Chapter 31: I Was Blindsided!

Chapter 31: I Was Blindsided!

Hana looked absolutely soul-stealing once she finished dressing and styling her hair. She had pulled it back into a long, high ponytail with a tight drill-curl at the end, giving her charm a distinctly royal, noble edge. Her long, white, form-hugging dress fit incredibly tight across her chest, tapering up to a sleek white collar that left her shoulders completely bare. The fabric around her legs had just enough give for easy dancing, but it still tightly outlined the contours of her athletic thighs and calves with every step she took. The only splash of color on her entire outfit was a vibrant golden bow wrapped around her ponytail, perfectly matching the tie she had picked out for me.

She took her time dressing me in a contrasting black suit, smoothing out the fabric of the crisp white shirt underneath and carefully adjusting the gold tie. Standing side by side in the mirror, we looked like a perfectly coordinated black and white pair, our styles totally in sync.

The intentional color matching and the blatant fact that we were leaving a full three hours earlier than necessary should have sent massive red flags straight to my brain. Instead, looking at how incredibly sexy she was and remembering her explicit invitation from earlier to get her pregnant completely short-circuited my tactical thinking. I lost my edge, unable to think straight around her, which left me wide open for her next question.

"Rick, ready to meet my parents?"

"Really? Now? Um, sure. Do they live nearby, or are they just in town for something? And what exactly do I need to know about them?"

She stepped in and kissed me, clearly sensing that I was starting to freak out internally. The reality of meeting Hana's parents right after we had explicitly agreed to start a family together was hitting me hard. Yeah, turns out I am not immune to the standard panic of meeting the in-laws. With Mary, there was no family drama to deal with; it had always just been me and her against the world.

Hana grabbed her keys with a distinct smirk, looking back at my visibly panicking face.

"Come on, my parents are finishing up some paperwork over at the Life Statistics building. It happens to be right down the street from the Hospital Ball, so it won't take any time at all. I will drive this time, fufu."

That detail should have sounded incredibly strange to me too, but my mind was completely consumed by the stress of making a good first impression.

How the hell was I supposed to explain the exact nature of my relationship with their daughter?I tossed my emergency medical kit and my heavy gun-case into her trunk just in case things went sideways, climbed straight into the passenger seat, and spent the entire drive racking my brain for ways to impress my new in-laws.

Hana glanced over at me with a soft smile.

"Relax, Rick. My parents already know absolutely everything about you, and they completely approve of my choice. Do remember that I am twenty-five and a grown woman. Who I choose to marry is entirely my choice. Plus, my parents are very much the hands-off type when it comes to parenting. I graduated from high school at fourteen, after all."

"Yeah, but won't they be disappointed by the fact that I am only just starting university? They are going to look at me and think you are just grabbing some random high school kid off the street."

"Oh? A high school kid with perfect marks who also managed to make twenty-eight thousand dollars in two weeks legally? No, you are completely overqualified. Plus, my parents already know you are a genius."

I looked at the playful glint in her eyes, still completely missing whatever she found so amusing about the situation.

A few minutes later, we found a parking spot right at the edge of the lot for the Life Statistics building and walked toward the main entrance. The moment we neared the doors, I froze. Standing right there waiting for us was a group of six people. Four of them I recognized instantly, and the last two were incredibly easy to guess.

Mary, James, Akeno, and Kim Smith were all standing in a semi-circle next to a blonde woman who looked like an older version of Hana, and a sharp, elegant-looking blonde man who appeared to be in his mid-forties. Every single one of them was grinning broadly at the sheer confusion plastered across my face as Hana pulled me forward by the arm.

"Father and Mother, this is the Rick Lee I have been telling you all about. As you can see, he was caught completely unaware by this little surprise, ufufu!"

My Acting Basic skill kicked in instantly, forcing my muscles to relax as I schooled my stupid expression and extended a hand to greet them properly.

"Please forgive me for being caught off guard like this. I actually intended to ask for a formal meeting with you both to discuss something important, I just did not expect to meet you so suddenly."

Her father stepped forward, firmly grasping my hand to shake it.

"Hello, Rick. This is my wife, Gloria Chang, a professor in the Archaeology Department at Star University. I am John Chang, the Dean of Star University, and we are very happy to finally meet you. Just call us father and mother."

Hana's mother stepped right past her husband to pull me into a warm, genuine hug.

"When Hana first told us to look over your university application, we were absolutely shocked by your files. Then she told us all about you as a person. Welcome to the family, Rick. I have been waiting a very long time for my baby to find a man she truly loves. Now, let us get moving, we have a Ball to attend, ufufu."

I stood there thoroughly confused, catching sight of Mary smirking like crazy at me from the side. Looking back and forth between Mary and Hana, I finally broke.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Mary stepped forward, reached into her purse, and bluntly slapped a small, velvet ring box right into my palm.

"Shotgun wedding! What on earth made you think Hana wanted to talk about having a baby before actually getting married? Let us go, stupid!"

The pieces instantly slammed together in my mind. Hana's pristine white dress, my sharp black suit, the literal government registry building, both of her parents standing here, Mary and the entire gang backing them up, and Hana blushing and smirking right next to me. It all made so much fucking sense now. I had been completely, utterly blindsided.

