2:00 p.m.

Elite Multi-Speciality Hospital, VIP Ward 1325 ;

Outside the comparatively warmer hospital ward, Xi Yuan stared at the cup of coffee in his hands silently, Xi Fang standing beside him as he briefed him about how Xi Corporations had tackled the media, all the while after Ningtao and Songyan had confronted the Black sea of cameras and an official statement had been released by Dr. Su Rogguang. In short, the Xi empire's PR team had been up all night after the Superfamily was done with their formalities.

"Did anyone dare to defame Xinghe?", the man questioned, his tone cold.

"There were a lot of them, Brother.", Xi Fang sighed, "It was as if they wanted to pin it all on Sister-in-law. They even went so far as to add that a person incapable of protecting her own family shouldn't be allowed to regulate and lead the Armed Forces of the country.

"I don't understand. Just a few days ago, these same journalists were licking her boots. And now, they are trying to shred her into pieces. Two-faced bastards! They had the nerves to question her capabilities and loyalty to Country X.

"I had to use your identity to defend her from those psychos, in the end. She is the to-be-Queen to the Xi Corporations, after all. But there's nothing to worry about anymore, brother."

"Hmm.", Xi Yuan hummed, his eyes turning a few shades darker, "Blacklist them. All of them.", he commanded nonchalantly, as he dumped the paper cup in his hand into the trash bin beside him, sending a chill down Xi Fang's spine.

"Brother... that would end their career in Journalism. Wouldn't that be too harsh?", he asked cautiously, "Nevertheless, Sister-in-law's reputation is still intact. Why go through all that trouble then?"

"The accusations they made are the exact ones she has been fearing all her life, Fang.", Xi Yuan answered, his tone soft, "That she is an affliction, a curse, to her loved ones. That she doesn't deserve a family, or love, or warmth, even."

"But she is wrong, brother.", Xi Fang frowned, "She's the best thing that's happened to us, to you. Personally, I feel like she was the daughter the Xi family never had. She completes you, brother. Why would she think like that?"

"Maybe because that was imprinted into her mind ever since she was a child. By the Rong family.", the man shook his head with a sigh, "She once told me how they used to harass her. Physically, psychologically, mentally. She was always a prisoner there, Fang. And such memories are etched forever. They can't just vanish. They break you, and they make you.

"Xinghe's smiles, her laughs, and her sweetness, are her brothers' presents. But her darkness, her rage, and her grief is the result of the brutality she faced as a child. The same darkness, which makes her the Alpha to those ten Hybrids. The same rage, that makes her more powerful than most of the living souls in this world. The same grief, that makes her doubt, and question herself.

"And I am not going to let a bunch of good-for-nothing Journalists trigger that part of her. I am not going to let her, even for a second, believe that she doesn't deserve her brothers, or me, or her friends. Because after everything she has been through, she deserves the whole damn world."

"Understood, brother.", Xi Fang smiled. So it wasn't just a display of the mightiest Business Corporations' strength, but also a national display of love, he thought to himself. So cruel!

At this time, Ningtao appeared in front of the two men, passing them two spicy sizzling subs, "Eat up, boys.", she grinned, "The Superfam, has yet again, pranced out of another tornado!"

"It has, indeed.", Xi Fang smiled.

"Where is Xinghe?", the woman asked, as she looked at the third sub in her hand.

"Well, she has finally fallen asleep. By her Bro Mo's side.", Xi Yuan replied as he pointed his thumb towards Mo Zixuan private ward, "She wanted to sit by his side till he woke up. But eventually, she fell asleep. So I stepped out for a while."

"Poor girl.", Ningtao smiled softly, "You do realize that you are a lucky man, right, Yuan?"

"I remind that to myself every day, Sister-in-law.", the man agreed.

"Better.", the woman nodded at the man vaguely, "By the way, I was looking at how you two clicked earlier. I mean, not even her brothers knew how to talk to her at that time... but you did. That was dreamily emotional! You both are perfect together, you know."

"Thank you, Ma'am.", Xi Yuan laughed heartily, "It was just that-"

"Have you two done it?", the woman smiled cheekily, interrupting the man, directly heading towards juicy gossip, "Sex?"

"..."

:::::::::::::::::::

Meanwhile, inside the plain blue-color-walled hospital room, Mo Zixuan opened his eyes slowly. Unwillingly. Never in his life had he thought that even blinking could be this tiring, not to mention the gut-wrenching pain that shot up through his torso across his entire body, followed by even the slightest of the movements. A blinding whiteness exploded in his head next, making him feel even dizzier.

The pain was so much, that at one point, he stopped feeling it. His whole body entered a state of numbness. However, minutes later, it was back, more intense now than ever. His heart was beating rapidly, and he felt as if his body was burning. Every part of it, inside out. Maybe it was the drugs, or maybe the bullets, or the surgery. But in that utter silence, everything hurt like hell. Maybe he really was in a world far beyond, he reasoned with himself.

He cringed, and groaned, for a while before he placed his right hand over the bandage wrapped around where his wounds were. But it was when he tried to move his other hand did he realize that it had been held onto firmly. Muddled, the man peered down, only to find his Lady-luck sleeping soundly, her hand wrapped around his. And at that very moment, the reality struck him. He was alive. He had survived that horrendous night, after all.

"Brother...", the girl mumbled in her sleep, putting the man's train of thoughts to halt, "Sleep... Hate youmm..."

Decoding the girl's almost inaudible complaints, the man could only let out a helpless laugh. "I love you too, Kid.", he whispered, his tone affectionate, "Sorry that I scared you. Won't happen again.", he promised guiltily.