"And Young Master Wang can wipe out all your hard work with a single phone call. Why don't you hurry up and get over here to lick the dust off Young Master Wang's leather shoes? If you don't, you won't even have time to regret it later!"
Lin Hao could no longer hold back. In a flash, he darted forward, grabbed Wang Junlang by the collar, lifted him up, and with a heavy thump, tossed him out the door.
"Lin Hao, have you lost your mind? How dare you hit Young Master Wang!" Seeing Wang Junlang looking utterly wretched on the floor, Li Yan hurried over to help him up.
"You piece of trash! How the hell dare you throw me out? You're finished, I'm telling you!"
Wang Junlang was furious. In all his life, nobody had ever dared to strike him. In a rage, he wanted to hit back.
However, he had landed squarely on his tailbone, and the force of Lin Hao's blow had been immense. Grimacing in agonizing pain, he couldn't get up right away.
With Li Yan's support, Wang Junlang managed to pull himself up, then bared his teeth and shouted, "Security! Security! Your waiter just hit a customer! Are you going to do something about this or not?"
Li Yan joined in shouting as well, "Security! Security!"
As the auxiliary restaurant of a five-star hotel, the VIP private dining rooms like the Heaven-1 Room were thoughtfully left without security cameras. However, to ensure top-notch service, management always assigned dedicated personnel to patrol the area.
Wang Junlang and Li Yan's shouts naturally drew the attention of the patrol staff. But the person who came rushing over at the sound wasn't a security guard; it was the restaurant manager, Zhang Bin.
Noticing yesterday that the Heaven-1 Room had been reserved, Zhang Bin had personally come out to patrol today just to make a good impression on the "VIP."
After all, the Heaven-1 Room wasn't something just anyone could book; the customer's status was bound to be either immensely wealthy or noble.
Hearing the cries, Zhang Bin quickly spoke into his walkie-talkie to direct the security guards, then hurried toward the Heaven-1 Room.
Catching sight of Wang Junlang, Zhang Bin plastered a beaming smile across his face and stepped forward. "Young Master Wang! What brings you here without giving a heads-up so I could personally host you?"
Wang Junlang was a playboy who had recently burst onto the scene, rumored to be a top-tier wealthy second-generation heir. He had frequently come to Qiao Jiangbei to spend money lately, and Zhang Bin was already quite familiar with him.
Seeing Wang Junlang appear at the Heaven-1 Room with a new beauty, Zhang Bin assumed the private room had been booked by Wang Junlang, and naturally hurried over to kiss up.
Spotting an acquaintance, Wang Junlang immediately pointed at Lin Hao and yelled, "Manager Zhang! I came here with good intentions to spend my money, and your waiter actually had the nerve to hit me! How on earth are you doing your job as manager?"
Hearing Wang Junlang's words, Zhang Bin turned green with anger. He pointed a finger at Lin Hao and cursed, "You even dare to hit Young Master Wang? If you've got a death wish, don't drag me down with you! Young Master Wang is a VIP heavyweight client here. Just wait to be hauled off to the police station!"
With that, Zhang Bin grabbed his walkie-talkie and barked, "Security! Why hasn't security arrived yet? Don't you know someone is committing assault and causing trouble here? Get over here right now and drag this guy off to the police precinct!"
"Young Master Wang, are you satisfied with this handling of the matter?" Zhang Bin asked, looking at Wang Junlang with a flattering smile.
Wang Junlang gave Zhang Bin a smug pat on the shoulder and turned an arrogant gaze toward Lin Hao. "Kid, I already gave you a chance just now, but you couldn't seize it. Hahaha!"
When Zhang Bin showed up, Lin Hao decided to stand back and see how this manager would handle the situation.
After all, once Dong Tiande arrived, this five-star hotel would belong to him. Naturally, Lin Hao wanted to put his own subordinate to the test.
Yet Zhang Bin's actions left him profoundly disappointed.
Lin Hao said coldly, "I truly have no idea how you managed to land the position of restaurant manager. You don't even know whether I'm an employee here. Isn't it laughable enough to make people split their sides?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Bin hurriedly pulled out his phone and made a call to the HR department to pull up the staff file for the restaurant waiters.
Matching the face to the photo on his screen, Lin Hao genuinely was not an employee here.
Zhang Bin's face turned green once more, largely because Lin Hao's outfit looked so much like the waiters' uniforms.
At that moment, Li Yan chimed in, "You actually let someone who is neither an employee nor a guest wander inside! The management at this hotel is abysmal!"
Wang Junlang joined in, "Not a waiter? Then how did he even get in? This is a VIP-only area. Letting some stinky loser in here—doesn't that drag down the entire class of the hotel?
