Chapter 1

• William Lu felt sad and dejected as he walked out of the Human Resources office.
• He found it so difficult to accept the result. From where he came, he was feared by all the gangs. They even called him "Invincible Dragon Soldier". Here in the city, he couldn't even find a decent job because he lacked a college degree. Suddenly, his phone rang. William noticed and picked it up immediately.
• "William," said the voice from the other line. It was his girlfriend.? "It's over. I'm breaking up with you." "You've been gone for so long. I need a boyfriend, not a phone pal."
• "Darling, please—" William tried to get her back. "I know I've been gone, but I'm back now. I'll always be with you now."
• "Oh yeah? Well, what can you give me?" "A dishwasher working abroad earns much more money than you." "What exactly can you give me, huh?" she challenged,"Do you even have savings after working all these years? Have you found a single stable job since you got back? Will you be able to give me the things I want?"
• "I can, I promise! I'll buy you the biggest house you will ever want! Darling, I'm really sorry I've been gone. I'm sorry that we're struggling. I'm having a hard time finding a job in the city, but it will be better soon, I promise. Things will get better, and when they do—"
• "And how would you do that?", the girl interrupted. "How are things going to get better, William? Will you ever get to buy me a BMW car? Will you ever get to buy me a Louis Vuitton handbag? Ferragamo shoes? Chanel suits? Ha! You can't even afford to buy me a-hundred-square-meter house, for Christ's sake."
• William was silent.
• She sighed. "You don't need to say anything, William. I'm tired. I can't deal with this anymore. Goodbye, William," she said as she hung up.
• William held his hand-phone tightly, dumbfounded. Despite her muffled voice from the static of his old Nokia, her message was clear as day.
• "AHHHH! Help! Somebody, help! Thief, thief! That thief stole my bag!" William heard someone scream from the other end of the street.
• A lady in uniform was screaming in panic and desperation, running as fast as her high-heeled shoes would take her.
• A man with dark sunglasses holding a Louis Vuitton handbag was fleeing from the scene towards a motorcycle.
• "Go away! Right now!" He shouted to the onlookers as he jumped onto his vehicle.
• As soon as he did, he crunched his brow, turned the handles and accelerated.
• In shock, every person on the sidewalk squeezed themselves up to the wall as the motorcycle zoomed past them. Nobody dared block its way.
• It's risky to be involved in robberies nowadays. Nobody wants to get hurt.
• The lady in a suit watched the motorcycle drive away, helplessly.
• The sight infuriated William.
• As the motorcycle approached, he planted his feet firmly on the ground, pulled his left leg back, and with all his might, flung it into the raging vehicle in a strong forceful kick as soon as it passed in front of him.
• The kick took the man by surprise. He couldn't believe what happened! His motorcycle tumbled sharply and it went spinning on the pavement. The impact threw him to the further end of the road and forced him to drop the stolen bag to the ground.
• "Ahhhhh!"
• The pedestrians held their hands to their mouths as they screamed.
• William, indifferent to the commotion, walked to the side of the man, calmly picked up the bag, and handed it to the lady. "Here's your bag, ma'am."
• "Th-thank you." The lady managed to say when she realized that he was talking to her. She was still stunned from the events that just happened.
• William inspected the lady for half a second before diverting his gaze.
• "Not at all, it's my pleasure." William turned to leave.
• The lady looked like a corporate professional. He imagined her in her air-conditioned office and exquisite jewelry.
• 'We come from two different worlds, ' he thought. 'It's useless to think about her.'
• "Wait a second!" William felt a hand grasp his elbow from behind. "I'm Elaine Dai. What's your name? I… just want to thank you for your help," she continued. "Can we have lunch together?"
• She looked at him as she awaited his response.
• William is at his mid-20's, standing 180 cm tall. His face has well-defined angles on his forehead, cheeks, and jawline. He's not the type that you would notice in a crowd, but he's not bad-looking either.
• "You're welcome, really. It's no trouble at all. You don't need to take me out for lunch. Thanks for the offer, though. I have to go." William pulled his hand away gently as he refused her invitation.