Hana took my hand, pulling me into the building while I walked in a total daze.

"Is this a good surprise or a bad surprise, Rick? Do you actually want to wait?"

"No! I very much want to marry you. I was just completely overwhelmed by the sheer ability of everyone here to pull off a surprise of this scale without me noticing. And your father is the actual Dean of my university? This is just a massive amount of information to process all at once. Oh, wait, is this a matching ring set with Mary's?!"

"Yes, it is. Mary and I went out and picked them both last week. Today is the absolute perfect day to get married, because July first is incredibly easy to remember and highly special for us."

Hana’s two friends immediately pulled her aside to chat excitedly with Mary, leaving the men behind. James walked over, heavily patting my shoulder with a look of mock jealousy.

"You best take damn good care of Hana, you bastard, or I will gladly be the one to console her when she divorces your ass, haha!"

"Scram, you bastard! Who even invited you to this anyway, haha?!"James’s grin faded a bit, his tone turning serious as he looked at me.

"Mary knew I was already planning to head to the Ball with Akeno tonight. She thought that bringing her closest friends and me along for your actual marriage ceremony would make the whole thing feel a bit warmer for you, so here I am. Now let us get you hitched, brother."

Exactly thirty minutes later, we were standing before the officiant at the very end of the quick, streamlined legal ceremony.

"And do you two agree to this legal union?"

"Yes, I will take the name Lee and marry him."

"My only answer is yes!"

"Then I will take your official picture during the kiss. Go ahead."

I reached out and pulled a misty-eyed Hana Lee tightly into my arms, gently pressing my lips against hers to seal our marriage under the law. She looked breathtaking, completely stealing my focus with her charm, her beauty, and the sheer weight of the surprise she had engineered.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Mary, our friends, and her new in-laws all broke out into loud applause the moment we finalized the union with the exchange of rings, the kiss, and the official registry photo.

Hana’s mother immediately walked over to Mary, pulling her into a tight, comforting hug.

"Mary, we want you to treat us exactly like your own mother and father from now on. We know absolutely everything about your situation, and we want to open our doors to you completely as Hana’s sister. Please, never feel like a stranger around us."

Hearing the deep sincerity in the older woman's voice, Mary couldn't stop a few genuine tears from tracking down her cheeks as she hugged her back.

Then Hana took my arm, slid the keys directly into my palm, and turned to look at everyone with a bright expression.

"Let us all head to the Hospital Ball and use it as our official wedding party, ufufu!"

I looked past her and finally noticed Mary, who was adjusting the hems of a nice dress she had clearly just thrown on inside the public bathroom. I blinked in surprise.

"Mary, are you actually coming to the Ball too?"

"Yup. Kim did not bring a plus one tonight, so she handed me her extra spot to get me through the door. You really think I am going to turn down high-class catering? Not a chance."

With the plan set, we headed out to the vehicles. I climbed behind the wheel of Hana's sleek coupe with her in the passenger seat, Mary packed into the heavy Hummer with our friends, and her parents rolled out in their own luxury sedan. The drive to the massive event venue near the hospital was short and completely smooth.

Because we had arrived a full three hours early, the lot was mostly empty. We easily found prime parking spots right up front, and the eight of us walked together up to the main entrance. We showed our formal invitations to the guards, breezed right through the security checkpoint, and stepped inside the sprawling event hall.

Our group navigated through the room until we found an open table tucked neatly into a quiet corner. It happened to have exactly eight seats available, so we immediately claimed the spot and set down our personal items as markers to show the table was taken.

The seating arrangement filed out naturally. To my right sat Mr. Chang, with his wife sitting directly next to him. To my left sat Hana, with Mary taking the seat right on her other side. James slid into a chair between Hana's two nurse friends, already chatting them up and flirting smoothly. Watching him work, I couldn't help but wonder if James was tracking toward hooking up with a couple of foreign girls for his own harem down the line.

My new father-in-law leaned in slightly, gesturing toward the room to explain the layout. He told us that this specific annual event was absolutely massive within Star City, usually attracting the primary heads of the elite families unless they were severely ill or completely out of town.

You also tended to see all of their kids showing up to these things. The wealthy noble families loved to play the part of generous philanthropists, but everyone in our circle knew the real game. They were effectively bribing the hospital administration with massive donations to guarantee absolute VIP treatment and top-tier priority the second any member of their family ended up hospitalized. To be fair, given the raw amount of funding they poured into the facility, the arrangement made complete sense.

Dean-Dad pointed across the room, showing me how the four main families already had massive, prime tables permanently reserved in different sections of the hall. The organizers purposely kept them completely separated from their opposing clans to prevent any public friction. The Tang and the Long families, for instance, were stationed in entirely different corners of the room. It was an interesting setup. The layout made it incredibly easy to see exactly which house was drawing the most attention and leverage based on where the crowd chose to mingle as the night went on. It was basically a giant popularity contest for the wealthy.

"Rick, as the Dean of the university, I am usually expected to go around and meet with all of the major houses out of professional courtesy. I normally have to drag Gloria or Hana along with me to keep me company, but tonight, I would love nothing more than to introduce you as my new son-in-law. Is that alright with you?"

