Chapter 233: Whoever Loses Must Kneel and Crawl Out of the Hotel

Ning Yao crossed both hands over their chest, lifted their chin, and said:

"What threat can you pose to us? I just can't stand you. I don't intend to bully you, nor will I let them beat you up. So here's the deal: I'll let you call anyone you like; as long as the people you summon can defeat them, you may walk out of the hotel door, otherwise…"

Ning Jingli felt no ripple inside and asked, "Otherwise what?"

Ning Yao's eyes flashed with excitement, "Otherwise you have to kneel on the ground and crawl out. Of course, you could also just not call anyone and concede outright."

"You have to crawl out even if you concede outright?"

"Exactly! Whether the people you summon lose, or you concede directly, you must honestly crawl from here to the street! Don't try to cheat; if they hold you down while you crawl out, it'll look even worse."

"Ning Yao, you are really childish and boring."

"Childish? Boring? Say what you will, I find it quite interesting!" Ning Yao adopted a lofty posture, "What could be more fun than watching you embarrass yourself? Consider it a profound and wonderful memory I create for myself before I go to M Guo."

Ning Jingli was at a loss for words.

She re‑examined the ten men escorting Lin Lina and the mother‑daughter pair of Ning Yao.

It was clear they were no ordinary folk.

However, if she wanted to leave, these people couldn't stop her.

"Cousin, you have no choice." Ning Yao was confident, as if she already saw Ning Jingli kneeling on the ground, crawling out of the hotel door, and embarrassing herself under everyone's gaze.

When that happens, passersby on the street will watch and film videos to post online; don't even mention how socially dead that would be.

Even later, if she settles in M Guo, she could go online anytime to pull up the video, replay it repeatedly, and that would definitely become a great daily pleasure.

The very thought was exhilarating.

Ning Yao was already impatient, urging, "Cousin, hurry up—either call people or concede outright, stop dithering!"

As for Ning Yao's unreasonable and excessive move, Lin Lina made no sound, continuing to eat lunch as if it didn't concern her, clearly giving tacit consent.

"Since you want to leave a profound memory," Ning Jingli's mouth curved into a faint smile, "Fine, I'll indulge you, but you only say what happens if I lose; what if you lose?"

Ning Yao said nonchalantly, "Same thing—if I lose, I crawl out from here."

Ning Jingli continued, "I'm afraid you'll cheat unless you make an oath."

"What's there to cheat about?" Ning Yao blurted out without thinking, "If I cheat, let the private plane that M Guo sent to pick me up, when flying over the Pacific, suffer an air disaster and crash!"

Lin Lina frowned, "Daughter, that's too inauspicious."

Ning Yao laughed, "Mom, you know exactly who's escorting us to M Guo; Ning Jingli couldn't summon anyone stronger than them. We won't lose, don't worry."

Lin Lina wasn't worried about losing to Ning Jingli; she was simply uneasy about such an oath, but since her daughter had already spoken, there was nothing she could do.

Ning Jingli took out her phone, dialing while asking Ning Yao, "You have ten people here; can I only call ten as well?"

Ning Yao generously replied, "I said I'm not bullying you; I figure you could summon your bodyguards or the security from your company's factory. You could call fifty, that's fine; I'm just afraid you won't be able to summon that many on short notice."

Ning Jingli asked curiously, "What exactly are your bodyguards?"

Ning Yao cryptically said, "When your people arrive, I'll tell you."

At that moment the call connected; Ning Jingli whispered a few words into the phone, then hung up.

She had no intention of personally confronting the ten M Guo bodyguards.

Having mastered the Tian Xuan Heart Method and possessing strong Internal Strength, she found handling these people easy, yet saw no need to display her combat prowess before Lin Lina and Ning Yao over such a minor matter.

Because a woman single‑handedly defeating ten hulking male bodyguards would inevitably draw the mother‑daughter pair's attention.

Considering Ning Hai's extremely special status in M Guo now, it would inevitably attract unnecessary attention; being singled out by M Guo wouldn't be a good thing.

"My people will arrive soon," Ning Jingli said after ending the call, then sat down again.

"Alright, I'll wait," Ning Yao took out her phone and scrolled through videos to pass the time.

