Chapter 46: Linda Lang is a Mystery!

Chapter 46: Linda Lang is a Mystery!

Linda wore a distinct look of not wanting to be rejected, giving off the clear impression that if I were to say I wasn't going, she might actually burst into tears right then and there.

Mary casually waved the handwritten invitation in her hand, looking over at Linda as she asked, "Linda, I will definitely come to the dinner, but how exactly should I dress for the occasion?"

Welp, that completely sealed it. I was officially going to the party whether I liked it or not.

"Just anything that you would naturally wear in a nice restaurant would be perfectly good, but I don't really care even if you decide to come in casual attire," Linda explained, her tone softening as she turned her gray eyes back to me. "Just please support me in this family dinner. I will be completely uncomfortable around Scott Tang otherwise. Will you eat with us, Rick?"

"If Mary and father are already planning to come, then I cannot be missing from the table," I replied, leaning against the hallway wall. "But won't Scott try to start something if I show up at your house?"

Linda gave a slight nod, answering with absolute honesty. "I don't think Scott will openly say or do anything out in the open this time, but if he did, it would only show my father exactly how terrible his choice in allies truly is."

"Can you tell me who else is officially scheduled to be there?" I asked, a hint of worry creeping into my voice.

Linda closed her gray eyes for a brief moment in deep thought before clarifying the guest list. "Scott, his four wives, his parents, and finally my parents. But with your wives and your in-laws present at the table, you won't seem alone in the room."

Right now, for this specific part of the conversation, it was just me and Linda chatting face-to-face while my father-in-law and Mary remained slightly off to the side, thoroughly occupied with discussing proper dinner attire.

"And... you are always welcome to stop by anytime you feel like chatting, Rick," Linda added, her voice dropping to a quiet murmur. "We are official seatmates and university students in the exact same business course. I can always use a reliable study partner. But I promise I will not pressure you into anything, Rick."

I simply nodded at this strangely persistent woman. She was normally so entirely aloof and carried herself as if she were completely above mundane human affairs, but she seemed to talk a lot whenever she was around me now. I let out a silent internal sigh. But in the end, I guessed the whole setup was fine, especially considering the absolute look of pure, unadulterated shit Scott was going to be forced to eat when he saw me walk through the front door.

Before we could finish the thought, a familiar scent drifted into my personal space. Tina stepped up right next to me, flashing a wide, triumphant smile directed straight at Linda Lang.

"Rick, I am officially done showering and changing into my clothes," Tina announced loudly. "So we can head over to my house whenever you want. You are more than welcome to stay over to talk with my parents for a bit if you like."

Linda looked at Tina Feng, an entirely unamused glint appearing in her gray eyes, a reaction driven by the fact that the two prominent women were always fundamentally at odds with one another.

Mary and my father-in-law walked back over to join the three of us, and Mary immediately stepped into my space, saying, "Husband, I will be waiting for you right at home. So quickly take Miss Feng back to her residence and hurry right back to the house, mwah! See you later, Rick."

My new father-in-law gave my shoulder a warm, approving pat, looking between me and the two young women. "Great work out there in the Kung-Fu Club today, Rick. With your current skill talent on the roster this year, we should easily take first place in the tournament. And I will see you at Miss Lang's home this Saturday. Good day, ladies, see you later." With that, he turned on his heel to go say hello to the instructors gathered over at the Karate Club mats.

The second they were out of earshot, Tina turned to me, her brow furrowing. "Why exactly are you and the Dean going over to Linda's home this Saturday?"

Linda, a happier look visibly touching her eyes, answered on my behalf, looking directly at the thoroughly confused Tina. "My father and Scott's father are having a mandatory get-together meeting at my residence for Scott and his current wives. Since he is my immediate neighbor, I simply invited Rick and his wives along with the university Dean to make the entire political meeting bearable for me. Oh, did you not actually know that Rick and I are neighbors, living right next door to each other?"

I stared at Linda in complete shock. Did she seriously possess this incredibly petty side to her character? I felt a sudden conviction that if Linda possessed Advanced martial arts training like Tina did, the two of them would be actively tearing each other apart on the canvas right now. Tina whipped her head around to stare at me, pointing a rigid finger straight at Linda.

"Linda Lang is your next-door neighbor?!" she demanded.

"Seems so," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. "Now let's get you moved out to the parking lot before Mary actually skins me alive for being late getting back to the house."

"But I absolutely need you available this Saturday for an organizational meeting," Tina argued, stepping into my path. "So you cannot go to her estate that day."

I didn't know if the scheduling conflict was a real logistical issue or just something she was manufacturing on the spot to disrupt Linda's plans, but I firmly shook my head. "I'm sorry, Tina. If you had told me about this commitment before now, I might have been able to decline her invitation, but I am absolutely not letting my wives attend that dinner party alone. You will just need to make other arrangements or move the tournament meeting to a completely different day."

