Chapter 119: Rick Lee Rejected Kate Kong!

Chapter 119: Rick Lee Rejected Kate Kong!

"You have an event, and I need to leave, so here is your letter back. It was good to see you."

Without waiting for her to process the words, I shoved the envelope back into her hands, grabbed Victoria firmly by the arm, and executed a swift exit stage left.

While still pulling Victoria along down the narrow corridors, I offered a hasty goodbye to my completely confused father-in-law, and the pair of us left the venue before the crowd could block our path.

Once we stepped outside into the biting morning air, Victoria adjusted her coat and looked over at me with a questioning glance. "Dear, why did we leave like that?"

I scanned the immediate area, making absolutely sure no one was listening in or standing close enough to catch our whispers before answering her.

"Vicky, could you not see the shit-storm brewing in there? Everyone is taking pictures and filming us! Do you have any idea what the nation is going to think now? No, I advanced backward to avoid angering the mob."

Victoria let out a light chuckle, completely unfazed by the sudden retreat. "Why would they get angry? You were just reuniting with an old friend, right?"

Instead of arguing, I pulled out my smartphone and opened the official university forum to see the damage. Yup, the first thread was already pinned right at the top, and I turned the screen so Vicky could see the title.

The name of the thread was called: Kate Kong's love confession, Rejected!

Victoria leaned closer to watch the attached video clip, which perfectly captured the two of us walking over to the table and Kate standing up in shock. It showed me receiving and emotionally reading a letter, followed by Kate clarifying that it belonged to her. Then came the exact moment I called her an idiot girl, immediately triggering her to throw herself right into my arms.

The best part of the video showed me handing over my handkerchief and her letter back, before completely bolting from the scene with another woman tightly in tow.

Victoria scrolled down, her eyes scanning through the rapid-fire comments left by the campus community.

[????: WTF Kate fell in loooooove!]

[????: Did that man just brutishly reject Kate Kong?!?!]

[????: That guy should die!]

[????: He made her cry!]

[????: That is Rick Tang, right?!]

[????: Fuck, that guy is a dick, I would have stayed and accepted her!]

[????: Look she seems so sad, that guy is soooo heartless. Poor Kate.]

[????: This is good, it means I can swoop in and mend her broken heart.]

Victoria handed me back my phone, a look of pure, exaggerated pity plastering her face as she looked at me. I immediately pointed a finger right at her nose. "This is totally your fault for making us come here in the first place."

Vicky simply shook her head, a brilliant, scheming glint flashing in her eyes. "No, look at it this way. This was much better than it happening live at the New Years Eve Event."

My eyes widened at her words, a cold sweat breaking out down my spine as I asked the one question I really didn't want to hear the answer to. "You are not making me go to that now, are you?"

"If you don't, those morons like Sam Sun will be nagging your wife all night."

I slumped my shoulders in total defeat, letting out a frustrated groan. "Fuck. Fine, I will go. But now what the hell do I do? This Kate Kong was just a girl I met when I was like ten, and we were only pen-pals for two years. My idol dreams are completely shattered now. And why the hell was she so emotional to see me anyway? I only pulled her dumb ass out of a tree and wrote a few letters."

As we picked up our pace on the long walk back to the main building, I laid out the entire history of our childhood interactions, explaining every single detail to Vicky so she would understand the full story.

A short while later, we were safely hidden away inside Vicky's private office, digging into a spread of takeout containers. Linda had brought the food up for us and was currently sitting to the side on the couch, watching quietly while Vicky and I ate at the desk.

Linda leaned forward, her voice breaking the silence. "Yes, Tina put that video in Harem-Chat, and Mary said you indeed had a pen-pal named Katelyn Pu, but that did look like a bad rejection, Rick. Mary is also stunned about it. She wanted me to tell you it will be fine, and she will hug you later."

I set my chopsticks down, walking over to wrap my arms around the cute Linda to ease her worries. "It is like the classic telephone game with anything to do with entertainers. It is not the fact that I knew her that bothers me, it's the crazy fans that I didn't want to deal with."

Vicky looked up from her own phone screen, a playful, incredibly amused expression gracing her features as she spoke. "Rick, you are right. It is getting worse, because now they are speculating about our relationship. The fact that you handed her the letter then pulled me away from the scene. Oh my, looks like you and I might get exposed sooner or later. Well, what happens will happen."

