"Stop the training, Ding Hao, come over here."
Xue Man shot a fierce glance at Lu Tianxing, patted her hands on the boxing ring, and pointing to the burly figure beside her, said, "This is Lu Tianxing, newly joined in the security department. Test him with your moves."
"Yes!"
Ding Hao walked over to Xue Man, looking disdainfully at Lu Tianxing, and sneered, "Kid, I don't care who's backing you, but let me make it clear to you, the security department doesn't need trash or useless people. If you know what's good for you, get out now, or else, I'll make you crawl out on your knees."
Ding Hao's tone was extremely unfriendly. Since Xue Man had walked over to Lu Tianxing, he had been paying attention to this area. When he heard Lu Tianxing taunting Xue Man, he was even more furious. In his heart, Xue Man was his woman, and now Lu Tianxing dared to flirt with the woman he desired. He was simply asking for trouble.
"Crawl out, it's not certain yet who will be crawling," said Lu Tianxing coolly. "Don't think you're the best just because you're a big guy. Anyone can talk big."
"I'll show you with facts who will crawl out from here."
Ding Hao scoffed, not taking Lu Tianxing seriously at all, and turned to Xue Man, "Xiao Man, how about I take you out for dinner after work today?"
"No need for dinner, I have other things to handle after work. Let's assess him first," Xue Man said calmly, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"No problem, Xiao Man, you just relax, I assure you he'll crawl out of here."
A hint of malice flashed in the depths of Ding Hao's eyes. He had been pursuing Xue Man for almost a year, but she had always been lukewarm towards him, which made him especially irritated. His gaze swept over Lu Tianxing imperceptibly, a ruthless look flashing by. He planned to take out the frustration he felt from Xue Man on Lu Tianxing.
In the ring, there is no mercy in fights. If Lu Tianxing got hurt later, no one would be in a position to criticize. At worst, he would pay some compensation. As a member of Bai's Group, money was the least of his concerns.
"Be mindful and stop at the right point," Xue Man said, frowning slightly.
"Xiao Man, you just relax."
Ding Hao laughed loudly, stepped onto the ring and looked down at Lu Tianxing, "Kid, I don't care who's backing you, I'm giving you another chance to get out of here. If you do, I'll be magnanimous and let bygones be bygones. Otherwise, I'll show you what real pain is."
"Who loses and who wins is still uncertain. Don't think you're invincible just because you learned a few flashy Japanese moves," Lu Tianxing remarked, feeling rather irritated.
"Flashy moves? I'll show you what karate is," Ding Hao said, a cold gleam in his eye. As soon as Lu Tianxing stepped onto the ring, Ding Hao charged, raising his left leg high for a side kick aimed at Lu Tianxing's chest.
The move was fast and ruthless. If Lu Tianxing couldn't handle it, at the very least, he would break a few bones and end up in the hospital for weeks.
Watching Ding Hao's action, Xue Man's delicate eyebrows twisted slightly, a displeased feeling rising in her heart. She had clearly said to stop at the right point, yet Ding Hao still struck so hard. He obviously intended to cripple Lu Tianxing.
Just as Xue Man was about to interrupt the match, the next scene left her stunned.
Lu Tianxing was not as incapable as she had imagined, nor was he here in the security department just to bide his time and eat.
When Ding Hao's beautiful side kick came, Lu Tianxing, whom Xue Man initially saw as a useless nepotism hire, showed no panic. He barely ducked, dodging the attack and instead, kicked Ding Hao in the knee.
Thud!
Ding Hao only felt a searing pain in his knee, as if it was about to shatter, and unsteadily, he fell heavily to his knees.
"Fuck, what did I just see? Vice Minister Ding actually lost. How is that possible?"
"It's all luck, this kid's damn luck is too good, actually hitting Vice Minister Ding Hao."
"Awesome, it's my first time seeing Vice Minister Ding Hao take a setback! Could this guy possibly be the legendary 'playing dumb to catch the wise'?"
The people around were somewhat stunned, letting out lively discussions, their eyes wide as they watched the scene unfold. They never expected that Ding Hao, whose strength was second only to Minister Xue at the security department, would be brought down by a single kick. This wasn't the way the scene was supposed to go, wasn't it supposed to be Lu Tianxing getting knocked down?"
"Vice Minister Ding, it seems your skills aren't up to par, you need to go back and train more. And, I'm not your dad, kneeling and kowtowing before me won't work, I don't have any red envelopes." Lu Tianxing said nonchalantly, a hint of mockery sweeping across his lips.
He was never someone who, after being struck on the left cheek, would offer up the right cheek. He took his revenge right there and then.
"Hmph, you're gloating too soon. It was just a slip-up on my part."
Ding Hao's face turned extremely ugly as he could never have imagined he would lose to a nobody, especially in front of Minister Xue. He was determined to make Lu Tianxing pay.
A sinister light flickered in Ding Hao's eyes as he suddenly charged toward Lu Tianxing like a madman, his left foot stomping loudly on the ground, his body launching into the air, and his right leg shooting straight up, then, violently chopping down toward Lu Tianxing's head.
This move carried a ferocious wind, fully intent on settling Lu Tianxing on the platform for good.
"Such ruthless tactics, do you think I'm a soft persimmon, easy to bully?"
Lu Tianxing's eyes turned ice-cold in an instant, fully enraged. He and Ding Hao were just sparring, and his previous strike was merely a little lesson for Ding Hao, otherwise, that kick wouldn't have merely brought Ding Hao to his knees, but would have smashed his legs into shards.
But his restraint did not make the opponent back off; instead, Ding Hao grew even more intense. If that kick had landed on his head, the best case would have been a concussion.
"Ding Hao, stop, do you know what you're doing? Stop right now!"
Seeing this, Minister Xue's pretty face drastically changed as she yelled sharply. At the same time, her body moved, rushing toward Lu Tianxing, wanting to block the attack for him.
"Bang!"
However, before Minister Xue could reach him, the scene before her stunned her into immobility.
All Lu Tianxing did was casually raise his left hand, grabbing Ding Hao's descending right leg as if swinging a wooden stick, swinging it around in the air, and then heavily smashing it down onto the platform.
Crack!
Several crisp cracking sounds later, Ding Hao's face twisted in agony, feeling almost all his ribs in his chest break, a gush of fresh blood spewing out, as he lay like a dead fish on the ground, motionless.
"No way! Did Vice Minister Ding lose?"
"Where did this guy come from? His strength is immense. If that had landed on someone, it would have smashed them to death right there."
The entire gym was silent as a pin drop, the security guards' faces showed a variety of indescribable expressions, marveling at the sight. Ding Hao's martial prowess was well-known, second only to Minister Xue's, yet he lost so thoroughly, tossed to the ground like a broken toy.
Smack!
Lu Tianxing clapped his hands as if he had done something trivial, casually lighting a cigarette, looking at Minister Xue who rushed to the platform, his gaze admiring her fiery figure, "Minister Xue, have I passed the assessment now?"
Minister Xue seemed not to hear Lu Tianxing's question, her face alternating between shades, never expecting Lu Tianxing to be so skilled, with Ding Hao not even being a match for him, laid out with a few punches and kicks.
She wanted to say he did not pass the assessment, but she just couldn't bring herself to say it, only managing to say with gritted teeth, "You passed, from today on, you are a member of the security department."