Chapter 134: Out With The Old And In With The New!

Chapter 134: Out With The Old And In With The New!

January 1st, Rick Tang's Mansion.

I sat right in the center-most seat of our main living room couch, completely pinned down on all sides as my wives aggressively teased me over the morning television broadcast. The wide digital display was currently looping high-definition replay highlights of last night's massive New Year's Eve Bash, and the girls were treating it like prime-time entertainment. Mary was practically vibrating with amusement next to me, her shoulder bumping against mine as she pointed a manicured finger at the glossy screen where Kate Kong was flagrantly winking toward the camera.

"Haha! Look at his eyes, everyone!" Mary's laughter rang out across the room, her eyes sparkling with absolute delight as she looked between my increasingly stiff expression and the broadcast. "He played it absolutely cool on the outside, but his eyes are totally betraying him. That is the exact face of him seeing his childhood idol crush and trying to act like she wasn't blatantly flirting with him on national television!"

"Lies, woman! I was consciously trying to not embarrass Vicky in front of the entire high-society crowd!" I immediately shifted my weight on the plush cushions, throwing my hands up in a desperate, defensive bid to shield my honor against the rising tide of feminine laughter.

From the far end of the sofa, Nadia let out a soft, melodic chuckle, waiting for the current segment of ballroom dance footage to finish before leaning comfortably across the armrest to rile up the rest of the room. "Oh, my little Ricky looks so deeply touched by it all! Come here and give me a sweet kissy, mwah! Ufufu!"

Hana leaned forward from her plush armchair, setting her teacup down with a soft click as she bypassed my embarrassment entirely to look over at Victoria with a curious hum. "Was it fun to completely shock everyone last night with the sudden marriage reveal, Vicky? And have you heard anything at all from your older sister yet?"

"It felt really wonderful to finally drop the hammer on them," Victoria admitted, resting her cheek against her palm with a tired sigh as she adjusted her posture. "But oddly enough, I have heard from absolutely everybody except my sister. I currently have about two hundred unread voicemails that I still have to manually get through today, sigh."

Tina tuned out the small talk entirely, her eyes narrowing into a sharp glare as the camera panned across the crowded ballroom floor, briefly catching a glimpse of Ana Zi hovering near the edge of the frame. "Rick, you can do whatever you want while the media cameras are actively rolling," Tina noted, her tone dropping into a frosty baritone as she gestured rigidly toward the screen. "But I honestly cannot stomach that opportunist woman. Nadia and Nichole are the absolute only high-level opportunists I will ever accept in this household."

"Sister Tina, you are honestly far too sweet to us, fufu!" Nichole flashed a brilliant, sweet smile over toward the stoic fighter, resting her hands over her stomach as she contentedly joined the discussion. "I completely agree that she does not fit well with our family dynamic at all. My future babies would only learn terrible things from her bad influence."

Linda suddenly extended her hand toward the glass display, her voice cutting clean through the banter as she spotted two familiar profiles moving through the background shadows of the grand ballroom. "Look right over there in the corner. Is that not Hope and Scott dancing together?"

"Shit, those two troublemakers were actually there?!" I leaned forward, squinting past the main cluster of celebrities on screen until I verified the familiar, chaotic duo moving in sync. "I guess they simply did not have their active smartphones on them at the time."

The typical tactical game of cat and mouse will only function properly when the targets have their registered phones powered on, but since Lucy was already watching our entire perimeter for any sign of real trouble, it wasn't a massive security crisis. Besides, Lucy had been softly whispering sweet midnight greetings directly into my ear tracker at the exact moment the clock struck twelve anyway.

Mary reached down into a massive bowl, tossing a handful of fresh popcorn into her mouth before clapping her hands together to completely hijack the room's attention. "Okay girls, let's thoroughly analyze the husband's behavior during the midnight dance, haha! Especially you, Nadia. You are the resident psychological professional here, so let's activate the official Ricky-O'Meter!"