Recognizing that it was time to stop pushing her luck with me for the afternoon, Linda offered a polite nod and began to make her exit. "Goodbye, you two. I will see you in the new business course tomorrow morning." Then she turned and disappeared down the corridor, leaving me standing completely alone with an incredibly agitated Tina.

"Rick, that girl is just using your position, so don't you dare fall for her visual tricks," Tina snapped, her face flushing with anger. "She doesn't actually like you."

The two of us finally started walking down the hallway toward the student parking lot, and I looked over at her with an amused expression. It was funny because she completely failed to see how the two of them were essentially just opposite sides of the exact same coin—one representing absolute ice, the other pure fire. Both of these prominent women liked me for a mixture of the wrong and right reasons, and I wasn't actively pursuing either of them.

Both were undeniably beautiful, but they came packed with an immense amount of dangerous family baggage.

"Thanks for your advice, and I will definitely keep it in mind," I told her, unlocking the vehicle.

The two of us climbed inside the Hummer to wait for Jenifer to arrive, and Tina immediately let out a heavy pout, crossing her arms. "It honestly feels as if you're just constantly blowing me off lately, Rick!"

Looking at her reflection in the rearview mirror as I reached over to put on some Kate Kong music through the system, I offered a calm explanation. "No, I completely understand where you're coming from. You're just caring for your friend, and it's obvious you and Linda don't get along. But if Linda had told me the exact same critical things about you, I would still only make up my own mind based on real actions. Get what I mean?"

She crossed her legs, looking sideways out the window in a rare moment of verbal defeat. "Your reasoning sounds perfectly fair, so I will drop the subject for now. By the way, Number 5 completely beat Number 4 during their match last night, leaving only 1, 2, 3, and 5 left in the brackets. Number 3 happens to be someone I had explicitly picked before I ever brought you into the mix."

"Then your overall odds of winning your freedom are sitting at a clean fifty-fifty right now, aren't they?" I noted, shifting the vehicle into drive.

"Sigh. Not really," she murmured, her tone dropping. "Number 3 is honestly just a slightly kinder version of Woo. I had only chosen him for the completely wrong reasons back then."

My curiosity was piqued, and I asked, "But he is your personal pick, so I don't really understand your hesitation. You should be happy he's advancing, right?"

Tina suddenly reached forward and kicked the back of my driver's seat in pure frustration. "Look at you, casually playing that cow-chested woman's music over and over again. You completely liked her movies years ago, didn't you? So what if you suddenly found out that the specific girl you thought was amazing just because she was hot and talented ended up treating men like complete garbage, using them up and leaving them behind? Would you still sit there and think choosing her was a good choice?"

I simply shrugged my shoulders at the completely stupid comparison she was attempting to make. "Her music and her acting capability are the only things I actually like. If she just shuts up and sings her songs, then I am perfectly happy. I just thought she was a nice childhood crush back in the day since we're the exact same age, and she possessed a lot of talent. Sure, I had fantasized about her before, but in the end, it's just a bit of harmless fun. Would I pick a celebrity like her to have been my actual wife? No, I would never believe in that kind of unrealistic fairy tale."

Tina, hearing a lot more philosophical depth than she had originally bargained for, went quiet for a moment before expanding on her past. "Well, I picked Number 3 during my very last year of middle school, mostly due to having a massive childhood crush on him, and the fact that his skill talent was strong enough to face Woo on the mat. But... over the last four years, his personality has changed completely." She let out a long sigh at my clear lack of interest, but proceeded to lay out the details anyway. "He was smart, successful, incredibly handsome, and his high-level fighting capability had completely charmed my young heart back then. But lately, after watching me develop into a mature woman, he has become significantly more interested in my physical body rather than me as a person, or even the future of the Fire Birds. So like I said, he is really just a slightly better version of Woo. I freely admit that picking someone based purely on their looks was a massive mistake on my part."

Before I could respond, the rear door swung open and Jenifer climbed inside, offering a cheerful hello as she buckled her seatbelt. Tina looked like she desperately wanted to say more on the matter, but she simply locked her arms tightly beneath her chest and stared silently out the window as I pulled the Hummer away from the university campus boundaries.

Walking through the front door of my home a short while later, I spotted both Hana and Mary sitting close together on the living room couch, completely absorbed in watching a daily hospital soap opera on the television screen. Mary glanced up, and seeing that I had managed to return at a perfectly reasonable time, she offered a slow nod.

"Operation: Scotty Doesn’t Know just got completely abandoned due to us going to the party, right?" she asked, her voice carrying a distinct, knowing edge.