Ning Jingli sat with eyes closed, meditating, while Lin Lina continued to eat at an unhurried pace.

An hour passed.

Ning Yao tossed her phone onto the table, "Why haven't your people arrived yet? Just concede then, stop dithering and wasting time."

Ning Jingli slowly opened her eyes, "Are you rushing to catch a flight?"

"Ugh," Ning Yao sneered, "The plane I'm on is a private jet specially dispatched by M Guo; my mother and I can depart whenever we want, no need to rush."

Ning Jingli gave a faint smile, "Then why are you in a hurry?"

Ning Yao grew impatient, "Wait another ten minutes; if your people still haven't arrived, you'll be considered to have lost."

As soon as she finished speaking, a plain, slightly old‑fashioned van pulled up and stopped by the hotel entrance, looking out of place.

The van doors opened.

Five men with short cropped hair stepped out.

Ning Jingli rose and walked outside, "I hope you don't mind being summoned to handle this minor matter."

These five were the special task‑force members that Shangguan Ying had assigned to Ning Jingli.

One of them was the task‑force captain.

About thirty years old, with an unremarkable appearance and bronze‑toned skin, his features were sharply defined, especially his eyes—restrained yet keen—making him seem approachable, yet upon closer look exuding an extraordinary aura.

"Miss Ning, you're too kind," the captain smiled, "As long as it concerns you, there's no small or large matter. General Shangguan also instructed us—just carry out your arrangements and orders properly."

Then Ning Jingli led the five inside the hotel.

Ning Yao scanned the scene, both surprised and a bit angry, "Ning Jingli, did you think I was playing with you?"

Ning Jingli asked, "What's wrong?"

"What else!" Ning Yao rolled her eyes, "You only summoned five people?"

Ning Jingli laughed, "What about five? They're all veterans, quite capable fighters."

It was indeed true that they were veterans.

Because they had all retired from a top‑tier special unit in the country; they were selected for even higher‑difficulty, highly classified missions, and each of their identities and real names were concealed.

To the outside world, they were essentially non‑existent.

Hearing Ning Jingli say they were veterans made Ning Yao adopt a slightly serious tone, but her gaze remained contemptuous, "Are you sure you'll face my ten bodyguards with only five?"

Ning Jinli nodded, "Certainly."

Ning Yao laughed loudly, "Whatever, you'll lose anyway, do as you please."

"Daughter, I feel something's off..." Lin Lina picked up a napkin edge to wipe her mouth, muttering softly.

Ning Yao didn't care, "What's wrong with that?"

Lin Lina frowned slightly, "What do you think Ning Jinli is thinking?"

"What do you think?" Ning Yao pursed her lips, "She probably thinks she'll lose to me anyway, so she's just calling a few people to deal with it."

Lin Lina shook her head, "If she thinks she'll lose anyway, why bring people? And why are they retired soldiers?"

Ning Yao said, "Just for show. Mom, you don't need to overthink it. At most, Ning Jinli intends to have these people protect her while she leaves later. Rest assured, she won't crawl out on her knees—she won't make it out of this door. Not even fifty retired soldiers could protect her, let alone five."

His words dispelled the vague doubt that had arisen in Lin Lina's heart.

Ning Yao stood up, beamed, and said loudly, "Since it's a skill match, if we fight later it might damage the hotel's tables and chairs, so it'd be better to move outside. Cousin, what do you think?"

Ning Jinli said calmly, "I'm fine with either."

"Let's go!" Ning Yao waved her hand, leading her people out of the hotel first.

The parking area beside the hotel entrance is huge.

The few black business cars parked there all belong to Ning Yao's group; after she had the bodyguards drive them away, there was a spacious open area.

The sunlight is just right now.

The bustling street has people coming and going.

Ning Yao's bodyguards stood in the middle of the open space, hands behind their backs, feet slightly apart, lined up in a row.

They were naturally tall and sturdy, wearing sleek black suits, black sunglasses, and being foreigners, they quickly drew passersby's attention.

Gradually, more and more people began to gather, chatting or pulling out phones to take photos and videos.

"What kind of performance is this? Or is some team preparing to film something?"

"No, I don't see any cameramen..."

