"I love you.", he whispered, as he kissed her neck, her ears, her collarbone, her lips. It was as if every inch and every curve of her body belonged to him. As he nibbed onto her right earlobe and the mole behind it, a moan escaped her mouth, making him stop instantly. He pulled away from her and stared right into her eyes, the devil inside him overpowering him, gradually yet intensely. He knew that he didn't want to stop. His heart was yearning for more. More of her. More of his Xinghe. But... this wasn't what she needed tonight.

"What happened?", the girl furrowed her brows, as she cupped his handsome face in her cold thin palms, "What is it?"

"I can't.", he shook his head thrice, as he stood up. It wasn't that he didn't want this. In fact, he wanted this more than anything.

It was just that he felt guilty. She was already in so much pain. Her brother had just walked out of a perilous surgery, and she'd cried all night. How could he take advantage of his Xinghe when she was so emotionally vulnerable? She deserved better than that.

"You okay?", the girl asked, worried.

"Yeah. I... am.", Xi Yuan smiled, "Can we just cuddle tonight?"

"Huh?", the girl's eyes widened. She wasn't expecting the man to control himself all of a sudden. She knew him. Better than anyone. He would never resist her unless... "Are you blaming yourself, Bub?", she questioned, pulling him back to her, "Yuan... I am okay. Besides, I want this to happen. Really."

Letting out a sigh, the man shrugged, "Still... I just want to watch you sleep tonight. Relaxed. Carefree. Comfortable. You've got an entire battlefield waiting for you tomorrow. Tonight, just sleep. This can wait for another time."

"How could I be so lucky?", the girl kissed the man's hands, as a lump formed in her throat, "I met you, of all the jerks in this world. You! The bestest best man."

"I am the best jerk in the world, yes!", the man added earnestly, eliciting a hearty laugh from the girl.

_____________________

4:00 a.m., Military Chief Mansion ;

Lu Wei and Zhi Xi tiptoed quietly into the hall only to realize that they didn't need to. No one, literally no one, in the family was asleep. Lu Alix and Zhi Taio, the two kids were playing with each other. The Six ladies were having some serious conference of their own. And the remaining four men were chugging down their beer bottles. Even Mo Zixuan! What the hell was wrong with their family?!

"Are you guys serious?!", Zhi Xi tucked both his hands into his pockets and squinted his eyes at the crowd, "At least, show some mercy on Zixuan. The man was shot. That too, with a bullet, not a needle!"

"What is going on here?", Lu Wei directed his question towards his wife as he closed in on her and snatched her glass of wine from her hands, "Why are you and Alix not asleep yet?", he raised his brows as he downed the drink tiredly.

"Only your young coder-brother, Zhi Al, and your daughter is to be blamed for that.", Ningtao answered, crossing her arms, "She proposed to him. He said yes. They even had a modest humble wedding ceremony, where she dressed herself up in her white gown. The white cushion cover was her veil, by the way. She even forced Al to change into a tux.

"Now a ceremony as holy and grand as this needed guests, didn't it? So here we are! Guests. And you, the bride's father, are right on time of the reception. You were greatly missed, I must tell you."

After a long pause, only one word, laced with disbelief, escaped the man's mouth, "What?"

As the family broke out into laughter, Little baby Alix ran towards her father and pulled his suit as she looked at him expectantly. The man crouched down and smiled at the girl, "Yes?", he asked as she hugged him, like her favorite teddy bear.

"Daddy, I want a divorce.", the girl mumbled.

"But you just got married.", Lu Wei chuckled.

"Yeah... but he refused to give me his water bottle.", the little girl complained as she pointed towards Zhi Al, "He does not share."

"That's alcohol!", the young man rubbed his forehead, frustrated.

"I...", Lu Wei was officially at a loss of words. This was probably the most ridiculous yet critical issue he'd faced in his entire life. "Okay. I will call lawyer uncle tomorrow first thing in the morning.", he finally managed to promise his princess in the end.

"I love you, Daddy.", the girl giggled, resting her head against her father's shoulder.

"I love you too, Hun.", the man replied back, his tone affectionate.

The family could only awe at such an adorable turn of events. Lu Alix was the lifeline of the Superfamily. She was the first in their next generation. So naturally, she was the most precious and the littlest tiger of this huge family of theirs.

____________________

Elite Saphire Penthouse, 5:00 a.m. ;

Xi Yuan woke up with a jolt as a pair of cold hands clung onto his arm tightly. He turned his head to look at the woman beside him. She was frightened. Her brows furrowed, lips pressed, body trembling. Over and over again, she was shaking her head vigorously.

"No... no... no!"

"Brother, please... don't leave my hand."

"I don't want... to die!"

"I will never sing... again."

The same nightmare again. No matter how strong she pretended to be, she was still fighting. Everyday. Every night. And her demons were still winning, her fears still powerful than one could ever imagine.

"Hey, hey, hey.", the man sat up and enveloped the girl in his embrace. Gently kissing her forehead, and her eyes, he covered her with his blanket next, "I am here. It's okay. It's okay. You're safe."

It took Rong Xinghe about fifteen minutes to sleep back again, but as the man looked at the girl in his arms, his heart ached for her. Maybe strength was subjective. And maybe, there was no word in the entire English dictionary that could completely describe a person. The woman in his arms was the smartest, sweetest, strongest, and the most beautiful person he'd ever known. And yet, here she was, struggling to forget her past, and earn back her self-confidence. The self-confidence that'd once pushed her to walk over one of the most competitive reality show stages with the biggest of smiles across her lips, and sing her heart out. Now, even the thought of holding onto a mic scared her.

Every morning, she reminded herself that her past could not bring her down, and even so, she feared the thought of holding onto her 'once-favorite' navy-blue guitar. That night had destroyed her. It'd destroyed the best singer this world could get. And Xi Yuan knew this. Hadn't he seen her look at other singers' concerts in a daze? Hadn't he seen her cry silently, in her music roon, as she held onto her violin? He had. And he had hated that.

But unfortunately, this was a battle only she could fight. He... well, he could just do what he did best. He could stand by her side. In sickness, and in health, as she's said.