• He was still thinking about his very recent breakup. Less than an hour ago, the love of his life walked away from him. Apart from that, he's broke and unemployed. It was such a bad time to accept a lunch invite.
• Elaine stood perplexed at his immediate refusal.
• For most people, Elaine is a sight to behold. She had light skin and brown hair that emphasized her bright almond eyes. She had men falling at her feet and any of them would have accepted her lunch invite in a heartbeat.
• But William, he just refused her without hesitation. 'Have I lost my charm?' she thought sadly. 'He didn't even tell me his name, ' she realized.
• William was about to walk away when he heard a voice from behind him.
• "Stop!" It was the man from the motorcycle! He pushed himself up and turned to William, holding a sharp, silver blade.
• He didn't have serious injuries despite his fall. Like a rabid beast, he shot William a deadly stare.
• 'This should have been an easy robbery if he didn't get in the way, ' the man thought. 'It's time to give him a lesson.'
• "Are you talking to me?" William turned to the man, unthreatened.
• William hesitated because the man was badly injured. He stood in disbelief at the challenge thrown at him.
• "What are you planning to do?" asked William.
• "STOP!" Elaine cried. "STOP OR I'LL CALL THE POLICE!" Elaine rushed in front of William, holding up her phone.
• "Call the police?" the motorcycle driver asked manically. "Fuck the police! You'll both be dead by the time they get here!" The man started running towards Elaine, the sun shining brightly against his knife. The people in the street stood frozen in the background.
• Elaine turned pale. She trembled. She didn't know what to do! Growing up comfortably in the city, she thought these things could only happen in the movies!
• William gasped. 'What the hell? This man must be crazy if he could stab someone in broad daylight! It seems he hasn't learned his lesson!'
• The man was about to stab Elaine. But William reacted faster.
• On reflex, William managed to grab the attacker's weapon hand and slap him with his free hand.
• The man failed to dodge, getting his face bloody and teeth knocked out.
• In his rage, William charged and started to throw the man punch after punch until his face was red and swollen all over.
• PA PA PA PA PA!
• William punched and kicked with all his strength.
• He thought about everything that happened today —his breakup, his failure to find a job —and put them all in his fists. He felt no remorse for the troublemaker.
• "You're lucky this time. The next time you cause trouble again, I swear I'll kill you. Go!" William said, dismissing the young man.
• Realizing his defeat, the man retreated holding on to his battered face. He didn't even dare grab his motorcycle as he ran away. He shot William a vengeful look. 'You'll pay for this, ' he thought.
• William ignored him. If he had the balls to come take revenge, William would show no mercy!
• William felt good about the skirmish. It was a much-needed release of all the tension he felt for the day. As he was about to leave, he heard Elaine falling down from behind him.
• William quickly turned to keep her from falling.
• "Are you OK?" William asked as he held her. He felt his heart beat faster when he felt her skin against his. Her beauty was tempting.
• "My foot is sprained." Elaine replied, feeling embarrassed. Her face turned hot as she felt his touch.
• In slow, careful steps, William held Elaine as they walked to a nearby restaurant.
• William couldn't help but feel a little lighter with Elaine's gentle touch and sweet scent.
• Meanwhile, Elaine's face grew hotter and redder with their proximity.
• The people in the restaurant shot curious glances at the sight of the couple entering, especially with Elaine's uniform. Their eyes followed the new guests as they walked to find a table.
• William helped Elaine to her seat, took his own, and breathed a big sigh of relief.
• He surely enjoyed the fight, but inside, he knew that it did get a little out of hand. The adrenaline felt good, but it wasn't enough to erase the pain and frustration inside him.
• "Please give me a bowl of your most expensive noodles, with additional meat." William said to the waiter.
• HAHA.
• The people around them started exchanging smirks and mocking glances.
• They felt bad for Elaine thinking that her cheapskate boyfriend took her on a date to this low-end restaurant, while she was clearly a woman of class.
