Tao Xinrou watched Li Meili's sycophantic behavior and said to Zheng Shuhui, "You keep an eye on the cleanup here. I'll go get the wine."
With a quick instruction, she turned and headed toward the VIP lounge where Lin Zhizhi had been resting.
In the hallway, Zhao Yi was patrolling.
"Xiao Tao? What are you doing here?"
"Supervisor Li asked me to retrieve something the VIP left behind."
"Oh, okay. Go ahead then."
Tao Xinrou nodded and pushed open the lounge door.
The lounge still held the scent of Lin Zhizhi's perfume. In the messy room, several beautifully packaged bottles of red wine sat on a shelf, their labels in foreign script, obviously valuable.
According to VIP reception rules, all beverages provided by the VIP must be fully reported in quantity and type and stored on the lounge shelf.
But something felt off today. A foreboding sense of dread surged through her.
She checked—one bottle was missing!
She immediately began searching everywhere. Maybe the trap wasn't set here; she needed to look further.
But before she could search long, the door burst open. Zhao Yi rushed in, saying urgently, "Xiao Tao, Supervisor Li wants you to come quickly. The guest is about to leave. Take everything and go."
Tao Xinrou stood up. Zhao Yi asked, "What were you looking for?"
"Oh, nothing. I saw some dirt on the floor and wiped it up. I understand, I'll go right away."
She picked up the wine bottles, then suddenly thought that Zhao Yi had been patrolling nearby and might have information. Pretending she couldn't carry all the bottles alone, she lied, "Brother Yi, can you help me carry a few? I couldn't find a box earlier, and these wines are too precious to break."
Zhao Yi scratched his head, seeming reluctant, but after some grumbling, he reached out to take the bottles from Tao Xinrou.
Just as their fingers simultaneously touched the bottles, Zhao Yi's future vision flooded in—
In a dim corner of the supply room, Li Meili was stuffing an expensive bottle of red wine into Zhao Yi's hand, her voice very low: "Get rid of the bottle cleanly. Leave no trace. Frame Tao Xinrou. Then she won't be able to explain even with ten mouths."
The scene flashed by. Tao Xinrou's fingers trembled, and her grip on the bottle tightened instantly.
This was indeed a trap set by Li Meili, and Zhao Yi was her accomplice!
She forcibly suppressed the shock inside her, keeping her face expressionless. Using the motion of handing over the wine, she pulled her hand back. "Thanks for the help, Brother Yi. Let's hurry down and not keep Supervisor Li waiting."
As they reached the hotel entrance, they saw Li Meili smiling ingratiatingly and chatting with Lin Zhizhi, who looked very impatient. When Li Meili saw the two rushing over, her smile deepened.
"Miss Lin, it's really inappropriate to leave such expensive wines with us. Please take them back."
Lin Zhizhi said helplessly, "Just consider it a tip for you. I'll book your hotel again next time I have an event."
"Thank you so much, Miss Lin. Please put in a good word for us with President Lin. Xiao Tao, have you counted all the bottles? Quickly return them to Miss Lin."
Tao Xinrou handed over the wines. Li Meili counted them one by one.
"That's not right. There's clearly one bottle missing. Tao Xinrou, where's the other bottle?" Li Meili's voice rose as she glared at Tao Xinrou.
Lin Zhizhi, however, was unconcerned: "Oh, maybe someone drank it. It's fine—you keep it. I have plenty at home." Just then, her car pulled up, and her assistant opened the door for her.
"When I went to the VIP lounge, one bottle was already missing," Tao Xinrou answered truthfully.
"What? Such an expensive wine, and one is missing!" Li Meili shrieked.
Before Tao Xinrou could respond, Li Meili turned to apologize to Lin Zhizhi: "Miss Lin, I'm so sorry. We failed to take care of your belongings. That's our fault. Please rest assured, we will investigate this thoroughly and give you an explanation."
But Lin Zhizhi just glanced casually at the wine in Tao Xinrou's arms, her red lips parting lazily: "It's gone, so what? No big deal. I left it for you to drink anyway. Don't bother me with trivial matters. It's late; I need to get back for my beauty sleep. Goodnight, everyone."
Lin Zhizhi waved, and the car drove off with a puff of exhaust.
But Li Meili acted as if she hadn't heard. Her expression turned furious as she fixed her gaze on Tao Xinrou: "Miss Lin may be generous and not pursue it, but that doesn't mean you're not at fault. Tao Xinrou, you were responsible for the VIP lounge. Now that a bottle of wine is missing, you have been derelict in your duty! Zhao Yi, gather all colleagues involved in tonight's security assignment. Meeting on the 5th floor!" She then pulled out her phone and said harshly, "I'm reporting this to the manager right now. You must be fired as a warning and to give Miss Lin an explanation!"
Author's note:
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Tao Xinrou: CEO, help!
Ying Jingsheng (hard of hearing): Huh? Did you say something's in your eye?
Random small red envelopes for comments on this chapter, valid until 18:00 tomorrow.
Since I have to follow the rankings, I'm taking a break tomorrow. See you the day after.
Don't miss it!