Chapter Thirty-One: Brother Tai! Just how many birds are you killing with one stone here?

"Hmm? Why is Manager Wu here?"

Chang Lu, still bearing traces of tears on her face, frowned, utterly puzzled.

Xue Xiaoshan stood up and addressed Manager Wu: "Weren't you the one who kicked us out of your office? Why are you chasing after us now?"

"A misunderstanding! It was absolutely a misunderstanding."

Wu Liangxing hurriedly wiped the sweat from his forehead. He glanced at Huo Qitai, who sat composed and couldn't even be bothered to look his way, and his heart sank.

"You say it's a misunderstanding, so it's a misunderstanding?" Xue Xiaoshan scoffed.

"It's my fault! It's all my fault. Student Huo, I failed to appreciate the kindness you and the young lady showed. Isn't this me trying to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted? Those hundred-plus tickets, could they possibly..."

This time, Wu Liangxing truly lowered his posture, unable to muster any of his former arrogance.

Before he could finish, Huo Qitai said indifferently, "Those tickets are gone."

"Gone? How is that possible? So little time has passed. Besides, you must still have other tickets, right?"

"It doesn't matter how they're gone; you aren't getting a single one," Xue Xiaoshan interjected sharply.

"This... this won't do! Student Huo, Student Xue, Young Lady, you must save me! If I don't have those tickets, I... I am dead."

Wu Liangxing, knowing when to fold, immediately knelt with a thud, wailing with snot and tears, "So many leaders have been asking me for tickets. If I can't produce them, I'm finished."

"Heh! Old Dog Wu, realize the severity of the situation now? Where did all that bluster from earlier go?"

Seeing Wu Liangxing so easily manipulated over the tickets, Xue Xiaoshan felt a surge of satisfaction and immense admiration for Huo Qitai. When Brother Tai makes a move, you know it's going to work.

Chang Lu was completely stunned. She truly hadn't expected everything Xue Xiaoshan said earlier to be true—that Huo Qitai had long since laid a massive trap for Wu Liangxing.

One must understand that Wu Liangxing, relying on Hu Xiuqing's backing, had never looked at anyone in the hotel with respect. Getting him to lower his head even slightly was an incredibly difficult task, let alone seeing him kneel and weep like this.

"Qitai, how... how did you do it? It’s simply miraculous."

Chang Lu’s face lit up with joy, and the unhappiness in her heart vanished. At the same time, her gaze toward Huo Qitai was filled with radiance, and she felt as sweet as if she had been filled with honey.

However...

Huo Qitai sat up straight, calmly picked up a piece of steak, and while chewing, asked:

"I heard you are one of Lu's stepmother's people? Does that mean most of her management and operations in the hotel pass through your hands?"

As soon as this was asked, Wu Liangxing’s face turned pale. Gritting his teeth, he looked conflicted and nervous.

Xue Xiaoshan was a bit confused and whispered to his father: "Dad! Isn't that obvious? Why is Brother Tai asking?"

"You foolish boy! Little Tai is helping Lu win this man over; he's asking for his pledge of loyalty!"

Chuckling, Xue Ergou was both surprised and delighted, wondering how he had never noticed Huo Qitai possessed such methods before.

Chang Lu, hearing this, widened her eyes and looked at him with even more surprise and gratitude.

"There's no time left, I... I accept defeat, okay?"

Having made up his mind, Wu Liangxing immediately returned to his office and brought back his laptop.

Plugging in a USB drive, he opened several Excel documents with his mouse and confessed truthfully: "This is the black ledger I kept for Hu Xiuqing over the past five years in the marketing department I manage. Through these fake activities and marketing schemes, Hu Xiuqing embezzled roughly two million in profits from the hotel."

"Hmph! What a black-hearted vixen. My father treated her so well, and she still bit the hand that fed her, stealing from the hotel."

Seeing these ledgers, Chang Lu gritted her teeth.

Huo Qitai checked them, confirmed the accounts and files were authentic, pulled the USB drive, and handed it to Chang Lu.

He then said to Wu Liangxing: "From today on, you remain Hu Xiuqing’s man on the surface, but you are accountable to Lu for everything. Any subsequent instructions from Hu Xiuqing must be reported to Lu immediately. Otherwise, you should know what will happen if these black ledgers are handed over to the public security authorities. Furthermore, when necessary, you must act as a witness and testify to Hu Xiuqing’s actions."

"I know! I know! Student Huo, then... what about those tickets for the leaders..."

Having made his choice, Wu Liangxing had no way back, as his leverage was now in their hands.

"Don't worry about the tickets. We will take them to the hotel lobby now. You are responsible for having all the staff come to collect them in an orderly manner by department. And if the leaders' families or drivers arrive, tell them to come to the lobby as well."

Huo Qitai smiled slightly, revealing his pre-planned strategy.

"Ah? This... isn't that too troublesome? How about, Student Huo, you give the tickets to me, and I'll have them collect them at the marketing office... Fine! I'll go do it right away."

Wu Liangxing was reluctant, but after a glare from Huo Qitai, he dared not say another word and turned to make arrangements.

Soon, a long line formed in the lobby of the Wealth and Prosperity Hotel.

Chang Lu, as the young lady of the Chang family, dressed appropriately and smiling, handed out the "Peking University Top Student Lecture" tickets one by one to every employee.

"Wow! Thank you, Young Lady. Finally, I got a ticket."

"The young lady is truly so kind, thinking of us low-level employees, unlike that Manager Wu."

"The young lady is not only beautiful but also has a kind heart..."

...

Occasionally, when the drivers or family members of leaders arrived at the hotel and saw the long line, they were taken aback. Then, led by Wu Liangxing, they were introduced to Chang Lu and received their tickets from her personally.

Xue Xiaoshan was stunned, staring at Huo Qitai as if he were a monster, admiring him to the point of prostration:

"Brother Tai! You are just too incredible. You have perfectly demonstrated the idiom 'killing three birds with one stone' for me. You punished and subdued Old Dog Wu, helped Lu win the hearts of the entire hotel staff, and finally... through these tickets, you ensured that the favors from the leaders, which should have gone to Old Dog Wu, were all credited to Lu. Brilliant! Truly brilliant! It's as high as a five-story building. And for me to be able to see this, I must be at least three stories high, right?"

Faced with Xue Xiaoshan's flattery, Huo Qitai smiled without a word. Instead, he looked at Xue Ergou and asked: "What do you think, Uncle Ergou?"

"Little Tai, this move of yours really caught me off guard. Through Manager Wu as a hub, besides the three effects Xiaoshan mentioned, you also proved your capability to Boss Chang and helped Chang Lu gain the initiative in her struggle against her stepmother at home. Most importantly, by having the employees line up and giving tickets to the leaders, you have firmly established the popularity and scarcity of the Peking University lecture."

As he spoke, Xue Ergou scolded his son: "Xiaoshan, didn't you see those people peering in and out of the entrance earlier? They were clearly here for the tickets. Little Tai deliberately let them see this, using their mouths to amplify the impact..."

At this, Xue Xiaoshan was dumbfounded again, counting on his fingers and muttering: "My goodness! Brother Tai, just how many birds did you kill with that one stone?"