One button, two buttons, three buttons…
Wen Nuan unbuttoned his wet shirt, a new and clean one prepared next to him.
That pure white shirt was not cooperative, sticking to Wen Nuan’s slim shoulders. He had to shake it off a couple times before it peeled off like a snowflake, but it then got stuck to the crook of his arm…
The staff lounge at night was silent, save for the sound of a breeze circulating in from a crack in the door.
Little did Wen Nuan know, coming in through the crack of that door was also a gaze as sharp as a sword, watching him attentively.
The guest from Room 404 stood there.
“Fwoosh—” went the sound of clothes being turned about.
Wen Nuan was just about to take off that soaked-through shirt…
“Hello, guest.” And at this critical moment, someone came from the side, obstructing the guest from Room 404’s view.
“I apologize, guest, but this area is for employees only. You aren’t allowed to be here.”
The guest from 404 had a face full of displeasure. The temperature around him seemed to plummet ten degrees. He lowered his eyes to look at this person’s name tag.
The person who came was also wearing a hotel uniform, the same as Wen Nuan’s. The name tag fastened on the shirt chest read “Lobby front desk: Fan Liangda”.
Fan Liangda said respectfully, “Right now, it’s past midnight. This may be inconvenient, guest, but please take out your passport. The hotel needs to undergo a routine inspection. I hope you understand and comply.”
“Passport?” The guest from Room 404 laughed, but this laugh contained unconcealed mockery, and his eyes were full of contempt.
He flourished his right hand, and in a fraction of a second, something that looked like a work permit appeared in his palm. He presented it to Fan Liangda.
—Baili Wuchang, direct subordinate of the highest level of Hell’s ghost department.
“So it was Lord Baili, the ghost envoy.” Fan Liangda was surprised. “Please forgive me.”
Baili Wuchang’s voice did not sound at all perturbed. “It is not yet the middle of the seventh month, but the ghost gate has opened abnormally. Some evil ghosts fled to the human world. I received orders for this business. Conveniently…”
Speaking up to here, Baili Wuchang added in a voice only he could hear, “I could take care of personal matters…”
To look for someone…
Someone with a birthmark, someone he had been searching for for a long, long time…
Fan Liangda suddenly came to a realization, smiling politely. “So it’s like that. Lord Baili must have gone through a lot of trouble. Is there anything I can help Lord Baili with?”
“Move,” said Baili Wuchang concisely.
“This…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Fan Liangda felt awkward, glancing behind him at the staff lounge.
Lf rqbxf bcmf wbgf. “P’w nfgs rbggs. Aera cbk, atja kjr beg cfk tlgf. Lf’r jc bgvlcjgs qfgrbc, jcv tf bcis ajxfr mjgf bo tewjc-gfijafv kbgx. Kbvjs lr Qfc Rejc’r olgra vjs, jcv atfgf’r wjcs atlcur tf tjr sfa ab ecvfgrajcv. Po tf boofcvfv sbe fjgilfg, qifjrf qjgvbc tlw, Obgv Djlil.”
“An ordinary person?” Baili Wuchang’s voice had a thoughtful tone. “Of course I know that.”
Fan Liangda couldn’t make sense of what he meant until he heard Baili Wuchang mutter to himself, “We met before…”
……
After Wen Nuan finished changing into fresh clothes, he exited the staff lounge. When he opened the door, there wasn’t a single person in the hallway.
He hurriedly walked back to the lobby front desk. He was at the hotel to work, not to go on vacation. It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to be gone for too long.
“That guest from Room 404 was really weird. But it wasn’t just the guest who was weird, the showerhead was weird, too…”
As Wen Nuan rode the elevator, he couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. “Nevertheless, the guest from Room 404 was really quite handsome. He truly is a weird piece of capital.”
“Baili Wuchang…”
Wen Nuan repeated the name that he had seen on all those magazine covers. Perhaps it was the weightlessness caused by the elevator, but Wen Nuan had an inexplicable feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“Ding—” The elevator door opened…
“Yes, yes; I’m here to participate in the first 2020 Yin House Auction. I need to go through check-in. I have a proper passport here, no reservation.”
“What do you mean single rooms are all full? There’s only eighteenth-level-of-hell themed rooms? But I just came from the eighteenth level of hell to visit relatives, I don’t want to stay in such a themed room!”
“I just checked out from here yesterday, but I think I left something important. Did you possibly see it when you were cleaning the rooms?”
“Yes, yes; those aren’t mung beans, those are my eyeballs. They’ve just dried up a bit; if you soak them, they’ll be good to use.”
In the dead of the night, the deserted lobby front desk, in just a moment, had suddenly become packed with people.
Wen Nuan’s footsteps paused as he got out of the elevator, his entire face at a loss. “What…in the world…”
The front desk had a myriad of people waiting to check in, and there was a myriad of people at the side inquiring about service.
Wen Nuan looked up to check the clock. He thought that there wouldn’t be many guests in the middle of the night, but it seemed like past midnight was the time the front desk had peak hours?
Fan Liangda stood at the desk, already having directed guests left and right, looking awfully busy.
There was a kid with a face like a steamed bun who wasn’t even the height of the desk. He stretched his head and torso up, hopping on his feet to yell, “Do you know who my father is? Why can’t I come to play if I don’t have a passport?”
“I’m not running away from home! If you guys dare to bully me, I’m gonna call my dad to chop your head off!”
“Tsk…”
Wen Nuan raised his eyebrows. Internally, he thought this kid certainly had arrogance. How could his bark be so much greater than his bite? And it seemed like his brain wasn’t quite functional yet…
“Senior Fan, sorry for the trouble,” said Wen Nuan, quickly walking over. “I left for so long, let me help you.”