"Could the hotel have hired male models for some event?"

"These guys with tiger backs and bear waists... look more like bodybuilders than male models."

"..."

The clueless melon-eating crowd grew larger, all curious about what these foreign hunks were up to.

This is exactly the effect Ning Yao wanted.

Otherwise she wouldn't have suggested letting her people and Ning Jinli's people compete outside.

Afterwards, she also had the hotel manager come out to act as host, and instructed the manager to send people into the crowd to spread the word, so the onlookers could roughly understand the situation, thereby embarrassing Ning Jinli as much as possible.

To achieve her goal, Ning Yao went to great lengths without minding the trouble.

Soon, the news spread, and the crowd of onlookers gathered outside the hotel's parking area grew larger.

Many also rushed to grab viewing spots, pulled out their phones, opened video apps, and started live-streaming.

The bigger the commotion, the more excited Ning Yao felt.

Ning Jinli remained calm and composed, and the five Special Operations Team members beside her were equally unfazed.

"Cousin, my people are ready—aren't yours coming over?" Ning Yao stood beside the door, glancing askance at Ning Jinli with contempt.

Ning Jinli nodded, and the five team members walked down the hotel steps, standing three meters apart from the ten opponents.

Lin Lina didn't stand ostentatiously outside like Ning Yao; instead, she put on a wide hat and sunglasses and cautiously stood just inside the door to watch.

After all, she had been in the news for being sentenced over the Ning Family inheritance dispute; even though M Guo intervened secretly to get her pardoned domestically, she still felt a bit guilty. With so many people outside and even a live stream, she didn't want to be noticed.

"Hey folks, look!" a streamer shouted into his phone, "Those foreign guys are built like bears! Their arms are thicker than my thighs!"

"Viewers in my stream, hit follow!"

"What? You want me to ask if they're on steroids to get that big, then I'll follow you?"

"Fine! Streamer, I'll satisfy you!"

He shouted while running over.

He went straight for the biggest blonde white guy and was about to speak.

The other party spat out standard Mandarin and coldly rebuked, "You're too noisy—your countrymen are all noisy!"

"Huh? You speak Mandarin, buddy," the streamer chuckled, "Then I'll interview you—"

Before he finished, the blonde white guy grabbed his collar, lifted him with one hand, tossed him aside, and shouted, "Get lost!"

The streamer fell spread-eagle, and the onlookers erupted in an uproar.

The hotel manager, pressed by Ning Yao to act as temporary host, hurried out to keep order, shouting through a megaphone, "Everyone! Please keep order! Watching is fine, don't come over to interfere!"

"These ten foreign friends are soldiers from M Guo, called... uh..."

He couldn't recall what Ning Yao had told him just then, stammered a sentence, and turned to look at Ning Yao.

The blonde white guy snatched the megaphone, spoke with vigor, "We're all warriors of M Guo's Raptor Special Strike Team! Today we'll beat your country's five retired soldiers until they're toothless!"

The onlookers' faces instantly turned grim.

M Guo's Raptor Special Strike Team is indeed a world-renowned elite special forces unit.

But running around on our turf shouting like that is simply too arrogant.

Ning Yao crossed her arms, smiling, and said to Ning Jinli standing beside her:

"Sorry, cousin, I forgot to tell you their background—those few retired soldiers of yours must be scared enough to wet their pants by now. Also, I'll tell you this: these Raptor Special Strike Team members look down on and discriminate against your country's military; when they start fighting, they'll likely go all out, so you might want to call a few ambulances ahead of time."

Ning Jinli's expression didn't change; she ignored the provocation and simply watched the five Special Operations Team members quietly.

On the open ground, the hotel manager wiped his sweat, forced a smile, timidly took the megaphone from the blonde white guy's hand, and asked softly, "You... are you all going up together? Ten against five isn't very fair, is it?"

The blonde white guy smirked, took off his suit jacket, revealing the tight brown T-shirt underneath.

With the jacket off, his sturdy build was even more evident.

Every muscle bulged high, and with every gesture he displayed a mighty sense of strength.

He casually flung his suit jacket at the hotel manager's face, disdainfully saying: "Taking on these five retired soldiers, I alone am enough!"