Chapter 63: Family Meeting, And Going Forward!

Chapter 63: Family Meeting, And Going Forward!

Hana, Mary, and I sat around the dinner table, finishing up the last bites of the food Mei cooked while she quietly wiped down the counters nearby to give us some space. Both of my wives were staring intently at Mei Xia's legal paperwork.

I had already gone over the files earlier, so I took my time explaining the mess that went down during my birthday, carefully hiding my master-level Computer Use capabilities and playing down Mei's real background to keep the secrets of the Yellow Emperor completely buried. It wasn't a matter of lacking trust, but the reality was that if the Central Government or the China Empire got wind of the truth, things would get ugly fast since this entire history had been scrubbed clean from school textbooks, meaning any leak could easily spark a massive international conflict.

Mary tapped her fingers against the table, her mind clearly working through what she already knew about Mei from my past run-ins with Scott over the years before she leaned forward and asked, "So what you're saying is, Miss Xia was here illegally because her documents expired, you found out, and the twins used that leverage to get her deported just to spite Scott, and then the investigators handling the interrogation trumped up charges to push her out faster?"

I forced a look of shame onto my face and nodded. "That is the official story, and the government proved her innocence, granted her full citizenship, and dropped the deportation order, but the whole international incident dragged my grandfather's name into the mix."

Mary and Hana caught the subtle twitch in my eye at the mention of the old man, causing Hana to set her chopsticks down and ask, "Okay, I follow the part about her being falsely accused and cleared, but why didn't she just return to the Tang family, and why come to us?"

I took a slow, deep breath, carefully picking my words while Mei stepped up to the table to quietly gather our empty dishes. "Even with a full pardon, the stigma of a deportation arrest is going to haunt her permanent work record forever, so if she went back to the Tangs, they would never trust her and would always be looking over their shoulders, and the biggest reason is that Scott treated her like absolute garbage."

I kept talking as she stacked the plates, laying out the narrative smoothly. "Because of my broken relationship with my grandfather, he and the government hired her as an apology, paying her to take care of me and our family because Mei isn't just a highly skilled maid, but she is also a fully trained nanny and a bodyguard pretty much like Mercy Mu next door, meaning her real job is to watch over this house, keep us safe, and handle the domestic work while showing the public that General Lee trusts her enough to place her right next to his estranged grandson."

Mary looked at the paperwork again, her detective instincts clearly tingling as she realized that if the government explicitly placed a bodyguard disguised as a maid in our house, the danger had to be real. Hana looked over at me, sensing my apparent helplessness regarding my grandfather's interference, but her gut told her I trusted Mei despite our messy history, so she glanced at Mary and let her co-wife take the lead on the final call.

Mei carried the dishes over to the sink, and seeing the three of us locked in silent thought, she turned around and spoke up, "If I may suggest something... How about giving me a one-month trial to prove myself, and if the wives of young master Lee are not satisfied with my service, I can request a different assignment from the government since I genuinely do not want to cause any discomfort in your home."

Mary narrowed her eyes, studying Mei's posture carefully before asking, "So you basically work for the government now, right? And your sole objective is to take care of Rick?"

Mei kept her composure perfectly despite how sharp Mary was. "Yes, Mrs. Lee, my job is to ensure master Lee remains safe and well taken care of, so you can view me as a bodyguard if that makes you more comfortable, but I am a fully qualified maid."

Mary read right through the lines and asked, "Which means if it isn't you standing by Rick's side, they'll just send someone else?"

Mei smiled and gave a slight nod. "Even though master Rick is completely removed from the family registry, they are still watching him from afar, so if I am dismissed, I am certain they will deploy another individual to monitor him."

Mary's expression turned incredibly serious. "Then let me ask you straight, is this an assignment, a paycheck, or your own choice?"

Mei kept that calm smile on her face as she looked back at my fiercely protective wife and said, "All three, Mrs. Lee, but the choice is the absolute biggest reason since this maid would willingly lay down her life to protect young master Rick."

Mary turned to Hana and asked, "What do you think? Don't just go along with this if you have doubts."

Hana pointed a finger at the documents on the table, then looked around the room and said, "A lot of details are being left out here, but the fact that she is standing in our kitchen after that crazy ordeal proves the government backs her, and plus, Rick is clearly trying to navigate around secrets he can't openly talk about, which tells me this maid is a very special, highly complicated case, so Mary, I still want you to make the final decision, but I know Rick would never do anything to put our family in danger."

