My Gentle Bodyguard

Su Jingjing stood bathed in sunlight, her bright eyes and pearly teeth offset by fair skin and a petite frame—the spitting image of a sweet, obedient girl next door. No one would guess that beneath this delicate exterior lay a martial arts champion. Warm water poured down from the shower head, splattering against the crisp white square tiles lining the walls. Even back on home soil, Gu Rong still felt a lingering unease from his recent life on the run. Why had he been hunted by a heavily tattooed man just for striking up a casual chat with a pretty woman at a bar—her father, as it turned out? He’d hoped a hot shower would calm his frayed nerves, so he didn’t hear the bedroom door creak open at all. Su Jingjing called out several times, getting no answer. She hummed a cheery tune as she stepped into Room 4026 with a rag in hand. This was her first day on the job, and if she did well here, she’d be one step closer to saving up for college tuition. She’d just finished her college entrance exams, but her father—a staunch believer in “martial arts as the family creed”—refused to support her university dreams, leaving her to fund her education with part-time work. With her lifelong goal within reach, her spirits were soaring. After tidying the room, she headed for the bathroom with her rag. Whether the bathroom’s soundproofing was too good, or her hearing was just off, she never knew—but the second she pushed open the bathroom door, time seemed to stand still for the whole world. “Who the hell are you?” The stillness shattered in an instant as Gu Rong let out a howl from inside. Su Jingjing stared dumbfounded as Gu Rong scrambled around, clutching his privates and searching for a bath towel. She couldn’t help but point a finger. “It’s over there.” “Oh, thanks.” Gu Rong grabbed the towel and wrapped it tight around himself, mumbling a thank you on instinct—only to roar three seconds later. “What are you still standing there for? Waiting for my autograph? Get out, now!” Su Jingjing rubbed her ears, stinging from his ear-splitting shout, and silently stepped out of the bathroom. Moments later, Gu Rong emerged in a bathrobe, glaring furiously at Su Jingjing, who stood meekly in the corner. “You’re real quick on the draw, barging in to clean while the guest’s still in the room!” Su Jingjing looked up at him, unsure whether to nod or shake her head—even though she’d wanted to nod. “You new here?” Gu Rong sank onto the sofa and mashed the remote control, flipping channels furiously as if the plastic device were Su Jingjing herself. Su Jingjing hummed in affirmation. Gu Rong nodded, grinding his teeth. “Congratulations. You’re as good as dead.” “Huh?” Su Jingjing let out a startled yelp. Gu Rong picked up the phone, shooting her a sidelong glance. “I’m filing a complaint. Today’s your last day on the job.” “No!” Su Jingjing darted over, trying to snatch the receiver from his hand. Gu Rong stood at six feet tall; Su Jingjing, just five foot four. He hopped onto the sofa in an instant, holding the phone high above his head. Su Jingjing stretched and reached, but she couldn’t get close, left pacing anxiously on the floor below. “Hello, I want to file a complaint.” Gu Rong stood on the sofa, looking down triumphantly at the flustered girl. He craned his neck to read the name tag on her chest. “What’s your name?” Su Jingjing quickly covered the tag, refusing to let him see it. Gu Rong held the phone in one hand and tugged at her wrist with the other. To his utter shock, the tiny girl had an absurd amount of strength. He clamped the phone between his head and shoulder, now using both hands to pry her fingers away. Su Jingjing plopped down on the floor, planting her feet and holding fast, unyielding. With no other choice, Gu Rong dropped to his knees too, and the two tussled on the carpet. “Let go!” Gu Rong’s face flushed bright red with exertion. Su Jingjing shielded the name tag, speaking each word slowly and firmly. “I—won’t—let—go.” “You gonna let go? Or I’ll bite you.” Sweat beaded on Gu Rong’s forehead. He couldn’t fathom how a girl her size had so much brute strength. “I mean it.” “I’m not scared of you.” Su Jingjing glared right back. Gu Rong didn’t hesitate. He opened his mouth and sank his teeth into her arm without a word. “Aah!” This time, it was Su Jingjing’s turn to scream. On the other end of the line, hotel staff heard the bloodcurdling shriek and feared the worst, rushing to Room 4026 with a group in tow. They burst through the door—only to freeze at the sight of Su Jingjing pinning Gu Rong, still in his bathrobe, to the floor, his hand pressed against her chest. For a long moment, no one could