Manager Zhang, I seriously question your security management here. Hurry up and have your guards toss this stinky loser out, or nobody will dare to come here and spend their money again!"
"Young Master Wang, give me one minute, and I'll have someone throw this punk out right now."
As he spoke, Zhang Bin eyed Lin Hao up and down. Seeing the fellow in a cheap suit identical to the waitstaff's, how could someone like that possibly afford a place like this, let alone book the Heaven-1 Room?
Zhang Bin pointed at Lin Hao and demanded angrily, "Kid, how did you sneak in here, and what is your purpose?"
Lin Hao let out a dry chuckle. "I'm obviously here to eat. Did you think I came to look at you?"
"Lin Hao, you're still putting on an act at a time like this?" Li Yan immediately cut in. "Manager Zhang, I know him. He's just a tiny intern doctor, a loser and a maggot-like creature. How could he possibly have the money to eat here?"
Lin Hao was utterly speechless at this woman. "Ignorant woman," he said. "Haven't you ever heard the saying that after three days apart, one should look at another with new eyes, and never bully a youth for being poor?"
Li Yan burst into loud laughter as if she had just heard the biggest joke in the world. "You? I know you inside out. If you could pull even a hundred bucks out of your pockets right now, I'll consider myself the loser. A pauper like you actually has the nerve to boast that you're here to dine in the Heaven-1 Room of Qiao Jiangbei Restaurant?
Are you trying to laugh me to death? I know you're hurting because I dumped you, but you don't need to resort to such childish tricks to get back at me, do you?"
Wang Junlang chimed in immediately, "Manager Zhang, in my opinion, he must have sneaked in like a thief. When a thief enters your house, giving him a beating is hardly going too far, is it?"
Between Lin Hao and Wang Junlang, Zhang Bin didn't hesitate for a single second to side with Wang Junlang.
With a cold face, Zhang Bin said to Lin Hao, "Kid, I don't want to disturb the other distinguished guests. While security still isn't here yet, are you going to get lost yourself, or should we wait until you get hauled off to the station? Time is limited, make your choice."
Lin Hao replied, "Manager Zhang, is it? I'll give you a single chance as well. Let me state this solemnly: I am indeed here to dine. You are welcome to check the reservation records."
"No need, I trust Young Master Wang. Since you refuse to get lost, then come with us. Don't go blaming me later for not giving you a chance!"
Zhang Bin's temper flared as well. As a professional manager, he prided himself on his judgment.
How could someone like Lin Hao possibly have the money to spend here? One had to know that the restaurant he managed operated on a membership system, and even the lowest tier of membership required an initial top-up of twenty thousand yuan.
Lin Hao's anger flared as well. "With the way you treat customers, you actually managed to become a restaurant manager. It is an absolute absurdity."
Wang Junlang sneered, "If stinky trash like this could become a guest here, then I'd better warn all my friends. It drops the prestige of the place way too low!"
Zhang Bin was hopping mad. If his mishandling of this incident caused the restaurant's reputation to plummet, his career here would be finished.
"Young Master Wang, don't worry, security will be here in a second. I'll make sure this punk gets what's coming to him."
Just then, the security guards who had been summoned for so long finally arrived, and Zhang Bin looked as though he had just found his savior.
He yelled at the guards, "Beat this troublemaking punk and throw him out of here!"
At his command, five or six bulky, broad-shouldered security guards rushed aggressively toward Lin Hao.
Yet right as the guards were about to reach Lin Hao, a roar echoed from behind:
"Stop right there!"
"President Dong, what brings you here?" Seeing that the newcomer was Dong Tiande, Zhang Bin cried out excitedly, "President Dong, someone is here causing trouble. If you could wait just a moment, I'll take care of it right away."
As the head of the Jiangbei Dong Family, Dong Tiande was someone a small fry like Zhang Bin could never normally hope to approach. Seeing Dong Tiande actually appear at the restaurant he managed, Zhang Bin assumed Dong Tiande was inspecting his work and naturally wanted to put on a stellar performance.
Before he could finish his excitement, however, Dong Tiande delivered a sharp slap across his face.
"You worthless bastard! Who the hell are you planning to handle? Who gave you the guts to touch Mr. Lin?"
Dong Tiande was furious to the core. He was even willing to hand over a newly opened five-star hotel—and what was all that for? It was entirely to butter up Lin Hao!
Because he had arrived just a little late, this hard-won opportunity had almost been ruined by this absolute fool. How could he not be furious?
Zhang Bin was instantly dumbfounded, though he didn't dare voice his anger.
Yesterday, he had learned through an "acquaintance" that the second young master of the Dong Family had colluded with a doctor from Jiangbei Hospital in an attempt to harm Dong Tiande's son. Following the incident, the second young master had his limbs crippled by Dong Tiande and was doomed to spend the rest of his life bedridden.
