In the afternoon, after school let out, Zhao Rong went back to his dorm to change out of his school uniform. He then headed to the agreed-upon location to wait for Lili, ready to act as her bodyguard.
Before long, Lili arrived. However, following behind her were two other girls. Zhao Rong looked closely and recognized them as Yu Lan and Xuelian, the same girls who had confessed their feelings to him before.
As Lili approached, she looked at Zhao Rong and said, "You're pretty punctual. But today, you'll have to protect three people."
Zhao Rong looked at Lili and replied, "As long as they're beauties, I wouldn't mind protecting ten of them."
Before Zhao Rong could finish speaking, Yu Lan and Xuelian crowded around him.
Yu Lan took Zhao Rong's left arm and said, "Zhao Rong, going shopping and eating hot pot with you is such a wonderful thing."
Xuelian took his right arm and said, "Brother Zhao Rong, I've set my heart on you, and no one is going to snatch you away from me."
And just like that, flanked by two beauties on each arm, Zhao Rong followed behind Lili out of the school gates.
Sure enough, the moment Lili stepped outside, several thugs surrounded her. One of them, a fierce-looking man with a prominent gold tooth, spoke up. "Beauty, your boyfriend borrowed a high-interest loan from me. Now that he's skipped town, you'll have to pay back his debt."
Lili argued, "My boyfriend borrowed 200,000 from you, but now the debt has snowballed to 20,000,000. Do you really think I'm going to pay that?"
Before Lili could finish, the man with the gold tooth pulled a dagger from his pocket. He threatened her, "You bitch, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Be careful, or I might just have to ruin that pretty face of yours."
Lili was not the least bit intimidated by his threat. She pointed to Zhao Rong, who was still being held by the two girls behind her. "I came prepared. I brought a bodyguard. If you don't want to die, you'd better get lost. Otherwise, my bodyguard won't be so polite."
Hearing this, the thugs turned to look at the so-called bodyguard Lili mentioned. All they saw was a scrawny, dark-skinned man who was barely 1.7 meters tall.
Suddenly, the thugs burst into laughter.
The leader with the gold tooth jeered, "Damn, and here I thought you brought some tall, formidable bodyguard. Turns out you just brought along a worthless cripple."
A man with a split lip standing behind him looked at Zhao Rong and said, "If this kid can be a bodyguard, then I can be the King of Soldiers."
The tattooed man next to him deliberately showed off his ink. "Who's ever seen a bodyguard show up with two chicks in tow? If you ask me, this big idiot isn't a bodyguard, he's just a piece of trash."
Hearing the loan sharks insulting Zhao Rong, Yu Lan immediately stepped forward. She retorted, "Don't you dare look down on him! You're insulting my dream man. You'd better watch out, or he'll knock you all to the ground with a single move."
The thugs found the idea that the plain-looking, seemingly timid Zhao Rong could take them down laughable. They guffawed. "This kid? Let me tell you, he looks like a bum who picks up trash by the gate. If he could take down a few big guys like us, then the sun would rise in the west."
Xuelian had seen what Zhao Rong was capable of, so she said with confidence, "Don't be so arrogant. My Brother Zhao Rong is no ordinary person. If you make him angry, you'll regret it."
Zhao Rong, not wanting to cause trouble, stepped forward and addressed the thugs apologetically. "Sirs, my apologies. Please don't be angry with these girls. They're still young and inexperienced; they don't understand how tough you are. I apologize on their behalf. I'm sorry."
Hearing the bodyguard Lili had boasted about actually apologizing to them, the thugs became even more disdainful and contemptuous of Zhao Rong.
The man with the gold tooth said, "To be honest, I was about to mess up Miss Lili's face right now. But, seeing as you know your place, I'll give her one more hour."
The man with the split lip looked at Lili and said, "One hour. If you don't have the money by then, we'll take you to an entertainment club to earn it for us."
The tattooed man was even more vile. He sneered, "You're not bad-looking. If you can't pay, then you'll just have to come with us to..." He and the other thugs trailed off, roaring with laughter.
Hearing their outrageous threats, Lili took out her phone. She immediately tried calling her boyfriend, Killer King Wang Jingang, to come and teach these thugs a lesson. However, no matter how many times she dialed, his phone remained off.
At this moment, Zhao Rong stepped forward again. He apologized to the thugs once more. "Sirs, I apologize again. We're on our way to get some hot pot now. Please don't block our path. Let us eat first, and we can talk after."
The thugs glanced at each other, then smirked. "Fine. Go have your hot pot. We'll talk later."
Hearing this, Zhao Rong led the three girls toward the hot pot restaurant. As they walked away, the thugs stood there, watching Zhao Rong's back.
This Zhao Rong doesn't seem like a bodyguard at all. He's more like a punching bag.
On the way, Lili fumed, "That Wang Jingang is pathetic! He chokes at the critical moment, so scared he even turned his phone off."
Hearing this, Zhao Rong quickly interjected, "He's that unreliable and you're still with him? What are you waiting for?"
"You're right," Lili said, nodding. "I should break up with him."
Zhao Rong was overjoyed.
As long as Lili breaks up with Wang Jingang, I'll have a chance to make my move and complete the mission.
So, he said, "Exactly! You should break up with him right now, and then—"
Suddenly, Lili figured it out. "Zhao Rong, do you really think I don't know what game you're playing? You want me to break up with Wang Jingang so you can pursue me, right?"
At this, Zhao Rong didn't bother lying. "That's right."
Before he could say another word, Yu Lan and Xuelian protested.
Yu Lan said firmly, "Zhao Rong, you absolutely cannot get together with Lili! You're mine!"
Xuelian added anxiously, "Brother Zhao Rong, if you get together with Lili, I'll kill myself right in front of you!"
Zhao Rong was stunned.
I signed a contract with the Courting Company. I have to successfully court Lili within three months, or I'll be in breach of contract. But now, before I've even won Lili over, two other girls are already pursuing me. This mission is going to be incredibly difficult.
With that, the group entered the most famous hot pot restaurant in the city. When the other patrons saw an unremarkable, poor-looking guy walk in with three top-tier beauties, they all stared.
A fat man remarked, "Whoa, this guy's amazing, bringing in three stunning women all by himself."
A skinny man said, "He must have something special about him. Otherwise, how could he possibly bring three beauties out to eat at once?"
A bald man sighed, "I'm so jealous of that guy. When will it be my turn to take three gorgeous women out for hot pot?"
As Zhao Rong and the three beauties were eating, a playboy from a nearby table sauntered over. He looked at Xuelian and said, "Hey beautiful, can we be friends? What's your number?"
Xuelian rejected him flatly. "If you want my number, you'll have to ask my boyfriend first." With that, she pointed at Zhao Rong, who was busy stuffing his face with food.
Hearing Xuelian had a boyfriend, the playboy turned his attention to Yu Lan. "Since the first beauty's taken, how about you, the second beauty? Can I get your number?"
Yu Lan also pointed at Zhao Rong. "Sorry, I have a boyfriend, too. It's him."
The playboy's eyes widened in disbelief.
How on earth did this short, poor, and ugly guy manage to get two top-tier beauties at the same time?
Having been snubbed twice, the playboy shifted his gaze to Lili. "Since those two beauties have boyfriends, surely you don't have one? Just give me your phone number."
Lili first let out a small laugh, then said coquettishly, "Sorry, I have a boyfriend too."
The playboy was so shocked that he stumbled and fell right onto his butt. "No way! Don't tell me your boyfriend is this short, ugly, broke loser too?"