Chapter 35
Hero
The limousine is escorted by a fleet of cars as it approaches the hotel gate. Camcorders and cameras capture the moment when JK laughs and gets out of the car. In contrast to the glossy upper-class image, flaunting the emperor's attire as imagined by crazy fans, the crowd cheers and looks at JK from head to toe. The media mogul wears black, calf-high boots and a velvet overcoat with a fox-fur collar over a gray vest.
The old guy is as polite as ever, but not at all monumental, and his wavy hair is brushed past his earlobes. Yesterday's silver-gray beard remains unkempt; now it hangs like a velvet curtain across his haggard face. His effigy-like form is adorned with the mask of a joyful smile.
The world does not realize that deep melancholy has invaded JK's emotions. People who live according to reason have once again killed emotions. The worldly people go mad over the noble's demeanor; flashbulbs burst, and camcorder lenses zoom in on the old man smiling happily at the media and greeting the human fan sea who are eagerly waiting for the princess.
Everything is arranged in order. The bodyguards get out of the car and surround the area. JK personally opens the door for his descendants, introducing them to the world.
The first to appear is Ngoc—JK's darling daughter—who dresses up in a jet-black dress that covers her from shoulder to heels. The discreet jet-black dress extinguishes her fiery fertile body. Mascara paints a glittering sheen on her silkworm eyebrows. She usually doesn't wear lipstick, but now her pale lips are painted crimson. Only peach cheeks can escape the scent of ordinary powder, showing a simple beauty.
Man-made tools cannot cover up depression. In this "reunited" moment that the world looks up to, she buries deep grievances and hatreds to make the whole country celebrate. Jade is gloomy but cannot be eclipsed. The cracked precious pearl is forced to shine brightly under the kind smile. Worldly people admire her gentle and graceful image:
- My god, she is as beautiful as the Queen of King country!
- My dear, you are the standard model of oriental women. I love you!
- She is worthy of being the daughter of JK, gentle and modest, noble but not luxurious!
Everyone turns around and gushes over the wine daughter[1] of the exemplary mother. Bang Suong wears silver-white sneakers, jeans, a white shirt with a patterned border at the wrists, and a black cape fluttering in the wind to fight against the loneliness and cold.
Thick gel eyeliner creates a mysterious smoky eye, burying the eyelids swollen from tears. The pink makeup powder adorns her dew-like translucent skin, yet it cannot dispel the chill that covers her cold expression. The red lipstick paints a Bitao color on the corners of her lips, where she forces an emotionless smile.
The younger sister and her mother do not rush into the hotel; they stand there quietly, waiting for their dearest one. They accept no interviews and respond to no one. The mother remains indifferent, the daughter cold, turning a deaf ear both to the hundreds of compliments on their beauty and elegance, and to the thousands of criticisms of their aloof attitude, as well as countless remarks envying God's favor upon them, granting them a staircase straight to the pinnacle of heaven. Everyone goes crazy over the princess-like graceful aura, as if she stepped out of a fairy tale. They scream wildly, calling the girl's name:
- Tuyet Lan, there you are, brothers, my God, I am willing to die for you!
- Oh, glowing eyes like vast oceanic lakes! She only needs to glance at me, and I will break my addiction to looking at girls for the rest of my life!
The lustful guys burst into laughter at the crude love confession. Fangirls are concentrating on standing on tiptoe, looking up, picking up their phones and cameras to take pictures of their idol, who is brighter than the stars.
She simply wears light makeup, unwilling to let the bright pink of her Bitao lips be stained by red lipstick. The makeup powder feels ashamed in front of the fragrant white orchid-like skin. She wears snow-colored velvet shoes, a pure white dress, and the dress embroidered with orchid-petal motifs flutters in the wind.
Fangirls sob while praising her silken beauty:
- My idol's name is as beautiful as she is; she is even more beautiful than silk.
- I love sister, Tuyet Lan!
- I like Bang Suong more, a hi hi, Suong sister, I look forward to seeing you every day!
- Aigu! I will die! My idols are as beautiful as angels!
Crows, owls, and vultures eagerly wait for the princess to bestow joy. Female students from the same school and classmates, regardless of gender, shout the names of the Lan sisters noisily, proudly showing off who they are to the world:
- Lan, I'm May, I was in the same class as you!
- Hey Suong, I'm Minh! I used to sit at the same desk with you!
- Lan, Suong, do you remember me? - A girl waved - I used to come and tutor your class, you know!