Both Linda and Victoria shared a quiet laugh, thoroughly enjoying the sheer misery of my current situation.

I sighed heavily, rubbing the back of my neck. "Sigh. Sorry Vick, I didn't mean to make such a massive blunder."

Victoria rose from her chair and stepped into my space, leaning in to press a deep, lingering kiss against my lips. She pulled back with a warm, radiant smile that completely banished any lingering anxiety in my chest. "You are my husband, and I don't care who knows. Don't worry, I really don't mind. No one can do anything to me for being your wife, so ignore the hiding part. We just deny everything and act how we want."

She smoothed down the lapels of my suit jacket, her gaze steady and unwavering. "Smart people will figure it out soon enough anyway. They just have to look at my sealed records and the fact that I stay at the mansion every Friday. Even if they say anything, I will simply ignore them. I have you, and that is all I truly need. Now, go to class before you two are late. See you later, Linda."

Taking her wise words to heart, Linda and I grabbed our bags and left the office. I walked her down the crowded hall to her Introduction to Fashion course, making sure she got inside safely before turning on my heel and heading straight toward the Kung-Fu Club...

The atmosphere in the locker room was thick. The moment I finished changing and walked out of the shower room, absolutely every student in the facility turned their head to stare directly at me.

My Acting skill instantly flared to life, working overtime to keep my expression completely calm and collected while my pulse raced. I was definitely used to drawing a crowd for my brutal fights, but this level of intense public attention was a completely different beast.

Coach Tracy Hong was waiting near the center mat. The moment she caught sight of me, her Love-Triangle eyes gleamed with pure joy, and she waved me over to join the group of students standing in a semi-circle. These individuals were going to be the main force representing our university challenge next week.

The lineup consisted of a smiling Tony Deng, a grinning Scott Song, and three unfamiliar faces. The first was a large, chubby foreign exchange student from the Japanese Empire with a cleanly shaven head. Standing next to him was a well-built, incredibly fit blonde American man with sharp brown eyes, and finally, a fit, shorter blonde American woman with striking blue eyes.

Coach Tracy stepped forward, pointing to each of the newcomers to introduce them to me. When she reached the massive sumo wrestler, she smiled. "And this is our foreign exchange student, Matsuda Tanaka. He is a photography major and wants to be a journalist."

The tall man, who easily matched my own height, blushed a bit under our gazes before offering a wide grin, his thick foreign accent coming through clearly. "Hello White Tiger, I actually want to photograph for the Sports Illustrated magazine, he-he."

I tracked his line of sight, noticing the oversized man casting frequent glances toward the girls on the side, his eyes lingering explicitly on Tina's large breasts. It was pretty obvious he was dreaming about taking swimsuit edition pictures in the future, but he seemed friendly enough despite the perverted streak. I extended my hand to initiate a firm handshake. "Greetings Mr Tanaka, I hope you have been treated well in Eurasia. Let's win the tournament."

Coach Tracy then shifted her focus, pointing directly toward the muscular boxer fellow. "And this is our foreign exchange student, Ralph Colt. He is studying to be an international businessman for his family business of selling firearms and ammunition."

Ralph immediately puffed out his chest, putting on an arrogant air as if he had personally made his family's global corporation famous. He reached out to shake my hand, his accent sounding identical to Kim Smith's sharp tone. "Sup Mate, you a noble of Eurasia? Well I will carry the team for you, ha-ha! Oh, and you girls over there, I only have 3 wives, so I can still have a few more if you want to go to the UK?"

I let go of his hand, looking at the cocky guy with a deadpan expression. "I love your family's Colt .45 ammo. I have killed many with them. Good stuff."

Ralph's smug smile froze instantly, his face twitching in visible shock as he looked around the room, realizing that absolutely no one in the club was stepping forward to deny my casual claim of murder. Coach Tracy ignored the sudden tension, quickly introducing the blonde woman to break the silence. "And this pretty foreign exchange student is Jill Hammer, she is studying to be a doctor."

The woman looked like a slightly younger version of Kim, but her bright blue eyes held a much sharper focus. She stepped forward, offering a respectful nod as she evaluated my frame. "I have seen your scuffles, Mr Tang. And you are a rugged wild horse. Please work well with me."

