4:15 a.m., Elite Multi-Speciality Hospital ;

"Alright, calm down now.", Xi Yuan took a deep breath and pulled away from the girl as he wiped her tears away, "Have faith in him, Love.", he smiled wryly, "He is a soldier, from within. He won't lose this battle."

"Why them?", the girl sobbed, "Why my brothers? Why do they have to always face the consequences of my decisions?! Why, Yuan?

"I am a horrible sister and this... this is all my fault. First, because of me, Bro Lu almost lost Little Alix, before she was even born. And now, Bro Mo-"

"Terrorism is not your fault, Xinghe.", Xi Yuan interrupted the girl, sternly, "And neither was loving someone wholeheartedly. How could you possibly blame yourself for such incidents?"

"Well... me being the Military Chief of this country brings all of you under my enemies' radar, anyway.", the girl sighed, "Knowingly or unknowingly, I am the reason... that he is lying in there, fighting for his life, Yuan. This is exactly why I turned you down the first time you confessed to me. I knew how unlucky I am, for those who dare to love me."

Xi Yuan looked at the girl, his heart aching for her, "And yet, to these Six men, you are their 'lady-luck', Xinghe."

The girl did not know what to say, so she just looked down at the floor, her hands still clutching onto the man's suit, "But..."

"I am not letting you push me away from yourself this time. I am not letting your demons, you past win. Not today.", the man replied resolutely, "Your brother is in there because he tried to protect his family. He protected someone who was trying to protect him. You would've done so too. Any of you eight siblings would've done that, for each other. Without a second thought, and without any regrets. That's the spirit of your family.

"This very unity is your family's legacy. It's your legacy. Honor it. People around you might get hurt because of what you do, but trust me when I say this, they won't be able to survive a day without you too. That's how important you are, to them, and to me. So never for a second will you blame yourself for any of this.

"The moment they watched you volunteer for the position of this nation's Military Chief, they knew there was a possibility of this happening someday. But they never objected, did they? Because for them, your happiness was worth all of it. How do you think they would feel if they were to see you like this now?"

"But I was supposed to protect them.", the girl closed her eyes, as the man placed a soft kiss against her forehead.

"And you did. I mean... you did act speedily the moment you realized what was about to happen. Your Bro Al is still fine, isn't he?"

As he received no reply from the girl, Xi Yuan looked at her worriedly, "Sometimes... things are not under our control. And that sucks. No one knows it better than me. When my Grandmother and Grandfather were shot right in front of my eyes, I witnessed their death like a coward. And till this date, those memories haunt me. I watched them die and did nothing, Xinghe. I hated that helpless version of myself.

"So I know exactly what you are feeling. But I didn't shoot them back then. And neither did you, today. You are allowed to feel pained, angered, even. But you won't distance yourself from your brothers or me, because of what happened today. That's our choice. Not yours. Do you understand?"

"Never say that again.", the girl looked straight into the man's eyes, upset.

"What?"

"That you were a coward. You were very brave then."

"Okay.", the man smiled, "I was brave." How the hell did he get so lucky so as to have met this woman? Even under such nerve-racking circumstances, she wouldn't let anyone talk ill of him. Not even himself. And still, she wondered why all her brothers loved her so much.

Such an angel...

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

6:30 a.m. ;

It'd been around four hours since the man was brought into surgery, and there was still no word from Su Rogguang. Xi Yuan had tried convincing the girl to get some rest, given how exhausting her entire day had been, but even the sound of whispers would wake her up with a jolt. To be truthful, even the man knew that she wouldn't be able to bat an eyelid until she would be completely assured that her Bro Mo was fine. It was just that she was so tired and worn out, his heart ached for her.

Moments later, Su Rogguang finally stepped out of the Operation Theater, Rong Xiao following behind him. The man pulled his mask down before he turned to look at Rong Xinghe, "Come here, Kid.", he said, his expression solemn.

As the man's voice resounded throughout the corridor, the four men circled around him quickly, worried. Rong Xinghe, approached her Bro Su too, nervous, as she clenched her fists, "How is he?"

Su Rogguang's serious expression didn't deter for a second, as he inhaled sharply. The man's reluctance to speak could only mean something worse. A possibility they didn't want to consider. Even so, they had to hear it from him, loud and clear.

"Xinghe...", the man cleared his throat, his expression still earnest, "I am going to be shameless here and ask you to add me up in this year's 'Country X's Ideal Medico Luminary' list.

"I deserve that damned award, provided how I just saved my 300th patient. You're welcome, by the way. Your Bro Mo is not dead. Yet."

"Wh--what?!", Rong Xinghe covered her wide open mouth, taken aback by the man's words. Lightly, she punched him, "Don't ever kid with me like that!"

"Sorry, sorry!", Su Rogguang burst out laughing, "But I must say, your Hybrids do know what they were doing. Wrapping that cotton stole around his torso was a smart move. Zixuan didn't lose too much blood. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had even made it till this hospital. That was quick thinking, Sister, sending Shawn Florence at the location. Good job.

"Although, Zixuan won't be able to work for the next few months. And he will require constant care. So I guess MZX needs a new leader for now. And our brother needs to move in with me since I am the only person well-aware of his state."

"I guess paying for your graduation and post-graduation wasn't a dead investment, after all, you two.", Zhi Xi laughed, as he smiled at the two Superfamily doctors, fist-bumping each other.

Su Rogguang & Rong Xiao: "...."