In the hotel reception area, the Young Chairman Wu, around thirty, chain-smoked while his wife wept softly beside him. Somkhun observed them closely. The wife, though not stunningly beautiful, possessed an air of dignified grace – tall and well-proportioned, with full hips. In Chinese eyes, she'd be considered the ideal wife: presentable and "good for bearing heirs." Yet, sitting next to her tattooed, pierced husband clad in McQueen, holding their child and wearing minimal makeup, she looked more like a nanny.
Before they entered, Kevin had briefed Somkhun on this unusual family. Wu Hongwei, 65, wasn't just the founder of a company with hundreds of employees; he was the undisputed patriarch at home. Everyone revolved around him, yet harmony seemed elusive. The family exhibited the classic Chinese strain of mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relations – strained but not broken. The mother-in-law constantly picked faults; the daughter-in-law endured silently for years. When the mother-in-law went too far, Chairman Wu would step in to mediate. The son, Young Chairman Wu, seemed a perpetual child – shielded by his mother, indulged by his wife, and utterly averse to making decisions or taking responsibility. Their seven-year-old grandson was the family jewel, perpetually glued to his phone or iPad.
The wife's name was Bai Mei, a plain name that was hard to remember, and she was the least noticeable person in the family. She had married into wealth but wore ordinary clothes and minimal makeup. Her mother-in-law, who carried a Hermès Birkin bag and was always impeccably dressed, made Bai Mei look even more like a nanny. Perhaps, in front of a mother-in-law like that, being submissive was the best way to survive.
Ada had once interacted with this subdued woman during the typhoon, when water service was cut. Bai Mei had quietly approached the front desk, asking Ada for hot water. So softly, in fact, that Ada had to ask her to repeat herself several times.
She'd said the kid had spilled the last of their water, and they didn't have any bottled water left.
"But didn't we just send a full case to your room?" Ada had asked.
She'd smiled nervously and said, "My mother-in-law took it all into her own room." Like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Ada, feeling sorry for her, had sent a few extra bottles and some snacks for the child.
Grateful, Bai Mei chatted for a bit. It turned out she was just a country girl who worked at a hotel in a scenic area in southern China. Eight years ago, she met the Wu family when they were on vacation. The son took a liking to her, and the Wu couple actually took charge on the spot, accepting her as their future daughter-in-law. They were married not long after. She believed it was normal for a poor girl like her to be looked down on after marrying into a wealthy family. Her husband was just a big baby raised by his parents; he couldn't even take care of himself, let alone stand up for her.
Naturally, their grandson turned out to be a little monster. On the day of the typhoon, during lunch, Wu Sr. had stepped outside the restaurant to take a call. With the family's "precious gem" momentarily unsupervised, chaos ensued. The kid poured juice all over Mark, the engineer, at the next table. The father ignored it. The mother was powerless. The grandmother—Bai Mei's mother-in-law—yelled at Bai Mei in front of everyone, then sat back to enjoy the spectacle, as if watching a play. Mark had had enough and went straight to Ada to complain.
This wasn't the first time the little terror caused trouble in the restaurant. Kevin's prescribed solution for Ada was "placate the child + reason with parents + compensate the guest." She was mentally rehearsing her spiel when she noticed the Perry family approaching Mark first.
Dining was always complicated for the Perrys. Their Indonesian Muslim nanny, A Jin, had to feed their two children before eating her own limited Halal options. Mrs. Perry, a vegetarian, also had restricted choices. They ate quickly.
When Mark lost his temper, it was A Jin who reacted first. She rushed over, her Mandarin halting. "Sir, please calm down. Being a nanny is hard; we all deserve respect. Let me wash your clothes for you?" she pleaded, glancing sympathetically at the cowering Bai Mei.
A Jin, mistaking Bai Mei's submissive demeanor and plain attire for those of a fellow nanny, had stepped in out of solidarity.
Bai Mei realized what was happening and felt a little embarrassed. "I'm the child's mother," she said.
