"So you guys were testing me? Ensuring if I am worth being with your Alpha or not, huh?", the man exacted his next question.

"We are Xinghe's second family. We are her pack. It's not just the Superfamily's consent that matters, when it comes to her, President Xi.", Elijah cocked his head to one side, curiously.

"Understandable.", Xi Yuan nodded his head, "So did I pass?"

"Physically? Yes. Definitely.", Jackson crossed his arms approvingly, "It's impossible to combat the Military Hybrids. And yet, you were able to do it with immense ease.

"It confirms that in dangerous situations, you won't be Xinghe liability, or burden. You will be her asset, her backup. She wouldn't have to worry about a man who is capable of protecting himself."

"Then what else is left, gentlemen?", Xi Yuan turned around, heading towards his own Penthouse, leaving the main gate open, so that the two men could follow behind.

"Let's play a game of 20 Questions Mr. Xi, shall we?!", Elijah suggested.

_________________

10:30 p.m., Elite Saphire Penthouse ;

The three men were talking over drinks when the doorbell to the house rang. Xi Yuan stood up from his stool and strode towards the main door.

"You're home early.", the man's lips curled upwards as the girl jumped into his arms. He could sense her breathing in, what she called, his 'unique' scent. Poor girl. 'She must be tired.', he thought.

"I hate paperwork! So fucking tiring.", Rong Xinghe complained, tossing her revolver towards Jackson lazily. The man unloaded the bullets, out-of-habit, and passed it to the man beside him. Elijah, obviously, knew what he was supposed to do. Rong Xinghe waited for the men to disappear from her line of sight before she pulled away from the man, cupping his face affectionately. "God! I missed you."

"Where did they go?", Xi Yuan looked at the empty living room, muddled.

"They will be busy torturing Lucas tonight, taking their turns.", Rong Xinghe waved her hands dismissively, "Don't worry about them.

"Just tell me what did they do to you. Knowing Jack and Elijah, they must've tormented you with hell lot of questions."

Xi Yuan simply kissed the back of the girl's hand and looked into her eyes, "They did. But nothing offensive. You don't have to hold grudges against them."

"Really?"

"Really.", the man laughed, "Come with me now. You must be starving. What do you want to eat?"

"Noodles."

"Something healthy, Xinghe.", Xi Yuan rejected the girl's wish, right away.

"Please?", the girl pressed both her palms against each other tightly, as she blinked at the man like a four-year-old.

"Okay.", Xi Yuan threw his hands in the air, resigning to the woman's tricks, "But finish a bowl of oats while I cook them for you. Okay?"

"I hate you."

"I love you too, Bub."

__________________

11:30 p.m., Elite Saphire Penthouse ;

Xi Yuan selected a plain white T-shirt and a Black pajama from his cupboard for the girl and placed them over the changing room table before he stepped out and closed the door shut. The man then grabbed a seat for himself on a black-leather armchair nearby, as he scrolled through his emails, waiting for the girl to come out.

Rong Xinghe changed into her darling's clothes before she slipped out of the room, water dripping down her back from her wet hair. Xi Yuan, looked up at the woman, struggling to wrap them all with her thick towel. So clumsy, he sighed. And so hopelessly alluring!

His T-shirt was clinging onto her bare soft skin, her cheeks and ears flushing red due to the steam. Xi Yuan stood up and snatched the towel away from the girl's hands, "Stand straight." Obediently, Rong Xinghe looked down at the floor, as the man massaged her head with the towel, gently. Xi Yuan then pointed his chin towards the bed, gesturing her to sit down, before he walked into the changing room and returned back with a hair-dryer.

"I am sorry, Yuan.", Rong Xinghe whispered after some time, "I should've been more involved."

Xi Yuan's fingers were dancing through the girl's hair when they came to an abrupt halt. The man looked down at the girl's teary eyes and regretful expression, and switched off the hair-dryer, taking both her cold hands into his warm ones. "Involved?", he asked.

"With the engagement arrangements. Yuan, you shouldn't always be so selfless, you know? You have every right to complain, and yell, and blame me. This is our wedding, damn it! And yet, you are the only one running around.

"I just hate myself for this. You know you should reconsider marrying me! I am literally the worst fiancee any man could ever get. I am a bitch!", the girl stood up, closing in onto the man.

Before she could say anything anymore, his hands were on her waist, their lips inches apart as he pulled her against him. Gently, he bent down, his lips against her cheek, brushing it lightly—and still, that light touch sent shivers through her nerves, shivers that made her whole body tremble with ecstasy. A feeling she thought she would never feel, especially in the middle of self-criticism and self-introspection.

"Hush.", he said as he planted yet another kiss just below her ear, for he knew that was a sensitive spot. "Will you?"

"Yuan... I-"

He silenced her again. Not with a mere 'hush' this time, though. With a kiss. A deep, sensual, passionate kiss. He was like a chapter she had memorized. A drug she was addicted to. Their tongues met for the briefest of moments before he pulled away, again.

"You do not get to look this tempting and adorable at the same time, Rong Xinghe, do you understand me?", he mumbled heavily.

The girl couldn't help but let out a giggle. For the past few days, she had been noticing these changes in him. Even the slightest of her actions, the smallest of her smiles, could push him to the edge. He was finding it harder and harder to control himself around her. How cute!

"You are my woman. Never will you ever prioritize such petty things! Weddings and gowns and bouquets can be taken care of, by any crazy clown, for God's sake, Xinghe.

"But as the Princess to the Superfamily, and the Queen to the Xi family, you were destined to be pampered and cared for, all your life. So hold your head high and protect your country, while I and your brothers protect you. OK?"