Nadia immediately bounced up from the couch, walking directly over to the wide television screen to play the role of a professional weather reporter, using her finger to track my every micro-expression to the absolute amusement of all the gathered wives, though it made me want to instantly shoot myself in the head with a tactical rubber bullet. "Hmm? Look at his opening dance with Vicky," Nadia began, tapping the glass right over my digital face. "He is trying his absolute best to look professional and composed while acting for the cameras, but his happy eyes clearly say that he absolutely loved every single moment of holding her close."

She tapped the screen as the footage transitioned to the next partner, her grin widening as she tracked my movement. "Next up? Ricky aggressively grabbed the highly reluctant Mei, and he looked incredibly mischievous, wanting to show off his intense Master-Maid relationship for the entire world to see! Mei, you are honestly so very lucky, ufufu!"

Nadia continued her lecture, her finger tracking the next couple as Mercy's posture stiffened on the opposite sofa. "Aww! Look how incredibly tender Ricky and Mercy look together on the floor. Both of them are trying so hard to look mature and dignified, but see that subtle kiss? Mercy is completely melting right into his chest, fufu!"

Mercy's face instantly flushed a brilliant, deep crimson color upon hearing the breakdown, her eyes darting toward the floor. Without saying a single word to defend herself, she stood up with rigid posture and quickly vanished straight into the kitchen to look for absolutely anything to occupy her hands.

Nadia's finger tracked the next transition on the digital display, her voice dropping into a highly intrigued, analytical tone as she leaned in closer to the screen. "Now, this is easily the most interesting tactical choice of the entire night. Ricky actually completely passed on Kate Kong just to dance with Kim Smith first! This raw data tells me that Ricky likes her a whole lot. But look closely at Ricky's body language and the placement of his hands. He is acting as a complete gentleman with her, consciously not wanting to take advantage of her beautiful body. But our Ricky completely missed a massive opportunity there, because I think Kim secretly wanted him to take charge! Well, I entirely support your efforts there, dear, fufu!"

I rubbed the back of my neck in absolute silence, knowing she was entirely right about the vibe. I had thoroughly enjoyed my innocent, slow dance with Kim, walking that incredibly fine line of whether we should or should not cross the boundary, though I think she is still not entirely sure about the true state of her own heart just yet.

Nadia smoothly moved her hand across the glass as the idol's white dress came into focus, gesturing to the close proximity. "Kate Kong... She is the absolute classic childhood friend trope woman incarnate. Look how Ricky holds her like a sweet sister at first, but his hands are firmly planted right on her hips, and she is aggressively pushing her Vicky-level boobs straight into his chest!"

"What exactly do you mean by utilizing the term Vicky-boobs?!" Victoria immediately covered her chest with both hands, glaring over at Nadia with a thoroughly flustered expression that only fueled the room's amusement.

"Oh please, sister Vicky, every single woman in this room is deeply jealous of your massive natural assets," Nadia laughed, waving her hand dismissively in the air to completely shoot down Victoria's sudden attempt at standard modesty before turning her attention back to the monitor. "Our Ricky literally cannot keep his eyes from drifting down there, so it is a massive compliment. Relax and let me finish. Now for the very last one..."

I shifted uncomfortably on the cushions, remembering how distracting Kate had been in that stunning long dress. I had logged so many private shower relief sessions back in the day with her image in my vivid imagination, so finally feeling that exact pop-idol figure resting directly in my arms while she pressed her weight into me had been incredibly tough to resist.

Nadia's face turned completely cold as she pointed directly at the final woman on the broadcast sequence, crossing her arms with a sharp huff. "See, this Ana Zi woman was precisely timing her every movement. While Ricky was looking away, she even lowered her dress top just a tiny bit to flash more skin. Everything that woman does is completely planned, artificial, and fake. She desperately wants our Ricky, but absolutely not for the right reasons. But look right here at the playback. Our Ricky finds her pretty, but see his eyes? They are constantly drifting back to Vicky. This data tells me he wanted to get his mandatory dance over with as fast as possible. And this officially concludes Nadia Tang's professional Ricky breakdown, fufu!"

