Although Yue Yunfei was smiling and trying hard to appear enthusiastic, neither Jack's side nor the other survivors could muster a smile. After all, they had just narrowly avoided a deadly incident, and everyone's face was either expressionless or stiff.
"These two are the beautiful hostesses of our hotel, Raina and Thomasli!"
There were exactly ten people present, including Yue Yunfei himself. He walked up to the crowd, raised his hand, pointed at two young girls, and introduced them with a smile. Then he pointed at a middle-aged man who had just gotten up from the ground, his face pale, and said, "This is our vice president, Ryan Lin, a former marketing expert. Ah, let's not mention that now!"
Yue Yunfei waved his hand in frustration and finally walked up to the two women. One was older and the other younger, the younger one looking about sixteen or seventeen, with a cute doll-like face reminiscent of Thomas. She seemed quite fearful, hiding behind a young woman who was dressed in a professional Marcus-colored skirt suit. It was hard to guess her exact age; one could say she was thirty-five or thirty-six, or even twenty-eight or twenty-nine, because although she was attractive, there was an unusual weariness in her eyes.
The strands of hair at the young woman's forehead were somewhat disheveled, yet they couldn't hide the dignity on her face. When she saw Yue Yunfei approaching and looking at them, she didn't wait for him to introduce her. Instead, she handed a kitchen knife to the girl behind her and walked up gracefully, extending her hand to Jack and saying, "Hello, Ding Jie, please take care of me!"
It was a brief yet very competent self-introduction, carrying a strong professional vibe—not the kind found in the entertainment industry, but rather that of a white-collar workplace. Even the smile on her face seemed somewhat formulaic, as if she had faced such occasions every day before. This slightly artificial smile had become second nature to her, yet if one didn't scrutinize it closely, it could still evoke a sense of warmth.
Ding Jie's hand was very soft, with a wonderful touch that even reminded Jack of Bai Ru's delicate hands. However, as he got closer, Jack realized that Ding Jie should be around thirty-four or thirty-five years old, as evidenced by the faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes.
"Mayor Ding?" Gao Chujing, who was standing not far away, suddenly exclaimed, then walked up excitedly, carefully examining Ding Jie before saying to her with great surprise, "I'm Xiao Gao from the Military Affairs Department! We met when you came to inspect our work last time!"
"Hehe~ It's been a long time since I've heard the title 'Mayor.' I must admit, I'm not quite used to it!" A hint of confusion flashed in Ding Jie's eyes; she clearly didn't recognize who Gao Chujing was, or perhaps she didn't feel the need to remember him. Nevertheless, she graciously shook hands with the older Gao, politely and officially saying, "I didn't expect to run into an old colleague here. What a delightful surprise!"
"Not at all, Mayor Ding. It's my honor to meet you!" Gao Chujing, holding Ding Jie's hand, instinctively lowered his body a few degrees, wearing a thickly ingratiating smile, humble as if a limping son-in-law were meeting his mother-in-law.
Perhaps some people can maintain a proper attitude when facing leaders, appearing neither servile nor overbearing. Yet, some have the mark of servility etched into their souls, and even when they rise to a lofty position that others look up to, their servility remains with them for life. When they encounter someone of higher status, their humility naturally surfaces, and Gao Chujing was one of those people!
"Mayor?"
Seeing Thomas Xu being helped into a chair, Boss Hu turned around in surprise, walking over with disbelief written all over his face. He looked Ding Jie up and down with a blatant gaze, then disdainfully asked, "Old Gao, you can't be confused, right? Is there really such a young female mayor in Jiangcheng?"
Ding Jie frowned in displeasure, and surprisingly, a hint of authority appeared on her face. Gao Chujing was startled reflexively and hurriedly grabbed Boss Hu, saying, "Old Hu, don't talk nonsense. This is really our Jiangcheng's vice mayor, the youngest vice mayor in the city, responsible for our city's health and education work!"
"Oh! Upon closer inspection, it does seem like it. But I've heard that young female mayors are all 'practical and hardworking.' I just wonder if this one in front of us is 'hardworking,' heh heh, hahaha..."
