Chapter 94: You Brought This on Yourself

The Toyota guy looked at Zhou Ming with wide eyes, as if discovering a new world. He was incredulous, completely stunned by the realization.

Since he had been recognized, Zhou Ming decided not to continue playing along. He nodded at the Toyota guy and said, "Yes, I'm that Zhou Ming. This is my girlfriend."

The Toyota guy was struck dumb. Zhou Ming's words hit him like a bolt of lightning. His mind went blank, and he could only stare at Zhou Ming in disbelief.

Manager Wang of the hotel was also stunned. He looked from Zhou Ming to the Toyota guy, puzzled and confused. He couldn't understand why these two, who had clearly come together, seemed to be meeting for the first time. He wanted to ask but didn't know how.

Zhou Ming, seeing the confusion, explained, "Manager Wang, don't be surprised. I only met this Mr. Zhou half an hour ago. My girlfriend was waiting for me at the entrance of her workplace, and he said he clicked with her at first sight and wanted to invite her to dinner. Since he was so generous, I didn't want to refuse and came with him."

As a seasoned hotel manager, Manager Wang understood immediately. It was clear that the other Zhou, seeing Tang Ran's beauty and noticing that Zhou Ming was not dressed up today, felt he was a big boss and looked down on Zhou Ming. He intentionally inserted himself into the situation, trying to show off in front of the beauty and perhaps pursue further advances, not realizing he was running into a tough opponent.

Zhou Ming, of course, wasn't someone to be easily bullied, especially when it came to someone trying to take his woman. Zhou Ming brought him to his own place, deliberately ordering the most expensive dishes and drinks. With the bill running into the thousands, it was clear that Zhou Ming wanted to teach him a lesson!

Manager Wang felt a bit of pity for the Toyota guy. He thought to himself, "This guy doesn't seem to be of any importance. He has no insight at all."

It was obvious that someone who was bold enough to try to take another's girlfriend would either be at a loss for how to handle the situation or would go all out in confrontation. It was rare to see someone as calm and collected as Zhou Ming, who even invited the person to dine at the hotel. A little bit of thought would have made it clear that something was off. This person actually followed Zhou Ming to the hotel, which was like offering himself up for a beating!

The Toyota guy realized he had been foolish. His face turned extremely awkward, and he was at a loss about what to do.

At this moment, Zhou Ming cheerfully said, "Let's not stand around. Let's all sit down and have a chat. Manager Wang, should the dishes be on their way?"

Manager Wang nodded, "Yes, the dishes for the VIP room are prepared first and will be brought over soon."

"That's great. Let's all sit and wait. Manager Wang, if you have time, please join us," Zhou Ming suggested.

The Toyota guy, after a long pause, finally made up his mind and forced a smile, "Uh… Mr. Zhou, maybe I'll skip the meal. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave first."

"You're leaving just like that? Without eating a single bite?" Zhou Ming said, "Well, it doesn't matter. Manager Wang, you can go ahead and settle the bill for him."

The Toyota guy was stunned, pointing at himself and asking, "I'm paying the bill?"

"What else? You said you were treating us, and I didn't force you. Besides, you didn't object when I was ordering. Now that Manager Wang says the dishes are ready, you're not trying to run away without paying, are you?" Zhou Ming asked, then turned to Manager Wang and said, "Since he's leaving, please calculate how much this meal costs."

Manager Wang responded, "Including the food and drinks, after rounding off, it's 35,000 yuan."

"What about the glass of 'Heartache'? Is that included?" Zhou Ming asked.

"No, if included, it would be 55,000 yuan in total," Manager Wang answered.

The amount left the Toyota guy frozen. He could never have imagined that a meal would cost so much, especially the 'Heartache' drink, which cost 20,000 yuan!

The waiter brought in a glass of plain water. Zhou Ming gestured for the waiter to come over and took the glass from her. He said to the Toyota guy, "This is a glass of plain water, priced at 20,000 yuan. Do you feel heartache?"

The Toyota guy nodded, feeling the pain. Zhou Ming continued, "That's right. It's called 'Heartache' for a reason. Here you go. I ordered it specifically for you."

Zhou Ming handed the water to the Toyota guy, who took it in confusion and looked at Zhou Ming. Zhou Ming gestured for him to drink it, "Drink up! It's 20,000 yuan per glass. It would be a waste not to."

The Toyota guy's face showed a bitter smile. He said to Zhou Ming, "Mr. Zhou, please… please don't joke with me. You're of such high status…"

Before the Toyota guy could finish, Zhou Ming slammed the table, stood up, and pointed at him, "Who the hell is joking with you? If you say you're treating, then you are. If I say the 'Heartache' is 20,000 yuan, then it is. Whether Manager Wang offers a discount is his business, but what I say goes. I won't spend a penny on this meal!"

