The Way of Restraint

Chapter 195: Bodyguard of a Super-Rich Man?

The next morning, Zhang Manman drove Su Jie to an extremely luxurious building in the suburbs of the city.

The building occupied a vast area and was constructed with a futuristic feel. Its tempered curved glass structure gave a sense of spatial distortion.

“The designer of this building has an insane imagination,” Su Jie thought, looking at the building. Even with ancient feng shui knowledge, he couldn’t discern any auspiciousness or inauspiciousness, but he had a deep-seated feeling that the building’s futuristic design would attract countless eyes, thus creating a “gathering of fortune” effect.

If this were in China, it wouldn’t be a good thing.

Chinese culture emphasizes concealing one’s talents and gathering one’s spirit, believing this is the key to long-term stability and lasting good fortune.

Western culture, on the other hand, emphasizes flamboyant personality; the more radiant one’s presence, the easier it is to accumulate wealth and fortune.

This is a kind of “way” or “Dao” formed by thousands of years of cultural development.

Su Jie seemed to understand something. After entering the “Living Dead” realm, he maintained a state of perfect clarity at all times, able to perceive what others could not and observe what others could not.

Stepping onto the soil of Western civilization, he constantly experienced its customs and traditions. Compared to his homeland, the various details of cultural civilization were vastly different, allowing him to deeply feel the clash between the essential rules of the two cultures, comparing their strengths and weaknesses, and thus gaining a more profound understanding of the essence of civilization.

This was of great benefit to improving his cultivation, understanding principles, and gaining insight into the ways of the world.

“This is the masterpiece of the world-renowned architect Adrian. He and Master Luo are both chief elders of the Royal Institute of Architects.” Zhang Manman arrived at the building and walked with Su Jie to the entrance. There were no security guards.

A huge crystal screen in front of them instantly scanned their faces, and a mechanical voice announced: “You have an appointment, please enter.”

This was facial recognition technology.

Su Jie wasn’t surprised, as this had been available in China for a long time, but it was less common abroad. 

The door opened automatically, and the two entered. Only then did a receptionist appear—a tall, blonde, blue-eyed beauty with milky-wh!te skin. She looked at Su Jie and Zhang Manman: “Oh, dear Siren, is this the applicant you brought?”

“Hi! Cass, I brought my best bodyguard for an interview today. I hope he can become Mr. Larry’s personal bodyguard. I promise he won’t be disappointed.” Zhang Manman seemed quite familiar with the foreign woman, greeting her warmly.

“Siren, I hope you can find someone who passes the test this time too.” Cass’s tone was expectant. “You know, our boss was attacked last time and is terrified. He insists on finding someone extraordinary. We’ve interviewed many people, but none of them are suitable. If this continues, I might be fired.”

“Don’t worry, this time we’ll definitely succeed.” Zhang Manman pointed at Su Jie: “There’s nothing he can’t do in this world.”

“Really?” Cass exclaimed in surprise.

“That’s an exaggeration,” Su Jie said to Zhang Manman, embarrassed. 

“This is the West; humility won’t work here,” Zhang Manman said with a smile to Su Jie.

“That’s true, different civilizations have different temperaments,” Su Jie nodded.

“In that case, this warrior named Su Jie, please come with me for the initial test,” said Cass.

Click!

Just then, several more people entered through the door. It was Qin Hui, along with Jiang Nanzhou and Fang Hong.

The three of them saw Su Jie as soon as they entered and their eyes widened in surprise. 

Qin Hui recovered quickly, while Jiang Nanzhou and Fang Hong seemed somewhat awkward.

“These three must be Qin Hui, Jiang Nanzhou, and Fang Hong,” Cass greeted them. “Your emails and documents have been approved by the company, and you’re here for interviews today. We also have a Mr. Su Jie here for an interview. Please come with me.”

“Okay.” Qin Hui glanced at Su Jie, bowed with gentlemanly manners, and every movement reflected the refinement of Western aristocratic etiquette. 

“Ms. Zhang Manman, I’m also one of the invited guests at the Zhang family’s annual meeting. Did you receive the email and contact information I sent you last time?” Qin Hui asked Zhang Manman.

“Oh? Really? We don’t seem to know each other very well.” Zhang Manman feigned surprise. “That’s really rude of me. I probably deleted it as spam when I was cleaning up my spam.”

“That’s a real shame.” Qin Hui’s expression remained unchanged. “I hope you’ll see my next email.” As he spoke, he followed Cass into the building.

“Brother Hui, he’s also here for a job interview. Do you think you’re a good candidate?” Fang Hong whispered to Qin Hui.

The group of five was led up to an elevator and walked down a long corridor, seemingly leading to the basement.

In the corridor, Su Jie walked at the back, a considerable distance from the other three.

“No problem.” A murderous glint appeared in Qin Hui’s eyes, a thought flashing through his mind: “He actually got involved with Zhang Manman, ruining some of my plans. I can’t use certain methods in China, but abroad, he has no choice.”

