Chapter 100: Taming The Crimson Phoenix!

Chapter 100: Taming The Crimson Phoenix!

The third week of October, Saturday—the day of the Final Fight. One week has passed since Victoria was amazing enough to become my wife. Of course, the only ones who know this are my harem, personal maids, and a few select individuals under Vicky's employment. We have not even told Zoe of this because she is my Uncle's personal maid. We don't want to cause conflict between the Tang and Long blocks just yet.

A brief harem update for the week... Linda is now confident after her second Wednesday night that she will be pregnant. The two of us, to her absolute shame, have officially confirmed that she is a massive screamer in the bedroom.

Victoria officially has Friday nights with me now. We only cuddled last night due to her period arriving, but we thoroughly enjoyed the quiet time of just sleeping peacefully in one another's arms.

As for Mary, Hana, Nadia, and Nichole, there have been no new changes in their pregnancies or day-to-day lives in school or work. Mary and the twins are now starting their 18th week of pregnancy, and we have a big calendar pinned on the refrigerator where everyone is actively picking out days the children may show up.

And my last harem member? Well, right before the fight, Tina called me on my phone, and we are currently planning what will happen in our lives starting right after the match concludes.

Tina and I are looking at our smartphones and video calling while she is working in her Fire Birds office, with Jenifer visible in the background handling paperwork. [Honestly, I am glad this stupid event is almost over. Linda has been looking a bit too smug in class the last two weeks. I want to be affectionate in public too.]

"Honestly, I think you two just like the back and forth," I point out with a chuckle.

The screen tilted as she adjusted her grip on the device. [Dragon, you have no proof to support your silly claim, fufu. So did you make sure my room is not above Linda's?]

"Linda has the furthest first-floor bedroom next to the indoor pool. Your room is in between hers and mine, to the right of the home's entrance on the first floor. So you are adjacent, but the area between your rooms is outdoors, so no noise from the walls will carry."

She nodded along, checking a blueprint schematic layout on her desk. [I remember now, so my room is near the kitchen and entrance. Good, I like that, in case I need to leave at night. And is it alright to bring Jenifer with me?]

"Jenifer is a part of your life and she is like family, so if she wants to move in with us, we have plenty of room. With my two personal maids, we have a total of 13 female staff, so having Jenifer around won't seem out of place at all."

Tina's eyes narrowed on the glowing display as she leaned in closer to her lens. [I think Mercy Mu shocked her family to have left the Lang and now serve a Tang. It has happened in the past but it is rare. Did you know in the past, the Mu and the Han were political rivals in the Imperial court? One the Guards and the other the Court? And yes Jenifer is from that Han clan.]

I see Jenifer stopped working on her stack of paperwork in the background and is now looking right over Tina's shoulder to look straight into the camera of the phone. I smile at her. "Jenifer, how did your shoulder heal? Did you use the specific medicine I told you to apply?"

A deep blush immediately crept up onto her cheeks as she smoothed down her professional office-lady suit jacket. [Yes I did Mr Lee. I can hardly see the scar left by the bullet graze, thank you for that.]

"Good. Oh, and ever since the party, I have not seen you wear your traditional maid uniform anymore. Honestly, it is a bit of a shame."

She shifted uncomfortably under my gaze, twirling a pen between her fingers. [My young lady cannot have an active maid with her inside the University, plus I genuinely like dressing like this. Please stop teasing me Mr Lee.]

Tina let out a heavy, mischievous laugh as she spotted a perfect opening to tease her aide. [For the fight tonight, I will make Jenifer wear it just to raise your fighting potential, my Rick, Ufufu.]

Jenifer looked completely shocked at the threat, her jaw dropping. I play right along with Tina. "Just don't put her in the revealing miniskirt kind or I might get way too distracted during the match, ha-ha!"

Tina leaned back in her office chair with a highly smug, triumphant expression. [Oh and before I let you go my Dragon, I will officially be taking over your Thursday night rotation, fufu. And if you truly impress me tonight, I will wear that miniskirt maid outfit straight to bed just as your personal reward, by my lover, Ufufu! Click... do do do...]

The screen went dark as the line went completely dead. "She definitely knows my exact weaknesses."

Mercy stepped forward from the edge of the room, her uniform rustling quietly as she handed me a cold, sweating bottle of sparkling raspberry water.

"So, will the Han woman move in as well? Don't worry Master, this maid won't bring any ancient family conflicts into your home. And I was completely unaware you had such a specific liking for maids or the way they dress?"

I realize I am entirely alone in the living room with Mercy right now, since Mei went upstairs to get some deep sleep so she can be wide awake and ready for any chaotic event during tonight's fight. I look up at Mercy standing diligently at my side and let out a long breath. "Sigh, yes. Me and my buddy James got really into those anime and light novels back in the day, so we always fantasized about being incredibly rich and powerful. To us, maids had basically become a man's ultimate status symbol, representing completely loyal women. Plus, those classic black and white outfits are just genuinely charming."