Gulp. I swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out across my neck. There was absolutely no statistical way Mary should have known about that private digital plan yet. But I resolved to own up to my actions immediately, offering a submissive nod of confirmation to her question.

Mary nodded back at my quick honesty, while Hana quickly covered her mouth with her hand, completely amused by the sheer panic radiating across my face.

"Be entirely honest with us, Rick," Mary pressed, her eyes locking onto mine. "Were you planning on telling the two of us about this specific operation before it happened, after the fact, or never?"

"Sigh. I was absolutely going to tell you about it beforehand," I confessed openly, walking closer to the couch. "Even though it was a completely dumb plan to mess with Scott's head and spend some time with the twins. We only discussed the concept during our computer programming class today, but based on what Nadia said about Scott finding out eventually, I imagine they are already planning on ending their arrangement with him anyway."

A satisfied grin spread across Mary's face, thoroughly pleased by the fact that I had chosen to remain completely honest under pressure. She curled her index finger inward, gesturing for me to step closer to her spot on the cushions, and I immediately complied, preparing for whatever judgment came next.

Smack.

The top of my head was swatted sharply, and Mary fixed me with a knowing look as she asked, "Then do you know what specific part of this ridiculous setup makes me want to hit you all over again?"

"Time and place," I muttered, rubbing the sore spot. "So I am guessing your frustration is entirely about where we were planning to do it?"

"Yes, Rick, that is exactly what would have gotten me completely pissed off," Mary clarified, crossing her arms tightly. "Breaking and entering just to have sex inside your next-door neighbor's private house is a literal crime. We can choose to completely ignore all of the other elements for now, but that legal violation was what I was most pissed about. However, I will happily forgive you for two distinct reasons."

I stared at her blankly, entirely confused by her leniency.

"First, you were completely honest when confronted and you didn't actually go through with committing the crime yet," Mary explained, a hint of a guilty smile breaking through her serious expression. "And second, Hana and I managed to remember the specific encrypted message application you and the twins used previously. They actually reached out and invited the two of us to join the chat network as verified members today. So Hana and I kind of went right behind your back this afternoon, chatting directly with the twins. We technically broke our promise of waiting a full week before getting involved. And that is exactly how we saw your active logs today, catching you completely red-handed."

Seeing Mary display a rare look of genuine guilt made a sudden wave of warmth touch my chest. I was honestly glad that they were talking directly to the twins; otherwise, I would have eventually taken the precaution of deleting that communication platform entirely to protect my security parameters.

But my basic acting skills immediately kicked in, and I quickly forced myself to pretend to be deeply upset by their digital espionage.

"How dare the two of you go right behind my back like that!" I shouted, stomping my feet dramatically like a spoiled, petulant kid. "I am going to march right into the kitchen this instant and construct an incredibly tasty meal, and you two are damn well going to sit there and eat every bite of it!"

I turned on my heel and stomped off into the kitchen, the sound of the two women breaking into harmonious laughter at my display of fake anger echoing clearly behind me.

After I had safely slid the fresh pan of lasagna into the hot oven and started running water to handle the dirty mixing dishes, the kitchen door swung open. Mary walked silently across the linoleum, wrapping her arms securely around my waist from behind.

"Hana and I both know you're struggling immensely on the inside, Rick," she murmured softly, pressing her cheek against my back. "So just take a deep breath and let it all out. I imagine the reality of the twins falling genuinely in love with you after the fact has to be eating away at your conscience, right?"

"Yeah, I am honestly happy and incredibly frustrated all at once," I confessed, letting out a long sigh as I scrubbed a bowl. "I had never actually experienced real relationships with women before high school ended, and I constantly feel like I am letting everyone down. But at the exact same time, I know I don't ever want to let a single one of you go."

Mary tightened her hug, leaning up to plant a tender kiss right against my ear before offering some comfort. "Just rely on the two of us a lot more moving forward. Furthermore, I managed to confirm the timeline directly with Nichole this afternoon. They are absolutely planning on securing a divorce from Scott eventually, but they are forced to wait until after the children are safely born. They currently navigate an incredibly rocky relationship with the Ning family, and they specifically want to produce Tang bloodline babies first to fully break away from the Ning family's influence. Oh, and for the record, I think your precious twins are currently sitting in a state of absolute psychological shock."

I turned my head slightly to look into Mary’s mischievous face, her lips curling into a wide, amused grin as she continued.

"The second I informed them that they really did have genuine Tang babies growing inside them, and fully explained that Scott is actually your direct blood cousin, they both went completely offline for an hour in a state of pure panic," she laughed. "Now they just can't believe the reality of the situation. I made sure to tell them that the family connection is a strict secret and not to mutter a single word to anyone else, but Nichole texted me back saying, 'This is actually even better!'"