Jenifer immediately walked across the rug over to Nadia, gently taking her hands into her own with an incredibly serious, business-like expression. "Can you please teach me your methods? I need to acquire more high-level analysis skills. You are physiotherapy and psychological gold, and you are undeniably the right wife to learn these tactics from."

"Your flattery is exceptionally good, Jenifer, but I never dispense my professional secrets for free," Nadia giggled, her eyes sparkling with immediate amusement as she pulled Jenifer toward the hallway. "Come along with me right now and we can negotiate a proper deal, fufu!"

Nadia was clearly in a fantastic mood, and I could easily tell she found Jenifer's intense devotion to complete operational perfection highly charming. As they walked away, I could see Jenifer already pulling out a small notebook, rapidly writing down pieces of inside information about my daily habits that Nadia was whispering to her.

I shook my head in pure defeat, just as Vicky turned back to me, smoothing down her corporate skirt and leaning down to press a quick kiss to my lips.

"I need to head straight to the corporate office to work until dinner time, so I will see you later tonight, dear, mwah. Although many citizens have these three days completely off for the holiday, those of us running the big conglomerate companies cannot afford to relax too often. Bye!"

I walked her out to the front driveway, watching her step safely into her sleek vehicle as a highly trained private security team immediately filed out from the neighboring property to follow her. Vicky had recently purchased a small, older home located right near our estate perimeter specifically for her security team to comfortably rest while on active call.

Back inside my home, we spent a thoroughly lazy Sunday afternoon watching recorded soap operas, keeping warm by the hearth, and just enjoying being a normal family unit. Zoe had gone back home to the main Tang Estate to spend her two days off with my uncle, ensuring they still got their designated alone time and family bonding.

During the slow afternoon hours, both Tina and Jenifer walked back into the living room, sliding onto the adjacent chairs to hold a serious conversation with me regarding urgent administrative affairs inside the Fire Birds syndicate. Tina maintained her usual expressionless face, her voice steady and commanding as she delivered the upcoming timeline. "Last night, Leader Feng officially announced to the inner circle that he would be stepping down to hand over total leadership to you the exact moment we marry. So before the babies are born and shortly after our formal wedding on April 1st, he will officially retire. You will become the Leader, while I will officially assume the role of Vice Leader once again. So..."

Jenifer, looking incredibly sharp in her tailored business lady suit, stepped forward to slide a thick manila folder directly onto my lap before picking up the brief and gesturing to the documents inside. "You and Leader Feng will be required to travel directly to Eurasia's Capital, Central City. You need to attend a high-level summit with the other three syndicate Leaders and the official government Agent to formally register your command. This will allow you to personally meet all the current Leaders and the new generation filling the upcoming posts. It functions exactly like a swearing-in ceremony. And just like the current Heads of the big four families, you will be granted access to classified, highly confidential information that only the four active Leaders are legally allowed to know. This data comes directly from the top tier of the Government."

"So Brenda Sho, Jerry Bing, and Ashley Hue will all be promoted to the top spots alongside me?" I asked, flipping open the folder to scan the preliminary paperwork before looking up at the two women. "And what exactly happens to the two of you during the trip?"

Tina reached down, using her fingers to gently tilt my chin upward until I was looking directly into her calm eyes, pressing a firm kiss against my lips before breaking down the operational logistics. "I will be staying behind in the territory to properly man the ship. You cannot share a single piece of the Leader's confidential information with anyone, or the Government can legally prosecute us for treason. Jenifer will be traveling alongside you as your administrative support, as well as one of your other Personal Maids for physical security. All the other newly appointed Vice Leaders from the allied syndicates will also join you as the official new generation of Syndicate Leaders. This is the exact reason why you and I did not marry right away and have to wait until April, due to this massive systemic changeover. The other Vice Leaders are also marrying their respective partners on the 1st of April."

"Wait, then what about Ashley?" I countered, tracking the timeline in my head while looking at the transition details. "Or because she is a member of the main Long family branch, she doesn't have to marry to secure her post?"

