Chapter 5 — Fake Lover Turns Out to Be Fiancee

The next morning, Bach Dang woke up when the sunlight just passed through the curtains. His habit of getting up early to practice exercises for twenty-five years in the mountains made it impossible for him to sleep in no matter how comfortable the bed was. He sat up, the first thing he did was take the master's envelope off the pillow, carefully tearing the envelope that had become yellow over the years.

Inside was only a piece of paper folded into four, with the strong calligraphy of director Huyen Van appearing, writing only a few lines: "Find Duong Gia Group, meet Duong Khac Nguyen, say you are Huyen Van's disciple. Let fate decide everything else."

Bach Dang read it over and over again, a strange and indescribable feeling arose in his heart. Tang Gia. Isn't that the last name of the girl who saved him from disaster last night? And Duong Khac Nguyen, isn't he the father he just met at dinner last night, the man with the meaningful, searching eyes?

He sat on the bed, his mind reeling, trying to piece together all the events, but the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Could it be that the unfinished business of this sect that the master mentioned is directly related to the family of this girl named Gia Khue? But if so, why didn't the master make it clear from the beginning, but let him discover it himself in such a confusing and roundabout way?

While deep in thought, there was a knock on the door. Gia Khue stood outside, holding a breakfast tray, her face still a little tired from not sleeping well last night.

"Are you awake? I brought you breakfast." She put the tray on the table, her eyes glanced at the paper in Bach Dang's hand. "Is that the envelope you mentioned yesterday? Have you opened it yet?"

Bach Dang nodded, wondering whether he should immediately mention this strange coincidence or not. In the end, his honest nature won, he showed the paper to her.

"Look at this. Master told me to go to Duong Gia Group and meet a person named Duong Khac Nguyen."

Gia Khue picked up the paper and read it through, her eyebrows furrowed into a line. "Duong Khac Nguyen is my father. Duong Gia Group is also my family's company. How does your master know my father?"

The two looked at each other, and the small living room suddenly fell into a heavy, questioning silence.

"I don't know either." Bach Dang shook his head, his voice honest. "Master just said it was an unfinished matter for the sect and needed me to go down to the mountain to complete it, but he didn't explain clearly."

Gia Khue sat down on the opposite chair, still holding the paper in her hand, her mind reeling with a series of questions. She thought of her father's strange eyes last night when he looked at Bach Dang, a searching look mixed with something like familiarity, something she ignored because she was too busy dealing with the situation at hand.

"This is so strange." She muttered. "Let me ask my dad. But maybe the right time has to be chosen, not right now."

"Okay, you can do whatever you want." Bach Dang replied, then looked at the tray of food on the table, his hungry stomach reminded him of more practical things. "Ah, Miss Gia Khue, after breakfast, I plan to look for a job. I can't just stay at your house forever, I have to take care of myself."

Gia Khue looked at him, her eyes evaluating from head to toe. With his ancient clothes, strange way of speaking, and complete ignorance of modern life, she couldn't help but doubt his ability to find a normal job in the middle of this city.

"What are you looking for?" She asked, her voice a bit curious.

"I'm not sure, but I know martial arts, know basic medical techniques, and know how to recognize herbs. Maybe I can find something suitable." Bach Dang replied, his voice full of naive confidence.

Gia Khue laughed, not in contempt but because she saw his optimism to the point of being laughable. "Do you think in this city they need to hire someone who knows martial arts and recognizes herbs?"

"Is that so? So what do people need?" Bach Dang asked again, honestly confused.

"People need degrees, need experience, need certificates for everything." Gia Khue shook her head, then suddenly stopped, a thought just flashed in her mind. "Wait. You said you know real martial arts, right?"

"That's right, I've been practicing martial arts since I was young. My master taught me all the techniques of this discipline." Bach Dang nodded, not boasting at all, but just telling the simple truth as it was.

Gia Khue looked at him and began to form a plan in her mind. Recently, her company was encountering some minor troubles. Some employees reported that there were strangers lurking around the office area, and one time she even felt someone following her when she left the company late at night. She intended to hire a professional bodyguard, but was afraid of the hassle of procedures and did not trust strangers easily.

