Chapter 16

Chapter 16

After Ning Yichu and He Shixia arrived, the men He Shixia had sent over got out of the car and briefed them on the new information the waiter had just tearfully spilled.

Ning Yichu raised an eyebrow. "So I called it?"

He Shixia's expression was grave.

They got into the car, sitting in the front driver and passenger seats and turning to look back.

The waiter in the back seat now had no one sitting on either side of him. He could have opened the door, but after glancing at the several "burly men" standing outside, he let out a sob and didn't dare run.

"It wasn't me who wanted to harm you! Really, it wasn't!" The waiter was practically in tears.

He Shixia said, "We don't want to harm you either. We just want to get to the bottom of this. You said the boss had you deliver orange juice to his biological son. Walk us through the whole story in detail. Who exactly is the 'boss' you're referring to?"

At this point, the waiter had no choice but to come clean. "It was Mr. Ning! His full name is... Ning Shaoren? That's your adoptive father, Young Master Ning. I saw Mr. Ning's photo during employee training; I'm sure it was him."

Ning Yichu hummed. "He told you to deliver a drink to Ning Zeshu?"

The waiter nodded. "It was Young Master Ning's birthday banquet that night, wasn't it? I was also assigned to work as a waiter at the banquet. I swear I didn't know Mr. Ning before—I mean, I recognized his face, but I'd never had any contact with him. Mr. Ning seemed to just randomly call a waiter over. I happened to be passing by, so he stopped me..."

According to the waiter, Ning Shaoren also handed him the glass of orange juice directly, telling him to take it to Young Master Ning Zeshu, saying the guest of honor had been socializing all evening and could use a drink.

The waiter found it strange at the time. After all, there was plenty of food and drink at the banquet. Ning Zeshu was old enough to have graduated from university; surely he knew to get himself a drink if he was thirsty? And hadn't he been holding drinks all evening while socializing? Why specifically send him a glass of orange juice...

However, the waiter didn't refuse. After all, it was the hotel's top boss, and it was for his own son. It wasn't like he was going to poison it. So, the waiter took the orange juice to deliver it.

At that time, Ning Yichu had just finished delivering meals to the guests in the rooms. Having worked hard and not eaten much at the banquet earlier, his face was particularly pale, and he was walking unsteadily.

Seeing this, the waiter thought of a guest with low blood sugar he had encountered before. Without thinking much, he handed the orange juice from his tray to Ning Yichu.

Ning Yichu was indeed feeling unwell at the time. Moreover, since Kangning Grand Hotel was a legitimate Ning family operation, his guard was down. He took the orange juice and drank it slowly.

Seeing he was able to drink by himself, the waiter didn't linger. He figured he'd just pour another glass of orange juice for Ning Zeshu.

"At the time, I just thought, it's just a glass of orange juice; I'll pour another one. I really didn't know there was something wrong with it. If I had known, even if the boss ordered me to give it to his own son, I wouldn't have dared, let alone casually give it to someone else..." The waiter lamented bitterly.

Ning Yichu murmured softly, "After I gave the room keys to the guests, I would record the corresponding room numbers and guest identities in the register. That day, before I went to deliver meals to the guest floors, my adoptive mother asked me for the register. The meals delivered to the rooms were also already arranged by the kitchen according to room numbers... I was thinking at the time, they had everything planned down to the last detail, yet they still insisted I go deliver them. They really couldn't stand seeing me idle for a moment."

As for the waiter saying he handed over the orange juice and left, and that he wasn't the one who later took Ning Yichu to the room and set up the 'accident'... Ning Yichu truly had no clear memory on this point.

The drug in the orange juice took effect too quickly. When he recalled it afterward, he only vaguely remembered someone taller than him taking him into the elevator and pushing him into the room.

This also indicated that it probably wasn't the waiter before them. Moreover, judging from this waiter's attitude and explanation, he likely wasn't lying.

"What happened later?" Ning Yichu continued asking. "You said you didn't know originally. How did you find out so clearly later? What about the resignation?"

The waiter looked like he wanted to cry but had no tears. "The next morning, didn't a bunch of people from both your families go to that room looking for you? At the time, another waiter went along to open the door. I was on good terms with that waiter. I heard some gossip and was curious, so I asked him about it. But the more I thought about it afterward, the more something felt off."

But at the time, the waiter was just turning it over in his mind, feeling something was wrong, but he couldn't be sure of anything.

However, that very night after work, the manager actually skipped the supervisor and came to have a "heart-to-heart" with him. He casually asked about the whereabouts of the glass of orange juice from the banquet the previous night. The waiter, anxiously, told the truth.

Then the manager told him to resign. The severance pay offered was very high, and he even said he could arrange a job at another hotel for him. But all this was said privately. On the surface, he was only to say he resigned voluntarily. The manager also hinted that he should keep his mouth shut and not tell anyone about the orange juice incident.

"He even scared me, saying the Ning family's adopted young master drugged Young Master He Sixth to climb into his bed and was looking for someone to pin the blame on. If they remembered I gave him a glass of orange juice, the adopted young master might make me the scapegoat, claiming I put the drug in the orange juice..." At this point, the waiter cautiously glanced at Ning Yichu.

Ning Yichu gave him a thin, humorless smile.

The waiter quickly waved his hands. "But I didn't believe it! The more I thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. If that orange juice was really fine, why would the manager specifically talk to me and make me resign? Isn't that... protesting too much? But I couldn't afford to offend anyone. I didn't dare take the job referral the manager mentioned either. I just took the hush money and got out of there."

