Chapter 126: Remembrance Week!

Chapter 126: Remembrance Week!

That night, my father-in-law was absolutely ecstatic over our state championship victory. Hana's father couldn't stop talking about his high expectations, explicitly stating his hopes that I would carry the team all the way to a grand victory at the Eurasia Cup by the end of the year.

It was a massive hurdle. South City University had been aggressively buying top-tier ringers for the last twenty years just to lock down the brackets and prevent our school from ever advancing to the Nationals Tournament.

From the underground rumors floating around, the odds of running into actual high-level Masters skyrocketed during the Nationals. I leaned back against the couch, realizing I could finally look forward to finding some genuinely entertaining, high-stakes bouts to test my limits.

Fortunately, university classes were entirely canceled for the week, blowing the schedule wide open and leaving us with nothing but glorious, unstructured time to just lounge around the estate.

I already had a packed itinerary mapped out in my head. My plan was to take the girls out on a sequence of proper dates, dedicate some serious hours to scaling up my business operations, and make official rounds to visit each of the girls' families.

Around 11 pm, the house had finally quieted down, allowing me to gently tuck Mary into bed under the heavy quilts. I leaned down close to her ear, inhaling her soft scent as I quietly murmured that I was slipping out for a little while, promising her that I would be back before her eyes even opened in the morning.

Looking up at me from the pillows, her sharp intuition immediately guessed exactly what I really wanted to do tonight. She simply offered a soft, knowing look and let me go without making a scene.

The winter weather had taken a harsh turn outside, forcing me to bundle up tightly against the biting cold before channeling my stealth techniques to vanish silently out of the house.

I wasn't up to anything nefarious, of course. I just wanted to beat the inevitable daytime crowds and visit my father's resting place completely alone first. It gave me the privacy to say exactly what I wanted to say without holding back or showing weakness in front of the girls.

After a brief, casual wave to the security guards patrolling the perimeter, I slipped past the gates and walked out of the main residential compound.

The heavy snow was coming down fast, and as I approached my old BMW parked along the main road, my eyes instantly narrowed. The disturbed snow blanketing the chassis signaled that an intruder had already bypassed the locks. Maintaining a flawless stealth presence became an absolute nightmare in bad weather like this.

I cautiously pulled open the heavy driver's side door, ready to strike, but paused as I recognized the distinct, familiar silhouette of Mei sitting quietly in the passenger seat. I slid smoothly into the driver's seat, the cold leather creaking under my weight as I turned to look at her. "How did you know I was coming?"

Mei turned her head toward me, a brilliant, uncharacteristic warmth in her expression as she rested her chin in her hand. "Rick, I would be a bad lover if I could not guess what you are thinking, so I am coming. I want to do the same thing."

It was immediately obvious that Mei was in her rare, off-duty mode, completely stripped of her usual rigid assassin demeanor. She looked incredibly stunning and approachable, dressed casually in tight blue jeans, a soft white sweater, and a heavy bomber jacket.

The fact that she wasn't addressing me as Master sent a sudden surge of heat through my chest. Finding this hidden, fiercely cute side of her was an absolute treat, so I turned the ignition to start the engine.

The car crawled slowly down the dark street. Mei smiled softly, her chest rising and falling with a relieved breath as she realized I was taking her along without any complaints.

I navigated the slick, snow-dusted roads, glancing over at her glowing profile in the dashboard light. "Mei, we were all planning on going out to the cemetery together as a group later this week, so why did you sneak out into the freezing cold with me tonight?"

Mei didn't answer right away. Instead, she reached into her pockets and unwrapped two Tootsie-pops, separating a vibrant red cherry one and a rich chocolate one.

With a smooth, deliberate movement, she slid the chocolate Tootsie-pop directly past my lips and into my mouth, letting her warm fingers brush against my chin. She slid the cherry Tootsie-pop into her own mouth and licked the candy with a slow, distracting flick of her tongue before dropping a massive bomb on me. "Even if you did not go tonight, I would have gone alone. I need to burn incense for your father."