Boss Hu laughed recklessly at Ding Jie, who could clearly hear the underlying meaning in his words. Although she was already used to people gossiping behind her back as a beautiful female mayor, it was the first time someone dared to mock her like this in front of her. Ding Jie stood there, her pretty face turning pale with anger.
However, Boss Hu was acting like a complete old rogue, with a gun awkwardly tucked under his floral shirt, clearly looking down on Ding Jie, leaving her with no room to retaliate. Meanwhile, Yue Yunfei's expression also darkened as he stepped forward and asked casually, "I haven't had the pleasure of learning your name, Mr. Gao!"
"My surname is Hu, and my name is... Li Jing! You can just call me Brother Hu!"
Old Hu laughed boastfully, but he was met with the giggles of two welcoming girls nearby, who couldn't help but cover their mouths and blush with laughter. Jack and Gao Chujing also looked over with strange expressions, as even they hadn't expected that Boss Hu had never mentioned his name. It wasn't that he was nameless; it was just that his name was so bizarre—Li Jing, pronounced together with his surname, sounds like "fox spirit" (Hu Li Jing). What kind of name is that for a grown man!
"Oh! So it's 'Fox Spirit Man!'" Yue Yunfei nodded, not sure if it was intentional. He emphasized the words "fox spirit" and then turned to the European couple, casually bending down to pick up the Glock 17 from the ground and tucking it into his belt. He introduced, "Lin, even if I don't introduce them, you should recognize them. This is the famous tennis player from Alaska, Miss Sharapova, whom we affectionately call Shawa. And this next to her, who you mistakenly injured, is her husband, Juan, also a well-known real estate mogul from Alaska!"
"Yunfei, you don't need to introduce them to us; we don't want to know them at all!" Sharapova knelt beside her husband Juan, her hands covered in hot blood, glaring angrily at Jack and the others while speaking in somewhat stilted Chinese.
Sharapova seemed to understand some first aid knowledge. With a small first aid kit she had somehow obtained, she not only stopped Juan's bleeding but also managed to remove the bullet lodged in his left shoulder. Fortunately for Juan, the bullet fired by Boss Hu lost a lot of energy after penetrating furniture; otherwise, that single shot could have cost him his life. At this moment, Juan was still conscious, gritting his teeth against a stone pillar, and surprisingly, he didn't make a sound throughout the entire procedure, proving himself to be a real tough guy.
"Shava, the whole incident is just a misunderstanding. Jack and the others didn't mean for it to happen. Since it has already occurred, you should learn to understand them!" Yue Yunfei said with a helpless shrug, offering a statement that could be considered fair.
Jack stepped forward at the right moment and said, "I'm really sorry. I apologize on behalf of my companions. This matter is indeed our fault!"
"Don't say anything! I won't forgive you!" Bova turned her pale face away, appearing very stubborn.
"Oh right, this is Ding Jie's sister, Ding Lili. We all call her Little Ding Dong!" Yue Yunfei affectionately patted the little girl's head behind Ding Jie. The girl responded with a shy smile, and when she looked up again, Yue Yunfei asked with a serious expression, "Little brother, could you introduce the situation outside to us? We've been stuck here since the disaster struck!"
"There's nothing to introduce; it's all the same everywhere. There are living corpses everywhere, and every place is lifeless!" Jack gently shook his head, his tone quite frustrated. Upon hearing this, Yue Yunfei and the others immediately showed expressions of both surprise and panic, even Ding Jie, who had always been calm, turned pale. This was almost the inevitable reaction of every survivor upon hearing news from outside.
"We won't disturb you for long. Once my companion regains some mobility, we will leave!" Jack turned to look at Thomas Xu, who had started to vomit, knowing that he must have suffered a head injury, resulting in a certain degree of concussion. Gao Chujing hurriedly went over to lay Thomas Xu back down on a sofa, asked him a few questions, and after confirming that there was no problem, he nodded slightly to Jack.
Jack casually sat down on a recliner, silently observing the environment and Yue Yunfei and the others. The five-star hotel decor was naturally impeccable, exuding luxury and grandeur. However, nowadays, wherever there was glass, it was piled high with heavy furniture or kitchen appliances. Bright sunlight could only pour down from the high glass dome, and a huge Swarovski crystal chandelier hung in the center of the hall, dazzling under the sunlight.