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  Orion, the foremost expert on the fairer sex, continued, “But don’t paint every girl with Sassy’s brush. There are those, a lot more classy than Sassy is, who will make your heart go pit-a-pat.”

  Orion bandaged Ricky’s leg tightly and Ricky felt tremendously grateful for this true friend among all the hostile strangers.

  Orion said, “Hercules spoke to us before he went off for his holiday in Legends. I trust him. He said you were a regular Joe and I should look out for you.”

  Ricky said gratefully, “Can I buy you a beer, bro?”

  Orion grinned, “With that doll face? You’ll get thrown out of a pub before you can even step inside.”

  CHAPTER 42

  ALL HAIL THE LION KING

  Boss Ang bustled into the dressing room. “Where’s my boy Ricky?” he sang out. “What’s that move called? The experts said they recognised it but cannot place its origin. How did my boy know such a clever move?”

  Then he noticed Ricky’s bandaged leg and his smile disappeared.

  “No, no!” he tore at his hair. “Not you too, Ricky! Am I under a curse? Why my two principal lion heads?”

  Ricky stood up, even though Orion knew the effort must have been excruciating. “There’s only one more press conference to go, and we’ll be on the plane tomorrow evening. I can fake it till then.”

  Boss Ang shook his head. “But what about the spin-off publicity after today? I wanted to show you off to the China talent scout!”

  Orion intervened, “Just show them the video of today’s performance. You’ve such a way with words—you could talk a mother hen out of her egg.”

  Boss Ang calmed down and puffed out his chest. “You’re right. I can get the China market.” He hurried out the door, then he popped his head back in again. “I almost forgot. What’s that move called, my boy?”

  Ricky said, “I’ll announce it at the press conference.”

  Back in the hotel, Ricky iced his swollen leg, popped painkillers and fell into an exhausted slumber. He did not wake till the phone rang insistently and he saw sunlight through the window.

  Boss Ang said cheerfully over the line, “My boy, you’re all over the news. Get dressed. We have a full day.”

  Normally, Ricky would have been excited, but he was in too much pain. The doorbell rang. A physiotherapist, stylist and hairdresser came in. Wow, Boss Ang is giving me the star treatment. He must really have some important deals to make today, thought Ricky. He popped the maximum amount of painkillers he was allowed and braced himself for a long day.

  At the Hot morning briefing, the troupe reviewed all the news they had generated. Ricky was astounded by the number of photos and videos that netizens had posted and reposted on social media since the day before. The majority of them featured Ricky and Orion’s debut brilliance.

  In slow motion, frame by frame, the netizens had captured Ricky’s act. Ricky scrutinised the frames. Can they see me wobbling? Did I stagger at the dismount? Only the most discerning eye could pick up Ricky faltering. Orion had covered for him well.

  There were heated online debates as to the origin of Ricky’s last move. One commentator, a Chinese citizen living in Hong Kong, swore that he had seen the move first performed in Beijing. He was booed down. Many netizens demanded information about the new lion head and why they had not seen his performances before.

  A thought had been preying on Ricky’s mind. He asked Orion, “Do you think this news would have reached Singapore?”

  Orion crowed, “They’re talking about it in Hong Kong and Indonesia, and all over social media. Of course it would have reached the capital of Leopop!”

  Ricky then remembered Shifu’s solemn injunction to never do this move without his permission. He would have to face the music when he got back to Singapore, but at present, there was no opportunity for him to worry because it was time for the press conference.

  Ricky made sure he was seated in the conference room before the journalists and cameramen streamed in. He did not want them to see him limping. Sassy walked in and made a beeline for Ricky. She was wearing a figure-hugging sheath. There was something pinned on her neckline—it was a round button with the drawing of a cute chibi. Ricky’s eyes widened. The chibi was him!

  Sassy burbled. “It’z cute, izzent it? They were zelling it thiz morning in all the convenienze ztorez!”

  At the press conference, the question that Ricky had been expecting was finally asked by one of the reporters. “Rick Wa Wa, can you tell us the name of that last move you performed? And where you learnt it from?”

