51: Chapter 51 I Know

"You're neglecting a Supreme Gold Card member! I want to see your store manager! I'm going to file a complaint against you!"

Wang Peng flared up in shame and anger.

He couldn't do anything to Zhao Jian.

So he tried to save face by targeting the clerk.

But it was useless.

The clerk smiled sweetly and said, "Distinguished Gold Card customer, please wait a moment. I'll call our store manager over for you right away."

There was no need for her to call.

The store manager had been standing nearby watching for a long time.

Hearing herself mentioned, she immediately took two steps forward.

She thought to herself, "It's my turn, it's my turn."

She also smiled very sweetly and asked Wang Peng,

"Distinguished Gold Card customer, I am the store manager. What are your demands?"

"Fire her! Fire this idiot! And kick these two people out. I suspect your clerk is in cahoots with them to steal things!"

Wang Peng was very agitated.

At the same time, he felt a flicker of vengeful pleasure.

In his view, the clerk and Zhao Jian must know each other and were intentionally shielding him.

Now that the manager was here, someone would have to pay the price for offending a Gold Card customer!

"It's like this, sir: we won't fire an employee without reason, nor will we drive away customers. Please understand, sir."

Wang Peng was furious.

The justice he expected the manager to uphold did not happen.

Her words were polite, but she didn't do a single thing he asked.

"You dare to shield them too, right? Just you wait. I'm going to complain to the regional manager and report you to your headquarters!"

He spoke as he walked out.

Staying any longer would be too embarrassing.

The manager and clerk were still maintaining their fake politeness:

"Take care, sir. Please come again, sir."

Wang Peng left too quickly for Zhao Jian to get a chance to kick him while he was down.

He successfully bought the necklace and gave it to Zhang Tao.

Then the two of them went to see a movie.

It was a romance film.

Zhao Jian wasn't picky about movie genres, but this one was truly mediocre.

Zhang Tao didn't seem particularly captivated either.

In reality, Zhang Tao preferred spy thrillers and political dramas.

But since it was a date, she'd read online that watching romance or action movies would help heat up the relationship.

She wanted to try it.

When they walked out of the cinema, it was already dark.

"Little brother, it's very late. If you go back now, the old man at the apartment complex won't open the gate for you. Why don't you come with your older sister?"

Zhang Tao's eyes darted around as she spoke.

She was worried Zhao Jian would understand her hint and laugh at her for being a female pervert.

But she was also worried he wouldn't understand.

Zhao Jian thought to himself: I'm not a three-year-old child.

"Oh, is it that late already? It looks like I can only stay at a hotel then."

It was only eight o'clock in the evening.

Zhang Tao's face flushed slightly, but her eyes were very bright.

She watched Zhao Jian as he took out his phone to look for a hotel and said softly, "I've already booked a place. We can head over now."

The room is already booked?

This woman couldn't have hidden some thugs to kidnap me, could she?

Zhao Jian only had thirty thousand yuan left.

He wasn't afraid of being kidnapped.

He then shook his head, dismissing the paranoid delusions in his mind.

If Good Older Sister really had the idea of going down a path of no return, she'd kidnap President Li; it wouldn't be his turn.

When they reached the door, Zhang Tao skillfully entered the passcode.

The environment was decent, and the apartment was quite spacious, probably around 100 square meters.

Two guest rooms were locked.

The theme of the master bedroom was white and pink.

It was a simple color scheme, nothing flashy.

An oil painting by an unknown artist hung on the wall above the headboard, depicting a figure from behind looking out over a grassland into the distance.

The painting's quality was average.

Zhao Jian used his phone to check for infrared cameras.

There was nothing.

Zhang Tao pulled him to sit on the bed.

She smiled shyly and said, "Actually, this is my home."

Hmm?

She even saved the money for a hotel room; she's a woman who knows how to manage a household.

The two were silent for a moment.

They spoke simultaneously:

"Want something to drink?"

"Go to sleep?"

"Okay!"

"I'll have some plain water."

Zhang Tao gave him a sultry look as she poured him a glass of water.

