*Flashback Continued*

"Zhiren, you didn't finish the task that I assigned you."

Xiao Zhiren was sitting alone in the middle of nowhere with his phone placed against his ear. He could hear Ling Qiaolian reprimanding him but honestly, his brain wasn't functioning properly to know what to say or what to do.

Ru's sudden appearance shook his world. It was as if he lost the direction of his life. Or perhaps, he finally understood that he had been walking down the wrong direction all this while. Whichever one it was, he didn't feel okay with it.

"Mom, I don't think killing is the right answer," he finally said.

"What? What did you say?" Ling Qiaolian's voice turned sharp. "Are you forgetting what that family did to us? To you? To your brother? To me?"

Xiao Zhiren closed his eyes in exasperation, "No, I haven't forgotten anything. I just feel like if we shed blood for revenge, it'll be of no use. What will be the difference between them and us? Besides, with Ji Yifeng's death, nothing will change. Instead, we'll have to suffer more."

"Are you actually rebelling?" Ling Qiaolian's eyes narrowed as she noticed the change in Xiao Zhiren's voice. It was the first time, he had refused to do something she asked for. It really surprised her. How could he change so much? And that too so suddenly?

"I'm not," replied Xiao Zhiren. "I just want the revenge to be far worse than his death. I want him to live and suffer through this life knowing what his sins are."

"Okay. Mom believes in you. Just take care of yourself," said Ling Qiaolian in a sweet voice and hung up the phone. Then she turned to look at the person behind her and said, "It seems like the drug is not working on Zhiren that effectively anymore. Send someone to bring him here."

....

"Big brother, let go of my ear!" Ru tried to swat Rong's hand away from her ear which he was pulling not so gently. "At least, let me finish my noodles." She looked longingly at her bowl of piping hot noodles that she just ordered. How unfair was it that before she could even take a bite, her brother actually found her! "Father says to never disrespect the food!" She used her last resort and it worked.

Rong loosened his grip on her ear as he stood aside and said, "Finish it up. Then we're going back home."

"Err..." Ru made a sound at the back of her throat before she sat down and started slurping on the hot noodles without any care in this world.

"Eat carefully. Don't burn yourself," rebuked Rong which made Ru smile at him because it sounded more like he was worried about her.

"Big brother, how did you find me? I thought I left no tracks," Ru tried to strike up the conversation casually to know her brother's secret of finding her in this big country. It hasn't even been a week since she ran from home and he already caught up to her. She thought if she learned his secret, she'd be able to hide her tracks perfectly from then on.

"I'm your big brother. I know how this brain of yours works," replied Rong without giving away any unnecessary information to her. Ru scowled at his reply and he poked her head saying, "Stop trying to waste time. We have to get back home before your eighteenth birthday."

"I don't get it though, why is my eighteenth birthday so important?" Ru was frowning as she questioned. This question had bugged her for a long time now. Everyone back home always said that everything will change for her on her eighteenth birthday. But why? Or how so? What was gonna change?

Rong rubbed her head saying, "You'll know once you get back."

"Big brother, would you like some?" she questioned while looking into his blue eyes. In the entire clan, only these two had different colored eyes. The rest either had black or brown eyes. It really made both of them stand out too much. Perhaps that's why they both often used the lens to hide their real eye color. Although Ru always found it weird, she had never taken this matter too seriously.

"Eat all you want, my little fatty!" Rong ruffled her hair making her scowl again. "I feel like there is a monster living in that tummy of yours. How can all of this fit inside that small tummy?"

Ru stuck her tongue out at him. "Big brother, there is no monster in my tummy. Because I'm the monster myself." She chuckled to herself but stopped when she saw that the other person wasn't amused by her words. "My bad..."

Rong shook his head at her as they got up to leave and looked around as if surveying the surroundings as he asked, "Why did you wear these hideous clothes?"

Ru looked down at the long skirt and shirt that she was wearing and frowned, "Hideous? But that shop keeper said all girls like this cute stuff."

"Do you like this cute stuff?" he questioned in return. Ru's face scrunched up in disgust as she shook her head. "Then why are you wearing it?"

"I thought if I changed my appearance nobody will be able to find me," replied Ru with a straight face but lamented inside that she clearly overlooked this brother of hers who could find her from her scent. He really was like her shadow, always following her around no matter what. She even wore the clothes that she despised and yet he found her without any problem.

"Even if you change this face of yours, this brother will still be able to recognize you," said Rong with certainty.

"How so?"

"Because Rong only has Ru in this world now," replied Rong with a sad smile.

"Big brother, there is a huge family waiting for us back at home. How can you say that you only have me?"

"You'll know when you come back," said Rong making Ru feel really frustrated. Every question's answer was back home. If that was true then why the hell did she run from there in the first place?

While she was being moody and throwing tantrums at the one person who would never complain to her, her eyes looked over at that familiar figure who was stuck between a group of attackers.

Seeing Xiao Zhiren fighting those ten or so people all alone, Ru knitted her brows and tried to approach him. However, Rong held her arm and said, "Ru, that's not your fight."

"But big brother, I know him," said Ru in an attempt to convince him.

"That's not a good enough reason," replied Rong and added, "Don't forget your teachings, you'll only suffer if you'll try to fight others battles for them."

"I know that..." Ru said as her foot tapped the ground impatiently before she said, "Sorry, big brother!"

"Wha-"

Rong's words were yet in his mouth when Ru used her silver needle to knock him out. She put him against the trunk of the tree and said, "I'll be right back after saving him. And I'll also go to my eighteenth birthday."

With those words, she ran off in the direction of Xiao Zhiren without knowing that she wasn't gonna be able to come back. Not that easily. And most importantly, she was never gonna be able to celebrate her eighteenth birthday.

*Flashback to be Continued*