Shanxi Meihua and her four stylists arrived at the King's Hotel together.
As soon as they entered, Shanxi Meihua took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of the hotel.
"It's been a long time since I last set foot in this place. The scent inside the King's Hotel never changes. I bet the head butler still has that subtle fragrance pumped through the air vents to make the atmosphere more enticing," she remarked.
The female stylist approached her and asked, "Lady Shanxi, may I ask you something?"
"Yes, go ahead."
"You mentioned that you've been here before. Are you an old guest of the King's Hotel?" the female stylist asked curiously.
"Well, I used to be..." Shanxi Meihua began.
Suddenly, they heard someone clear his throat behind them. A butler stepped forward.
"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. I am Butler Lài You, at your service."
"Welcome, Miss Shanxi Meihua, and welcome to your team as well. It's a pleasure to have you here," the butler greeted them graciously.
"Thank you, Butler Lài You. Could you please lead us to my client?" Shanxi Meihua replied in an equally courteous manner.
"Certainly. Please follow me," Butler Lài You responded.
Shanxi Meihua's four stylists exchanged suspicious glances as they followed the butler. They positioned themselves on either side of her. The male and lesbian stylists walked on her right, while the gay and female stylists walked on her left.
Meanwhile, Butler Lài You led them toward Zhang Wei's room.
"Lady Shanxi, you were about to tell us something earlier. Could you continue?" the female stylist asked.
"Well, it's a long story, but to put it simply, I used to be a loyal guest of the King's Hotel. However, something happened in the past that made me stay away for a very long time," Shanxi Meihua explained calmly, although a hint of sadness could be heard in her voice.
The four stylists grew curious about what had happened to their employer. They were about to ask another question when Shanxi Meihua continued after a brief silence.
"Well, what's happened is in the past, and no one can change it. The present is here to be dealt with, while the future is where our dreams lie."
Shanxi Meihua smiled and walked ahead, leaving the four stylists with even more questions.
What happened in the past that made Lady Shanxi stay away from this hotel? Why can't she even tell us about it?
"Here we are, ladies and gentlemen. This is the room you're looking for," Butler Lài You announced with a smile.
"Thank you, Butler Lài You," Shanxi Meihua replied politely.
The butler bowed slightly before taking his leave.
"Wait! Guys, did you notice that man in the green suit we passed by earlier?" the lesbian stylist suddenly asked.
They stopped in front of Zhang Wei's room. Shanxi Meihua pressed the doorbell while listening to her stylists' conversation.
"What about him?" the female stylist asked.
"Well, that man isn't actually a man. I think he's a woman in disguise," the lesbian stylist whispered, sounding as though she had noticed something unusual about him.
"I noticed that he..." she began, but before she could finish her sentence, the door suddenly opened.
"Come in," Zhang Wei said in his natural voice and appearance.
The moment the four stylists saw him, they were completely shocked.
Zhang Wei looked as though he hadn't set foot in civilization for days. His hair was a complete mess, his bathrobe was disheveled, and his breath smelled as though he had just emerged from an underground mine after digging through the earth with his bare mouth.
Has he been underground mining for gold and failed to find any? Because his breath certainly smells like he's been digging with his mouth!
"Man! You didn't even bother to prepare for our arrival. Did you forget all the effort we put into transforming you yesterday?" the male stylist complained, clearly irritated by Zhang Wei's appearance.
He continued, "And that breath of yours is absolutely incredible! Have you been mining with your mouth or something?"
The female stylist couldn't help but agree with him.
He really said exactly what we were all thinking!
"Wow! Yesterday, you were the most beautiful person in the room, and now you're the most haggard-looking one! Man, what happened to you? Did you take on some kind of overnight survival challenge?"
"Bingo! He's absolutely right! And judging by your appearance, it looks like you've been through some serious trouble," the gay stylist added, examining Zhang Wei from head to toe.
Meanwhile, inside the King's Library, Lau Mei remained seated for a while after the butler had left. She began questioning herself.
How did that butler figure out my identity? Was it my outfit, my manner of speaking, or the way I reacted?
