Chapter 120: Fire
After such an awkward encounter, Athena went to Andrei’s office and told him, “General Manager, I don’t want to do the rounds this afternoon. Let the Guest Room Manager handle it!”
Andrei asked caringly, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Athena feigned dizziness and said, “I’m a bit dizzy. Perhaps it’s the change in climate!”
Andrei stepped forward with concern, unusually gentle, and touched her forehead, saying, “Fortunately, it’s nothing serious. You should go home first!”
Athena looked at Andrei unusually, with disbelief, and said, “Poker face turned into a warm guy? A rare sight!”
Andrei glanced at Athena, reached out, and flicked her forehead, saying, “Don’t be so disrespectful. You seem quite energetic to me. Continue working this afternoon!”
Athena held her forehead, pretending to look aggrieved at Andrei, and said, “Truly a tyrant, a cold-hearted man!”
With that, she quickly left in dejection.
Andrei watched the mischievous Athena, chuckling inwardly, but he wondered if this was truly the right thing to do.
Five years ago, that car accident had left Athena in a poor mental state, even leading to a suicide attempt. Later, a psychologist used hypnosis to save Athena’s life!
The first person Athena saw upon waking was not him. That person told Athena that she was the descendant of a Russian businessman. Her parents had disappeared at sea and entrusted her to a wealthy individual.
He, indirectly, had also helped conceal everything. He intended to keep this secret hidden until a miracle occurred and Athena remembered everything.
However, was this truly the right thing to do?
If Athena remembered everything, would she leave him? Xia Yang was truly unsure.
Andrei clenched his fist tightly. The Xia Yang of five years ago had died in that car accident. The one alive now was the new King of Hotels, Andrei!
The Holy Courtyard was his ultimate goal!
In the afternoon, Athena hid in the kitchen, secretly learning to make cakes from the Pastry Chef. Since the two important figures had gone on rounds with the Customer Service Manager, she naturally wanted to seize the opportunity for some leisure.
The Pastry Chef was a French friend. Seeing the beautiful Assistant wanting to learn desserts from him, he enthusiastically taught her hand-in-hand. The apprentices nearby were all excited. The newly appointed Assistant was a perfect blonde beauty. To be able to work alongside such a beautiful Assistant in this hotel was truly a delightful task! Even work became more spirited.
After learning for an entire afternoon, Athena finally mastered how to make chocolate mousse. She didn’t particularly like chocolate, but for some reason, she wanted to learn to make this first, as if someone in her life had liked this flavor.
As evening approached, Andrei’s driver called her. She concealed the fact that she was still at the hotel and said she had gone home.
The call ended. The Pastry Chef, hearing her speak fluent Russian, enthusiastically conversed with Athena in Russian. They hit it off immediately and spoke of many past events. When they discussed Athena’s childhood, Athena looked at Smith with difficulty and said, “I don’t know. My memories are fragmented. The doctor said I have intermittent amnesia, but for the past five years, I can’t remember the past, though there are vague shadows!”
Smith looked at Athena with affection and said, “You will remember, beautiful girl. God will bless you!”
Athena, on the other hand, smiled relaxedly and replied, “I’ve grown accustomed to this life. It feels like life maintains a sense of mystery. Living is a continuous exploration!”
Smith praised, “You will be a lucky girl!”
Athena smiled gratefully at Smith, then buried herself back in the cake-making process.
Situ Jingyi stood outside the kitchen door, watching Athena and Smith chatting and laughing inside. A hint of an evil smile touched her lips. She cast a cold glance before walking away in her high heels.
She stopped at a corner.
“Is everything prepared?”
The question was directed at an old man wearing a hat and a full beard. He raised his face, revealing a pair of sinister, evil eyes, and said to Situ Jingyi, “Everything has been arranged according to Miss’s instructions. She will absolutely not be suspected!”
Situ Jingyi nodded, then left with a gesture.
As Situ Jingyi reached the lobby, she saw Ji Xiangyu sitting on a sofa, waiting for someone. She walked over and sat beside Ji Xiangyu, saying intimately, “Yu, why are you here?”
Ji Xiangyu glanced coldly at Situ Jingyi, then continued reading the newspaper in his hand, saying, “Why haven’t you gone back yet?”
Situ Jingyi smiled charmingly and said, “I’m waiting for Yu to go home with me. Aunt made delicious food today. Do you want to come to my place for dinner?”
Ji Xiangyu refused without a second thought: “I have something to handle tonight, so I won’t be coming. Another day, perhaps!”
Since Ji Xiangyu moved out of the Ji Family Mansion, he had returned very few times, let alone gone to the Situ Family’s. Situ Jingyi had tried to visit Ji Xiangyu’s private apartment several times but was refused entry. To be precise, she couldn’t even get past the door.
Suddenly, Situ Jingyi asked, “Yu, don’t you find Andrei and Athena familiar? Or perhaps their arrival is with ill intentions?”
Ji Xiangyu stopped what he was doing and stared at Situ Jingyi. He stared at her so intently that Situ Jingyi became a little uncomfortable and asked, “Is there something on my face?”
