Frank’s eyes lit up as he looked at Feng Shan, who had just finished changing. His face was full of satisfaction. He walked a circle around Feng Shan, sizing him up and praising him nonstop.

"Man, look at you! You look damn cool! Now *this* is what I’m talking about. You’re gonna be the center of attention at the awards ceremony. The second those women see you, I guarantee they’ll be dying to rip off their clothes and wait for you in bed."

"I’m not interested in women." Feng Shan couldn’t help but roll his eyes, his expression one of utter exasperation.

’This guy... his head is filled with all sorts of nonsense. I have no time to think about things like women. Just attending this awards ceremony is making me uncomfortable enough, so how could I have the energy to think about any of that?’

The moment Feng Shan spoke, Frank’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.

"Wang Defake! Don’t you want to leave an heir for the Feng Family? Your grand-uncle was obsessed with it before he passed. To use a saying from your hometown, it’s called, ’There are thirteen types of unfilial piety, but having no heir is the worst.’ Don’t tell me you’re gay?"

"It’s ’There are three kinds of unfilial piety, and having no heir is the worst.’ And can you please stop butchering proverbs?" Feng Shan said, completely exasperated.

However, before they could exchange more than a few words, there was a stir nearby.

A female hotel employee walked over, her eyes sparkling with excitement, as if she had just laid eyes on an idol she had long admired.

As she drew near, the employee jutted out her impressive chest. With a voice tinged with nervousness and anticipation, she said clearly, "Sir, you’re incredibly charismatic, especially in that Wolf Fur Coat. It’s just so cool! I was wondering... could I take a picture with you?"

As she spoke, she bit her lip shyly, her eyes locked on Feng Shan, full of undisguised desire.

Feng Shan was completely flustered. He subconsciously took a small step back, a hint of awkwardness on his face as he turned to look at Frank. His eyes seemed to ask a question.

’What am I supposed to do?’

Frank, meanwhile, was struggling to suppress a laugh. A knowing smile played on his lips as he gave Feng Shan a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

’See? Told you you’d be popular.’

Then, he smiled at the employee and said, "Of course you can, beautiful. I’ll take the picture for you."

As he spoke, Frank shot Feng Shan a look, signaling him not to back out and to just play along.

Resigned, Feng Shan could only bite the bullet and stand there, trying his best to look natural as he forced a weak smile.

The employee’s smile grew even more radiant, like a flower in full bloom. She hurried to Feng Shan’s side, taking a moment to smooth her hair and uniform.

Frank took her phone and struck a pose, transforming into a professional photographer. As he angled the phone to find the best shot, he started directing the two of them.

"Get closer. Your cheeks should be touching."

"And you, my dear, you can pull your collar open a little. It’ll look sexier."

The employee froze for a moment, then her blush deepened. After a brief hesitation, she reached up and gently tugged her collar open, revealing a sliver of fair skin that did indeed add a unique charm.

"Perfect! Yes, yes, just like that! A little closer," Frank continued to direct them gleefully, holding up the phone.

Feng Shan felt like a puppet, forced into one pose after another. He was already cursing Frank to hell and back in his mind. ’What kind of rotten ideas is this guy coming up with?’

The employee, however, grew more and more enthusiastic with each shot. One moment she was linking arms with Feng Shan, the next she was tilting her head coyly to rest on his shoulder. After every photo, she would lean in to check the result, nonstop praise for Frank’s photography skills spilling from her lips.

When they were finally done, the employee took back her phone, utterly content. The joy on her face was practically spilling over.

She thanked Feng Shan profusely once more, then pulled a slip of paper from her pocket and shyly handed it to him.

"I’m Connie. That’s my number. If you have some free time, feel free to call me anytime."

Feng Shan froze, taking the note reflexively. Before he could react, the employee was walking away, glancing back over her shoulder again and again. It was obvious to anyone that she had taken a special liking to him.

But this was only the beginning.

The moment the employee left, a gang of women seemed to appear out of nowhere—a mix of other hotel staff and guests who happened to be in the lobby. Their eyes lit up as if they had discovered treasure, and they swarmed around him, chattering away.

"Wow, sir, you’re so handsome! I’d love to get a picture with you, too!"