  As pens poised above notebooks and expectant eyes fixed on him, Ricky answered, “The move is called Lion Skips like the Ram. And the person who created it and taught it to me is Lung San Shifu of Lion Legends in Singapore.”

  CHAPTER 43

  A MISSING LION

  Sly Seetoh had not given up on the mystery of Ricky’s tattoo. He prided himself that once he was on a scent, nobody could stop him. He had asked his company for funds to travel to Taiwan to sniff around Ricky and the Hot troupe—and maybe take in the Taiwan sights and sounds while he was there.

  But his boss had refused—the Scrooge! So he had to wait at the Singapore airport, together with all the junior reporters, for Hot’s return. When the Hot boys landed, the upstarts around him surged forward, so he had to abandon his dignity and elbow his way to the front.

  Orion and Cygnus were the first to stride into the arrival hall. Together, they held up and showed off the huge Taiwan Showcase trophy cup. Behind them were the musicians, dancers and support staff.

  Aquarius mooched out after that, trying to hide behind the huge drums and luggage. He was wrapped up in a scarf, hat and sunglasses, but a tsunami of girls recognised him, screamed and rushed forward.

  Sly tapped his foot impatiently. “Where’s Ricky?” That question was also uppermost in the minds of the other reporters. Ricky was the flavour of the month, and everybody wanted a piece of him. When Boss Ang came out with both hands lifted in victory, they surrounded him and plied him with questions.

  Boss Ang launched smoothly into his prepared speech. “Our boy Ricky has done Singapore proud. He is now the most wanted lion dancer in Asia! So many people asked for interviews with him that I gave him special permission to stay on in Taiwan. He’ll be stuck there for a while, but I can arrange for phone interviews with him—just text me. Ricky sends his regards and says he shares the trophy with all of you!” Boss Ang flashed a victory sign and, on cue, his coordinators flanked him and ushered him away.

  Sly, however, was not fooled.

  Back at Legends Hall, Zeus and Lung San were watching the coverage of Hot’s Taiwan tour on the entertainment channel. Zeus said, “Shifu, I respect your decisions, but Prome and the guys are wondering… Why did you teach Lion Skips like the Ram to Ricky, but not us? We’ve been your disciples for so much longer.”

  “I did not!” Shifu protested. “It is a dangerous move if not done properly. I asked Ricky to make a video of me doing it, and I warned him never to do it by himself. Who knew the naughty boy could catch on so fast?” He rubbed his hands, beaming with satisfaction despite his annoyance. “I’m sorry, Zeus. I never meant for you to feel like you’ve been passed over.”

  “It’s all right, Shifu! Thanks for explaining it!” Zeus said, disarmed by Shifu’s sincerity.

  Shifu asked, “Is Hot Lions is back from Taiwan? Any word from Ricky?”

  Zeus checked his phone again.

  Ying Ying, who was watching the video along with them, affected disinterest. She had been nursing a small secret hope that Ricky would call, if only to tell Shifu that he was back on home soil. But fame must have gone to his head, because there wasn’t even a text message from him.

  “He’s a star now,” Ying Ying said impatiently. “Why would he call us?”

  Shifu sighed. Ying Ying hated to see her father pine for Ricky. It was one more reason for her to hate Ricky, even though she missed him terribly.

  Hercules
slouched into the room. Shifu looked at him hopefully, but Hercules was too lost in his thoughts to notice. Zeus prompted, “Did you visit your old gang? Well?”

  Hercules started. “There’s something the guys are not telling me. Leo is on medical leave. Orion is under detention. I don’t know why—he did well in the showcase, didn’t he? The official line they’re taking is that Ricky got held up in Taiwan, but Aquarius told me privately that Ricky got on the same plane to come home!”

  Ying Ying gave up all pretence of looking bored. She stared at Hercules. Zeus exclaimed, “Then where is he now?”

  CHAPTER 44

  A LION IN A TRAP

  Ricky only had time to read a congratulatory text message from his parents before his phone was taken away.

  “Hey!” he protested to the Hot intern who had checked him into a private Singapore hospital in a top-secret manoeuvre.

