Chapter 538 - 553: Overlooking the River

After the four-party talk, An Ning and Zhao Pandi were checked into an absurdly luxurious hotel. They were given a massive top-floor suite—the kind of place so big you could get lost just walking around in it, where you’d better not drink too much water before bed.

The first thing An Ning did after getting to the room was seal Tao Quan back into his gourd.

"Thank you for today."

"You’re thanking me? I thought you hated me."

"You’re not wrong, but that doesn’t stop me from thanking you. Even bad guys can do a good deed every now and then."

An Ning casually swiped her palm over the mouth of the gourd and aimed it at Tao Quan.

Tao Quan floated up and drifted inside without any resistance.

"You’re right. Good and evil can never be defined by a single line."

An Ning didn’t agree. Just before he was fully drawn in, he heard her say, "The law is the bottom line."

"Mm."

After that single sound of assent, the room fell silent.

After putting the gourd away, An Ning finally relaxed completely, sinking into the sofa and letting her mind go blank.

Even though the other Feng Shui Masters hadn’t been particularly formidable, An Ning still felt a bit tired.

Curled up on the sofa, she drifted off to sleep.

When she opened her eyes again, the sky was already dark. An Ning walked to the window and gazed out at the brilliant city skyline.

’It really is a different world,’ she thought. ’No wonder everyone fights tooth and nail to come here.’

Now fully rested from her nap, An Ning filled the bathtub. She scrubbed it out by hand first before finally sinking into the water.

’After spending all that time scrubbing this tub, it would be a crime not to soak for a while.’

While enjoying her comfortable bubble bath, she had a fruit platter, a meal, a dessert, and a large, colorful beverage arranged by the side of the tub.

An Ning would never sell herself short; she ate and drank her fill.

After finishing the colorful drink, she vaguely remembered there was something she had forgotten to do. ’But what was it?’

At that exact moment, Jiang Xia was crawling out of a cold, murky river, his head covered in seaweed and sludge. He scrambled to avoid the patrols on the bank, looking for an opportunity to make it ashore.

"Trying to stop me? Dream on!"

What Jiang Xia didn’t know was that just as he was making his clandestine crossing, his official papers were approved. He could have crossed legally at any time.

Unfortunately, while the paperwork was in order, the man himself was nowhere to be found.

Jiang Xia’s secretary could only claim that his boss had urgent business back on the mainland and had already left, leaving the secretary behind to wait.

In the end, the secretary alone enjoyed the VIP treatment and was admitted into Hong Kong.

The moment he set foot in Hong Kong, the secretary had only one thought: ’Oh, President Jiang, did you actually make it ashore?’

「Dawn was just breaking.」

Having eaten and drunk her fill, An Ning climbed out of the bathtub, which she had refilled with hot water an unknown number of times. Her fingers and toes were pruney, but she paid it no mind as she sat on the sofa, idly fiddling with a hotel menu.

’What was it?’

Still unable to remember, An Ning was interrupted by a knock at the door.

It was Zhao Pandi, asking if she wanted to go downstairs for breakfast.

Breakfast...

The thought of breakfast instantly made An Ning think of Jiang Xia.

"Do you have any news about Jiang Xia?"

Zhao Pandi nodded. As it turned out, she did. The news had just arrived that morning, and she had been planning on telling An Ning shortly.

"There’s no issue with Jiang Xia’s paperwork anymore. The other three parties kept their word and cleared it. However, his secretary said Jiang Xia has already left, and he was the only one left waiting there."

’Left? Jiang Xia?’

’Impossible.’

’That man, Jiang Xia, is as proud and stubborn as I am. He would never back down from something he’s set his mind to.’

’If he couldn’t get in through the front door, he’d find a back way in.’

An Ning’s gaze shifted. She looked at Zhao Pandi and asked, "Have there been any reports from the nearby smuggling routes?"

Zhao Pandi shook her head. No news for now.

Still uneasy, An Ning told Zhao Pandi to keep an eye out for related news. Understanding, Zhao Pandi asked in a low voice, "You suspect...?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I’ll watch for it."

The two of them went downstairs to have breakfast.

When they arrived at the restaurant, their clothing made the waiter at the entrance hesitate for a second. However, once they presented their key card for the top floor, all problems vanished.

In fact, a waiter was thoughtfully assigned to serve just the two of them.

"We offer room service, so you can enjoy breakfast in your suite if you prefer."

An Ning and Zhao Pandi figured that since they were already downstairs, they didn’t want to bother going back up. Besides, the view from the restaurant was quite nice.

The waiter was just informing them; otherwise, he completely respected the guests’ wishes.

Still, they received premium treatment. The waiter personally led them to a window seat overlooking the river, a perfect spot to watch the morning sun rise.

The river water glowed orange-red, the color of a fine wine.

"It’s actually quite beautiful."

"It sure is."

With that very down-to-earth exchange, Zhao Pandi and An Ning sat down facing each other.

They ordered and waited.

"Are you going to see Jiang Donghua today?"

"Yes. He can’t just lie there forever. Pretending for too long must be exhausting."

An Ning’s answer made Zhao Pandi, who was taking a sip of water, nearly choke. Dabbing her lips with a napkin, she said, "I have to remember not to eat or drink while talking to you."

"Mm, I think you have a point there."

Before long, their breakfast arrived.

The speed at which it was served drew discontent from some of the other diners.

"Waiter, why did their breakfast come out faster than ours? We were here first."

The diners at the neighboring table grumbled in dissatisfaction, but the waiter quickly soothed them with a few words.

An Ning rarely enjoyed this kind of treatment. It wasn’t that she couldn’t, but that she never had the opportunity.

As she ate her eggs, she said to Zhao Pandi, "No wonder everyone wants to climb to the top. This special treatment feels pretty darn good."

"I thought you were going to be modest and say you don’t need all this."

An Ning shook her head.

"I earned this with my own abilities. It’s not like I did anything shady, so why shouldn’t I accept it?"

"I’ve always believed that you should enjoy the things you’ve earned through hard work as a matter of course."

Zhao Pandi’s expression showed her complete approval. She wholeheartedly agreed.

They were eating slowly when a commotion at the restaurant’s entrance made them both turn their heads in unison.

"I must have a river-view table today."

"Mr. Lin, please wait a moment. We don’t have any available at the moment."

"Are you an idiot? Telling *me* to wait? Do you have any idea who I am? Get out of my way!"

The man addressed as Mr. Lin forcefully shoved the waiter aside and swept his gaze across the room.

An Ning and Zhao Pandi, still at their table, instinctively started eating faster—not out of fear, but simply because they didn’t want their food to go to waste.

"That guy’s clearly an idiot."

"Drink your milk. Don’t let it go to waste."

"Make him pay for it?"

"That would also be a waste. He’s not worthy."

"You’re right. But I think we should go buy some clothes."

Finishing the last bite of her food, An Ning said confidently, "Don’t worry, it’s on me."

"Perfect. I can write this off as a work expense."

They spoke quickly, and by the time their short conversation was over, Mr. Lin was standing right beside their table, just as they’d expected.

"Hey! I want your table!"