Making her business and his business into their business meant that they'd have to become one. For Ru, Xiao Zhiren wasn't passive kind of a person but she still believed that he wasn't this proactive either. Now, he was very vocal. Especially when it came to his feelings for her. He was like looking for excuses to make her dumbstruck again and again.
Ru touched Xiao Zhiren's forehead to check his temperature. Although he felt hot to touch, she didn't think it was a fever. "Zhi, when did you become so proactive? Why are you always professing your feelings?"
"Because I am also scared." Xiao Zhiren replied, not minding that she had again found a way to steer away from the conversation.
"Of what?" Ru asked in confusion.
Xiao Zhiren didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked at the stage to see his brother taking the trophy and smiled before standing up and offering his hand to Ru.
Ru obviously didn't take his hand but still stood up as well. As if Xiao Zhiren had expected this much, he immediately snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her towards himself. As she tried to pull away from her his vice grip, he leaned over and whispered, "I am scared that if I kept hiding my feelings, I might lose you to my love rivals. And since I have a long list of love rivals, I really don't know how else am I going to win."
"Love-rivals?" Ru repeated with furrowed brows as they made their way out of the arena.
"Yup. Love rivals." He answered.
"Won't you enlighten me about your love rivals?" Ru suddenly forgot that his hand was still on her waist as they were side by side like any normal couple in love.
"Do I have to?" Seeing Ru nod in response, he stated, "Well, to top the chart is my idol... Alev Knight!" Ru pursed her lips as she was about to choke on air. "Then there is a blond hair guy. He looks younger." Ru thought for a moment and realized he was talking about Jack from her Black Mist team. "Oh, and the recent one was that phone guy. The one you were happily chatting with earlier in the morning." All the while, he looked grumpy as if talking about his love rivals scalded his tongue.
Just as Xiao Zhiren called Zhu Jie as his love-rival, Ru couldn't hold it in anymore. "Pfft!" She gave a belly-hurting laugh. Ru pinched his cheek saying, "You're cute." Her laughter didn't stop though.
Xiao Zhiren didn't understand the meaning behind her sudden comment but he still felt giddy inside. It was a compliment he was happy to accept. It came from his little chili. He would even take poison much less being called 'cute' at this age.
"I'm cuter than all other love rivals, right?" He immediately fished for more compliments.
Ru flicked his forehead and said, "Don't push your luck."
Xiao Zhiren scowled but didn't say anything. He really was pushing his luck now. Be happy with what you have, Zhiren. He reminded himself.
"You bored me here. How are you gonna compensate me for that?" Ru was really not entertained in the match. Except for finding Ji Syaoran as a surprise, she found nothing too appealing to her.
Xiao Zhiren had a reply. He really did. And he so wanted to say it out loud. But... He knew if he did, she won't let him leave unscathed. He was holding in his urge but controlling his tongue wasn't that easy. More importantly, that stupid heart of his was pushing him incessantly to just say it and eventually, he did, "How about I compensate with my body?"
Xiao Zhiren waited and waited but Ru stood rooted looking anywhere but him. Just when he thought he survived, she turned and punched his side, "OW!" And then a rain of punches fell on his mercilessly.
Ru tightened her grip around his head as she had him in a headlock and said, "Since you want to offer your body so readily. How can I refuse?"
Xiao Zhiren's face started losing color as he slapped her forearm trying to loosen her grip but to no avail. "Little chili, at the rate you're going, only my dead body will be left."
"It'll be enough for me," Ru replied indifferently.
Xiao Zhiren's throat felt choked up and it got difficult to talk. With his hoarse voice, he managed to voice out, "Oi! My living body is a lot more valuable."
"I can't see the value." As she said that she saw a group of men in black uniforms surrounding her in a circle. Ru stayed unfazed at their sudden appearance.
But Xiao Zhiren had an issue with them as he shouted, "Did I ask anyone of you to act? Stand down!"
"But Sir, you're in... danger." One of them spoke out hesitantly.
"Stand down!" Xiao Zhiren shouted. Well, as much as he could with his hoarse voice.
The bodyguards still had some reluctance but had to follow the orders. So, they immediately backed out and went back to being inconspicuous. It wasn't that Ru didn't know about their presence, she just didn't care at all.
"My dearest little chili, go ahead. Take all you want." Xiao Zhiren managed to smile even in this position.
As he himself gave up, Ru lost the urge to kill him. She loosened her grip and Xiao Zhiren finally managed to breathe while coughing violently. He turned to face Ru and found a strange flicker in her eyes.
"Don't you regret?" He suddenly questioned while rubbing his neck.
"What?" She asked.
"The people you killed... Don't you regret their death?" Xiao Zhiren didn't know why this serious question popped up in his mind but it did and he couldn't hold back.
"I don't." Her answer stunned him for a moment. "What I do regret is losing myself in the progress." Saying that she walked away from him toward his car which they took here.
Xiao Zhiren didn't know why but his heart clenched at the thought of her words. 'Losing herself?' What did that even feel like? He could only wonder. But as the dream from last night flashed past his eyes, he felt the sharp pain gnawing his insides and mumbled, "That's what losing yourself must have felt like."
Only he could tell why he said that. Because only he knew which dream scared him so much.
On the other side of things...
Xiao Zhiren and Ru both didn't manage to catch a 'shocked' pair of eyes that were stuck on them as they were leaving the audience seats. From the stage, Ji Syaoran felt like he was dreaming. Having his brother here wasn't a big deal but seeing his brother's hand on a girl's waist was more than just shocking! It was explosive!
He immediately wanted to follow after to check who was the girl but the reporters didn't give him a chance. When he was finally freed, his brother had already left. "Damn it!" He cursed out.
"Second young master, aren't you going to celebrate with your team?" His secretary's voice made his already sore mood to turn bitter.
As if thinking of something, he asked, "Secretary Mo, did my brother come?"
"Yes. Eldest young master just left." The secretary replied respectfully.
"Was he alone?" Seeing how his secretary lowered his head, Ji Syaoran insisted, "Come clean with me. Don't you dare hide anything."
The secretary shook his head and said, "No, Eldest young master came with a girl." Then he related the whole incident word by word. He even emphasized on Xiao Zhiren's possessive nature.
"Ahan!" Ji Syaoran jumped in the air in happiness. "I wasn't dreaming at all. My brother really brought a girl to my game. My GAME!" One had to know that Ji Syaoran being a professional eSports player was a well-hidden fact. His biggest supporter was Xiao Zhiren but he never disclosed anything to outsiders. So, if he brought a girl with him, that meant that the girl was very important to him. Just the thought was enough to excite him.
"Aye! I wish I had a photo as proof. Gammy would be over the moon!"
Ji Syaoran heard a cough from beside him and looked at his Secretary's extended hand. As he took the phone from him, he saw plenty of clicks. But none captured Ru's face clearly. However, it was enough proof for him.
He rummaged out his own phone and dialed a number, "Gammy, my dearest grandmother!"
"What is wrong with you Ran Zi?" Old Madam Ji's voice came from the other side.
"Your grandson has finally taken off his cloak of monks." Ji Syaoran's voice was piercing, unlike a young master of a huge clan.
"What are you saying? Did you get a girlfriend?"
"Aiyo! My Gammy bear, how can I dare get a girlfriend before my brother."
"Then what nonsense are you spouting?"
"Your favorite grandson. Xiao Zhiren has finally held a hand of a girl with a loving gaze. Can you guess the meaning behind that?"
He heard something clattering and Old Madam Ji's excited voice rang out, "My Zhiren has finally found his match."