A Lesson

 When Zhao Shuo heard Dustin say “I’m her man,” and saw that Natasha not only didn’t deny it but was looking at Dustin with a tenderness he had never seen before, his blood rushed straight to his head. His whole body trembled with rage.

“You’re fucking looking for death!”

Zhao Shuo roared, completely abandoning any pretense of gentlemanly behavior, and swung his fist toward Dustin.

“Zhao Shuo! Don’t you dare!” Natasha snapped, her beautiful face frosty.

“Natasha! What’s so good about this pretty boy? Where am I worse than him? My heart has always been sincere toward you!” Zhao Shuo’s expression twisted.

“Enough nonsense! Get out!” Natasha said impatiently.

“You—!”

Humiliated, Zhao Shuo redirected all his fury toward Dustin. “Brat! If you’ve got guts, come out and fight me one-on-one! Hiding behind a woman—what kind of man are you?!”

“One-on-one?”

Hearing this, Dustin’s lips curled slightly. He found it amusing.

“What? Afraid?”

Zhao Shuo sneered. “If you don’t dare fight, then kneel down, kowtow, and admit you’re a coward. Maybe then I’ll spare you!”

Dustin nodded casually. “You’re right. I am a little afraid.”

“Mm?”

Zhao Shuo froze, then smirked in contempt.

He was about to mock Dustin, but Dustin slowly added:

“I’m afraid… that if I’m not careful… I might kill you.”

“You mother—!” Zhao Shuo exploded. His rationality was burned away completely by rage.

Without another word, he swung a punch at Dustin's face.

Just as the fist was about to hit his nose, Dustin moved.

No overwhelming aura.
No flashy martial arts moves.

He simply raised his right hand casually—yet faster than lightning.

PA!!

A crisp, resounding slap echoed through the entire office.

Zhao Shuo felt irresistible force smash into his face. Half his cheek went numb instantly, his ears buzzed, golden stars burst before his eyes, and his whole body spun like a top. After half a turn, he collapsed on the floor with a heavy thud, completely knocked out.

The office went dead silent.

The security guards and the secretary who had just arrived stared in shock.

It wasn’t that the slap itself was unbelievable—
It was the status of the man who got slapped.

A direct son of the Zhao royal clan.
To lay hands on someone like that was practically courting death.

Of course, Natasha didn’t see it that way. She simply felt refreshed.

With Dustin’s identity and strength, teaching Zhao Shuo a lesson was nothing. As long as he didn’t kill him, there’d be no issue.

After a few seconds, Zhao Shuo twitched violently and woke from his brief blackout.

The sharp pain burning on his cheek and the metallic taste of blood in his mouth brought the humiliation crashing back into his mind.

“Aaaah!! I’ll kill you!”

Driven insane by shame and pain, Zhao Shuo sprang up. His eyes were bloodshot. He reached behind his waist and pulled out a gleaming dagger, screaming as he lunged at Dustin’s abdomen!

“Careful!” Natasha cried out.

Dustin’s eyes turned cold.

He had only intended to give the guy a warning. But this idiot actually dared pull a knife—and aimed straight for a fatal spot.

Since the man was trying to kill him, Dustin saw no reason to be polite.

As the dagger stabbed forward, Dustin shifted his foot slightly. His figure slid sideways, ghostlike, avoiding the blade with ease.

At the same moment, his right hand clamped down on Zhao Shuo’s wrist like an iron vise.

CRACK!!

The sickening snap of bone echoed.

“Aaaagh—my hand! My hand!!” Zhao Shuo screamed like a pig being slaughtered.

The dagger clattered to the floor as his wrist bent at an unnatural angle—it had been twisted cleanly out of joint.

Expressionless, Dustin raised his foot and kicked Zhao Shuo square in the stomach.

BANG!

Zhao Shuo flew backward, slammed into the office wall, then slid down into a curled-up heap. He shook uncontrollably, tears and snot running down his face, too pained to even scream.

“Get out,” Dustin said flatly.

Zhao Shuo lifted his head, his gaze filled with terror and poisonous hatred. His face was pale, drenched in cold sweat. He gritted his teeth and hissed:

“Good… very good! Natasha Harmon! And you, you damn pretty boy—just you wait! If I, Zhao Shuo, don’t take revenge… I’m not human! Our Zhao clan… will never let you go!”

Then, enduring the agony, he used his unbroken hand to push himself up and fled the office, rolling and crawling, not even daring to retrieve the dagger he dropped. - Marinien