Chapter 73: The Song!

Chapter 73: The Song!

Standing in the shadows of the opulent dining room at the Song estate, I adjusted the stiff collar of my catering uniform, keeping my eyes cast downward as I focused on my surroundings. Sunday night dinner at the Song home was in full swing, and thanks to my basic Acting skill, the family completely ignored me, treating me like just another invisible face among the hired help.

"Thanks for having a meal with us, Uncle Dan." Scott spoke up, trying to project a respectful posture toward his relative, though his eyes still flashed with his usual petty arrogance.

Scott and his mother Debby were currently sharing the massive mahogany table with Debby's brother, Dan Song, a powerful Branch Family Head of the Song clan who ran this local estate while his older sister managed the main family headquarters back in White State.

Debby slumped slightly in her chair, looking completely exhausted from her recent legal battles. "Your home and family are wonderful as always."

Her tired demeanor was entirely my doing. Over the last couple of days, I had used my Master Computer Use skill to rip right through her personal financial networks. I manipulated several digital transaction loops, forcing her bank accounts to freeze under severe government scrutiny for major discrepancies.

The beautiful part was how the trap expanded; Dan had recently been alerted that a massive chunk of his own branch family money had been shifted into that exact frozen account, trapping his funds right along with hers while federal investigators slowly traced the origin of the transfers.

Dan's wife Angel, sitting directly to his left, flashed a thoroughly artificial smile as she stepped in to handle the social heavy lifting for her tense husband. "We were so saddened to hear of your hardships in this recent time so naturally we had to gather. Right little Hope?"

"Yes mother, to hear that little Scott and auntie have been bullied made me unhappy." Hope Song replied, a incredibly fake smile plastered across her face.

Hope clearly did not give a single damn about her broken Tang cousin or her stressed aunt, but she went through the motions because high-society formalities had to be maintained.

Looking at them from the side of the room, I noted how the mother and daughter possessed an oddly thematic set of names, contrasting heavily with the husband, Dan Song. All three family members shared the distinct traits of pitch-black hair and dark eyes, and both women were notably top-heavy, blatantly flaunting their looks as a calculated tool to make people lower their guards.

Dan ignored the polite chatter, leaning forward as he turned his sharp gaze toward his sister. "Any news on our joint account? Have they figured out how such a vast amount of money shifted?"

Debby forced a weak smile, her voice dropping as she delivered the terrible news. "They claimed it was a computer glitch, but they can not explain how my main account was drained leaving me with little money to my name. My lawyers assure me it had to have been a malicious hacker, but the government said it can take 3 to 6 months to sort things."

Seeing his mother falter, Scott decided it was the perfect moment to try and butter up his wealthy uncle to secure their backup plans. He reached down to his right and lifted a rare, dusty imported bottle of white wine that he had brought along from his private residential stock, holding it out like an offering. "Here uncle I brought a bottle of 1974 Delmonico White, from the UK of America."

Dan took the vintage bottle from Scott, turning it in his hands to scrutinize the faded printing on the label. "Very nice, I think we should all have a toast to our family. Bring the opener maids."

I stepped forward immediately, keeping my blonde wig low to obscure my face as I took the bottle. Using my basic Thief skills to smoothly pop the cork without a sound, I poured the pale liquid into all five crystal glasses. They had absolutely no clue that during my quick, invisible excursion into the kitchen using my basic Stealth skill, I had already compromised this exact bottle.

Combining my Advanced Medicine knowledge with a quick chemical synthesis, I had dissolved an incredibly potent, fast-acting laxative compound right into the wine. It was a medical-grade formula designed to hit the human digestive tract like a freight train in exactly twenty minutes.

Dan raised his glass high, signaling for everyone to follow suit. "Over the lips, and through the gums, watch-out stomach because here it comes!"

The five family members downed their glasses in unison. As Scott set his empty glass back down on the table, a slight grimace crossed his features, and he smacked his lips with a faint frown. He clearly thought this particular vintage tasted a little off, but it wasn't a massive difference, so he simply brushed it off as a quirk of the aging process.

I quietly stepped forward to refill their cups while the kitchen staff began rolling out the hot plates of food. Hope licked her seductive lips, leaning across the table as she turned her calculating eyes toward her cousin. "So cousin Scott, why a sudden request to see us? You normally only go to my club?"