I rolled my shoulders, noting that some of the phrases these North Americans used weren't entirely from the traditional America of my past life.

Instead, their vocabulary seemed like a strange blend inherited from old nations like England, the USA, and Ireland, making their speech sound like it had traveled straight out of a history book from a hundred years ago. I shook her hand firmly. "Don't worry Miss Hammer, I can help with using your Kickboxing for tournament play."

Apparently, this American woman’s forward introduction was a bit too close to flirting for comfort. Before I could even drop her hand, Tina marched right across the mats, wedging herself into the space between us as she took my arm in a protective grip.

Tina glared directly at the blonde, her voice dripping with territorial authority. "Miss Hammer, training with my fiance is fine, but anything more is strictly forbidden. His other 8 wives will not let him date, thanks."

I blinked down at Tina, my mind instantly catching the math behind her sudden outburst. If she was claiming I had eight other wives, she must be actively counting Mei and Mercy in the harem total, but she had completely excluded Jenifer from the list. I stroked my chin thoughtfully, wondering if my initial theories had been entirely wrong. Did Jenifer not want to be a mistress after all?

Jill already knew of Tina’s high-standing reputation as a big-time noble lady within the Eurasia hierarchy, prompting her to immediately cut her own train of thought short. She offered a cooperative nod, looking directly at Tina to clarify her boundaries. "Just normal friends are fine then? I have no intention of stepping in."

Tina always appreciated smart, perceptive women who understood the room. Her expression softened, and she offered a welcoming smile in return. "Rick is a good trainer, so friends are perfect. Let's work together."

Listening to them talk, a wave of pure relief washed over me. I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of gratitude that my harem routinely headed off potential romantic rivals before I even noticed them. Thank god.

Tsk! A sharp, clicking sound echoed from the edge of the mats, and I looked over to catch the sudden flash of disappointment in Coach Tracy’s eyes.

She clicked her tongue in sheer frustration, looking exactly like a desperate web-novel author who had just watched a potentially juicy plot point get utterly crushed, robbing her of a great chapter idea.

Scott stepped forward, crossing his arms as he looked past me to address the coach directly. "Hey, Kung-Fu lady, I am not going to work with Rick or take his orders. You know he stole my wives, right?"

Apparently, Coach Tracy had been living under a total rock when it came to local campus gossip. Her eyes opened wide in absolute shock, her gaze bouncing between the two of us until I simply offered her a relaxed, unbothered smile. "He is actually right this time. I stole his two wives and his soon-to-be fiancee, so he isn't falsely accusing me of anything. Oh, and I hired his personal maid at that. So it is completely fine if he wants to ignore me, ha-ha."

The sheer absurdity of the statement caused Matsuda, Ralph, and Jill to freeze, all three of them turning to shoot me incredibly funny, bewildered looks. Well, I was the one who did the crime, so I was perfectly fine with owning up to it in the open.

Ralph let out a sudden, boisterous laugh, clapping his hands together in absolute delight. "You may not meet my wives! Damn, I can't wait to tell this story in the pubs, ha-ha!"

Coach Tracy's eyes instantly regained their bright spark of life upon hearing the confirmation of the drama. Scott, on the other hand, stiffened as he realized his public complaint had completely backfired, only succeeded in making me look incredibly interesting while making himself look pathetic and weak. Poor Scotty.

Brushing the petty rivalry aside, I immediately shifted my focus toward the training session, offering my help to whoever was actually willing to learn alongside me. The massive sumo wrestler, Matsuda, was thoroughly amazed by my deep understanding of his style, his jaw dropping as I analyzed his movements. Since I was fighting at about half his actual weight class, I kept our interaction purely technical, breaking down the mechanics of balance and leverage to help him optimize his standard shifts.

Unfortunately, once the training session concluded and I left the mats, the sheer volume of negative attention following me through the halls was becoming a massive pain. Still, I had to admit that if I were an actual professional actor, this level of viral controversy would be considered top-tier publicity.

My girls had spent the entire afternoon fielding endless questions from a horde of curious students across campus. To make matters worse, I had a very strong suspicion that Nadia or Nichole was actively inventing random, chaotic rumors just to stoke the flames.