Mercy stood there quietly for a moment, her analytical mind processing my words as she thought about Mei's mid-length uniform and her own traditional long dress. "Master, would you prefer a significantly shorter one for me to wear around the estate?"

I immediately shake my head to dismiss the idea, taking a quick sip of the raspberry water. "No, it would honestly take away from your natural charm and beauty to force you into a cutesy style like that. You look absolute best in your sleek driver's uniforms and long maid outfits because of your tall height and serious expressions. It brings out your professional charms way more. You kind of lose that presence when you are in your workout outfits, so your current daily look is definitely your best one, Mercy."

I turn my gaze back toward the television screen, watching the afternoon news broadcast to see what the business channel was reporting on, trying to actively push my business ability further. I have not been slacking off at all lately; whenever I have spare time, I am either working hard on my custom computer programs or reading through recent business topics that have developed since my memories were granted to me. I know that if my Business skill increases, it will naturally boost my individual capability and drastically improve my Online Business skill as well.

Mercy let her gaze sweep across the open living area, ensuring we were completely out of earshot before speaking up again. She had apparently heard a few specific details from Mei earlier and wanted to confirm them with me face to face. "I hope that my words are not out of line, Master. But did you originally accept me as your personal maid without truly knowing the deep meaning behind the role? And do you wish to reconsider keeping me?"

I use the remote to drop the volume on the TV and point directly to the open leather seat right next to me. Mercy understood the gesture instantly, walking over to respectfully sit down while placing both of her hands neatly on her knees. I look over at her, wanting to clear the air entirely since I know Mei pushed her to ask this, not out of malice, but to make sure we are on the same page. "First, it is entirely true that I was unaware what the title actually meant. But before I made my final decision, I talked extensively with Mei and my Uncle to learn every detail about personal maids. I was given a few specific choices on how to handle the situation, and I ultimately chose the last option. That is to keep you right at my side and get to know you better over time. But you should know I already know everything..."

Her sharp blue eyes locked onto mine, paying absolute attention to my words and actions with total respect. "I know all about the Mu family honor and I deeply respect it. I also personally watched the entire eight hours of vanished bank security footage from that day. So, if you only want to be my personal maid based on a lingering obligation to my father's past grace, then being a normal house maid is perfect. I only want you at my side as a true personal maid if you can fulfill the following conditions..."

I hold up my hand, extending my fingers one by one to make my main points completely undeniable. "One, you are serving me and me alone, not my father. Two, you are doing it entirely of your own free choice and not because Linda or George told you to. Three, you are fully willing to be at my side for the rest of our lives, not just treating this as a standard job. I think there might be more rules later, but those are the main things for now. So Mercy, only you truly know your own heart."

Mercy closed her eyes, falling deep into silent thought for a few seconds before looking back up at me. "Master, I admit that the very first reason I paid any attention to you was indeed because of your father's past grace, but... You truly made me notice you during your high school fight. Linda had asked me to step in and save you, and I knew I had to obey. But your performance amazed my warrior heart. I have immense respect for those who display true strength of heart in a massive fight. So that is my real, first reason for wanting to follow you."

She also raised her hand, starting to hold up her own fingers to lay out her perspective clear as day. "I have closely followed your recent actions and found that you constantly hide your acts of justice behind trickery so you can do good things without looking like a public hero. You only kill those that absolutely deserve death, and you still give second chances to others. The fact that Scott is still actively breathing right now is a perfect example of your inner heart of justice."

Another finger pointed straight up into the air as she continued her evaluation. "Your ability to change and grow is admirable. Even with your deep disdain of the nobility, you learned to accept and even join their ranks, all to better others around you and make them happy. This is part of a real leadership quality, to bend and not break."

Then she placed both of her hands flat against her chest over her uniform, closed her blue eyes, and finished with absolute sincerity. "Something deep within me makes me want to follow you and be by your side, Master. As for why I want to be your personal maid... I knew the exact moment I saw your body at the pool. You have the body of a true warrior. Your hardships only make you stronger, and that is the quality of a man I wish to be close with, both for myself and for my Mu family honor."

I look at her for a second, processing the weight of her words, before I reach over to put the volume of the TV right back up to its normal level. "Then Mercy Mu, please take good care of me in the future."

Mercy stood up instantly from the couch, and out of the corner of my eyes, I caught a brief, genuine smile of relief breaking across her face before she turned and left the living area to go get me whatever beverage or snack she wanted to prepare for me.

Later that evening, all of my lovely wives finally returned home after their long social outing. I am honestly so happy that they have something they love to do together that is strictly girls-only.

I walked Vicky out to her car as she prepared to leave for a bit, and she looked back to ask, "So on the way to the Star Arena tonight, you will pick me up, right?"