"She left this letter for you," Jenifer explained, reaching into her suit pocket and handing me a sealed envelope that was directly addressed to my name.

I broke the wax seal, pulling out the paper to read the sleek handwriting.

[To Vice Leader Rick Lee-Tang... I and James will be holding our official wedding ceremony on April 1st right along with yours and Miss Feng's. I highly wish to have our two ceremonies held together to honor you and James's deep personal friendship, and to openly show our absolute closeness to the Hidden Dragons and the Fire Birds' new leadership generation. Also, as a personal note, I wish to properly greet the Monkey's Uncle, and please make sure to bring Aunt Victoria along with you. Thanks, your Niece.]

A sharp smirk instantly broke across my face as I finished reading the letter, the text perfectly capturing her cheeky attitude. The two women watched my expression closely as I handed the paper over to Tina, enjoying the sudden twist. "Tina, my beautiful wife-to-be, I absolutely do not want to pull the trigger on this joint wedding arrangement without hearing your official opinion on the matter first. What do you think?"

While reading the neat, handwritten text of the note, Tina's typical expressionless face completely melted away.

Her lips curled upward into a rare, brilliant smile that caused her eyes to crinkle into beautiful, crescent shapes.

She smoothly handed the paper across the table to Jenifer, a soft chuckle vibrating in her throat as she leaned back comfortably in her chair.

"Leave it to Victoria and James Tang to bring rival Syndicate Leaders together!" Tina's voice carried a tone of genuine amusement, her eyes locked onto mine with an uncharacteristic warmth. "And through official family bonds, no less."

She giggled softly, leaning a bit closer to me.

"Rick, without you even trying, you have truly made me very, very happy. To show my absolute appreciation, I will wear that miniskirt maid costume for you on Thursday again. You can play the role of the arrogant young master all you want, ufufu."

Man, Tina truly knows exactly how to reward me!

I sat there on the sofa, feeling a massive grin plaster itself across my face. With a tease like that, I might honestly be smiling for the rest of the entire week.

Tina turned her attention back to Jenifer, her posture shifting back into her sharp, vice-leader mindset as she issued a direct command.

"Call Miss Hue's personal secretary immediately and arrange the exact time and venue for a proper family gathering for both of our groups."

"I will take care of that tonight, Tina," Jenifer replied smoothly, nodding as she noted down the task.

She turned her large, expectant eyes directly toward me, her voice softening.

"And Master, will we still be going shopping tomorrow for our scheduled date?"

I could easily see the intense hope and vulnerability resting inside Jenifer's eyes regarding our upcoming quality time together. I had absolutely no intention of letting her down.

"Yes, we are definitely still on after dinner time," I reassured her, shifting my weight on the cushions. "During the day, I am going car shopping with Kim. She completely convinced me to buy a brand new vehicle at the Foreign Dodge Dealer."

I offered her a gentle smile to completely reassure her.

"Well, I don't really care where I go, but she was also wanting to buy a new car for herself and wanted some extra company for the trip. Did you want to come along to that as well?"

Jenifer looked incredibly happy and relieved that our private date wasn't being canceled or pushed back.

She shook her head side to side with a soft, content hum.

"No thanks, Master. I need to handle some urgent Fire Birds administrative work in the morning, then deeply study for my upcoming final exams for class, and then I need plenty of time to get ready for our actual date."

She winked at me cutely before walking away. "So make sure you find a fantastic new car to take me out in, fufu!"

As I offered an appreciative nod toward her, Tina suddenly clicked her tongue loudly. Her cheerful mood instantly plummeted into a thoroughly annoyed pout.

"Oh, crap! Jenifer, you absolutely have to help me study for our business courses."

Tina threw her hands up in absolute defeat, groaning dramatically.

"That damn Linda is going to be studying through this entire next two days off. I simply cannot afford to fall too far behind her, or she will constantly brag about it right in my face, dammit."

She glanced back over at my relaxed posture, rolling her eyes playfully. "Sorry, Rick, I need to aggressively study unlike a certain lucky person here, fufu!"

Monday the next day.

