Qin Qu suddenly laughed mockingly at her as he said, "I almost fell for your indifferent expressions. But I still can recall how good you're at pretense." Ru raised her brow at him lazily as he went on, "After all, a person like you had been easily able to pass off as a guy for years. If you could fool with your gender, I shouldn't doubt your acting skills."

Ru's hand slightly tightened on the hilt of the sword in her hand before she slammed the sword on the ground with such a violent force that the sword ended up scrapping off the ground. Her face, however, didn't show her exasperation as she said, "Mr. Qin, I guess nobody told you that this Young Master hates to hear about this gender story." She paused slightly as she looked at her brother who had been calmly leaning against the wall looking at her. "Big Brother, this man thinks everything I do is a pretense."

She sounded like she was complaining to her elder brother since someone wronged her. Rong had always known how much Ru hated it when someone brought up her gender. The fact that she was a girl was undeniable but calling her 'male' persona a pretense was a bigger crime because it was anything but just a pretense.

In fact, for Ru, that 'male' persona was the real her!

"Aren't you bored?" was Rong's simple reply. He had been standing aside from all this while because Ru had already gestured him to stay away from this. And for the reason why he asked about her boredom was simple, she never liked wasting time talking. She'd either slice the other person or... Well, there was no 'or' since that was her only effective method of doing things; Kill it before it kills you.

Ru feigned a gasp at her brother as she said, "Big brother, how can I take away this shining moment from the villains? They deserve this tiny moment to laugh hysterically to show how ruthless they are. They also this moment to brag as if everything is under their control. In every story, a villain's personal monologue is a must. How else we would enjoy the story?" She took a pause and looked at Qin Qu as she went on, "Besides, in the end, those villains have to lose their pathetic lives."

Rong shook his head at her words. She really had become fond of unnecessary things while living outside. But if she was having fun, he wasn't gonna get involved either. As long as everything was in her control, he'd let her play. He'd only get involved when she needs him.

As for why Ru just wanted him to step aside, she didn't want her brother to pay another price for her own stubbornness. Besides, as long as he was looking over her from the side, she knew she had nothing to fear in this world. That was her elder brother who protected her at every step of life.

Although she grew up as Xia Haoran's elder brother, from a very young age, she had come to realize that Rong was her real brother. It was too obvious. Since only she and Rong had different eye colors in the whole clan. In fact, there was not another single person who had green or blue eyes like her and Rong in the whole Shadowwick.

She'd have to be a lot dense to not realize the similarities in their features as well. And let's not forget the protectiveness Rong had for her.

But any of that never changed her relationship with Xia Haoran. If Rong was her elder brother, Haoran was her little brother. No truth in this world could change that for her.

"It seems you really think I'm bluffing," said Qin Qu. "It's my last warning. If you didn't let Madam go, I won't hesitate in killing those two along with your boyfriend." He pulled out a gun and pointed at Zhiren.

Ru was really amused now. "Go ahead, do it!" Her casual reply left everyone dumbfounded expect for her brother who was rolling his eyes at her. "You think I'm scared? I'll be groveling and begging and pleading you let him go? Why? Why would I do that?"

Qin Qu's brows drew together, "Don't you love him?"

"He just stabbed me with the intention of killing me," replied Ru looking unperturbed. "In fact, I think if he died at your hands it'd be easier for him. Because this Young Master is not so good with backstabbers."

Xiao Zhiren who had been completely lost in his own thoughts was suddenly assaulted with her words. As if his headache and confusion all vanished as he stared at her with a strange look. Did she mean it? Did he really burn the bridge that led to her with his own hands? But that was not his intention. He really didn't know what came over him or why did he attack his little chili. He wanted to tell her all of this but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out.

"No, that's not possible!" Qin Qu shook his head as if in disbelief. "You can't be that heartless. You loved him. There is no way that love is gone so soon. You're lying!" He was screaming at her making Ru rub her ears in displeasure.

How annoying!

"You think I can't be that heartless?" Ru laughed at him. "Just how little do you know about me?" She was really surprised that this villain was so dumb. "I'm the person who didn't even feel an ounce of sympathy for the parents who died under the hands of this Madam of yours."

"Ru!" Rong's voice was dark as he squinted his eyes at her.

Ru shrugged at him indifferently, "Oh, please, brother. You can't be expecting me to feel bad for people I don't even remember." Indeed, when her birth parents died, she was too young to remember anything. Besides, this was the first time she even learned they were her parents. How was she supposed to feel? She had always been confused about feelings from a young age. No matter what feeling it was, she always found it tiresome and bothersome.

Qin Qu was dazed by her expressions when in a blink, Ru's heel hit the hilt of a knife lying by her feet as it shot up, she held it to strike it straight at Qin Qu's hand which held the gun.

"AH!"

The knife pierced through his hand making him scream in agony especially because the knife belonged to Ling Qiaolian which she was trying to use against Ru earlier but failed and not to forget, everything in Ling Qiaolian's hands was poisoned. So, right now, he could feel that poison crawling up in his blood as well.

Ru smiled at him wickedly as she continued, "Although, for me, the only parents I'd give respect to are back at Shadowwick, that doesn't mean I won't collect some debts of blood from this Madam of yours."

Just as Ru said, she felt absolutely nothing for Xia Xue or Ximen Xi. But her love, respect, and filial piety for Xia Longwei were undeniable. He raised her like his own child and for Ru, she'd do anything to prove that her Papa's love wasn't placed at the wrong person. She was not only gonna collect some blood for her birth parents, the one who died that night was also Xia Longwei's only sister.

It seemed, no matter what retribution she chose for Lin Qiaolian, it won't ever be enough!