Chapter Fifty: Spicy Hotpot

Zhang Ding and Zhang Ting realized that when Ling Tian struck out, he did so with such swiftness and decisiveness that they hadn’t had a chance to intervene.

“Boss, that woman definitely deserved a slap, but this is a public place… You and Zhang Ting should leave quickly. I’ll cover for you. Don’t worry, at most I’ll just get taken to the station for a little lesson, nothing serious.” Zhang Ding immediately stood up, thumping his chest as he spoke to Ling Tian. In Zhang Ding’s mind, Ling Tian was destined for greater things and shouldn’t be dragged into trouble over something so trivial, especially when it all happened because of him.

Zhang Ding’s loyalty reminded Ling Tian of the days in Southeast Asia, dealing with those damned mercenary squads. Back then, he led the Thunder Squad, which was surrounded by a large enemy force. Half the team chose to stay behind to cover the others’ retreat. Ling Tian had said only one thing: “I’ll never abandon my brothers.”

In the end, relying on his unparalleled strength and two customized Desert Eagles, Ling Tian destroyed the enemy command post himself. The Thunder Squad withdrew unscathed and ultimately completed their mission.

Ling Tian patted Zhang Ding on the shoulder and smiled. “It’s just hitting someone, nothing major. In the past, she’d already be a corpse.” In his heart, Ling Tian added, “You treat me as a brother, so you are my brother.”

“What’s the point of hitting a woman? If you’ve got guts, come at me!” A male salesperson stepped out from the crowd, shielding the female colleague behind him in a classic act of heroism. He was well aware that standing up at a moment like this could easily win her favor.

If he was lucky, perhaps he could even get more than that.

“What the hell are you looking at? I’m talking to you!” The male salesperson jabbed a finger at Ling Tian’s nose, shouting. Suddenly, he recognized Zhang Ting and, with a look of realization, pointed at her. “Ah, no wonder you looked familiar—it’s Zhang Ting!”

Zhang Ting had little patience for anyone here and simply snorted, ignoring him.

The male salesperson grinned. “Zhang Ting, don’t you remember me? I recall you used to call me ‘brother’ all the time. So, are you free tonight? How about going out for a bite? We could have some spicy hotpot.”

Spicy hotpot? Ling Tian was puzzled—is that a date food?

While Ling Tian was lost in thought, Zhang Ding, standing to the side, immediately cursed, “Get lost! Say another word and I’ll break your legs.”

“Are you the six yuan or twelve yuan type?” the male salesperson leered at Zhang Ting’s impressive figure. As a car model, her looks and body were top-tier, and she’d received plenty of unwanted attention when she worked here.

Ling Tian stopped Zhang Ding, who was about to intervene, and asked, “What does eating spicy hotpot mean?”

Zhang Ding could only laugh helplessly. It was such a common phrase now, but Ling Tian truly didn’t know.

“There’s a story behind it. A girl once posted online that she’d traveled a long way to see her boyfriend, and he treated her to a six-yuan spicy hotpot. That night, the guy slept with her eleven times. Now, ‘spicy hotpot’ has become a code phrase for hooking up.”

Hearing this, Ling Tian’s expression turned icy. In his mind, he’d already decided Zhang Ting was meant for Zhang Ding. No one insults a brother’s girl.

“Hey, you want a beating? You hit my colleague and I haven’t even settled the score with you. Come on, let’s see how tough you really are!” The male salesperson stripped off his shirt, revealing a six-pack and bulging arm muscles.

He was the classic type who looked slim in clothes, but muscular when undressed.

The women around gasped as he struck a few showy poses. He then turned to Ling Tian and said, “Picking on a woman—what kind of man does that make you? Come on, I’ll play with you. Watch my military boxing!” With that, he began performing a military-style boxing routine, to the astonishment of onlookers.

He executed the moves by the book, and his performance didn’t look half bad.

After finishing the set, he charged at Ling Tian, again using the military boxing moves in sequence, apparently unaware of how to improvise.

Ling Tian shook his head, disappointed. He’d thought the guy might have some skill, but he was just a fool, sticking to a fixed pattern.

The male salesperson’s routine was full of energy, each punch looking powerful. To the bystanders, Ling Tian seemed to be on the defensive, dodging as the other man attacked.

Zhang Ting and Zhang Ding didn’t know how capable Ling Tian really was and could only judge by appearances. The male salesperson looked solid and strong, and he knew military boxing. Ling Tian, on the other hand, though cold and composed, appeared more slender, so both assumed he would be at a disadvantage.

“Wait here, I’m going to help the boss,” Zhang Ding said to Zhang Ting, then rushed forward to join Ling Tian.

At that moment, Ling Tian made his first move. With a single slap to the head, he sent the seemingly powerful salesperson sprawling to the ground. The man struggled several times to get up, but simply collapsed again. Ling Tian’s blow was so fierce it was like being hit by a sledgehammer. The fact that the guy survived meant Ling Tian had held back.

None of the staff watching called the police. Instead, they stood by, grinning and enjoying the spectacle. After all, these two fools had always thrown their weight around, making plenty of enemies among their coworkers.

Ling Tian dusted off his hands and said to Zhang Ding, “We’ve wasted enough time. Let’s go look at the cars.”

Zhang Ding nodded, but just then, he noticed a woman approaching. She looked familiar. As she drew closer and her face became clear, it was as if Zhang Ding had been struck by lightning. He trembled all over, his face turned pale, and his mouth hung open, but no words came out.

Noticing Zhang Ding’s strange reaction, Ling Tian sensed something was wrong. He followed Zhang Ding’s gaze and saw a flamboyantly dressed woman, trailed by a balding, overweight middle-aged man.

“Juanjuan, slow down! I can’t keep up!” panted the fat man behind.

The woman, Juanjuan, swayed her plump hips, speaking in a coquettish tone, “Hurry up, someone’s making trouble on our turf! If it affects sales, your commission for this month is gone, and you can forget about that diamond necklace you promised me.”

The fat man grinned wickedly, “As long as you please me in bed, you can have whatever you want.” He smacked her on the behind as he spoke. Juanjuan’s face wasn’t particularly pretty, but her appeal lay in her ample, bouncy hips—a trait sure to stir any man’s most primal desires.