And at that moment, outside, the sky had already darkened, and the rain, which had drizzled all day, began to pour more heavily. Once she stepped out, the cold wind carried the icy rain against her neck, causing her to instinctively shrink back.
She wrapped herself in the thin autumn clothes she wore and then braved the raging wind and rain to get into her car.
The video was gone, but she remembered that room number.
So now that she knew the room number, could she go to the hotel and check? Who had stayed in that room on that day five years ago? Then she would know who that man was, right?
She sat in the car, watching the raindrops fall heavily outside, her gaze taut, flickering in the rainy night, until finally, as the rain outside grew even heavier, she drove away from that place, heading in the direction of that hotel from years ago...
Generally, hotel guest records are archived, and especially for large hotels, they are kept for a much longer time.
Driving all the way there took about half an hour. When she saw the hotel coming into view through her windshield, the familiar outline flashed before her eyes, and all the events that had occurred here five years earlier suddenly pressed on her, making her slam the brakes, unable to drive another half-step further.
Five years, a full five years had passed!
She thought she would never come back here, because this place had left her with too many humiliating memories, especially after that woman told her that the man in her bed was really someone she had found outside, she had been overwhelmed.
Yet, five years later, she was standing here again.
She braked, and as she looked out from the car, she saw the hotel’s security guard notice her car stopped midway and quickly come over with an umbrella.
"Miss, are you going to our hotel? Let me help you with parking," the security guard offered hospitably.
Ye Ning sat in the car for a while longer. In the end, she took her bag, really opened the door, and got out: "That would be great, thank you. By the way, I’d like to see your hotel manager, is he around?"
The guard was taken aback: "The manager? You’ll have to ask the reception desk to find out."
Ye Ning gathered her short hair beside her ear: "Okay, thanks!" Then, she took the bag and the umbrella from the guard and finally went inside.
Upon reaching the hotel, maybe because the Mid-Autumn Festival had just passed, or perhaps due to the rain that day, the lobby was somewhat deserted. As she entered, the young receptionist greeted her warmly.
"Welcome, miss. Are you here to stay or to dine?"
"Neither, I’m looking for your manager. Could you show me the way?" Ye Ning took the umbrella and approached with a calm, yet slightly cold demeanor.
The request startled the receptionist, who exchanged a glance with another, an older one, who then approached: "Miss, is there something our hotel hasn’t done well? If so, you can tell me..."
"It’s not that. I need to speak with your manager about something else. There’s no ill intent. Please inform him for me," Ye Ning said. Then she stood at the reception desk waiting.