Billionaire Biker Boy

Chapter 41 - Little Chihuahua's Performance.

 

Seeing the petite man looking dejected, Ranee realised her words might have been too harsh and clarified: "I meant that if the thief had a weapon, you could've been hurt worse. I don't want you risking your life unnecessarily. You're so small. Just shouting for help would've been enough."

 

"Understood," the petite man replied obediently.

 

"Tomorrow's the company party. On Saturday, bring him to celebrate Christmas with us at home. I've got a reward to give to him," Vichai said to his son, then reached out to wrap an arm around his wife. "I’m heading home now. I want to play with the grandkids. As for the new company investment, I'm on board. And about Wichien, let's do as you said. There's no personal debt between him and me."

 

"Understood, Dad," Wonchana replied.

 

Once the elder couple left, walking hand in hand, the room's owner turned to comfort the petite man who still sat quietly.

 

"Nuu O, does it hurt a lot?"

 

"It didn't hurt earlier, but now it's starting to sting." Samut blinked rapidly before asking, "Why didn't you tell me that Uncle and Auntie were back in Thailand? I ended up embarrassing myself again."

 

"I didn't want you to feel stressed or pressured beforehand. I thought I'd tell you right before you met them. So it turned into a surprise instead," Wonchana replied with a smile.

 

The one who got surprised scrunched his nose and muttered softly, "But your mom is so strict." Wonchana laughed. "Just a little. Actually, my mom's pretty calm, not as strict as she seems... Oh, and one more thing, my mom doesn't really like being called "Khun Ying."

 

"Why not? It sounds respectful, doesn't it?"

 

"My mom's nickname is 'Ying,' and she's been a Khun Ying since birth-she's a Mom Rajawongse. Later, she was officially conferred the title of Khun Ying again. I think she doesn't like the term because she's not sure which meaning people are referring to when they call her that."

 

"Wow, that's actually really cool," Samut said, impressed.

 

"But don't worry. Just call her 'Auntie, Wonchana teased lightly before teasing him: "Soon enough, you might be calling her 'Mom.'"

On the afternoon of Friday, December 23rd, none of the employees at the Atcharangkul Building had the heart to work anymore. That evening, the company was hosting a New Year's party for all employees in the building at a nearby hotel.

 

As for the factories, each manager was given a budget to organise their own celebrations. Mid-level executives from each factory would attend on behalf of the Atcharangkul family.  The annual New Year's party was always held a week in advance to accommodate employees taking long holidays to visit their hometowns, ensuring everyone could participate.

 

When the workday ended, employees without cars rode the company vans, while those with cars drove together. The trio rode in Wanna's car, and naturally, Samut ended up as the passenger in Wonchana's car, as he was one of the last to leave the office.

 

For the Atcharangkul family, since Varatchaya and the Monet family were joining the event, Wonchana arranged for a company van to pick them up from home and meet directly at the hotel.

 

"So, O is the representative performing for the new employees, right?" Wonchana asked as they walked into the hotel together.

 

He'd seen the schedule, which stated that each company had to send a new employee representative to perform in a mascot costume. The best performance, as voted by the audience, would win three cash prizes and a special award from President Vichai. The winners would bring pride to their respective companies.

 

"That's right. No one else volunteered. Such cowards. Since I'm the youngest, they dumped it on me."

 

Samut scrunched his nose, holding up his phone as it vibrated with a message. Wonchana laughed and asked, "Can you tell me what costume you're wearing? What's your performance?"

 

"Nope, not telling. P'Win, don't cheat," Samut replied, still focused on typing his message. Suddenly, he turned to ask, “Win, which flight did you book?"

 

"Thai Airways, Wednesday, 6 PM," Wonchana answered. He'd already gotten permission from Cholate to take Samut back home to Hat Yai. After replying to his brother's message, the petite man put his phone away and turned to his companion with concern.

 

"Can I really take leave, P'Win?" Wonchana placed a comforting arm around his shoulder. "It's just one day. Don't worry. I've taken care of everything."

Reassured, Samut walked into the banquet hall with excitement. But as he was about to join the trio, Wonchana hooked his arm to lead him to the sole VIP table.

 

"You can catch up with your friends later. Vicky's been dying to meet you," Wonchana said.

 

Samut followed him to the Atcharangkul family's table, where he saw the president, his wife, and Varatchaya holding her nearly six-month-old daughter on her lap, sitting next to a Western man with striking features. Beside them were three-year-old twin boys, dressed identically, like mirror images. There were also two unfamiliar faces at the table.

