Chapter 60: One, Two, and Three!

Chapter 60: One, Two, and Three!

After Mrs. Shen left the office, Victoria turned her gaze toward me and gestured with her hand toward the hidden bathroom door in the wall. "I am going to change into something a bit more appropriate for the Velvet Lounge, so please wait for me. I hope you are not in a particular hurry to leave tonight?"

I shook my head, shifting my stance casually as I responded. "Not really. My wives are already fed and will probably go to bed anytime now, so I can just head back home whenever. They both had incredibly long days and went to sleep pretty early."

She only gave me a silent nod before turning around and disappearing into the restroom to change her clothes. Once the door clicked shut, I walked right back over to the massive glass window to pass the time by city-gazing...

Staring down at the glowing lights of the streets below, my mind naturally drifted back to a memory from about seven years ago.

I remembered walking home from middle school back then, feeling really good about the latest scores I had managed to pull on my report card. This particular memory took place a full two years before Scott Tang ever entered my life and ruined my school days.

I actually still had a decent circle of friends back in those days, but I had yet to meet my best buddy, James. He and I did not cross paths until we finally entered high school together.

On that odd day, I happened to spot a strange creature stuck incredibly high up in a large tree along my usual route home. No, it was definitely not a stranded cat. Resting around twenty feet off the ground on a precarious upper branch, a skinny eleven-year-old girl with a boyish-cut crop of white hair was sitting completely still.

The girl was crying heavily, her small shoulders shaking, and she looked like she did not even care if she suddenly fell to the pavement below. Well, back then, I acted a lot more like my father used to, so I cupped my hands around my mouth and called out to her.

"Hey, girl! It's dangerous up there, are you okay?"

The girl stopped her sobbing for a brief second and looked down at me, her face completely stained with tears and her eyes swollen puffy from crying for a long time. "I am just going to jump down and end it all right now. Then I won't have to leave."

I scratched the back of my head, looking up at the branch and giving this silly girl a blunt reality check. "That tree is definitely not high enough to commit suicide, dummy. You are definitely going to break a bone or something though, ha-ha! Well, I guess if you manage to land face-first it might actually end it, but dying over nothing is just dumb."

"What do you even know about it?" she sniffled, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "My mother is going to marry a man who lives all the way out in the White State. That means I have to leave Star City and abandon all of my friends, and I would rather just die right now than lose them."

I scratched my head again because this girl was clearly a complete moron, but I still did not want to watch her get seriously hurt. "If you move away, then just become pen-pals with your friends and write to them until you turn eighteen, and then you can just move right back to Star City!"

She immediately stopped crying as she processed my words, her jaw dropping slightly because she had clearly never thought that far ahead into her own future. Well, we were just young kids back then, so turning eighteen felt like it was fifty years away to a couple of children. But she seemed to completely buy my sudden bullshit advice and let out a small laugh.

"Ha-ha, I think I get it now! So I can just move back here in like two years then!"

I stared up at her in absolute disbelief. Wait, how dumb was this girl? She looked to be the exact same age as me, and she seriously thought a two-year wait would make her eighteen? Well, I suppose if she possessed any real brains, she would not be stuck sitting up in a random tree in the first place, sigh.

"Okay, then, now stop talking and come down from there before you hurt yourself," I called up.

The stupid girl's face flushed a deep crimson, and she blurted out an excuse that made me physically facepalm right there on the sidewalk. "Ha-ha, I, um... I am actually completely afraid of heights, and I can't move my legs at all."

Smack~

Yes, that was the sound of my palm firmly hitting my own forehead in sheer frustration. I let out a heavy sigh, tossing my schoolbag onto the grass by the trunk, and started to climb up the thick bark of the tree.

I did have a decent amount of experience climbing trees around the neighborhood back then, but usually only up to about ten feet or so. Scaling up to a full twenty feet was making me feel incredibly nervous, my chest tightening with anxiety as I carefully made my way higher up the limbs.

"Hey, are you doing okay?" she asked as she watched my slow progress. "You don't look so good either."

I finally managed to reach her specific limb and slowly hoisted my body onto the branch, inching my way out toward her position. I looked straight at her, deliberately forcing myself not to look down at the ground below. "No, I am totally fine. I am action movie star Rick Lee, and I always do all of my own stunts, ha-ha!"

