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nThe furnishings of the room reminded me of the room I stayed near film city the night when Su Qiao crept into my room.

nThe double bed was placed in a prominent position and surrounded by orange bedside lamps on both sides. The shower room was all frosted glass, so if someone was taking a shower, the people outside could definitely see a clear silhouette.

nA standing fridge often seen in supermarkets was placed across the double bed which was filled with a variety of drinks. At first glance, it seemed hospitable, but if you took one because you couldn’t resist, then you would have to pay a much higher price than what it costs outside.

nOntop of the five-drawer cabinet next to the fridge was a kettle for boiling water, along with a row of condoms from Durex to Okamoto and everything in between, but just like with the drinks, there was an additional cost.

nThe class leader pretended she didn’t see the items on top of the cabinet, then she quickly swept through room 214 with her sharp eyes.

nThere was a large locust tree outside the window with very thick branches. It was very close to the window to the point it shattered a part of the window on the last windy day.

nThe hotel still hasn’t repaired the window yet. I think the front desk knew about it and deliberately rented the room to us, how cunning.

nThe class leader first opened the window and crawled out a bit trying to look into our neighbor’s window, hoping to find some clues.

nAlthough it was only the second floor, my fear of heights prevented me from imitating the class leader. I kept watch on the class leader from behind, if she slipped then I would be there to catch her.

n“I can’t see anything clearly because of the sun.”

nThe class leader swept her hair back to its normal position.

n“That’s why I said we can just put a chair behind the peephole and wait for Gong CaiCai or Zhuang Ni to appear.”

nI said as I pulled a chair towards the door.

nThe class leader grabbed the first chance to sit on the chair and planned to take the first shift.

nShe squinted one eye and pressed her other eye against the peephole and looked intently for movement outside.

n“Ye Lin, are you sure they have to pass by our door if they want to leave?”

n“As long as they are indeed in one of those three rooms…”

nThen the class leader stopped talking. She was probably being very optimistic and believed Gong CaiCai and Zhuang Ni would immediately come out of their rooms and get caught by us.

nIn fact, even if that were the case, I don’t think the class leader has any sufficient evidence to catch them.

nIt wasn’t unusual for two girls to rest together at a hotel room, right? Even if Zhuang Ni has lesbian tendencies, it’s not like the class leader can shout: “No lesbian acts, I’ll tell your parents.”

nAnd Zhuang Ni isn’t someone easy to deal with.

nFirst of all, assuming that Zhuang Ni and Gong CaiCai were really engaged in homosexual acts, Gong CaiCai would have panicked when they heard the class leader shouting their names in the corridor. But Zhuang Ni wouldn’t have panicked, she would have covered Gong CaiCai’s mouth so she wouldn’t make a sound.

nThen, they will silently observe us through their peephole and see us walk into room 214. They will immediately realize that it’s a trap and we’ll catch them in the act when they reveal themselves.

nSo, it was a match of patience.

nI can bet Zhuang Ni was also watching the corridor, as soon as we left room 214, she will run away with Gong CaiCai. Now, it’s just a waiting game for both sides.

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nThe class leader sat behind the door and watched motionlessly for 20 minutes and didn’t see any movements, which only proved my speculation.

nThe class leader bit her lips after she heard my thoughts.

n“So you’re saying Zhuang Ni is fighting a war of attrition with me?”

nThe class leader checked the time on her phone and set a timer.

n“Ye Lin, from now on, let’s change shifts every 15 minutes. I have to catch Zhuang Ni.”

nI was on duty for the next 15 minutes and found amusement by switching eyes. I didn’t find any suspicious figures passing by, but there were several people in heavy makeup and people wearing a lot of gold chains passing by.

nWhile I was on duty, the class leader paced back and forth in the small room. Sometimes, she would look out the window, sometimes she would sit on the bed to rest. It was clear she was very restless.

n“Class leader, watch some TV if you’re bored.” I pointed to the remote control on the coffee table, “We booked the room until noon tomorrow anyway, so it’s a waste if you don’t watch it.”

n“No way, I didn’t come here for fun.”

nThe class leader didn’t heed my advice, then the alarm clock went off and she came to cover her shift.

n“Hmph, if you’re not going to watch, then I’ll watch it.” I turned on the TV without consulting the class leader. Coincidentally, it was a channel playing NBA clips, which I enjoyed.

