But this kid had clearly messed up.
Li Yi turned to the woman behind the desk and asked with a smile, "Are you okay? Did he take anything from you?"
The young woman shook her head. As she opened her mouth to speak, a familiar magnetic voice interrupted her.
"Yunyun, what happened? What's going on here?"
Li Yi turned around at the sound of the voice and saw the man, the husband of the woman, walking into the hotel. He was holding two glass bottles of Coca-Cola, which had an old-fashioned look.
"It's nothing, just a little problem. Luckily, these big brothers helped me out!" Yunyun, the woman, said, her voice relieved.
"Big brothers?" Li Yi's mouth twitched. He was probably younger than this man, yet he was being called "big brother."
Forget it, let's just roll with it.
After hearing the full explanation, the man, Xia Xun, understood the situation and immediately turned to Li Yi.
"Thank you so much for today. I'll waive the room fee for tonight as a token of appreciation."
Li Yi shook his head with a smile. "No need. It's a small favor. Just take what you need."
The others were immediately speechless. Boss, don't miss out on such a good opportunity!
However, the conversation didn't end there.
"Then what should I do? Without you, Yunyun might have been in trouble today!" Xia Xun said with a grateful look.
Li Yi smiled and said, "Well, if you really want to thank me, do me a favor and we'll call it even."
"What do you need?" Xia Xun asked, intrigued.
"We're buyers for Jiangnan Meat Factory. We're here in Yandong City to purchase a batch of fruits for our employees' annual welfare benefits. Could you help us get in touch with the local fruit wholesalers? You can even contact the farmers directly if possible."
Xia Xun's face lit up at the suggestion. "Of course! I'll make sure to set that up for you!"
---