I was behind the wheel of my old, reliable white BMW, navigating through the morning traffic alongside Kim, Mercy, and Mei.

Mercy and Mei were tagging along for the ride specifically so they could personally test drive the new family car. We needed a massive, powerful SUV to purchase for the household estate.

I glanced over at the passenger seat, catching Kim's eye as I steered around a smooth corner.

"So Kim, have you thoroughly thought about what specific model you are buying today?"

Kim adjusted her posture in the passenger seat, her eyes shining with pure excitement as she turned to face me.

"I have saved a significant amount of money specifically for the exact SUV you are also looking at. It possesses an incredible amount of shopping space, and I can easily fold the rear seats completely down to move my computer rigs around in it whenever I need to."

She balled her hand into a tiny, energetic fist. "Plus, it has pure power, and honestly, what kind of person does not like raw power?!"

I let out a hearty chuckle at her energetic, enthusiastic response.

It was common for people from North America to naturally love big, high-quality things. The past one hundred years of functioning as Eurasia's exceptionally close global ally had brought them a massive, unprecedented boon in terms of advanced civilian technology.

This entire century-long political policy was partly due to the incredibly close, historical relations forged between the Japan and China Empires.

We continued driving toward the major dealership row located in the north-west sector of the city, right near Interstate 69.

The entire high-end district was locally referred to as the ten mile of cars due to all the massive international and domestic dealers crowding tightly around one single stretch of the major highway.

Thankfully, the light snow from last night had entirely melted away into the drainage systems. The roads were completely clear and just a bit cold, meaning our test driving conditions would be perfectly fine.

Soon enough, I pulled the old BMW directly into the designated lot of the massive Dodge dealership. I offered a silent, appreciative goodbye to Mary's old car as I cut the engine.

Inside the massive, gleaming showroom of the Dodge dealership, a tall and highly attractive brown-haired lady smoothly walked across the polished floors to greet us.

She shook our hands in sequence while keeping her sharp eyes locked directly on me.

"Mr. Tang, I have already personally found a specific assortment of vehicles that perfectly meet your high expectations," she stated with a professional smile, gesturing toward the rear lot. "Shall we go take a look at them right now?"

"Let's do it," I replied, nodding in approval.

Kim immediately split off from our group to attend her own private appointment with her designated saleswoman.

Outside on the concrete lot, the saleswoman proudly showcased a gorgeous lineup of brand new 2023 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Premium AWD models.

My active Basic Auto-Mechanics skill combined with my Advanced Driving skill instantly helped me pinpoint the exact structural model I liked. I selected a deep color scheme that perfectly matched both my personal tastes and my family's preferences.

I pointed a firm finger toward the aggressive-looking vehicle resting near the front row.

"That red one right there with the dual black racing stripes, I want to take that specific one out for a spin and then buy it immediately."

"Yes, Mr. Tang, let me go grab the keys for you right away," the saleswoman replied, her smile widening as she turned back toward the main office.

Mei, who knew my aggressive, high-speed driving style better than almost anyone, merely adopted a sneaky, highly amused smile. She looked pityingly at the back of the unfortunate saleswoman as the lady walked away.

Within a few minutes, the lady returned with the keys in hand, offering me a cheerful grin as we climbed inside the roaring beast.

About fifteen minutes later, I smoothly drove the sales lady and my two personal maids back into the dealership lot in the roaring Durango SRT Hellcat.

I had to physically reach over and help the dazed saleswoman scramble out of the passenger seat. My high-G turns and intense tactical driving maneuvers through the city traffic had completely scrambled her equilibrium.

Despite her pale face, she was smiling with pure adrenaline.

"This massive thing handles significantly better than even Hana's lightweight sports car!" I exclaimed, slamming the heavy door shut with pure satisfaction. "I will absolutely take it."

Just then, Kim came rolling into the adjacent slot right after finishing her own peaceful, normal test drive.

Her matching SUV looked incredibly sleek in a crisp white color instead of my aggressive red. She happily nodded her head to her own saleswoman, hopping down from the cab with a joyful laugh.

