Earlston, Scotland, 11:00;

"Are you sure about this?", Xi Yuan glanced at the shut guest room doors, his tone uncertain.

"Yeah, Yuan.", Rong Xinghe nodded, "More so than anything else. Lieutenant Jang has expertise in this area. He'll pull the bullet out in no time. Don't worry. Moreover, she was shot in the left shoulder. I believe she'll survive."

"But--"

"This is a freezing town with minimal healthcare facilities, Yuan. Do you really think it's a better idea to browse for hospitals throughout Earlston right now?", the girl shook her head.

"Fine.", the man groaned, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly, "Just get rid of her once she wakes up, alright?"

"It depends on her health, Mr. Xi.", the girl sighed, helpless to the man's indifference.

At this time, one of the soldiers on duty during when the attack had happened marched in, greeting Rong Xinghe with a firm salute, "Long live Country X, Military Chief!"

"Long live Country X, Officer Hong.", the woman turned to him, her tone much distant now, "How did it happen?"

"The shot wasn't directed at Miss Huang, Boss.", the soldier in his mid-twenties explained, passing the tablet he was holding to the girl, "Look at this CCTV footage. Although we can't see the shooter's face here since he'd concealed it well with the mask, we can tell that this is the Thompson M1921 Submachine Gun, by just a peek at its handguard liner.

"And if we follow the direction to which it was aimed at the time it was shot, we'd know that this bullet was targetted at President Xi, to begin with."

"Okay.", Rong Xinghe said after a while, her eyes fixed to her darling, "Keep looking for more clues that could take us to the attacker. This is not enough. Dismissed."

"Understood, Military Chief.", the young man bowed down before he left the place to the couple.

"Xinghe...", Xi Yuan sensed the girl's silence, and calmly, made his way to her, pulling her in his comforting warm embrace, caressing her head tenderly.

"Th... That could've been y... you.", the girl fumbled for words as her trembling hand hugged him back, tightly, her tone filled with fear.

"We're okay, Love."

It took the girl roughly fifteen minutes to calm down still. To her, Huang Biu was an outsider. But him? He was her love. The person she couldn't imagine her life without. What would she have done if something was to happen to him, the thought alone terrified her, to her very core.

"We need to catch the perp. As soon as possible.", she mumbled, running her fingers through her freely falling hair. Xinguan was indulged in their conversation when the doors to the guest room opened and an elderly man in the Military uniform appeared in front of them.

"She is good to go.", he said to Rong Xinghe, his tone respectful, "The bullet didn't pierce in too deep."

"As expected of a Military doctor.", Rong Xinghe chuckled, "Thank you, Lieutenant Jang. I appreciate the help."

"Oh, no. Please don't embarrass me, Military Chief.", the man bowed down in an instant, "It's an honor to serve you. I shall take my leave now.

"I've already prescribed her a few medications. Please remind her to not lift up anything heavy for the next few days."

__________________

City A, Country X, 17:30;

"What is she even doing there!?", Huang Ling clenched his teeth, as he stared at his mother, enraged, "Of all the places, Scotland? Does she take me for a fool?!

"Thank God that the Military Chief and Officer Jang were there when she got shot. She could've died today, for God's sake, if it'd happened otherwise.

"And to what extent does her obsession for Xi Yuan go, really? Also, how could you both not tell me about her little escapade beforehand? Do you both seriously support this nuisance?!"

"Calm down, Ling.", Huang Ling's father, Huang Honghui said, loosening his tie, "She didn't know that President Xi would be there too. She wanted to go on a vacation. Couldn't it just be a coincidence?"

Huang Ling glared at his parents in a daze, unable to voice his thoughts to them. How would they even begin to understand the complicated world he was a part of? How could they possibly accept the double life he'd been leading all these years? Damn it! This was all so messed up.

"She is safe there though, right?", Huang Ling's mother, Gu Chenhua questioned her son anxiously, "Did you speak to Miss Rong?"

"She is, as of now.", the young man nodded, putting his parents' heart at ease, "The Military Chief called me about half an hour ago concerning the matter. There's a snowstorm approaching Earlston right now. So she has decided to let Biu stay in their home until it's safe enough.

"But for the love of the Almighty, teach your daughter to not bite the hand that fed her, will you? Tell her to keep a distance from President Xi."

With those words, Huang Ling turned around and left the family's old mansion, striding towards his car, infuriated. No one knew his sister better than him. With Huang Biu, there could never be coincidences. She was the type of person to plan every little detail of her life. How could this be a 'go with the flow' decision then? Sigh... couldn't she just forget him?! Did she have to make things so difficult for her own brother!?

__________________

Earlston, Scotland, 12:30

"Is Mr. Xi alright?", the woman lying in the bed asked, her voice barely audible.

"He is.", Rong Xinghe smiled, "Thank you."

"It was just instinct.", Huang Biu shrugged, implying to the girl that there was nothing in this world she wouldn't do for Xi Yuan. Rong Xinghe sensed that, of course. But she chose to ignore the arrogance at the moment, for intentionally or unintentionally, she had saved her Yuan's life.

"Do you know anyone in Earlston here?", she asked then, leaning back in the armchair.

"Yeah, a friend. She lives four blocks from here. I was on the way to her place but the passage went by this farmhouse.", Huang Biu stated, "I noticed a man holding onto this long gun while I was driving past the street in my rearview mirror. I then realized that it was pointed in Yuan's dire--"

"Yuan?", Rong Xinghe interrupted, a bone-chilling chuckle escaping her lips, "That's... intimate."

"Uh... my apologies, Miss Rong.", the woman whispered sincerely. But who was she trying to fool with that? The person in front of her had the ability to read humans like the books she read.

"Address him as Mr. Xi.", the girl stated, "It's not appropriate for President Huang's sister to trouble a committed man, don't you think? Moreover, Yuan doesn't allow just anyone to storm into his personal space. So know your limits while you are here, okay?"