The 3 B's- Beauty, Brains and Bravery

Chapter 461: Hitched

Scotland, Earlston, 22:30;

Xinguan ate their meal together before the girl went to bed, exhausted. She'd lately realized that ever since the surgery, she would get tired over the smallest of activities. She couldn't practice her combat moves with as much ease as she was able to do before the entire 'poisoning' incident. Neither was she able to read or speak for long durations without her head starting to ache. How vexatious!

Xi Yuan was glad about it, though. He knew that her lost strength was upsetting her. But he also was aware that she'd regain it, sooner or later. Until then, at least her body would make her get proper sleep and consume a healthy diet. Sometimes, it was important for even the mightiest of warriors to slow down and let go of their swords, in order to fight even bigger battles. She needed time to recuperate, and one couldn't rush such things, right?

As he stepped out of the shower, only to find her asleep in his T-shirt and her pajamas, a helpless smile appeared across his lips. Did she even realize how cold it was out there, he wondered. With discreet footsteps, he walked over to her, covering her with the double-layered navy blue blanket. Then, after placing a soft kiss against her forehead, he switched off the lights of the room, leaving just the night lamp on. He randomly selected something for him to put on too, a full-sleeved sweatshirt and a solid black track pant, before he rushed out of the room, closing the door behind him. 

He had just plugged in the coffee maker when the phone in his pocket rang up with a VC. Absent-mindedly, the man pulled it out and turned on the coffee machine, glancing down at the caller's identity next. 

"Everything alright there, Fang?", the man asked his little brother, who seemed to be in his office at the moment. Scotland shared a time difference of five hours forty minutes with Country X, which meant it was almost dawn over there. So why hadn't Xi Fang left the Xi Corps' HQ up till now?

"It's nothing, brother.", the man shook his head, worn out, "The Mexico clients preponed the date to today. I was just going through the contract personally to make sure there'd be no problem during the meeting. 

"Don't worry. I'll take a power nap and get changed before the conference.", the man smiled, running his left hand through his hair. 

"Firstly, Fang, I don't care about how you look in the meeting. The point is, how dare they treat you as an errand boy?! Cancel the meeting now. I don't care about the losses.", Xi Yuan stated indifferently, "And secondly, what's that mark on your hand? I've never known for you to get into street fights. What happened?"

Xi Fang glanced at the scratch marks Luo Youyou had left behind in an attempt to stop him from leaving the Xi family mansion, stunned. His brother had the gaze of an eagle. Sharp and observant. There was no way he could keep him in the dark about it, could he?

In the end, inhaling a long deep breath, Xi Fang elaborated to his brother the doings of the Superfamily, and the reasons behind it. From Luo Youyou's insensitive remarks to Ningtao's threats, from Luo's demolition to Zhi Xi and Lu Wei's conversation, he told the man everything. Xi Yuan listened to his brother calmly, pouring the espresso into a gray ceramic cup for himself. 

"Do you think I should've shielded Luo Chen?", Xi Fang questioned the man a few seconds later, "After all, he has been under the Xi Corps's wing for the past few decades now."

In response, Xi Yuan shook his head, "You did the right thing, Fang.", he said, "They had it coming."

"And what about Mr. and Mrs. Lu? They did threaten Uncle and Aunt, you know."

"They were protecting Xinghe.", the man sighed, "It's natural for them to do so, don't you think? I wouldn't want to limit the Six men. I don't have the right to, honestly. 

"Ever since she was a child, they've excogitated her career paths, chalked out her every move, her every decision with so much cautiousness. How could they let the Xis ruin her spirit then? Me, being in her life, shouldn't mean an end to her ambitions, and personal identity, Fang.

"Nothing her brothers did last night was, in any way, unjustified. Xinghe will always be their Kiddo. It doesn't matter what throne we give her, or what luxuries we provide her with. She'll always be their lady luck, and they'll always be her Six pillars of support. It's as easy as that."

Xi Fang listened to his elder brother's words quietly, as he found himself marveling at them. This was the very reason Xi Yuan had always been his inspiration. Men, in general, were expected to conceal their arrogance under the layer of pride and put on a tough exterior so as to get validation from the society. But those expectations suppressed the real them, the humane them.

Xi Yuan had never allowed outsiders to intervene in his sanity. He was practical and compassionate, and a man of principles. He knew right from wrong and had never been scared to admit his faults, which made him the dignified person he was today. Surely, only such a person deserved to stand by his Sister-in-law's side. 

"Understood, brother.", the man said to Xi Yuan after some time, "Oh, another question, why did Sister-in-law tweet the emojis of a groom, a ring, a church, and a bride right after you guys landed?"

"About that...", Xi Yuan scratched the back of his neck, "Apparently, Xinghe once endorsed for Jiang Empire's 'Scintillait Diamonds' collection. Around the time when she'd reached 'Voice of the World' finale, I guess. Back then, her ambassadorship had boosted up Jiang Empire's worth to the top ten global jewelry brands. 

"To sum up, Jiang Qiyang looks up to Xinghe a lot since then."

"And?", Xi Fang furrowed his brows, waiting for the man to come to the main point. Jiang Qiyang was Jiang Yue's father. The same Jiang Yue he had fallen for during their high school and was still crazy about. Unfortunately, he had called off their wedding months ago, when Xi Yuan had been attacked and was in a coma for months. He had ruined his relationship with the Jiangs then and hadn't had the time to win them over again. Just what had his Sister-in-law done, he asked himself, as panic began to cloud his mind. 

"And... she visited the Jiangs about a few days back and explained everything to Mr. Jiang on our behalf, apologized to them, and requested them to give you a second chance.", the man stated, "I swear I didn't know about it. At all."

"What?!", Xi Fang was shocked to his core, "How? When? Yue's father is a strict man, bro. What... did he say?"

"He was impressed by your sense of responsibility, she told me. He even regretted to have misjudged your intents for his daughter.", Xi Yuan answered honestly, "And in conclusion, he agreed to meet up with the Xis again. About your and Yue's wedding.

"Which explains your Sister-in-law's military-level 'confidential' tweet, I believe.", the man laughed, "Congratulations, baby brother, for you shall get hitched too."