Holographic Bodyguard Log

In June 2024, a very popular post went viral on the internet, the infamous online romance plot involving a six-yuan spicy hot pot. Most internet users are familiar with the story of the young girl who traveled a thousand miles for a date and was tormented thirteen times in one night. Spicy hot pot, a popular snack originating from Sichuan, has gained national fame for its spicy and appetizing taste, as well as its affordability. Whether in big cities or small towns, almost every place has its own hot pot franchise, and in reality, anyone under thirty has likely tried this fast food. Of course, there are exceptions. Xu Jiayun had never eaten spicy hot pot. The reason was twofold: she grew up in an environment where such things were not available, and her student years were spent abroad, so she hadn't experienced many famous Chinese snacks. However, after hearing people around her talk about it multiple times, her curiosity finally got the better of her. She entered a spicy hot pot shop and ordered a sixteen-yuan set meal. "I ordered the sixteen-yuan set today. Is that okay?" Xu Jiayun sent a WeChat message to her best friend while sitting in a hot pot shop across from the Talent Market on Andingmen Outer Street in Beijing. "My gosh, Xiuyun, can you finish the sixteen-yuan meal? That's so extravagant!" The WeChat profile picture of "Kitten" flashed on the screen, expressing shock and disbelief. "Is it a lot? Though this place isn’t very clean... the walls are dirty and there’s dust in the corners..." Xu Jiayun chatted casually to kill time. "You're here for the taste, not for the walls. Anyway, I’m off to shower. Wanna join me?" Kitten teased. "I’m not showering with you. You take hours, and I can't stand it..." "Well, I'm going then..." Kitten's profile went gray, signaling that she logged off. "Hey, miss, you don’t have anyone sitting with you, do you?" Just as Xu Jiayun put her phone away, a young man with a travel backpack stood in front of her. Indeed, he looked to be around twenty years old, and his accent wasn’t from Beijing. His voice was deep, and his build was solid—he clearly looked like a "Beijing drifter" looking for a job at the talent market across the street. "Uh... no," Xu Jiayun glanced around and saw that other tables were taken. Only the seat across from her was empty, so she reluctantly nodded. In truth, she didn’t like eating with strangers—it made her uncomfortable. "Boss lady, I’ll take the ten-yuan spicy hot pot," the young man called out to the woman at the counter. "Coming right up," the boss lady replied. The young man then sat down with a grin, took out a cigarette, lit it, and began sizing up the woman sitting across from him. This woman seemed to be in her twenties, wearing light makeup. She was at least 1.7 meters tall, and when he sat down, he noticed a faint fragrance in the air—it was coming from her, very subtle and not overpowering, a scent he liked. He couldn't help but admire Beijing’s beautiful women—he was lucky even to encounter someone like her at such a casual place. "And she’s rich too..." The young man noticed a set of car keys next to her, and recognized that it was for an Audi, possibly an A3 or A4, at the very least. Perhaps sensing his prying gaze, Xu Jiayun suddenly lifted her head and looked straight at him, as if trying to catch him in the act. To her surprise, she actually caught him staring—he was clearly looking at her chest and, even though she had caught him, he didn’t stop but continued to look! "What are you looking at?" Xu Jiayun hissed in a low voice. "Guess," the young man replied, winking at her. "Guess?" Xu Jiayun was about to explode with anger. How shameless could this guy be? "Here comes your sixteen-yuan set," the waitress arrived with a large pot of hot pot and placed it in front of Xu Jiayun. Xu Jiayun was stunned—so much food for just sixteen yuan? "Wow, you can really eat," the young man exaggeratedly widened his eyes. "You ordered a sixteen-yuan set? This is a double portion!" "If you say one more word, do you believe I’ll pour this hot pot over your head?" Xu Jiayun warned angrily. "Alright, alright, I was just kidding. By the way..." The young man pointed at Xu Jiayun’s chest. "There’s a button undone." "Ah..." Xu Jiayun immediately looked down, realizing that the third button of her shirt was open. Through the gap, her underwear was visible, which was quite embarrassing. Her face turned crimson as