Even after Xiao Zhiren left the Ji Mansion, his heart and mind both didn't calm down at all. If anything, a sharp headache was piercing through his brain. His vision blurred and he stepped on brakes, coming to an abrupt halt. It was late at night and the road wasn't as busy as it had been in the day.
Xiao Zhiren dropped his head on the steering wheel and tried to remember what his grandmother said. If he chose someone himself as a kid, he should have some recollection of it, right? But why was his mind completely blank?
Pinching his forehead, his eyes fell on that red thread around his wrist. He felt like someone was mocking him. Reminding him how his love for his little chili was tainted. How could he love anyone else? No! He didn't want to believe it.
With the pads of his finger, he caressed the red thread.
"Mum, I want to take that little bean home." A childish voice rang in his mind.
"My Renren, that little bean is someone's daughter. How can we take her home with us?" A beautiful and delicate voice answered.
Xiao Zhiren frowned at that voice. Was it really his mother's voice? Why couldn't he recognize it then?
"I don't care." The childish voice whined this time. "Look, my little bean is playing with those boys. I don't like it. I don't like it one bit!"
A peal of soft laughter made him feel enchanted. Then he saw a pair of beautiful eyes but they were identical to his. There was immense love and tenderness in those eyes as they looked back at him. He could see nothing else, except for those eyes as if he was captivated.
"Renren, tell me if someone took you away from mum, how would you feel?"
"I'll be very sad." The child replied sadly.
"Then if you take that little bean away from her parents, she'll also be very sad. Do you want her to cry?"
"I don't." The child shook his head vigorously. "I don't want her to cry but I don't like seeing her with others. Why can't she just talk to me? Why can't she play with me only? And she doesn't even like me."
"Aiyayaya, if you'll keep her away from things she likes, she won't like you at all. Tell me, do you like her?"
"I do. I want her to be my little bride. Then she'll be mine only."
A soft hand rubbed the child's head, "Then never take off the red thread. It's a promise."
"What promise?"
"A promise of a lifetime. A promise that she's yours. A promise that little bean is my Renren's bride."
"Yah!"
The child looked happy and excited. His infectious happiness made the woman beside him to smile as well. "But my little son, don't forget to never force your love. You can't cage her. She's born to fly higher. Make her fall in love with you to such an extent that in the crowd of people, her eyes could only yearn for you."
Xiao Zhiren felt breathless and disoriented. His mind was getting dizzy. That memory snippet was too sudden and also, it seemed foreign. The images were blurred but the voices... He could hear every word clearly.
First, he couldn't believe that he was the jealous kid in that memory. Second, he was certain that the woman wasn't his mother at all. Even though his mother was gentle and soft-spoken, he couldn't remember seeing such palpable love, gentleness, and tenderness in his mother's eyes. But then again, if that woman wasn't his mother, why was he calling her 'Mum'?
So many things didn't add up making Xiao Zhiren's already frustrated state to hit rock-bottom. He barely managed to steer the car and park it by the roadside when he finally felt like he was at his limit. Those fragments of memory seemed like they had cut through his brain and managed to crawl out but it had left him in an exhausted state.
He tried lifting his hand but his body was too tired to move. He felt numb all over and even his consciousness was slipping away from his grasp. With a lot of effort, he pressed the speed dial and just when the call connected, his vision darkened and his body went limp.
On the other hand, Ru was fretting. She was pacing back and forth in her living room which made all the people around her dizzy from just watching her. How was their master so anxious?
Although they had expected that their master would actually care about this matter of invisible help. But none of them thought that Ru would look this anxious over such a matter.
"Master, you don't have to worry at all. We'll keep observing the movements. Besides, these people seem to be on our side." Jack spoke up the words of reassurance which fell on deaf ear.
"But it's also possible that they are trying to make us lower our defenses and then they will strike," Connor added his own conjecture which was also ignored by Ru.
"Yes, I agree. We shouldn't be at ease yet. Keeping a watch over this matter is important."
Yet again, Ru didn't reply to anyone of them. Her walk was making them feel tired but she didn't seem like she was intending on taking a rest.
Ru's mind was in a complete mess as she thought about the possibilities. She was certain that someone from the family helped her but why? And who?
What if they want to take her back?
That thought brought a strange sense of happiness to bubble inside of her but it soon turned into guilt and shame. She was so conflicted that she had the urge to scream out loud. But since she had never learned to show her emotions so easily, she refrained herself from doing so.
"All of you," Ru suddenly stopped walking and turned to the five of them before her. "None of you have to keep a watch over this matter. Stay as far away as possible."
"Huh?" The five of them shared a dumbfounded look.
But before they could ask anything, Raven's voice interrupted them. "The Purple Rain guards have left a message."
"Play it," Ru said blandly.
In the next second, she heard the voice of her guards from Italy. "Boss, someone is eager to look into your background. Someone even entered your place here in Italy but since you don't leave any marks behind. I doubt that they'd find anything. Also, people are speculating that Lord Alev Knight is the one behind all those assassins who died a mysterious death. The Mercenaries are in an uproar. Boss, can't you make a visit. We need to shut their mouth."
"Arrange my flight. If the Mafia Syndicates and Mercenaries really think I'm behind all of those deaths. I need to give them some reassurance." Ru ordered Adia after listening to the voice message.
Why was everything going the wrong way? Someone is really not happy seeing me relaxed.
"But Master, what kind of reassurance can we provide? We aren't the ones behind those deaths. We are not even holding them accountable that people from those Mafia Syndicates and Mercenaries took the mission of your death. And they are coming on to us already? What nonsense!" Adia was provoked with her hot-headedness.
"I'll reassure them that if I can kill their people, I can wipe them clean for being rowdy as well," Ru answered not paying heed to Adia's words.
"You're gonna take the blame for those deaths?" It shocked them to hear such a reply.
"Of course, I am going to. Wouldn't it make them realize that they neither can mess with Alev Knight nor with the people under Alev Knight's wings? For instance, someone like Xie Rong."
"But Master, you are both Alev Knight and Xie Rong." Jake reminded her of the obvious detail.
"You know that... I know that. But they don't need to know that. They only need to fear me and listen to my commands for the sake of their lives and prosperity." Taking a pause, she was about to talk when her phone rang but seeing the caller id, she didn't plan on receiving it. "You guys just don't forget, if you encounter anyone who has a feather tree printed on his sleeve, don't fight. It's the only way to live."
Saying that she finally attended the call, "Hello!" No reply came, she could hear some hurried breathing but nothing else. "Xiao Zhiren, are you gonna talk or not?" Still, no reply came again. "Oi!" Her heart felt something amiss. Holding her phone between her face and shoulder, she turned to Connor, "Give me the car keys. Hurry up!"
Taking the keys from his hand, she ran outside the door and pressed the elevator button. It was still on the ground floor and Ru's patience wasn't great, to begin with. She turned to stairways and sprinted down like a bolt of lightning.
Shaking her wristwatch, she said, "Raven, locate Xiao Zhiren's location."