The rich chocolate sweetness swirled on my tongue as I processed the bizarre statement, my hands gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter. "Why my father? Is it because of some old history with my grandfather, or something from the family line?"

She pulled the wet Tootsie-pop from her lips, leaning across the center console to press her mouth firmly against mine. She gave me a deep, sweet kiss that mingled her cherry flavor with my chocolate lips right there while we were stuck at a red light.

She pulled back slowly, sinking into the passenger seat with a soft exhale before she spoke, her gaze drifting out the side window. "I told you I was saved by a spy, right?"

My mind flashed back to our earliest encounters as I kept my eyes on the road. "You told me that back in the very beginning, yeah. You said when you were only seven years old, he took you in and trained you to operate as a lethal double agent for Eurasia, yeah, I remember every word of it."

Mei tightly gripped the stick of her Tootsie-pop, her knuckles whitening slightly. "I did not have parents, and he raised me for a short time, to teach me how to survive in this world. But, he passed away before I could see him again. He gave me my first Cherry Tootsie-pop, and he ate the Chocolate ones.

He would even tell me stories before bed, about the wonderful Disneyland park he took his little boy to."

The revelation hit me like a physical blow to the chest, causing my foot to slam onto the brake as I slowly pulled the BMW over to the curb and shoved the gear shift into park. When I turned my head to look at Mei, her eyes were visibly wet, shimmering with unshed tears under the amber streetlights.

My heart tightened painfully inside my chest as the pieces violently clicked into place. I had absolutely no idea my father was operating as a deep-cover operative rather than a standard, everyday police officer.

I let out a slow, deep breath, consciously forcing my internal energy through calming exercises to stabilize my racing pulse as I processed the gravity of her confession. "Mei, I am fine, go on with your story."

To offer her some actual comfort, I reached out and took her freezing hand into mine, squeezing it firmly so she could feel the absolute depth of my love. I wanted to prove to her that I wasn't letting my swirling personal emotions cloud my judgment or distance me from her.

Mei looked down at our joined hands, a tear finally escaping and tracing a path down her pale cheek. "When he was in the China Empire, he used a different name, so I had no idea you were his child before I came to you. I really hated my actions. Hurting the son of my foster father, what kind of joke was that. I wanted to make it up to you, so I took the mission. Not because of your father, grandfather, but just you."

I could easily tell there was an entire ocean of hidden details left out of her story, but she had likely just crossed a massive line by revealing top-secret international intelligence that could get her executed. I refrained from pushing her for more, instead leaning closer to her across the seats.

"Just tell me what you can and when you are comfortable with it. I know you have reasons for keeping secrets, so just know I love you, and I am glad my father saved you, because I would not have been able to love you if he didn't."

Holding her sticky Tootsie-pop tightly in her hand, she leaned her entire body forward and crashed her lips into mine for a fiercely passionate kiss. She poured every ounce of her raw, pent-up devotion into my mouth, her fingers tangling in my hair.

I could distinctly taste the sharp, salty tang of her tears mixing with the sweet residue of cherry, until she finally broke the kiss and sat back in her seat. She popped the cherry Tootsie-pop back into her mouth, her voice stabilizing as she stared straight ahead. "Let us go, I want to tell him that I went to Disneyland with his son, and... I love him very much. And you cannot lie to the dead."

She had already cleanly wiped away the moisture from her face with the back of her sleeve, instantly shifting back into her standard, composed operational mode. It was obvious she had been carrying this crushing weight for a long time, dying to share just this small piece of the truth with me, so I shifted the car back into drive and pulled smoothly onto the dark street.

The tires crunched loudly against the fresh layer of powder as we finally arrived at the Star City Public Crematory and Cemetery. In this world, only the wealthy nobility resting in the exclusive nobles' graveyards used grand caskets to bury the intact physical bodies of their family members. It was a traditional custom highly reminiscent of my old world that was probably brought over by a past reincarnation of myself.

