Chapter 6 — Fake Lover Turns Out to Be Fiancee

The tie was the only thing in the world that made Ky Bach Dang, Tieu Dao Coc's sole descendant, had to stand in front of the mirror for fifteen minutes every morning and still tie it to one side. A week had passed since the day he officially became Duong Gia Khue's temporary bodyguard, his life gradually entered a new spin that he had never experienced. Every morning, he got up early to practice a few basic kata exercises in the garden behind the villa, then followed Gia Khue to the headquarters of Duong Gia Group, sitting quietly in a corner of the office, observing all the movements around him with the vigilance of a true master, although on the outside he still looked gentle like a timid new employee.

The rough clothes had been replaced with simple shirts and trousers that Gia Khue bought for him. Although Bach Dang still felt much more uncomfortable than his usual clothes, he did not complain, just silently adapted little by little.

"Mr. Bach Dang, this afternoon I need to go to the warehouse in the suburbs to check the newly imported batch of raw materials." Gia Khue said as the two stepped out of the elevator, heading towards the parking lot. "Maybe we'll be back a little late."

"Okay, I'll go with you." Bach Dang replied, his voice serious as always when talking about the protection mission.

The car rolled out of the city center, heading towards more deserted roads leading to the suburban warehouse area. It was already dark when the car arrived. The large warehouse area was isolated, surrounded by only a few high-pressure lights casting yellow light onto the ground.

"Wait here a moment, I'll go check the books with the warehouse manager." Gia Khue said, getting out of the car, holding a file of documents.

Bach Dang nodded, but his alert instinct kept him from taking his eyes off her for even a moment, silently following at a distance just enough to not disturb her work but still ensuring he could react promptly if something unexpected happened.

Inside the warehouse, Gia Khue was exchanging work with the manager, a middle-aged man with a slightly shy look on his face, his eyes constantly glancing towards the door as if waiting for something.

"Mr. Phu, was there any problem with the shipment of medicinal herbs imported last week? I heard reports that a few containers were unusually delayed." Gia Khue asked in the serious voice of a senior manager.

"Yes, it's just a normal procedural problem, Ms. Khue, nothing to worry about." The manager replied, his voice a little embarrassed and unable to hide it.

At that moment, from behind a row of tall shelves, three strange figures quietly appeared, their gait somewhat stealthy, each of them holding something hidden in their coats. They approached Gia Khue and the manager with a clear threat.

"Miss Khue, you should sign the paperwork transferring this shipment to us." One of the group spoke up, his voice cold and full of meaning. "Save the trouble."

Gia Khue was startled, took a step back, both panicked and angry when she realized that the warehouse manager had betrayed and colluded with these strangers before.

"Who are you? What do you want?" She asked, trying to keep her voice calm even though her heart was pounding.

"You don't need to know who we are, just sign here and it's over." The leader stepped closer, holding out a stack of papers, his eyes full of menace.

Just as the tension reached its peak, a figure rushed in from the warehouse door at such a speed that it was difficult for the naked eye to keep up. Bach Dang, who had been silently watching from afar, realized the unstable situation as soon as three strange figures appeared, and without hesitating for a second rushed to the rescue.

"Let her go." His voice sounded sharp, completely different from his usual gentleness.

The leader of the group turned around and looked contemptuously at Bach Dang from head to toe. "Where did this brat come from? Do you want to die?"

He swung his hand and threw a punch straight at Bach Dang's face, but in just a blink of an eye, Bach Dang leaned over to avoid it as gently as a breeze, and at the same time, one hand lightly touched the opponent's wrist, causing him to bounce back, the punch completely missing the target.

The remaining two men saw their accomplices being knocked out and rushed in at the same time. One pulled out a short iron stick, the other held a sharp knife. But before Bach Dang's speed and technique, all of their attacks were like punching into the void. He rotated flexibly between the three opponents. Each seemingly simple move contained profound internal power. Just a few blows made all three of them stagger, none of them had enough strength to stand.