Seeing the sheer look of panic plastered across my face, the girl let out a small giggle. "So you're an actor? And you do stunts, fufu."

I laid my torso completely flat against the rough wood, using my legs to tightly straddle the branch for stability as I slowly extended my right arm forward for the girl to grab.

She nervously reached out and gripped my hand, our wrists connecting in a tight lock. I made sure I had a completely solid hold on her before giving instructions. "There, I have you. Now crawl right over my back toward the main trunk. I have a firm grip on you, so do not be afraid."

The boy-cut girl nodded, carefully crawling over my body until her feet securely touched the main trunk of the tree. Fortunately, the bark around the trunk had plenty of natural handholds and footholds, making it a really safe climb down for her.

I watched the white-haired girl climb down slowly until her feet hit the grass, and just as I took a deep, relieved breath...

Slide~

My upper body suddenly lost all friction against the bark, and I slipped backward off the wood. I swung violently upside down, dangling twenty feet high in the air with only the backs of my legs hooked over the branch. Didn't I literally just tell her that falling on your head from this height could kill you?!

So there I was, hanging upside down like a total idiot, wondering if I was about to die, and being forced to stare at the Earth completely inverted. My vertigo instantly kicked in full force, and I started to panic as the world began to spin. I had a massive difficulty telling what was up or down anymore, and the sheer shock made my muscles freeze up completely, until...

Clap Clap Clap~

The stupid girl standing safely on the ground started enthusiastically clapping her hands at my terrifying predicament. "You really are incredibly brave, and you really do do all your own stunts! Just hanging there upside down like a bat is amazing!"

Crack~

Oh, and the upper branch—having just endured the weight of both of our bodies—fucking cracked loudly near the base. The long limb slowly began to tilt downward toward the earth, but to my absolute horror and incredible luck, my dangling legs slid down the splitting wood and caught onto a lower branch right below it.

As I desperately reached out to grab the new branch, that limb also snapped under the impact, sending me crashing flat onto my ass on the hard ground. Somehow, through pure luck, I managed to survive the fall with nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises.

The scrawny white-haired girl rushed over, happily helping me stand up as she brushed the dirt off my clothes. "You were absolutely amazing up there! Action movie star Rick Lee, let's be pen-pals! That way we can meet up in a couple of years when I finally move back to Star City!"

I looked at this total retard in absolute exhaustion, rubbing my sore back. "But I don't even know who the hell you are?!"

She immediately smacked her own forehead, sticking her tongue out. "I am so stupid, sorry, fufu! My name is Katelyn Pu!"

So, for the next two years, that stupid girl and I wrote letters back and forth once in a while. But eventually, she just stopped writing altogether, and my letters started getting returned to my house stamped undeliverable, so that was the end of that...

"Rick?! Are you still there?"

Victoria's sharp voice suddenly snapped me right out of my deep thoughts, and I turned around away from the glass. She was standing in the center of the room, having completely changed out of her business suit and into a tight black cheongsam dress embroidered with a striking Azure Dragon design flowing across the fabric.

"You are wearing your traditional black outfit tonight, so I decided to change into the exact same color," she noted, smoothing down the fabric over her curves. "Is it not alright?"

I was completely brought out of my inner fanboy mode by the sight of her, clearing my throat to find my words. "No, it looks really good on you. But this is only the second time I have ever seen you without a formal suit on, since the last time was just a normal dinner dress. You just seem like an entirely different woman in that outfit. Let's go."

She gave a small nod of agreement, and I followed closely behind her as we walked back out into the corridor.

As we made our way back to the elevator bank, I caught the fresh, subtle scent of vanilla body spray wafting off her skin, and a sudden realization hit me. Why the fuck am I even here with her like this in the first place?

"Victoria, I was just thinking... Why did you actually want to bring me out for dinner tonight?" I asked as we waited for the lift. "I didn't really think to ask until right now."

Her sharp purple eyes scanned my face as the elevator doors opened, and she offered me a very interesting perspective. "I am showing the rest of the Long family that Rick Lee is far more than just the son of his father. If you and I can become close friends, my family won't make a hostile move against you. Besides, I find you to be incredibly interesting. Is that alright with you, Mr. Lee?"