She was worried about how the butler had discovered her identity, especially since only a handful of people knew her secret. If her mother ever found out, she would undoubtedly be in serious trouble.
These thoughts continued to run through her mind as she prepared to leave the King's Library.
However, just as she was about to walk away, a group of ladies suddenly surrounded her, forcing her to stop.
One of them stepped forward and spoke hesitantly.
"Uhm... This is a little embarrassing, but may I ask your name?"
Lau Mei was caught off guard by their sudden appearance and accidentally bumped into one of the ladies. The woman nearly fell to the ground, but Lau Mei quickly caught her by the waist.
"Ahhh!"
A series of high-pitched screams suddenly erupted from the surrounding ladies.
The others immediately pulled out their cellphones, behaving as though they had just witnessed a celebrity caught in a public display of affection.
Lau Mei was so shocked that she couldn't even process what was happening.
Instinctively, she helped the woman regain her balance before gently letting go. She was about to ask whether the woman was all right when another unexpected incident occurred.
"Ahhh!"
The woman suddenly grabbed Lau Mei by the collar and planted a kiss on her cheek.
This triggered another round of high-pitched screams from the ladies.
Completely bewildered, Lau Mei finally asked, "What exactly do you want from me?"
A hint of coldness flashed across her eyes, making the ladies suddenly nervous.
"Uhm... I just wanted to know your name because you saved me a moment ago..." the woman explained hesitantly.
"Lau Mei," she replied plainly.
Without saying anything else, Lau Mei immediately left the group and headed straight for the elevator.
She felt somewhat sorry for the ladies because they had mistaken her for a man. She wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but she couldn't risk revealing her identity while still inside the King's Hotel.
If word got out, her mother might discover that she had disguised herself as a woman. That could lead to an enormous misunderstanding and possibly even become the subject of a sensational newspaper headline.
Lau Mei headed straight to the nearest elevator to return to her room and collect her belongings.
However, when she stepped out of the elevator, she noticed a group of people emerging from one of the hotel rooms.
She was still several meters away when one of them, the gay stylist, suddenly exclaimed,
"My goodness! That treatment was so intense! You know, I feel as though my mouth is about to fall off!"
Lau Mei maintained an expressionless face, although curiosity began to build inside her.
What on earth are they talking about? And why were they all coming out of that room?
She decided not to voice her thoughts and continued walking.
Next, the male stylist spoke proudly.
"I made sure those butt pads were strong enough to handle THE BIG SITUATIONS!"
He deliberately emphasized the last three words.
"Well, judging by the results, everything turned out pretty well," the lesbian stylist commented.
"Oh, please! We barely made it out alive! Otherwise, even with the strength of those boys, I bet all of us would have been completely drained, like a desert, because of what we went through," the female stylist complained, looking utterly exhausted.
"Yeah... At least we're still alive because those boys seemed to have unlimited energy. Especially his friend! My goodness, I thought my brain was about to fall out because of him. Still, the makeover was worth it, even though he was much bigger than our little doll," the gay stylist remarked tiredly.
"Guys, it's fine. As long as we're getting paid, we have nothing to complain about. Besides, remember that we have a meal waiting for us downstairs, along with a spa treatment. All we need to do now is relax and enjoy the rewards of our hard work," Shanxi Meihua reminded them.
Meanwhile, Lau Mei couldn't help but draw her own conclusions.
Those people still weren't satisfied with whatever they had witnessed earlier. They even had to bring in a whole group of people to satisfy their cravings! Don't they realize they might catch some kind of disease from doing that?
The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she became. Her expression gradually darkened, and even her legs began to feel weak as she continued toward her room.
All she wanted was to get inside, lie down, and forget everything she had just seen and heard.
She desperately wanted to go home and change her clothes. As soon as she reached her room, she loosened her tie and unbuttoned her suit to make herself more comfortable.
After entering, she walked straight to the bed, lay down, and stretched out her arms and legs.
Just as she was beginning to relax, the telephone on the bedside table suddenly rang.
"Hello..." Lau Mei answered, her voice carrying a noticeable hint of exhaustion.