Above the Galaxy
Chapter 533 - 333: Winding River and Floating Cups! _2

Chapter 533: Chapter 333: Winding River and Floating Cups! _2

"I had someone check their house, but the doors were tightly locked, and no one answered the doorbell... We can’t contact anyone around them either."

Slap!

Chen Fenglei threw the teacup in his hand onto Li Baolin’s face.

He had just said that if something went wrong, he should let Chen Fenglei throw hot water in his face.

It turned out to be prophetic, as it happened so quickly.

The tea was scalding hot, but Li Baolin dared not even hum.

He let the tea and tea leaves slide down his cheeks without daring to wipe it off.

He knew that the Grand Steward was truly angry.

"Zhuang Zhongbing has been missing for two days, and you only realized it now?" Chen Fenglei jumped up, pointing at Li Baolin’s nose and cursing loudly.

"If I hadn’t come today, when would you have realized that Zhuang Zhongbing was missing? Would you never have known?"

"I come here asking for him, and you are still looking for excuses to brush me off... Is this something you can brush off? Do you even know what happened to him? Do you know why he disappeared?"

"I have failed in my duties; I know my guilt." Li Baolin bowed in apology.

Seeing the chief apologize, Bai Ye hurriedly took the blame onto himself and explained, "It’s my fault, all my fault. I failed to realize the seriousness of the matter. I just thought that Zhuang Zhongbing’s family had some issues, so I was a bit negligent in my supervision..."

"I should strictly enforce the management regulations of the station and keep track of every station member. It’s my fault for not being strict enough, for being negligent in prevention... Please, Steward, punish me."

"Punishment?" Chen Fenglei scoffed coldly, saying harshly, "If you can’t bring Zhuang Zhongbing back, it won’t be as simple as punishment."

"Yes, yes, we will send people to look for him right away," Li Baolin hurriedly replied.

He knew that the Steward was giving them a chance to redeem themselves.

"Keep it low-key, don’t let everyone know," Chen Fenglei commanded.

He paused for a moment and then instructed, "We need to see him alive or his body dead. If necessary, you may kill him."

Li Baolin and Bai Ye turned around, their faces full of surprise as they looked at Chen Fenglei.

Zhuang Zhongbing was one of their own, a colleague and friend they interacted with daily...

Were they just supposed to eliminate him?

Chen Fenglei’s eyes narrowed slightly as he asked sternly, "What? Can’t do it? If you can’t, I can find someone else who can."

"We can do it..." Li Baolin said through clenched teeth, "We can definitely do it."

"Yes, we guarantee we’ll complete the mission," Bai Ye also chimed in.

If they couldn’t do it, they wouldn’t need to work for the Grand Steward anymore.

Zhuang Zhongbing was their comrade and brother...

But compared to the positions they hold and their future careers, brotherhood seemed insignificant.

------

Winding Water Garden.

Tang Fei eyed the black sign in front of him, a sneer curling up at the corner of his mouth.

"We’re in the age of interstellar colonization, and they choose such an old-fashioned name?" Tang Fei couldn’t help but voice his criticism, finding the name completely lacking in literary refinement.

Could a place like this have any beautiful girls?

Vulgar!

If it weren’t for the case, he wouldn’t even want to enter.

"Chief, should we go in?" Team leader Shen Yan asked.

Tang Fei, having been promoted to Deputy Head of Surveillance Section Five, had passed on the team leader position to Shen Yan.

Shen Yan was among the first to pledge loyalty to Tang Fei, usually stern but astute and meticulous in his work, proving his loyalty to Tang Fei.

His choice had earned him a lucrative return, and in just half a year, he had risen from an underused inspector to leading a team.

Such a rapid promotion was unmatched by anyone in the entire surveillance system, except for his direct superior, Tang Fei.

"Enter," Tang Fei said righteously, stepping toward the main entrance of Winding Water Garden.

"Hello, sir, do you have a reservation?" a young girl in a blue long dress approached, her voice cheerful and welcoming.

"Mr. Zhong made a reservation," Tang Fei replied.

Winding Water Garden operated on a membership basis, requiring a Winding Water membership to make an appointment.