  “Sorry, Ricky,” the man said, tucking Ricky’s phone into his pocket. “Boss Ang’s orders. He doesn’t want you making calls or posting on social media and alerting people to your location.”

  Ricky lay back in his hospital bed. Boss Ang’s instructions rang in his head: “Nobody must find out that my star idol was injured. Stay incommunicado in hospital and when you’re better, I will announce that you are back from Taiwan.”

  Ricky tried to rest. He had craved sleep for the whole of the past week, but the pain in his leg was keeping him awake. Through the long night in his single room, Ricky had plenty of time to reflect.

  A thought surfaced in his mind. He had given himself to lion dance. He had gone into the art not for fame or fortune but because he loved to dance and entertain.

  Well, it had started like that anyway. But what had it come to? Faking dates with a fame-hungry starlet like Sassy, jostling for a place in Hot, and abandoning the doll to be a lion head, simply because it was a more prestigious position? He suddenly no longer respected or even liked himself.

  In the loneliness of his hospital room, he wished he had his loved ones to turn to for guidance and comfort. He missed his mother. Ricky had tried to imitate her love and care for others, but he had shoved aside that goal in his scramble to fit into Hot.

  He also missed Lung San. His shifu would be able to set Ricky’s compass straight. Ricky had promised Shifu that he would not perform Lion Skips like the Ram without his permission, and yet he had gone ahead and done it to impress others.

  But, most of all, he missed Ying Ying so much his heart ached. He worried about how she would take the rumours of his “holiday romance” with Sassy. He regretted the bubble tea date. “It’s all fake, engineered by Boss Ang and Sassy. My heart has always been yours!” he wanted to shout to Ying Ying.

  Instead, he could only punch his hospital pillow weakly and wait for Boss Ang to decide when the news blackout would end. Did he want to continue in this sham persona until he was completely transformed into somebody he could no longer face in the mirror?

  But maybe he would have no choice. He looked at the brown envelope containing the X-ray of his leg. The doctor who examined him had scolded, “Why did you wait so long to get medical attention?”

  The Hot intern had asked, “How soon before Ricky can get back on stage?”

  The doctor had shrugged irritably, “Don’t you understand? He may never fully recover.”

  The thought that he might never be able to perform or entertain again was so unbearable that Ricky put his pillow over his head in despair.

  The next morning, he woke up to a grey and interminable day in the hospital. He fashioned a long piece of toilet paper into a tie and tucked it into his collar. He practised in front of the mirror: “Hi, I’m Kang Yong Gu’s son and the new CEO of Golden Fishery. I’m going to make a multi million-dollar deal with you.”

  He paused and stared at his reflection sceptically. Who am I kidding? I’ll never make a good CEO. I’d be lucky if I don’t lose all my father’s hard-earned money! He berated himself as he tore off his tissue tie.

  Okay, I won’t be a businessman. I will be…a martial arts shifu! I will train hard for a few years and set up the best martial arts hall! He parted his hair in the centre like Shifu did and wore a sage expression. He yelled into the mirror, “Hut two three four! Pick those legs up! No rest until you guys mind meld!”

  Then he remembered Shifu’s long absences from the hall when he had to wheel and deal for Legends to appear on shows, chase after endorsements and negotiate with public relations snakes. He remembered the late nights he had strolled past Shifu’s office and seen him with his head in his hands, ploughing through paperwork, bills and legal contracts, and worrying about finances. Ricky shuddered. That’s not what I want to do either, he thought, shaking out the centre parting of his hair.

  He knew he needed to stay hidden from the press, but there was something he had to do. The Hot intern had left him a baseball cap and Ricky pulled it low over his face. Hoping that he would not be recognised, he hobbled out of his room on hospital crutches and approached the nurses station.

  “Can I help you?” the nurse asked him.

  Ricky shook his head, trying to keep his eyes down. He pointed at the phone on the counter. She nodded, and Ricky made an international collect call.

  “Mum, can you please pay for this call?”

  “Boy Boy darling! I’ve been following all the news about you. Daddy’s so proud!” He was so glad to hear his mother’s voice that his leg momentarily stopped hurting.