The Toyota guy trembled at Zhou Ming's outburst. He looked at Zhou Ming and pleaded, "Mr. Zhou, I was wrong. I really know my mistake. Please have mercy and don't hold this against me!"

Seeing that Zhou Ming was unmoved, the Toyota guy continued, "Mr. Zhou, my father Zhou and my grandfather Zhou, I really know my mistake. Please, don't hold it against me. I beg you!"

The Toyota guy then actually kneeled in front of Zhou Ming, tears streaming down his face, and said, "Mr. Zhou, I was wrong. I didn't recognize you. It's all my fault for not seeing the mountain for the heights, for not recognizing you. I'm truly sorry!"

He even slapped himself, the sound so loud it was painful to hear.

"Brother Ming, why is this person like this? If he made a mistake, he should just admit it and accept the consequences. Why demean himself like this? He has no pride at all," Tang Ran said disdainfully.

"Do you hear that? My girlfriend is more understanding than you. As a man, you should at least have some responsibility. Whatever you did or said, you need to face the consequences. You're no longer a school kid. Do you think you can just throw a tantrum and pretend nothing happened? You're living in a dream," Zhou Ming said.

Both Zhou Ming's and Tang Ran's words struck at the heart of the Toyota guy. He suddenly shouted at Zhou Ming, "I demean myself? I'm living in a dream? You speak so lightly. It's not you who's having a rough day. You're a big capitalist with hundreds of millions in hand, but I'm just a small boss. I have an elderly mother and a three-year-old child to support. How could I not do this?"

"Now you remember you're just a small boss? Now you remember you have an elderly mother and a child to support? Why did you act like that back then?" Zhou Ming banged the table and continued, "Let's consider this differently. If you had encountered someone else today, would you have tried to humiliate me and then pursued her, using her and abandoning her once you got her pregnant?"

The Toyota guy was speechless. Because that was indeed his intention.

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

The Toyota guy lowered his head, not daring to meet Zhou Ming's gaze. He knew that if it were him, he wouldn't let Zhou Ming go, and he would even be more ruthless.

"So, don't always think about how miserable you are. Don't you realize that this is all your fault? This is a lesson to teach you that no matter how rich or poor you are, you should be modest. Don't think that just because you have a bit of money, you're superior and can flaunt yourself everywhere, trying to snatch others' girlfriends!"

Zhou Ming stood up, "Alright, I've said my piece. Consider this meal a lesson you bought with money. Ran Ran, let's go."

Zhou Ming took Tang Ran's hand, ready to leave the private room. The Toyota guy looked at Zhou Ming and begged, "Mr. Zhou, please, I beg you!"

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

As they exited the room, Zhou Ming exhaled deeply. He turned and saw Tang Ran looking at him with her beautiful, big eyes. Zhou Ming smiled and asked, "Do you think I went too far?"

Tang Ran shook her head, "No, I think you did the right thing. He dared to act but wasn't willing to face the consequences."

Zhou Ming rubbed Tang Ran's head, "Only you would think that way. Others might feel I was too harsh, that a simple lesson would have sufficed. But someone like him, if 50,000 yuan could bankrupt him,

 it's his own fault."

Zhou Ming's words were not exaggerated. In this era, with monthly salaries only a few hundred, 50,000 yuan was indeed a large amount. Back then, Pan Wei and Wei Hua, who had factories in Nanjiang and were considered wealthy, could be seriously affected by a loan of 100,000 yuan. The Toyota guy was no different.

"Let him face bankruptcy. He brought it on himself!" Tang Ran said firmly, "He has a family and a wife but still acts like this. It's despicable! Like you said, if it were someone else, he might have humiliated her. If he ends up bankrupting himself, it's his own fault. If something happened to his factory later, and he ran away, wouldn't the workers be even more pitiful? That's why people like him need to be taught a lesson!"

Zhou Ming was taken aback. He didn't expect Tang Ran, who usually seemed simple and cute, to have such profound insights.

Seeing Zhou Ming's expression, Tang Ran felt a bit embarrassed, "Did I say something wrong?"

Zhou Ming shook his head, "No, you're right, and even more insightful than I realized."

"So what were you thinking at that moment, Brother Ming?" Tang Ran asked.

"I?" Zhou Ming's tone became melancholic, "I just remembered something from the past. From now on, I must protect the ones I love and never let anyone take them away!"

Tang Ran was moved by Zhou Ming's tone. She held his hand tightly and said, "I won't leave you, Brother Ming. I won't!"