I looked over at Hana's mother, whose pleading eyes practically screamed 'do it for me.' I caved instantly under the pressure.

"Sure thing, father."

He patted my shoulder with a highly pleased grin, and Hana leaned over to plant a quick, affectionate kiss on my cheek as a reward for taking one for the team.

The venue itself was a massive convention hall, easily the size of a professional football field, with the entire center area completely cleared out to serve as a massive dance floor. Long tables ran along the side walls, quickly getting stacked with all assortments of high-end food and rows of expensive wine for the guests. A live band was already tuning up their instruments at the far end of the room near the back wall. The Long clan was stationed at the back left side, while the Lang clan occupied the back right. By total random chance, our corner table put us much closer to the Feng family's setup on the front left side.

As the crowd began pouring through the main entrance, my father-in-law kept his focus entirely on the major four clans, breaking down exactly who was who as they arrived.

"That older woman leading the way is the Head of the family, Kimberly Long, and the man next to her is her husband, Rex Long. The teenager walking just behind them is their son, Nick, who is slated to be the next Head after his mother. Now, look at that taller woman standing right next to him. That is his aunt, Victoria Long. She actually happens to be one of your core business teachers at the university this year."

My jaw almost dropped. Victoria? As in, the exact same Victoria from the flat tire incident and the runaway shopping cart? Holy shit, she was actually going to be one of my professors.

The second group to walk through the doors was the Lang Clan, the Black Turtle.

"The man walking in the front is the current Head of the Lang family, George Lang, alongside his wife, Sue Lang. Their eldest daughter, Tonya Lang, is the designated next head of the house. And right next to Tonya is the youngest daughter, Linda Lang. She is actually enrolled in your exact same course this term."

The third group to make their appearance was the Feng Clan, the Phoenix.

They marched right into the hall, heading toward a table situated very close to our corner. My father-in-law leaned closer to give me the details.

"The large, red-headed man out in front is the Head, Tony Feng, and his wife is Lane Feng. The first daughter, Jill Feng, is the next in line to lead the family. She is the older sister to Tina Feng, who will also be sitting in your class this semester. It is a seriously loaded house for your year, Rick."

The very last group to arrive was the Tang Clan, the White Tiger.

"Lastly, that stern-looking man leading the pack is the Head of the Tang family, Anthony Tang, and his wife, Debby Tang. That woman right beside them is the first daughter, Helen Tang, who is the next head. The young lad walking behind her with the four black-haired girls is Scott Tang. He will be in your class as well."

What the fuck?! I stared across the room. Two of those black-haired girls were the exact same pair that had slept with Scott on his wedding night, and he currently had his arms wrapped casually around their shoulders. What caught my attention, though, was that Nadia and Nichole were intentionally keeping a noticeable distance from Scott's side. That was definitely a good thing for my plans, but it made me wonder what exactly was happening behind the scenes.

Nadia kept her movements completely subtle, ensuring her actions stayed entirely under the notice of the crowd. Her curious eyes slowly scanned the massive room until they landed squarely on me. The exact split-second our eyes met, she flashed a brief wink with one eyelid and let a knowing grin spread across her face, completely catching me looking right at her.

I absolutely hate the feeling of catching a big fish only for it to slip away, leaving you in a spot where nobody else would ever believe you actually caught it in the first place.

"Son, the Hospital Ball doesn't officially start for a little bit. We will wait here and only go over to greet the families after the opening announcements begin."

"I understand, father. I will make sure to remember exactly who they are."

I immediately pulled out my smartphone and began looking up all of their public profiles and family backgrounds. I wanted to study their details thoroughly so I could interact with them easily and avoid saying the absolute wrong thing once the networking started.

Hana leaned across her chair, acting significantly more seductive and forward now that the marriage certificate was officially signed. She pressed her lips right against my ear, her breath warm as she whispered.

"Husband~ I think my father is truly enjoying finally having a son around to talk to. Make my parents happy tonight and I promise I will be extra attentive to you when we get home, dear~!"

I shivered slightly, staring straight ahead. Having her hand slowly slide directly up my thigh under the shelter of the tablecloth was absolutely not helping me keep a straight face, dammit. Hana seriously needed a permanent warning label stamped right onto her identification file like... [ Warning: Do not add Marriage! ]

A few minutes later, the Chief of Surgery and the Head of the hospital both stepped up onto the main stage. They delivered a few quick opening greetings through the microphone, thanked the donors, and officially announced the start of the annual Ball.

"Okay, Rick. Let us head out and start greeting the tables."

The moment I pushed my chair back to stand up, Hana stood right up with me. She stepped in close to carefully straighten the gold tie around my neck, took a firm hold of my left hand, and looked squarely at the two of us.

"Sorry, father, but there are way too many single women sitting in those four family groups. I need to walk over there with you both and let every single one of them know that this man is completely taken, ufufu."

Her father and I just looked at each other, sharing a completely helpless smile at her sudden wave of jealousy. At the same time, I couldn't deny that seeing her protect her territory like this was incredibly sexy.