A Jin was mortified. "I'm so sorry. I spoke out of turn," she said.
"Well, well," sneered Bai Mei's mother-in-law, who'd been watching. "Since when do nannies give lectures? Are you the 'Tong Fang Ya Tou ' or something?" (Tong Fang Ya Tou – implying a servant with sexual duties to the master).
A Jin looked confused. She didn't know what "concubine's handmaiden" meant, but she could tell it wasn't a compliment.
This enraged Mrs. Perry, who was eating her salad. She dropped her napkin and turned sharply. "Madam Wu, I presume? Your words insult A Jin's dignity and disgrace my household. I demand an apology."
"Apologize to you? Why? Because your husband's white? Because you have two mutts? Are you better than us Chinese?"Mrs. Wu's voice rose with self-righteous fury, as if she were unveiling some universal truth.
"Oh, my God, your words are completely out of line!" Mrs. Perry said, fuming. She turned to her husband, who looked shocked. "Perry, take the kids back to the room. I need to deal with this."
"Don't think you can keep me out of this. I think she just insulted me," Perry said, pulling out his phone and pointing it at Mrs. Wu. He started recording. "Please say that again. I'd like to truly appreciate your culture."
Bai Mei's mother-in-law snorted and pretended nothing had happened.
Mark, feeling ignored, shook his juice-soaked shirt. "Hey! I don't care if she's a nanny or a mom, isn't anyone going to deal with the mess this kid made?"
"Mr. Perry, you don't need to film. I've been filming the whole time," a voice with a Hong Kong accent floated over. Everyone looked and saw it was Ah Kai and his girlfriend, who had been eating nearby. He had his camera up the whole time, filming with great interest.
The scene became completely chaotic. Luckily, Mr. Wu returned in time. He offered to compensate Mark, apologized to the Perry family, and Ada said she would wash Mark's clothes. The storm was finally quelled.
Now, back in the present, Somkhun rubbed his eyes, irritated by Young Chairman Wu's smoke. "How did your parents know about the Jacuzzi in the Presidential Suite?"
"Hmph! Ask Manager Kevin that!" Young Chairman Wu glared accusingly at Kevin.
"Whoa, careful with the accusations!" Kevin reacted strongly, then seemed to recall something. "Ah… yes, right. It *was* my mistake. But that's no excuse for your parents sneaking in to use it!" Kevin nervously glanced towards the Perrys sitting opposite, meeting Perry's furious blue eyes before quickly looking away.
It turned out the Wu family of five had originally booked the Presidential Suite. But upon arrival, Ada at the front desk discovered it had been booked earlier by Perry's family – Perry, the American white executive based in Indonesia, his Chinese-American wife Zhan Yi-hsin, their two mixed-race children, and their Indonesian nanny, A Jin.
Kevin checked and realized his error: a booking platform inventory snafu had led to an overbooking. To appease the Wus, Kevin put them in a family suite among the overwater villas with private pools, offering complimentary premium wine and a free island-hopping tour. However, Madam Wu remained fixated on the Presidential Suite with its stunning sunset view. She visited the front desk almost daily, asking when the Perrys would check out. Finally, on the morning boat services resumed, the Perrys checked out. They were waiting in the lobby with their luggage for their speedboat when news broke that Chairman Wu and his wife had sneaked into their vacated room and died there. Now, they were stuck cooperating with the police.
"Funny," Somkhun murmured to Kevin, rubbing his eyes. "Five families, all tangled together. Think we should talk to the Perrys now?"
"They're already waiting," Kevin replied with a helpless shrug.
Sure enough, Perry and his wife were sitting quietly on a nearby sofa. The moment Somkhun looked over, they stood up and marched over.
Perry seemed to have been holding it in for a long time and had finally gotten his chance to vent.