Tang Fei had never been to such a dubious place, and certainly wouldn’t have been a member...

So he went to find Zhong Jiayuan and asked if he could think of a way to see if someone nearby could help make a reservation.

Unexpectedly, this bushy-browed, big-eyed guy was a member...

Times had declined, and the purity of people’s hearts was a thing of the past.

The receptionist checked the virtual screen she was holding, her face blossoming into a brilliant smile as she said, "Sir, I’ve found your reservation. Please follow me."

"Thank you." Tang Fei nodded.

The heavy metal door swung open, revealing a brand new world.

Inside the door was a massive Suzhou-style garden with pavilions, towers, artificial mountains, and water houses.

Every step presented a new view, shifting scenes with every move.

What was even more astonishing was the stream running through the middle of the garden. The water murmured, winding and meandering.

Crowds of men and women gathered along both sides of the stream, separated by plum and bamboo, casually scooping up drifting drinks from the water and drinking heartily amidst laughter and cheer.

What was more surprising was that everyone in the garden was dressed in attire from the Wei and Jin dynasties. With wide robes and large sleeves, and hair coiled up, it felt as though one had stepped into the era of the Southern and Northern Dynasties at a Winding Water Banquet.

Tang Fei was dumbfounded. After the significant changes during the Blue Star era, where had he ever seen such extravagance?

Rich people really know how to play!

After the handover by the receptionist, another young lady in a white dress came over and made an inviting gesture. "Hello, sir, I am Xiao Yu. I will be taking care of you today. I’ll first take you to bathe and change. Your room is number nine."

"Okay." Tang Fei nodded.

Though he had never been here before, he had to put on a composed appearance as if he frequented such places.

Worried that Shen Yan might not be able to keep calm and reveal his inexperienced self, he turned to give him a reminder but found Shen Yan with a cool demeanor, looking even more experienced than those seasoned ones.

Was this youngster really just acting?

They were led to room nine, and soon someone delivered robes that fit their sizes perfectly.

After drinking a cup of mouth-rinse tea, they each went to bathe in the bathhouse before changing into the prepared clothes.

When in Rome.

Once they had finished bathing, Xiao Yu entered the room again and cheerfully asked, "Sir, may I take your order now?"

"Order?" Tang Fei’s expression froze. They had eaten before coming and weren’t hungry at all.

Seeing their confused looks, Xiao Yu, realizing they were first-timers, explained with a smile, "It’s about choosing a girl we like to join us for drinks and games...."

"Oh, I see." Tang Fei suddenly understood.

He hadn’t expected to give himself away with just one comment. He looked towards Shen Yan, who was also looking back at him with a serious expression.

"We’re here already, maybe we should... order a few dishes?" Tang Fei asked Shen Yan.

"Up to you." Shen Yan nodded.

Tang Fei had given a heads-up that after entering, they should not mention their official titles or reveal their identities.

"Then let’s arrange it." Tang Fei turned to Xiao Yu and said, "We’re from out of town. Our friend insisted we experience the local customs here. There are many things we don’t quite understand, so you can decide for us. Just arrange it as you do for others."

"Of course, sir." Xiao Yu agreed and went off to get busy.

Tang Fei turned to Shen Yan and said, "Don’t be nervous. It’s on the public expenses; we don’t need to pay ourselves."

"Oh." Shen Yan visibly relaxed.

This place wasn’t cheap, and he had feared he couldn’t afford it.

After a brief pause, he asked, "Is he here?"

"Definitely." Tang Fei smiled. "Our information is very reliable."

"That’s good, then. It wouldn’t be a wasted trip."

"Exactly, otherwise we wouldn’t bother coming to such an unpleasant place and tarnish our reputations for nothing." Tang Fei deeply agreed.

Just then, the door of the private room number nine was pushed open.

A procession of girls in colorful ancient costumes and radiant beauty walked in, their long skirts sweeping the ground, and their wide sleeves fluttering, capturing all forms of beauty.

Tang Fei swallowed secretly and looked up, only to see Shen Yan’s Adam’s apple moving too.

It seemed like tonight they would be challenging their weaknesses.