Ru was already looking at him with a thoughtful look on her face and somehow, Zhiren knew that she was aware of who he was talking about. Maybe that's why he didn't stop at just that and went on, "I would tell her that I know she likes to keep everything inside because she doesn't want to hurt others but she should stop destroying herself with that pain as well."
His honest and heartfelt words moved everyone in the room and Ru wasn't an exception except she didn't know how to answer him.
"Bro, what kind of a person is your crush?" Yuan couldn't help but ask as he felt that his brother was acting weird.
"She isn't my crush. She's the love of my life. As for what kind of a person she is... She is a damaged person." His eyes were still stuck on Ru's impassive face while she kept drinking but this time, she had changed her preferences to the soju that was placed before her.
After gulping down a bottle of soju without a break, she suddenly laughed changing the room's heavy atmosphere. "Zhi Hyung, beware of damaged people."
"And why is that so?" Zhiren asked as he stared at her intently.
She gave a bitter smile while her eyes dimmed a bit. "Because damaged people are dangerous... They have already built homes in hell and people like you might be burnt in the flames of their personal hell before you could even touch their shadow."
The silence in the room was growing thicker and there wasn't a slight change in Zhiren's expression as he said, "Or perhaps damaged people are just hiding behind a facade."
Ru definitely didn't agree with him and retorted, "If the facade is worn for too long, eventually it makes it difficult to differentiate between reality and masks."
Zhiren took a deep breath to calm himself as he wasn't planning on arguing and said, "It doesn't matter. There are feelings that can bring the best of a person out. For instance, love."
Ru scoffed at him saying, "The story of an antagonist always begins with her/his love for the wrong person."
This time, Zhiren wasn't planning on taking it lying down. "But if the love is real, it's worth all the fights and obstacles. Because it can heal every single scar and pain."
Ru snorted again, "Even fake love leaves behind a real pain, how can real love be any better?"
The other people in the room realized that this argument was getting intense. It was as if both of them were hell-bent on proving their own point. In reality, Ru could agree with each word he said but would she really do that? She wasn't planning on doing so. If he was getting good at flirting with his sweet words, she was still Ru who knew how to cut a person with her harsh words.
Coughing awkwardly to release the tension in the room, Ran Zi tried to joke, "Rong, you really have some violent attacks." He had never seen anyone snubbing his elder brother like that before. It was like Ru was his match in words.
"Violent?" Ru didn't like that word for some reason. "Get your facts clear, I'm vicious... And that's my most amazing personality trait."
Ran Zi couldn't possibly argue with that at this point. So, he turned to Zhiren and said, "Bro, I can see you're head over heels in love. That's too much love right there in your eyes."
Before Zhiren could say anything, Ru cut in again, "Too much is never good for health. Because that too much eventually hurts you so much that it's beyond your imagination."
Ran Zi saw the way Zhiren's eyes were getting darker and wanted to either knock his own head or shut Ru's vicious tongue. Why was she provoking Zhiren, none of them could tell.
Ran Zi didn't dare to even breathe loudly in fear that he would make his brother even angrier while Zhiren had closed his eyes to calm himself. He was trying hard to stop her words from getting to him. He won't let her negative mind ruin his beliefs. Never! Because if he had the slightest doubt in himself, he won't be able to get her ever in his life. And that was exactly the game what Ru was playing with him.
She was testing his willpower. His beliefs. Most importantly, his self proclaimed love for her.
Unclenching his fists, Zhiren opened his eyes that looked tranquil like water and said, "Even if she left me sad and heartbroken, I believe she'd still be able to make me smile." With that, he flashed a beautiful smile towards her.
Ru pressed her lips together but stayed quiet.