"Holy shit! HOLY SHIT! This is the WORST vacation I've ever had!" He was practically shaking. "I respect the dead, I really do. But these two elderly Chinese folks? They made my life hell. Almost every time we saw us in the restaurant, the old lady would ask me: 'When are you checking out?' 'Do you want to switch rooms with us?' 'We can book two other water villas for you if you just give us the presidential suite.' I was so annoyed. I felt disrespected. They made me feel like I was a thief who had stolen their happy time. But what does that have to do with me? I was the one who booked the room first. OMG! We packed up at 7 this morning and came to the lobby to wait for the speedboat to the airport. Two hours later, you told me they died in our room. Officers, we didn't do anything, but because of two people who bothered us, we're suspects? Ridiculous!"
"Perry, calm down," his wife said, placing a hand on his arm. She was elegant but understated—unlike Mark's high-maintenance wife. No flashy logos, just a smart blouse and a stylish shawl,looking like a cultured artist who had seen the world but was untouched by its vulgarities.
"With the police here, our rights are protected, yes?" she asked Somkhun calmly.
"Of course," Somkhun said. "Just two more questions. Did you use the massage tub during your stay? Did you notice anything wrong with the wiring?"
"WTF! That question is malicious and leading! I find it highly offensive!" Perry's anger reignited. "OMG, what is happening? We didn't do anything! Why are we being interrogated like suspects?"
Zhan Yi-hsin guided him back to his seat and addressed Somkhun calmly. "Officer, as you know, the typhoon caused power outages and water cuts. Who would think to use an outdoor Jacuzzi?"
Somkhun nodded, scribbling in his notebook: "White exec who hates Asian culture + highbrow Chinese wife = awkward fam." He snapped the notebook shut and stepped aside to make a phone call.
Perry, fuming with rage, watched the nonchalant detective captain and said to his wife, "Even though he has a lot of questions, I can tell he doesn't want to make more trouble for himself."
He was right. After the call, Somkhun returned. "Alright, everyone. Based on our preliminary investigation, we cannot definitively determine if all four deaths were accidental. The final determination requires forensic examination. However, the Tourist Police and others are currently tied up at other disaster sites. They should free up personnel tomorrow to airlift the bodies via helicopter. The bodies will be sent to Na-Khi for further examination. Once the results are confirmed and any objections resolved, they will contact the families regarding the disposition of your loved ones."
"I don't care about that! I demand compensation!" Young Chairman Wu,who had been quietly smoking, finally seemed to find his opportunity and started to yell. "This accident is entirely the hotel's fault! Why wasn't the faulty wiring checked? Why was such an obvious hazard ignored?"
Kevin rushed to placate him, emphasizing the hotel's plight: "Mr. Young Chairman Wu, when exactly could we have performed safety inspections during the typhoon?"
Instead of backing off, Wu Jr. turned his fire on Perry. "And YOU! Just because you're American doesn't mean you're innocent. How do I know you didn't damage the tub?"
Perry was livid. With the earlier "concubine" slur still fresh in his mind, he grabbed his phone. "You better not leave Thailand right away. I'm calling my lawyer now. I'm going to sue you for defamation! You have to pay for your false accusations!"
"Oh yeah?" Wu Jr. jumped up. "Bring it on! Bring it on! How is it that three of our families had deaths, but all five of you are fine? I think you're highly suspicious! You want to sue me, do you? If you dare, don't leave!"
"Damn it!" Perry rolled up his sleeves and lunged, but his wife pulled him back. "Calm down! There's a cop right here."
Wu Jr. kept yelling, while his wife clung to him, whispering desperately, "Please don't…"
Somkhun, his head aching, stood between the two groups. "Okay, okay. I'm taking note of everything everyone has said today. It can all be used as evidence in court. You can say more if you want, that's fine. Otherwise, please, everyone, calm down."
Both furious men had no choice but to back down.
Just then, Li Ye's voice rang out. Ada followed close behind, her face pale with panic as she looked pleadingly at Kevin.
"There's something off about Mark's death," Li Ye announced.
Mrs. Mark, who had been sitting in a daze, looked up sharply at his words.