He naturally wouldn’t tell Fang Hong and Jiang Nanzhou his thoughts, but instead said, “I’ve also signed you two up for the job. While you have little chance, you can gain a lot of experience, which will greatly help improve your skills.”

Soon, Cass led the four to the basement. This basement was like a maze, full of corridors and rooms; even a skilled strategist would have difficulty finding the exit.

Creak!

Cass pushed open a large door, leading to a large, empty hall.

She pressed a button, and immediately fourteen people dressed in various styles emerged from a small door beside the hall. Some were dressed as students, some in hip-hop attire with tattoos, some in camouflage like mercenaries, and some carrying briefcases, resembling elite wh!te-collar workers. There were both men and women among them. 

“This is the first round of the interview, fourteen people. One of them is carrying a deadly weapon. You must find out who it is and subdue the killer within one minute. You only have one chance to identify them. Otherwise, if you exceed the time limit, you’re eliminated. Mr. Qin Hui, you’re the first to sign up, so you’ll go first in order,” said Cass. “Now, the timer starts!”

Ding!

The electronic clock above chimed.

“So difficult?” Fang Hong and Jiang Nanzhou’s expressions changed drastically. They hadn’t expected the first round to be so challenging; it was practically like selecting bodyguards for the president.

Selecting the killer carrying a deadly weapon from a diverse group of people.

Among the fourteen people before them, everyone seemed like they weren’t the killer, yet everyone seemed to be, creating a dizzying array of possibilities.

Qin Hui’s eyes suddenly flashed, his entire demeanor completely transformed. He was like an eagle surveying its prey from above.

Time ticked by, and sweat beaded on Fang Hong and Jiang Nanzhou’s faces. Finding the killer within one minute was difficult enough, but subduing them was even harder. Thirty seconds passed.

Suddenly, Qin Hui leaped forward, lunging at one of the men in a suit who appeared to be an elite wh!te-collar worker.

The man in the suit’s expression changed. A small handgun appeared in his hand, and he fired a shot—a rubber bullet, of course. While not fatal, it would incapacitate a person; it was equipment used by some police officers.

This was an interview assessment, so live ammunition wouldn’t be used. However, rubber bullets were extremely dangerous. If someone was hit, they could spend a month or two in the hospital.

Therefore, the bodyguard interview itself was a dangerous process. Before coming, all the interviewees had signed contracts via email.

The rubber bullet missed.

Qin Hui swiftly seized the handgun from the man in the suit, then kicked him in the joint, pinning him to the ground, rendering him immobile.

40 seconds passed.

Less than a minute.

“Good, good, good!” Just then, three more people entered through the door: a wh!te man, a black man, and an Asian man.

All three clapped.

The Asian man clapped and said, “As expected, only experts would come to apply. Your judgment and skills are absolutely top-notch. Qin Hui, you’ve passed the first round of testing. Please wait in the lounge.”

“These three are the people in charge of Mr. Larry’s security, and also one of the interviewers.” Cass clapped her hands. The fourteen people from before left the hall entrance. About ten minutes later, another fourteen people emerged from a small door, not the same group as before, and their attire was completely different.

“Next, Jiang Nanzhou,” Cass said.

Jiang Nanzhou stepped forward, observing carefully. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Time ticked by, and almost a minute had passed when he suddenly leaped out, grabbing at one of the burly men wearing a baseball cap.

Instantly, the burly man and Jiang Nanzhou began to wrestle.

Beep beep beep…

A large red X appeared on the screen.

“Incorrect selection, eliminated.”

Cass shook her head.

“He’s completely untrained. It’s a waste of our time to hire someone like that.” The wh!te man’s face darkened with anger. “Take him out. Next.”

Fourteen more people came, and it was Fang Hong’s turn to search for the killer.

Fang Hong found the killer within thirty seconds, but when he tried to stop him, he was subdued by the killer’s tranquilizer dart and carried out.

“What a piece of trash.” The wh!te man’s anger flared even more as he looked at Su Jie. “Next is you. If you’re still this useless, I suggest we exclude Ch!nese people from the next recruitment interview.”

“Sir, watch your words.” Su Jie’s gaze turned cold.

“For that sentence, I’ll teach you a lesson.” The wh!te interviewer roared, but was pulled back by the Asian interviewer.

Cass didn’t stop him, but just watched until the wh!te interviewer calmed down, then pressed the button again.

Similarly, fourteen more people dressed differently emerged from the small door.

Four sets of tests were conducted, meaning a total of fifty-six people were involved. Larry was certainly well-funded.

“Next, Su Jie,” Cass ordered, beginning the test.

One!

Only one second had been displayed on the electronic clock when one of the fourteen people—a tall, muscular man in a vest, shorts, and with a hairy chest—collapsed. He was dressed casually, as if he’d been surfing on the beach, making it impossible to tell he was carrying a weapon.

But the instant he fell, a tranquilizer gun fell from his crotch.

“Done,” Su Jie turned to the wh!te interviewer and said, “Given your rudeness, I’ll teach you a lesson later.”