  “Mum, I’ve just called to tell you I’m okay. I think…I want to take a break from lion dance for a while and go to university…” He could not continue because Mrs Kang was squealing with triumph on the line.

  They chatted a while longer, but Ricky felt vulnerable standing in the corridor. Boss Ang would not like it, but Ricky had one last thing to tell his mother.

  “Mum, I injured myself in Taiwan. It’s nothing serious. But if you hear that your son is in hospital, don’t panic. You know the Internet always blows things out of proportion.”

  “How badly hurt are you?” Mrs Kang asked, a tinge of worry in her voice.

  “I told you—it’s nothing. My mobile phone is, uh…being repaired, so you won’t be able to reach me. If you really need to call me…” Ricky debated whether he should give away his location and decided that he could not make his mother worry. “…you can reach me at Elite Hospital. It’s just a minor injury; I’m fine. I’ve gotta go now.”

  He added hurriedly, “I can trust you to keep quiet about this call, right? Mum, I…I miss you. Love you!”

  Ricky hobbled dejectedly back to his room. Hearing his mother’s voice had made him feel better, but now that he had put down the phone, the pain in his leg returned. In his room, he found a nurse waiting for him with a cup of pills.

  The nurse exclaimed impatiently, “You shouldn’t be putting weight on your leg! I have your painkillers here. It’ll knock you out, so no more walking around.”

  Ricky said sadly, “Don’t worry. I have nowhere to go anyway.”

  CHAPTER 45

  THE LION’S FAMILY

  After Ricky had disconnected the call, Mrs Kang fretted to her husband. “Ricky has been injured! That new troupe isn’t taking care of our boy. What’s it called? Barbecue? Burn?”

  Mr Kang answered, “It’s Hot Lions. Ang didn’t even inform us that our boy was injured, and we’re his parents! I’m calling Lung Ge now.”

  Mrs Kang added, “You’re right. He and Ying Ying care so much for Ricky; they’ll know what to do.”

  She rang the Legend’s number. After an exchange of greetings with Lung San, she said, “Shifu, Ricky called me from Elite Hospital. Can you tell me which ward he’s in?”

  There was a silence on the line until Lung San said, with careful composure, “Sister-in-law, I don’t know that yet, but I will find out. Meanwhile, please don’t worry.”

  “I can’t imagine my poor boy there, all alone. I don’t think his new troupe is looking after him. They didn’t even bother
to tell me that he was in hospital! But I know you and I trust you. Can you or your lovely daughter please pay him a visit and find out how badly hurt he is? Please be honest with me, because I know he won’t tell me as he hates for me to worry.”

  “Of course, sister-in-law. I will check on him now and call you immediately once I know anything.”

  Lung San put down his phone and saw his daughter standing beside him, her face pale. “Heard that?” his tone was accusatory and harsh with worry. “Ricky is in hospital and even his parents didn’t know! You sold my disciple to a troupe like that?!” He turned on his heel and headed for the gate.

  “Wait! I’m coming with you!” Ying Ying said.

  In the taxi on the way to the hospital, Lung San calmed down. “I shouldn’t have blamed you. I’m sorry. I was just shocked by the news. I should have insisted that Ricky stay with us. He didn’t want to go to Hot, you know.”

  Ying Ying looked out the window. She did not reply because she was struggling to hold back her tears.

  When they arrived at Elite Hospital, they tried to find out which ward Ricky Kang was in, but the staff looked at them suspiciously and denied having such a patient. Lung San set his jaw and slipped from ward to ward, room to room, looking for Ricky.

  They finally saw a label over a door with Ricky’s Chinese name. The lights in the room were dim. Ricky lay motionless and his bandaged leg formed a monstrous bulk on the white bed sheets.

  Ying Ying felt a stab of pain in her heart. She knew that her father was feeling guilty as well because he muttered, “My poor boy. And not a single soul around to look after you?”

  She hung back, feeling ashamed about her last quarrel with Ricky. Lung San put his hand on Ricky’s brow, feeling for fever.

  Ricky opened his eyes groggily. “Shifu? Am I dreaming? Are you really here? I am sorry. I wanted to come to apologise, but I couldn’t.”