Chapter 44: The Fraud

The room was large, filled with various fitness equipment, including punching bags, dumbbells, and barbells. There was even a shooting range for target practice.

Lin Chen was surprised. The company even had firearms training, which showed just how powerful Tianqiong Entertainment truly was.

In the center of the room was a boxing ring, where two muscular men were currently fighting, with dozens of other muscular men surrounding them, cheering them on.

These men all had short, spiky hair and exuded a fierce aura, making them intimidating to look at.

The two men in the ring were fighting fiercely, their muscles bulging like steel, exchanging punches and kicks with each blow landing on flesh, creating a fierce wind. The fight was brutal and loud, far more impressive than any performance martial arts competition.

Lin Chen nodded slightly. These men were indeed very strong and clearly had a lot of practical combat experience. Their techniques were straightforward and effective, with no unnecessary flair.

However, what they considered strong was only relative to ordinary people. To Lin Chen, they were pitifully weak, nothing more than human punching bags full of vulnerabilities.

When the group of muscular men saw An Xueyao enter, the two men in the ring immediately stopped fighting, jumped over the railing, and leaped down from the three-meter-high ring.

"Miss!"

The group of men shouted in unison.

An Xueyao nodded, then turned to Lin Chen, a hint of pride in her voice. "These are my bodyguards. What do you think? Are they impressive?"

Lin Chen nodded. "They are indeed quite good."

"Miss, this short and skinny guy is the super expert you hired?"

One of the bodyguards, nearly two meters tall, said with a mocking tone.

Lin Chen wasn't actually short; he was 1.78 meters tall and had muscles, just not in an exaggerated way. Compared to the muscular man, he looked rather slim.

The man had a bear-like waist and a tiger-like back, looking like a human beast, which was quite intimidating.

Lin Chen was puzzled. Why did these bodyguards seem so hostile towards him?

What he didn't know was that the bodyguards had been informed the day before that someone would be coming for an interview. This wasn't unusual, but Zhao Hong, doubting Lin Chen's abilities, had deliberately emphasized to the bodyguards that Lin Chen's salary was ten million yuan for six months, or twenty million yuan per year!

This news made the bodyguards furious, feeling overshadowed.

They were all veterans from various special forces units, highly skilled. Even the strongest bodyguard, Captain Xu Gang, only earned two million yuan per year, while the others earned one million. The huge salary gap made them extremely hostile towards Lin Chen.

Seeing Lin Chen's slim and unimpressive appearance, they felt even more不服 (unconvinced) and decided to give him a hard time.

"We only earn one or two million a year, and you want twenty million? Dream on!"

The man who spoke was Chen Li, the most hot-tempered among the group. Without waiting for An Xueyao to speak, he directly questioned her.

An Xueyao was slightly taken aback. She hadn't said Lin Chen was a super expert; she had only mentioned that someone would be coming for an interview.

She didn't know that Zhao Hong had told the bodyguards about Lin Chen's salary, leading them to assume he must be a super expert.

Of course, Chen Li didn't believe Lin Chen was a super expert; he was just mocking him.

Despite her confusion, An Xueyao said, "His name is Lin Chen. He's here to apply for the bodyguard position. Test his abilities."

Seeing the fierce look in Chen Li's eyes, Lin Chen, though puzzled about when he had offended this big guy, didn't bother to ask.

"How exactly will you test him?" Lin Chen asked An Xueyao.

An Xueyao turned to the bodyguard captain, Xu Gang. "Xu Gang, I don't understand the testing process. You arrange it, and I'll watch from the side."

Before Xu Gang could speak, Chen Li, rubbing his hands together, sneered, "Brother Xu, no need to make it complicated. I'll handle this guy. With his weak and scrawny build, I can take him down with one slap."

From the moment he saw Lin Chen, Xu Gang had been sizing him up. He was also unconvinced by Lin Chen's salary and couldn't see what made him worth so much.

Could he be a fraud? Xu Gang wondered.

To be cautious, Xu Gang asked Lin Chen, "Brother, I'm Xu Gang, the bodyguard captain and a veteran of the Blood Wolf Special Forces. Are you a veteran too? You look young, so you probably aren't. Could you be from a martial arts family?"

Everyone's eyes narrowed at Xu Gang's question. If Lin Chen was from a martial arts family, they couldn't underestimate him.

Lin Chen shook his head. "I'm not a veteran, nor am I from a martial arts family. I'm a doctor and know a bit of martial arts."

"A doctor?"

Everyone was taken aback, and someone couldn't help but laugh.

Is this guy here to joke around? A doctor applying for a bodyguard position?

Xu Gang clearly didn't expect this answer. He looked at An Xueyao, puzzled.

An Xueyao's face turned awkward. She didn't really know if Lin Chen was truly skilled or not.

She quickly explained, "Lin Chen is very strong. One day at the hospital, he bent a metal chair leg with his bare hands!"

As she spoke, she mimicked Lin Chen's action of bending the chair leg, looking cute.

"Ha ha ha!"

The bodyguards burst into laughter.

Xu Gang, trying to suppress his laughter, said, "Miss, you might have been fooled. Chair legs, even if made of metal, are usually hollow. Even if they're solid, bending them isn't that hard. That alone isn't enough to qualify as a bodyguard!"

Happily, the chair next to Chen Li had a metal leg. He picked it up, sneered at Lin Chen, and with a burst of muscle, twisted the leg into a pretzel.

"Ah... this..."

An Xueyao was taken aback. She didn't know what it took to be a true expert. Seeing Chen Li's display, she began to doubt.

Could Lin Chen really be a fraud, and did she make a big mistake?

If she let Lin Chen compete with these bodyguards, wouldn't he be brutally beaten?

An Xueyao looked at Lin Chen, feeling dejected. "Lin Chen, I'm sorry. It seems I made a mistake. Maybe we shouldn't test you?"

Lin Chen remained calm throughout. "Why say that? Let's test it out first. Whether I can be your bodyguard will be decided by the test."

"What, kid, you're still not giving up? I advise you to leave now before you embarrass yourself. You might have fooled the miss, but you can't fool us!"

The bodyguards were convinced Lin Chen was a fraud, and Chen Li spoke without any courtesy.

Lin Chen's brow furrowed, and his expression turned displeased.

If it weren't for the fact that he was here for an interview and didn't want to cause trouble, Lin Chen wouldn't let Chen Li off easily for telling him to leave.

He glanced at the insolent Chen Li, then turned to Xu Gang, impatiently saying, "How exactly will you test me? Stop dragging your feet and stop talking nonsense. I'm here to apply for a bodyguard position. Whether I'm a veteran or from a martial arts family doesn't matter. If I can beat you all, isn't that enough?"