Chapter 83: Scotty Now Knows!

Chapter 83: Scotty Now Knows!

This Monday morning when we got up, things felt different. No, the morning exercise, the hot breakfast, and the loving goodbyes to my wives were exactly the same as usual, but the realization that my family is growing feels absolutely wonderful.

I was just finishing up getting ready when Mei looked over at me from the hallway.

"Rick, I will pick you up after school in the limo, and at lunchtime too, but do you want to take it in the morning?"

"Huh? What do you recommend for me to take in?"

She grinned, her eyes glinting with mischief as she pulled a fresh outfit from the wardrobe. "You are my Tang Master now, so let's go big or go home. I am going to make you look good, Rick. Actually, now that you officially became a Tang, I can send back a highly positive report to the Empire, so thanks for that, fufu."

I smiled, watching her smooth out the dark fabric. "Make sure to take full credit for getting Scott thrown out and getting me into the Tang family. I think that will make your superiors happy and make them a lot less suspicious of me."

"See, Rick? Now you are finally thinking like a good spy," Mei said, handing over the clothes. "Oh, and no more cheap tracksuits for you around campus. Wear this tie-less, casual black suit instead. Don't go embarrassing the Tang house by looking like you are constantly in the middle of exercising, well, at least for this first week. When everyone finally recognizes you as a high-tier noble, you can walk around completely naked and no one will dare say a word."

She handed me the heavy gold accessories meant to complement the suit. I weighed them in my hand, a little confused by the logistics. "Why wear this whole setup now if I just have to change into another suit later anyway?"

"I will bring your second suit in a garment bag for you to wear after your Kung-Fu club meets," Mei explained, adjusting my collar with an expert touch. "I will give it to you right after lunch. As for why? Do you seriously think the Tang twins are going to not hug all over you the second they see you today?"

I thought about Nadia having absolutely no brakes on her behavior when she gets excited, especially during this first week. I shook my head in silent defeat, knowing my new suit would be a wrinkled mess by noon.

Soon enough, Mei loaded me into the white Lincoln. Funnily enough, she was wearing a crisp, professional driver's outfit instead of her usual maid uniform, and she looked surprisingly good in it.

The interior of my new limousine was incredibly nice. The main back seat was pure luxury, built perfectly for two people, though three of us could easily sit there without crowding. Stretching from the left side of the vehicle all the way to the driver partition, and curving right around behind the front seats, was a plush, L-shaped leather couch. That section alone could comfortably seat another five or six people. On the right side of the back end sat a polished wood bar and a sleek entertainment stand, fully stocked with snacks and refrigerated beverages. The fridge even used a built-in rechargeable battery designed to keep things freezing cold for up to two days straight.

Mei made sure to drive right up to the most crowded, eye-catching section of the university drop-off lane. I wasn't entirely aware of her grand staging plan at first, but I just rolled with the attention, tapping into my hardwired Acting Basic skill to project an aura of perfect, unbothered calm.

"Okay, master~ you are here," Mei called out from the front partition, checking her mirrors. "Oh, and don't look back at me right now. I am going to give you dreamy eyes so everyone watching thinks we have a thing going on, Ufufu."

My lips twitched when I heard her teasing, but like a well-trained actor, I kept my eyes focused straight ahead and didn't look back, even though I really wanted to see what her version of dreamy eyes actually looked like.

As I walked into the business classroom, a few eyes immediately snapped toward me. I figured one or two people in the room might already know the rumors, but I played it completely cool, sliding into the room like I owned the place.

Honestly, the twins have been absolutely on fire with texting me all morning. It felt like they had been holding back their messages for months, sigh.

My poor phone was practically vibrating itself to death on the desk from overworking.

As I set my bag down on my usual table, James stared at me, his eyes wide. "Um, brother, why are you dressed like that?"

"Jim, it is a long, incredibly complicated story," I said, smoothing down the front of the casual black suit jacket. "But the short version is... I am officially a part of the Tang clan now."

James froze, and it looked like Cat Woo's brain completely stopped working right along with his the second the words left my mouth. Linda lunged forward, her fingers locking tightly around my left wrist as her face paled.

"You are a Tang now! Does that mean..."