Scott decided to stop dancing around the issue, drawing a sharp breath to rip the bandaid right off. "My bastard cousin Rick Lee is an eyesore for me, but my father won't let me deal with him, or I will get kicked out. So I wanted to ask uncle Dan if he had any solutions."

Dan chuckled softly, swirling the remaining wine in his glass. He wasn't a total moron, and he immediately picked up on his nephew's desperation. "Huh? You kicked an iron-plate and can't handle it? What problem is tougher than the Tang? This Rick Lee must have something behind him, right?"

"Do you mean the Rick Lee in Star University in that Kung-Fu video and the one that beat up your stupid bodyguards?" Hope smiled slyly, tapping her fingers against her cheek as she recalled the news. "Although he is not very handsome or I would have made him mine, shame really."

Dan dismissed his daughter's commentary, keeping his focus locked entirely on Scott. "Oh, so you can't bully him with fist so you need a professional to solve your problem for you? Well it can be done, but you will have to pay them."

"Careful father, Lee is also the Number 2 on the Feng fighting challenge, so he is a bit high profile." Hope warned, her eyes narrowing as she factored in my public martial arts ranking.

Dan shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Hmm, I know a professional friend of mine, but he is a bit expensive."

Scott leaned in closer, his voice filled with immediate, desperate expectation. "How much?"

Dan held up a single finger, his expression turning cold. "Each hit or life is one million, but he has never failed."

Scott winced, looking completely taken aback by the massive price tag. Outside of his family trust fund—which he couldn't legally touch until his university years completely ended—his personal cash savings only amounted to a bit more than that single million. Paying this fee meant he would be completely broke until graduation. He ground his teeth together, his sheer hatred for me winning out over his financial caution. "Fine I will pay it, but he has to kill him soon."

Dan reached into his jacket, pulled a sleek, solid black card out of his leather wallet, and slid it across the white tablecloth. "His information on this card can only be seen in absolute darkness with zero light, so you can call yourself."

"Thanks uncle Dan!" Scott snatched the card up, a vile grin spreading across his face as he tucked it away.

I kept my face completely blank as I stepped back into the shadows. My Master Computer Use skill had already established a passive intercept node on the local cellular towers surrounding this estate. The moment Scott tried to make that call in the dark, the encrypted cellular network clues would route straight into my own terminal script, giving me the exact location and identity of this supposed unfailed assassin.

Exactly ten minutes later, a sharp sound shattered the quiet atmosphere of the dining hall.

Ring Ring Ring!

Everyone turned their heads as Hope’s smartphone began vibrating violently on the table. She frowned, seeing her venue manager's number, and snapped the phone to her ear. "Hello? What?! What do you mean my club is burning?!"

Right as the words left her mouth, a sudden, violent spasm racked Hope's midsection. Her face drained of color as she dropped the phone. Across from her, Angel and Debby simultaneously clutched their stomachs, their eyes widening in pure horror as the medical-grade laxative hit their systems. A second later, Dan and Scott groaned loudly, doubling over as their own bellies twisted into knots.

The realization hit them all at once: it was time to find a restroom immediately.

The Song family, being an intensely selfish bunch, didn't waste a single second checking on their guests. Knowing the layout of the closest private restrooms in the eastern wing, Dan, Angel, and Hope bolted from the table and sprinted out of the room.

Scott and Debby, left entirely behind and completely unfamiliar with the sprawling layout of the mansion, scrambled out of the dining hall in a frantic, sweating panic, desperately looking for a staff member to give them directions.

Clutching his stomach, Scott rounded the corner of the hallway and literally bumped right into me. He gripped my sleeve, his face covered in sweat as he begged in absolute agony. "Restroom now! Please, it is coming!"

"The double door at the back of this bedroom has a large toilet for you two now hurry!" I said, disguising my voice with a heavy, strange accent that sounded completely foreign.

I quickly ushered the two of them into Dan’s massive master suite, pointing them toward the back of the room. The moment Scott and Debby made a desperate, clumsy dash toward the set of double doors at the far end of the bedroom, I stepped backward out into the hallway.

An evil smile spread across my face as I grabbed the heavy outer bedroom door, slammed it shut, and turned the deadbolt. The crisp click of the lock sealed them inside.

