I stood up and followed him out of the room. He led me to a pair of golden doors at the end of the room. He took out a card and scanned it at the side and the golden doors push themselves inwards magically. I looked inside. Everything was dark except for a single spot lighting raining down the center. In the middle of the room I could see Mr. Acott, instantly recognizable. He waved me forward and I heard the doors shut behind me with a quiet click.

"Sit please." His voice was mature but young. I didn't need to be told twice as I sat down obediently. I avoided his eyes, but through the reflection of the silver table I could them, still stormy grey.

"Before I ask you my first official question what do you think you have to take, to join the competition?"

First step of confronting people, look friendly.

"Fate probably." I smiled at my phony answer.

"Very interesting, now proceeding to the next question. Have you ever fallen in love before?"

That one took me completely by surprise. I had seen on the previous videos that the old man seemed to ask whatever questions he liked without a script. I knew I couldn't lie to such a question so I replied simply, "Not even once." Too add to the effect I blushed slightly. That seemed to be of great interest to the crowd and I could almost hear them muttering to each other.

"Well you are certainly an innocent guy. You are surely and talented young gentleman, so I must ask again, what do you think is needed in a relationship?"

I almost cut him off answering the question. "Love. Marriage without love is like iron chains, unattached all of them scattered around. When hardship and adversity come the chains won't be able to hold."

"Good answer, may I ask you about your family background?"

For a moment I just stared at him unable to speak. Memories started to flow, and became overwhelming. From the chaos of my mind, I heard a click of a button then Mr. Acott's voice: "I have stopped the recording, from the audience they will see it as technical difficulties."

"Thank you." I said as the overwhelming feelings inside me.

"But I still need you to tell me about your family background, or do you choose not to speak of it?" he raised an eyebrow. The best lie was to include part of the truth so that what I did.

"Both my parents are Chinese, but before I could walk my father died. By the time I could finally understand words my mother told me things about father. The more she talked about it the more she grew more depressed. It went on every day until she eventually just stopped talking about him. From her anxiety disorder she developed autism. She is now currently in a mental hospital and the last time I saw her was a year ago."

Mr. Acott studied me with his stormy eyes like he wanted me caught up in it. Not only had I held my ground but I also gave him a glimpse of what I truly was. I started right back at him, into the eye of the storm, and I showed him rage buried deep, sharpened by the injustice of the world. I swear he almost tumbled off his chair and would have if he hadn't held onto the table. He repositioned himself and gave me a new look of gratitude, with a slightest hint of fear. He clicked the button under the table again with his left hand and straightened himself again.

"So tell me how old are you?"

"18." I said, there was no lying about that.

"So, and which university have you decided to attend?"

"I am already in my final year in Cambridge University."

"You sure skipped a lot of grades. Then what will you study as your profession?"

"Postdoctoral degree in philosophy, phycology, mechanic engineering."

"Well we have an overachiever right here? So what is going to be your job?"

"Lawyer, mental therapist, designer. Any of those three would work." Though I wished for much cooler jobs, but it seems the world is narrow minded.

"What a successful young man. Are you ready for my last question?"

"You should be ready for my answer."

"I like that answer. By that wasn't what I was going to say. My actual question is what would you sacrifice for my daughter?"

I knew this question was coming and I was long prepared for it.

"My love, so I may never love again." I said. The perfect lie

Mr. Acott was as silent as a mute with his expression unreadable. I remained silent too, but a few moments later or after what seemed like forever he burst out laughing.

"Excellent answer young man! That's undoubtedly the best answer I've heard my entire life!" In the room's magical silence he started clapping. No doubt the people in the other room had as well. He pressed the button under the table, then looked at me and straightened himself.

"That was really something. You may go now." He winked at me. The doors behind me made a tiny click sound and began opening slowly. I got up and walked out of the room slowly. Unsurprisingly Tinker was waiting outside for me.

"Follow me." He said as he started to walk away. He was fast for an old man, so my normal stride barely caught up with the pace. I followed, but still kept a wary eye on him and the surroundings. He lead me down the corridor into a room where the rest of the competitors where. This time however, most of the competitors cast me a cold glances and some just turned away with a sneer. I understood that; they used to think of me as some common trash and now I was something they didn't want to tangle with. Everyone turned their eyes away from me eventually, but Vixus turned away last. This time Tinker stayed with us in the room and closed the only door behind us.

"First of all, everyone one of you would need to wear this," he said. As one of the lads set down a huge metal brief case on the table. Tinker walked forward and opened it and all of us peered at the contents inside.

"This is latest product of Skydorm Enterprise. It is what is known as the "comfort ring". If the lady has any discomfort, the ring will start once. 3 strikes and you're turn is finished. The time limit is 10 minutes and that's it. Afterwards, we will have lads to escort you out and I warn you those aren't lads who serve your drinks. Even though whatever happens in the room is not for public eyes, it can still be seen by Mr. Acott. If anything goes wrong we will be there with Godspeed. The first person will go 10 minutes later and I wish you all good luck." As soon as he left I felt like I was trapped in a cage filled with beasts. One bad move the entire place would become a bloodbath. Judging from the looks they were giving me they were deciding how to murder me quietly.

"Ruscan, do you prefer me to speak English or French?" Vixus asked speaking to the Canadian competitor. His body and face were a mismatch. His body was built like one of those dudes who can rip their by simply flexing their torso muscle. Yet his head was tiny with a mop of brown hair and starry blue eyes that I never seen such innocence being shown. Poor guy, his face was red already; and every other competitor looked uneasy too. Except for Vixus who seem to rather enjoy the tension, applied more pressure to it.

"English is fine." Ruscan replied.

"As men, I can understand your nervousness."

Ruscan just nodded.

"I don't need the rings beep to tell me you are nervous, since the evidence is all over your face already! Or really do you have impure motives?"

"Impure! No never no even once in my life! Well unless you count the time when I gave my valentine's chocolate to two girls, both whom I liked equally. But that was back in elementary and I swear I would never do such things again!" everyone in the room laughed. Even I kind of felt sorry. Embarrassed, Ruscan clenched his fists, which could easily crush a man's skull.

"Give him a break," I said.

"Well, well. If it isn't boring Kinlin."

"Says the imaginary dragon." The room was quiet once again. All of a sudden Vixus snapped back.

"With your looks and talent, I'd say you must be a lady's man?"

"Says the one who's pilled by ladies." I replied.

"Whoa! Such language. But I am still clean I see."

"Clean as a manslut."

"Tsk, tsk. Hostility like yours won't get you far in the game."

"That wasn't hostility that was the truth."

"What makes you say so?"

I looked more closely at his face, and noticed a faint red mark on his check, and there was the smell of different perfume on his left hand.

"You might want to completely get rid of the red lip gloss on your left check. And you might want to wash your left hand, God I don't even want to know where you have been touching."

His face grew red, and it was quite fun watching him bite down the anger. Ruscan was the first one to laugh and everyone else quickly joined in. Vixus, struck out in all directions like a viper, but it seemed that he wasn't able to bite anything. Sudden Tinker appeared through the door and called: "Vixus Anglican Dolusz Dormintz!"

He left the room, casting me one more hateful look, basically saying "this isn't over until I kill you."

A moment later, Ruscan turned to face me.

"Thanks back there."

"Don't thank me. We are still enemies." I smiled.

He smiled back.