I could only let out a defeated sigh at the pure soap opera dynamics defining my real life. Glancing up, I spotted Hana walking into the kitchen area with a bright smile on her face, completely confirming my suspicion that the two of them were thoroughly amused by my relationship drama.

"The two of you really are far too good to me," I smiled, shaking my head as I reached for the cutting board. "So let me get the fresh salad completely ready for you lovely ladies."

A short while later, while we were busy consuming the hot beef lasagna at the table, Hana and Mary were laughing up a storm as Mary recounted the full details of our lunchtime excursion and the buffalo wing meal.

"Mary, I honestly cannot believe you casually sucked the hot sauce straight off your fingertips right in front of a prominent member of the Phoenix Feng family with a completely straight face," Hana giggled, shaking her head. "And forcing poor Rick to eat them right along with you is just so funny. I would have never thought to execute a defensive maneuver like that. So she completely backed down after you showed up in uniform?"

"She absolutely did," Mary nodded triumphantly, taking another bite of her dinner. "Which tells me she isn't fully invested in Rick as a romantic partner yet. So I deliberately manufactured that close display in front of the university crowd to ensure everyone knows she doesn't hold an exclusive claim on him. I'm sorry, Rick, but if those campus rumors had kept spreading unchecked, you would have eventually felt an internal obligation to act as her boyfriend. That girl could easily just ask for your affection out in the open, but she chooses to play her hand completely passively instead."

I gathered up the empty dinner plates from the table, looking between my wives as I addressed her logic. "No, what you did out there was perfectly fine with me. I know for a fact that she cares about me as a reliable friend, but we simply do not harbor any real romantic feelings for one another. I explicitly told her previously that I will only ever marry a woman if I am going to love her for the rest of my life. I have zero desire to enter into a benefits-driven marriage alliance."

Hana paused, her eyes widening slightly as she caught a specific detail in my sentence. "Wait a minute, Rick. Are the Feng family elders actively offering you a formal marriage alliance with Tina Feng, the second daughter of their house?"

"Technically speaking, the marriage right is granted strictly to whoever manages to win the upcoming martial arts fighting tournament," I explained, carrying the dishes toward the sink. "And that total dick Steve Woo currently sits as the number one contender for her hand in marriage, and she absolutely detests him. She basically forced me to register for the club roster specifically so I could beat Woo on the mat and save her from being forced to marry that total ass. I wasn't actually planning on marrying her myself, but I absolutely refuse to let a guy like Woo claim her as a prize, so I am fighting in the brackets. There are only four of us left in the tournament now. I will be right back out after the dishes are completely done."

The moment I stepped back through the doorway into the kitchen to finish cleaning up, the two women immediately lowered their voices to continue the conversation.

"Oh, crap," Mary murmured, a sudden look of realization crossing her face. "It seems I completely misunderstood that Tina Feng girl's actual motives."

Hana looked over at her, not entirely understanding the sudden shift in attitude. "I don't get it, Mary. I thought your entire objective today was to chase her off for good?"

"Yes, but that was when I was operating under the assumption that she wasn't being serious about her connection to Rick," Mary sighed, rubbing her temples. "Our dummy simply cannot tell that she essentially asked him to marry her by forcing him to fight for her freedom, and that Woo man is an absolute monster I wouldn't wish on any woman in existence. Sigh!"

"Then what exactly are we going to do about the tournament situation?" Hana questioned, her tone turning serious. "I don't think telling Rick to explicitly fight or drop out is the right choice here. He should always follow his own heart rather than acting out of a sense of pure obligation."

Mary gave a firm nod of agreement. "You're completely right, and I feel the exact same way. Therefore, all I intend to do moving forward is stop getting in her way entirely. If Rick eventually comes to us and states that he genuinely loves her, I won't utter a single complaint about it. But that girl is going to have to convince him of her worth entirely on her own merits. I didn't permanently damage her chances enough today anyway; if anything, the confrontation probably made her significantly more conscious of her own underlying feelings. But Hana, if you fundamentally disagree with my stance, you are perfectly welcome to interfere."

Hana stood up from her chair, extending her arms to take a long, relaxed stretch. She turned a warm, affectionate smile toward the kitchen doorway where the sound of running water was echoing.

"No, I trust Rick completely," Hana stated softly. "If he trusts a woman enough to bring her into our lives, then I will always stand by him and support his choice. He fully accepted absolutely everything about me and my difficult past without hesitation, so I will always be right there as his loyal wife. Are we all planning on sleeping inside my room tonight? He looks completely drained from dealing with everything yesterday."

Mary stood up from her seat, gently rubbing the curve of her stomach as she let out a long, humorous sigh. "Yup, I am definitely not having any sex tonight. Those extra-hot buffalo wings from lunch are absolutely killing my stomach right now, fufu!"