8:00 p.m., The Imperial Palace ;"What"s going on?", Huang Ling pinched the s.p.a.ce between his brows, "The electromagnetic bomb at the Stark Square today. Why does it look like it was some kind of a "teaser"?"
The three Hybrids were in the Palace backyard. Alone. While a lethal plan was being fabricated, miles away from their homeland, by some terrorist organization, none of them had the heart to enjoy a royal wedding dinner. Rong Xinghe had asked for some privacy. With Ashfakh Ali and Huang Ling. And of course, as the sister-doting devils, the six men could never turn down a single wish of hers.
"I agree.", Ashfakh Ali nodded, staring at the outline of the Stark building upon the iPad screen in his hands, "They knew we could handle that. It was more of a challenge. Trying to tell us how far their reach can be."
"What are you thinking, Xinghe?" Huang Ling looked at Rong Xinghe, concerned. The girl was awfully reticent ever since they"d met.
"I want you guys to investigate something.", the girl glanced at the two men, her expression solemn.
"What?", asked Ashfakh Ali.
"Two men. Diablos. And Rong Yufan.", Rong Xinghe said, "Former one is the leader of the "Werewolf Crew." The latter one is somehow connected to the "Bleeding Avenues." I have a feeling they are connected to it. At least, one of them."
"Of course, Baby. I will do it.", Ashfakh held onto the girl"s hand, blinking at her affectionately.
"Ugh! Could you stop doing that?!", the girl groaned, shrugging his hands off.
"Don"t mind him.", Huang Ling laughed, "We will take care of that. Do you need anything else?"
"Yeah. Keep your sister in check, Ling. I don"t want to hurt your family. Those five years mean something to me, you know."
"They mean a lot to me too, Xinghe. Consider it done."
_____________________
8:30 p.m.
As the two men left the premises, Rong Xinghe made her way into the wedding hall. The Wedding dinner was over and the guests were yet again, flooding the huge palace. Mo Zixuan and Cheng Tai"s wedding reception was more of a gathering for the socialite families. An opportunity to expand quality contacts and connections, for many.
Mo Zixuan and Cheng Tai were both Country X"s prominent reporters. They were literally the most feared yet respected in the field of journalism. Naturally, the guests ranged from bureaucrats to entertainment industry artists to business tyc.o.o.ns. Obviously, the Wedding reception was being broadcasted live, across the entire country, for the former Prime Minister and President were there too.
"May I have this dance, Xinghe?", as soon as the bride and groom stepped down the dance floor, Xi Yuan approached the girl from behind and lifted his hand up in the mid-air.
"Sure.", the girl agreed, giving him her hand, as he took her to the middle of the stage. "Wait. Why aren"t other couples here as well? Yuan, what"s going on?"
"They"ll join soon. ", the man smiled, "But for now..." The man placed the girl"s right hand onto his shoulder, as his left hand rested against the small of her back, "I have to tell you something."
"What-"
"I love you, Rong Xinghe.", the man interrupted, their bodies moving in the perfect sync, "More than I thought I could ever love. More than I thought I was capable of."
"I love you too, Honey.", the girl smiled nervously, feeling the hundreds of gazes fixed upon her. She didn"t know if it was the starry, soothing lighting above her or the way he was saying those words, but her heartbeat was racing. Rapidly. As if they were themselves, the bride and the groom. As if this dance belonged to them. Just the two of them. And that was scary, in a different way.
"Yuan, what are you doing exactly?", the girl concentrated on the man in front of him finally.
"Just listen to me. Okay? Forget about the guests. Or about your brothers, or your sisters-in-law. Just me.", the man smiled, pulling the girl even more closer. Rong Xinghe couldn"t decide what was more enchanting. The music, or his deep dark-grey eyes. But it didn"t matter. It was her Yuan, after all. She could feel the way she wanted, in front of him. There was nothing for her to be scared or worried about. He felt safe, to her. And to her, he felt warm. So in the end, she nodded at him, gently.
"When I first met you, at that party, it was like I was hypnotized. I couldn"t hear Wei, or Fang, or Ying. I could only listen to your laugh. Soft contented giggles. Of all those people, my eyes were glued to the girl in the red dress The girl who called me her "Bartender". At that time, I knew I had fallen for you.
"Next morning, like a crazy person, I had barged through the MCO doors. With an attempt to know you more, I proposed the idea of joining the Youth Team. I found a friend in you, then. A person, who understood me, as no one else did. Xinghe, I can"t tell you how scared I was when I confessed my feelings to you in New York, months later. Maybe because more than the fear of rejection, I was frightened at the very thought of losing a friend.
"And you did reject me. Not for yourself. But for me. You were scared of giving me false hopes. You were scared of breaking me apart. And that was so beautiful of you, Baby. It made me even stronger. I couldn"t let go of that special woman.
"You told me about Zhou Che. And about everything that the Rongs did to you. Gradually, I realized how strong you were. You"d fallen so hard, you were bruised so badly, the world gave up on hope for you. But you didn"t. You mustered up all the courage inside of you, you stood up, and you jumped back. You came out like a lioness, ready to protect her family, and her nation.
"I knew I could never be a knight in s.h.i.+ning armor for you. I knew my Queen would carry a sword of her own. That made me love you even more. You were never fond of my possessions, or my status, or even my looks. You were the only woman who loved the broken and shattered Xi Yuan. You saved a fifteen-year-old boy, who couldn"t have survived any longer. It was just not possible, to let go of the only person who made me feel alive, Xinghe.
"You, Ms. Rong, gave me a reason to breathe. You are the reason I smile. A year ago, I met you. And unknowingly, you changed my entire life. I found a home. In a person. In you. I can give up on anything if it means that you will stay by my side, till my last breath. I know it will be worth it.
"Military Chief Rong Xinghe...", the man then parted from the girl and sat down on his knees, clicking his fingers. Seconds pa.s.sed by and a waiter came up on the stage, a tray in his hands, "With you, I don"t want years. I want forever. I want eternity."