Chapter 261 - Fought in Vain, Requesting Monthly Pass
(Making up for yesterday's chapter. This month, I've reached 210,000 words, averaging over 8,000 words a day. I still owe six chapters from last month's thank-you updates. They will be made up by the end of the month. Although it's not the over 10,000 words of last month, averaging 8,000 isn't too little either. I kindly ask brothers with monthly passes to support me. Thank you.)
When he returned to the hotel room, Li Yan waited quietly for Nian Yufei to return. According to the planned arrangement, he would rest in the hotel room.
Though he planned to wait like a sitting duck for those South Koreans, looking at the problem from an assassin's point of view, since these two South Koreans had already checked into the next hotel room and could safely enjoy their dinner, they probably wouldn't act so quickly. Because there was still another concert tomorrow, and Nian Yufei wouldn't leave until the day after tomorrow at the earliest, so to them, tonight should just be about familiarizing themselves with the environment and figuring out the routine. They wouldn't act, just like how Shi Jian'en killed that Mario in G City.
Since Nian Yufei wouldn't be in danger for now, he decided to deal with these two South Koreans tonight; now, of course, he could sleep peacefully.
Zhang Yurong and Huang Ying should have also received the notification that they arrived successfully, only they weren't as straightforward as Yu Xiaodi. After Li Yan saw the message and didn't call them back, they didn't proactively call him either. This allowed Li Yan to rest for a few hours in the hotel room.
When the phone finally interrupted his sleep, the concert had already ended. Nian Yufei, who had just taken a bow and returned backstage, called to ask when he would come to pick up the tickets.
Seeing how considerate she was, Li Yan decided to help her eliminate the two South Korean obstacles, but he didn't tell her that he was staying here to avoid her getting in touch. He just told her to send him a message after returning to her hotel room when she should come up to get the tickets.
After getting up and washing up, and exercising for half an hour, he opened the door, leaving a crack, and then waited for Nian Yufei to return.
Shortly after, noisy footsteps came from outside, and he peeked through the door crack. He saw Nian Yufei and her group hurrying back, all passing by his door. From that vantage point, he clearly saw everything. Apart from Nian Yufei in the center, surrounded by everyone like stars around the moon, there was an old man she addressed as Grandpa Mu, whom he had seen last time, following her, along with a middle-aged woman and two bodyguard-like people.
From the door crack he had left open, he could also hear clearly. Nian Yufei, the middle-aged woman, and Grandpa Mu entered room 2928 together, while the two bodyguards went into the opposite room 2926, which was the room next to his. The two South Koreans were staying in room 2924 right across from him.
The South Koreans should have returned by now, too, right? Were they just watching through the peephole as well? Looking at the closed door across from him, Li Yan patiently waited.
At this moment, he received a message on his phone from Nian Yufei, which read: "I'm back in the room, 2928. Where are you? When will you come up?"
Li Yan didn't reply and continued to observe the situation outside.
A while later, Grandpa Mu and the middle-aged woman came out, and by the sound of it, they entered the neighboring rooms 2930 and 2932, respectively.
They only booked four rooms, which seemed normal. Only, he hadn't expected the South Koreans to be so well-informed and manage to book a room in 2924 so quickly.
Li Yan still didn't make a move. By his estimation, the two South Koreans inside were also probably observing and monitoring the outside situation. Now that the dust had settled and everyone was back to their rooms, they might come out to further confirm things!
Nian Yufei and her group booked time-tracked rooms, even if the South Koreans could find out, they couldn't be sure which room Nian Yufei checked into. Out of caution, they probably didn't dare open the door just now, merely hoping to identify by sounds but needed to confirm.
Indeed!
Before long, the door opposite opened, and two sneaky South Korean pretty boys stepped out. One of them approached room 2928, while the other suspiciously leaned closer to look toward Li Yan's room.
Li Yan's room door was only ajar, but if someone outside took a closer look, they'd find it wasn't fully closed. Seeing the look in his eyes, Li Yan realized the South Korean had grown suspicious of him.
This made Li Yan somewhat impressed. Not bad! These two South Korean pretty boys didn't give off a killer vibe but managed to notice his situation and even dared to come closer! Apparently, the two South Korean assassins were newcomers, but they did have some skills.
Since they turned out to be remarkable rookies, Li Yan didn't hold back and immediately pulled the door open, swinging a punch at the South Korean pretty boy standing outside!
Thud—!
The South Korean pretty boy, whether he was trying to use a ruse by getting hurt or not, didn't dodge and surprisingly took the blow. After being hit by Li Yan's punch, he directly fell to the ground!
Li Yan stepped out, shutting the door behind him, and caught the falling South Korean boy like in a dance.
"Oh?" The other South Korean pretty boy heard the sound and turned to look, slightly surprised.
After catching the boy, Li Yan, as if dancing, dragged him quickly before the other South Korean pretty boy.
He appeared a bit tense, murmuring a few words in Korean; Li Yan guessed it was something like, "Who are you? What happened to him?" But Li Yan didn't have the mood to respond, directly reaching out to grab the guy's neck!
Everything went so smoothly that it seemed a little unbelievable to Li Yan. The easier it seemed, the riskier it was. He suspected the South Korean who was knocked unconscious was pretending and might stab him when he got close. But unfortunately, he didn't, and the other seemed to throw caution to the wind, neither drawing any weapons nor showing any intention to fight!