Seeing the waiter being so "sensible," the manager felt much more at ease. He told the waiter to pack his things from the staff dormitory overnight and that he didn't need to come to work the next day. After saying this, the manager left.

The waiter felt uneasy, his heart in turmoil. Unable to resist, he secretly followed the manager for a while. As a result, he overheard the manager reporting to someone else on the phone, saying everything was settled.

"'Please assure Mr. Ning that no one will know he had a waiter deliver a glass of orange juice with something in it'... The manager even said that." The waiter imitated. "I suspect he mentioned it so specifically to somewhat threaten the other party, wanting to gain some benefit. Anyway, hearing him say that, I finally confirmed it. There really was something wrong with that orange juice. So didn't I indirectly harm someone... But I really didn't mean to."

He Shixia continued questioning him. "What's that manager's name? Also, why did you suddenly come back to the hotel to get something today? Did someone contact you?"

The waiter scratched his head. "The manager's name is Wang Quan'an. But I just heard from a former colleague that the manager also resigned last month. I came back today because that waiter I was on good terms with before texted me saying I left something in the staff dormitory."

Ning Yichu glanced at his empty hands. "What thing?"

The waiter spread his hands. "I asked him what it was, but he didn't reply. I guess he might have just gotten off the night shift and gone to sleep. Since I happened to be free today, I thought I'd just come and check. Turns out he was mistaken; it wasn't my thing at all. So I came for nothing... and you caught me... Young Masters, I've really told you the whole truth. Now that you've heard it, please don't drag me into this anymore. Even though I was the one who handed over the orange juice, I really didn't know..."

"We're not planning to cause you trouble," Ning Yichu said. "What's the name of that waiter you were on good terms with?"

The waiter was taken aback. "Liu Yuan... Do you suspect him? That can't be... I was given hush money and forced to resign. If he was involved, even if he didn't leave, he wouldn't possibly still be just a waiter, right? He would've gotten some benefit."

But he was there the morning of the "discovery," and today he was the one who called the waiter back. This Liu Yuan was indeed suspicious.

"Better say it all at once, so we don't have to find you again and you can have some peace," He Shixia reminded.

The waiter looked like he wanted to cry again. "No, really, nothing else. I'm just a lowly waiter; what else would I know... I promise I won't talk about it outside! Just let me go..."

He Shixia looked at Ning Yichu.

Ning Yichu thought for a moment. "One last question. That night, when you went to deliver the orange juice to Ning Zeshu, did you end up delivering it?"

The waiter nodded. "Yes, I did. But after Young Master Ning took the orange juice, he said he was tired and wanted to go upstairs to rest. He didn't return to the banquet hall. I figured it wasn't my place to ask, so I didn't."

Ning Yichu nodded. He had no further questions for this waiter.

After the waiter left, He Shixia said, "Then I'll have someone track down that Liu Yuan and bring him in for questioning?"

Ning Yichu was a bit tired. "I don't feel like questioning him myself. Your people are still here, right? Please have them continue investigating and questioning later, and just fill me in on what you find out."

Anyway, if the waiter from earlier didn't possess some superhuman ability to lie, then based on his account and combined with the information Ning Yichu and He Shixia themselves recalled, they already had a pretty good idea of what happened that night. It was just incomplete, missing some details.

He Shixia nodded. "Okay."

Ning Yichu then looked at him with a half-smile. "The Ning family patriarch personally intervened to stop you, and Ning Zeshu's parents joined forces to set this up. It seems they really want to get you into the family."

He Shixia remained calm and unhurried, answering gently, "As far as I know, after fulfilling the marriage alliance with the He family, the Ning family member who marries into the He family can receive five percent of the shares of the Ning family's Kangning Grand Hotel."

Ning Yichu blinked.

He Shixia continued, "The Ning family is different from the He family. Although the He family business also has a board of directors and external shareholders, the He family members hold absolute authority on the board. The head of the family has absolute control. Other directors can make suggestions, but if the head doesn't listen, there's nothing they can do."

The Ning family, due to poor initial business planning, once faced near-insurmountable difficulties. To stay afloat, they ceded many rights to the board of directors, even putting up ten percent of the shares to be collectively managed by the board.

The head of the He family at that time was the grandfather of the current Grandmother He. He also got a piece of the pie and became acquainted with the Ning family ancestor. After getting to know each other, they found they got along very well.

Once, when the two families were out traveling together, an accident occurred on the road. The Ning family ancestor even risked his life to save others. Therefore, the He family ancestor felt somewhat embarrassed about having "taken advantage of the situation" with Kangning.

The He family ancestor then mediated within Kangning's board of directors. Ultimately, a marriage alliance between the descendants of the He and Ning families was established. The board agreed that when the He and Ning families fulfilled the marriage alliance, the board would hand over half of the ten percent shares—that is, five percent—which were nominally held by the Ning family but actually managed by the board, to the Ning family descendants as a wedding gift.

However, three generations passed in between. By the time of Ning Zeshu's generation, it was already the fourth generation. The marriage alliance between the two families had never been realized due to various reasons.

He Shixia said, "So, the Ning family doesn't necessarily want me specifically. They are just eager to get back that five percent of shares."

Ning Yichu pondered thoughtfully. "No wonder. I was wondering why they were so insistent on him marrying into the alliance, given how much they value Ning Zeshu."

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