C14 He Was Arrogant

Last time Cheng Yuan got a beating from Manager Wang, Chung Yuanyuan saw everything that happened!

Now, she spotted Manager Wang again, talking to her dad by the door. Terrified, she bolted outside, tears streaming down her face, "Daddy! Why is he back? Tell him to leave! He's a bad man!"

Manager Wang shot Chung Yuanyuan a fierce look and barked, "Bad man? Who's the bad man? Cheng Yuan, you need to teach your daughter some manners. Can't she speak properly? If not, get her a tutor!"

Chung Yuan's temper flared at those words.

He could take insults directed at him, but not at his children. Never.

"If you're looking for something to do, go to the crematorium and practice getting burned! Stop causing trouble at my shop's doorstep! My daughter is better than you in every way! Get lost!"

"Cheng Yuan! What the hell did you just say?!"

"I said get lost! Was I not clear enough?"

Chung Yuan's defiance took Manager Wang completely by surprise. He was astounded!

Chung Yuan had always been a pushover!

But when you're up against the wall, you have no choice but to stand tall.

Without money, you're a target for bullies.

In the past, Cheng Yuan would greet Manager Wang with a smile from a distance, fawning over him.

Even if Manager Wang caused him trouble, Cheng Yuan would just grin and bear it.

Even after being roughed up by Manager Wang's goons last time, Cheng Yuan was all apologies, blaming himself for everything!

But now...

It was as if Chung Yuan had transformed into someone else, showing a newfound resilience.

"You... say that again!"

"Huh!"

Chung Yuan was about to unleash a verbal barrage when he felt a tight grip on his pants. Looking down, he saw Chung Yuanyuan clinging to him, shaking her head in terror.

"Daddy, please stop! He's going to hit you!"

Her eyes brimmed with tears, stirring compassion in anyone who saw her.

Cheng Yuan gently stroked Chung Yuanyuan's head and reassured her with a smile, "Yuanyuan, it's okay. Daddy's not going to get hurt! Go inside and do your homework. Your brother's upstairs; go play with him!"

"I don't want to!"

"Do as I say, please! Go on!"

"I won't do it..."

In the midst of Cheng Yuan comforting Chung Yuanyuan, Manager Wang lost his patience and barked, "Cheng Yuan! Stop wasting time. I'm in a hurry. Get in there and whip up ten orders of braised rice for me to take away—now! I'm paying you, aren't I? What on earth are you scared of?"

Cradling Chung Yuanyuan in his arms, Cheng Yuan shot Manager Wang a look of contempt. "This has nothing to do with money. I simply refuse to do business with you!"

"Cheng Yuan! Do you really think I won't have your restaurant demolished?" Manager Wang, unable to contain his fury, pointed at Cheng Yuan and bellowed, "What's with you? Born with a spineless streak, huh? Do I need to beat some sense into you before you'll feel better? I'm telling you, I'm usually very patient, but if you push me too far, you'll have only yourself to blame!"

"Get lost!"

With a cold retort, Cheng Yuan turned his back. Not wanting to engage in a fight in front of Chung Yuanyuan, he headed back into the restaurant. But Manager Wang, now thoroughly provoked, was seething with anger.

Glancing around, Manager Wang spotted a rock the size of a fist by the roadside. He snatched it up and, glaring at Cheng Yuan's retreating figure, growled, "I'll show you who's arrogant! Your door is going down first!"

With that, he hurled the rock at the restaurant's entrance.

Crash!

The glass door shattered as the rock burst through, landing at Cheng Yuan's feet just as he walked inside with Chung Yuanyuan in his arms. A hair's breadth closer and it would have struck Cheng Yuan himself.

Had it hit him, he might have been fine, but if it had struck Chung Yuanyuan, there would have been hell to pay.

"Damn melon-smashing, gibbering fool!" Cheng Yuan exploded with rage. Overcome with fury and no longer able to hold back, he set Chung Yuanyuan down and charged out to confront Manager Wang.

Though Cheng Yuan was no martial artist, in that moment, he moved with the swiftness of a swallow. Like a tempest, he burst from the restaurant and sent Manager Wang tumbling with a swift kick.

"You dare hit me, you son of a bitch?! Have you lost your mind?!"

"You wreck my restaurant, and I'm not supposed to fight back?"

Manager Wang, though lean, was incredibly nimble. His frail appearance was deceiving!

He was a force to be reckoned with, unfazed even by two hefty men in a brawl!

Once, in a drunken scuffle with three men and two women, he single-handedly landed all five in the hospital, which got him detained for days.

Ultimately, it was Chiang Liguo who bailed him out!

With a slap to the ground, Manager Wang sprang to his feet and launched a whip kick at Chung Yuan's head.

Without a second thought, Chung Yuan, fueled by sheer ferocity, miraculously dodged the kick!

Manager Wang paused, taken aback by the surprise, just as the fist of the man before him loomed larger and struck him down once more!

In that moment, Chung Yuan regained his composure.

"How... How did I get so strong?"

He stared at his fist, recalling how he had bolted from the restaurant.

The realization was staggering.

"Have I become powerful? My body... My reaction speed... It's so fast!"

He felt the power in his clenched fist, now evidently more than double its former strength.

What was happening?

"Ding!"

"Congratulations, host, for unlocking the 'Testing the Waters' achievement! Your first foray is a resounding success! Enjoy your one-year fitness package reward!"

"Strength +100!"

"Speed +100!"

"Toughness +100!"

Chung Yuan was startled and blurted out, "What in the world?"

A fitness manual materialized in the system backpack.

He skimmed through it briefly and quickly grasped a thorough understanding of his new capabilities.

The average person's three stats were a mere 10, but his were now a staggering 100!

He was ten times more formidable than the average person!

The so-called three stats weren't strength, speed, and intelligence, but rather strength, speed, and toughness.

Strength and speed go without saying, but toughness referred to the body's flexibility.

Some are stiff, unable to touch their toes, while others are supple, finding splits effortless.

The greater the toughness, the easier it is to perform complex maneuvers!

At this moment, Chung Yuan's condition was on par with the results of an ordinary person who had dedicated a year to rigorous exercise!

And by rigorous, I mean not just any daily routine workout!

Exercising strenuously for at least ten hours a day bordered on overtraining, yet it was executed using scientific methods, so there was no risk of overexertion!

In such a state, Chung Yuan might not be able to take down ten men, but defeating five or eight robust adults wouldn't pose a problem. And against ten opponents, he could certainly hold his own!

Clearly, Manager Wang was nowhere near this level of fitness!

In fact, even three Manager Wangs combined might struggle to overpower Chung Yuan!