Chapter 94

Toyota Man pointed at Zhou Ming as if he had discovered a new continent, his eyes wide open with disbelief.

Since he had been recognized, Zhou Ming didn’t bother to continue the act. He nodded at Toyota Man and said, "I am indeed Zhou Ming, and this is my girlfriend."

Zhou Ming’s words hit Toyota Man like a bolt of lightning, his brain completely short-circuited, and he could only stare blankly at Zhou Ming.

This scene left Manager Wang of the hotel speechless. He looked back and forth between Zhou Ming and Toyota Man, a look of confusion on his face. He couldn’t understand why these two, who had clearly come to eat together, now seemed to be meeting for the first time. He opened his mouth to ask but didn’t know how to phrase the question.

Zhou Ming kindly explained, "Manager Wang, don’t be surprised. I indeed just met this Mr. Zhou. To be precise, we met half an hour ago. My girlfriend was waiting for me at the entrance of my workplace. He said he hit it off with my girlfriend and wanted to treat her to a meal. I thought he was being generous and didn’t want to refuse, so we came along."

As the manager of Dongmen Hotel, Manager Wang had seen many things. Hearing Zhou Ming’s explanation, he immediately understood what had happened.

Clearly, this Mr. Zhou had seen Tang Ran’s beauty and noticed that Zhou Ming wasn’t dressed particularly well. Thinking he was a big boss with some money, he looked down on Zhou Ming and deliberately tried to cut in, wanting to show off in front of the beautiful woman and see if there was a chance for further development. He didn’t realize he had met his match.

On the other side, Zhou Ming was certainly not someone to be bullied, especially when someone tried to take his girlfriend right in front of him. This was something no man could tolerate. So Zhou Ming brought him here and deliberately ordered the most expensive dishes, including Lafite and brandy. This meal would easily cost tens of thousands of yuan, a deliberate lesson.

Thinking about this, Manager Wang looked at Toyota Man with a hint of pity, thinking that this guy clearly wasn’t much of a character and had no sense of judgment.

Anyone who had their girlfriend taken right in front of them would either be stunned and not know what to do or fight back. Zhou Ming, however, remained calm and even went to the hotel for a meal. A little thought would reveal something was wrong, but this guy actually followed Zhou Ming obediently. Wasn’t he just asking for trouble?

Toyota Man also realized he had been foolish. His face turned very awkward, and he didn’t know what to do.

Zhou Ming then called out, "Don’t just stand there. Let’s all sit down and chat. Manager Wang, is our food being prepared?"

Manager Wang nodded and said, "It’s already being prepared. The dishes for the VIP room are always given priority and will be served soon."

"Alright, let’s all sit down and wait. Manager Wang, if you’re free, join us for a meal," Zhou Ming said.

After a long pause, Toyota Man finally decided to smile and say, "Mr. Zhou, maybe I won’t eat. I have some things to do, so I’ll leave first."

"You’re leaving already? Without even a bite to eat?" Zhou Ming said. "That’s fine. Manager Wang, please take him to pay the bill."

Toyota Man was stunned, pointing at himself and saying, "I pay?"

"Who else? You said you would treat us. I didn’t force you, and you didn’t object when I ordered the dishes. Now that Manager Wang says the food is being prepared, you’re not going to skip out on the bill, are you?"

Zhou Ming looked up at Manager Wang and said, "Since he’s leaving, please tell him how much the meal costs."

Manager Wang nodded and said, "Including the drinks, the total is 35,000 yuan, without the tip."

"Does the heartache feeling cost extra?" Zhou Ming asked.

"No, if it’s included, it’s 55,000 yuan," Manager Wang replied.

This number made Toyota Man freeze. He had never imagined a meal could cost so much, especially the heartache feeling, which cost 20,000 yuan.

A waiter brought in a cup of plain water. Zhou Ming called the waiter over, took the cup, and said to Toyota Man, "This is a cup of plain water, 20,000 yuan. Do you feel heartache?"

Toyota Man nodded, saying he did feel heartache. Zhou Ming continued, "That’s right, that’s why it’s called the heartache feeling. Here, I specially ordered it for you."

Zhou Ming handed the water to Toyota Man, who took it in a daze. Zhou Ming gestured for him to drink, saying, "Drink it! 20,000 yuan a cup, it would be a waste not to."

Toyota Man’s face showed a bitter smile as he said to Zhou Ming, "Mr. Zhou, please don’t joke with me. You are a man of high status, I..."

Before Toyota Man could finish, Zhou Ming slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and pointed at him, saying, "Who the hell is joking with you? You said you would treat us, so you will. The heartache feeling costs 20,000 yuan. If Manager Wang gives you a discount, that’s the hotel’s business, but what I say is what it is. I won’t pay a single cent for this meal!"

