Is This a Free Ride?

The messy, heavily wrinkled sheets.Tissues scattered on the floor.And the wet stains left on the bed.When Ye Chen came out of the bathroom, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly at the scene. The attention to detail was really spot on."Sir, how was your experience?"As soon as Ye Chen stepped out of the room, the young man from earlier immediately greeted him with a smile and asked."Well worth it. Exhilarating!" Ye Chen replied, looking like he was savoring the aftermath of indulgence."Haha, as long as you're satisfied, sir, that's the highest compliment to us!" the young man laughed.Little did he know that his words made Ye Chen feel as disgusted as if he'd swallowed a fly.Such a twisted method of luring and coercion—just how heartless does one have to be to take pride in that?"Sir, I heard from Xiaoya that you chose the third-tier service package. Here's your bill, 38,000 yuan. You can settle it at the counter," the young man said as he handed over the bill.Ye Chen nodded without saying much, took the bill, and returned to the gambling hall.First, he settled the 38,000-yuan bill. Then, he exchanged another 500,000 yuan for chips.However, this time, not only did he avoid losing all his chips, but he also won back the previous million and the 38,000 yuan service fee.Not letting himself suffer any losses, he also had no intention of walking away with any dirty money.After cashing out and leaving the Maple Leaf Grand Hotel, Ye Chen headed to Anda Financial Company.Biao Ge received a phone call.After hanging up, he immediately sneered."A loser will always be a loser, unworthy of refined company!""Biao Ge, it's 'unworthy of refined company,' not 'unworthy of company refined!'" one of the lackeys, who was clearly a stickler for correctness, couldn't help but correct him.Smack!Biao Ge slapped him across the head. "I'm coining my own phrases, got it? Do you have a problem with that?"The lackey apologized repeatedly, looking wronged."Biao Ge, what happened? Who were you talking about just now?" another lackey asked."A college boy! He went to the Maple Leaf Grand Hotel just now. In less than an hour, he lost a million. Later, he met Sister Hong. She suggested he try some 'special services' to see if it would turn his luck around. And he actually went for it, even picked the 38,000-yuan package. Afterward, he returned to the gambling hall and won back his million and the 38,000 before cashing out and leaving," Biao Ge said with a snort."Damn, so he basically got it for free?" the lackey said."Got it for free? Just wait. He'll be crying soon enough. A place like the Maple Leaf Grand Hotel doesn't let anyone climb back up once they're in. All that awaits him is total bankruptcy. His wife is quite the looker, too. Once he borrows money and can't pay it back, we'll send her to work at the Maple Leaf. The boss loves married women. Once he's done with her, I'll talk to him, and we can take turns enjoying her!""Thanks, Biao Ge!""You're so generous, Biao Ge!"As Biao Ge was plotting to bankrupt Ye Chen and force his wife, Chen Yinuo, into the Maple Leaf Grand Hotel, he had no idea that his days—and his boss's days—were already numbered.Oh no, not just theirs, but the entire operations of Anda Financial and the Maple Leaf Grand Hotel were on a countdown to their demise!...After leaving the Maple Leaf Grand Hotel, Ye Chen went to the electronics market to buy a printer.Then, he returned to his rented apartment.Using the clues and evidence he'd gathered in his previous life, he quickly typed up everything on his computer.Details about the murders committed by Biao Ge—why he killed, how he killed, and where the bodies were hidden.Details about his boss, Sun Tianqi, and Sister Hong, their operations, and the depravity of the Maple Leaf Grand Hotel.The gambling, drugs, prostitution, and underground activities involved. How to access the hidden areas, the secret codes, the distribution of cameras, the placement of enforcers.Even the corrupt official in the municipal bureau who served as Sun Tianqi's protector...Everything was meticulously detailed.He printed all of it, 18 full pages of information, and slipped them into a file folder.By the time he finished, night had already fallen.Still, Ye Chen put on a baseball cap and immediately made his way to the inspection team's temporary office location with the file.Instead of handing the file in directly—wanting to avoid exposing his identity and inviting unnecessary trouble—he tucked the thick folder into a patch of greenery.Once that was done, he used an internet calling app to dial the phone number of the inspection team's leader, stored in his memory.If his memory served him right, this was the inspection team's second surprise visit to Jiangzhou—a final push aimed at taking down Sun Tianqi.Inside the office building.The inspection team leader, Jiang, who was in his fifties, answered the strange incoming call."Who's this?""Leader Jiang?" Ye Chen asked, staring at the inspection office building across the street."Yes, this is Jiang speaking. Who are you?""Leader Jiang, you're here for Sun Tianqi again, right?" Ye Chen said.Hearing this, Leader Jiang immediately became wary. "Who are you? What do you want?""Nothing. I'm just a concerned citizen. I know this surprise visit is aimed at Sun Tianqi, but without my help, you'll likely leave empty-handed again," Ye Chen said."Your help? What kind of help?" Leader Jiang's tone grew serious."Leader Jiang, just outside your office building, head west for 50 meters, and you'll find a greenbelt. Walk 20 meters along the greenbelt, and you'll find a file folder. Inside are 18 pages of documents. These documents are enough for you to uproot Sun Tianqi's entire operation in one fell swoop!" Ye Chen said."Who the hell are you?" Leader Jiang's breathing had grown uneven."I told you, just a concerned citizen. Nothing else matters. Time is of the essence. I fear someone else might take the file. Leader Jiang, you'd better hurry and get it yourself!"With that, Ye Chen hung up.But he didn't leave right away.He kept his eyes fixed on the inspection office building across the street.Only after seeing the familiar figure of Leader Jiang hurriedly exit the building and retrieve the file folder from the greenery did Ye Chen blend into the crowd and disappear....Back in his rented apartment.Ye Chen put everything concerning Biao Ge and the Maple Leaf Grand Hotel out of his mind.Unless something unexpected happened, Biao Ge's gang, Sun Tianqi, and the protection network behind them would be eradicated within a week.This was Ye Chen.Grateful for small favors, he would repay kindness a hundredfold.Conversely, for the blood feud that had claimed Yinuo and Youyou in his previous life, he would uproot and obliterate his enemies no matter what it took.Even though, in both his past and present lives, he'd never even met Sun Tianqi face-to-face.Donning a pair of disposable latex gloves, Ye Chen went back to perfecting his batch of flawless ointment, as if Biao Ge and the Maple Leaf Grand Hotel had never entered his world.As for Xiaoya, the unfortunate woman forced into such a life, she also seemed to have vanished from his world.But Ye Chen could never have predicted that this trip to the Maple Leaf Grand Hotel and that godforsaken service would lead Xiaoya, a pitiful soul under an alias, to become an invaluable benefactor in his life.