"Wrap her up for me right now, I absolutely love her, haha! She is just so incredibly powerful!"

Kim's voice bounced across the concrete lot, and the two of us immediately walked inside together to tackle the mountain of annoying financial paperwork.

An hour later, and over a hundred thousand dollars poorer, the two of us walked back into the showroom hallway holding our brand new keys, massive smiles on our faces.

As our groups were heading toward the main exit, I stopped completely dead in my tracks. My jaw tightened as I pointed toward a lethal-looking vehicle resting on a velvet display platform that I hadn't noticed before.

I turned back to our saleswoman, my eyes wide with sudden greed.

"That is the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 sitting over there, correct?!"

The exact millisecond my eyes locked onto the aggressive lines of the vehicle, I could swear I heard imaginary celestial angels singing in my ears. They were desperately telling me to buy her, ride her, and race her until the wheels fall off.

I even felt a tiny, mischievous little demon sit directly on my shoulder, whispering a wild light-novel trope into my ear about having Hana screaming in the backseat of this thing!

The saleswoman looked thoroughly surprised by my sudden halt, her eyes widening as she quickly responded.

"Yes, Mr. Tang, it is our absolute highest-end model that was brought in strictly for display purposes. Did you want to take it instead of the Durango SUV you just purchased?"

"No, the Durango is strictly my new family car," I clarified, a devious smirk breaking across my face as I pulled out my black card without a single care for the budget. "But I also want this specific one just for me, hehe! I don't care about the final cost at all, just make the paperwork happen right now."

The saleswoman, hearing the sheer scale of her incoming commission bonus, looked ready to willingly spread her legs for me right then and there on the showroom floor based on the absolute baller way I was shopping! Just a wild joke, geez, relax.

Kim watched me effortlessly purchase the ultimate American muscle car on a whim. Knowing the extra registration would take quite a while, she leaned against the counter.

"Rick, how exactly do you want to handle this? I thought the two of us were going to eat lunch together?"

I had previously promised her a high-level Kung Fu Chicken date due to her deep, unyielding love for fried chicken, so I turned around to address Mercy and Mei.

"Could you two beautiful maids drive the new SUVs back to the mansion for us, and then I will take Kim out for her lunch right after? I can bring some food back to go for you two if you'd like?"

"Yes, Master~!" Mei chirped happily, saluting me with a playful wink.

She let out a dramatic, exaggerated sigh.

"Make sure to bring the extra crispy bucket back for us. Those hungry pregnant wives back home will inevitably eat most of it before I can even grab two pieces for myself, sigh."

Mercy stepped up right beside her, adding her own specific request with a calm nod.

"Hot wings and a large side of coleslaw, Master."

"I will bring it all back hot, fresh, and at absolute full speed, haha! Love you girls, and make sure to drive safe on the way back."

I waved them off as they climbed into the Durango. The customized license plate on my family SUV read exactly [Bang Tang], which was absolutely not my fault!

Inside the private Harem Chat, Nadia had aggressively ordered me to make it that specific phrase. We all thoroughly know exactly what she wants me to do to her in the back seat in the near future, or perhaps even right now!

Another hour later, and Kim and I were finally walking out to the lot, climbing inside my brand new, blood-red 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170.

I reached across the center console to firmly secure Kim's safety harness into the seat, locking eyes with her.

"Are you completely ready to go so fast that we might actually travel backward in time?"

I watched her smooth legs visibly tighten in sheer anticipation of the raw speed.

She nodded her head rapidly to give me the green light, though she completely cracked me up when she cutely pouted her lips.

"Rick, please be gentle!"

She had purposefully said it in that suggestive, teasing tone, causing the two of us to burst out laughing inside the cabin before I gripped the heavy steering wheel.

"Kim, I absolutely won't be gentle! Haha!"

The massive, violent G-force instantly pressed hard against her chest the exact millisecond my foot slammed the gas pedal down.

We caused pure, unadulterated mayhem in the streets the entire trip over to Kung Fu Chicken. My personal license plate read exactly... [Eat Dust]