Earlier, when Bai Lvdi had messaged the three guys to invite them to dinner, that was just a cover.
She was probably one of the very few people in the class who'd known just how bad things really were between Wan Chujun and Zhao Xuan — and one of only two who knew the real reason behind it, a reason that even Wan herself didn't fully grasp.
Using the dinner invitation as an excuse, she managed to get Gong Shizheng to let slip the room assignments for the guys. Sure enough, Zhao had a room to himself. She didn't know the exact number, but that was enough.
Room bookings had been handled separately by Wan Chujun and Xia Siheng — everyone had transferred their share via WeChat, but they'd all picked up their keycards together.
Bai had paid attention to the four room numbers: three were close together, the fourth was on the same floor but far off on the other side.
Earlier, Ling Yunfang had casually mentioned that the four girls would take two adjacent rooms, leaving one guy alone in a room on that side, with the other two guys in the last room — mainly to avoid anyone being isolated far from the group.
Bai had guessed right away that Zhao would likely choose a solo room.
And she was right — Zhao, a bit of a loner by nature, had loosened up after the gaokao but still preferred his own space.
After leaving the elevator, she hurried to Zhao's door, knocked a few times to make sure no one was inside, then "accidentally" dropped her phone. While bending to pick it up, she slipped a folded piece of paper from her pocket and wedged it under the door — even a five‑star Hilton isn't completely sealed.
Once that was done, she rushed back to the elevator and headed down.
Inside, there were already two other people: a man and a woman, both wearing large masks. Their faces were hidden, but Bai's intuition screamed the woman was stunning, with an amazing figure.
The pair stood in the far corner of the elevator; the woman even hid behind the man. They clearly weren't a couple, and from the buttons they pressed, they were going to the first floor.
At the fourth‑floor restaurant, Bai stepped out, casting a sidelong glance at the two still huddled in the corner.
Back at the table, Wan Chujun and the others were deep in celeb gossip. Bai's short absence didn't raise suspicion, so she eased back into the chat.
By now, the sun had mostly set. Outside, Zhao and the other two were full and strolling along the beach. They hadn't brought swimsuits, and with darkness falling, swimming or diving would have to wait till the next day.
When they all returned to the hotel, it was already 10 PM. After saying goodnight, Zhao went to his room. He'd slept late the night before and skipped his nap, so exhaustion hit him hard. He stripped and headed for the shower.
Coming out of the bathroom, he noticed a folded white sheet of paper on the floor by the door. Even for a mid‑range Hilton, no one should be slipping stuff under doors that easily. Towel‑drying his hair, Zhao walked over and picked it up.
Lying on the bed, he unfolded it — just one line of writing:
Two years ago, someone stirred up trouble between you and Wan Chujun. She misunderstood.
His hand trembled.
Judging by the tone, it definitely wasn't from Wan herself. The other two possibilities… who knew?
Just then, his phone buzzed — someone had @'d him in the class group. Lu Wenyin had arrived at the hotel, and a few people were meeting for desserts at the coffee shop. They asked if he wanted to join.
After reading that note, Zhao was wide awake. He got dressed and headed down.
Six people were already there — Wan hadn't come down. The girls' rooming was: Bai Lvdi and Lu Wenyin shared one, Ling Yunfang and Wan Chujun shared the other. Ling said Wan was probably asleep, so they hadn't bothered waking her.
Zhao's mind was still on the letter. He only gave Lin Jingjing's discipline log a glance before telling her and Yan Qing to handle it themselves.
At first, he had the urge to confront Wan directly, but then he realized — if she'd been cold to him all this time, either she had no clue about the real story, or she trusted the person who misled her more than she trusted him. Either way, confronting her would just humiliate him.
With Lu Wenyin present, the six naturally circled back to the missing Cao Shudong.
Lu, nibbling cake, said, "Actually, I've barely seen him since the gaokao ended."
"Speaking of which, do you guys know why Cao Shudong was obsessed with chasing Chujun, but she kept blowing him off?" Bai suddenly asked.
All five others stopped and looked at her. Even teachers get nosy about this kind of student drama — just easier to hide it at school. Now that they'd graduated, no one cared.
"Cao's dad claimed to be a high‑level exec at Songling Group, but actually, his family's company was acquired and is now a subsidiary of Wan's family company. They've been pushing for Cao and Wan to marry so his family could climb higher," Bai explained.
Everyone was surprised.
Wan's family company was a holding company under a large Jiangcheng group, handling Northeast and Shandong operations — common knowledge. But Cao's situation? Most in the class only knew the "Songling executive" rumor, never challenged. This was news.
"No wonder Cao kept clinging to Chujun. She hates his guts, always gave him a hard time, but he's probably the most persistent simp I've ever seen — never gave up," Ling added.
Cao's pursuit was legendary in class. Even Lu couldn't help smirking.
People were more curious about how Bai knew so much, but she brushed it off, saying she'd heard it from a friend. No one pressed; the info was findable online, but fresh grads weren't sleuths.
Since everyone except Lu had eaten dinner and it was past 11, they kept the chat short, made vague plans for tomorrow, and prepared to head upstairs.
Zhao dashed to the bathroom, so the others went up first.
When he came out, the coffee shop was nearly silent — only one table occupied in the corner. He called the elevator, still mulling over the note, until the ding snapped him back.
The elevator opened to a man and two women, all masked. The guy was chattering animatedly — Korean or Japanese, Zhao couldn't tell — waving his arms, clearly emotional but not angry.
Seeing Zhao, the man glanced at him, then fell silent. The women kept their heads down, looking relieved. One had a killer figure, almost on par with Bai's. When the man swiped his card for the 7th floor (above Zhao's), Zhao couldn't help stealing a glance.
Noticing his stare, the man shifted to block the view. He was about 6'1", half a head taller than Zhao, but Zhao felt no pressure — his physique had changed, and the guy clearly had no hostile intent, just instinctive shielding.
Zhao checked the system panel:
[??? – Male
Middle‑aged
Healthy
Strength: 14
Agility: 12
Stamina: 15
Energy: 14
Focus: 12
Friendliness: 0]
Zero friendliness meant no malice — just caution. Fourteen's strength was impressive, possibly a bodyguard, though his vibe felt more like a manager.
After Zhao exited, he faintly heard the man's voice again inside.
A few steps down the hall, three girls surrounded him.
He tensed, then recognized them — from the lobby and the grilled fish place. There'd been six or seven of them; the rest were somewhere else.
"Hi, um… did you see a guy and two girls in the elevator just now?" the prettiest one asked. Over 5'7" in her sneakers, hexagonal glasses, elegant vibe — maybe a 7/10, eye‑catching but not on Wan or Lu's level.
"Uh, who are you?" Zhao hesitated. They were strangers, and the elevator trio didn't match their count.
"We're… we're here as fans. Our favorite idols are staying in this hotel," another girl explained. Voice crisp and pleasant, though her looks were more average — 5–6/10.
"There were three — a guy and two girls, probably together. Could be them, but that's all I know," Zhao said, not wanting a long chase.
The tall girl seemed about to ask more, but her friends pulled her back.
"Okay, thank you so much!" The trio bowed and stepped into the elevator.
Back in his room, Zhao froze — another folded paper was sitting on the floor by the door.