City A, Country X, 07:15;

Huang Biu tiptoed into the Huang Family Mansion, certain that her family was asleep. It was not until her brother's voice resounded from her behind did she stop dead in her tracks, a chill crawling down her spine.

"Where the hell were you all night?!", Huang Ling questioned her, his voice stern. The woman turned around to face the man, who'd been leaning against the study room's door frame for who knows how long.

He still had the clothes from the last night on. The Navy Blue three-piece suit, its top two buttons undone. He mustn't have slept last night, she thought.

But that wasn't unusual. Not at all. Provided, the kind of life Huang Ling lead. Managing an entire business empire was no joke. What more, he'd been involved with the political aspect of the country as well recently. Why, though, she'd never understood. All she was aware of was that her brother was well-associated with the Prime Minister and the President of the nation. She'd never asked him, honestly. As long as Huangs stood mightily upon the competitive grounds, she didn't care much about anything else.

"With a friend.", the woman looked down at her feet, a pinch of guilt in her tone.

Huang Ling squinted his gaze at the woman, positive that she'd just lied. But he chose to let go of it. He'd already been treating her with quite the austere for the past few months. He didn't have the choice, though. Huang Biu was family, but Rong Xinghe was so much more. He couldn't allow his sister to get in conflict with someone like Rong Xinghe. Not after what they'd been through in those five years of Military Chief training.

Hence, letting out a sigh, the man approached his sister, "Biu... Just don't do anything reckless. Okay?"

Listening to the man's concern-filled words, the woman lifted her head up, looking at him, stunned. He seemed tired. As if he'd lived a hundred years, and had walked through a million storms. But today, after weeks of giving her a cold shoulder, and freezing her rights in the Huang empire, when he talked to her so gently, she felt an indescribable amount of pain surge through her heart. At the moment, all she wanted to do was turn around and call off the agreement she had come to with Rong Yufan the night before. The love and concern in Huang Ling's eyes were urging her to do so, truth be told.

"I... Can I ask you something, brother?", the woman asked.

"Hmm.", the man nodded, a smile plastered across his lips.

"What is the relationship between you and Rong Xinghe?"

"She's my inspiration.", Huang Ling answered after thinking for a while, "I was in the Military when she'd been declared the 'Trial Case' for the position of Military Chief. I saw her begin from the scratch and I watched her ace everything she did by the end of it all. Xinghe is unique, Biu. She is one special lady."

"And are you in love with her?", the girl questioned then, taken aback by the man's words. Never had her brother ever praised someone like that before. None that she knew of, at least.

"No.", the man shook his head, laughing out, "I simply admire her. As far as love is concerned, I am not worthy enough to even imagine that.

"But Xi Yuan is. That man is possibly the only person, in this entire world, who deserves to stand by her side, I believe.

"I know you've always liked him, Biu. But there are plenty of other men too, you know. You are smart, and proud, and elegant. I promise I'll help you pursue anyone you like. Anyone but him."

And in that very second, Huang Biu's guilt vanished in the thin air. She did not want a 'Second Best'. Not when she'd always dreamed to get the Alpha. She was not going to settle for anyone less. She was Huang Biu, damn it! She was the Queen who deserved to accompany that King, and not Rong Xinghe.

_________________

Earlston, Scotland, 08:00;

"God! It's so cold in here.", Rong Xinghe climbed down the wooden staircase, rubbing her hands. Xi Yuan had placed a glass of water alongside a tablet of aspirin upon her side-table, for he knew she'd wake up with a headache this morning. Such a sweetheart!

It was the month of January, hauling Scotland to its 'real' wintery self. The temperature, here in Earlston, had dropped down to 9°C by now. And as scary as it sounded, it could go down to 4°C this year, with a possibility of high snowfall. Rong Xinghe had never been fond of winters. She could handle it, obviously. But she didn't prefer to. She loved the rains. Springs too. But not the frosty weather.

To her relief, when she reached the living room, she found her darling indulged in lighting up the firewood in the hearth of the farmhouse. From the corner of her eyes, she could see the water in the kettle boiling across the same room. He had his laptop placed on the table in front of the TV. Work, of course.

Xi Yuan was just done adjusting fire when he turned to the sounds of furniture screeching against the cold floor. "What the...", he stared at the girl, puzzled. What was she even doing? In a matter of seconds, she'd shoved away, literally, both the couch and the table from the center of the room, leaving nothing but the huge carpet in there.

The girl giggled at the man's expression and returned with about three to four books in her hands. As a kid, then, she sat down on the ground, patting the empty spot beside her, winking at him.

Xi Yuan was at a loss of words with the girl by this time. She was hopelessly dramatic at times, he pondered. But he enjoyed that about her, for he was hopelessly in love too, wasn't he? Without bantering with her any further, the man also left the room and came back with huge pillows and a blanket, passing them to the woman one by one.

"I'll get two cups of Hot Chocolate.", he offered then, "And some snacks?"

"Did I, at all, mention that I love you, today?", Rong Xinghe blinked at the man dreamily.

"I love you too.", Xi Yuan smiled down at the girl, "Now, pull up the blanket, Love. And get comfortable beneath the warmth of it. I don't want you to catch a cold, okay?"