For roughly ninety percent of the civilized human population living across Pangaea, we cremate our dead, shallowly burying the resulting ashes to swiftly return our vessels to the earth. Most humans here found the mental image of maggots slowly boring through their flesh and feeding the lowest lifeforms completely repulsive.

As a practical bonus, the universal adoption of cremation successfully prevented many of the devastating plagues from my past Earth from ever taking root here.

Despite the lack of full bodies, we still utilized standard stone headstones to mark the final place of rest, providing a solid surface for family members to burn ceremonial incense on top of the rock. Because of this system, a widespread rumor claimed that if a body was left out to rot without being cremated or properly buried, the soul would be permanently barred from entering the cycle of reincarnation.

This served as an excellent cultural motivator for people to properly care for their dead and show respect.

Even with my current noble standing, I knew I would still personally demand cremation when my time came. Growing up on Earth instilled a permanent disgust regarding the idea of worms nesting inside my corpse. Sure, I wouldn't have any actual use for the physical shell once I passed on, but damn, it was just an incredibly ugly thought to dwell on.

Mei and I walked arm in arm through the pitch-black, snow-covered cemetery grounds, our boots sinking deep into the white blanket. We slowly navigated the winding paths toward my father's grave, our breath forming thick white clouds in the freezing air. This was officially Mei's very first time visiting the site, since her ignorance of my dad's real identity had kept her from ever locating the plot in the past.

As we ventured deeper into the desolate cemetery, we noticed a few scattered families burning incense at midnight. This was the exact hour the remembrance rituals officially commenced for those wanting to be the absolute first to honor their lineage.

The moment Mei and I rounded the snow-laden hedges near my parents' joint headstone, my entire body froze solid. A massive man was already standing over the plot, calmly burning incense right on top of my father's grave.

The stranger was easily as tall as me but possessed a significantly more muscular, imposing frame. He was wrapped in a heavy white cloak with the hood pulled low to shield his face from the falling snow, the pristine color immediately alluding to a non-criminal status.

What truly sent a shockwave of adrenaline through my veins, however, was the terrifying, overwhelming aura of a Grandmaster radiating from his body. His every micro-movement screamed lethal danger. He was the kind of apex predator where a simple, casual flick of his fist could effortlessly end a normal man's life in an instant.

I instinctively extended my arm, slowly moving Mei behind the safety of my back while keeping my eyes locked on his frame.

The man spoke clearly into the cold air without bothering to turn his head to look at us, the sound of his voice cutting through the wind. [We are not fighting today. This is a sacred day, so no fighting, with fist or words. I will be done shortly.]

A powerful, protective urge to yell at him to step away from my family grave flared up inside me, but his calm words carried an undeniable truth for the holiday. Mei gripped the fabric of my sleeve tightly, her body sinking directly into my shadow as she trembled. She was visibly terrified that this monster might strike her down in a flash.

It wasn't that he was actively threatening us, but his sheer presence and flawless posture gave off the terrifying illusion of looking directly at an active executioner.

After murmuring a few quiet, indistinguishable words into the rising tendrils of incense smoke, the cloaked figure turned and walked directly past me.

He paused for a brief second right beside us without ever tilting his face enough to let us see his features. [Your life should be peaceful till your 24th birthday, so I advise you to build your Empire by then, if you want to resist the chains of fate.]

Before my reflexes could even register the movement to dodge or avoid the contact, his heavy, gloved hand dropped onto my shoulder. He gave it a firm, weighted pat before he shifted his hidden gaze directly toward Mei. [He is more your Emperor than anyone else, so concubine, take good care of him.]

He stepped away, his boots making absolutely no sound as he walked into the dark. The exact millisecond we turned our heads to track his exit, he had completely vanished into the flurries like a literal ghost.

The sheer density of his physical strength was at a true Grandmaster level, meaning he could easily crush me at my current level of bodily development.