"Scott is officially out," I said, gently loosening her grip on my arm. "As for what your father will do now, I honestly don't know. I think Scott is going to join the Song clan now, which leaves your political engagement completely up in the air. You would honestly know more about how your family operates than me. But remember, I am not Scott, so only your Lang clan will know what to do next. Now, I have to take the morning attendance."

"Hello, Mr. Tang, fufu," a smooth voice purred from the side.

Tina Feng, a prominent member of my chat group, was already fully aware of the crazy timeline. The twins had been going on and on in the group chat without stopping. I smiled back at the gorgeous succubus.

"Hello, Miss Feng," I replied, keeping my voice low. "And don't you worry, the Head of the Tang house fully supports the upcoming contest and the grand prize that comes with it."

"Then I will send a quick message to my father conveying the official stance of the Tang house right away, fufu," Tina replied, her eyes flashing with amusement.

I walked over to the front of the room to grab the attendance form from teacher Long's desk, but she hadn't arrived for class yet.

By the time I sat back down at my desk, I noticed Linda had already slipped out of the room, probably running down the hallway to call her family home and break the news.

A moment later, the front door creaked open. Scott walked into the classroom, sporting heavy, dark bags under his eyes. He looked like a guy who hadn't had a single second of restful sleep all weekend. He shuffled over to his seat, glancing around the room until his eyes landed squarely on me.

I could see the raw fury in his gaze; he must have heard everything from his mother already. Acting like a proper villain, I raised my right hand toward him, slowly holding up three fingers. Then, keeping his eyes locked on mine, I deliberately folded one finger down, leaving exactly two standing. Scott instantly caught the meaning, his face twisting as he remembered the three warnings I gave him on Saturday night.

When his hand balled into a tight, shaking fist, I just used my other hand to point casually at the two remaining fingers. He turned completely pale, his anger instantly short-circuiting into fear.

James let out a quiet gasp of absolute amazement. He hurriedly shoved his smartphone screen right in front of my face, showing me the main university chat page. My eyes widened at the text. I couldn't believe the sheer chaos the twins had just unleashed on the student body.

[ Nichole and Nadia Tang are officially divorced from the now disowned Scott Tang due to the fact our children belong to our lover Rick Lee-Tang. But don't worry, tonight we will marry the babies' true father, so make sure to congratulate us when you see us around campus, thanks. We love you Ricky! ]

My brain completely stopped working. James, desperately attempting to jumpstart my thoughts, stared at me with pure disbelief.

"Brother, is this some kind of insane prank the twins are pulling? Or have you seriously been green-hatting Scott this entire time?!"

I looked at my best friend, and for a split second, I really wanted to fabricate a convenient lie, but I just gave him a slow nod to confirm his wild theory.

"NO FUCKING WAY!" James yelled under his breath, leaning over the desk. "Brother, are you telling me you actually made babies with those two evil women?!"

I couldn't even blame him for calling them evil. To be fair, the twins had incredibly sharp, vicious tongues when dealing with anyone who wasn't me or part of the inner circle.

"It was a really complicated series of events, Jim, but I fell in love with them," I explained calmly. "And yes, their children are absolutely mine."

James looked like his entire world had just been flipped upside down. He couldn't comprehend how his working-class friend had fallen for the literal bullies of their high school days. Then, his eyes went wide as the grand political scale of the situation clicked in his head.

"Fuck, now I have to be nice to them!" James muttered, looking terrified. "Um, do you think maybe they will be nice to me now that we're connected?"

Before I could answer, Victoria and Ashley walked through the front door, both of them throwing highly intense, curious glances in my direction.

Victoria gave me a sharp nod before walking over to her desk. James immediately scrambled out of his seat like a trained puppy, rushing straight to Ashley's side as she took her place next to Scott.

I started marking down the checkmarks on the attendance sheet when Cat Woo slid up next to my desk.

"If you are a full Tang noble now, are you going to drop out of the contest for Tina Feng?"

"Nope."

"Why?" Cat asked, tilting her head. "You honestly think you can lead the Fire Birds while handling heavy Tang clan duties at the same time?"

"Cat Woo, I am absolutely not letting your husband have Tina Feng, and I am definitely not letting him near my Mary," I said, looking her dead in the eye. "So I am going to fight him in that ring, and I am going to knock him right off his prideful pedestal. He needs to stop thinking his Woo clan made him some kind of elite god."