"Yeah, totally! Your vibe is so cool. I’m Hill. We should get coffee together."

"Hey handsome, are you free tonight?"

"Here’s my room number. The door’s unlocked."

In an instant, Feng Shan was trapped in the middle of the crowd, his ears ringing with invitations of all kinds. His head began to throb with a feeling of utter helplessness.

’I just got rid of one.’

’And now there’s a whole mob.’

’I can’t fight this off!’

Frank, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear. As an elder figure, he thought it was wonderful that Feng Shan was so popular.

"Feng, look at all these girls! You have to say yes to them! Even God would be angry if you refused. Go on, make their wishes come true!"

Feng Shan shot the culprit a venomous glare, grabbed the clothes he had changed out of, and pushed his way through the crowd, making a mad dash for the parking lot.

Seeing his dad run for it, Loki scrambled to catch up.

「Leaving the hotel.」

Feng Shan scrambled into the Pickup Truck as if his life depended on it, moving with a speed that suggested he was being chased by some ravenous beast.

He had just gotten into the truck and hadn’t even had a chance to catch his breath when he saw the women, hyped up as if on steroids, chasing after them. In a flash, they had surrounded the truck’s windows.

Feng Shan’s brow furrowed in annoyance as he looked at the scene outside the window.

"It’s like these women have never seen a man before. They’re all acting insane."

Frank, sitting in the driver’s seat and buckling his seatbelt, heard this and offered some "comfort" in a voice dripping with envy.

"Correction. It’s not that they’ve never seen a man, it’s that they’ve never seen a handsome man in a Wolf Fur Coat. You’ll get used to it. The feeling can be addictive."

Loki, who was perched by the window, saw the women peering through the glass, and its little eyes filled with impatience.

It had a short fuse to begin with, and the chaos of being chased by the women sent it into a fury. Without a second thought, it opened its mouth and started cursing.

"Wang Defa!"

"Bullshit! Are all these women blind?"

"Come over here and suck my—"

"That’s enough! Any more cursing and this’ll be R-rated." Feng Shan reached out and pinched Loki’s mouth shut, stopping it from finishing the sentence.

With its mouth held shut, Loki could only make muffled whines, as if protesting Feng Shan’s censorship. But it couldn’t break free from his hand and could only squirm in frustration.

Frank heard the commotion from the driver’s seat and couldn’t help but glance over. He chuckled at the sight of Loki’s indignant little face.

He shot Feng Shan a teasing look, wiggling his eyebrows as he joked,

"Loki’s more of a man than you are!"

After offering Loki that piece of praise, Frank delayed no longer, skillfully starting the car and pulling slowly out of the hotel parking lot.

The Pickup Truck crawled along the street, which was packed with cars lined up one after another. The occasional blare of a horn made the already noisy street even more cacophonous.

The sidewalks on both sides of the road were crowded with pedestrians, many of them holding up flags.

"Where’s the awards ceremony?" Feng Shan asked. Seeing a few teenagers with the Stars and Stripes painted on their faces outside the window had pulled his thoughts back to the event he was about to attend.

"It’s in the auditorium at the University of Anchorage. The damn state government gets stingier every year, always cutting the budget for the ceremony. At this rate, next year they’ll be holding it at a campground."

Frank complained as he drove.

"Cutting the budget is the right thing to do," Feng Shan countered. "That’s all taxpayer money. My seafood tax is part of that. Paying so much in taxes just for some vanity event."

The mention of the seafood tax immediately piqued Frank’s gossipy interest. After all, he was the one who had arranged the accountant for the Crown Colony Fishing Company. The River Beach’s first trip had yielded over six million, and since it had been out at sea for almost two weeks this time, the profits should be just as good.

"Oh yeah, has the River Beach come back from its trip? How much did you make this time?"

"Not sure. Alvin hasn’t called me yet, but it should be back soon." Feng Shan waved his hand dismissively. ’In any case, my communication with the Fire Totem on the River Beach is going well, so the gains have been pretty good.’

"You lucky bastard," Frank said, jealous of Feng Shan’s hands-off approach to being the boss.

The Pickup Truck continued its slow journey through the bustling crowds and traffic, heading toward the auditorium at the University of Anchorage.

.....