Inside the suite, Scott and Debby threw open the double doors at the back, only to find themselves staring into a massive, cedar-lined walk-in closet filled with Dan's expensive suits. There was no plumbing in sight. Realizing the trick, they spotted the actual master bathroom door off to the side and threw their weight against it.

The handle didn't budge. Thanks to my manual lockpicking prep work earlier using my basic Thief skill, the internal mechanism was completely jammed solid. Trapped inside a sealed bedroom with absolutely nowhere to go, the sounds of their frantic, weeping panic began to echo through the thick wood.

Turning on my heel, I calmly walked down the hallway, pulling off the catering vest as I prepared to intercept the black card data.

Outside the heavy mahogany master bedroom door, I lingered for a few quiet moments in the dimly lit hallway, listening intently to the beautiful aftermath of my work. The initial frantic rattling of the jammed brass knob quickly dissolved into desperate, muffled cries, followed shortly by the distinct, unmistakable sounds of violent retching and vomiting from the mother and son trapped on the other side.

I looked down at my hand, turning over the leather wallet I had seamlessly lifted from Scott’s pocket when he ran into me. A quiet smile spread across my face. Slipping down the corridor, I ducked into a nearby dark storage closet, ensuring every single light source was completely dead before pulling out the solid black card I had slipped from his cash slots.

Because the specialized material required absolute darkness to read, I activated my phone's voice-to-text application with a muted tap, holding the screen tight against my chest to prevent any glow from bleeding into the room. I carefully read the emerging text out loud in a low whisper, letting the app record every piece of the hitman's encrypted contact information.

Once the data was safely stored on my terminal, I slipped the black card back into its leather slot, stepped back out into the chaotic hallway, and dropped the wallet directly through the thin gap at the bottom of the master bedroom door. The faint thud was instantly answered by another round of miserable groans from inside the foul-smelling room.

My voice and foreign butler accent had come together perfectly through my basic Acting skill, and my pickpocketing work was completely covered by my basic Thief proficiency. I had even made sure to wear a pair of lightweight tech gloves from start to finish, ensuring absolutely zero fingerprints were left behind. My clean entry and exit from the estate were fully backed by my Master Computer Use and my basic Cat Burglar skill combination, making the lock-jamming and system bypasses look completely untraceable.

Whistling a cheerful tune like any good, dedicated butler should, I strolled casually out of the mansion’s side exit, navigating through the panicked household staff as they rushed around trying to locate the source of the security failure.

Reaching the gravel driveway, I paused next to Scott and Debby’s luxury limousine. Finding the vehicle completely unattended in the confusion, I pulled a heavy road flare from my inner pocket, snapped the striker sharply against the cap, and tossed the sputtering, bright red chemical fire directly under the engine block.

I dashed off into the dark tree line right as a thick plume of black smoke and bright, crackling flames began to engulf the undercarriage, painting the night sky with a violent orange glow.

After cutting through the estate's perimeter blind spots, I jogged down the quiet residential road to where my old BMW was parked under the shade of a large oak tree. I slid into the driver's seat, started the engine, and immediately dialed Mei's secure burner line.

The call connected instantly with a soft beep.

[ I am fine Master Lee, and the Song Bar and Grill is cooking. Will you pick up this lonely maid now? ]

"Yeah, I am coming to get you now, it went better than planned on my part." I said, pulling out into the empty street and shifting into third gear as I kept my eyes on the rearview mirror. "Not only did Scott not notice the wine swap, but I got the information of the hitman he is going to use on me, sooooo."

[ Who knew my knowledge of Scott's wine collection would come in handy, and with the twins telling you what he took it was easy to add the right label to the laxative wine, fufu. So who is the hitman? ]

I reached into my pocket, bringing up the saved text file on my display screen as I responded. "His name is Blood Devil. And Scott will pay me one million to put a hit on myself, ha-ha!"

[ Do you want me to deal with Blood Devil? ]

"I don't have any beef with him, and he does not know me, so no need to make trouble for him." I replied, shaking my head even though she couldn't see me. "I only need to protect my family."

As I approached the dark intersection near our designated pickup point, I spotted a slender silhouette clad in a tight, black night-outfit slipping silently down the iron rungs of a rusty fire escape.

She dropped onto the concrete pavement right in front of my bumper with near-silent, fluid precision. I quickly stowed my phone as she threw the rear door open, climbing into the back seat and laying flat across the leather cushions to stay completely out of sight from any passing patrol cars. I pressed down on the accelerator, steering the BMW back toward the highway.

