Country X, City A, 00:15;

"I heard Mr. Xi and that girl, are both in Scotland at the moment.", Rong Yufan said, swirling the drink in his glass, "All by themselves.

"You should pay them a visit, don't you think?"

"I should?", Huang Biu raised her brows, her tone suspicious, "Why would President Rong want his own sister to suffer, I doubt."

"Sister?", the man glared at the woman in front of him, sudden darkness in his voice, a tension in his muscles, "Do you even realize who you're talking to, Miss Biu?"

"I--", the woman fumbled for words, as she broke out into a cold sweat. She could feel a shiver run down her spine, her heartbeat racing furiously. So it was true! The infamous train incident. He really was the one behind it.

Huang Biu hailed from a family of high repute. Naturally, she'd never come across such dangerous people before. Even though her elder brother was one of the ten Hybrids, the Huangs had never known about it. According to them, their son had simply undergone some regular Military training and returned home to take on his responsibilities. The Hybrids weren't allowed to reveal their identities to their dear ones. Neither family nor friends. And provided the kind of enemies each one of them had, it was only rational to keep the people they cared for, out of the immediate dangers.

Nevertheless, tonight, this piece of information would've been much more advantageous to Huang Biu, had she known it beforehand. She wouldn't have, even in her wildest dreams, made such an unwise and vacuous choice then.

"Let's destroy Rong Xinghe together.", she decided after some consideration.

"Cheers.", Rong Yufan chuckled, raising his glass up in the mid-air. One more puppet to play with, he told himself internally. Another person to take the bullets for him. That was the worth of Huang Biu to him, in the end.

____________________

Edinburgh, Scotland, 19:30;

Xi Yuan brought the girl to one of the most prominent pubs in the city; The Waverley Pub. He knew she was already full, and that she would appreciate a round of traditional storytelling after the day she had. Thankfully, Scotland was a country of tremendously intriguing tales. There was, literally no end to them on this land. That, and the opportunity to enjoy Scottish Whiskey Tasting.

This particular tour uncovered the secrets of Scotch Whiskey-making along with the enlivening experience of authentic storytellers. He couldn't think of any other way to close the day, for the woman he was in love with, loved to listen to spiels and recitals. And he was right to think so. The girl did enjoy every second of that evening.

"Many of Scotland's literary legends were influenced by the taste of whisky. Robert Burns penned entire poems in the drink's honor, in fact.", the raconteur said, delighted, "The drink in your hand right now is Glengoyne 10 Highland whiskey. With 40% alcohol content, this drink is heathery and relatively delicate to the other ones you've tasted so far. In this one, we can find plenty of ginger, cut apple, and a lot of vanilla. Moving on, we..."

"I love it!", the girl whispered into her darling's ears, "Let's take one bottle home. Please?"

"As you wish.", the man smiled.

"Why don't you drink?", the girl questioned, passing the man her glass.

"I have to drive, Baby.", Xi Yuan replied helplessly, placing the crystalware upon the table beside him, "I'll definitely accompany you when we get home safely, okay?"

"Okay.", Rong Xinghe nodded, her lips curling up in an appreciative smile.

About an hour later, the tour finally came to an end. Xi Yuan walked out of the pub with bottles of every variety in both his hands, hoping to find the girl in the passenger seat of the car. She was drunk. Too drunk. Despite his attempts to stop her, she'd downed about six shots of the Scotch Whiskey tonight. Although he'd already called Su Rogguang at her third shot and had confirmed that she'd be fine under eight to ten of them, he had concerns other than her health as well. Rong Xinghe was one troublesome drinker. He still remembered the last time she'd gotten high and beaten up a group of drug dealers to death, almost. How he wished to find her asleep in the car now...

But, of course, she wasn't there. Damn it!

The man's gaze traveled from place to place until it finally halted at a litter of puppies not too far from the Chiron. There she was. On the ground, playing with them. Letting out a sigh of relief, the man strode towards her and stretched his hand in her direction, "Come on. Let's go.", he said then.

"No!", Rong Xinghe shook her head, hugging a white-furred puppy tightly. Xi Yuan had seen the rejection coming, obviously. How could it be so easy?

Massaging his forehead, the man turned around and shoved the bag of whiskey bottles inside the car's trunk, and came back with his DSLR. Calmly then, he sat down upon the ground beside her, picking one of the other whelps up and placing it on his lap.

As she looked at him with the little ones, a gentle smile soon appeared across her mouths. Every once in a while, he would click their pictures, or tickle them, or caress their necks and backs. The girl looked up and took in the sight of the empty road. What would people think if they were to figure out the identity of this man, she wondered. The Business King sitting on the unclean ground of Scotland, playing with a bunch of young dogs. It would be one hell of a treat to the black cameras, for sure.

But she didn't care. He deserved to have off-days too. From the pressures of avoiding media, and acting all high and mighty. He needed this. These simpler times, in order to maintain his sanity. This wasn't just her vacation, after all. It was his too.

"You'll be an amazing father.", the girl let go of the pup in her hands and turned to plant a quick peck against her darling's right cheek.

"What?", the man laughed, "Dogs and human infants aren't the same, Xinghe."

"What do you know?", Rong Xinghe scoffed, resting her head against the man's shoulder next. Staring into the distance then, she asked him, "How many kids do you want?"

"One.", Xi Yuan answered after some time, "Through a surrogate mother."

"Why?", the girl furrowed her brows, puzzled.

"Because I won't be able to see you go through the pain of childbirth.", he said, releasing the puppy he'd been holding for a while. The next she knew, he leaned back a little, holding her in his arms tenderly, "I can't bear to put you through all of that."

The girl burst out laughing, her fingers reaching behind his ear, "You are so cute."

"What about you?", the man rolled his eyes.

"Two, I guess.", Rong Xinghe answered, "A mini-me, and a little you. Sisters-in-law tend to like that idea too, you know."

"I know.", Xi Yuan nodded painfully. How could he not know, after the kind of absurd conversation he'd had with the ladies last time in the hospital?