Cat burst out laughing, leaning against the edge of the table as she set the record straight. "His Woo clan? No, Rick, it is my Woo clan. He only took my family name because he was nothing more than a talented commoner from the streets. The immense pride he is showing off around Star City comes from my status, not his own. He only has raw physical talent and a bit of backing from Tony Feng. Do you honestly think that if he wasn't ranked number one, this Woo princess would have ever given him the time of day? Absolutely not."

I shook my head, staring at her flatly. "Then I honestly feel bad for you, because he only has a one percent chance of beating me. Even Tina's father already knows I am going to crush his chosen fighter. So if you only married the guy because of his potential match with Tina or to secure control over the Fire Birds, you are about to lose your entire investment."

Cat's sharp blue eyes scanned my face, searching for any hint of a bluff or falsehood before she spoke again. "Did my sparring matches with Steve truly reveal his martial art to you?"

I stood up from my chair, lifting the attendance form to hand it over to Vicky. I leaned down slightly, leaving Cat with one final truth.

"Nope. I saw through his entire style the exact moment he targeted my wife. He subconsciously dropped into a stance that proved he wanted to kill me. I saw it right then. I chose not to say anything in public because I didn't want to openly shame you. Sorry for your loss."

Cat Woo frowned deeply, her confident posture vanishing as the weight of my words hit her. It looked like she finally realized she had bet all her money on a losing horse. After all, the Woo clan was just one of the four subordinate families serving the Feng house in the Crimson State, much like the Song family served the Tang.

All subordinate families are distantly related to the main family they serve. That is exactly why they remain so fiercely loyal. They are also the specific clans the main four families tend to look toward when it comes time to pick out spouses.

As I stepped up to Victoria's desk and set the morning attendance form down onto the polished wood, her purple eyes looked up at me. She seemed locked in deep, complicated thoughts before she spoke in a quiet voice.

"Rick, how should I address you in class now? Lee, Lee-Tang, or Tang?"

"Teacher Long, just calling me whatever feels right for you is perfectly fine," I said, leaning casually against the edge of the desk structure. "Don't worry, I don't have any intentions of shunning you just for being a Long. I didn't grow up as a fancy noble, after all, and my uncle explicitly told me to mostly do as I please around here."

She smiled warmly at my reassurance, clearly relieved that I wasn't going to adopt the typical avoid-the-Long-clan approach with her. Then, her smile shifted into something mixed with a bit of genuine interest as she lifted her smartphone screen toward me, cutting right to a rough question.

"Student Lee, do your current wives actually know about this very interesting forum thread that just popped up this morning?"

I scratched my cheek, definitely not expecting her to bring up the gossip, but since the news was already out there in the open, there was no point in denying it. "My wives know absolutely everything. And yes, the rumors are entirely true, but I honestly hadn't expected the twins to openly expose the whole situation so suddenly to the entire school."

Victoria lost her playful smile, her posture straightening instantly as she dropped right back into her strict teacher mode. "Rick, I am incredibly sorry if this comes across as a rude question, but... are you absolutely certain that they are pregnant with your children?"

I could tell from her tone that she was genuinely looking out for my well-being here, trying to make sure I wasn't getting played. "With one hundred percent certainty, Miss Long. I have seen all the medical charts and checked the timeline myself. I, um, was obviously there after all. To be completely honest, they kind of tricked me into the whole thing at the time."

Victoria blushed slightly, her cheeks dusting with pink as she realized her questions had crossed the boundary of what a university teacher should or could normally ask a student. But her curiosity got the better of her anyway.

"Did they actually know you were a Tang when they tricked you?"

"No, that part caught them completely off guard," I said, meeting her curious gaze. "They just didn't want to carry his child, so they went out and found a man that they actually wanted instead. But the twins and I just fell for each other in the end. Sorry if I disappointed you, Miss Long. My actions back then were pretty shameless."

She shook her head quickly, dismissing my apology with a soft wave of her hand. "You are my business student, Rick. I only want you to be happy so you can truly succeed in our field. You seem genuinely happy with how things turned out, so I am happy for you. Now, class is going to start very soon, so go back to your desk first."

I turned around to head back down the aisle, completely failing to notice Victoria pulling her phone right back out to start furiously typing a text message to someone concerning my situation. But I would find out exactly who she was talking with later tonight, right after my wedding concluded.