A guy yells excitedly:
- I used to take part in sports competitions at your school!
Only Mai, the sisters' best friend, looks up from afar. She neither waves nor calls out, nor does she curry favor with the rich and powerful. Mai smiles softly and silently congratulates her friend's family, who have endured so much pain and now have a happy ending.
Most people hold up various screens to compete for livestream broadcasts on personal pages, dominate fan pages, overflow associations and groups, monopolize the front pages of global media. This fever is like an infectious disease on social networks, and forums are full of volunteers spreading the disease of greed for fame.
The crows and vultures look on with triumph at the millions of likes, the tens of thousands of glittering hearts, the dozens and hundreds of angry emotions that cannot stop the sharing storm that sweeps through the caves and alleys of the virtual world. The storm pours a rain of gold into the accounts of the life parasites.
For the first time, the shy girl becomes a delicious bait on the party table for those pecking at the corpse, and she is dizzy in the dazzling halo. Leaping into that fear is a look of sexual craving from countless lecherous men, and their lustful eyes crawl to every sensitive place, pressing against the forbidden area.
The excited vultures and owls have suddenly noticed JK's sullen anger; they have shrunk back in fear. Everyone has been startled, remembering the prohibition on gossip, on carefully scrutinizing embarrassing expressions, on rebuttal, and on asking difficult questions.
No beast dares to risk offending JK or excessively disturbing the offspring of the media king. Reporters and the press are gentle and slow, using every second to "talk" to the most beautiful princess in the family of the media emperor.
These questions are normal and simple, but in the hustle and bustle, with the risk of overreaction surrounding them from all sides, the quiet people who are used to a simple life are now frustrated and uncomfortable, but still have to force a friendly smile. Just a forced smile, and the group of self-proclaimed crazy fans immediately goes crazy and howls continuously.
Half an hour earlier, JK had been irritated that the butterflies and moths had disrupted the grand event. He wasn't crazy enough to invite those prostitutes to defile the reunion banquet, yet the shameless bunch still had invitations to brazenly show their faces at the sacred venue.
Anh Dao tallied the number of tickets that had all been handed out to the guests on the list. They all attended. JK was sure that someone from the organizing committee printed more tickets and then secretly sold them to the butterflies and moths.
At this moment, the old guy is furious that he can't find the greedy person with such immense audacity, and the sight of the eyesore angers JK even more.
JK squeezes the tip of his cane until it is dented, and watches angrily as the beasts happily devour their prey. The leader of the crows cannot sit idly by and let a bunch of people disguised as humans dissect his offspring. The old guy winks at his bodyguards.
Suong and his mother quietly come to Lan's side. The younger sister takes off her coat and covers her older sister's trembling shoulders. Suong's cold eyes sweep over the cannibals, and the entire herd takes a step back in fear. The mother contemplates her daughter tenderly and says nonchalantly to the media:
- Sorry, time does not allow us to answer all the questions. See you all one day soon.
The elder sister stands quietly in front of the strong younger sister. She, as the elder sister, is supposed to protect her younger sister, but because she is afraid of strangers, she lets her younger sister protect her again and again. This time, the younger sister tastes the bitter fruit for her again, and the loving mother smiles happily with resignation at the faces of the beasts in human form.
She silently closes her eyes and feels the severely polluted air; they have to endure the "stinky" festering boils in the gaudy cover for the rest of their lives. At this "sacred" moment of family reunion, if she or anyone accidentally breaks the cover, the small family and "someone" suffocate under the unclean smell that cannot be washed away.
That fear always lingers in her heart, but now it turns into confidence so that she is no longer shy. The girl turns to those who want the world to live their lives the way they do. Her lips part slightly in a bright smile like a flower blooming in the cold winter night. The crowd that regards fame as the immortal truth goes crazy. Everyone explodes praising the smile in the pain that contains many innermost feelings:
Oh my god, she is as beautiful as a fairy!
There are no words to describe it!
Tuyet Lan, the love of my life, I love you!
The angel thinks that the mortals let mother and her two daughters go, but she doesn't expect that the beasts are aroused, the entire herd, all the animals riot at the scene. Zero and a team of tall and strong bodyguards surround Ngoc and her two daughters, moving step by step to protect the priceless treasures.
Nhu Y does not stand still and looks at the chaotic scene. This person pulls hard, the other pushes, they all rush forward. She takes a sneak peek and finds that the scar at the corner of JK's eye is twitching constantly, the facial muscles are twisting together to distort the old guy's face. The girl with many tricks raises her mouth and laughs at the weird form. Whenever he goes crazy, JK turns into a half-human, half-demon.