Warmth flooded my chest because Hana's absolute trust felt incredible, proving I had completely struck gold in the wife lottery with her.

Mary let out a heavy sigh, looked over at me, and asked, "And how exactly do we explain Miss Xia to everyone else? Have you two thought up a cover story? Also, 'young master' sounds ridiculous in this house, so can you just call him Rick, Lee, or Mr. Lee?"

Mei's smile widened as she realized Mary's hostility was just fierce protectiveness over me. "Inside the home, I shall call him Rick, and in front of outsiders, it will be Master Lee, and as for the cover story, we tell the Heads of the families that his grandfather sent me, and for anyone else, we tell them Rick wanted a full-time maid, and since he wanted to piss off Scott Tang, he hired Scott's ex-maid, simple."

Mary, Hana, and I all exchanged looks of utter amusement because the cover story was so perfectly petty that it was completely believable, even though it stung my pride a little how easily people would buy it.

Hana giggled at my expression before turning back to Mei. "It looks like we will be bringing you on, Mei Xia, so what are your requirements for living arrangements, salary, and your daily schedule?"

A look of genuine relief flashed deep in Mei's eyes. "My monthly salary is already fully taken care of by the government, and as for living arrangements, I already informed Rick that I will occupy the downstairs servants' quarters, and my schedule will be full-time, meaning I will manage the household chores and handle the driving to and from Star University to ensure no safety issues arise, hoping to remain here long-term because that will mean I am doing a good job keeping Rick safe."

Mary nodded, finding the terms perfectly reasonable before asking, "How long did you actually work for the Tang family, and what was your experience with Scott?"

Mei's smile faded slightly into a serious expression. "I am twenty years old now, and I immigrated to Eurasia the moment I turned eighteen and became a legal adult, which was when I was hired as Scott Tang's personal maid, and as for Scott... I will leave the details of those two years to your imagination, but if I had to choose between him and Rick a hundred times over, Scott would get zero votes, and Rick would get all one hundred since Scott Tang will never get another opportunity to hurt Rick again."

Mary studied her face, her detective instincts telling her that Mei meant every single word, so she stood up and extended her hand across the table to say, "We will give you a one-month trial period, Miss Xia. Keep Rick safe, and keep us informed."

Hana stood up next, offering her hand with a mischievous grin. "Well, my husband has quite a few secrets you might discover, so I hope you two can navigate those waters smoothly."

Mei smirked, shaking both of their hands as she replied, "If you are referring to his close 'friendships' with his female classmates, then yes, this maid is fully aware and entirely discreet, though I must admit, I cannot wait to see the looks on Nadia and Nichole's faces when they realize I am back."

Yeah, I was in completely uncharted waters here. Sure, I had two wives, two affairs, and a future engagement already lined up, but figuring out how to break this to the twins was a whole different beast. The one I was absolutely terrified of was Nadia. It wasn't that she would actually do anything dangerous, but fuck, she would probably give me those big, sad puppy eyes, and those things were straight-up deadly.

Hana smiled smoothly from across the room, clearly understanding that this newly hired maid already knew way too much about my incredibly messy personal life. She looked over at me, her eyes twinkling as she offered, "Did you want me to let them know, honey?"

I shook my head, letting out a heavy sigh as a completely defeated expression washed over my face. "No, I'll take care of it right after this. I know them well. As long as I am completely honest and give them a heads-up ahead of time, they can process the news, but if I just spring this on them out of the blue, their feelings are going to get hurt. Besides, if you tell them, it's just going to look like I am cowardly avoiding their emotions."

Hana stood up from the table, throwing her arms over her head in a long, lazy stretch before heading toward the stairs. "Then I am going to go take a long bath and leave you to dig up mines in your own minefield, fufu."

Mei immediately stepped forward from the counter, seizing the opening to make herself useful as she offered, "Let me run the bath water for you, Mrs. Lee. Please don't refuse, helping out with these exact tasks is my job."

Hana glanced back with a soft smile. "Sure, then I'll leave it to you."

While the women headed upstairs to get started on their after-dinner routines, I pulled out my phone and dialed Nichole directly instead of sending a text. A voice call felt way more personal for a massive explanation like this, and the fact that I was openly calling should instantly relay the seriousness of the situation to her.

