The man glared at the group of people in front of him before he took a deep breath and replied to them ,"I can't propose to her just yet because I want her to live a normal relationship. Although I am in love with her for one year now , we have started dating recently. I am more than sure that Xinghe will be the woman I would marry , no matter what it takes. But that doesn't mean I will rush her into that. I want her to know me well before she makes a decision for herself.

"She has had a very rough childhood. She has faced the cruelest forms of life , at a very young age. According to me , it is important for Xinghe to let loose now. She needs something refreshing and relaxing. Tying her into a relationship , where she might feel suffocated later , is not what I want. So I will propose her only when she will fall for me the same way I have fallen for her. Am I making myself clear ?"

The Xi trio and Rong Xiao looked at each other with blank expressions , before their lips curled up into surprised smiles subconsciously.

"As usual... no one can think about sister-in-law's happiness like you do. I just don't know what to say anymore.", Xi Fang said.

"Don't think too much about my and Xinghe's marriage. Prepare for your own wedding first. I have already had a word with Jiang Yue's dad today. You both are going to get hooked one month down the line. Ok ?", the man said as he rubbed his brother's head.

The young man looked at his brother with a shocked expression as he found it difficult to form words ,"Bro... you really..."

Xi Yuan simply smiled at the man before he walked into his bedroom to change clothes for his date. The world was soon to witness one of Xi family's weddings. A grand wedding.

____________________________

1:00 a.m. , Live Buzz Bar :

After enjoying dinner with each other , Xinguan decided to have some drinks together , hence walking into a local bar. As the man brought the girl a glass of whiskey , the girl simply looked at the dancing crowd in a daze.

"By the way , what were William , Xiao and... people were discussing with you today ?", the girl asked the man as she held onto her glass.

Xi Yuan raised his brows ever so slightly at the girl ,"How do you know they were there ?"

"Well... I could clearly listen to William's foot tapping , Xiao's giggle and few other murmurs , while we were talking.", the girl shrugged nonchalantly.

"Nothing much. They wanted to plan a party or something... I guess.", the man answered.

"How come they never get tired of PARTIES ?!", the girl sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically.

---

"Umm... I have something important to tell you , sweetheart.", Xi Yuan said after sometime.

"Oh..", Rong Xinghe mumbled sleepily. She was already six glasses down , so she had no strength to even stand properly. The girl simply sat down on the man's lap and started running her hands through his hair playfully ,"What do you want to say ?"

The man looked at the woman's genuine smile for few seconds silently. He didn't knew how to break the news to her. Moreover , he didn't had the heart to hurt her like that.

The man took a deep breath before he looked straight into the girl's eyes ,"Xinghe , what do you think about long distance relationships ?"

"Huh ? Long distance...", the girl chuckled ,"Are you planning to leave me , Mr. Xi ? Again ? You had left me for four months already when you were in coma. How can you..."

"Xinghe..."

"Nope !", the girl broke down , suddenly , as she buried her face into the man's chest ,"No long distance. I won't be able to live without you. Please don't do this to me."

As the warm tear drops soaked his shirt , Xi Yuan felt as if his heart was being brutally wrenched from his body. Even the idea of staying away from him was so frightening for her... How could he continue speaking of that topic to her after that ?

"Okay okay. I am not going anywhere. I am not leaving you. Just stop crying. I am sorry I brought this up.", the man tried his best to console the girl.

The girl stayed silent for sometime before she faced the man and looked into his eyes ,"I miss my Mom and Dad , Yuan. I don't remember them. But they left me. I was just..."

"You were just scared that I might leave you , like how they did.", the man completed the girl's sentence ,"Did something happen today , sweetheart ?"

The girl nodded her head with a wry smile across her lips ,"One of my military subordinates became father today. He brought his newborn daughter to the base , to get her my blessings. He looked so... happy and cheerful. When I saw him like that , I couldn't help but think of how my parents must've felt when I and Xiao were born. I know that the family I have is the most amazing one in the entire world. But I never even saw them , Yuan. I..."

"Hush.", the man silenced the girl by placing his index finger over her lips ,"They must be missing you too , Xinghe. And it is completely normal for you to think of them. Come here."

The man then pulled the girl into his warm embrace , waiting for her to doze off , so that he could carry her home.

Out of all the sufferings she had gone through , her parents' absence was the most painful mystery. And unfortuantely , he couldn't do anything to help her out. After all , they had been missing for the past 21 years. No one knew anything about them. Not even the Rong family. He just hoped that the girl could meet them soon. Because... some people were just irreplaceable.

Only if the man knew that the person who knew about the girl's parents , was the same who had attacked him not too long ago. That the person he hated the most and the person who was obsessed with his Xinghe , was the only one he could rely upon , to get to the girl's mother and father.