I can't actively hold her or show affection out in the open courtyard of the estate, so I simply flash her a warm smile and explain the strategy. "I will pick you up at exactly 10 pm. Teacher Smith, Mei, and I will enter the facility with you, and Mercy will be our main driver and guard the car while I fight. Then we will bring you straight back home. Sadly, with Kim Smith sitting with us in the limo, we have to play the strict Teacher and Student roles, sigh."

She leaned against the car door, her eyes dancing with amusement. "We have our whole life ahead of us to be husband and wife, so enjoy me being your teacher while you still can. That is one of your major kinks after all, Ufufu."

"Alright, smarty-lady, go home, rest up, and stay safe. See you at 10 pm, love you."

With that, she climbed into her black BMW and drove off, her personal guards trailing right behind her vehicle the moment she cleared the gates of the Garden Estates.

After she left, I just enjoyed some quiet time holding my remaining wives on the couch as they happily told me all about their fun day of luxury spa treatments and shared the latest high-society gossip running through Star City.

By 9 pm, the pre-fight preparations were in full swing. Mercy was carefully buttoning up all the fabric fasteners on my traditional Wing Chun Kung-Fu training outfit while Mei stood off to the side pouting up a storm, because according to their strict maid deal, the weekend evenings belong entirely to Mercy.

So Mercy made a deliberate show of ensuring I looked absolutely perfect for the massive audience tonight, quietly rubbing it into Mei's face that this particular block was off Mei's schedule.

I look over at my digital expert to reassure her before we walk out the door. "I can't bring my guns inside the arena with me tonight, so let me know through the tracker if trouble is coming up behind me. And Mercy, I will leave my pieces securely inside the limo safe, so I will call you if I need you to remotely unlock it for me, alright?"

""Yes, Master.""

Both of their voices rang out in unison. After giving my final good-nights to the rest of the wives, the three of us headed out to the garage to go pick up my energetic neighbor.

I am sitting comfortably on the back right side of the limo's luxury seats and Mei is positioned right behind the driver's partition when the vehicle pulls up to stop in front of Kim's house. Mei stepped out to open the door for her, and the exact moment the blonde stepped inside the vehicle, I was left completely and utterly speechless.

Kim proudly held both of her arms out wide, striking a pose so I could see her outfit. "TA-DA! See, I told you I was going to cheer for you, ha-ha! I was the Cheerleader Captain back in High School! Plus, I still fit into the uniform like a glove."

Kim Smith was actively wearing a white cheerleader outfit featuring a incredibly short pleated skirt with black accents, complete with a pair of matching white and black fluffy pom-poms.

I already knew from my memoirs that Americans wear this kind of stuff to games, but seeing a mature, professional woman wearing it in real life was a whole new degree of intense cosplaying. Kim keeps staring at me, waiting for a direct response, so I clear my throat. "Somehow, I now fully understand why you have such an energetic, go-get-em personality... it has all been made clear to me. It definitely fits you well, though."

She completely misses my subtle, playful teasing and just proudly puffed out her modest chest, shaking her pom-poms. "I will motivate my star student and completely demoralize my ex, ha-ha!"

Mei, sitting on the long bench seat opposite us, simply shakes her head with a massive grin, clearly thinking this woman is entirely special in the head.

When the limo finally stopped in front of the Velvet Tower, I had already sent a quick text to Vicky telling her to be ready downstairs.

She emerged wearing a sharp grey pantsuit again, but this time she had thrown a long, luxurious black fur coat over her shoulders due to the cold autumn weather that was creeping into the city.

She looked absolutely spectacular, and I could only smile sadly at the fact that I couldn't lean over and hold her tight. The two teachers immediately started excitedly talking about upcoming university events, leaving me to close my eyes and meditate for the duration of the trip to the arena.

The moment we arrived at the main entrance of the Star Arena, I handed both Mei and Kim my two guest VIP passes, and we split up into our designated paths.

Victoria and I walked around to the heavy back entrance reserved strictly for contestants and event employees to enter. After a fast security verification at the gate, one of the employees politely guided me down the concrete hallway toward my private dressing room.

Vicky had explicitly warned me beforehand that these rooms were not secure, so we had to be incredibly careful about what we said and did inside. She reminded me that without doing a full swept sweep for bugs, you have to assume everyone is listening to your conversations. This is standard practice in the entertainment industry since not all arena staff are trustworthy and sleazy reporters will pay massive money for a good scoop. Because of that, we still have to act completely separate here.

Inside the resting room, Vicky sat back, watching me use a metal file to finely edge the nails on both of my hands, her curiosity finally getting the better of her. "Mr Tang, why are you manicuring your nails at this time?"