Looking across the room, I noticed James was still busily flirting with Ashley. Scott just sat right next to them, staring blankly at the wall as he was forced to listen to the two of them talk.

I slid back into my seat and opened my notebook to get ready for the morning lecture. I couldn't help but notice Linda was still missing from her chair, figuring her father was probably giving her the runaround on the phone while trying to figure out the Lang clan's official stance on this sudden political explosion.

Suddenly, a strange shift echoed through the room. I noticed almost all the students slowly starting to look over at me, whispering and gossiping under their breath. They were holding up their smartphones or staring at their laptop screens with sheer amusement, looking like they were only missing a bucket of popcorn to enjoy the show. I could easily guess the sudden attention was entirely because of my twins' public announcement.

Scott must have finally overheard a piece of the whispering around him. His jaw clenched as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Oops, don't do it, bro.

Right as he unlocked his screen, the heavy classroom doors on my back-left burst open. Linda marched into the room, crying her eyes out with a raw emotion I had never seen on her face before. Without saying a single word to the rest of the class, she grabbed my arm with a desperate grip, pulling me right back out into the hallway where the other students couldn't watch us.

When we finally rounded the corner into a quiet alcove, her composure completely shattered. She fell hard into my chest, sobbing uncontrollably. I wrapped my arms around her, gently patting her back to calm her down. Right then, I remembered Mei's strict advice about wearing a different suit today. Seeing the heavy tears and snot coming from this normally ice-cold beauty made me incredibly glad I had traded in my usual tracksuit for this casual black fabric.

"Linda, what's wrong?" I asked, keeping my voice soft and steady against her ear. "I can't help you out if I don't know what is going on."

Hearing my caring words only made her squeeze my waist tighter. She buried her face deeper into my chest, crying harder as she shook her head in a frantic 'no' motion, like my words were entirely wrong. She still hadn't looked up to meet my eyes yet. Assuming the absolute worst news had just come down from her family, I rubbed the center of her back.

"Is your dad still forcing you to marry Scott?"

Still crying against my suit jacket, her head shook side to side for a clear no.

"Well, that is a good thing, right?"

This time she gave a firm nod of agreement. I realized she simply couldn't form actual words right now because of the crying, but she could clearly understand all of my questions. I pushed a bit further.

"Then is your father going to force you to marry some other noble man instead?"The crying finally started to slow down, her breathing turning into small, ragged gasps as she literally wiped her wet tears right off on my jacket.

Without looking up toward my face, she mumbled a tiny, desperate question against my chest.

"Rick, please marry me."

I patted her back, taking a deep breath as I mentally calculated the massive political risks involved. "Linda, I am a full Tang noble now. I don't want to start an open war with your Lang family. If you chose to leave them just to be with me, my clan and yours would face major business problems, so I—"

Linda, her grey eyes still glistening with fresh tears, suddenly looked up and cut me off by pulling my face down into a completely inexperienced kiss.

No tongue was exchanged during the contact, but the salty taste of her tears transferred straight to my lips. Her eyes remained squeezed shut, using the clumsy pressure to let me feel the sheer depth of her care for me.

My arms betrayed my logical thoughts, tightening right around her waist to show her that I wasn't regretting her sudden confession in the slightest.

I let out a quiet sigh in my heart. It looked like I might actually have to go to a full economic war with her father and the entire Lang clan on behalf of the Tang house. Fortunately, using my hardwired Business Management Advanced skill, I knew exactly where their financial pressure points were. If I got truly serious about it, I could absolutely destroy them economically.

Still holding onto me like she was terrified I would vanish into thin air, she broke the kiss. Her expression quickly returned to its usual flat appearance, but a distinct hint of hope lingered in her eyes as she asked me again.

"Rick, please marry me."

"Linda, I am not doing this just to protect you from your family," I said, looking straight into her grey eyes. "And I am definitely not doing this out of some weird sense of guilt. But... I will absolutely do this because you asked me to, and because I have always liked you. Just promise me you won't get mad at me if the Lang family and I have a massive falling out because of this 'yes' I am giving you right now."

The slightest hint of a genuine smile touched Linda's lips. She lifted her smartphone between us, turning the screen so I could read the latest text message she had received from her father.