As for the doctor who had framed Dong Tiande's son, word was he had already been fed to the dogs.
Thinking of Dong Tiande's ruthlessness, Zhang Bin didn't even dare to draw a full breath, standing obediently to one side.
Dong Tiande shot Zhang Bin a vicious glare, then approached Lin Hao with a deeply apologetic expression. "Divine Doctor Lin, this dog didn't have eyes and offended you. Please don't take it to heart."
Turning back to the security guards standing frozen in place, Dong Tiande barked, "What are you dazing off for? Beat him to within an inch of his life!"
Zhang Bin was scared out of his wits, wetting himself as he dropped to his knees before Dong Tiande. "President Dong, spare my life! I didn't know this gentleman was your honored guest. Please forgive me this once!"
"Speak, what on earth is going on here?" Dong Tiande demanded angrily.
Zhang Bin hurriedly recounted the whole sequence of events from start to finish, though in doing so, he shifted all the blame entirely onto Wang Junlang.
At this, Wang Junlang piped up, "President Dong, this guy is nothing more than a con artist. Don't be fooled by him."
Li Yan chimed in too, "That's right, he's just a poor loser. How could he possibly afford to spend money here? President Dong, you must be mistaken."
"Oh, is that so?" Dong Tiande said with a sarcastic chuckle. "Doctor Lin is someone I've had to pull out all the stops just to befriend, and you're telling me I'm mistaken?"
Back when Lin Hao saved the life of Dong Tiande's son, Dong Tiande offering to gift Lin Hao a five-star hotel had merely been a casual remark.
From Dong Tiande's perspective, tossing a few million yuan at Lin Hao in the end would have been about right.
Yet just yesterday, news had spread like wildfire through their circles that the elderly Tang Family head—whom countless celebrated doctors had been utterly helpless against—had actually been brought back to life by a mysterious young man.
The moment Dong Tiande heard it, he knew instantly that this was Lin Hao's doing.
This forced Dong Tiande to completely reevaluate Lin Hao. By saving Elder Tang's life, Lin Hao had undoubtedly secured the friendship of the Tang Family.
At this point, Lin Hao was no longer someone Dong Tiande could look down upon. As Lin Hao continued to grow, he might well become a figure Dong Tiande could only gaze up at in awe.
Right now, to forge a connection with Lin Hao using nothing more than a small five-star hotel was a profit by any measure.
Therefore, the moment Dong Tiande finished handling the ownership transfer paperwork for Qiao Jiangbei Restaurant personally, he had rushed over like a puppy to have Lin Hao sign the documents.
"Mr. Lin, I've brought the hotel transfer documents. As long as you sign these papers, Qiao Jiangbei Hotel belongs to you from this moment on. As for how to deal with these people, you have the final say!"
With a teasing glance at the group, Dong Tiande pulled a folder from his briefcase and handed it to Lin Hao.
The moment Dong Tiande's voice fell, the group of them froze in shock.
"My god, this... this entire five-star hotel belongs to Lin Hao?"
Li Yan's jaw dropped in absolute shock. She knew that investing in and developing a five-star hotel in a place like Jiangbei, where every inch of land was worth a fortune, would cost at least four or five hundred million.
Good heavens! How could this be?
She simply couldn't believe what was happening right in front of her. Just moments ago, she had been calling Lin Hao a poor loser left and right.
Yet in the blink of an eye, the man had transformed into a billionaire!
Had she not heard the rumors about Dong Tiande beforehand, she would have thought Lin Hao was putting on a play just for her.
"It's over, completely over!" Zhang Bin was utterly petrified.
He never dreamed that the guy who looked just like a hotel waiter moments ago had suddenly become his boss.
He had just tried to have security beat the guy up—what was that if not digging his own grave?
As for Wang Junlang, he stared at Lin Hao with a look of pure envy. He was no wealthy second-generation heir at all; the only reason he could splash cash around while picking up girls was because he was latching onto a wealthy sugar mommy.
Earlier, he had mocked Lin Hao in every possible way, never imagining that the man would turn around and become a billionaire—someone far out of his league. The thought left a bitter, heavy weight in his chest.
Noticing that everyone's attention was fixed on Lin Hao and nobody was paying attention to him, Wang Junlang realized he couldn't stay a second longer and quietly began slipping toward the exit.
Watching Lin Hao rapidly sign his name across the documents, Dong Tiande said excitedly, "Doctor Lin, I have some matters to attend to at home, so I'll take my leave first. I'll have people notify everyone about the hotel transfer shortly. As for this bastard, I'll leave him entirely in Doctor Lin's hands to deal with!"
