Everyone from the Pink Crystal to the hotel staff would testify for Li Ye, and he would be blamed for this death.
Then came the people who specifically came to ask when they were leaving, to facilitate the transfer of Shanshan’s body here.
They had two plans: if the body was hidden well enough, Li Ye wouldn't have to take the blame. If, one day, the body was discovered, they were prepared to pin Shanshan’s death on Li Ye.
Hearing this, Ning Wei finally understood.
No wonder the room they were assigned upon checking into the hotel was 4044. It turned out Shanshan’s body had been transferred here from the adjacent room.
Most importantly, it was like a cycle.
Because Li Ye was staying at the hotel, he would only be assigned room 4044, and then the loop would repeat, ultimately allowing him to experience everything from the very beginning.
“So, we were already part of the event,” Ning Wei murmured to herself.
“Different points in time were already arranged; we just needed to follow their plan.”
“What about the ring?” Ning Wei hadn’t forgotten that their initial goal was to find the object that could alter the hotel’s state. Now that they knew it was a ring, they naturally had to get it.
Li Ye shrugged, his hands empty, indicating he hadn’t gotten the item yet.
As soon as he entered the room, he thought the man would have placed the ring somewhere in the room. He was still searching when the two hypocritical bodyguards barged in.
However, thanks to their commotion, Li Ye discovered the ring was in Shanshan’s palm. Such a valuable item wouldn’t have been willingly given to Shanshan by that man. It was highly likely that Shanshan, before her death, clutched it tightly in her hand as a form of evidence.
“Then what are you waiting for? Go get it!” Ning Wei urged, hearing this.
Li Ye looked helpless: “This is a different time and space. That ring is merely an ethereal form, visible but intangible. So, I can’t do anything.”
“You mean, we have to find the actual body to get the ring?”
The actual body was in the room where Ning Wei and her companions were staying. Before entering the distorted space, Li Ye had even smashed the wall where the body was hidden.
“I wonder if the ring will be discovered by others,” Ning Wei worried. If only they had checked the body back then. She blamed herself for being unreliable at a crucial moment, suddenly rushing to the bathroom to vomit.
“If you hadn’t gone to the bathroom, we might not have had the chance to enter this space, and thus wouldn’t have seen where the ring was. So, everything has been arranged by fate. Don’t overthink it,” Li Ye comforted her softly.
“But without the ring, how do we get back?” a new problem arose.
Li Ye glanced at Ning Wei: “Do you forget how we got here? We’ll go back the same way we came. Don’t worry, I have a way.”
“But there’s still…” Ning Wei didn’t finish. The promise had been hers, and it wasn’t Li Ye’s responsibility.
“As long as I get the ring, I can find them no matter where they are. So rest assured, I know what I’m doing!”
This ring, like that bead, contained infinite energy. Once the ring was in hand, Li Ye was confident he could find everyone.
However, some things he hadn’t voiced yet: he could find anyone, human or ghost. He just wasn’t sure if everyone could accept a teammate turning into a ghost.
These could wait. Nothing mattered until the ring was secured.
Recalling how they arrived, Ning Wei had been standing in the bathroom of 4044 when she saw Shanshan’s ghost. She was then pulled into the mirror by countless resentful black threads, leading to their subsequent experiences.
Therefore, to return, they could only wait in the bathroom of 4044 until Shanshan’s ghost appeared in the mirror.
Li Ye checked and found only a body in the adjacent room, no ghost. The opportunity hadn’t arrived yet. First, they needed to cooperate with the two bodyguards to have the body sealed within the wall. Only then could things proceed.
The two decided to sleep in the room and, after dawn, quickly went to the lobby to check out.
While waiting for the elevator downstairs, they encountered one of the bodyguards. As if by chance, he met Ning Wei and the others and asked Li Ye with feigned surprise, “Are you planning to check out?”
Li Ye nodded indifferently, “Please thank your young master for me. He spent quite a lot yesterday.”
Li Ye was referring to the expensive foreign liquors consumed at Pink Crystal the previous night. Ning Wei had glanced at the bill; it amounted to six figures. This price, to ordinary people, was certainly a huge expense. But to that regular customer, it was just a drop in the bucket.
The bodyguard smiled slightly, his gaze carrying a hint of disdain. “As long as you had fun. Money is external; my young master values inner peace more.”
Seizing the opportunity, Li Ye pressed on, “May I have the honor of getting your young master’s contact information? I feel bad for him treating me last night. I’d like to return the favor when I have the chance.”
Upon hearing this, the bodyguard’s smile vanished, and his tone became somewhat cautionary, essentially telling Li Ye to recognize his place. Someone of his young master’s status was not someone ordinary people could aspire to.
Though the bodyguard’s words were impolite, Li Ye wasn’t angered. He took out the precious bead from his pocket and dangled it before the bodyguard.
“I have a treasure here. If your young master is interested, we can have a good talk.”
Having followed his young master for a long time, the bodyguard had seen many valuable items and developed a keen eye. He could immediately tell if something was genuine or a fake. Thus, when Li Ye revealed the bead, his expression changed instantly.
“Would it be convenient for me to take a closer look?” the bodyguard’s tone became more respectful. Those who could afford such items were no longer ordinary people, and he, in his position, couldn’t afford to offend them.
Ning Wei stood by obediently, marveling at the bodyguard’s swift change in demeanor, which she found comparable to the Sichuan Opera’s face-changing. What a snobbish and vile person! And one who wouldn’t even spare a corpse!
“Of course.” Li Ye casually tossed the bead into the air. Fortunately, the bodyguard reacted quickly and caught it, preventing the treasure from falling onto the carpet.
The bodyguard examined the bead in his hands for several moments before respectfully handing it back to Li Ye.