Seeing this, Deng Peng still wanted to say something, but when he looked at the unfriendly security guards in front of him, he didn't dare say another word. He could only flick his sleeve and turn to leave.

Soon, only Liu Ergou, Han Jiajia, and He Mingxue were left in the private room.

Watching them leave, He Mingxue turned to Liu Ergou with an apologetic expression. "Er Gou, I'm truly sorry."

"I didn't expect this to happen today. I apologize. I'll definitely tighten my management in the future to ensure nothing like this ever happens again in any of my businesses!"

Liu Ergou simply waved his hand.

"Hey, Boss He, I'm the one who should be sorry. I barely ever call you, and when I do, I end up troubling you with something like this. I feel pretty bad about it."

"But I stand by what I said earlier. This isn't entirely your fault. You can't be expected to watch over this one restaurant all the time, right?"

As he said this, Liu Ergou seemed to remember something and slapped his own forehead.

"Wait, Boss He, that's not right!" Liu Ergou said, looking puzzled. "If I remember correctly, you don't run restaurants, do you? Aren't you in the…"

Before Liu Ergou could finish, He Mingxue cut him off.

"Oh, this!"

"I started this restaurant a long time ago. I'd almost completely forgotten about it."

"Initially, the restaurant was just for internal staff, but later, for some reason, it was opened to the public."

"And it's just been running like that for all these years!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ergou couldn't help but cover his eyes.

Wow, just wow. So this is what a real big shot is like? Forgetting about their own properties just like that. When will I ever reach that level?

After sighing to himself for a few moments, Liu Ergou turned to Han Jiajia.

"Alright, Officer Han, there's no one to bother us now. You can go ahead and order. I'm excited to see what we're having!"

Han Jiajia didn't say another word and simply grabbed the menu to start ordering.

Just then, however, He Mingxue nudged Liu Ergou and shot him a look, gesturing for him to come speak with her outside.

Liu Ergou understood immediately. He got up and walked out, with He Mingxue following right behind him.

Once outside, Liu Ergou asked with some confusion, "Boss He, what's so important that we have to talk outside?"

He Mingxue sighed deeply. "It's a rather complicated matter, and a bit difficult to explain. Give me a moment to organize my thoughts."

Liu Ergou nodded and waited patiently.

Three or four minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and He Mingxue seemed to have her thoughts in order. Then, she began to explain her situation.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you, Er Gou… um… that is… could you… accompany me for a couple of days?"

Hearing this, Liu Ergou fell silent for a moment. Then, he suddenly clutched his chest, staggered back several steps, and looked at He Mingxue with a wary expression.

"What do you want, Boss He?!"

"Let me tell you, even though you helped me out big time today, you can't be lusting after my body!"

"I have a girlfriend, so don't you try anything funny!"

"There's a police officer in that room! If you try anything funny, I'll scream for her!"

Seeing Liu Ergou's reaction, He Mingxue nearly spit out a mouthful of old blood.

"Liu Ergou!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "What in the world is going through that head of yours?"

"Who's lusting after your body? I meant 'accompany me' as in… be my bodyguard for a few days!"

As soon as she said this, the wary expression on Liu Ergou's face was immediately replaced by confusion.

"Huh? Boss He, what did you say? You want me to be your bodyguard for a few days?"

Seeing his puzzled look, He Mingxue nodded.

"Yes, I want you to be my bodyguard for a few days," she said. "Lately, I've had this constant feeling that someone is following me."

"And the malicious intent is very clear. I went to the police, but they couldn't find anything."

"I really have no other choice, so I…"

Hearing this, Liu Ergou finally understood the situation, but another question quickly popped into his mind.

"Hey, that's not right, Boss He!"

"If you need a bodyguard, you could just hire a professional, right? You're not short on cash, and a professional would be way better than me!"

"Besides, I'm just a country bumpkin. I can barely protect myself, let alone someone else!"

Hearing Liu Ergou's refusal, He Mingxue became anxious.

"Er Gou, don't be in such a hurry to say no!"

"The money isn't an issue. Tell me how much you want, and I'll pay it. I'm not short on cash."

But even so, Liu Ergou just waved his hand.

"Boss He, it's not about the money!" Liu Ergou said. "The question is, why are you asking me instead of finding a professional?"

"Do I seem that capable in your eyes?"

To his surprise, He Mingxue nodded without the slightest hesitation.

This completely baffled Liu Ergou.

It's not that I'm not capable, but if I remember correctly, I've never shown my skills in front of He Mingxue before. How would she know I'm capable?

While Liu Ergou was still confused, He Mingxue explained, "I know you might be wondering why I came to you."

"Actually, a friend referred me."

Hearing about a friend's referral, Liu Ergou grew even more puzzled.

Seeing his deeply furrowed brow, He Mingxue didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "You know this person. His surname is Zhang. Zhang Xiuming!"

Hearing the familiar name, Liu Ergou slapped his thigh.

"Oh, President Zhang! You know him?"

He Mingxue nodded.

"We're business partners. I mentioned this to him a while ago, and he recommended I find you."

Hearing this, Liu Ergou finally understood. After a moment of thought, he nodded and agreed to He Mingxue's request.

"Alright then. Since President Zhang was the one who referred you, I can't really refuse. Besides, you helped me out so much today. It's only right that I help you in return."

"So, when do we start?"

He Mingxue was overjoyed to hear Liu Ergou agree.

"That's wonderful, Er Gou!"

"In that case, how about we start tonight? You can begin protecting me this evening!"

Her words, "start tonight," nearly made Liu Ergou freeze up.

"Ah, tonight?"

Looking at the shocked Liu Ergou, He Mingxue nodded.

"That's right, tonight!"

"It's just that the feeling has been especially strong these last few days. I'm really, really scared, so…"

Seeing the fearful look on He Mingxue's face, Liu Ergou sighed.