The phone rang in my ear. Dial-tone... dial-tone... dial-tone...

[Hello, Rick? Is everything okay?]

"I am fine," I said, keeping my voice steady. "But some highly unexpected things have just come up here, and I need both of you to be completely prepared for some shocking news."

There was a brief pause on the other end, followed by the rustle of clothes and movement. [Let me sit down and grab Nadia then... Okay, Nadia is right here listening. Go ahead, Rick.]

I let out a massive breath, trying to steady my racing heart. "Phew! Okay, remember maid Xia? No, I know you obviously remember her, but some crazy things have happened regarding her status..."

[Go on?] Nichole prompted, her tone shifting into focused attention.

"She was originally here on an expired visa and got deported under the assumption that she was a spy," I explained rapidly, weaving the cover story together. "But it turns out the government retracted those espionage accusations because the poor interrogations forced her to admit to things she never even did. Long story short... she is back in the country."

[Wait, is she coming right back to Scott's side again?!]

"No, that is where things get incredibly complicated," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "See, she is actually my maid now. And on top of that, she already knows it was me who turned her into immigration in the first place, not you two."

The line went completely dead. [..................]

"Um, I honestly only found out about this a little bit ago, I promise," I added into the heavy silence.

[Ricky, this is Nichole back on the line. My sister is sitting here in an absolute daze. Wait, so Mei Xia is back in the country and she is living as your maid?! I don't get it, are you blackmailing her into serving you? Ufufu, Ricky, you are so incredibly bad!]

"Wait, what? No, absolutely not," I stammered, coughing slightly. "It was my blood relatives over in the Central Government who forced her to work for me as part of an apology package. And um, you should know she absolutely hates Scott just as much as you two do."

The phone rustled again as the line was aggressively swapped. [Give me that—Rick, this is Nadia again. Now you are telling me that Mei Xia is back and acting as your personal maid? Does Scott or the rest of the Tang family even know about this yet? We haven't heard a single rumor on our end.]

"Only you two, Mary, and Hana know," I clarified, matching her serious tone. "No one else has been told a single thing yet. Like I said, this literally just happened a moment ago."

[Have you already told Tina Feng about this?]

"No, I absolutely needed to tell you two first, which is exactly why I called you so openly instead of texting. I am really sorry to just throw this at you out of the blue like this. Also, you should know that Mei is completely aware of our relationship, and she doesn't mind or hold any hard feelings about it."

[Hmm? So you made sure to tell us first... I actually really like that. But Rick, what exactly are you going to do with this interesting development? Obviously, you are going to rub it directly in Scott's face, right? Do you actually trust her at your side?]

"If you're asking me whether she would be loyal to me over Scott, then the answer is definitely yes," I said, thinking through the situation. "But I realize I still don't know her true self as well as I thought I did. She was just like you two, completely acting a part whenever she was around Scott. As for what to do with Scott himself? I am not entirely sure yet. That kind of maneuvering is way more in your wheelhouse, so do you have any suggestions?"

[I do,] Nadia replied, her voice sharpening with strategic focus. [First of all, just letting him see you out in public with her out of the blue would be fun and shocking, but it might trigger a completely uncertain reaction. He could end up doing something incredibly dangerous to everyone around you. Because of that, I highly recommend letting him stew in the knowledge that she is with you first. That way, when he finally sees you in person, his rational mind won't snap in a way that makes you look like the bad guy.]

"Alright, that makes sense," I agreed, nodding along to the logic. "But then how do I leak that to him in a completely natural way?"

[Take an outside picture of Mei going in or out of your Hummer from the direction of Linda's home, and then ask Linda to email it directly to Scott, asking him if that used to be his maid. This way, Scott won't suspect your involvement, and his mind will completely obsess over the image until Monday. Oh, and Rick...]

"Yes?"

[This is Nadia, Ricky. You aren't sleeping with her, are you, Ricky?]

"No, I am definitely not sleeping with her, nor have I even touched her," I stated firmly, not missing a single beat. "I have absolutely zero intention of doing anything like that with her. She is strictly my maid, and she just wants to help me deal with Scott, that is it. I still love you and Nichole very much."

[Fine, but you need to make me very happy before computer class on Monday, Ricky!] Nadia huffed.

