After Li Ye, Li Dayong, and Wang Jianqiang left the Beijing Hotel, they did not head home right away. Instead, they got into a taxi waiting for passengers at the entrance.
"Where are you gentlemen headed?"
Seeing that the three were locals, the driver briskly started the engine, ready to finish this fare quickly and return to wait for more work.
It was not that he looked down on Li Ye and the others. Mainland people simply did not have the habit of tipping. Why would he pass up a chance to earn a few extra bucks?
"Nowhere."
Li Ye pointed ahead. "Drive to the corner up ahead, make a U-turn, and wait there."
The driver froze, rolling his eyes. "Are you guys waiting for someone in the car? We don't offer that service."
Li Ye glanced at him and said casually, "Then how much to hire you until midnight?"
Only then did the driver realize he had misunderstood. He had thought they were climbing into his cab in the dead of winter just to mooch off the heat!
"Gentlemen, I'm not trying to rip you off! The hours before midnight are prime time for us. Those foreigners love their nightlife, and we make quite a bit running them around. If you pay too little, it's really not worth my while. But if you pay too much—"
"I'll give you two hundred upfront. The mileage is extra."
"Alrighty then. Buckle up, gentlemen."
The driver pocketed the bills and drove those few dozen meters with all the grandeur of a big Bentley.
Once they reached the intersection, Li Ye directed the taxi into position. "Please back up a little more. Don't let the people at the hotel entrance notice us."
The driver grinned. "Are you guys carrying out a mission or