Even with my past-life experience, I could feel an intense pressure radiating from him that I had never encountered before in this life. It confirmed his identity as the strongest man in Eurasia, General Lee.

Mei wrapped her arms tightly around my waist from behind, her slender frame slightly trembling against my back. She was completely overwhelmed by the oppressive, suffocating charisma of a warlord who had personally slaughtered thousands of men with his bare hands without ever needing a firearm.

I let out a soft chuckle, spinning her around into the warmth of my chest and gently patting her back to soothe her nerves. Seeing the fearsome, deadly Mei completely terrified was a brand-new experience for me. I looked over her shoulder at the smoking incense on the gravestone, left with the distinct realization that maybe I was only capable of facing that man's gaze because of who I truly am.

"You alright dear?" I asked, looking down at her.

"Hmm! I think meeting him in a graveyard was a bit much though, fufu. I am always terrified when I meet him, my instinct tells me to run." Mei leaned closer into my chest, a small, breathless laugh escaping her lips as her trembling finally began to fade.

"Let us greet my family, we are here after all." I gently squeezed her shoulder, guiding her back toward the path...

A few hundred feet away from where Mei and I stood, the snow was falling heavily around the dense treeline. General Lee stood perfectly still in his blindingly white cloak, looking exactly like a white Reaper materialized from the winter storm. Standing directly in front of him was a woman wrapped in a long, elegant white fur coat. The woman was Lucy Shen, otherwise known to a select few as May Lee.

"So?" Lucy asked, tilting her head as she looked up at the legendary warrior.

[The hair on the back of my neck stood. I have not felt danger but from one other person. He is taking his training better than I thought. With all of his wives, I thought he had fallen into debauchery, but I was wrong.] Lee's voice was a low, resonant rumble that seemed to vibrate through the freezing air itself.

"The more he loves, the more he wants to protect. It moves him forward, fufu." Lucy let out a soft chuckle, reaching into her white coat and pulling out a small, sleek drive. She held it out between them, her fingers steady in the cold weather.

"Here, this USB has everything you need to know, and nothing you don't need to know. Kimberly Long is in there, so deal with her for me, she is a poison pill to the Long. Rick needs her gone. Don't rush it, but just deal with her the normal way."

[Why does it seem I am working for you now, brat?] Lee's gloved hand snapped out, snatching the drive from her fingers with effortless speed.

"Because I love him more than all of you. I will make sure his enemies fall, even the Traditionalists. They have become rotten. So I will make Rick stronger than them before the showdown with Central."

Lucy's playful demeanor completely vanished, her eyes locking onto his with absolute intensity. She took a step closer, her voice dropping to a serious whisper. "Just don't die before that waste's 18th birthday. Rick can use your help then, and a dead old man is not good. I won't burn incense for you if you die before then."

[You are so much like your mother it is scary. She was the only person that could beat my ass. She was too intense in her love for me, so I guess your obsession was passed to you from her. That said, don't go dying like your mother did, that will break his heart.] Lee let out a rare, low grunt, his posture shifting slightly under the heavy cloak.

"Yup, I don't want Rick to be like you with a cold-heart." Lucy smiled again, though her eyes remained sharp as she looked at the snow around his boots. "As for mother, she killed most of those traitorous bastards anyway, so they don't look sideways at us anymore. I can only fight with computers, so I am a different kind of blade. Well, I guess I will see you again a year from now, here?"

[That is right. You are dead, so I don't want them to find you till Rick is ready to defend you. Try not to drown him in your deep affections. Bye.] The white Reaper gave a single nod, the fabric of his cloak snapping in the wind.

The exact moment Lucy stuck her tongue out at her father, he simply vanished from sight, leaving absolutely no footprints behind in the fresh powder.

Her blue eyes immediately drifted back toward the clearing where I was standing with Mei, a warm, soft smile stretching across her face.

She turned and began walking through the deep snow in my direction, her lips moving as she muttered to herself. "My deep affection can only be his, and he can have all he wants. I am his, fufu."