The phone rustled again as Nichole took it back. [Give me the phone, horn-dog. Sigh... Rick, it's me again. Thanks for warning us ahead of time. Seriously, don't feel guilty or anything. If we weren't already locked into this difficult relationship dynamic, I might be a bit more aggrieved, but you have been nothing but good to us, dear. Just don't be like Scott and fall for her charms like a licking-dog, okay? See you on Monday, Rick.]

Click. Do... do... do...

I stared at the screen as the call cut off, letting out a low whistle. "Wow, they are so fucking obedient with you!"

"AH! HOLY FUCK!"

Like a literal specter, Mei Xia had materialized directly behind me. Because her Stealth ability was way higher than my own basic tier, she had completely ghosted past my senses, spooking me to no end. My reflexes kicked in hard, and I launched myself over the back of the couch in a flawless Acrobatics roll to escape the sudden threat, landing on my feet with my heart hammering against my ribs.

With pure mischief dancing in her eyes, Mei covered her mouth to muffle her giggling as she looked at my completely pale face. "Ufufu! Sorry, sorry! I was just testing what alertness level you can currently detect. I am doing this entirely for your future training baseline, so please don't look so offended, Rick. I am going to make you much better. Plus, your Acrobatics are honestly impressive to move like that."

I brushed off my clothes, getting up with a deeply embarrassed flush creeping up my neck as I glared at her. "Damn it, Mei, you almost made me reincarnate by sending my soul straight out of my body! Seriously, don't do that. So how much of that did you actually hear?"

"Most of it," Mei admitted, her smirk widening. "But Rick, if I didn't know that was actually Nadia and Nichole on the phone, I would never believe it. Those two are normally known for being incredibly cutthroat and ruthless. How on earth did you tame them?"

I walked over to the desk, turning on the computer to give myself something to focus on. "That's the thing, I never tamed them at all. They have had me running around their fingers from the very start. I just completely fell for their quirky personalities."

Mei glided over, stopping just behind my shoulder as a look of genuine realization settled onto her features. "So, you tamed them by completely not trying to tame them? No, that actually makes perfect sense to me. It is exactly like capturing a wild animal. If you put them inside a jail and tell them what to do, they become completely resentful, but if you just feed them, pet them, and let them remain wild, they actually grow to care for you. I honestly don't know if you are a complete genius or just ridiculously lucky with women."

I pulled up another chair, gesturing for her to sit down while I brought up my programming interface. I wanted to explain some of my monitoring setups and show her how she could help me keep an eye on things in her spare time. And no freaking duh, I naturally gave her strictly limited access regarding what she could and couldn't do on my system, because I am not totally retarded.

And no, even though she was a trained operative, this super-spy was not better than me when it came to my own computer setups, not even with outside assistance. If she tried to share any of my confidential files, the servers that intruded would be instantly crippled with my own hyper-aggressive, malicious viruses. Like I said, I am not retarded.

I even installed a modified version of my Cat and Mouse app directly onto her phone to help her track most of my traced targets, which mainly consisted of active enemies and myself. The system was configured so she would receive automatic alerts from my app whenever something important triggered—like if Mary or Hana needed immediate assistance and she happened to be the closest one to their location, she would be alerted instantly.

After two solid hours of modifying code and teaching Mei Xia exactly what I needed her to do, she sat there playing with the Cat and Mouse interface, looking up at me with an intense expression. "Rick, you asked me what your path would be earlier, and looking at this system, I can completely see it now..."

I stretched my back, getting ready to head upstairs to be with my two wives, but her sudden comment made me pause in surprise. "Oh? What exactly will my legacy be in this world?"

With sparkly eyes, she held up her phone, pointing directly at the glowing screen. "I think you will be remembered as the man who completely revolutionized the cyber-world on Pangaea. Your conceptual ideas are absolutely incredible. This single application alone holds so many wonderful capabilities for safety, assassination, monitoring, and even everyday life tracking. I think it isn't just your computer skills, but your brilliant ideas that are going to change the entire world."

She looked like a twenty-year-old girl who had just discovered a fascinating new toy, completely shedding the dark aura of an orphaned street-rat turned lethal Black-Widow. Her genuine smile and pure excitement actually made me forget the bizarre situation I found myself in for a brief moment.

"Goodnight, Mei," I said, offering a small nod. "I hope we will work well together."

With that, I turned around and walked upstairs, heading straight into the comfort of my lovers' arms.