Kabul, Afghanistan;
Diablos's Villa, 13:30;
Xi Yuan woke up roughly four hours later, the thin curtains barely keeping the sun's searing rays away as they seeped into the room. Instinctively, his hand reached out, seeking the presence of his Xinghe beside him. But his fingers grazed only the cool, empty sheets. She wasn't there.
A sharp sense of unease tightened in his chest.
"Urgh!"
A wave of panic surged through him as he leapt out of bed, his heart pounding with worry. He followed the soft voice, rushing towards the window, dread intensifying with his every step.
And then, he saw her.
There she was, in the backyard, attempting plank jump-ins. But what he witnessed twisted his gut—she was struggling. Miserably. Her body trembled with exhaustion, but her fierce resolve pushed her to try again, despite failing over and over.
Oh, how her Yuan stands with her, through thick and thin <3
And the Six Tigers, quietly protecting Xinguan.
Note: Finance Minister, Afan Abbasi, for Afghanistan—fictional creation.