I instantly make a sharp Tiger's Paw motion in the air, letting Kung-Fu guide my stance. "In Tiger-Style Kung-Fu, you manage your nails in such a way to make them both offensive weapons and strengthen them so you do not break your own nails on impact. They have to be filed down at this specific angle. After the fight is over, I will fully clip them to remove his skin and wounds from my fingers. I believe throwing him off by suddenly changing from my expected Wing Chun style will completely mess with his tempo."

She nodded along, trying to understand the martial theory. "Out of all of the animal styles, you are using the Tiger-Style to show Tang pride?"

"That's about right. I am showboating for the crowd tonight."

Knock, knock! The wooden door clicked open, and a beautiful brown-haired woman put her head into the room, flashing a bright smile at the two of us.

"Hello, Boss Long and Rick Tang. I wanted to stop by because it has officially been a month, and the final fight is tonight. May I come in?"

Vicky immediately caught the expression in my eyes which screamed, 'no, don't let her in,' but she is also the active CEO of Star Entertainment Group, and Ana Zi happens to be one of her absolute biggest stars. She reluctantly sighed and spoke up. "Sure, come in, Ana. We are not doing anything secret here anyway, so stop by for a moment."

Ana walked into the dressing room, her high heels clicking loudly on the floor, wearing a short white dress that practically screamed raw sex appeal, designed to draw the envy of women and the absolute lust of men.

Both Vick and I were sitting on entirely separate couches across from each other, and the only logical place for Ana Zi to sit down would be next to the fellow woman. But no, she completely bypassed Vicky and slid right onto the cushion next to me like a happy, excited girl. "Well, Rick, I will be the main announcer again for the match tonight. Are you excited?"

"Honestly? No," I reply, keeping my expression flat. "I only want to win it and never do something this annoying ever again in my life. The only reason I am playing this silly game is because of Tina's request for me to win. I really don't care about the fight with Alex personally."

"Well, I will cheer for you to win tonight anyway," she murmured, leaning in a bit closer to my shoulder. "I hope you can beat him up really good after what he said about me. Thanks for letting me know what kind of man he truly was before we got serious. You completely saved my reputation, Rick. I have been waiting for your call to go out, by the way?"

I flash her a polite smile and deliver a total lie. "My Harem explicitly said no more dating for me. I already have too many wives at home, and the infighting is just completely out of control lately."

Sitting on the opposite couch, Victoria is trying incredibly hard to keep her face straight and not laugh out loud at my excuse. Hell, all of his wives had literally spent the entire day relaxing at a luxury spa together for goodness sake.

Ana leaned in even further, giving me a playful wink that let me catch the heavy scent of her perfume while almost giving me a direct peak down her low-cut dress. "Well, try hard tonight and let them know who I am. Maybe they might make a special exception for little old me, fufu."

I simply grin at this woman, who honestly could have easily tricked me with her charms if I didn't already know better from her history. "Then I will ask my first wife later tonight and let her decide if it is fine, and then I will text you her official response."

Ana rubbed her hand lightly across my knee, then stood up from the couch to smooth down her short skirt. "Then I will wish for good news. I have to go out and start the pre-show now. See you in a bit, bye..."

The moment Victoria and I watched the heavy door click shut behind her, my wife let out a long sigh, her expression turning icy. "Not with my husband, casting couch whore, sigh."

I just busted out into a loud fit of laughter, absolutely loving the fact that she seriously exposed the ugly industry truth I already expected to be true!

After a while, a backstage staff member knocked on the dressing room door, stepped in, and looked straight at me. "Mr. Lee-Tang, we are ready to bring you out for the pre-show and to present you, sir."

Vicky and I stood up from our separate couches together, and she gave me one last subtle nod before heading up to the VIP stands to sit with the hyperactive cheerleader and my maid Mei. I turned on my heel and followed the stage crew member straight down the dark, concrete corridor leading to the main ring.

Walking deep into the narrow tunnel that opened out into the massive Octagon Arena, the deafening roar of thousands of fans and the heavy bass of rock music were actively getting the crowd worked up into a complete frenzy. As I reached the edge of the tunnel mouth, the main arena music suddenly cut out, giving way to Ana's loud voice booming over the speaker system as she officially entered the center ring.

After rattling off some standard, high-energy hype to get the audience screaming, she finally announced our official entrances to the stadium.

[And from my fellow actress, Kate Kong, she and our Star Entertainment Group want to welcome our two fighters with the hot new song... Holding Out For A Hero!]

As the opening chords of the new track blared over the speakers—a song I am honestly totally guilty of listening to on my own time—I step out of the dark tunnel and into the open arena. I immediately activate Acting to channel a flawless, charismatic Kevin Costner movie-star persona, plastering a confident smile on my face to wave at the massive crowd that I can barely even see right now because of the bright, blinding stage lights pointing directly down at my face.

[And there is Number One, Rick Lee-Tang!]