For three days, JK eagerly looked forward to the reunion ceremony. The old guy smiled at every family member. When the corporation employees met JK, they all broke out in cold sweats. Since the day JK had got the genetic test certificate, everything changed dramatically. No one was under psychological pressure anymore. The spiritual comfort came from the joy of reuniting with their offspring. People immediately became flatterers who were attentive and tried to please the boss.
Nhu Y is no exception. She is a peacock who dreams of becoming a phoenix, and the small-minded guy in the woman's body still longs for all birds to pay homage to the phoenix. In order to make all his wishes come true, the giant sparrow must "love" the dreams of the one who turns all dreams into reality. The peacock rushes to the hotspot to help the bodyguard stop the scabies toad from eating the swan meat.
The crazy fans are so excited that they throw garbage. JK panics and tries to cover his offspring. Nhu Y follows his example and risks her life to protect the princess. JK is thrown to the point where her head is bleeding. Nhu Y accepts the dents on her forehead and the scratches on her skin worth more than gold that she dares not scrub every day.
The vulture hides in a safe spot and aims the camera to capture the whole chaotic scene. JK handles it calmly according to the nature and class of a media tycoon. He holds the wound tightly, waving his hand to stop the bodyguards from violently suppressing it:
- Fans love my offspring, so they are excited and agitated, but have no ill intentions. You guys don't hurt anyone!
The bodyguards are focused on protecting their masters; they don't need to understand that JK is conveying a profound message to his dearest person.
The victim bows his head to hide his tears of grievance. The mother and her two daughters silently use "warm feelings" to erase the contempt. Ngoc tears open the hem of her skirt and bandages the wound on JK's head. The Lan sisters risk their lives to cover their mother and grandfather.
JK, with a heavy heart, watches the blood that once boils with hatred for his evil father. Now the blood relieves the pain of the flesh, but does not want to heal the wounds in everyone's heart.
The hearts of fathers and grandfathers are not as emotionally hardened as their descendants. Their hearts receive the hot blood flowing back to its origin, and the family affection freezes the sinful father's heart.
He hesitates, wanting to wipe away the hot tears burning in the corners of his daughter's eyes. The man who has lost the qualification to be a father melancholically loosens his trembling hands. The devil cannot atone for his sins yet, so don't expect to become a human again to touch the heart of the dearest person.
That heart is right before his eyes, but is as far away as the horizon. Father can only wait in vain.
Ngoc has been waiting for the time to vent her anger. God suddenly gives her the opportunity to release her anger. She doesn't want to miss the opportunity, so she instantly clenches her hands and ties the wound, making JK frown and narrow his eyes.
JK, melancholically, her somewhat childish revenge makes the old guy laugh. The father is hated to the core by his beloved daughter. At least she is no longer indifferent to her father. Nhu Y doesn't know what JK is thinking, so she hesitates to tell Ngoc:
- This is such a mess, it's difficult to bandage it alone. Please let me help you!
Ngoc wants to get rid of this debt, so she gives in immediately. Nhu Y immediately shows her expression of sorrow and applies first aid carefully and gently. Unexpectedly, the reward she gets is that the scar on JK's face shakes violently.
The old guy was very interested in Nhu Y's trick of insulting and driving the butterflies and moths out of the reunion party. Now, all goodwill collapses because of this intention to approach and please; the old guy frowns, loses his temper, and flies into a rage, piercing his opaque red eye sockets straight into her body.
Nhu Y is scared to death, but fortunately for her, at the lively drama's dramatic climax, Anh Dao rushes out of the car to cut the sound and image errors in the film:
- Everyone, calm down!
She turns the speaker up to the maximum volume and screams like thunder. The sound that echoes around drowns out the commotion. A bunch of people return to their "human" state in a mess. The blonde girl waits for everyone to quiet down before slowly giving advice:
- I know that everyone admires our family's happiness, but unfortunately the zodiac hour will arrive in a few minutes. Orientals believe in spirituality; missing the zodiac hour at a sacred time is a bad omen. If my family is in trouble, you all can't be happy. Please wait patiently for the reunion ceremony to be completed. Within three days, we promise to communicate with people online!
The media mogul's head was struck by thrown objects a few minutes ago, causing his forehead to gash and his head to bleed. Now, the fans turn pale with fear. The bodyguard team immediately releases a murderous intention to scare everyone into losing their souls.
