00:30;

Xi Yuan glanced at his wristwatch, a bit exhausted, as he let out a deep breath. Getting rid of his blazer then, the man looked outside the car window as the driver took a left turn, into one of City A's relatively not-so-maintained neighborhoods.

"Why so tired?", Lu Wei questioned, his eyes glued to the architectural draft report upon his iPad screen.

"It's nothing.", the man smiled, shaking his head, "There was an error in the software sample we're supposed to introduce into the market next month. Just a lot of screentime."

"You know you can borrow Zhi Al, right?", the girl's brother chuckled, turning off the device in his hands. "I do.", Xi Yuan nodded. "Can I ask you something?", he said after a while.

"Sure."

"Umm... did you ever fear the possibility of failing your marriage?", the man asked, turning to face Lu Wei, his expression earnest, "Of letting down your wife?"

"Are you trying to tell me that you're having second thoughts about the wedding, young man?", the man raised his brows, muddled.

"Oh, no, no.", Xi Yuan replied, "It's not that. I love Xinghe. I would never do that to her, believe me. But I don't know, recently, these questions keep hitting me, and I..."

Lu Wei stared at the man quietly for some time before he decided to tend to his initial contemplations first, "Well, I fear letting down Tao even today."

"Really?", the man asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah.", Lu Wei shrugged, "I fear losing her, and disappointing her, to date. But fright isn't as negative an emotion as you might think. It helps us realize our limits in a relationship.

"Xinghe is one of the strongest women I've come across in my whole life. That girl doesn't bend her rules or compromise her principles for anyone. She knows when to voice her opinions, and she knows when to not. She is smart and stern. She won't make things easier for you, since she was born a troublemaker.

"But believe me when I say it, you're still lucky to have her. Women like Xinghe, Xiao, and the Six Tigresses; are destined to set examples for youngsters around the world. They're fated to challenge all those men out there who've ever believed for themselves to be better than the other half of the globe. They're Queens, Yuan. Women like them push us to be a better version of ourselves.

"She'll challenge you every day, and she might intimidate you too, every now and then. But she will never let you break. She will be there for you, through thick and thin. And I know it's terrifying; the very thought of losing someone like that.

"But as long as you trust her, and respect her, you guys will be fine. Eventually, years down the line, love fades. Passion fades. And all that matters then is the way you two treat each other. You'll be an excellent husband, Yuan. Don't worry."

"Thank you.", the man said, appreciatively.

"We're here, Sir.", the driver turned to look at Lu Wei then.

It was a dark locality with literally three flickering yellow streetlights as a medium for sight. "So this is where our second hacker is.", Xi Yuan clicked his tongue, "What was his name again?"

"Chan Hyun.", Lu Wei said, "Korean. Ready to torture the prey?"

"Always."

________________

00:45;

"I prefer Italian cuisine over Chinese.", Rong Xinghe rolled her eyes, picking up the fork next to her plate, "Pasta, preferably."

"I could arrange that.", Diablos smiled, snapping his fingers, "Nifhel, get us some traditional Vermicelli please."

"And some Sangria De Te, too.", the girl added, "My throat is all dried up by the dust here. Jesus! This place is hell."

"I am not her servant.", Nifhel clenched his fists, blinking at his boss indifferently. "Get the drink.", Diablos commanded, his voice cold. He had told them to clean up the mansion, hadn't he? Freaking idiots!

Rong Xinghe waited for the man to walk away from the room before she leaned back in her chair, tucking a loosely falling hair strand behind her right ear. City A was freezing tonight, strong breezes of wind surging through the place. Thankfully, she'd put on her darling's black hoodie earlier. It was warm, huge, and most importantly, reminded her of him.

"You are beautiful tonight, Xinghe.", the man said after a while, "Thank you for coming."

"I killed fifteen of your men.", the girl smirked, "So let's not start flirting so soon, mate."

"People die in my line of work, anyway. Besides, it was straight-up foolish of them to attempt kidnapping you.", Diablos laughed, "I just wanted to have a meal with you, is all."

"Just a meal? Oh, come on! We've spent a night together, haven't we?", Rong Xinghe said, an obvious hint of sarcasm in her voice, "Now, we owe it to sex, don't we? One hot steamy round of sexual intercourse."

As the man listened to the girl's words, he choked on the Wonton Soup he was supping. Although he had anticipated for that issue to pop up, never had he expected for her to be so upfront about it. Frankly, he'd never thought he would have this conversation with Rong Xinghe in the first place. "President Xi mentioned it, huh?", the man muttered awkwardly, wiping away the soup on his lips.

"Yes, he did.", the girl nodded, "And I love him for that. It was the right decision, confronting me. Though, I have one question for you. Where the hell did you photoshop these pictures? They all look so authentic!"

"They are authentic, Xinghe.", Diablos said, folding the napkin he'd been holding onto, "We did sleep together. But that was just it. We slept together. And those were some inexplicably soothing hours of my life. You just don't remember them."

"What do you mean?", the woman frowned, her gaze fixed at the man in front of her. He was handsome, she thought as she noticed him keenly now. His features smooth, his eyes almond brown, his lips, his hair wavy and dark. It was odd how someone as noteworthy as him was attracted to a world so messed up.

"You don't remember me. We met under horrifying circumstances. We always did.", the man smiled wryly, reaching for his soup spoon again, "But we met, Xinghe."