Chapter 84: Chapter 84 Lightly Sketched
Zhu Hao, whose face had swelled up like a pig’s head, staggered to his feet. His eyes shone with resentment.
Not even his own father had ever hit him. If it weren’t for his family’s strict orders not to cause trouble at the Qingyun Grand Hotel, he would’ve already called his men to deal with Xia Liang.
But now, he didn’t dare provoke Xia Liang anymore. He was terrified that this guy, who seemed to fear nothing, would give him another beating. His anger could only be vented on the security guards.
"Are you blind? Didn’t you see him hit someone? Doesn’t the Qingyun Hotel have rules?" As he spoke, Zhu Hao ducked behind the security guards to keep Xia Liang from striking again.
At the same time, he was seething with rage. Just you wait. Once your legs are broken and you’re thrown out, I’ll show you what happens. And that woman with you, too!
Startled by his shouting, the security guards exchanged glances and nodded to each other. They prepared to grab Xia Liang first and wait for the higher-ups to decide his fate.
"Wait! What are you doing?"
Just then, a middle-aged man exuding a powerful aura rushed over.
"Manager Qian, good day!"
As soon as they saw the man, the security guards saluted in unison and promptly stepped aside. The man was none other than Qian Wan, the General Manager of Qingyun Grand Hotel.
"What’s happened here?" Qian Wan frowned.
The big boss was looking for me today. If he saw this mess and decided my management was incompetent, what if he fired me on the spot? I have to resolve this properly. Maybe the boss is watching from the shadows right now, seeing how I handle this.
Thinking this, a cold sweat broke out on Qian Wan’s forehead. At the general manager’s question, the security guards quickly recounted the entire incident.
Qian Wan looked from Zhu Hao, whose face was swollen like a pig’s head, to Xia Liang, who wore a relaxed expression. He had already made up his mind. As a representative of the Qingyun Grand Hotel, he had to be assertive. With this in mind, Qian Wan looked toward Xia Liang.
"You’re the one who started the fight, right?"
"That’s right," Xia Liang replied, a smirk playing on his lips.
Nearby, Zhu Hao quickly stood up and spoke with a fawning expression. "Manager Qian! It was him! He’s outrageously arrogant, showing you no respect at all. He actually dared to hit someone in the Qingyun Grand Hotel..."
Toward the end of his tirade, Zhu Hao clutched his face and wailed pitifully, a sight to evoke sadness in any listener and tears from any onlooker.
However, Qian Wan wasn’t listening. The reason was Xia Liang’s voice.
It’s so familiar! Unmistakably so!
Qian Wan swallowed hard and hurried forward. "May I ask, are you Mr. Xia Liang?"
"Yes, it’s me," Xia Liang nodded calmly.
Surprise flashed in Qian Wan’s eyes.
My goodness. My boss is so young! To acquire one hundred percent of the shares in Qingyun Grand Hotel all by himself... The amount of money and connections that would take... A person like that could only be described as terrifyingly powerful.
Qian Wan couldn’t help but swallow again.
"Manager Qian! What are you waiting for? Hurry up and break this brat’s legs..."
SLAP!
Before the babbling Zhu Hao could finish his sentence, Qian Wan slapped him across his other cheek. Qian Wan’s own lips twitched.
Is this guy an idiot? He’s telling me to break my own boss’s legs and throw him out. Do I want to lose my job?
The slap didn’t just stun Zhu Hao; everyone in the hotel lobby was shocked. In the past, when such troublemakers appeared, they were usually kicked out and told to sort out their own problems. But now, the manager had gotten involved directly.
It took a long moment for Zhu Hao to recover, his eyes filled with disbelief as he stared at Qian Wan. "Why? Why did you hit me? He’s the one who assaulted someone in the hotel! What about the rules of the Qingyun Grand Hotel?"
"Rules?" Qian Wan echoed, before slapping Zhu Hao across the face again. "Let me tell you what the damn rule is! Do you have any idea who Mister Xia is? He’s the owner of the Qingyun Grand Hotel! And you dared to harass his companion? Do you have a death wish?!"
He punctuated his words with another slap!
The crowd collectively gasped. They finally understood why Xia Liang was so fearless. He was the owner of the Qingyun Grand Hotel. He could do more than just hit someone in the lobby; he could tear the whole place down, and it would still be his own business. Then again, to think that the behind-the-scenes owner of the Qingyun Grand Hotel was such a young man was truly shocking.
Zhu Hao was utterly dumbfounded by the final slap.
At home, his father had warned him again and again not to cause trouble at the Qingyun Hotel. And what did he do? He came right in and offended the owner. This...
Zhu Hao suddenly panicked. He scrambled and crawled over to Xia Liang, tears and snot mixing on his face. "Brother Xia! No, Grandpa Xia! I truly didn’t know your status! If I had, I wouldn’t have dared provoke you, not even with a hundred guts! Please, just treat me like a fart in the wind and let me go."
As Zhu Hao begged for mercy, Qian Wan stood to the side, wringing his hands, unsure of what to do. He was just a hired manager; without a word from his boss, he didn’t dare interject.
"Forget it." Seeing Zhu Hao’s pathetic state, Xia Liang lost all interest in dealing with him. He waved his hand. "Roll out of here."
As if he’d been granted a royal pardon, Zhu Hao bobbed his pig-like head and apologized profusely. "Thank you, Mister Xia! Thank you, Mister Xia! I’m rolling out right now!"
True to his word, Zhu Hao curled into a ball and literally rolled out of the hotel.
In the crowd, Tao Jie covered her mouth in disbelief at the scene. Her gaze toward Xia Liang was filled with shining admiration. Then, her eyes shifted to Xi Yiqian, and they began to dart about as she plotted something.
With the matter settled, Xia Liang finally turned his gaze to Qian Wan. "Let’s go to your office."
Qian Wan quickly nodded and bowed. "Yes, Boss. I’ll take you there right away." He then walked ahead, leading the way for the two.
「On the top floor of the Qingyun Hotel.」
Xia Liang sat in a chair, while beside him, Xi Yiqian kept her head bowed, staring at the floor. Qian Wan stood by with an obsequious smile, constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead with a tissue. He knew that with a single word from Xia Liang, he would have to pack his bags and leave this comfortable, privileged life behind.
Seeing his nervousness, Xia Liang said coolly, "Don’t be tense. Keep the hotel running as it was before. Just deposit the profits into my account. As long as you don’t pull any stunts, I have no interest in a major shake-up for now. The main reason I came today was to bring her."
He gestured to Xi Yiqian. "She’s with me. Arrange a position for her, and find a woman to show her the ropes."
"Of course, Boss. I’ll get on it right away." Qian Wan hastily exited the room and made a call. "Hello... Xiao Yan, could you come up here for a moment?"
After hanging up, Qian Wan felt a wave of relief. No matter what, his position was secure. As for pulling any of the stunts Xia Liang mentioned, he wouldn’t dare even if his life depended on it. From Xia Liang’s casual tone, it was clear he wouldn’t have even bothered coming today if not for Xi Yiqian.