Anh Dao eliminates the chaos at a sensitive moment; the crazy fans cheer loudly. The vultures, crows, and owls celebrate and the herd of animals releases the public figures.
To avoid a long night with many dreams, JK's family says goodbye to the fans and quickly enters the hotel. Anh Dao and the bodyguards follow in their footsteps.
The situation returns to normal. The crazy fans are busy discussing what questions to ask on the online communication day.
A convertible drives from a distance, and the person in the car gets out leisurely. He is about thirty years old, tall and muscular, with leather pants tightly fitting his big and strong legs. He wears boots with buckles installed around the beaded edges.
He loves to be ostentatious, wearing a leather crocodile coat and deliberately opening his chest to show off his strong muscles. Inside, he is dressed in a cold T-shirt. That fragile shirt is like a lover tightly wrapped around the shiny black skin, with muscle marks rising and tendons rolling together.
Young people and gym-goers admire his physique, which surpasses international athletes. Women are feverish with his standard male appearance, with sharp edges and corners that carve every masculine line into infatuation. Nature has shaped a perfect figure. The goddess of love gives amorous eyes to attract female souls.
Crazy fans worship the shining, radiant image of the male god. The proud, handsome guy responds to their strong emotions. Fangirls do not go crazy and condemn star syndrome like other arrogant celebrities. Each one is howling, praising, and sobbing, competing for ovulation, admiring the sexy lips that raise their smiles to seduce the girl from a virtuous and respectable family:
- Hero, I Love You!
- Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, my handsome and suave guy!
The classmates and female students from the same school as the Lan sisters scream continuously, taking the opportunity to get close to the male god:
- Sign my shirt, Hero.
- Take a picture with me.
Fangirl is intoxicated by the man god. The handsome guy also conquers all fitness enthusiasts who dream of having a perfect body:
- Hero, you are our fans' fitness idol, I want to join your fitness club.
- Hero, I want to join too, please let me join.
- Please give me a slot, I am a big fan of you and your gym club.
The whole herd is noisy, expressing the hope that there will be a body of international standard like Hero's. The man god nods in agreement and says that you all should go to the club to sign up tomorrow. The fitness enthusiasts shout excitedly, cheer and applaud, praising Hero. The handsome guy smiles kindly, welcoming the halo of fame from the media.
The reporter immediately jumps for the camera button, presses the camcorder button to a level of chaos to record video clips, and takes pictures, capturing a reputation as great as that of the three princesses.
"Can you describe the feeling of a family reunion?"
"What do you think of your sister and niece?"
"Do you know Hanna Izumi?"
Hero smiles, signs autographs and takes selfies with fans, interviewing leisurely:
- My father loves me more than anyone else, but he is busy with hundreds of jobs, thousands of things, working hard to build a career, he has no time to take care of and play with his son. I think I have no brothers or sisters. - Hero recalls the lonely past with emotion, a feeling of sadness and weakness briefly appearing in the corners of his smiling eyes - If my father had found my eldest sister earlier, I would not be alone since I was a child!
Fangirls pity and comfort Hero. The handsome guy smiles gratefully, happily restoring his image as a man god. The reporter repeats the question, and Hero says proudly, his voice is warm as family affection:
- My dearest people are perfect for me!
He ignores the story about Hanna. The reporter still hasn't given up yet, asking questions about things that have nothing to do with the honor ceremony. Hero is gentle and polite to people who make others uncomfortable:
- My family is my only concern! I don't have time to figure out who she is!
Hero says goodbye to the fans and quickly goes to the place that is waiting for him. He gets along well with anyone who smiles and talks to him. The man god strides to the reunion ceremony, which is also the place where the world honors his family.
Note:
[1] In order to explain the origin of this sentence, many theories have been proposed. Some say that the reason why the daughter is called a "wine daughter" is because only the father calls her that. Fathers often like to drink and often just let their daughters buy wine. Only the daughters bring all the wine home. The sons are lazy and don't want to go; if they do go, they will drink secretly. Over time, drinking buddies often ask each other:
"Are there any wine daughters?"
In other words, do you have a daughter who buys wine?
In addition, the term "wine girl," which many people often use, has a more interesting definition: the father loves wine, so he compares his daughter to precious wine. When the future son-in-law goes to his father-in-law's house to propose, he must bring wine as a gift.
Only families with daughters would have people bring betel nut and wine to take the bride to the groom's house. Thus, the term "wine daughter" was born! Nowadays, both mother and father call her "wine daughter".