The moment we finally escaped the building and piled into the safety of the limo, the twins immediately took up positions on either side of me, each grabbing an arm while grinning up at my thoroughly exhausted expression. These two truly were absolute sadists when it came to mocking my misery.

Mei leaned her head against my shoulder, pulling up her phone screen with a soft giggle. "Master, you and your idol have even made it onto the mainstream entertainment news podcasts. They are calling you the heartless man who cruelly shot down Miss Kong's very first love confession, fufu."

I rubbed my temples, letting out a heavy groan. "Seriously ladies, please stop. You all know I am completely innocent in this. It wasn't a damn confession, it was just her frantically explaining her identity to me. I only told her to focus on her job so we could avoid all of this exact nonsense."

Tina, completely refusing to let me off the hook, leaned forward from her seat with a brilliant, teasing smirk. "So, did you at least manage to get her autograph while she was hugging you so tightly? Oh wait, if you still have those old childhood letters, they might sell for an absolute fortune online, fufu."

Nadia’s eyes instantly lit up with pure dollar signs upon hearing the suggestion, turning to Tina with an excited gasp. "Really?! How much do you think we can get for them? Oh, let's photocopy the pages first and sell the scans to the tabloids! Then, once those stop generating money, we can host a massive auction for the original copies!"

Catching the absolute deadpan, unamused glare I was throwing her way, Nadia let out a bright laugh and immediately executed a swift reversal. She surged forward, pressing her soft lips against mine in a lingering kiss. "Ha-ha, mwah! Just kidding Ricky, I would never actually do that to you, fufu."

Nichole simply rolled her eyes from the opposite corner, knowing full well her twin would have absolutely done it in a heartbeat if given the chance.

For the rest of the evening, my quiet night was completely hijacked. I was forced to explain every single detail of my childhood past, track down the location of my old yellowed letters, and endure merciless teasing from the entire household until I finally went to bed.

Over at the Velvet Tower, the luxury corporate headquarters hummed with activity. The thirty-eighth floor was designed for high-level operations, featuring three massive boardrooms—the largest occupying the north side, while two smaller ones handled meetings on the east and west sections. The remaining space was dedicated to the ten executive officers, providing each with a lavish, expansive office tailored for both personal and corporate use.

Pam Sun sat behind the heavy mahogany desk in her personal office, her expression strained as she reviewed a pile of high-profile contracts. She was currently authorizing large budgets for upcoming films and events, focusing heavily on maximizing the marketing push for the highly anticipated New Years Eve Bash.

Her precious son, Sam, was currently sitting across from her, literally sniffling and whining about the brutal public humiliation he had suffered at the hands of Victoria’s bodyguard, whom Pam had only briefly met during the last joint corporate assembly.

Pam slammed her pen down on the desk, letting out a sharp, irritated sigh. "Stop your sniffling, it is incredibly distracting. You aren't even physically hurt, sigh. You are an adult, Sam, so start acting like one. What exactly do you expect me to do about him? Victoria was standing right there with him, so how am I supposed to dictate her security choices?"

Sam wiped his nose, his expression twisting into a desperate, plotting look. "Mother, you have leverage. Can't you just talk to her sister, Head Long, and arrange a marriage agreement between us? Or at least have her deal with this Tang kid! He is actively telling Victoria what to do, which is completely wrong. What if he is blackmailing her with something? That has to be it! If we expose him and help her, she will instantly fall for me as her hero!"

Pam looked at her son with a mix of exhaustion and pity. "Snookums, I love your creative acting ability, but you are spinning completely far-fetched fantasies right now. I have already personally spoken to Kimberly about Rick Tang, and she explicitly stated that she cannot touch him under any circumstances, though she refused to provide me with the specific reasons why. If that kid holds any blackmail, he holds it over the entire Long clan hierarchy. Judging by how comfortably she behaves around this Rick kid, they might even end up getting married."

Sam slammed his fists onto his knees, throwing a full-blown tantrum. "No! Mommy, please, you have to call in your corporate favors! I want to marry Victoria Long! I saw her first!"

Smack!