"Do you want to be my bodyguard?" She asked directly, her voice serious. "I need someone to protect me these days. The job isn't complicated. Just follow me to ensure safety. In exchange, you can stay in this guesthouse temporarily, and I'll pay you a decent salary."

Bach Dang was stunned for a moment, not expecting her to make this suggestion. "Do you trust me that much? You've only known me for a day."

"I don't know why I trusted you either." Gia Khue was honest, her voice had a rare bit of confusion. "But looking at the way you helped me last night, the way you honestly told the story of being tricked, I don't think you're a bad person. Besides..." She hesitated a bit. "Besides, the matter of my letter is also related to your father, so before finding out more clearly, having me nearby will be more convenient to monitor the situation."

Bach Dang nodded, feeling both grateful and relieved that there was finally a clear direction in this strange city. "Okay, I accept. I will try to protect you well."

"So from today, I'm officially your temporary bodyguard." Gia Khue stood up, her voice had returned to its familiar calmness, but the corner of her mouth still had a hint of a smile. "I'll take you shopping for some more suitable clothes later. You can't wear this outfit to work as a bodyguard, you look like you just stepped out of a historical movie."

"Is there something wrong with this outfit?" Bach Dang looked down at his outfit, honestly not understanding what the problem was.

Gia Khue just shook her head and smiled, without explaining further, pulled him out of the guest house to start a new day full of surprises waiting ahead.

That afternoon, while the two were walking through a shopping center looking to buy clothes, a small unexpected incident happened that made Gia Khue truly believe in her decision. A motorbike sped recklessly on the sidewalk, lost control and headed straight towards the crowd right where Gia Khue was standing looking at a fashion store. In a split second, before anyone could react, Bach Dang was as quick as lightning to pull her back behind him, and at the same time gently pushed the front of the car with one hand, causing it to swerve, avoiding direct collision with people around.

The whole area was in chaos for a moment, the motorbike driver panicked and apologized profusely, and the surrounding crowd whispered about the strange guy's incredibly quick reflexes.

"Are you okay?" Bach Dang turned back and asked, his eyes truly worried.

Gia Khue stood still, her heart still beating fast from the collision that almost happened, but a strange feeling of peace arose in her heart when she realized Bach Dang's reflexes were faster than any normal person she had ever seen, almost unrealistic.

"I'm okay." She replied, her voice still shaking a bit. "Thank you."

Bach Dang just smiled lightly, did not say anything more, but that moment made Gia Khue realize more clearly than ever that this strange man was not simply a bewildered man who had just moved from the countryside to the city, but actually contained something extraordinary that she could not fully understand.

That evening, when returning to the villa, Gia Khue sat alone in the office, flipping through the security video of the shopping center that had just been sent via email at her request. The scene of the motorbike rushing into the crowd and Bach Dang's hand gently pushing it to make it go off course appeared clearly. She rewound the video three times, each time she watched it, it became more unbelievable. No ordinary martial arts instructor, no matter how good, can react so quickly and accurately in an unexpected situation without warning.

She called Tang Bao Tran, her personal assistant, into the room to discuss more about the company's security issues, but in her heart she still couldn't stop thinking about the bodyguard who had just been on the job for less than a day.

"Miss Tran, how do you feel about Bach Dang?" Gia Khue asked, trying to sound normal.

Bao Tran, a sophisticated woman who has worked alongside Gia Khue for many years, slightly squinted her eyes to observe her boss's expression before answering. "I find him quite special. The way he talks, the way he behaves, unlike anyone I've ever met. But Ms. Khue, why do you suddenly ask that?"

"Nothing, just curious." Gia Khue replied, her eyes turned to the screen playing back the video at the shopping center, her fingers quietly pressing the slow-forward button of the frame with Bach Dang's hand gently pushing the motorbike's head to the side, as if she just looked closely enough, she would find the answer to the question that she herself did not dare to name: who was the man she had just accepted into the house, carrying an envelope mentioning her father's name.