The Inconceivable Flame: A Fallen Angel's Disguise

Sitting cross-legged, Ru was in meditation to ease up her mental fatigue which came with her lack of sleep. At the sound of the doorbell, she opened her eyes and got up languidly from her position. Weaving her way through the hallway, she opened the main door without looking through the door videocam.

As she yanked the door open, she saw a face smiling and waving at her, "Hi, Oniisan! How are you?"

"Living in denial and suppressed rage..." Ru’s answer left no desire in Xiao Zhi-Yuan to ask that question again. Noticing his desolate expression, Ru changed her demeanor from being cranky to ’hail-fellow-well-met’. "That was me being funny. No need for having such pained look."

"You really need some guidance in the humor department," Xiao Zhi-Yuan remarked and reminded her, "You could have gone with the traditional reply of, ’I’m fine’ as well."

"That would have been boring and I don’t do boring." Ru shrugged her shoulders and made a welcoming gesture and he stepped inside the apartment. Xiao Zhi-Yuan yet again was awe-struck by the interior of her apartment as the black color always left a deep but mysterious efficacy on his mind. But today, he was more enchanted by that deep aroma of cinnamon in the air with a soft touch of jasmine.

Just taking a few breaths, he could feel his entire body calming down. But the most effect was on his nerves; he felt revitalized mentally. "What’s this aroma?" He asked following Ru as she walked towards the kitchen.

"It’s called aromatherapy. It helps me with my sleep issues." Ru answered honestly since she didn’t think there was any need to hide this fact from him.

"Does it help?" Xiao Zhi-Yuan questioned taking a seat at the high kitchen stool as Ru turned to pour him a glass of juice as a courtesy.

"Little squirrel, a human’s strongest sense is the sense of smell. And aromatherapy is more than just helpful." She slid the glass of juice towards him, she added, "For instance, I’m using Cinnamon and Jasmine aromas for now. And you must have felt a soothing sensation running in your body along with a certain calmness." Xiao Zhi-Yuan nodded instinctively.

Ru picked up a small candle from a nearby stand and she continued, "That’s because Cinnamon can fight mental fatigue and Jasmine essential oil is a natural anti-depressant." Xiao Zhi-Yuan took the candle from her hand and sniffed the cinnamon scent, feeling his mind easing up.

With a ghostly smile, Xiao Zhi-Yuan stared at Ru’s face thinking about how this person always made him learn something new. It was almost like there was nothing that she wasn’t familiar with.

Taking a sip of the fruit juice in his hand, Xiao Zhi-Yuan was surprised by the burst of flavors in his mouth. Enjoying the juice silently, he suddenly asked, "I haven’t seen you for a week. What were you doing?"

"Me?" Ru pointed at her face and with a serious look, said, "I was hunting dragons! Wanna join me next time?" Xiao Zhi-Yuan rolled his eyes at her reply as he heard Ru’s chuckle. "You can laugh this time. It was funny at some level."

Xiao Zhi-Yuan tried to stifle his laugh and voiced out, "Can you be serious for a second?"

"Aish! Fine! I was stuck between the dilemma of being better or best." Xiao Zhi-Yuan frowned at her answer and Ru couldn’t possibly explain him in detail. She didn’t want to tell him that the dilemma wasn’t of being better or best. The dilemma was that she had to choose whether to save someone who tried to kill her or not. It was an exhausting decision for her. Since she couldn’t be best in her own personal opinion, so, she chose to be a better person by saving Lilith.

But to divert the conversation, she asked, "You tell me, how was your week?"

Xiao Zhi-Yuan pursed his lips trying to decide whether to say anything or not and in the end, he chose to be honest. "Last week, I faced a strange circumstance..." He related the school incident in detail without leaving a bit. "That Ji Caihong wasn’t just saying it. She actually filed the lawsuits and I didn’t know it until the principal called me to his office and asked me to request on their behalf for withdrawal of the case."

Ru listened attentively with a glint in her emerald eyes. "Did you just forgive them like that?" She knew the answer without asking but she needed to confirm from his mouth.

"Yeah... It wasn’t a big deal anyway." Xiao Zhi-Yuan pretended as if it didn’t matter but Ru wasn’t a child. She could read a person like the back of her own hand. And someone like Xiao Zhi-Yuan- who had an overly expressive face- it was quite easy to figure him out.

"A girl went to such lengths of filing lawsuit against a school and your class just for your sake and you just forgave everyone?" Xiao Zhi-Yuan didn’t understand her meaning.

"I had to forgive them. I can’t ruin their careers like this. Did I do something wrong? Because bro taught me that forgiveness is the best gift you can give someone." Also, he didn’t want to drag this issue. He didn’t say anything at the start because he thought Ji Caihong won’t really take any action just for his sake. He was rather surprised when the principal called him to his office and told him about the lawsuit. He decided not to drag anyone’s lives. It wasn’t worth it anyway.

Ru liked this teaching. It reminded her of her own grandfather. She touched his head full of thick hair and said, "Forgiveness is not bad. But only the people who value it deserves it." Xiao Zhi-Yuan frowned as he stared at her. "You think your classmates would let you live in peace after this? Little squirrel, those kids got away without making an effort to apologize. You just fell for a principal’s words and you let everyone go."

Xiao Zhi-Yuan fell into deep thought and seeing his pondering look, Ru spoke with a sigh, "But the worst kind of revenge is forgiveness. So, don’t be so hard on yourself." Xiao Zhi-Yuan smiled softly and nodded.

"Oniisan, don’t vanish like this again. It’s really boring without you." Ru tousled his hair and agreed not to do it again.

Unknowingly, respect for her in Xiao Zhi-Yuan’s heart had increased once again. As for Ru, whenever he came before her with his sincere smile, she would really want to indulge him endlessly. It was a strange connection of heart but it was already made.

Suddenly a beeping sound rang out startling Xiao Zhi-Yuan. Ru looked at her watch and pressed a button. The beeping stopped and there was visibly no change in her expressions but Xiao Zhi-Yuan had felt a sudden coldness emanating from her body.

"Ummm... My little squirrel, can you leave? I have something important to do." Xiao Zhi-Yuan nodded obediently and got up to leave. While walking he turned his face to see Ru’s clenched fists as if she was ready to murder someone. Shaking his head, he silently left her alone.

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