Pam picked up a heavy reference book from her desk and slammed it violently against the wood, the sharp crack cutting her son's whining short. She leaned forward, her eyes locking onto his with absolute gravity. "Remember Chuck Ben? He harbored those exact same foolish desires to marry Victoria. Do you know what happened to him recently? He was brutally killed on the very same island as Rick Tang. The current rumors state the Fire Birds handled his execution inside the jail cells, and guess who put him in there to begin with? That is right, Rick Tang. Pudding Pie, I do not want you messing with Victoria or the Fire Birds ever again, or you might end up as the next Chuck."

Sam swallowed hard, his face turning pale before a malicious alternative flashed through his mind. "That bitch Kate Kong is childhood friends with Rick. If I can't have Victoria, then I can just take her instead, right?"

Pam’s expression hardened instantly, her voice dropping into a stern, warning register. "No! Kate Kong brings my Star Entertainment Group a massive amount of revenue. I warned you the last time you tried to push her boundaries. You can play around with any of the new, desperate girls signed to the lower tiers because they want industry favors, but do not touch our primary moneymakers. If you ruin her image, I am the one who loses my executive job, while you only get a light scolding."

Sam narrowed his blue eyes, a slick, arrogant grin slowly returning to his face as a despicable plan formed. "Don't worry mother, I don't need to force her. I can easily have a few of my loyal girls frame him for a rape charge or something similar. He will get thrown straight into jail, and the problem is solved. See? Easy."

Pam Sun went quiet, her fingers tapping against the armrest as she actively calculated the overall feasibility and corporate benefits of such a move. A slow, calculating smile gradually spread across her face...

Down on the thirteenth floor of the Velvet Tower, the main administrative offices for Star Entertainment Group were bustling with production staff.

The subsidiary company effectively controlled the mid-levels of the building, utilizing a state-of-the-art recording studio on the twelfth floor and a dedicated television broadcasting station on the eleventh floor to manage internet interviews and radio shows. For full-scale cinematic films and massive television programs, the company relied on their sprawling production studio facility located in the northwest section of the city.

Currently, Kate Kong was seated in front of a high-end webcam inside one of the broadcasting booths, participating in a live online interview to promote her return and build hype for the New Years Eve Event. The young female host across from her was practically radiating excitement, the latest campus gossip providing the perfect material for her show.

The host leaned closer to her microphone, her face filled with pure curiosity. "So Kate, it sounds like this afternoon's chaotic event was completely misreported by the tabloids? What is the real story behind the mystery bodyguard?"

Kate adjusted her blue sweater, her eyes lighting up with genuine enthusiasm as she looked directly into the camera. "Well Paula, Rick and I were actually childhood friends who shared a very special pen-pal relationship. We first met when I was young and got stuck at the top of a super tall tree, and he climbed all the way up to rescue me. After saving me, he made his way down by literally breaking through the heavy branches with absolutely no injuries. That was a drop of a whole twenty feet for a ten-year-old boy! He proudly told me his name was Action Movie Star, Rick Lee, and that he always did all his own stunts. You know, he is the exact reason I chose to go into the acting industry in the first place!"

Paula gasped, her hands moving to her mouth in surprise. "So why did the two of you lose touch for so long?"

Kate’s expression darkened for a brief second, a hint of lingering anger tracing her features. "My wicked mother intentionally intercepted all of his incoming letters and falsely told me that he had died in an accident. But then I saw his brutal fighting clips circulating online, and I knew instantly that he was alive. Oh, and he was also the lead actor who did that hilarious Harem-Chat commercial, fufu."

Paula snapped her fingers in sudden realization, leaning back with a laugh. "Oh! That is the exact guy you are talking about? He was absolutely hilarious in that ad campaign! I think he would do incredible work if he ever signed on for an action-comedy film!"

Kate’s excitement completely boiled over at the host’s agreement, her carefully constructed idol composure slipping entirely as she accidentally leaked her personal agenda to the live audience. "I actually refused to reprise my role in the upcoming sequel for The Vampire I Fell For because I absolutely despised the male lead the casting directors picked out. But if Rick Lee takes the role, I will sign the contract for the sequel immediately! Plus, Rick is a real-life bodyguard, which happens to be the exact role of the male lead in the script! Ufufu. If he agrees to do it, he would do all his own stunts too. Is that not incredibly exciting?!"