Master Cheung occupied his red leather chair beside a crackling fireplace, his hands folded, and his aged face marked with scars. Blind in one eye, with the other not faring much better, he exuded an air of authority and experience. Gao returned to the estate, entering the sitting room with an exclamation, "Grandpa! Hope you didn't miss me too much?" The double doors closed behind him.

"Peng, let's go while he's busy with Gao!" Lien urged in a hushed whisper. Tiptoeing down the stairs, Lien and Peng reluctantly made their way toward the front door. The pair exited, with Lien settling into the backseat and Peng taking the driver's seat, heading to the private airstrip. "Little Lien, you sure this is such a good idea?" Peng questioned, sounding like he was having second thoughts. "Stop calling me that. I'm making big moves now. Besides, my grandfather will be proud when I return," Lien retorted, suppressing his anticipation for the visit to Moscow.

The black SUV turned down the private road leading to the airstrip, where a jet was already loaded with staff and preparing for takeoff. The vehicle barely came to a stop when Lien opened the door, putting on sunglasses as flight attendants and the captain bowed their heads. He ascended the steps and took his seat. Peng, after turning off the vehicle, stepped out, lighting a cigarette and puffing it as he climbed the stairs. "Keep the plane ready in case we need to leave," Peng requested of the captain, who nodded in agreement. "Of course, sir. I'll keep in touch," she assured him, stepping aside to allow Peng access to the stairs.

However, Lien glared at Peng entering with a cigarette in his mouth. "Why do you taunt me? Give me a smoke," Lien scoffed, impatiently tapping his leg while seated. "No, they're no good for you. And your butler isn't here to go against my wishes," Peng replied, proud of himself for holding a small victory. "Aren't you supposed to be working for me? Not banning me from smoking?" Lien retorted, as the airplane's rumbling signaled their departure. Lien grabbed a champagne bottle from the ice-filled container, complaining about Peng's restrictions.

"Yes, and I'm supposed to protect you from bodily harm. Cigarettes are bad for you, especially how much you smoke them. One day, it'll catch up to you, and you'll lose that pretty face and smile," Peng warned, tilting his head. Lien threatened in return, "Keep it up, and I'll cause you bodily harm," before busying himself with reading the champagne label. "Do you want me to open it for you?" Peng offered, noticing Lien gazing at the bottle. Lien dismissed the idea, claiming, "No, you'll take it away and tell me it's bad for me. Champagne isn't even good, just glorified beer."

As the captain turned on the comm, Lien listened attentively, ignoring Peng's muttering. "Young Master Lien, we will be landing in Moscow in a few hours," the captain announced. Lien stood up, crossed his arms, and declared, "I'm gonna take a nap, Peng. Wake me when we get there." He headed to the back cabin, finding a bedroom with a functional bathroom. Lien locked the door, took a shower, and followed his extensive grooming routine, spending hours perfecting his appearance. He started with dousing his bare skin with a lavender body oil that was imported from Greece. He loved the way it made his skin have this sheen and glow about it. When he finished that he moved onto his hair, opening a white container and scooping the product out.

He began humming to himself while curling his black hair between his fingers to give his hair texture and volume. When he finished, he put aquaphor on his lips and smacked them together, giving himself a wink. "You like that, Vitya?" He whispered to his reflection in the mirror, running his hands across his collarbones and turning around to look at himself from behind. "Does this turn you on? What if I called you my God?" Lien was making himself fantasize about the meeting soon to come and every passing moment was tantalizing. Giving himself a quick encouraging wink in the bathroom, he left as the steam from his hot shower bellowed out into the bedroom. He wasted no time to get dressed, spray himself with a dash of floral cologne.

Draped in white silk shorts and a loosely buttoned matching shirt, Lien adorned himself with necklaces. Naturally, he checked himself out multiple times in the mirror to make sure he looked better than good. As the plane rumbled again, he stumbled and lost his footing, realizing they were landing soon. "Perfect timing. I can't wait to be off this plane," he mumbled, heading back to the main cabin. Peng, catching a glimpse of Lien, was surprised by his shiny skin and attention to detail in his appearance. "Why are you dressed like you're going on a date? And what's that smell?" Peng questioned, visibly distressed. "Gucci. Oh, won't you stop being such a buzzkill. It's not like I'm going to whore myself out," Lien retorted, unimpressed by Peng's overprotective stance, which seemed more like that of a controlling boyfriend than a bodyguard. "Or maybe I will, not like you can stop me from doing what I want. What do they say when you visit a different country? Fill all your appetites and live like your in paradise." Lien had a sing-song voice, trying to agitate his bodyguard more and more. It was both amusing and helped time go by faster when he messed with Peng.

Suddenly, Peng grabbed Lien's wrist, expressing deep concern and a touch of jealous rage. "You're going to get yourself in trouble. This isn't Beijing," he warned with a grave expression. Lien, taken aback, ripped his arm away as the plane landed, and the door opened. The stairs were wheeled to the plane's exit. "Look, Peng, I can take care of myself. You'll be with me the whole time anyway. I just want him to like what he sees is all," Lien sweet-talked, playing on Peng's protective instincts. "You don't have to worry. Vitya is all bark and no bite. But you, you're strong," He continued smooth talking up the other. Thankfully, Peng reluctantly agreed, and they descended the stairs into the waiting vehicle.

In the backseat of the car sent by the Bratva, Peng reached over, grazing his hand over Lien's knee and holding onto it. "You know I'll always protect you, right?" he said. Lien, annoyed, pulled out his phone, sending texts to Gao that remained unanswered. "Does Gao not have a working phone anymore? He was texting me so much a few days ago, and now it's all silence like he's mad at me. Also, it's not like Gao to be like this. I do the ignoring, not him," Lien remarked, shifting the conversation away from Peng's touch. "Well, the Triad has had to be extra cautious. He's probably trashed his old phone; you should trash yours too after this meeting," Peng suggested, attributing the silence to protocol as the car entered a secure location with completely blacked-out windows.

Peng, uncomfortable with the secrecy, adjusted his seatbelt. "Aren't you going to be late?" he huffed, checking his watch. Lien dismissed the concern, confident that Vitya wouldn't cancel the meeting over being a few minutes late. "You can't trust these Russians. Don't trust him at all," Peng insisted. As the car stopped, Lien's door was opened, and he stepped out, stretching. Peng moved to open his door but found it was locked as a man brought Lien away. "Just the Cheung kid, you stay here," the man ordered Peng, who began to panic. "Fuck. FUCK! Fuck," Peng muttered, gripping his head and pounding the leather wall. The tinted window rolled down, revealing a pair of dark eyes in the rearview mirror. From what Peng could see, the figure at the front had long blond hair and was wearing a nice rabbit fur coat. "I suggest you calm down, dog," the voice advised. "You expect me to calm down? Who're you anyone to tell me to calm down, driver?" Peng was getting anxious and kept trying to open the door.

All the thoughts swirling through his mind were all centered on Lien. "God he's going to be so mad if something happens. It'll be all my fault- fuck!" Peng continued to go into a panic and the person in the drivers seat rolled his eyes. "Ay! Leave it, fool." The driver turned over to look behind himself. It was Sasha who was getting very irritated. "Look Chinese dog. keep yourself there. My boss doesn't trust you, so it's only that brat." Sasha sucked his teeth and uncomfortably looked back forward and reached into the glove departments. "Tell your fucking boss this wasn't apart of the plan before I climb up there and-" Peng threatened while he looked up and immediately shut up.

Sasha had grabbed a silver gun, cocked it, and was aiming it at Peng. "Forget about it, now be a good boy!"