"One, don't make me do anything illegal. I'll protect you, but I won't kill your enemies. Two, I'm not your servant. Don't try to order me around. Three: I'll wear a disguise while we're in public. No obvious bodyguard look, and don't ask me why. Four: I won't allow any disrespect from you, your fiancé, or your acquaintances. Cross that line, and I don't hesitate to cross the line, too."

Vivian considered him for a heartbeat, then extended her hand. "Agreed."

They shook hands, the simple contact finalizing things. She slid a small card across the table. "Here's my number. Call me tomorrow morning."

Lin Fang tucked the card away and nodded as she stood. Vivian smoothed her jacket, gave him a small, almost private smile, and left the lounge with the efficient grace of someone used to having the world move around her.

Once the lobby doors shut behind her, Lin Fang let out a dry chuckle and muttered to himself, half amused and half exasperated. "Okay. How am I going to do this? Zhi Yan and Vivian at the same auction… I can be in disguise, sure, but I need to keep them apart. And I need to refuse to protect her on Saturday evening…"

He froze mid-thought. "Wait—what about the date? I promised Li Liu Saturday is hers. How can I manage these three women while keeping a secret from one another…" Panic flitted over his features for a while.

Later at Hotel Oasis;

At the Presidential Suite, Mark Johnson, the tall, muscular man with dark skin, paced back and forth restlessly, muttering under his breath. "Vivian… think about this again. If he is someone who can defeat your cousin, someone like him with nefarious intentions is even riskier than a stranger."

Vivian didn't flinch at his concern, though. She leaned casually against the edge of the marble countertop, arms crossed, a small scoff escaping her lips. "Mark, for starters, you're too weak to protect me. That is the whole reason I'm doing this. Secondly, I don't have the time—or the patience—to chase some stranger down while still worrying about their alliance. I don't intend to hire a known bodyguard either; that'd just leak our location. That leaves me with only one option… Lin Fang. I already vetted his background yesterday. Most importantly, my cousin trusts his character. That is enough for me to forgive his mistake."

Mark opened his mouth to protest, but she held up a hand. "No arguments."

Before Mark could respond, the sharp chime of the elevator bell rang through the suite. Vivian's expression shifted as she walked to the door. Her hand swept the lock, and it clicked open.

Lin Fang stood there, posture straight, a serious expression on his face despite the early hour. As the sunlight from the balcony hit his features, Vivian greeted him with a wave. "Morning."

Lin Fang nodded in a flat tone but politely. "Morning."

She motioned inside. "Come in."

Once inside, she turned to Mark and gestured casually. "You know him already. My fiancé, Mark Johnson. Make yourself at home."

Lin Fang gave a small nod in acknowledgment, then chose a spot a few steps away from them, sitting with calm composure. He didn't need to speak to assert his presence to Mark. The latter was already paying attention to him with a bit of uneasiness.

Meanwhile, Vivian leaned back slightly in her seat with a faint smirk playing on her lips. "I actually did some research about your store last night," she said, her tone casual but curious. "Looks like it's become quite famous over the past week. All those King Tier potential monster eggs, and that elixir that can heal any beast under King Tier… I must admit, I'm impressed."

Lin Fang tilted his head, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I'd have been more impressed if you'd actually bought something," he replied smoothly.

Mark's brow furrowed, his jaw tightening at Lin Fang's crude response. "You're being paid 300,000 credits for three days of doing basically nothing," he said sharply. "And you think we need to impress you?"

Lin Fang scoffed, leaning back slightly as he met Mark's gaze evenly. "Do you even know what 300,000 credits is worth?" he asked. "In my shop, that's barely enough to buy a single vial of Jade Spirit Tonic—and that's gone after just one use. That's what your money is worth in my eyes. Keep it elsewhere."

He then leaned forward, hardening his voice while his eyes glinted with quiet fire as he continued. "Unlike you—second, third, or whatever-generation spoiled brats who've had everything handed to you since birth—every single credit I earn comes from my own effort. So let me be clear: if you're here to brag about what your fathers or grandfathers earned for you, don't expect an ounce of respect from me. I'm not here for money."

Lin Fang's momentarily gaze shifted to Vivian as he added, "I'm here because I don't want you Westerners thinking Northern Yan people lack values or character. Even if my earlier mistake wasn't intentional, I'm here to close the grudge. Not for your 300k."

The room fell quiet for a moment as the weight of his words hit Vivian harder than she expected. Vivian's eyes flickered, with a mixture of respect and surprise crossing her face. As for Mark, he stiffened for a moment before opening his mouth as if to retort, but Vivian reacted, not giving him a chance to retort as he wanted.

"You talk just like my cousin," she said softly, tilting her head. "I can see why he likes you." She paused, then added more seriously, "But on a side note… not every rich person born with a silver spoon has an easy life."

Mark's eyes flickered, but she wasn't done. "If you're a boy, your career has limited choices. You can't just do whatever you want. And if you're a girl… well, we can't even pursue a future with the one we truly care about. Instead, we have to go through a curated marriage—an arranged marriage, more or less."

As Mark's fists clenched tightly while his expression darkened further, Vivian's smile widened as she asked, turning to him. "Babe… am I wrong?" A pause late, she continued, going further as if wanting to irritate him further with her words. "If your father wasn't a shareholder of our company, and my mother hadn't purposely arranged that ball just so we could meet… do you really think we'd be engaged? Even though we've been dating for over a year, and officially engaged for three months, I haven't even slept with you. You should've figured out by now that I don't like you—or this marriage—and I'm just using the pretext of being a good Catholic to keep my distance. Am I wrong?"

Mark's anger simmered, feeling humiliated at her sharp words, but he tried to suppress it. He then grabbed her arm roughly. "Come with me. Now."

Vivian looked at him coolly, tilting her head. "Why? Whatever you need to say, just say it. Don't drag me somewhere unnecessarily."

Mark's face twisted with frustration, and Vivian didn't hold back, leaning in slightly. "What? Did you feel humiliated because of a stranger? Imagine how I felt when you let a stranger get away without even trying to fight."

Lin Fang, Mark, and Vivian were all caught in a tense tableau, the air thick with unspoken words and frustration. Vivian, still seated but bristling, leaned forward slightly.

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