I stepped into the elevator car, looking straight at her. "Teacher Long, you are a bit too honest, are you not?"

Victoria, hearing her own words thrown right back at her face, only offered a mysterious smile and said absolutely nothing else as the lift began bringing us down to the second floor...

The Velvet Lounge on the second floor features two heavy, frosted-glass entrance doors with the name of the establishment beautifully etched directly into the glass. Two burly bouncers standing post at the entrance immediately spot the owner of the business and building approaching, quickly pulling both doors wide open for her to enter the venue.

One of the two sharply dressed hostesses waiting at the front pedestal sees Victoria walk in and immediately steps forward to offer a polite greeting. "Your normal table, Miss Long?"

"Yes, for two," Victoria responds, giving a brief nod.

Another set of inner doors is immediately opened for the two of us as we follow the hostess inside the darkened club. The interior walls of this high-class venue are completely covered in rich, deep blue and purple velvet fabric, which perfectly explains its namesake. It is an exceptionally cozy establishment, featuring around twenty four-person tables scattered across the floor and a massive full-service bar lined with around twenty high-backed bar stools.

The back wall of the venue houses five separate eight-person, U-shaped private booths that are strictly reserved for VIP bookings.

The center booth is always kept completely empty for Victoria's personal use and is never given away to any shoppers or guests under any circumstances. It also serves as the absolute best seat in the entire house for watching the live performances because the platform is slightly elevated compared to the standard four-top tables down in the center.

But the moment we approach the seating area, both Victoria and I freeze right in our tracks, desperately trying to calculate the absolute astronomical odds of running into these specific two couples here.

Facing the row of five booths, the private table directly to the left of Victoria's personal space is occupied by the couple of Alex Renaldo and Ana Zi.

And on the right side, sitting together at the adjacent table, the two jokers making themselves comfortable are Steve Woo and Cat Woo.

I point a finger toward Steve, then toward myself, and finally over to Alex, raising my voice just enough for everyone at the tables to hear me clearly. "What an absolute joke! We literally have Number One, Number Two, and Number Three sitting right here next to each other, and none of us are allowed to fight each other. Sigh, the Universe truly hates me!"

Steve Woo looks over at me, shifting his posture as he points a finger back toward Alex's table. "He invited me down here tonight to talk about the upcoming martial arts competition, and he definitely didn't tell me that you were going to be showing up, so do not give me that look, Rick."

Ana Zi turns her head toward us, letting out a soft sigh as she addresses the situation. "Alex told me that I could meet up with you again here since you and your teacher were planning to eat at the tower tonight. He originally wanted to take you out for dinner himself and you completely refused him, he said. Sigh, he is incredibly childish."

Alex flashes the smug smile of a completely retarded young master who possesses absolutely no shame, leaning back against the velvet cushions. "Ana, you specifically said you wanted to meet Rick Lee again, so this was the only logical way to make it happen. We can even do a quick date-swap tonight, so it's really no biggie."

Wow, this guy honestly thinks I am actively dating Victoria and he literally brought Ana along just to try and trade women with me like a piece of property.

I look over at Victoria as the two of us climb into the back part of her U-shaped booth to get a clear view of the center stage, keeping my voice low. "Remember back in your office when I openly questioned your genius status? Do you finally believe what I was talking about now?"

The lighting inside the lounge is incredibly dim, but for the first time since I met her, I can clearly see a look of deep shame and embarrassment flush across Victoria's face as she realizes just how bad Alex truly is.

The hostess steps up to the edge of our table, politely asking the two of us for our initial drink orders. Victoria requests a single glass of chilled white wine, while I turn my attention to the waitress to place my order. "Jack and Coke, and make it a double on the rocks."

Cat Woo glances over from her booth, offering a polite wave toward our table. "Nice to see you again tonight, Teacher. This is a really beautiful place you have here."

Steve Woo, finally getting a clear look at how incredibly gorgeous Victoria looks in her cheongsam, flashes a charming smile and immediately introduces himself. "Hello, Teacher Long. I am Cat's husband, and it is an absolute pleasure to meet you tonight."

Victoria forces her standard, fake corporate business smile onto her face and gives a polite, distant response. "Cat Woo has been a very good student in my class so far, so just make sure she keeps up the hard work."