Toyota Man trembled and said, "Mr. Zhou, I was wrong. I really know I was wrong. I apologize to you. Please be merciful. A great man doesn’t hold a grudge against a small person. Please don’t hold this against me!"

Seeing that Zhou Ming was unmoved, Toyota Man continued, "Mr. Zhou, my father, my grandfather, I really know I was wrong. I beg you, please don’t hold this against me. I’ll kneel to you, I beg you!"

With that, Toyota Man really knelt down, wiping his nose and tears as he said, "Mr. Zhou, I was wrong. I really didn’t know it was you. It’s all because I couldn’t recognize a great man when I saw one. I deserve to die!"

Toyota Man even slapped himself, the sound making everyone wince.

"Ming brother, why is this guy acting like this? If he did something wrong, he should just accept the consequences. Why degrade himself like this? He has no backbone at all," Tang Ran said, looking at Toyota Man with disdain.

"Did you hear that? My girlfriend is more sensible than you. As a man, you should at least have some responsibility. You should take the consequences of your actions. You’re not a child anymore. Do you think you can get away with causing trouble by rolling on the ground? You’re living in a dream," Zhou Ming said.

Tang Ran and Zhou Ming’s words pierced Toyota Man’s heart. He suddenly looked up and shouted at Zhou Ming, "I degrade myself? I live in a dream? You say it so easily, but you’re the one with millions. I’m just a small businessman. I have an eighty-year-old mother and a three-year-old child to take care of. How can I not do this!"

"You only remember you’re a small businessman now? You only remember your family now? Why did you act that way then?"

Zhou Ming tapped the table and said, "Let’s think about it this way. If you had met someone else, not me or her, but two other people, would you have planned to humiliate me and then take her, play with her, and then abandon her?"

Toyota Man was speechless because that was exactly what he had planned.

Zhou Ming continued, "Now, let me ask you, if we were in your position and I was a poor guy trying to take your wife, would you let me go?"

Toyota Man lowered his head, not daring to look at Zhou Ming. If he were in Zhou Ming’s position, he wouldn’t let him go and would do even worse.

"So, don’t always think about how miserable you are. Why don’t you think about how you brought this on yourself? This story is to teach you that whether you’re rich or poor, you should be humble. Don’t think that having a little money makes you superior and allows you to show off and take other people’s girlfriends!"

Zhou Ming stood up and said, "That’s enough. Consider this a lesson. Let’s go, Ran Ran."

Zhou Ming took Tang Ran’s hand to leave the room. Toyota Man looked at Zhou Ming, begging, "Mr. Zhou, please, I beg you."

But Zhou Ming ignored him and left the room with Tang Ran.

Outside the room, Zhou Ming took a deep breath and saw Tang Ran looking at him with her beautiful big eyes. Zhou Ming smiled and said, "Do you think I was too harsh?"

Tang Ran shook her head and said, "Not at all. I think you did the right thing. He’s a coward who doesn’t take responsibility for his actions."

Zhou Ming patted Tang Ran’s head and said, "Only you would think that. Many people might think I was too harsh. A lesson would have been enough. For a small businessman like him, 50,000 yuan could bankrupt him."

Zhou Ming wasn’t exaggerating. In an era where the average monthly salary was only a few hundred yuan, 50,000 yuan was a huge sum. Even wealthy people like Pan Wei and Wei Hua, who owned factories in Nanjiang, could be ruined by a 100,000 yuan loan. Toyota Man was no different.

"Bankruptcy is what he deserves!" Tang Ran said firmly. "He has a family and a wife but still does such things. He’s despicable! As you said, if it wasn’t you, someone else might have been humiliated."

Tang Ran paused and continued, "Moreover, even if 50,000 yuan bankrupts him, he could start over. Why degrade himself like this? If he’s a coward who doesn’t take responsibility, what would he do if his factory faced an emergency? Would he abandon the workers and run away? That would make the workers even more pitiful. So, what you did today is right. People like him should be taught a lesson!"

Zhou Ming was speechless. He hadn’t expected that this seemingly naive and innocent Tang Ran could come up with such profound thoughts.

Seeing Zhou Ming’s expression, Tang Ran felt a bit embarrassed and said, "Ming brother, did I say something wrong?"

Zhou Ming shook his head and said, "No, you’re right, and you’ve thought of things I hadn’t."

"Then what were you thinking at the time?" Tang Ran asked.

"I?" Zhou Ming said with a sigh, "I just thought about some things from the past. From today on, I will protect the people I love and won’t let anyone take them away again!"

Tang Ran was moved by Zhou Ming’s tone and tightly held his hand, saying, "No, Ran Ran will never leave you, never!"