 

Samut greeted all the elders respectfully, and introductions began. Varatchaya greeted Samut warmly, while her husband, Luca Monet, was impressed by Samut's fluent French. The petite man also got along well with the twins, surprising Vichai and Ranee. Their gazes toward him softened with newfound affection.

 

The two other adults, Ranee's younger sister and her husband, also seemed kind-hearted. Wonchana picked up Windy, who was laughing gleefully, and when the little girl looked at Samut, her tiny hands reached out for him. Her uncle made a gesture to hand her over, leaving Samut flustered.

 

"I've never held a baby before," Samut admitted.

 

Wonchana guided him patiently. "It's okay. I'm here. Windy's neck is strong now. Use your right arm to support her bottom and your left hand to cradle under her arms, like this."

 

When Windy was transferred to Samut’s arms, the little girl snuggled against his shoulder without fuss. Samut gently patted her back, instantly falling for the adorable baby.

 

"That's strange. Windy usually takes a while to warm up to strangers," Varatchaya remarked in surprise. Wonchana laughed and boasted, "Well, she's my niece. She knows how to charm the right people."

 

"Ugh, so annoying," his sister retorted, rolling her eyes. In the end, Samut stayed glued to the VIP table, drawing curious glances from other employees. Since the meal was a buffet, everyone could help themselves, but the VIP table had servers. Windy was eventually returned to her mother.

 

"Just relax and eat here, O. You can catch up with your friends later," Wonchana said when he noticed Samut hesitating to eat.

 

"It's not that. I have to go perform soon. I'll get bloated," Samut admitted, revealing part of his secret. Wonchana didn't press further but signalled the emcee to start the event. Jittree, the second secretary and impromptu emcee, stepped onto the elevated stage and greeted the audience.

 

"Good evening, everyone. I'm Jittree Assawaruangwong, secretary to Vice President Wonchana. Welcome to the Atcharangkul Group's year-end celebration tonight."

 

The secretary continued with the opening speech, outlining the schedule, including perfórmances and prize drawings.

 

"And now, I'd like to invite our vice president, Mr Wonchana Atcharangkul, for an opening speech."

 

The tall man, dressed impeccably in a dark grey suit, walked onto the stage and took the microphone. He began speaking with an easy demeanour.

 

"Good evening to all Atcharangkul Group employees. First, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your hard work and dedication. The company's growth today wouldn't be possible without all of you."

 

Samut watched Wonchana with utmost admiration. Once again, the thought that this man was too perfect for him surfaced. But then another feeling countered it.

 

..So what?

...What matters most is the way this man feels about me.

 

With that, the internal conflict in his heart settled. Just then, his phone vibrated. He glanced at the notification and turned to the eldest at the table.

 

"Uncle, may I excuse myself to prepare for the performance?"

 

With permission granted, Samut walked into a side room bustling with activity. Mascot costumes were hung and laid out in rows. Rujee, who was overseeing the new employee representatives, waved him over to get dressed. Since Samut didn't need makeup or hairstyling, he simply put on the costume, with Rujee helping zip him up. He was now ready to take the stage.

 

The eleven mascot costumes were all unique, featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Winnie the Pooh, Teddy Bear, Nemo, Rubber Duck, Puppy, Panda, Pikachu, and the adorably goofy brown dinosaur that had gone viral.

 

Once Wonchana finished his New Year's blessing and stepped off the stage, the eleven mascots began lining up beside it. Jittree took the microphone from her boss and continued the program.

 

"Alright, everyone! Up next, we'll have the special talent performances from the new employees of each company. I won't tell you which mascot represents which company. After all the performances, I'll ask everyone to vote for the one they think performed the best. Once the votes are in, our president will present a special award to the most impressive performance. As for the votes, the first-place winner will receive 8,000 baht, second place 5,000 baht, and third place 4,000 baht. And now, let's welcome our first performer, Minnie Mouse!"

 

The performances began, with each mascot taking turns showcasing their talents. Most acts involved singing and dancing, though there were a few stand-up comedy routines.

..Until it was Samut’s turn.

 

The petite man, dressed in a yellow mascot costume, confidently walked onto the stage. As soon as he sang the first line of 'Let It Go,' the entire banquet hall froze in stunned silence before bursting into laughter. Despite his excellent pronunciation, his attempt to mimic a Disney princess's voice was hilariously off-key. When he reached the chorus, Samut raised his hand to stop the music and, still in his exaggerated high- pitched voice, said, "Alright, alright, let's change the song."

