28 28 - Fame

Fang's perfect score on his school tests, together with the release of the advertisements he had done for Sirocco, made him really famous. Somehow, the information that he would graduate next year and go to college spread out, and a bunch of university representatives descended upon his school to entice him. Over half of them offered him a full scholarship and exemption from the entrance exams!

Fang kept being ambushed by fervent scholars pretty much everywhere. The school authorities tried to keep it in check as much as possible, but ultimately, someone or the other would manage to sneak in. Many people even followed Fang home - fortunately, the car Ren had assigned to Fang was a very tough, almost military grade car in terms of security and stability, and Wolf himself took over bodyguard duties after the first ambush in school. And Ren's home, naturally, was a fortress. No intruders could get in or out.

Disappointed, some scholars withdrew, grumbling, but several others became even more aggressive. Fang's background information was dragged out, people who knew him - at the orphanage, at his previous and current schools or anywhere else - everyone was paid generously to buy information on Fang. After all, this young teenager was a once-in-a-lifetime genius that every university wanted to claim as their own!

So, naturally, the news that Fang was still living with Ren was made public as well. Surprisingly enough, while there were a number of people who sneered at him and called him a gold digger taking advantage of young CEO Ren's generosity, many more people were condemning Ren for clinging to a school going teenager under the pretext of helping him recuperate.

"I really should go back to Orchid Orphanage," Fang told Ren with downcast eyes. "I've brought you too much trouble."

"Nonsense," Ren said firmly. "I'd let you go if you actually wanted to go or you hated living here - but that's not the case, is it? Are you happy here?"

Fang nodded. "I am. Everyone treats me well and...you are here." He wrung his hands nervously and whispered, "This is the only real home I've ever known."

"Then you're staying here and that's it. If you want to live elsewhere later, we'll go and buy another house sometime. But I go where you go and that's that," Ren declared.

"Yes, yes, we know you're hopelessly in love, but can you two stop abusing us single dogs for a minute and get back to the matter at hand?!" Pax roared.

Ren and Fang blushed and shut up.

"This is quite unnatural," Wolf said. "I've never seen or heard of universities pursuing a high school student like this."

Pax nodded. "There's more to this than a simple recruitment drive...Fang is outstanding, yes - and while it isn't strange that so many universities would come looking for him and offer him scholarships and exemptions - they never hound people like this."

"This is like the paparazzi chasing a sensational story," Ren murmured. "Someone or something has incited them."

"Could it be someone targeting you, Ren?" Wolf asked.

"More likely to be someone who doesn't like our side-project," Pax said.

Ren's eyes widened in shock. "We have a leak already?!"

Wolf nodded. "It is likely. We have reached out to a large number of people all over the world. Naturally, we have offended many powerful people."

"It is often the powerful people who are more perverted than regular workers," Fang whispered. "I know that better than anyone else."

Ren hugged him gently and rubbed his back to soothe him.

Fang smiled at his boyfriend. "Don't worry. I'm all right, thanks to you all."

"But what's their purpose in hounding Fang like this?" Wolf asked. "Suppose he does agree to go to one of their universities - then what?"

Ren rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps we can follow the thread back to the masterminds..."

"How?" Wolf asked.

"I'll speak to the university representatives and ask them to reach out to me personally...? Wouldn't that help?" Fang suggested.

Ren beamed at him. "As expected of my brilliant Fang," he said proudly. "Would you help us?"

"Of course," Fang said.

"Hang on," Pax protested. "It's too dangerous for Fang to interact with these guys by himself!"

Ren huffed. "As if I'd let those monkeys lay a finger in my Fang," he grumbled. "We'll hold a public event for Fang, where all the university representatives could come and speak about their University and why Fang should consider them. Not only that, we'll create a special email address for Fang and give it to them to send over their offers, and we'll tell them we'll be in touch with the universities Fang has shortlisted a month later." He smiled deviously. "If anyone dares to create trouble for Fang, we'll throw them out right away."

"That's a good idea," Pax said thoughtfully. "But I'm worried some people might start asking inappropriate questions."

"No questions permitted," Ren said. "And no personal remarks. If any representative dares to violate the guidelines, we'll not only throw them out of the meeting, but also blacklist that university for Sirocco. No further recruitment from that university, and existing graduates from these universities will be investigated and perhaps, dismissed. Get the legal team to draft something and publicise it widely."

Pax nodded with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"The panel on-stage will be Fang in the centre, Dr. Gordon to his right and Wolf next to Dr. Gordon. I'll be in Fang's left, and Pax will be next to me," Ren continued. He looked at Wolf. "I'm hiring the Blue Wolves for security."

"You need a bigger team than just the Blue Wolves - I only have enough people to take over the primary duties," Wolf told him bluntly. "You have already wiped out the Spider Gang when they attacked you and the Eagle Hunter Gang recently. Who do you want me to approach for ancillary duties?"

"Who's trustworthy?" Ren asked.

"Red Fist, Iron Mules and Jungle Dogs," Wolf replied. "We've worked with them before."

"Hire them all, then," Ren said generously. "But I want a Blue Wolf supervising everything. I trust you and your people, Wolf."

Wolf grinned. "As you should."