• "Sorry I couldn't take you somewhere nicer. I've been having trouble finding a job. I'm kind of running out of money." William confessed, ignoring the murmurs. He really had no money and he didn't pretend to be a rich man.
• "It's OK. I'll pay," Elaine said, growing more and more curious about William.
• He could have taken advantage of her while they were walking if he wanted to. She would have been too weak to fight back. Still, he didn't. Also, he was genuine and honest about his situation.
• She preferred this kind of man over rich hypocrites.
• Suddenly, she had an idea.? "You mentioned you were having trouble finding a job? You're fast and strong, and our company needs a bodyguard. Why don't you try applying in our company?"
• "What? Really? Sure, of course!" William replied excitedly.
• William had been trying to find a job the whole week. He never knew how difficult it was to find one until he experienced it himself. He even considered taking a job in the construction site —moving bricks and carrying cement —just because it was the only job he could find where they didn't need an extensive educational background.
• Naturally, it was impossible for him to not be excited about
• the opportunity Elaine mentioned. He would choose security work over construction, any day, except that even security guards were required to have college degrees. This immediately disqualified William, to his disappointment.
• "Alright, then. Find me at the Personal Section of Silverland Group on the tenth floor, at ten o'clock, sharp. Tell the receptionist you have an appointment with me. I'll be the one to make arrangements. Don't be late."
• Elaine was afraid he would refuse her again the way he did when she invited him to get dinner. Now that he agreed, Elaine made sure he wouldn't back out.
• "Okay, I won't. Thank you! Thank you so much!" William became even more excited as the idea sunk in. He knew that this was a really great opportunity.
• Although William has only been back to A city for a week, he has already heard of the reputation of Silverland Group.
• They were one the of ten biggest companies and best employers in the city; even security guards were well-paid.
• It was difficult to land a security job, though. Apart from having a college degree, a recommendation from company management was a requirement. It would be a true honor to be part of Silverland Group's security roster.
• They exchanged contact information after the meal before going their separate ways.
• "Don't be late, okay?", Elaine reminded.
• "I won't!" he promised.
• William looked for a place to celebrate the highlight of his job hunt.
• He decided to go to a bar called Sunny. Guests flowed in as the crowd of young people danced to the heavy metal music in the background.
• The women in the bar wore clothes that revealed long legs, ample bosoms, sexy backs, and shapely bodies. The air was steamy, in more ways than one.
• College students and corporate employees frequented the place.
• The carefree youngsters, sophisticated professionals, and enchanting women made Sunny a great go-to whether you're looking for a place to chill, or to let loose.
• Beer in hand, William watched the attractive girls on the dance floor, from a seat at the corner. He felt good. This was the first time he got to relax since he arrived at the city.
• "Hey, is this seat taken?" He heard a cool voice ask. Turning to ask the speaker to find a seat somewhere else, he froze as he found an exceptionally beautiful girl looking back at him.
• She's probably around twenty-three or twenty-four. She didn't look like she was wearing makeup, but she still looked extremely beautiful with her clean, sharp eyebrows, full lips and pretty nose.
• Her black mesh dress was modest, compared to all the other girls in the bar.
• It didn't show much skin, but it didn't fail to show off her perfect figure, Small waist, and long legs, either.
• Elaine, to William, was a goddess. While her beauty was definitely breathtaking, it would still be possible to get her attention with enough effort. This girl, though, was a fairy: completely and surely unattainable.
• It made him wonder what she's doing in this stuffy bar.
• Without waiting for him to respond, the girl took the empty seat from across the table, grabbed the nearest beer, and began to drink. She paid no notice of William's shock.
• He found it difficult to reconcile the sight of the drunkard in front of him, with the dainty fairy he imagined her to be.
• Also, the price of the beer was thirty-eight dollars!
• He felt extremely distressed.
• One bottle...
• Two bottles...
• Three bottles...
• Four bottles... 'When is this girl gonna stop?!'
• As if on cue, the girl carelessly put down her last bottle of beer, dropped her head on her arms, rested them on the table, and began to cry. William sat, dumbstruck.