 

He handed the microphone back to Jittree, and the prearranged music switched to a famous upbeat song by a popular traditional Thai singer. The TikTok king then unleashed a dance performance so energetic and over-the-top that it could only be described as a million-baht performance for a hundred-baht fee.

 

The crowd erupted in cheers and screams as the adorable Pikachu's cute appearance hilariously contrasted with the wild, chaotic dance moves. At the VIP table, a tall man raised a small camera to record the performance, smiling to himself. From the very first note, he'd known exactly who this Pikachu was. No matter how much Samut tried to disguise his voice, Wonchana could always recognise him.

...So damn cute.

 

When all eleven performances concluded, and the votes were cast, Jittree approached the VIP table and announced, "The votes are in! While the team tallies the results, I'd like to invite our president to select the performance he found most impressive."

 

She crouched slightly and handed the microphone to the president. "Win, you choose for me." The president passed the responsibility to his son.

Wonchana was momentarily taken aback. If he were honest, even if Pikachu's performance had been the worst, he would've chosen it out of sheer bias. But in reality, Samut had performed exceptionally well. Still, he knew that picking Pikachu might invite criticism. Then, he noticed the twins whispering to each other and had a brilliant idea. He asked Jittree for the microphone.

 

"Ahem. Many of you who are friends with me on Facebook might know that I've been pursuing a certain new employee. That person is one of the mascots here tonight. Honestly, I didn't know which costume they were wearing at first, but I had my suspicions after watching the performances. To avoid any accusations of favouritism, I'll let some special judges help me decide the winner."

 

Wonchana crouched beside the twins and spoke in English, "Louis, Liam, did you watch all the performances?"

 

He held the microphone close to the twins, and Louis, the braver of the two, answered, "Yes."

 

"Can you help Uncle Win choose the best performance?"

 

"Sure!"

 

"Who do you pick?"

 

"Pikachu," Louis declared.

 

The room erupted in cheers. Wonchana smiled and handed the microphone back to Jittree.

 

"Alright, we have our winner! Pikachu, please come up to receive your prize from the president!"

 

Music blared as Pikachu shyly made his way to the VIP table amid thunderous applause. Vichai reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a small red envelope, handing it to Samut, who accepted it with a respectful wai, using both hands.

 

Jittree playfully nudged Pikachu. "Open it! I want to see what's inside!"

 

Pikachu held out the envelope with both hands, explaining, "I can't open it. No fingers!"

 

"What? No fingers?" Jittee teased, cupping her ear dramatically to repeat the phrase for everyone to hear.

 

"Alright, let me help."

 

She opened the envelope and held up a shiny red card with golden accents, eliciting gasps of envy from the crowd. Jittree announced, "The special prize is a one-baht gold bar!"

 

She returned the envelope to Pikachu, who accepted it with both hands and then looked around before handing it to the tall man nearby.

 

"P'Win, please hold this for me," Samut said.

 

Wonchana took the red envelope and slipped it into his suit pocket. Though the exchange was silent, the scene drew squeals of delight from the audience.

 

"Well, well, I think we can guess which company Pikachu represents without them taking off the mascot head," Jittree quipped.

 

Samut raised his hands to cover his face in embarrassment. Just then, someone handed a piece of paper to Jittree, who announced, "The votes are in! I'd like to invite Vice President Wonchana to the stage to present the prizes to the top three winners."

 

As Wonchana walked onto the stage, Katewadee approached with three white envelopes containing the cash prizes. The emcee began announcing the results.

 

"In third place..."

Dramatic music played.

 

"Donald Duck, for their stand-up comedy performance!"

 

The tall duck waddled up to the stage with a cheeky swagger to accept their prize.

 

"In second place.. the dinosaur, for their dancing performance! Please come up to receive your 5,000 baht prize!"

 

The padded dinosaur sauntered up to the stage to claim its reward.

 

"And the first-place winner, with over fifty per cent of the votes."

 

The dramatic music swelled even longer.

 

"Pikachu, for their dancing performance! Congratulations!"

 

When Pikachu went up to receive the envelope from Wonchana, the tall man leaned down to whisper something in the mascot's ear. From the audience's perspective, it looked like he was kissing Pikachu's cheek, prompting another round of excited screams. Meanwhile, a man sitting at a table near the aisle clenched his fists and pursed his lips tightly.

 

...What a shame.

...That damn vice president got to him first.