Xi Corporation's Headquarters, 15:30;
Xi Yuan lifted a spoonful of melting strawberry ice cream to Rong Xinghe's lips, feeding her with unhurried patience, as if granting her the quiet space she needed to let her thoughts spill out at their own pace.
He knew better than to push; she would speak when she was ready.
Only once she'd unburdened herself would he dare touch the issue concerning him—that subtle hesitation in her eyes he recognized, one that had nothing to do with the looming press conference on Sunday.
"Wh-what if they ask me," she whispered, her voice unsteady as her fingers curled tighter into the fabric of his jacket, "what I feel about your family's attempts at spreading rumors… at defaming the Superfamily and me?"
"You tell them," Xi Yuan replied, his tone steady as still water, "that your husband and your brothers never allow such noise to reach you.