Our drinks are delivered to the table a moment later, and we go ahead and place a simple food order of white-sauce Fettuccine Alfredo pasta along with a basket of fresh bread.

Ana, playing the part of the polite actress perfectly, looks across the gap toward our booth to address Victoria. "I wanted to personally thank you for hiring me into your Star Entertainment Group. I have been thoroughly enjoying working on the different shows and movies so far."

I instantly turn my head to the left where Vicky is sitting, staring at her in complete, unadulterated surprise. "Wait a minute. You are the specific Long who actually owns the Star Entertainment Group? The exact company that produced The Vampire I Fell For?!"

Victoria looks completely caught off guard by the sudden flash of genuine excitement shining in my eyes, turning her attention to the two of us to respond. "No problem, it was a very good business decision to contract with you, Miss Ana Zi. And yes, Rick, that company was actually one of my very first business ventures when I entered the movie and singing fields. That specific movie was the first major motion picture we ever released to the public, and it ended up performing significantly better than our initial projections."

I completely drop my tough-guy act for a second, totally gushing about my personal love for her production company. "Yes! It spawned a couple of other fantastic titles right behind it. Even Kate Kong's music career is absolutely exploding right now because of your label."

Victoria smiles warmly, offering an interesting piece of insider gossip. "My company actually currently has her scheduled to perform a massive New Year's Eve concert at the end of the year right here in Star City."

Hearing that, I turn my head and stare directly into Victoria's eyes, using my ultimate psychic power to mentally control her into handing over VIP tickets. Of course, all I am actually doing is activating my absolute best puppy-dog eyes.

My Acting Basic skill scores a massive critical hit on her defenses, and Victoria completely loses her corporate composure, bursting into a deep, genuine gut-laugh right next to me. "Ufufu! Stop doing that, Rick! I will personally get you into the concert, just please stop making that ridiculous face at me. As my student helper, I can easily manage to do that much for you."

Watching her genuinely laugh like that while her massive F-cup chest shakes beneath the tight cheongsam, I find myself completely frozen in a daze.

Damn, this woman is just way too good-looking for her own good.

Soon after, the house lights dim even further as the evening's live piano performance begins on the center stage, and all of the surrounding tables quiet down to listen to the music.

A bit later into the musical performance, I hear Steve Woo's voice cutting through the ambient sound from the adjacent booth.

"Hey, Lee, I heard you are getting a bit too close to Tina Feng lately," Steve says, leaning across the gap with a hard stare. "So let me give you a fair warning right now. Stay the hell away from my woman."

Victoria, who had been completely enjoying the live piano performance up until this point, hears Steve Woo's aggressive statement and looks up with a visibly surprised expression. She glances over and notices Alex Renaldo sitting there with a massive, knowing smirk plastered on his face, leaving her deeply confused as to why Tina Feng's name is suddenly causing a massive issue among all three of these powerful men.

So, why exactly is ordering a couple of Jack and Coke doubles a terrible idea when dealing with arrogant ass-hats like these two? It is because the moment the alcohol hits my system, a lot of my usual tactical restraints immediately fly right out the window, prompting me to turn toward my date—cough, no, I mean my teacher.

"I had a bit too much to drink just now, and I was wondering if you will be completely alright sitting here by yourself for about ten or so minutes?" I ask, keeping my voice steady. "I need to step outside to make a quick phone call."

Victoria offers a reassuring nod, smoothing down her black cheongsam. "Sure, Mr. Lee, go right ahead. I have all of my own personal security guards stationed right here inside the establishment if I find myself in any real trouble."

I give her a quick smile, sliding smoothly out of the velvet booth before utilizing my Stealth skill to slink completely undetected out of the crowded restaurant and bar area. Naturally, I make sure to stop by the front pedestal to tell the hostesses and the bouncers that I am just stepping away for a brief moment and will be right back.

Pulling my smartphone out of my pocket, I immediately dial a familiar number as I head straight for the building's infrastructure layout.

By the time the phone call is finally picked up on the other end, I have already taken the service stairs down to the chilly, underground basement level parking lot.

[Rick?!] Tony Feng's voice echoes directly through the electronic speaker. [I do believe this is the very first time you have ever voluntarily called my line. What exactly can I do for you tonight?]

