"Alright, fill me in on the details." Zhao Lifei picked up her cup of lemongrass tea. After brushing her teeth and eating a quick breakfast, she was finally seated in the garden with Yang Ruqin. There was a blanket over her legs, and she was itching to chuck it as far away as possible.
Yang Feng was nowhere to be seen and she hoped he went back to work. She felt guilty that he had to rush home so quickly. The only way she could soothe his worries was by promising she would not overexert herself or head off to work.
Yang Ruqin took a sip of her tea and looked around. Originally, she was eager to tell Zhao Lifei everything, but now that the time has arrived to spill some tea [1], she couldn't find the right words for it.
"Well?" Zhao Lifei asked, setting the cup down. She raised her fork and sliced through the strawberry shortcake. Her eyes lazily scanned the serene and secluded environment. They were sitting underneath a white gazebo, catching shade from the sunlight, and enjoying the good weather at the same time.
"U-uhm…" Yang Ruqin licked her lips and played with the hem of her dress. "I-I…" She stammered, picking up the cup of tea and downing it in a few gulps. "IranintoYuPingluo!" She haphazardly rushed out her words, merging it into a sentence.
"Huh?" Zhao Life had a stupefied expression on her face.
"I…I might've run into Yu Pingluo." Yang Ruqin whispered, "Well, run isn't the proper term for it. More like he showed up to my house, well your house, but still."
"What?!" Zhao Lifei gasped, her fork clattering onto the grass. A maid immediately walked forward with a new fork. "Thank you." She muttered under her breath, surprising the maid who nearly lost her footing.
The maid's eyes shook and her only reaction was to bow and scurry off. It was the first time someone expressed words of gratitude towards her.
"My goodness, Qinqin. You need to spill out the whole story right now!" Zhao Lifei exasperated, her eyes glued on Yang Ruqin who picked up her empty cup of tea, expecting for something to drink.
Usually, it was the maids' job to refill the cups, but Zhao Lifei was just so eager to hear the rest of the story, she picked up the teapot and filled it for Yang Ruqin.
"Alright, here goes nothing…" Yang Ruqin trailed off.
– – – – –
A few days ago.
RING! RING! RING!
"Oh, for the love of everything holy, will you shut up?!" Yang Ruqin screamed from the top of the stairs, her eyes wide with rage. She was sporting her crayon shin-chan pajamas and birds nest hair. It was Saturday morning, a day where she was supposed to sleep until the afternoon. It was barely six in the morning and someone was already blowing up the bell at the front door. Even the servants had not come to work yet!
RING! RING!
"Oh my god, I'm coming already!" Yang Ruqin growled. She was ready to side-kick and judo flip whoever it was at the door. She was never an early bird and after so many sleepless nights, she was on the verge of insanity.
She swung the door open. "Do you want to get shot? Because that's how you get shot by my bodyguards—"
Her rationality flew out the window, just like her soul currently drifting to Heaven. Her groggy eyes widened a fraction. She was rudely slapped awake by the presence of a man she never thought she would see again.
Yu Pingluo let out a burst of wry laughter. "Well, good morning to you too. For the record, I see bullets in slow motion—"
BANG!
Yang Ruqin had slammed the door shut. She rubbed her eyes. "Ugh, I hate it when nightmares resemble reality." She yawned and turned back to the stairs, pinching herself to wake up.
A few seconds later, the door opened and closed. Yu Pingluo casually strolled into the house.
Yang Ruqin swiveled around. She was on high-alert and her eyes sought after the closest weapon. "What the hell? How did you get through the door?"
"You didn't lock it when you slammed it in my face." Yu Pingluo shrugged his shoulders, his hands tucked into his jacket. His face was as cheerful and friendly as she had last remembered. Except, the usual light in his eyes was gone. There were heavy bags under his eyes and his smile looked strained.
Yang Ruqin took two steps back when he took one step forward. "What are you doing here?" Now that she knew this wasn't a dream, her confidence dwindled. Her heart was racing at the sight of his mesmerizing face. Wind-swept hair, effortless smile, and eyes that bore into her soul, it was needless to say, the memories were beginning to flood back to her. So many rebounds…and none of them could equate to a strand of his hair.
She uncomfortably rubbed her chest when a prickling pain spread through it.
Yu Pingluo's arrogant smile softened at the way she was behaving. Even though her appearance was disheveled, he still thought of her as the most beautiful woman in the world. He glanced at the floor, his haughty demeanor cracking down. "I missed you."
"Don't." Yang Ruqin's voice cracked, her eyes watering. She had longed to hear those words out of his mouth, but it was too late now. She waited two years for him to say that. At that time, she was building indestructible, steel walls around her heart. She thought nothing could ever break nor penetrate it, but who would've thought, his words could still affect her? He was like the burning sun and his words were the heat that melted the steel.
"Baby girl—"
"Shut up." She snarled, her vulnerable eyes hardening. "You don't miss me, nor do you still love me. Stop it. Stop trying to ruin me! I'm finally healing. I don't need your negativity in my life." She pointed towards the door. "Get out."
Yu Pingluo took a sharp breath. She had changed. He didn't know if it was for the best or the worst. "Please, just let me explain…" He walked towards her again and she panicked, taking a few steps back. In her anxious state, she tripped over her feet and was about to fall onto the floor. In one swift motion, he caught her.
This only caused her to freak out even more. "Don't touch me!" She shrieked, pushing him away. He did not let her go. Amidst her struggling and kicking, he held onto her and hugged her for dear life. He braced all of her painful punches and scratches.
"Stop it! Let me go!" She wailed, tears dripping down her cheeks.
In the end, he never did.
He continued to hold her like his life depended on it. Her futile attempts at resisting finally calmed down, and she eventually accepted the fact that he wouldn't release her anytime soon.
Yang Ruqin's eyes were rimmed red with tears of frustration. "Feng-ge will hear about this. Long-ge will hear about this too. You'll pay for trespassing into my house and touching me."
Yu Pingluo wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. 'It seemed she hadn't changed that much.'
"Drag me to the Black Room and back, I don't care." He would've said Hell, but to him, Hell was on Earth. It was a world where she was not his. And he knew it was going to be a reality very soon.
"Why are you even here? Why show up now? You had two years. TWO DAMN YEARS!" She lost her patience again, this time, kicking him right in his groin. He buckled and grabbed his jewels whilst slamming a hand on the floor to catch his weight.
Yang Ruqin scrambled off the floor and ran to the nearest phone line. It was just a few steps away and all she had to do was press a button for her entire team of bodyguards to swarm into the house.
"Please…you have to hear me out…first." He heaved whilst trying his best to not groan in pain. 'Damn, when did she get so good at fighting and kicking? This was completely unlike her.' He didn't know if he loved or hated the new change, but so far, it was leaning towards love.