Ji Xiangyu threw down the newspaper and stood up, saying, “Jingyi, it’s getting late. Let’s go back!”
With that, he started to leave. Situ Jingyi called out, “Yu, no matter what, I will stand by your side. I will always support you!”
Ji Xiangyu turned back and said, “Thank you~~~~”
Just as he was about to say something, his mobile phone rang. He answered it, listened, and then sprinted towards the kitchen. Situ Jingyi called out from behind, “Yu, where are you going?”
Meanwhile, as Athena and Smith were baking a cake, a man wearing a long coat, a hat, and a full beard suddenly opened the kitchen door and began splashing a bucket of liquid inside.
Athena and Smith looked at the man with confusion, sensing great danger, and asked, “Who are you? What are you doing?”
The man smiled sinisterly, took out a lighter, and threw it with a perverted laugh.
Athena shouted, “Run!~~~~~~”
However, the mysterious man locked the door from the inside, and the fire instantly became uncontrollable.
Smith paced back and forth, asking, “What do we do? If it burns the ovens, they might explode later! Are we going to die here?”
Athena searched everywhere for a fire extinguisher but couldn’t find one. Smith looked at the usual spot where the fire extinguisher was kept and said with disappointment, “That pervert must have done it on purpose!”
Athena tried to escape, but the fire was truly too intense.
Before long, both of them fainted.
Andrei, who arrived upon hearing the news, looked at the gathered employees and asked, “What happened?”
The Head Chef said anxiously, “The kitchen is on fire! The critical thing is, Assistant Athena and the baker are still inside! And the firefighters haven’t arrived yet!”
Seeing the fierce flames, Andrei grabbed a bucket of water from an employee, doused himself, and without a word, covered his mouth and rushed into the kitchen.
The employees outside shouted, “General Manager! General Manager!~~~~~”
At this moment, Ji Xiangyu also arrived and grabbed someone, asking, “What happened?”
The Head Chef answered again, “The kitchen is on fire! The critical thing is, Assistant Athena and the baker are inside. The General Manager just went in! And the firefighters haven’t arrived yet!~~~~”
Hearing that Athena was inside, Ji Xiangyu made a move to rush into the fire as well.
The employees immediately pulled Ji Xiangyu back, saying, “Chairman, it’s dangerous! You’ll be burned to death if you go in, and it might explode at any moment!”
Ji Xiangyu struggled to get in but was being held back.
Situ Jingyi watched Ji Xiangyu’s reckless behavior from the side, her hatred intensifying.
Ji Xiangyu broke free from the employees, ran to the back door of the kitchen, and was about to rush in with a fire extinguisher.
Situ Jingyi stopped him, saying, “Yu, don’t go in! You’ll get hurt!”
Ji Xiangyu struggled and said, “Athena is inside! I have to go in!”
Situ Jingyi asked in confusion, “You’ll die if you do! Please don’t go in!~~~~”
Ji Xiangyu shook off Situ Jingyi, stared into her eyes, and said firmly, “Athena must be saved, no matter what!”
Situ Jingyi looked at Ji Xiangyu with surprise in her eyes and shouted, “Yu! Ji Xiangyu! Come back~~~~~~~~” Why, why must he risk his life for this woman who might not be Qing Tian? Why?
Situ Jingyi watched Ji Xiangyu plunge into the inferno, stomped her foot fiercely, and thought, Athena, whether you are Qing Tian or not, if Ji Xiangyu treats you well, you will suffer the same fate as Qing Tian.
Entering the fire, Ji Xiangyu saw Andrei extinguishing the flames. He immediately used the fire extinguisher to clear a path.
Andrei looked at Ji Xiangyu in surprise, “Chairman, why did you come in?”
Ji Xiangyu glanced at Andrei, then walked to Athena and Smith’s side. He looked at Athena with concern, reached out to check if they were still breathing, and felt a great sense of relief upon detecting their breath.
Suddenly, a shelf in front of him began to explode and was about to collapse. Ji Xiangyu looked at the collapsing shelf in surprise and immediately ran over, using his hands and body to support it.
Andrei looked at Ji Xiangyu in disbelief. This man was willing to risk his life for Athena.
Ji Xiangyu shouted, “Quick! Save Athena and get out! Quick!~~~~”
This was practically a roar.
Andrei looked at Ji Xiangyu unwillingly and said, “You’ll die this way! You go out first!”
Ji Xiangyu cried out in pain, a heart-wrenching scream, “Do you want Athena to die? Get out!~~~~”
Andrei, seeing the steel frame enduring immense heat, was deeply moved. The next moment, he hoisted Athena onto his shoulder and escaped along the path Ji Xiangyu had cleared.
Ji Xiangyu looked at the plump Smith lying on the ground, painfully holding up the shelf. The next moment, with a loud bang, an explosion occurred!!!
【 Since you all asked for more updates, I’ll write three thousand characters per chapter then!~~~~~ The second update might be a bit shorter!!!】
Addendum: Due to chapter misordering, the saved drafts after modification are at home. The next chapter will have to wait until I get home. I sincerely apologize!~~~~~