"I just have a quick tournament rules clarification question for you, Head Feng," I reply, walking down the rows of luxury vehicles.

[Have you been doing some heavy drinking over there, Rick?] Tony asks, catching the slight edge in my voice. [What exactly is your question?]

"Just a little bit, yeah. And the question is this," I say, stopping directly behind two familiar cars. "I know the official rules state we are absolutely not allowed to go after the people around the other contestants or attack each other directly until a formal challenge is issued. But does this protection also extend to, say... their personal vehicles?"

[........... I honestly never even thought to establish that as a formal rule,] Tony admits after a long, stunned silence. [I guess technically speaking, if absolutely no one is currently sitting inside the vehicle, it is considered a matter of simple property damage. I did not necessarily write a rule against it when we made the—]

PHIIIIIIIT!

PHIIIIIIIT!

PHIIIIIIIT!

PHIIIIIIIT!

Right where the tires get their air pumped into the valve stem, there is a little center pin you normally press down to insert or hold the air pressure.

Inside my professional Lockpicking set, I actually carry a specialized automotive core remover tool that completely unscrews the valve stem right out of the inner tube to rapidly release all the air.

And that incredibly loud, sudden hissing sound of escaping air is exactly what Tony Feng hears directly over the phone line.

[Ha-ha, I see,] Tony chuckles on the other end, instantly putting the pieces together. [They did something to thoroughly piss you off over there, didn't they?]

"Yeah, the idiot decided to bring up Tina's name out of his mouth, so I just need to vent a little bit of steam," I grunt, twisting the tool onto the next wheel. "Thanks for the quick rule clarification, Head Feng."

[No, I completely understand. I was young once myself and I know exactly how—] Tony begins.

PHIIIIIIIT!

PHIIIIIIIT!

PHIIIIIIIT!

PHIIIIIIIT!

The hissing bursts through the microphone again, causing Tony to pause. [Um, Rick, if I am hearing that correctly, is that not two entirely different cars getting deflated right now?]

"Yes, sir, it is," I say with a grin, tossing the valve cores onto the concrete floor. "Number Three invited Number One down here specifically to try and piss off Number Two. So now Number One and Number Three can stand around waiting for a tow truck while I just take a cab home. I want to head back upstairs before they start missing me at the table."

[Alright then, I will make sure to let Tina know exactly what is up. Goodbye, Rick. Click... do do do...]

I slip my phone back into my pocket and head straight back up to the lounge...

As I enter the dim room to take my seat at our booth, I immediately see Victoria looking deeply annoyed because Alex and Ana have slid their asses over from their table and completely boxed her into the corner of the seat. Actively stepping into my role like a good student helper, I step right up to the edge of the table to interject.

"I am currently drunk and I am carrying a loaded gun on my waist, so if one of you monkeys does not move out of the way right now for Victoria to get out of this booth, I will personally put all of us straight onto the eleven o'clock news," I say, staring directly into Alex's eyes. "She is my only ride home tonight, and I need to leave right now."

Victoria flashes a grateful smile, quickly picking up her designer purse and sliding out of the booth through the now-open path on Ana's side of the seat.

I offer a mocking smile to the smart actress for complying so fast. My teacher stands up fully, looking at my rigid posture as she addresses me.

"Let's go, Rick. I will take you back to the campus lot before it gets too late. It seems like you drank a bit too much alcohol tonight and got incredibly irritable."

The two of us immediately turn on our heels to exit the venue, leaving Alex sitting in the booth looking completely flustered as he turns his head to address Ana. "Quick, let's follow them outside right now and see exactly what the hell they are up to!"

Down in the underground garage, we get straight into Victoria's parked sedan. As I pull out my phone and look down at the display, I let out a sharp sneer at my Cat and Mouse tracking application.

Victoria notices my expression as she adjusts her mirrors, turning her head toward me. "What exactly is wrong, Mr. Lee?"

I just shake my head casually, sliding my phone back into my pocket. "It's just a couple of total idiots who are currently trying to follow us out of here, but they aren't going to be able to do it. So let's just go ahead and leave while the coast is completely clear."

