Calmly, Xi Yuan allowed the girl to melt into him, wrapping his arms around her protectively as if trying to shield her from something evil, something monstrous. Placing his chin over her head, closing his eyes, his shirt soaking in her tears, a wave of realization finally struck him. It was now that he'd realized that amid all his attempts of protecting her, he had forgotten just how important transparency was in this relationship.

Even though he knew that Rong Xinghe was hurting, the fact that she'd never hidden anything from him, whether it was about her Ripper incident, or the Andrea's proved how much she confided in him. He, on the other hand, was constantly keeping her out of the loop, not letting her into his predicaments. Talking about the whole human experimentation stuff, the hell she had once walked through, couldn't have been easy for her.

Even so, she went out of her way to open up to him. And no matter how much he lied to himself, that he didn't want her to feel obliged to help him through his problems, deep down, he knew she deserved to know his pain too. And yet, he was refraining from doing so. The only question that remained, in the end, was why. Why was he doing that to her, and most importantly, to himself?

"Yuan...", Rong Xinghe pulled the man's attention towards herself, "Are you okay?"

"Uh-huh.", the man nodded, focussing on the matter at hand, "So... do you want me to come to the hospital with you tomorrow? I would love to accompany you."

"It's okay.", the girl shook her head, standing up from the couch, wiping her tears away as she looked into the mirror behind the TV, "I can handle it.

"Let's talk about you. Have you had dinner? And how was your day?"

"It was just the usual.", the man smiled, walking towards the kitchen, the girl following behind him, "Other than coming up with a plan to let the Xi family absorb the news you bombarded upon them, nothing special. And about dinner, nah. I will cook something now."

"I am starving too.", Rong Xinghe said, stretching her neck tiredly, "Should I help?", she asked.

The next thing she knew, a pair of strong arms snaked around her waist, helping her sit over her usual spot, the kitchen counter, as the man smirked at her, "No. Just talk to me while work, okay?" Eliciting a blush and a smile from the woman, Xi Yuan captured her lips with his, unbuttoning her top two buttons, his fingers slowly making way to her bony yet tense shoulders, massaging them with just the right amount of strength, relief, and alleviation finally spreading through her body.

______________________

Mo Zixuan and Cheng Tai's Apartment, 23:30;

The five women sat on the huge apartment's pleasantly swathe balcony, talking and laughing, as the cold refreshing air hit their faces. Well, four, to be precise. Ruo Cy was dozing off like an infant on the swing about five meters away from the couches where the other ladies sat. Comfort, it was, actually. At least, the woman wasn't hell-bent on painting the living room's wall Baby Pink from Navy Blue anymore.

"No! They really did that?", Cheng Tai felt her stomach ache due to all the laughing.

"Yes.", Songyan nodded confidently, putting down the third empty ice-cream cup in her hand beneath the coffee table, "Both Rong Xiao, and Rong Xinghe dressed up as their male alias, Su Bo and Lu Xi, and showed up at our wedding. Flirting with women, getting crazy drunk, and all of that. I even vividly remember Xiao kissing a blonde woman at our reception dance."

"I never knew that this family was so crazy.", the woman sighed, "And nothing about these brothers and sisters is fake. I mean, with their sisters, Zixuan is just not the person the world has known him to be. He is so carefree, and so-"

"In the moment?", Ching Tong finished the woman's sentence, "I totally agree! Rogguang is this medical luminary, most respectful neurosurgeon across the globe. But you should see him planning pranks with Xiao someday. I mean, it's insane!"

"Same here.", Ningtao added, "There was this time when Xinghe climbed up Lu Mansion's roof via the fire escape, and like spiderman, hanging upside down, pleaded Wei to join her to view a 'Pink Moon eclipse'. And guess what? The mighty CEO of Lu Corporations didn't even reason with her. He got up there with a bucket of popcorn and coke instead."

"Oh Gosh! That's unbelievable.", Cheng Tai covered her wide open mouth, "But adorable too."

"Yeah.", Songyan smiled, "It's not like the men are at fault. They both are special. And the siblings have been together since their childhoods practically. Each one has a special bond with the two of them."

"I was so foolish to listen to that He Chen back then.", Cheng Tai looked down at her cup of ice-cream, "I should've had trusted Zixuan more."

After a few seconds of silence, Ningtao spoke up, "Xinghe allowed you into Superfamily because you belong here, Tai. Always remember that. Xinghe is just as much her brothers' protector as they are of her. She was the reason Zixuan divorced He Chen, and she was the reason he married you. And that goes for each one of us, honestly.

"Your relationship, your love, your efforts, are barely the factors that brought you two together. But sensing what's better for her brothers, that's what she does. She doesn't force her decisions on her family. But she never stops protecting them too.

"So if you are married to Zixuan, it could only mean that you have her blessings. Hence, don't feel guilty for whatever happened in the past.

"This is Xinghe's way of forgiveness. Us. Sitting together. In this apartment. You are family now, Tai. You are her Sister-in-law and Media Magnet Mo Zixuan's rightful wife.

"And what comes with being in this family is tons of loads of battles. Silent ones, and the diplomatic ones too. At all times, you have to stay prepared for mind games and ill-intended provocations. We're already immune to it, me, Songyan, Tong, and Cy. You'll just need some time. Don't worry though. You've got your sisters backing you up here.

"Tell me now. How do you want to strangle that bi*ch, He Chen?"