Who exactly are you?
Just as Xiao He asked the question, the door to the room diagonally opposite suddenly opened.
Their production producer, Ma Qianyou, came out from inside.
Upon seeing the masked man with a knife in the hallway and Xiao He standing warily at the door, the middle-aged man in a bathrobe, still looking sleepy, paused for a moment, then let out a scream even more piercing than a woman's agonizing cry—
"Holy crap! Aaaaaah—murder—!"
The scream was so loud it shook the entire corridor, but the hotel's soundproofing blocked it out. The other rooms were as quiet as chickens, no one came out to respond, and no hotel staff were around. In the corridor, there were still only Xiao He, the masked man, and Ma Qianyou staring at each other, and the atmosphere in the air was extremely awkward.
The man, not wanting to attract attention, gave Xiao He a deep look, clutched his chest, and turned to run towards the other end of the corridor.
"stop!"
Without hesitation, Xiao He gave chase, while Ma Qianyou felt a chill run down his spine and shouted from behind, "Don't chase! Don't chase! Protect yourself first! Watch out for his knife! I'm calling the police right away!"
Just as he turned a corner in «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» the corridor, the person who was just in front of him vanished into thin air.
Xiao He stopped in his tracks.
How could that be...
His gaze swept over the elevator he had just passed, but he didn't see it move at all—it must have been that no one had used the elevator since Sister Liu went up, and it was still stuck on the ninth floor where Sister Liu was.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"
Ma Qianyou rushed over, panting heavily, and checked Xiao He's condition: "Are you alright?"
This is the sixth actor they've replaced in their production! If something goes wrong again, Ma Qianyou really might want to find a temple to pray to.
Xiao He, of course, was unaware of Ma Qianyou's complex inner thoughts. He rubbed his slightly aching hand joints and shook his head at Ma Qianyou: "I'm fine. Did you call the police?"
"They'll be here soon."
"good."
So Xiao He stood guard in the corridor, observing the rooms on both sides of the corridor, waiting for the police to arrive.
At the same time, Ma Qianyou made a phone call to contact the relevant person in charge of the hotel.
The first to arrive were the hotel manager and Xiao He's agent, Liu Rulan.
Liu Rulan hadn't expected such a terrible incident to happen while she was away, so she quickly pulled Xiao He up and down to look him over.
After hearing Ma Qianyou's explanation, the manager turned pale and could only apologize to Xiao He repeatedly, asking about Xiao He's injuries.
"Where are your surveillance cameras? Where did that person go? Is he still in the hotel? You need to give me an explanation for all of this!" Liu Rulan said coldly.
The manager suddenly remembered something, his face turned even paler, and he stammered, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Ma, Ms. Liu, our hotel's surveillance system suddenly malfunctioned today, and the relevant technicians are working urgently to fix it. I... we might not be able to provide the surveillance footage?"
"What?"
Ma Qianyou raised his voice: "You think you can just say no? How can it be such a coincidence? You wouldn't happen to be in cahoots with that hater, would you?"
Because of the online controversy surrounding Xiao He today, everyone believes that he was attacked by some extreme fan, and Xiao He has not refuted this misunderstanding.
Faced with Ma Qianyou's questioning, the manager was almost in tears, and said tremblingly, "It's true, just over an hour ago, our surveillance cameras started flashing with static, and we're repairing them."
Everyone's expressions were very unpleasant.
This shows that this incident was not an accident, but rather a carefully planned event...
Soon, the police arrived at the scene, and it was Officer Zhang and Officer Li again.
After hearing about the situation at the scene, Officer Zhang immediately inquired about the other party's appearance and general characteristics.
"Hmm, the other person was about 1.78 meters tall, thin, wearing a black hat and mask, and had a long scar on his hand..."
Xiao He described the other party's basic characteristics in detail, and then pointed to the corridor beside him: "I chased him here, but he disappeared around the corner. There were no signs of use in the elevator or the stairwell, so I suspect he hid in a room."
Officer Zhang and Officer Li both became serious at the same time: "Are you sure?"
If a criminal enters a room, the occupant of that room may still be in danger!
Xiao He: "I didn't see it with my own eyes, and I have no evidence to prove it, but based on the situation at the time, that's basically how it was."
"Are you monitoring us?"
Officer Zhang asked the hotel manager standing nearby.
The hotel manager said with a bitter face, "Officer, our surveillance cameras just happened to be broken! But it really wasn't our fault. It happened just an hour ago. I suspect it was that guy who did it. Our hotel's surveillance cameras are always checked regularly, and there have never been any problems before."
Are all the rooms on this floor occupied?
"Yes, yes! This place is mainly inhabited by the crew of 'The First Light'."
“We need to conduct a security check on every room on this floor immediately,” Officer Zhang said, then looked at Xiao He, “and we also ask Xiao to accompany us throughout the process to help identify the suspect.”
"Okay." Xiao He nodded.
Soon after, the police began to lead officers to knock on doors one by one.
First, suspicion was placed on the two largest rooms—the two rooms closest to the corner.
Based on the suspect's escape speed and time, these two rooms would be the easiest places for him to hide.
Officer Zhang knocked for a while before someone finally opened the door.
Surprisingly, the person inside was Ran Yunrui!
Oh right, the hotel manager just mentioned that the people staying here are from the cast of the idol drama "Qing Guang Ru Chu". If I remember correctly, Ran Yunrui did play the male lead in this drama.
Xiao He still vividly remembers his constant use of profanity.
"I'm so fed up! Look at the time! What the hell are you doing?" Ran Yunrui, still half-asleep and irritable, looked wary and bewildered when he saw the police officers and the group of people in front of him. "What are you doing?"
"Hello, we are police officers from the Haibin District Police Station. This is my identification."
Officer Zhang flashed his badge while keenly scanning the room: "Are you the only one in the room right now?"
"Yeah," Ran Yunrui scratched his head, "Did something happen?"
"Would it be convenient for me to come in and check?"
"This is a violation of personal privacy... Even if you are police officers, you can't do this..."
Ran Yunrui grumbled and complained, but ultimately dared not confront the police head-on, and stepped aside to let Officer Zhang enter the room to conduct an inspection.
The hotel manager, with a forced smile, explained the situation to Ran Yunrui.
Ran Yunrui's eyes widened: "Holy crap! Is that even possible?"
"Are you sure that guy hasn't escaped yet? Then hurry up and search! Send more people to search! This is terrifying; it could threaten our lives at any moment!"
Ran Yunrui, who had initially been indifferent, suddenly began to urge him actively, a stark contrast to his previous nonchalant attitude.
He even started angrily accusing the hotel manager: "This is outrageous! If it weren't for the fact that you're the best hotel around here, I wouldn't even want to stay here! What if something like this happens again? I have way more stalker fans than these nobodies. How are you going to protect my safety in the future?"
The hotel manager was covered in sweat and could only keep nodding and bowing in apology.
Xiao He: "..."
Just say what you want to say, why are you trying to put people down?
Who are you calling a washed-up celebrity?