Compared to Li Yan, these two South Korean pretty boys were like youthful tender newcomers. The one punched unconscious was easily dragged over, while the other, too, was instantly grabbed by the throat, leaving no room for resistance. With his maneuver, the two collided face-to-face like puppets or scarecrows, and suddenly, they both fainted!
Li Yan let go, and both fell directly to the floor.
Did he really pass out? A ruse?
Li Yan kicked the two people on the ground and quickly glanced around. Fortunately, no hotel staff were coming over to see what he was doing.
However, he was in the corridor between rooms 2928 and 2926, and since the bodyguards occupied 2926, they would notice something, wouldn't they?
At that moment, both doors of 2926 and 2928 unexpectedly opened simultaneously!
The two bodyguards from room 2926 stepped out together, staring intently at Li Yan. Compared to when they were seen from the doorway, they felt more imposing, and their strength was apparent.
Li Yan didn't want any confrontation. When seeing the door of 2928 open as well, he was just about to speak with Nian Yufei, but he stopped in shock when he turned his head.
The person who opened the door wasn't Nian Yufei; it was someone he recognized — Li Jie from Jie Rui Security Guard Company!
"Is that you?"
Before Li Yan could say a word, Li Jie flipped her hair and asked in confusion. Then, she quickly told the two bodyguards opposite, "I know him, he's not a bad guy… Hey, what are you doing here? What are you up to now?"
Li Yan shrugged, unsure how to explain himself to her. The two bodyguards seemed to be from a different group from Li Jie, as they remained vigilant against Li Yan despite her words.
Nian Yufei had been waiting for Li Yan to pick up concert tickets. When she saw her bodyguard Li Jie peeking through the door and then opening it, she promptly came out too after briefly hesitating. Realizing the situation, she hurriedly intervened, "It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"
Misunderstanding?
Everyone focused on Nian Yufei since she was the employer, naturally carrying the most authority among them.
Nian Yufei pointed at Li Yan and said apologetically, "He's a friend of mine…" Then, looking at the two Korean young men on the ground with a slightly awkward smile, she explained further to Li Yan, "They… are my guests."
Friend?
Guests?
Regardless of the suspicions within everyone, Nian Yufei instructed the two bodyguards to carry the two Korean guests back to their room and awaken them, while she invited Li Yan into her room for a talk.
...
"What's going on?" Once inside the room, Li Yan looked at the two girls and asked directly.
Nian Yufei, unaware of Li Yan and Li Jie's acquaintance, hurriedly began explaining, "Big brother, here's the thing: due to security reasons, I brought a bodyguard for this trip. To ensure close protection, I specifically asked Sister Li, who is familiar with the area. She came back before us to check the room and make sure there were no abnormalities. They didn't know you, fortunately, no conflict happened… But… what's the deal with those two Korean guests?"
Li Yan glanced at the cool and composed Li Jie, understanding that she was the temporary bodyguard for the trip, responsible for following into places inconvenient for male bodyguards like restrooms and private rooms.
"Those two are your guests? I received your message and came over to get tickets. Seeing those two sneaking around your door, I noticed they looked Korean and suspected them of being bad guys, so I knocked them out first."
Through a lock of disheveled hair, Li Yan could faintly sense the exasperation in Li Jie's eyes. Nian Yufei too felt slightly awkward, but after a brief thought, she felt moved!
Why did he knock those two out? Besides their sneakiness, it was mainly because they appeared Korean! The last time he had helped her, the attackers were Korean assassins, so he likely mistook them for potential threats!
"Those two are Jin Nanxing and Jin Nanshow, young pianists from South Korea. I met them at the Chopin International Piano Competition before. They were invited as special guests to perform at tomorrow's concert to boost ticket sales. Just now, they probably heard us return and came over to meet us. But… thank you so much!" After explaining, Nian Yufei bowed to him in gratitude.
Li Jie was a bit taken aback. How was Li Yan related to Nian Yufei to make her so courteous? Why was she so sincerely thanking him even after her important guests were knocked out without reason? Could this Nian Yufei be an innocent girl, as pure as a blank slate, aside from her piano talent? Unlikely!
"Don't mention it. Just explain to them that I was passing by, and since I dislike Koreans, I hit them. Say it has nothing to do with you, so there's no need for further explanation or apology." When Li Yan said this, he winked at Nian Yufei, signaling not to mention the Korean assassins.
Nian Yufei quickly nodded. Li Jie, oblivious to the backstory, was slightly speechless, thinking how one could hit someone and not apologize?
"Then I won't disturb you any longer. Please give me the tickets!"
Seeing Nian Yufei hurriedly present a neatly prepared stack of tickets respectfully to Li Yan made Li Jie astonished once more. What merit or ability did this guy have to deserve a pianist handing him tickets like a gift?
(Thanks to the brothers who tipped yesterday — Ancient Dragon*Ranger, Flirtatious Ghost, Cold Team Leader, Living by the Waterside, dongmin8061, Eagle's Wind, CP Pampas, God of Martial Fool, Cold Star Rain, Living by the Waterside, it's Aqi, Nara's March, Yagami Light II) (To be continued, for more chapters, please visit www.qidian.com, support the author, support legitimate reading!)