Back at the headstone, my eyes scanned the clean, engraved text cut into the dark granite block. [Sally Lee, Rick Lee, Lucy Lee]

The nice thing about this layout was that my real mother and my step-mother were both laid to rest together right alongside my father. It made things incredibly convenient, since I only needed to light a single stick of incense to honor all of them at once.

Commoners in this world could basically have their entire family line be buried in a small 10 x 10 plot of land, for generations. Simply engrave the name into the stone and shallowly plant the ashes.

Because of secrets, I took a deliberate step backward, giving Mei some space so she could whisper the things she wants my father to know. Looking at the names, a strange thought crossed my mind, making me feel as though my father had intentionally saved Mei, Linda, and Mercy specifically for me to find.

I knew it was total bullshit logically, except for the situation with Linda, of course. But thinking about it that way made his past sacrifices mean something real to me. He spent his entire life protecting people.

I pulled my smartphone from my pocket to check the time, my eyes widening slightly at the numbers on the screen. I shook my head with a faint smile, sliding the device away.

A sudden, familiar scent of fresh strawberries drifted through the cold air, completely overriding the smell of burning incense. Before I could even turn around, a pair of arms wrapped firmly around my torso from behind, a soft body pressing tightly against my back. "When I noticed you here, I was going to surprise you, but I forgot about the Cat and Mouse, fufu. Hello Rick, saying prayers to your parents?"

"I am," I replied, my voice muffled slightly by the heavy fabric of my winter gear. "And may I ask why you are hugging me so tight?"

"First, I am cold. Second, it is a graveyard and I want to feel safe. And third, I just really wanted to hug you." Lucy's voice was warm against my shoulder, her grip tightening around my chest.

"Your honesty is both refreshing and scary. So why are you out here so late? Did you come to burn incense here too?" I let out a dry breath, the cold air turning it into a white cloud.

She smoothly slid around to my front, her warm breath creating thick plumes of steam between our faces. Without a hint of hesitation, she blatantly hugged my waist, pressing herself so close that I suddenly had absolutely no idea what to do with my arms.

Her striking blue eyes looked up at me with a distinctly challenging glint, her black hair catching the dim light of the cemetery. "I will burn some for your father, but I really wanted to see you first. Oh, and if you don't want me to hug you, just push me away."

I rolled my eyes at her, especially when I felt her fingers subtly tighten their hold on my coat, anchoring herself to me. I glanced over and saw Mei watching us from the side of the headstone.

Judging by the fierce glare on her face, my gut was telling me she was actively complaining to my father's spirit about Lucy's behavior. I felt completely helpless in this situation. Pushing Lucy away felt wrong, and I knew doing something like that would be a bad sign for a special woman who had consistently aided me.

I just muttered a quiet curse to myself and let my arms wrap gently around her back, realizing it looked far less awkward than dangling them at my sides like a broken bird. Lucy smile brightly the exact second she felt my hands touch her coat, her eyes crinkling with pure satisfaction.

"Rick, I won't bite or force you to kiss me or anything like that, but letting me hug you makes me so happy. And you are very warm. I think winter is my new favorite season. Well, until summer, then I can show you my bathing suits, fufu."

"You are really 13 years older than me, right?" I asked, looking closely at her smooth skin. "It is hard to tell, because you look 25."

Her smile turned almost erotic, a sudden, heavy shudder running through her frame as she held me tighter. "It is because of good family genetics. When my mom was 50, she looked no older than 30, so I am going to age like that. Something to consider, right?"

The thick fur of her coat felt incredibly soft against my hands, and looking down at her, I was forcefully reminded of just how beautiful of a woman she actually was. My mind flashed back to the intense moments in the Island bathroom, and a flood of childhood memories suddenly rushed through my brain.

I hadn't even realized a faint smile had formed on my face. Lucy had always been there for me, working silently in the shadows to keep me safe, just like she was doing right now by holding me in a freezing graveyard.