make heads or tails of the scene. “What are you all staring at? Get this shrew off me!” Gu Rong yelled at the stunned staff in the doorway, straining against her hold. The staff finally snapped out of their daze and hurried to pull Su Jingjing off him. Two men helped Gu Rong to his feet, and he panted heavily, pointing at Su Jingjing and giving her a thumbs-up. “You’ve got some guts. No woman’s ever dared pin me to the floor before.” He turned to the man who’d helped him up. “What’s her name?” “Su Jingjing. She just started today, Young Master Gu. Please, don’t—” The man tried to plead her case. Gu Rong pressed a finger to his lips, a silent signal to be quiet. The man clammed up at once. Gu Rong stared at Su Jingjing with an amused, menacing smirk. Ignoring his disheveled state, he stepped forward arrogantly. “Thought you could keep your name a secret? I know it now. Su Jingjing, right? Manager Yan. What do you have to say?” Manager Yan, standing off to the side, immediately bowed low in obedience. “I understand your wishes, Young Master Gu. I’ll fire her at once. We can’t keep an employee who assaults a guest.” Gu Rong shot Su Jingjing a smug wink, pulled a few hundred-yuan bills from his wallet, and stuffed them into her uniform pocket, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Good female sparring partners are hard to come by these days. Thanks for the workout.” Su Jingjing stared at him, dumbfounded. When she finally came to her senses, she was standing outside the hotel, the bills crumpled in her pocket. The sun blazed just as brightly, but she felt nothing but cold gloom. People bustled past the hotel entrance, but their voices faded into a hum. She’d been dreaming of earning college tuition moments ago, and now she’d been fired. Life was truly full of cruel twists. Before Su Jingjing could wallow in her disappointment, her senior brother called. She stood on the sidewalk, watching cars speed past, as a group of middle school boys walked by, laughing and slinging their arms around each other. “Jingjing, where are you?” Even over the phone, his voice brimmed with excitement. Su Jingjing frowned in confusion. “Senior brother? What’s wrong? Did your blind date go well?” He cut her off with thrilling news. “Someone just came to the dojo looking for a bodyguard—for a rich kid who got into trouble abroad and just came back. It’s personal protection, so they need someone around his age, a college student ideally.” Su Jingjing’s eyes flew wide open, and she shouted in disbelief, forgetting all dignity on the street. “Really?” “And the guy’s loaded. He said he’ll cover your entire college tuition, no matter how long the job lasts.” “So you recommended me?” “He loved your profile. Don’t go home yet—head to the restaurant on the first floor of Heping Hotel to meet him.” “Heping Hotel? That’s the hotel I just worked at!” Su Jingjing didn’t have time to process the coincidence, her excitement overriding everything. “Okay! I’ll be there right away.” “I’ll text you his number—you two can coordinate.” She hung up the phone, and suddenly the sky blazed a brilliant ocean blue, the wind through her hair soft and gentle. Everyone around her seemed to smile, and the world felt warm and kind again. She slipped her phone into her bag and sprinted back to the hotel, bumping into a few passersby along the way. They cursed at her, but she just smiled and apologized, her heart too full of joy to care. Meanwhile, in the spacious hotel suite, Gu Rong paced back and forth, his voice sharp with impatience. “I told you, I don’t want a bodyguard! This isn’t protection—it’s surveillance! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.” His father on the other end was no pushover; Gu Rong had inherited his fiery temper lock, stock and barrel. “You ungrateful brat! Say that again if you dare! I’m not begging you—you’re begging me. I should’ve let those men chase you all over the country.” “Begging you? Begging you to fly me back? I don’t even have a home here, stuck in a hotel every day! You think I want to be here?” “If you refuse college and the bodyguard, you won’t get a single cent from me. Your call!” Gu’s father lost his temper entirely, slamming down the phone after his ultimatum. Gu Rong fell silent at once, as if the raging man from moments ago was a stranger. He sank back onto the sofa, staring into space as he mulled over his father’s words. Once he’d convinced himself his dad hadn’t spoken out of anger, he decided he had no choice but to obey. A true man knows when to bend and when to stand tall—it wasn’t something to be ashamed of. And besides, this was bound to be a lot more interesting than life on the run.