[ George Lang: Alright, I just got off the phone with Anthony Tang and found out exactly what is going on. I have discussed this situation with your mother as well. This is how things stand... Head Tang personally still wants the marriage connection between the Tang and Lang houses to continue, despite the terrible political fallout occurring in their family at the moment. He explicitly stated that if Rick Lee-Tang accepts the arrangement, he would fully support the union between the two of you. However, Anthony made it clear that you must have Rick's explicit agreement to marry you. If he refuses, then I shall find you another suitable husband from the sub-families. That is it. Find out his answer immediately. If he agrees, however, the wedding will still not happen until next summer, right after your older sister's ceremony. That is all. ]

Her grey eyes locked onto mine the exact second I finished reading the text block. I handed the phone back to her, asking a few quick questions to make sure she knew what she was signing up for.

"Do you already know that I am officially marrying Nadia and Nichole tonight?"

"Yes," she answered without hesitation.

"Then do you still want to be my official fiancée after knowing that?"

"Yes."

"Then do you want to come along and explain our joint decision to everyone at the wedding tonight?"

"Yes."

"Then go ahead and text your father back, and I will call my uncle to tell him about it."

Her face immediately returned to its default, unbothered expression, but her eyes looked incredibly happy. She had finally gotten her wish granted, and it happened not even three days after I had originally promised her things would work out.

"Yes."

Just as the mood between us was getting warm and comfortable, a sound like a wounded animal ripped through the quiet hallway.

[ AARGH! ]

Slam! The heavy hallway door I had carefully closed behind us vanished as a crying, thoroughly ashamed, and absolutely pissed-off Scott busted right through it.

It was entirely apparent that he had just found out about the twins' forum post and was fleeing the classroom in pure anger and humiliation. But the exact second he ran out into the corridor, his shouting froze mid-air. His eyes locked onto me holding Linda in an intimate embrace, and the two of us just stared right back at him dumbly.

Linda proved to be far crueler than I ever imagined. The moment she saw Scott's shattered face, she deliberately leaned her head right back into my chest, letting out a small, victorious smile. Fuck, that was vicious.

Thunk. Fortunately for Scott's remaining dignity, the heavy door automatically swung shut behind him, keeping the rest of the business class from witnessing his completely broken expression.

"Ha... Ha-ha..." Scott let out a hollow, mocking laugh, his shoulders shaking as he stared at us. "I can't even believe it, ha-ha! Wow, I think the whole world is completely backwards! Ha-ha... sniff... sniff... No. You're still trash, Rick... You literally stole every single thing I ever owned... sniff... sniff..."

He slowly turned his back on us, shuffling his feet as he walked toward the elevators at the end of the hall. He knew damn well that I had the Kung-Fu skills to destroy him in a fight, and he was fully aware that I carried a firearm. Because of that, he chose to just sniffle quietly and leave the campus without causing a scene.

As his shadow neared the elevator doors, I called out one last thing to his back.

"Our slate is completely clean now, Scott. But if you ever want to come at me some more... I will gladly play you to death. Next time, I will take a lot more than just your family title, so think really hard before you make your next move."

Wiping the tears from his face, he threw one final look over his shoulder. In that brief second, it felt like both of us relived the entire five long years of high school bullying and rivalry we had shared together. He looked completely defeated, staring at the floor exactly the way I used to before my system awakening ever happened.

As the heavy elevator doors slid open, Scott slowly raised his arm and flipped me the middle finger. Right as the metal panels started to close between us, I raised my own hand and returned the exact same gesture. For a brief second before he vanished from sight, a dark, understanding smile crossed both of our faces.

Linda watched the floor indicator light shift, her voice dropping to a quiet whisper. "Will you and he continue to fight each other?"

"Dunno," I replied, letting my hand fall back to my side. "But I seriously hope he has the sense to stop here. If he comes after my family again, I will have to kill him."

Linda turned slightly in my embrace, her grey eyes locking onto mine with complete seriousness. "Rick, I promise I will make up for the horrible things I said to you when we first met in high school. You proved me completely wrong in every possible way, and I will listen to your judgment from now on."

Before turning around to head back into the business classroom, I pulled Linda tight against my chest and kissed her one more time. This time around, she was incredibly eager, wrapping her arms around my neck and matching my pace perfectly as the hallway went completely quiet.