The entire battle took place in less than a minute, so fast that Gia Khue stood frozen in place, unable to react other than witnessing a scene like something out of an action movie taking place right before his eyes.

"Run quickly, this guy is not an ordinary person!" The leader shouted in panic, pulled his two accomplices and fled from the warehouse, leaving the trembling manager standing rooted to the spot.

Bach Dang did not chase, but turned to look at Gia Khue, his worried eyes completely replacing the murderous look just now. "Are you okay?"

Gia Khue shook her head, but her hands were still shaking slightly from the shock she had just experienced. "I... I'm fine. But you, what did you just do? How could you defeat three people at once so easily?"

Bach Dang was silent for a moment, realizing that he had just revealed too much of his strength in front of her. "I just used a few basic moves my master taught me to defend myself."

"Basic?" Gia Khue looked at him with unbelievable eyes. "You just defeated three armed men in less than a minute, you call that basic?"

The warehouse manager, seeing the situation exposed, knelt down and begged. "Miss Khue, I'm sorry, I was forced, they threatened my family so I had to do it..."

Gia Khue looked at the manager, feeling both anger and a little pity, but the more important thing right now was to find out clearly who was behind this incident. "Tell me clearly, who forced you? For what purpose?"

The manager trembled as he recounted that a group of strangers had contacted him many weeks ago, asking him to create conditions for them to access a newly imported shipment of precious medicinal herbs, in exchange for a large sum of money, along with a threat that if they did not cooperate, it would harm his family. He did not know exactly what organization this group of people belonged to, he only knew that they seemed to be directed by a larger force behind them.

After hearing this, Gia Khue's face became serious. This is not the first time the company has recently encountered unusual signs, but this is the first time the incident escalated to the point where someone used force to appropriate goods.

On the way home, sitting in the car, Gia Khue continuously glanced at Bach Dang sitting silently next to him, hundreds of unanswered questions arose in his heart.

"Mr. Bach Dang, who are you?" She asked, her voice more serious than ever. "Normal people cannot have martial arts like you just demonstrated."

Bach Dang looked out the glass window, the streetlight passing by his face in alternating light and dark spaces. "I already told you, I am a disciple of Tieu Dao Coc, a small sect on Vo Danh Mountain. My master taught me martial arts since childhood, that's all."

"Does a martial arts sect really exist in this modern day?" Gia Khue is still surprised. "I thought those things only happened in movies and novels."

"It does exist, although perhaps very few people know about it." Bach Dang replied, his voice low. "And perhaps, you should be more careful from now on. Those guys just now, I feel that they are not simply ordinary gangsters. The way they attack has some basic martial arts, although they are not as skilled as me."

Gia Khue was silent, looking out the window, worried about the company's situation, and couldn't stop being curious about the mysterious man sitting next to her, whom she didn't even know a week ago, but has now become an indispensable part of her tumultuous life.

Returning to the villa, Gia Khue immediately called to report the incident to his father. After Mr. Duong Khac Nguyen listened, the voice on the phone became unusually heavy.

"Tell me again, someone used force to threaten us right at our warehouse?" He asked, his voice filled with worry. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay, thanks to Bach Dang's timely intervention." Gia Khue replied, trying to keep her voice calm even though she was still scared.

The other end of the phone was silent for a long time, enough for Gia Khue to feel something different in his father's reaction, not simply a father's concern, but also mixed with some deep guilt that he had never expressed.

"Dad will have someone increase security around the warehouse immediately." Finally he spoke, his voice regaining its usual calmness. "You just let Bach Dang stay by your side, I feel... I feel more secure when he protects you."

Gia Khue hung up the phone, sat slumped in the chair, her fingers tapping on the phone case like a habit when her mind was confused. Clearly, her father did not show any surprise at Bach Dang's extraordinary ability - no "how is it possible", no "how do you know for sure", only the strange peace of mind of someone who already knew something was going to happen. She looked at Bach Dang standing quietly guarding the hallway, his shadow falling long on the tile floor under the light from the living room, and told herself that tomorrow, she would have to ask the reason, before this feeling of doubt grew another night.