The next morning, the girl woke up to the smell of pancakes and coffee, a carefree smile making way to her lips. "Not the kind of hangover breakfast others have, but I am still going to need that aspirin."

"I know.", Lu Wei smiled, handing over her a glass of water as she sat up on the bed, "So... Rong Quiang, huh?"

"Yeah.", the girl pressed her lips, massaging her forehead.

"What happened, Kid? Why did he show up all of a sudden?", the man asked as he looked at the girl swallowing down the tablet.

"I don't know. Something about Mom and Dad's death. He said he would open the gates to the Rong family for me and Xiao, if we wanted.", Rong Xinghe shrugged, "It was mostly 'I pity you orphans' kind of conversation. But it still messed up with my head."

"And you got yourself drunk.", Lu Wei laughed, picking up his cup of coffee.

"Yeah. I got drunk. Sorry about that."

"It's alright, Xinghe. We get it. You are allowed to blow off some steam, every once in a while.", the man shook his head in denial, "Do you want us to deal with the Rongs though?"

"Nah. They aren't worthy of five seconds of your time, Bro Lu.", the girl turned down the suggestion instantly, "It's funny, you know. They have the guts to come looking for me. Feakin' monsters. Rong Xinghe would never turn around and walk back into her past. She isn't an idiot."

"Wait. Um... Would it be too weird if I strangle someone close to Yuan's family to death?"

"You mean, Huang Biu.", Lu Wei chuckled, "I was kinda hoping you wouldn't remember the last night."

"I wasn't that drunk. So do I get to kill her?"

"No. You don't."

"Hey. I know she was the one who planned what happened, alright?"

"Well. You could say that Zhi Xi dealt with her personally last night, in is own way. That and your boyfriend knows about it."

"What?! No. Yuan will-"

"Get all worked up? Yeah, we figured that seconds after we told him. So pick up your phone and call him, have breakfast and come down later. I will tell the other five about Rong Quiang by then. They've been worried about you too."

"Alright."

_________________

11:00 a.m.

"I will take care of the Huang family myself. Don't even try to stop me, Xinghe. Trying to humiliate you when you were at your weakest. That's disgusting and low, even for her.", Xi Yuan countered as the girl tried to pacify him.

"Alright. But just remember that I was fine in the end. Try to be lenient. Okay?", the girl sighed, giving up. There was no point arguing with him or the six men about her enemies. They would end up doing whatever they had in their minds eventually.

"Yeah. By the way, you are okay, right?", the man asked nervously.

The girl looked down at the ground and thought about something silently. About last night. And those men. And about them approaching her, malintent lurking in their eyes. "Actually, no. I am not okay, Yuan. I am missing you. Badly. Every single time those men touched me, I couldn't help but think about you. About how those hands weren't yours. And about how I wanted them to be yours.

"So no. I am not okay. I know I signed up for this. But I just can't, anymore. This sucks and I miss you. I really do.", the girl started sobbing, her every tear ripping apart his heart like an arrow.

"Hey. Stop crying, Xinghe.", the man requested, his tone mellow and soft, "I will get my jet ready right away. Okay? I will be there by your side in hours. But please. Just don't cry. You know I can't see you like this."

"And I am not even a good girlfriend now.", the girl clutched onto her blanket, "Unsupportive of my boyfriend's profession. Could I be any more demanding?"

"That's my choice, Xinghe.", the man sighed, "I am missing you just as much. Or maybe, even more than you. You know what? Screw this! I am coming back to you right away."

"Yuan, what are you--"

"No. Xinghe, I am coming back to Country X. I was going to return by the end of this month anyway. But nope. I am done waiting and restraining myself. It turns out I can't stay away from you for even a week, let alone a month or a year. Long-distances aren't really my thing. I am impatient. And insecure. And jealous. And crazily addicted to you.

"So whether you want it or not, your boyfriend is going to come back to you.", the man declared and smiled wryly at his computer screen before he pulled out his phone, texting the 'changes-in-plan' to Xi Fang.

Rong Xinghe was so shocked that her mind went completely blank. Just because she cried in front of him for few minutes, he was going to return back? What alternate universe was she in?! That was technically the shortest long-distance relationship ever. One weak?!

"Do you have any idea how I felt when your brothers told me about what happened last night?!", the man gazed earnestly at the girl after he was done messaging Xi Fang, "I was scared. And I was infuriated. But above all, over this distance separating us, I was powerless. I couldn't save you. Xinghe, I wasn't there beside you.

"And that sucked the most. I want to be there for you, okay? I can't just sit by idly while bad things happen to you over there. That's not me. That's not us."

"Yuan, your work...", the girl finally found some words to mumble.

"I will handle it from Country X. It might take more time than usual, but Xi Corporations will be fine and firm pretty soon. Don't worry."

"Are you sure about this? You are acting on impulse, you know? That's not you."

"Do you miss me?", the man asked, his tone calm and composed.

"You have no idea."

"Then I am sure. I can't look at you crying through the screen, not being able to wipe those tears away. I want to be there and hug you tightly, instead. So you better wait for me at the Airport.", the man announced his final decision.

"Send me your flight details then.", the girl laughed, "And I will be sending you a shopping list. Xiao and my Sisters-in-law are in love with some of those Mexican accessories and chocolates."

"Deep down, this was all a strategy to get the chocolates, wasn't it?", the man laughed.

"You caught me, Sherlock Holmes?!", Rong Xinghe lifted her hands up in surrender.