nSince I was only here to “help”, the class leader couldn’t stop me from watching TV. It’s not like the sound of the TV affect the observation of the hallway.

nThere were still no movements outside for another 15 minutes, so it seems Zhuang Ni was really patient.

nOnce again, it was my shift. The class leader was also bored, so she boiled some water on the kettle and poured some in a cup for me.

nThe class leader wasn’t interested in the NBA, but she stood there drinking water while watching TV. I feel like she wanted to change the channel, but was embarrassed because she said she wasn’t here for fun earlier.

n“If you don’t like watching basketball, just change the channel.” I said kindly, but the class leader looked away after I read her mind and didn’t even watch basketball anymore.

nI thought Zhuang Ni would make a move after an hour, but I didn’t expect her to be able to hole up in her room and never come out.

nWere we wrong and Zhuang Ni didn’t care about the class leader being nearby and she was having fun with Gong CaiCai on bed? Yet the class leader and I were still looking out the peephole like fools.

nObviously, both the class leader and I thought of that possibility, but neither of us said anything as if it would be an admission of defeat.

nAfter another hour and a half, the program on TV had already changed and we still didn’t find anything.

n“Maybe we made a mistake?” The class leader suspected, “Do they have to pass by our room to leave, maybe there was another way?”

n“There is no other way.” I replied, “I’ve already inspected it, the other side was a staff-only passage and it was locked.”

nThe class leader obviously felt it was foolish to continue the surveillance, but she was a bit bad at showing her face in a special place like this hotel, so there wasn’t a better choice.

n“It’s going to be time for dinner if we wait any longer.” I said, “What do you want, I can go downstairs and get it.”

n“Dinner?” The class leader thought for a while, “If Zhuang Ni and the girls aren’t going downstairs, that means they are ordering take-out. I’ll keep watch, you can just buy whatever.”

nI nodded and went downstairs to buy some meat patties and two bowls of congee. I went back in less than half an hour.

n“Did anything happen?” I asked as I put the food down on the coffee table.

nThe class leader said with her shoulders slumped in defeat, “Nothing. If I knew this was going to happen, I would have stopped Gong CaiCai before she entered.”

nI took over for the class leader for a while and let her eat first. Her appetite must have been diminished because she was preoccupied with Zhuang Ni and Gong CaiCai.

nAfter dinner, the hallway was illuminated with lights, but what we were hoping for still didn’t happen.

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n“Something isn’t right…” The class leader made another call to Gong CaiCai’s mother, only to be told that Gong CaiCai was eating dinner with her classmate and would not be back until later.

n“That means that they’re still in the room.” I analyzed, “Zhuang Ni may have prepared food beforehand, or simply took the food from the fridge…”

nI said while pointing to the porridge in the fridge.

n“Do they have to go this far?” The class leader gritted her teeth and said, “What the hell are they doing in that room?”

nThe class leader suddenly received a text message.

n“It’s from Zhuang Ni.” The class leader took a look at it and then held the screen in front of my eyes, it clearly said, “It’s summer vacation, so leave me and Gong CaiCai alone.”

nThe class leader called Zhuang Ni, but she didn’t answer, so the class leader could only send a text saying:

n“Release Gong CaiCai. I won’t forgive you if you hurt her.”

nZhuang Ni replied in less than ten seconds: “Class leader, your words hurt me, so I have to teach you a little lesson.”

n“Lesson? She actually said she’s going to give me a lesson?” The class leader was furious, and at that moment, the light in our room suddenly went out.

nThe class leader and I were able to glance at each other with the faint light coming in through the peephole. We didn’t understand why there was electricity in the hallway but none running to our room.

nAfter a full minute, the lights came back on. The magnetic chip card that we left on the right side of the door made a beeping alarm sound.

nI was baffled and removed the card and inserted it back in, the alarm sound disappeared, but the door couldn’t be opened.

n“Damn, the electronic door is broken.” I immediately consulted the emergency contact manual on the nightstand and called the receptionist. The other party spoke in a half-dead tone: the circuits suddenly malfunctioned. An electrician is currently repairing, but the door to room 214 won’t open before it’s fixed. They told us to keep calm and they will contact us with any updates.

nDoesn’t that mean I’m trapped in a room with the class leader? We’ve already eaten, but we have to sleep if we stay any later. Do we have to squeeze together on the double bed to sleep?

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