Mei reached up from the back seat, suddenly snatching the blonde men's wig right off the top of my head and tossing it onto the floorboards with a sharp flick of her wrist. "I don't like that look on you, it's like Scott."

I grinned, catching her reflection in the rearview mirror and realizing she was being completely genuine. "Mei, it was your idea for me to wear it, you said it was the only color that I could pull off with my blue eyes."

"So I made a mistake, I don't think a blonde wig suits you anymore, just don't copy him anymore, humph." Mei grumbled, crossing her arms tightly.

A second later, her window rolled down a tiny fraction, and she threw the synthetic blonde hair out into the rushing wind, letting it vanish into the dark asphalt behind us.

I just smiled to myself, completely understanding the protective, possessive streak that made her hate seeing me look anything like that snob...

The sheer velocity of Sunday night's chaos made me look back at how the weekend had actually started. Before our nighttime raid on the Song family, I had a full study session lined up on Saturday afternoon, right?

Well, I did indeed go over to study with Linda, but much to her absolute annoyance, both Mercy and Mei were stationed around the living room like a pair of hyper-vigilant vultures, silently daring the two of us to try anything even remotely inappropriate. Mei spent the entire afternoon looking thoroughly amused by the tension, while Mercy felt like she had finally gained a reliable fellow guardian to help her keep my impulses in check.

As a result, the absolute most Linda could get away with was shifting her chair right next to mine, leaving me completely distracted by the sweet, floral scent of her body spray. Her sharp eyes practically screamed that she hated all maids, but I didn't mind the restriction at all; it was actually nice to sit back and get to know Linda's personality without her incredible body constantly tempting me into making a move.

What really prompted my aggressive counter-strike on Sunday night was the simple fact that I knew exactly who, when, where, what, and why that family meeting was taking place. Since I had all the clues handed to me, why wouldn't I show up to personally dismantle it?

Beyond that, I firmly believed Scott needed to experience the exact same kind of public, gut-wrenching humiliation he had forced Chris Honda to endure. I chose to launch a preemptive strike the exact moment they agreed to fund a professional contract against my life, which was why Mei moved to torch the establishment the second the dinner conversation turned sour.

I actually found out a long while later that Mei had set fire to the venue out of pure spite the exact moment her hidden mic picked up Hope making those slick, condescending comments about my looks, but at the current moment, I was completely unaware of her personal motivation.

The extra data I pulled from the hitman's black card was an incredible, unexpected boon, but the real driving force behind the entire operation was much simpler. If I do not actively practice and deploy my unlocked system skills in the real world, they will never naturally improve.

I needed to utilize as many active disciplines as humanly possible, turning the Song family, Scott, and Debby into live, breathing test subjects to keep my muscle memory razor-sharp for when real, life-or-death missions eventually hit me on the field.

Once the adrenaline from the estate run wore off, Mei and I finally made it back to the house just in time to take Hana out to the local tracks for her scheduled racing rounds. That was when we hit our very first official pregnancy hiccup.

My poor, sweet Hana couldn't handle the dizzying, high-speed turns of the track anymore, as the heavy gravitational shifts instantly triggered a wave of intense morning sickness and nausea. The poor girl looked utterly exhausted, forcing me to cut the session short and carry her back upstairs, where I literally had to hold her tight and cuddle her against my chest until she finally drifted off to sleep on that incredibly sad evening.

It reminded me exactly of the difficult transition period when Mary had to completely stop drinking her favorite wines. Pregnant women were undeniably an immense amount of hard work, but every single second of the stress was worth it.

That little domestic crisis pretty much summed up the entirety of my wild weekend. With the chaos behind me, it was time to put my head down and focus entirely on surviving my normal university days until the upcoming, high-stakes tournament match arrived with the next weekend. That event would officially mark my very first full month at Star University...

On my way into the grand building for my morning Business class, I deliberately chose to wear my notoriously ugly, bright green tracksuit just to run a quick social experiment.

I wanted to see if the girls were actually coordinating their outfits around my daily wardrobe choices, or if I was just letting my own ego color my imagination. Besides, I still couldn't understand why my father-in-law thought this shade of green looked good on a human being.

