The 3 B's- Beauty, Brains and Bravery

Chapter 401: One Last Time

3:00 a.m., Elite Saphire Penthouse ;

Xi Fang stared at the man in front of him, bemused, as he sipped the whiskey in his glass solemnly, "You really did that?", the man asked, exuberant, "You really looked into Sister-in-law's brothers' eyes and revealed your intentions for her to them? Wait, was it before or after you confessed to her in New York?"

"After the confession.", Xi Yuan revealed, "I mean it wasn't like I had any choice. They'd seen me kiss her forehead after she had fallen asleep."

"What?! Weren't they infuriated? How did they even have the calmness to listen to you?", the man was officially thrilled. 

"They certainly didn't like the idea of listening, initially. That was a long night if you must know. They had so many questions. To be honest, it was more of an interrogation. Whys. Hows. And Whens. A lot of them.

"None of them entertained the idea back then. But deep down, they did acknowledge the possibility of us.", Xi Yuan recalled the old memories.

"How?"

"They never forced their opinions of me upon Xinghe, for starters. In fact, the Six men actually complimented my professionalism, and personality, in front of her quite on a few events. No matter if it were late nights or early mornings, they never disapproved of me visiting her. And for brothers as protective as them, that was grand. Not even huge. Grand.", Xi Yuan smiled. 

"It was just natural, brother. You have always been worthy of their acceptance. But for me? Why would a father give his daughter away to the man who ditched her for the sake of his family? Unlike you, I am unreliable."

"You stood against the entire Xi family for Xiao Xinghe's pride and dignity. And look at how I treated Yue. I was a jerk, brother.", the man sighed. 

"It's not about standing against family, Fang.", the man shook his head, "It's about standing by the side of your love.

"Women do not say 'I do' to the groom's family. They pledge those words to their partners. To us. And as men, we should always honor that responsibility. It's important for them to know that they aren't just some show-pieces in our houses and that they deserve more. That they deserve better.

"Although what you did then was circumstantial, you should've respected Yue enough to let her in. She was going to be family, anyway. But instead, you shut her off. That's what has been bugging the Jiang family the most."

As he listened to his brother's thoughts regarding the events that had unfolded back then, Xi Fang was finally able to understand the Jiang family's current mindset about him, "You are right. But what should I do now?", he asked. 

"Rather than hiding like a scared little kitty, confront him directly. Come clear to him. Explain yourself, your decisions, and your intentions for his daughter. A person like Jiang Qiyang would always appreciate the element of confidence in the man who's supposed to be his Son-in-law."

"What? Like how you did?!", Xi Fang raised his brows, slightly taken aback, "You want me to walk into a death trap? Isn't there a less-violent suggestion, brother? What if Yue talks to him first?"

"Stop being a wuss and act like a damned grownup, Fang.", Xi Yuan glared at the man in front of him with irritation, "What kind of man would throw his woman under the bus to protect himself? There is no alternative to this. You are talking to him, in person, and without Yue. End of discussion."

"A single person against her family? Wouldn't I be outnumbered?"

"Yeah... as if I confronted Xinghe's Six skeptical, protective, frightening brothers with the Military of Country X backing me, right?", Xi Yuan remarked sarcastically, "So immature! Even if they were to insult you, they wouldn't dare to lay a finger upon Xi family's Second Young Master. The Jiangs should know better than that."

"..."

_________

Meanwhile, MZX Studios ; 

The two men felt as if it had been forever since they'd been hiding under Mo Zixuan's office table, and yet, no one had walked in there. Their plan was as simple as it could be. Mo Zixuan's revolver had a built-in silencer, which made things easy for them. For every man who was to walk into the man's office, he would shoot him right into the head, not giving their attackers the liberty of howl or groan. That was the only way the other men wouldn't realize how they were losing partners, one at a time.

"Is it possible that they are gone?", Zhi Al asked, his tone almost inaudible. 

"I don't think so.", a voice, not Mo Zixuan's, resounded through the room, followed by the sound of the reloading of a rifle, "You see, Mr. Al, we've done our homework. We have long known about Media Magnet Mo's secret passage to his office.", the man laughed, manically, "Now, if you both would do the honors...Urgh!"

Before the man could continue any further, a 'silent' shot was fired through Mo Zixuan's .45 ACP Pistol, piercing the flesh and skull of the man looking down at them. His body hit hard, against the intricate carpet flooring, like a house of the cards. The fabric-covered floor soaked the blood that flowed down the man's head next, gradually. 

"You okay?", Mo Zixuan looked at Zhi Al, worried. As he received a nod from the man, he stood up, stretching a hand towards the man, "I guess we really have no choice other than killing these bastards. Come on, Al."

Just when the man was about to stand up, roughly ten to fifteen men stormed into Mo Zixuan's office. Subconsciously, Mo Zixuan retrieved his hand and shook his head, gesturing Zhi Al to stay hidden, as he placed his finger over the trigger of his revolver. In the darkness, it was totally impossible for him to recognize any of the men in front of him. But by this time, Mo Zixuan was left with no doubt that they were his Kiddo's rivals. None of his enemies were that skilled to pull off something like this, after all.

Sigh! Such a troublemaker...