11:30 p.m., Elite Diamond Penthouse ;The Xi trio left the girl"s place to their brother and sister-in-law shortly after they were done with dinner. They knew how crucial every second was for them. They knew that Rong Xinghe wouldn"t be able to accompany their brother for the next few days. Months, even.
So the least they could do was leave them alone. They, more than anyone, deserved some peace before they put on the armor for the battle, which was, soon to come.
"Are you sure you want to kill him? Rong Yufan, I mean.", Xi yuan sighed, soaking the plates into the sink water, "What if he harms you the way he did to Mr. Yang? What if he hypnotizes you?"
"He won"t.", the girl poured two gla.s.ses of wine as she sat upon the kitchen counter, her legs crossed at the ankles, "Believe me. I know exactly how to deal with him."
"Xinghe... Just come back to me alive. Alright?", the man looked at the girl worriedly, pus.h.i.+ng her hair strands behind her ears, "I am not ready to lose you yet."
"I promise I will get out of this in one piece.", the girl smiled a.s.suringly, "Of all the people in this world, I will not be killed by Rong Yufan. I was born to be his destruction, Yuan, not his prey. I am going to grant him a death even death would be fearful of. You have my word."
"I couldn"t care any less about a psychopathic sociopathic serial killer.", the man switched on the dishwasher and washed his hands. Erasing the distance separating him and his girl, the man closed in onto her the next second, their lips hardly apart, "Now, shall we discuss the important matters, Wifey?"
"Not there yet, Mr. Xi.", the girl laughed, planting a soft kiss against the man"s cheek, "Do not "wifey" me so soon."
"We are halfway there, aren"t we?", the man raised his brows, looking at his engagement ring, "Fiancee?"
"You"re hopeless, you know?!", the girl smacked the man playfully, heat rising up her cheeks.
"I am "your" hopeless now, Love. Show some respect and responsibility towards your husband-to-be."
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3:00 a.m., Bulgaria ;
"Drink, drink more, Brother!", Zheng Gen, one of the Hybrids, ordered yet another gla.s.s of whiskey, as he sat inside one of those dimly-lit bars, "Come on! Your stamina can handle at least three bottles, can"t it, Azhar Mia?"
"It can. Of course, it can!", the chubby man in his early forties guffawed insolently, "Hey, get me two more gla.s.ses.", he ordered a waiting staff.
"That"s the spirit!", Zheng Gen grinned encouragingly, "One for me too, Sir!"
"For someone hailing from Middle Asia, your Hindi is pretty fluent, ain"t it?", the man patted Zheng Gen"s back with his clammy hands lightly.
"I lived in Delhi, the capital of India, for more than ten years, what can I say?", Zheng Gen shrugged, "You learn a thing or two from South Asia, after spending that much time there. But business. They are the best targets! How do you think I own such ridiculously expensive suits, huh?!"
"Point. Good point!", Azhar nodded his head like a rattle drum, "I should"ve started business too, y"know? Like an idiot, I licked boots of that Aftaab for years. As his a.s.sistant, I stood by his side, always.
"But he kicked me out, like some useless duckling. And you know why? Just because I asked him a question! He kicked me out, for a question. f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d."
"Woah! Aftaab? You mean, Aftaab Ali?!", Zheng Gen pretended to be thrilled and shocked at the same time, as if he couldn"t believe the man"s words, "You were his a.s.sistant, Brother? He is a big name in the International Stock Markets right now! That"s amazing."
"What"s amazing about it!?", Azhar gritted his teeth, staring at the man beside him with contempt, "He ruined my life!"
"Why? What did you ask him?", Zhen Gen asked, putting on the perfect act of a "lost lamb".
"Come closer!", the man whispered, leaning forward, whilst still sticking to the barstool, his expression was earnest. Zheng Gen, of course, knew that he was getting to the main part of their conversation. Naturally, he leaned forward too. "What is it?"
"There was a man. Aftaab Ali was his confidant. In fact, he was the only person closest to Aftaab, that I didn"t know. He was special.", the man revealed, "Whenever he called Aftaab, I would be dismissed. I"d never seen Aftaab being this secretive about anyone."
"Uh-huh. What was the name of this "special" man?", Zheng Gen was intrigued.
"If anyone asks you, we never met.", Azhar warned, "They will kill me. That man is way too dangerous."
Zheng Gen smiled confidently, "Brother, I would rather die before letting anyone touch even so much of a hair on your head. Don"t you trust me?"
"Of course I do, Brother.", Azhar nodded, "Who else would"ve aided my family financially, if not for you, when I was jobless, huh? We are brothers."
"Who was he?", Zheng Gen smiled modestly.
"Ahmed Ali Fadhil. Yes! That was his name."
"Oh.", Zheng Gen reacted as he had never heard the name before, "And where might he be?"
"His life is an absolute mystery. Why would they entrust me with something like that?"
"No. I mean, Aftaab Ali. Where is he?", Zheng Gen corrected the man, "You see? I want to invest in the Stock Market next."
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3:30 a.m., Elite Diamond Penthouse ;
"Please, Xinghe. No more movies.", Xi Yuan protested sleepily, burying his head into the girl"s neck, "I can"t."
"You didn"t even see it!", the girl rolled her eyes, "Those are no movie ethics, President Xi. Actors work so hard for the sake of entertaining us. They do not deserve an audience like you!"
"You"re so cruel.", Xi Yuan purred, clearly tired. For some unknown reason, Rong Xinghe couldn"t help but feel guilty about it. How could she disregard how busy he"d been all day long? "Alright.", she sighed, picking up the remote, she switched off the TV, "Let"s get you to the bed. Come on."
At this time, the girl"s phone rang up and Zhen Gen"s number popped up on the screen. Running her right hand through her darling"s hair, the girl connected the Bluetooth piece to her ear. "Good job, Gen. Inform Jackson and Abram to fabricate a web for Aftaab. He is our only lead right now.
"You and Huang Ling, on the other hand, book a flight to Dubai first thing in the morning tomorrow. Stay undercover for the time being."
The girl then disconnected the call and looked down at Xi Yuan, who had clearly fallen asleep, his head in her lap. Involuntarily, a smile crept across her lips, as he held onto her hand slowly and placed it over his chest, exactly above his heart. Gently, the girl kissed him, his calm closed eyes first, his sharp long nose next, and in the end, his perfectly carved lips.
Yet once more, she confessed to him, "I love you so, so much, Yuan. Thank you for being here."