"Bro, tell me who the girl is? Why are you being so secretive?" Ji Syaoran's high-pitched insistence could be heard from far away.
For the last few days, Xiao Zhiren was said to be M.I.A. But in fact, he just couldn't bring himself to leave Ru alone. He disconnected his all mediums of communication and stuck to Ru like glue in her apartment. She, however, found him to be a pest; one that she wasn't able to shake off.
But she did manage to shout at him, "I'd prefer being locked up in this apartment. Don't you dare bring me out again as a girl! It's such a tiring job to act like a girl."
And he had reminded her yet again, "But you are a girl." But her only response was a punch in his guts. She was abusive to no end. Xiao Zhiren managed to bear with her violent nature with only one thought, 'It's like we are a married couple always bickering or resorting to violence.' Even though only one of them was resorting to violence. As long as he was content, who could argue?
Now, that Ji Syaoran finally got a hold of Xiao Zhiren, he was trying to probe out the details. But breaking Xiao Zhiren's defenses wasn't an easy job.
"Mind your own business, Ran Zi." Xiao Zhiren said cuttingly.
"Bro, don't be such a spoilsport! Just give me a peek." He poked Xiao Zhiren's arm and asked, "Is she the same girl?" Xiao Zhiren was tired of his brother now. Someone remind him why did he decide to visit his grandmother's house? "Bro, tell me who she is!"
"No one. Stop talking. I don't have a girlfriend!" Xiao Zhiren snapped in exasperation. Technically, neither he was lying nor was he telling the truth. Because Ru wasn't his girlfriend. And oddly, he didn't want to have such a flimsy relationship status with her either. He wanted it for a lifetime and for that he wanted to make her, his wife. But it was only his own thinking for now.
His 'self-proclaimed' better half was neither treating him any better nor was she losing her half-hearted nature.
"You're lying! We saw a photo!" Ji Syaoran argued back. "The whole Capital must have seen it by now!"
"What photos?" Xiao Zhiren inquired, confused about this photos matter.
"This photo!" Ji Syaoran had already bookmarked the blog page and he immediately showed it to his brother.
Xiao Zhiren was surprised to find that scene captured. But he felt so fluffy as he saw such a rare moment. His little chili looks so beautiful and cute with that scowl. He had wished for that moment to stop but who knew someone chose to hold it in for him. Now, he could look at it to his heart's content. But when he read the comments from boys as they wrote how beautiful his little chili was, he was aggravated. He felt like clawing some eyeballs out.
Ji Syaoran saw the soft look in his brother's eyes then changing it to jealousy and exclaimed, "Ahan! I knew it! With that look, how can you deny that you don't have a girlfriend? Even a dog won't believe your words!"
Xiao Zhiren immediately composed his emotions. It wasn't the time to say anything. If he did, his little chili would murder him. With a simple comment, she had almost choked him to death. If he dared to accept that she's his girlfriend... Xiao Zhiren shuddered at the million possibilities.
His relationship with Ru could be said to have changed in the past few days but it wasn't to the extent that Ru would let her guard down. And he so wanted to break down her strong defenses.
"Ran Zi! Shut up! I don't have a girlfriend. The girl in this photo is an old friend. That's all." Xiao Zhiren explained with a heavy heart.
"I don't believe you!"
"That's up to you." Xiao Zhiren knew how stubborn Ji Syaoran could get. So, he decided not to push him anymore.
"But..." Ji Syaoran was about to continue but another voice beat him to it.
"Ran Zi, that's enough." Ji Syaoran turned to look at his grandmother descending from the stairs with the help of the maid. She sat down at her seat and looked at both of her grandsons with a deep look before her eyes settled on Xiao Zhiren. But Xiao Zhiren found his grandmother's gaze to be a bit unsettling. "Thank you for clearing our misunderstanding, Zhiren. I'd been so worried since the time I saw that photo. Now, I am finally at ease knowing that you're single."
Xiao Zhiren brows quirked up in surprise while Ji Syaoran stared at her as if seeing a ghost. Who was the one planning the wedding? Was it your ghost, gammy? How are you changing your colors so fast?
"Ran Zi, it's all your fault for speaking such nonsense. I knew my grandson wouldn't forget his promise. So what if it was made at a young age." Old Madam Ji's words and expressions made Ji Syaoran want to bow down to her. Even at this age, his grandmother was a top-class actress. But why was she throwing him under the bus? How did it all become his fault?
While Ji Syaoran was lamenting to himself, Xiao Zhiren didn't even know where this whole conversation was going. "What do you mean, grandmother? What promise?"
"The promise you gave to your fiancee." Old Madam Ji's voice fell like a bolt out of the blue and Xiao Zhiren was the one being electrocuted.
What the hell! Where did this fiancee pop up from?
While Xiao Zhiren was going through some emotional strikes, Ru was unknown to all this while she munched on salted almonds. She threw a couple of almonds in her mouth and looked at the row of people standing before her.
"Did you guys miss me?" Ru's words caused confusion to all members of Black Mist who stood before her.
"What do you mean, master?" One of them dared to question because the silence was even more dangerous.
"Well, if you didn't miss me then why the hell are you standing there like statues?" Ru's deepened voice made them flinch a bit.
"We have something to report," Connor began plainly.
"Oh, really? I thought you were here to admire your master's beauty." Ru's satirical retort made all of them to purse their lips. "If you're here to report then start already. Do you think I have so much spare time to look at you all?"
"Reporting to master, there are some strange happenings in the last few days."
"Speak the human language."
Edmund pushed Adia out of the way and began in his mechanical manner, "The Worldwide Black Market has gone into a frenzy."
"Why?" Ru asked seemingly not caring at all.
'At least pretend like you care.' Adia mused while shaking her head inwardly at Ru. 'Whatever! Soon, you'll be the curious one.' With that thought, she left all her hopes on Edmund to clear up this matter.
"Because of the Blood Pool bounty on 'Xie Rong'." As Ru heard Edmund's words, she stopped eating and placed the plate of almonds on the table.
"Continue."
Edmund slightly bowed and added, "Since the last attack on you, whoever is accepting the bounty strike on 'Xie Rong', they are dying a mysterious death."
"How is that possible?" Ru shot up from her seat as she stared them all down.
"We are unclear about the details but we did collect something."
He connected his phone to her LED and played the photo album which consisted of dead bodies of all the assassins who were meant to kill her. "On their bodies, there is no sign of a fight. Not even a scratch is found. No poison in their blood either."
Ru's brows tightened and so did her fists. "What's the cause of death?"
"It's said to be a brain hemorrhage. But one of them claimed that with a scan they found that..." he stopped talking in hesitation.
"Say it!" Ru snapped at him.
"They found that the simple bleeding in the brain isn't the cause of death. There are holes inside the brain but no physical damage. It's quite mysterious." As his sentence completed, Ru closed her eyes to let that news sink in.
'Brain shots?! But only my family knows how to use that martial arts technique. Does that mean...' Ru couldn't bring herself to think about this possibility. 'Why would anyone from the clan help me? A nobody? Unless... they guessed who I am.' Ru tried to gulp but choked on her own saliva. This was frightening for so many ridiculous reasons.