As I reached the crowded landing of the second-floor stairwell, I was suddenly ambushed from the side by a beautiful flash of crimson hair.

I caught Tina tightly in my arms as she lunged forward, her emerald eyes locking onto mine before she boldly pressed her lips against mine, taking full advantage of the brief, quiet window where the hallway traffic couldn't see us. She released my mouth with a soft pop, a vibrant, beautiful smile breaking across her face. "I missed you dear, and why are you wearing that? I am embarrassed to even hug you right now?!"

I let out a soft laugh, noting that she was dressed in a pristine, form-fitting white outfit today. It made me realize she was probably just alternating between solid white and solid black pieces on different days, meaning my theory about them tracking my colors was completely mistaken. "I was green with envy to be jealous of the man that wins your heart?"

Tina rolled her eyes at the terrible line, smoothly looping her arm through mine as we began walking toward the classroom doors at a leisurely pace. "Your excuse is dumb but I will take it because I love you, also, sorry about the contest being public now... Seems 1, 3 and 5 wanted it to be a cash event and get some limelight."

We spent the rest of the walk casually swapping stories about our respective weekends, with her filling me in on the latest training schedules and tactical shifts inside the Fire Birds faction following our joint event.

Stepping through the threshold of the classroom, my smile widened as I noticed Linda sitting near the middle row, also dressed in a matching white top. My gaze flicked over to where James was sitting, and my jaw nearly dropped when I saw him sporting a neon yellow shirt.

James and I locked eyes from across the room, both of us sharing a look of absolute, disgusted horror at how violently our green and yellow tracksuits clashed against each other, before we both burst into a loud fit of laughter that left the surrounding students completely baffled.

Linda shook her head slightly, a soft, warm expression entering her eyes as I walked past her desk. "I am glad you seem happy Rick, morning."

"You too Linda, now I have to do attendance, be back." I nodded, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze before moving toward the front podium.

I deliberately steered my path right past Scott, who was slumped heavily over his desk looking like a walking corpse. He looked like he had survived the absolute worst night of his entire existence—which, considering the state I left him in inside that master closet, he absolutely did.

My steps slowed to a halt when I caught sight of Ashley sitting near the front, her wide eyes filled with an unsure, hesitant anxiety as she watched me approach. I stopped right in front of her desk, keeping my voice gentle and grounded. "Sorry for everything, but I had to survive, so please don't be mad."

Ashley let out a breath she seemed to have been holding for days, a quiet, relieved smile breaking through her tense expression as she realized I didn't hold her accountable for her family's actions. "My father and I are ashamed, and we do not blame you at all, and we too would have done the same. Please accept our apology."

"Then I accept your and your fathers apology, thank you. Will you still be friends with James, he was sad for missing your date?" I said, offering a warm nod to seal the truce.

She nodded rapidly, her shoulders visibly relaxing as she answered. "I was only waiting to talk with you first, so I shall go talk to him now."

Watching her gather her things and happily march up toward the back row to sit next to James, I couldn't help but flash a quick, smug smile back down at Scott, who looked like he had consumed far more than just one glass of that vintage wine. Turning away from him, I walked over to Victoria's main desk.

Victoria looked incredibly sharp today, wearing a dark-pink lady-suit that complemented her professional demeanor perfectly. She smoothly handed me the morning's enrollment sheet, her eyes tracking my movements closely. "So, you accepted her apology?"

"Yes." I said, signing my initials at the bottom of the page.

"Mr Lee, I—" Victoria started, her voice faltering slightly.

I raised a hand gently, cutting off her explanation before she could stress herself out over it. "You and Ashley are different, you had nothing to do with anything, and your niece and her father do, so I accepted it."

Victoria’s posture relaxed, a distinct look of relief washing over her features. "Then Friday?"

"Help you with class grading and then the meal at BBQ House, right? Sure if it is still alright." I replied, leaning against the edge of the podium with an easy grin.

A beautiful, warm smile spread across her face, her signature husky voice sending a faint hum through the air. "The reservations are set on the second floor. I am looking forward to it."

"Me too." I smiled, turning back around to head toward my regular seat.

As class began, it felt good to realize that we were both completely on the same page, completely ignoring the heavy, complex family dynamics for a change. It was better to just bury the past, the Long family drama, her manipulative sisters, and all the political nonsense outside these walls. For now, it would just be a standard teacher and student working smoothly together.