As Victoria steers the vehicle out of the garage ramp and drives out into the dark city streets, she glances over at me with a sigh. "I guess I really should have listened to your advice back in the classroom and never opened the office door for him in the first place."

"No, don't worry about it," I reply, looking out at the passing buildings. "He most likely tracked down your car in the lot before coming up to the office floor just to make sure you were still inside the building."

Victoria's sharp purple eyes shift over to study my face for a long moment, offering an interesting observation. "Alex and Cat's husband all seem to have some kind of serious ongoing physical conflict with you, and you seem to have a highly specific way of locating Alex's position. You managed to notice his presence earlier when we were grading, and you just did it again just now. Is there a way for you to know if he is ever standing near me?"

I obviously can't tell her that I already have her phone completely tracked and monitored on my system, so I decide to cover my tracks a bit. "Give me your smartphone for a second, and I will sync us up so we can exchange location info."

She passes her device straight over to me with absolutely no questions asked. I play around with the interface for a few seconds just for show, setting up an automated scripting link, and then hand the phone right back to her.

"If he ever comes within a one-mile radius of your position, your phone will automatically receive an automated text alert," I explain, leaning back against the leather seat. "Don't bother asking me how the coding works, I just know it functions perfectly."

Victoria silently adds this to the massive, growing list of amazing feats I have performed since she met me, occasionally cutting her eyes over to look at me in deep thought.

Fuck, at this point, she isn't even trying to hide her questioning gaze anymore. I look down at my lap, clearing my throat. "Sorry about how things turned out tonight. I have a lot of powerful people out there who really don't like me very much, and I just naturally tend to cause a lot of problems for the people around me."

She shakes her head firmly, rejecting the apology as she steers through an intersection. "No, it was entirely my own fault for letting Alex know about our dinner plans in the first place. Next time around, I will make sure to hide our destination a whole lot better."

I turn my head toward her, my eyebrows raising in surprise. "Wait a minute. Are you actually planning on taking me out for a meal every single Friday?"

"If you remember the terms of our original agreement, that was exactly what we both shook hands on," she notes, a slight smile forming on her face. "So yes, I will be taking you out to dinner on our Fridays. Your two wives shouldn't have an issue with that arrangement, right?"

I look at her slightly smiling face, deciding to speak my true internal thoughts on the matter. "Actually, that might turn out pretty bad for me. My wives might start thinking that there is something romantic going on between us, and I would end up getting into a ton of trouble back home. Soooo."

"You don't have to worry about that at all, Mr. Lee," she interrupts smoothly, keeping her eyes on the road. "I will personally explain the situation to them, and you won't have to worry about them thinking anything inappropriate is going on between you and your teacher."

I narrow my eyes at her statement, shifting in my seat. "Wait. How exactly do you know how to talk to them? This is starting to sound a bit suspicious now, Teacher Long."

Victoria glides the sedan smoothly into the university parking lot, pulling directly alongside my parked SUV. She shifts the transmission into park, turning her body fully toward me with a smug look. "Your two wives regularly come to my private day-spa to relax and enjoy themselves, so naturally, I already made my personal acquaintance with them a while ago. Did you not bother to actually look at the contacts list on my phone when I handed it to you?"

She holds up her smartphone screen for me to see, and sure as shit, both of my wives' names are saved right there in her directory, sitting right next to Linda Lang's contact info.

I instantly step out of her passenger seat and grab my bag, desperately needing to escape this incredibly awkward ending. I look back through the door at my instructor. "See you on Monday, Teacher Long..."

As I close the door and quickly slide into my own car to make my escape, Victoria watches my every move from her wheel. She starts her engine back up to leave the lot, a genuine smile gracing her face at the highly entertaining evening I had just provided...

Meanwhile, back on the thirty-ninth floor of the Velvet Tower, inside the main tech department office filled with rows of glowing monitors.

Special Agent Lucy Shen is sitting comfortably at her desk, eating a fresh bag of hot microwave popcorn in absolute joy as she watches the security feed of two furious young masters and their dates standing out in the basement lot, angrily kicking their completely dead, flat tires.

"Don't you worry about a thing, nephew," Lucy giggles to herself, wiping a kernel from her lip as her fingers delete the parking garage footage. "Auntie will completely clean up all of the digital evidence for you, Ufufu."