"Cough, I am done." Mei's sharp voice broke the silence, her arms crossed tightly over her white sweater as she stood next to us. She was glaring at Lucy like she was an annoying insect.

Lucy laughed softly, reluctantly loosening her grip on my waist as she stepped back. "Your timing is horrible Mei, he was about to kiss me, Ufufu. Fine, let me say my prayers."

The exact moment Lucy let me go to approach the stone and light a stick of incense, Mei aggressively lunged forward, jumping directly into my arms to completely block Lucy from reclaiming her spot. I couldn't help but smile when I noticed Mei turning her head to stick her tongue out at Lucy's back.

Their actual relationship had to be incredibly good behind the scenes for them to act like this.

Watching Lucy kneel respectfully in front of the stone, my mind drifted to the names again, specifically recalling that Mary's mother was also named Lucy. It realized it wasn't some random anime memory that made me say the name back then; my brain must have simply remembered Mary's mother from my earliest years.

Both of the women possessed the exact same striking black hair and deep blue eyes. Lucy was just a common name in this world, much like Chris, Tony, Kim, Kimberly, or even Rick.

Mei shifted her weight in my arms, looking up at me with a serious expression. "Do you like that Lucy woman?"

"I know I should say no. I want to say no. But, I might." I sighed, looking at the smoke rising into the snow.

"Don't let her bully me. She seems like a bully." Mei pouted, her fingers digging into my jacket.

Lucy had explicitly told me not to let Mei know that I was aware of her true identity, so I intended to respect that boundary for now, assuming she had vital tactical reasons for the secrecy. I leaned down, pressing a quick kiss against Mei's cold lips. "No one is allowed to bully my Mei. But don't start a fight because of that, be respectful."

"Damn, you saw through me. Now I have to annoy her some other way." Mei grumbled, her eyes narrowing as she thought.

"Why do you even want to bully Lucy Shen?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Mei completely froze, realizing for a split second that she had messed up by using her full name when she wasn't supposed to know her, but she quickly recovered with a smug grin. "Because in our fake threesome, she was hogging all the finishes!"

"...................."

I stared at her in utter, mind-numbing silence, completely speechless that a woman could be this incredibly petty over a fictional, simulated encounter.

Mei clearly felt she had just scored a massive, victorious blow against my common sense, her chest puffing out proudly as Lucy finished her prayers and walked back to us, looking deeply unhappy that she had lost her spot against my chest.

"Rick, are you going to say anything to him?" Lucy asked, looking at the gravestone.

"I talk to him in my dreams," I replied, my voice steady as I looked at the three names one last time. "I only have to protect everything he left behind for me. He left me a clear mission before he left us. He has had a lot of important people he gave everything for talk to him, so let him rest a bit. I will come back. Let's get you two out of the cold."

Mary, Linda, Mercy, Mei, and Lucy. Every single one of them was an important person my father had dedicated his life to protecting. Now, it was my turn to do the exact same thing, and that was the true, silent prayer I offered to him tonight. Looking at their faces, I could tell both women understood exactly what I meant.

"Miss Xia, is that your wallet laying on the tombstone?" Lucy suddenly asked, pointing a manicured finger toward the granite block.

Mei glanced over, her left eyebrow twitching violently as she realized exactly what had just happened. She knew damn well that Lucy had just skillfully picked her pocket to force her to let go of me. Mei glared at Lucy, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Can you please get it for me, thanks."

Before these two could devolve into an absolute circus trying to wrestle over who got to hug me next, I quickly broke away from both of them and stepped over to pick up the wallet myself. Both of their lips instantly ballooned into identical pouts when they realized they had lost their leverage. I let out a small smirk. Got them.

"Rick dear, please walk me back to my car, thanks." Lucy smiled, offering her arm.

I let out a heavy sigh, shaking my head as I opened my arms to both of them. Here I was, walking through a freezing, midnight graveyard with two beautiful women clamped onto my sides. Come with one, leave with two.