“It was nothing, Wen Nuan.” Fan Liangda was nimble. He spared Wen Nuan a quick smile before going back to work. “I can handle it. You don’t need to help; I’ve always been able to manage peak hours. These few guests are a mere trifle. There’s a computer at the side, do you see it? While I manage the guests checking in, you reply to the reviews left by guests on the forum. There’s already a lot.”
“Are you sure you don’t need help?” Wen Nuan looked at the endless stream of guests, wanting to confirm again. “If not, I’ll reply to some reviews.”
There was a computer in the corner of the front desk, and the window open was on a certain review website.
This was the era of information and networking. Whether it was selling snacks and appliances or the catering and hotel industry, all of them were required to take care of promoting and marketing their own brands. Only by expanding their popularity and receiving praise on the Internet would there guarantee a steady stream of customers.
[Hell Chain Hotel (The Underworld’s No. 1 Inn)]
Score
Comments: 9999+ items
Theme: business travel/leisure vacation/family-friendly hotel/romantic getaway/special themes
Hotel mission statement: The safe choice for hundreds of millions of tourists from the Underworld. We will serve you wholeheartedly.
[Emperor Executive Suite] Details—999,999 yuan
299m2; king-sized bed; personal housekeeping; free breakfast
Customer [Qin Shihuang] commented: The magnificence of the suite is comparable to the E’Fang Palace, and it sets off my dignity. I am pleased!
Views – 10k+ Comments – 172 Likes – 2398
[Eighteenth Level of Hell Themed Room] Details—1111 yuan
35m2; king-sized bed; windows; no included breakfast
Customer [Earl who doesn’t drink blood] commented: There is indeed a difference between Chinese and Western hells. I’ve long desired to try it out myself! The room facilities are well-developed, the decor is tastefully chosen, and the service is quite cordial. Try such a novel experience for yourself! I highly recommend it! I will come again.
Views – 10k+ Comments – 9 Likes – 154
[Unique Single Room] Details – 299 yuan
15m2; single bed; no windows; no included breakfast
Customer [Houses in hell are also very expensive] commented: A civil servant of Hell on vacation, returning home to visit relatives and staying alone. This place has many convenient and economical discounts. It’s just that check in is a bit strict. You have to bring your passport! You have to! You have to! Important things must be said three times! Otherwise, you’ll be mistaken as a runaway ghost and caught!
Views – 3888 Comments – 0 Likes – 11
“This…” Wen Nuan skimmed over a couple comments. “The sun rising in the west and water flowing backwards; nothing is too bizarre.”
But thinking this way, the guest from Room 404 was anything but normal.
“It looks like my life experience is still lacking,” Wen Nuan sighed, clicking the mouse unperturbed. He replied to a few of the comments.
Hell Chain Hotel (business owner):
Hello, honored customer. Thank you for the comment and approval. We are wholeheartedly at your service! We await your honorable return. Wishing you a pleasant life.
Just as Wen Nuan was assiduously sending messages, the “clack clack clack” sound of a pair of high-heeled shoes urgently came over. Somehow, these footsteps sounded full of fury.
“Bang!”
Just as expected.
A furious woman rushed in front of Wen Nuan, angrily slamming the table at first contact.
“Excuse me, guest…”
Wen Nuan courteously inquired, but he was interrupted.
The woman impatiently raised her voice. “So irritating! So irritating! I want to make a complaint!”
A complaint?
Wen Nuan put on his business smile, his left cheek’s dimple generously making an appearance as he said, “Guest, please don’t be so worried. May I ask if you’ve run into any problems? I hope we can help you settle whatever it is.”
As he talked, Wen Nuan poured out a glass of warm water, handing it to the lady.
Maybe it was because Wen Nuan’s temperament was good, and added to his appearance, made people unable to stay mad. The woman’s fury dwindled a bit. “Your hotel’s security is too weak! For me to run into such an unfortunate situation, I had to come make a statement! In the middle of the night, I was sleeping soundly when I heard someone knock on my door! They kept knocking and knocking! It was really so annoying.”
The woman was a white-collar worker, staying by herself while she was on a business trip. She wasn’t with any friends or coworkers. This woman also had nerves of steel; when a stranger knocked on her door in the middle of the night, she dared to open it and see who it was.
When she opened the door, there was a man standing outside. His hair drooped down, and his head was hung low, so it was impossible to tell what he even looked like.
She only heard him speak in a hollow, lifeless, and dispirited voice…
“Your time is up…”
The author has something to say: [Mini Theater]
[Appreciation and analysis of the classic passages of Lord Baili’s favorite book, The Ghost King’s Runaway Pampered Wife]
Section 1: The little wife mistakenly took X medicine and lingered with the ghost king, full of sentimental sorrow. After a night of passion, the little wife ran away out of fear.
Section 2: The ghost king searched far and wide for her. In the dark, he couldn’t see her appearance, but he knew she had a birthmark on her body.
Section 3: The aloof ghost king deliberately broke the showerhead. The little wife’s body was drenched, and her birthmark could be seen!
Wen Nuan: ??? Why am I getting deja vu from these dog-blooded plot points, especially the one with the showerhead?
Picturing hotel security guards escorting the reaper from the premises…
Fan Liangda helping to cover Wen Nuan up!! 👍
This is funny and interesting…
Thanks for the chapter 💐
This has been bugging me for a while so, I decided to just ask. What is drawn on the cover of the novel? Is it a penguin 🐧??
Omg that’s a cute guess, but it’s a ghost facing to the left wearing a jiangshi hat! 😂
Oooo! Now I see it. Thank you 😊. I was wondering there was no way there was a penguin on the cover since there’s no penguin in the novel but it really looks like it.