"It's hot. Drink it in a bit."

"In a bit? I can't wait. Get over here!"

...

Two hours later.

"How are you so skilled!"

Zhang Tao pinched the flesh on his arm. She didn't use much force, but it was quite a deterrent.

"It's not my first time."

Zhao Jian felt he was being very honest.

"Well, it was mine!"

She spoke with gritted teeth, accompanied by a gentle pinch on Zhao Jian's side.

It wasn't that she couldn't bear to hurt him; her strength was just completely spent.

He grabbed her hand.

Then Zhao Jian inadvertently replied, "I know."

"You knew and you were still so bad! You did that on purpose, you brat!"

"It felt good that way."

Hearing his words, Zhang Tao thought, "Fine, fine, fine. For the sake of your own pleasure, you didn't care whether your Good Older Sister lived or died. I'll kick you to death!"

She kicked out at the chair by the bed.

"Ow!"

The plaster cast broke.

They went to the hospital, had it checked, and got a new cast put on.

It was already the early hours of the morning.

Fortunately, there was no major issue. The doctor said there was no need for hospitalization.

As Zhao Jian was drifting off to sleep, a light screen appeared.

The intelligence had refreshed!

[Today's Intelligence (Red): A group of foreign thieves stole artifacts from the British Museum and have smuggled a major treasure into Xiong City to sell.

The main artifacts have already been taken away, but in their haste to change the transaction location, the high-pressure thieves left behind a Qing Dynasty Cloisonné Enamel Bowl in the kitchen cabinet of room 409 at the XX Express Hotel.

Value: approximately 200,000 yuan.]

200,000 yuan!

Zhao Jian only had 30,000 yuan left now; he really needed to replenish his balance.

Seeing that this treasure was right there in a hotel, he couldn't help but feel tempted.

Zhang Tao saw that he had something on his mind.

She curled her finger, waiting for Zhao Jian to lean in close.

"Mwah! If you have something to do, go do it. I'll be done with my IV drip around dawn and will go straight to the company."

She can still go to work? Her stamina must be quite good.

Zhao Jian bought some milk, heated it up with hot water from the dispenser, handed it to Zhang Tao, and then reluctantly headed toward his destination.

He thought he would be able to get the cloisonné enamel bowl smoothly this time based on the intelligence.

But he had miscalculated.

"I'm sorry, sir, room 409 is already occupied. I can check you into another room."

The hotel receptionist wasn't surprised by someone requesting a specific room number.

There were guests like that every day.

It was just that their hotel was very cost-effective, so there weren't many vacant rooms.

Most guests wouldn't be able to get their preferred number.

They would usually compromise and choose another room.

Zhao Jian didn't compromise.

He found the hotel's booking platform online and selected the room.

He placed the order.

The order showed it would start at 2:00 PM today.

This meant the current guests had only booked for one day.

It was even possible that there was no one in the room at all, and the thieves just hadn't checked out yet.

Thinking of this, Zhao Jian even considered picking the lock to go inside and take a look.

Fortunately, he didn't know how to pick locks.

It gave him no opportunity to commit a crime.

Since he couldn't check in until the afternoon and didn't want to waste money booking another room,

He headed back to the hospital.

Xiong City was very quiet in the middle of the night.

Especially after the taxi left and he was walking across the hospital plaza.

The lights shone on him, and the wind blew against his face.

An inexplicable sense of loneliness shrouded his heart.

This feeling didn't ease even after he walked into the hospital and saw the nurses on duty.

It felt as if something was missing from his heart, making him walk faster and faster.

Until he saw Zhang Tao sitting on the row of chairs, playing with her phone.

As if sensing something, even though Zhao Jian hadn't made a sound,

And he had walked exceptionally lightly upon reaching this floor,

Zhang Tao still looked up and spotted him instantly.

Then, a smile like a spring breeze blossomed on her face.

This smiling face made Zhao Jian's heart throb. The loneliness from moments ago vanished instantly.

"Sister Tao."

"Are you finished with your business? Come here, let your sister lean on your shoulder and sleep for a while."