With those words, Dong Tiande left the restaurant.
Seeing Dong Tiande depart, Zhang Bin knew his fate was now entirely in Lin Hao's hands. Whether he could continue working here as manager depended entirely on Lin Hao's mood.
He hurriedly scrambled over to Lin Hao, slapped himself twice across the face, and looked up with a pitiful expression. "Boss, I was wrong. I'll never judge a book by its cover again. I hope you can be the bigger man and spare me this once..."
With an expression of utter disgust at Zhang Bin's performance, Lin Hao said coldly, "I am not your boss. Let me officially inform you: you are fired. Get out of my sight right now!"
Zhang Bin had endured countless hardships to climb from a mere waiter to the manager of a five-star subsidiary restaurant. If he were fired just like that, all his hard work over the years would go down the drain.
Still trying to salvage the situation, Zhang Bin gritted his teeth, dropped to his knees before Lin Hao, and pleaded, "Boss, I have elderly parents and young children to support. Please give me one more chance..."
Before he could finish, Lin Hao cut him off. "If you don't get lost right now, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Zhang Bin's face turned sheet white. Though filled with bitter reluctance, he had no other choice and could only slink away in defeat.
Seeing that everyone else had left, Lin Hao was somewhat surprised to find that Li Yan had stayed behind.
At that moment, Li Yan suddenly lunged forward into Lin Hao's arms, putting on a pitiful act. "Lin Hao, I'm sorry, I am so sorry. I know I was wrong. You know I love you. The days when you weren't by my side were so painful and hopeless. Can we please get back together?"
When Wang Junlang fled without even saying goodbye, Li Yan realized the man had simply been playing with her.
Besides, she hadn't actually gotten much out of Wang Junlang. How could that compare to sticking close to Lin Hao, this newly minted billionaire?
If Lin Hao agreed to take her back, she would instantly become a billionaire's girlfriend.
"Get lost!"
Without a second of hesitation, Lin Hao delivered a simple, two-word rejection.
Did she really think he was still the same old him?
Someone she could summon on a whim and dismiss at pleasure?
Wake up!
Daydreaming too much will make you sick!
Now that Lin Hao had inherited the legacy of Xianyimen, both his vision and his aesthetic standards had undergone a rapid transformation.
Moreover, as the old saying goes: untrustworthy once, untrusted a hundred times!
And another old saying: a dog cannot change its habit of eating feces!
How could someone like Li Yan, who wouldn't hesitate to sell herself out for money, ever hold genuine feelings of affection for Lin Hao?
What she loved was money. If Lin Hao ever ran out of cash in the future, she would kick him to the curb without batting an eye.
Even if Lin Hao were a thousand times more foolish, he would never accept a double-faced woman like this.
Though Lin Hao had just told her to get out, Li Yan shamelessly clung to his chest. Out of pure disgust, Lin Hao reached out to push her away.
Yet Li Yan clung to him with the stubbornness of a turtle locked onto its bite, determined to latch on.
No matter how hard Lin Hao pushed, she wrapped her arms around him and refused to let go.
With no other choice, Lin Hao applied more force.
The moment she was shoved back, Li Yan suddenly opened her mouth and lunged straight toward Lin Hao's face.
Kissing him while she spoke, she babbled, "Lin Hao, I really was wrong. Please forgive me just this once, I'll treat you right from now on, you know I love you!"
During the four years they had been together previously, whenever she pulled this trump card, no matter how grave her mistake, Lin Hao would immediately forgive her with a smile.
Suddenly, she recalled the early days of their relationship, back when Lin Hao cherished her so dearly.
Whenever she forgot to eat because she was tired from hanging out with her close girlfriends, a single phone call from her would send Lin Hao scurrying over to deliver dinner, even though he was so poor at the time that he could barely afford to feed himself.
Sometimes when she was in a bad mood, she would pretend she was drunk at a bar and send Lin Hao a text message. Lin Hao would rush down the entire bar street to find her, and even when she casually texted him later to say she had already taken a cab back to the dorm, Lin Hao never uttered a single word of complaint, gently reminding her to drink less next time.
Yet she had overlooked the fact that back then, they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Though Lin Hao's actions bordered on being a desperate pleaser, it was what he was supposed to do.
Yet now, she was the one who had first betrayed their beautiful relationship.
Just when Li Yan expected Lin Hao to pull her tightly into his arms and call her his baby just like he used to,
She suddenly felt herself being shoved away violently by Lin Hao, stumbling backward and nearly falling flat on her face.
Then came Lin Hao's ice-cold voice:
"Li Yan, I'm warning you, there is nothing left between us. Have some self-respect and get the hell out of here right now!"