she quickly buttoned up. Looking at the hot pot on the table, she had completely lost her appetite now. "Alright, alright, I’ll leave if you can’t finish it with me," the young man said, afraid that she might really throw the pot at him. As soon as a customer behind him left, he quickly moved to a table behind him, turning his back to her. Xu Jiayun’s mood improved slightly. She picked up her disposable chopsticks, intending to have just a few bites before leaving. However, after a couple of bites, she found herself wanting to take a third and fourth bite. She wasn’t usually a big eater, but this spicy hot pot was her first time trying it, and it was so spicy and appetizing that she couldn’t stop. The young man’s hot pot arrived as well, and he dug in hungrily. About two or three minutes later, Xu Jiayun suddenly called the waitress over. "Wow, you really can eat. Are you going to order more?" The young man clicked his tongue. This beautiful woman looked slim, but she could eat more than him. "Um... I forgot to bring my money..." A small voice came from Xu Jiayun. She had forgotten to bring her wallet out! "I’m sorry, we don’t do credit here," the waitress replied loudly, her voice even louder than the young man’s, almost as if she were deliberately making it public. "What’s going on, Juan'er?" The boss lady asked from behind the counter. The waitress answered, "She doesn’t have money, and she wants to owe us!" The boss lady gave Xu Jiayun a cold glance with her lifeless eyes and said unkindly, "No money? Then leave your phone as collateral." The boss lady was overweight and possibly out of jealousy, didn't offer a solution but insisted on taking Xu Jiayun’s phone as collateral. "Fine, my car is just around the corner. I’ll go get cash from it," Xu Jiayun sighed inwardly, regretting this entire situation. She swore never to eat at such places again. She had been so focused on what the spicy hot pot would taste like when she arrived that she forgot her wallet, only bringing her phone and car keys. "Who needs your sixteen yuan?" The young man finally stood up, unable to hold back his frustration. "What’s the big deal with sixteen yuan? Why make this beautiful woman leave her phone?" "I’ll tell you, with this kind of business, you’ll be out of business soon. Here, is fifty yuan enough?" The young man slammed a fifty-yuan note onto the table. "What’s going on? What’s all the noise?" A chef came out from the kitchen, holding a knife. Xu Jiayun had never been in such a situation, and she was so scared that she almost collapsed. "Do you want to fight?" The young man suddenly raised his eyebrows and stood up, walking toward the chef as if ready to fight. "It’s alright, it’s alright, here’s your change," the boss lady, a woman from out of town, quickly pushed the chef back and handed over twenty-four yuan with a smile, realizing that the young man had a fiery temper. "I’m done. Eating here has only given me a stomach full of anger." The young man kicked his chair, grabbed his bag, and left, having already finished his meal. "Wait…" Xu Jiayun chased after him. "Don’t worry about it. Don’t offer any... gratitude... I’m in a hurry," the young man said, not giving Xu Jiayun a chance to respond, before quickly crossing the street and blending into the crowd. Xu Jiayun smiled wryly. Today, she truly learned a lot. In the bustling city, there was indeed no shortage of all kinds of people. "Still, there are more good people than bad ones," she thought after a moment, watching the crowd, and letting out a light sigh. The young man might have been a bit cocky and flirtatious, but he was also kind-hearted. As she got into her car, her phone rang. "Mr. Xu, I saw your car. What are you doing at the Talent Market?" It was Lin, the head of the HR department, calling. Recently, she had been overly attentive to Xu Jiayun. "I’m just passing by. How’s everything on your end?" Xu Jiayun’s voice became cold. "All the vacancies have been filled. Should I send the files over?" Lin asked quietly. “Forget it, you all can discuss it amongst yourselves,” Xu Jiayun said before hanging up the phone. Today, her company’s HR department was busy recruiting at the job market. Zhang Yi got on a bus, holding a piece of paper with the contact number for the HR department of Fengdu Group. Before he had eaten the spicy hotpot, he had already applied for a security position at Fengdu Group. Tomorrow, he would begin his new life in the capital.