The landlady watched Ning Wan’s retreating figure, suddenly frozen in place. Just as Ning Wan was about to exit the hotel, she rose from her seat and chased after her. When she was about to catch up, she heard faint coughing, barely restrained, and hurriedly called out, "Miss, wait a mont."
At her words, Ning Wan stopped in her tracks, turning to face the landlady who had intercepted her. Her hand ford a small fist at her mouth, unable to suppress the cough that left her lungs aching. It took her a while to quell the coughing fit and then, with a voice as delicate and soft as velvet, she asked, "Is there sothing else?"
Throughout the conversation, a faint smile lingered on her face like blooming flowers, giving people a very comfortable feeling.
The landlady quickly explained, "All the nearby hotels require ID registration. The inspections have been very strict these past few years, and even those hotels that charge twenty to thirty yuan a day are no exception."
Hearing this, Ning Wan’s eyes imdiately dimd but she still politely said, "Thank you." With that, she picked up her suitcase and was ready to leave.
The landlady, looking at Ning Wan in front of her, felt a twinge of pity, especially seeing her pale complexion as if she were ill, which intensified the feeling. She stepped in front of Ning Wan again and said, "Miss, you must have left without carrying your ID. How about this: I’ll use my own ID to register you for now. You can stay here first. You don’t look well, and it isn’t suitable for you to keep looking for a hotel."
Ning Wan, who appeared to be no more than twenty or so and looked like a university student, still carried a noble aura despite wearing cheap clothes from a streetside stall, making people think she was perhaps a once-rich lady who had recently fallen into hard tis.
At the landlady’s offer, Ning Wan quickly expressed her thanks, then said, "I won’t stay here for long. Just a few days will do."
The landlady, seeing how fragile she seed, did not ask further, just smiled, nodded, and led her to the reception to pay and register. "It’s no trouble, miss. If you co back later, you can continue to stay here," she said.
Ning Wan smiled in return and nodded, but she was uncertain if she would have the chance to co back again.
In recent tis, she dared not stay in one place for too long because... Xi Mohan’s capabilities were evident, and staying too long made it easy for him to find her.
The room was arranged on the second floor. Seeing that Ning Wan was not in good health, the landlady did not disturb her further.
Ning Wan entered the cramped room equipped with only a washroom, a bed, and a wardrobe. After setting down her suitcase in a corner, she climbed onto the bed, curled up without even pulling the blanket over herself, and coughs, suppressed and intermittent, could still be heard.
Ever since that day she left, she had started to suffer from a fever and cold and the cough had lingered for most of that month.
Tears suddenly rolled down uncontrollably, though she tried to cry quietly, aware that the soundproofing in places like this hotel was not too good. Lying on the bed with the door shut, she could still hear talking from so unknown room.
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