The Inconceivable Flame: A Fallen Angel's Disguise

"So, Confucius has about 6 central conceptions," Ru’s melodic voice was ringing in her apartment’s sitting area as she kept pacing like a scholar while a teenager listened attentively to each word or at least, he was trying to. "The first conception is Ren... Do you know what it means?" Ru looked at Xiao Zhi-Yuan who was startled from this sudden question. "Are you listening?" She asked narrowing her eyes dangerously.

’How can I concentrate when you have such a strong and scholarly presence along with that refined voice?’ Obviously, he didn’t voice out his thoughts in fear of being thrashed. "I’m listening..." He answered in a low voice.

"Fine... So, tell me the meaning of Ren," Ru looked straight into his eyes trying to intimidate him and it worked quite easily.

"I... I don’t know." He heard a sigh before Ru rolled the book placed on the table and delivered a blow on his head making him scowl. "Oniisan! That hurt!" Xiao Zhi-Yuan’s whining was disregarded.

"Concentrate!" Ru warned him before starting again, "Ren means Virtue, love, benevolence, and kindness. In other words, the kind of bearing a human has to exhibit in order to achieve a flourishing community. Are we clear?" Xiao Zhi-Yuan lifted his head from the notebook in his hand and nodded his head vigorously.

"Moving on, second is Junzi which means a nobleman. To further explain it-," her words were cut off as the doorbell rang making her groan in frustration.

"Should I open the door?" Xiao Zhi-Yuan offered to help but Ru gave him a look that made him cower back in his seat.

She silently went to open the door and frowned to see the visitor. "What brought Mr. Xiao to my door?"

As always, Xiao Zhi-Ren rolled his eyes at her lack of hospitality and told her, "Is my brother with you?" Ru nodded and he added, "Ask him to come out."

"Why didn’t you just call him? Doesn’t this generation love that technology called a cellphone?" Xiao Zhi-Ren could hear the brimming sarcasm in her sentence making him feel amused by her.

"I would have done that but he left his phone at the house. As for contacting you, I don’t even have contact details. While we are at the subject, why don’t you give me your business card?" Xiao Zhi-Ren’s suggestion was not bad but there was a flaw.

"I don’t even have a business card," Ru replied in a lifeless manner making Xiao Zhi-Ren look at him with wide eyes. Then she turned her face and called out, "Little squirrel, your brother is here to see you!"

"Are you sure that you’re the chairman of one of Asia’s largest consortiums?" Ru looked back at Xiao Zhi-Ren and raked her fluffy hair to one side in an elegant manner. Subconsciously, Xiao Zhi-Ren’s eyes followed the movement of her hand as a sudden thought came to his mind, ’Perfectly sun-kissed skin tone. Its as if the sun has caressed his skin with love.’ Xiao Zhi-Ren shook his head at his own weird thinking.

"I’m pretty sure, I am the chairman but I don’t carry unnecessary things with me like business cards. Waste of space." Xiao Zhi-Ren was about to remind her that she was even carrying a whole set of medical kit with her when they met for the second time in the mountains but right at that moment, Xiao Zhi-Yuan joined them at the door.

Seeing Xiao Zhi-Yuan, Ru took a few steps back to give both brothers some privacy. "Why are you here big bear?"

"You said you want to buy something. Come with me, I’m going to the supermarket to buy groceries." At the mention of the supermarket, Ru’s ears stood up like a wolf and she stopped in her track.

"I can’t go right now. Let’s take a rain check." Xiao Zhi-Yuan didn’t want to cut short his study time with Ru, not even for his own brother.

"You want me to go alone?" Xiao Zhi-Ren couldn’t believe that his brother was actually not interested in spending time with him. At this time, his eyes caught sight of a hand that was raised in the air trying to get his attention but Xiao Zhi-Ren wasn’t in the mood to pay any attention to Ru or rather he was trying hard not to pay any attention.

"Just take your best friend as always. Where is Qu anyway?" Xiao Zhi-Yuan suggested while the single hand behind him turned into two eager hands waving from side-to-side but when Ru saw there was no use of just waving her hands. She pushed Xiao Zhi-Yuan aside.

"Take me... I want to go to the supermarket." Ru’s green eyes were twinkling like big stars making a smile swerve its way to Xiao Zhi-Ren’s face but he tried to stifle it with a dry cough.

"You? Why? Don’t tell me, Mr. Xie Rong actually had never been to a supermarket before?" Xiao Zhi-Ren feigned surprise on his face. "How much of a spoiled brat are you that you never even saw a supermarket?"

Ru glared at him menacingly before saying, "I have been to supermarkets. I just want to join you because I like supermarkets. Why? Can’t I just tag along?"

"Okay! You and I should go then. Yuan, have fun studying!" Xiao Zhi-Yuan was dumbfounded at this situation.

"Wait! I also want to go," he frantically tried to tag with them.

"But you just said that you don’t want to go," Xiao Zhi-Ren wasn’t going to let this go easily.

"Now, I want to go." Xiao Zhi-Yuan argued.

"No... I think you should study." Ru looked at these brothers bantering back and forth making her feel tired from just watching at the sidelines.

"Enough!" Ru bellowed making both of them stop talking. "Although I don’t believe in this saying, I’ll still say it, more the merrier. Let’s just go now."

Both brothers nodded and turned to leave. As they came out of the apartment, noticing something, Xiao Zhi-Ren caught Ru’s collar from behind and pulled her back. "What is your problem? Why do you always pull me like a sack of potatoes?" After scowling at him she spoke in a low voice, "Why did I say potatoes? I’m not even a big fan of potatoes!" Shrugged her shoulders and looked at Xiao Zhi-Ren inquiringly.

He smiled in return and pointed at the floor with his index finger. Ru looked down and didn’t find anything out of ordinary as she said, "Why are you making me look at the marble floor? Don’t tell me that you want to admire the floor at this time."

Xiao Zhi-Ren flicked her head and before she could retaliate, he asked, "Where are your shoes?"

"Huh?" Ru looked down and saw that she was still barefoot as she likes to roam around in her house. She grinned sheepishly and said, "You guys go down, I’ll just be out after wearing my shoes."

Punching in her password, she opened the door and went in while both brothers shared a look. "He’s adorable. Isn’t he?" Xiao Zhi-Yuan asked his elder brother and Xiao Zhi-Ren couldn’t have agreed more with that statement. He really found Ru to be quite cute with her strange antics.

Within 5 minutes, Ru ran down and found Xiao Zhi-Ren in the car waiting for her right outside the condominium building. She heard Xiao Zhi-Ren calling out, "Walk carefully. Don’t trip over. I’m not running away!"

Ru smiled and stopped running. As she walked briskly towards his car, her mind had plenty of thoughts running through it but what stood out was, ’In my life of twenty-eight years, no-one ever waited for me. Grandfather said, even time doesn’t wait for us much less these mere humans. That’s why he never taught me how to wait as well. It’s weird but why am I feeling this warmth gushing in my body just because someone chose to wait for me?’ She knocked on her head and whispered, "Young master Ru, you’re really easy to satisfy."

"Where are you lost?" Ru was jolted awake and looked at Xiao Zhi-Ren giving her a strange look. She shook her head absentmindedly. "Get in!" Ru nodded and climbed on the passenger seat since Xiao Zhi-Yuan chose to sit in the backseat.

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