Wen Siqiang called, asking where we were. I said we were in the workshop and told him to come pick us up.
The senior pulled my cousin aside for a private chat. I asked the security captain to assign them their posts and that they could sleep there for the night, with the only difference being that no security personnel would be on duty.
They became completely free people.
The senior chatted with my cousin for a while, then patted his shoulder before walking out with me.
Wen Siqiang was waiting for us at the entrance. Seeing us approach, he and Qian Fugui quickly opened the car doors.
After getting into the car, I said, "Let's go to the office first to put on our disguises, then go to the department store to get our passports."
Earlier, upstairs, several of us had taken off our outer garments.
We returned to the room, re-disguised ourselves, and then went downstairs to get into the car and set off.
When we arrived at the department store, we didn't go in. Jing Lei waited for us at the intersection with a paper bag.
The car stopped beside her. I opened the car door to let her in.
In the car, she took out the contents of the paper bag: two passports and fake IDs for the two of them. We would use the fake IDs and passports to register for a few rooms, and then let the senior's people come and stay here.
After Jing Lei explained how to use the passports and the terms and conditions, she got out of the car and cautioned us to be careful not to reveal any flaws.
From now on, both of us were people returning from overseas. It didn't matter if we could speak "devilish" (foreign) languages, as long as we knew how to use passports and didn't seem completely clueless. Using fake documents and being caught would be troublesome.
It wasn't just troublesome; it would be exposing.
Principal Sun was already here, and there were bound to be many more informants of Chen Liben around. Coupled with those A-country gangsters, this place was akin to a dragon's den.
The car started moving. The senior and I repeatedly looked at our foreign names. This was particularly important; if we couldn't even spell our names correctly during registration, it would be a problem.
I was okay. My middle school English was passable. Although my spoken English wasn't the strongest, it was enough to handle everyday conversation.
The senior could just put on airs and remain silent.
The car drove to the entrance of the Ryan Hotel lobby and stopped. Before Wen Siqiang and Qian Fugui could get out, the security guards opened our car doors. The senior adjusted his attire, put on his fedora, and got out of the car with composure.
The senior's suit was entirely white, including his fedora.
I walked up to the senior and made a gesture of invitation. Only then did the senior, with his head held high, stride forward.
Wen Siqiang and Qian Fugui followed behind us, carrying our luggage subserviently.
The grandeur of the moment was such that even the usual greeters probably hadn't witnessed it often.
As expected, our arrival drew the attention of many people in the lobby, who cast curious glances our way.
Suddenly, I spotted a familiar face on a sofa in a corner – Principal Sun!
He was there, drinking tea and reading a newspaper with his legs crossed.
I knew that his presence there was not just about reading the newspaper; there must be something else going on.
We couldn't linger, so we walked straight to the front desk.
I glanced out of the corner of my eye. Principal Sun seemed uninterested in us, not even looking up.
I quickly handed over our passports and the fake IDs of Wen Siqiang and the other. I asked them to book a suite and two standard rooms.
The senior would stay here, and the remaining two standard rooms would be for the people who were coming.
The registration was smooth. There weren't too many questions, just a simple registration with the names on the passports and IDs, and then they handed us the room cards and told us to go upstairs.
I glanced back at the corner of the lobby. Strangely, Principal Sun was gone. A young man was now sitting in his place. Although the distance was a bit far, I could still tell it wasn't Principal Sun.
I felt a bit disappointed. Seeing him here was both logical and unexpected. I had thought he would be in hiding, not showing himself publicly. Yet, we saw him as soon as we walked in.
Even if he wasn't deliberately hiding, the chance of running into him like this was not high.
I scanned the surroundings, but couldn't find any trace of him.
Where had that old fellow gone?
I couldn't obviously look around too much, so I got into the elevator with everyone else and headed back to our rooms.
However, I kept wondering why Principal Sun had come downstairs.
To meet someone? But I hadn't seen anyone come in. So, did he come down for another purpose?
After putting away our fake luggage, I asked Qian Fugui to come with me. We would search the lobby to see if we could find any trace of Principal Sun.
Wen Siqiang couldn't come down. They had too much interaction, making them easily recognizable.
Although he recognized me, I had changed quite a bit. Besides, he wouldn't expect me to appear here, so identifying me would be somewhat difficult.
Qian Fugui was an unfamiliar face, unlikely to be associated with us.
The two of us went downstairs and wandered around, pretending to be waiting for someone.
The Ryan lobby was divided into four areas. Next to the bar were some chairs for people waiting to check in. Then there was the lounge area, with sofas and coffee tables for guests to chat and relax. There was also a tea restaurant, which provided tea and desserts for a fee. The prices were said to be extremely high, beyond the reach of ordinary people.
However, it was unlikely that many people staying here were not wealthy.
The last area was the music dance floor. There were only a few people on the spacious floor. In the center, a girl sat in front of a white piano, playing a melancholic melody.
I had checked all four areas and found no sign of Principal Sun.
Among the people in the lobby, there were no A-country assassins either. Everything seemed normal.
There was only one place I hadn't checked: the restroom.
Every hotel lobby had public restrooms, usually located in a corner. Could Principal Sun have gone there?
It hadn't been that fast; he had disappeared during the time it took me to hand over my passport.
I asked Qian Fugui if he recognized Principal Sun. Qian Fugui said he didn't. I couldn't go myself. If he was indeed inside, and we made close contact, there was a high chance of being recognized.
If our presence here was exposed, they would adjust their strategy and possibly change hotels, which would be even more disadvantageous for us.
Helplessly, I stood not far from the restroom, pretending to chat with Qian Fugui, facing him. I kept the restroom door in my peripheral vision.
People came in and out of the restroom, both men and women, but none of them were Principal Sun.
Just then, I saw someone hurry into the restroom from outside. Because he was moving so fast, I felt something was off about him.
He looked like a guest at the hotel. Rooms had bathrooms; he shouldn't be holding it in like that.
His appearance didn't suggest an urgent need to urinate, but rather an eagerness to meet someone.
However, this was the wrong place. Why would someone choose to meet in a restroom?
Where would they meet? Two people in one stall?
It didn't seem right.
I told Qian Fugui to follow that person, see what he was doing inside, and report back to me.
I told him to go in, and I would stand further away, waiting for Qian Fugui to come out.
Not long after Qian Fugui went in, the person who had entered in a hurry came out again. He left in a hurry too, not going upstairs, but heading outside the lobby.
I quickly walked a few steps to see where he was going.
He exited the lobby, ran to a car at the bottom of the steps, said something, and got into the car, then left.
I turned around to wait for Qian Fugui to come out and ask him what he had seen.
That person was definitely suspicious.