The Inconceivable Flame: A Fallen Angel's Disguise

Have you ever seen someone going through consecutive heart attacks? Well, Xu Mey was literally that person today. She was surviving some serious bomb explosions and it wasn’t easy to stay calm at all!

"Sensei, he is?" Xu Mey voiced out gingerly while looking at Xiao Zhiren.

"Right, we have introductions pending," said Ru and introduced everyone, "Zhiren, he is Zhu Jie, my best friend slash my only friend slash my cousin brother slash my secret box."

Jie chuckled at her way of introducing him and shook hands with Xiao Zhiren saying, "Pleasure meeting you in person. I’ve heard a lot and I must say, the words really don’t do justice." Ru elbowed him in his guts making him grunt. "Control your hands." He glowered.

Ru stuck her tongue at him and turned to Xu Mey, "Meet Mrs. Zhu, Xu Mey." Xiao Zhiren nodded at her in acknowledgment and Xu Mey did the same in return. Ru looked at Adrian standing beside Xiao Zhiren and said, "Mey, that’s Adrian. Seemingly the least important person here." Adrian was left speechless at this introduction. "And this is Xiao Zhiren. He’s my..."

"Just say it," Jie was the only one getting a thrill over this scene. How could he not? It was damn funny for him.

Ru glared at Jie before trying again, "He’s my... Boyfriend."

Xu Mey lost her balance and if Jie hadn’t supported her body, she was certainly gonna fall. Xu Mey looked at Xiao Zhiren with a look of grievance as she clutched her chest. "Baby, are you alright?"

"This is not fair!" Xu Mey blurted out. She tugged at Ru’s sleeve as she said, "Okay. I accept you looking like this. But... How can you date someone? You’re that formidable Sensei of mine who is aloof and distant from worldly stuff. Why are you dating then? It’s like you’re hell-bent on breaking my heart today."

Adrian and Xiao Zhiren might be confused about this progress but Ru and Jie weren’t. They both had to keep a straight face in this situation so as not to hurt Xu Mey’s feelings. But how could one do that so easily?

"Baby, you do realize that I’m standing right here? How can you give my own cousin importance over me like this?" Jie chose this moment to tease his wife.

"Jealous much, Jiejie?" Ru teased him from the side.

"Little monkey, I’m not talking to you," said Jie.

"You! Mr. Spider, who wants to talk to you?" retorted Ru in dissatisfaction.

"You little cockroach!" Jie snapped at her.

"Ha! You’re the roach in that cockroach!" Ru was not gonna back out in this childish argument.

"That doesn’t even make sense," said Jie giving her a look of ridicule.

"Who cares?" was Ru’s reply.

On the side, Xiao Zhiren, Adrian and Xu Mey were looking at them weirdly. Leaning close to Xu Mey, Xiao Zhiren asked, "Does it happen a lot?"

"You bet!" answered Xu Mey without hesitation. "They are like those siblings who are at each other’s throat all the time but when a third person enters, they’d be like two bodies one bond kind of siblings."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Adrian just had to ask that.

And Xu Mey had to give a demo as well. "Ah-Jie, stop arguing with Sensei. If Sensei said it makes sense then it makes sense."

Both Jie and Ru stopped their banter, turned to look at Xu Mey wide-eyed. Ru pointed at her and said, "I appreciate you taking my side, dear disciple but how dare you say that my best friend is wrong?"

"As always, only my cousin treats me the best," Jie’s words were also synced with Ru’s leaving everyone feels irked.

Xu Mey looked at Adrian and asked, "Does this make sense?"

"Much better," he replied absentmindedly.

Before Ru and Jie’s short-lived bonding could end, Xu Mey pulled them to a table and said, "Sensei, why don’t you tell me about your love story?"

"I have a love story to tell? Who said that?"

Xiao Zhiren looked at Ru disbelievingly. How could she be so insensitive about his feelings?

Xu Mey was also disappointed with this reply so she changed her target. She turned to Xiao Zhiren to ask, "So, Mr. Xiao, what do you love about my Sensei?"

Xiao Zhiren thought for a second before speaking, "I love her. All of her."

"Come on, there must be something that pulled you to her. Any attraction point?" Xu Mey wasn’t gonna let go so easily. She had to know what love made her Sensei to waver.

"Her eyes... For the very first time, when we met... I had fallen for her eyes."

"I know Sensei’s eyes are beautiful but that’s it?"

Xiao Zhiren shook his head, "I didn’t mean it like that. Even more than her beautiful eyes, I loved how much power those orbs held. It felt like her eyes would tear my soul apart and yet, my steps towards her didn’t falter. As if something in me badly wanted to be torn apart by her. She was quiet but her eyes had so much to say that I couldn’t stop myself from wanting and yearning to hear more."

He heaved a long sigh as he gazed into Ru’s eyes and tucked her hair behind her ear saying, "Indeed, these eyes burned me into ashes and turned my whole world upside down. Yet, I wouldn’t ask for anything else. Because there is no route back from love." Tapping her nose, he added, "Not from this love. Not that I want one."

"Argh! You’re even difficult to dislike, how is this even fair?" Xu Mey blurted out while scrunching up her nose.

However, Ru and Xiao Zhiren were both oblivious to her reaction. Because Xiao Zhiren wasn’t moving his eyes away from Ru and how could Ru look away when his eyes were holding her back. As if she was a puppet in his hands.

Xiao Zhiren caressed her face and sighed a dreamy sigh, "Damn, your eyes!"

Ru slapped his hand away saying, "You talk too much."

Xiao Zhiren chuckled lowly and replied, "I have to compensate for both of us."

"Cough! Cough!"

A couple of coughs broke their short moment of love as Ru and Xiao Zhiren was brought back to brutal reality where three pair of eyes looked at them with complicated emotions.

"Have some mercy, I’m the only single one here," Adrian said and walked away from them, not wanting to be emotionally assaulted this way. This display of love was worse than last night’s beating!