"We should take our leave now," Xiao Zhi Ren hugged his grandmother while they were leaving.
Old Madam Ji turned to Ru and hugged her delightedly and even sniffled as if she was parting with a long last love of her life all over again. "You better come to visit. Next time, I"ll cook for you myself."
Being not a very huggy kind of person, Ru was slightly uncomfortable but it wasn"t that obvious. Her only discomfort was keeping her chest away from Old Madam Ji which game them an awkward posture. "I"ll visit for sure," Ru promised with a polite smile and the old lady seemed happy to hear that.
Waving goodbye to Old Madam Ji, both Xiao Zhi Ren and Ru got in the car and drove out. Ru actually wanted to teach Xiao Zhi Ren a lesson for always being snarky and sarcastic but she chose not to. Her excuse to herself was, "The poor guy will die from my heavenly punch." And yes, our young master Ru was being too full of herself all over again.
Seeing that Xiao Zhi Ren had a lot on his mind, he distractedly turned the music on to fill the thick silence in the car.
A melody played but Ru kept her eyes on the outside world.
♫♪ You ask me how deep my love for you is,
How much I really love you...
My affection is real,
And my love is real.
The moon represents my heart.[1] ♫♪
A beautiful voice sang the first verses and Ru"s attention was s.h.i.+fted to it. She listened to it attentively. Almost completely lost herself in those words. Unconsciously, she turned to look out. She was trying to find the moon but it was a moonless night; how will it represent a heart? She thought The song didn"t stop, it kept playing softly.
♫♪ You ask how deeply I love you,
and just how great my love is.
My affection does not waver
and my love doesn"t change.
The moon represents my heart. ♫♪
This time, Xiao Zhi Ren"s eyes s.h.i.+fted back to Ru. Looking at her side profile, he was also lost in memory. Only the flickering lights illuminated her face. She wasn"t fair like most girls in his life. Her skin had a natural ethereal beauty to it.
Ru pressed the stop b.u.t.ton and Xiao Zhi Ren frowned at her.
"Why did you stop it?" He asked.
"Do you like songs like these?" She asked in return.
"Not particularly but this is my favorite." He answered with a ghostly smile on his lips.
"Why?"
"Because I hoped that she"d also be looking at the moon and she"d know my love is with her." He answered without thinking.
"But today is a moonless night." Ru reminded him.
"It is. But you and I both know that the moon is still here." Ru nodded since even if they couldn"t see it, the moon was still out there in s.p.a.ce. "That"s the beauty of moonless nights. We can"t see the light but we know it"s still there. Just like love."
Ru felt like everything went over her head or at least she acted like that before him. On the rest of the ride, the same song played repeatedly and as if it worked as a lullaby, Ru actually felt sleepy and soon lost herself to slumber.
When Xiao Zhi Ren parked the car in the underground parking of the Condominium building, he announced, "We are here." But as he turned, he saw her eyes closed while her chest was heaving steadily. For a long time, he just stayed still watching her.
♫♪ So soft was the kiss
that has moved my heart.♫♪
The chorus of the song played in the background while Xiao Zhi Ren unbuckled his seatbelt and s.h.i.+fted closer to her. Her thin lips had a natural slight pink touch. He was wondering how they were still pink since Ru smoked a lot.
♫♪ Such a deep affection
makes me long for you now.♫♪
The chorus finished while Xiao Zhi Ren was sweeping her untamed hair away from her eyes. Her eyelids fluttered but she wiggled her nose and went back to sleep.
Xiao Zhi Ren couldn"t tell where the courage came from but his face inched closer to hers and like a feathery touch, his lips brushed against hers before he gained back his sanity and pressed a soft kiss only at the edge of her lips.
"Let"s have a real kiss. One that you could never forget." He thought to himself and settled back in his seat and rested his back on the seat before closing his eyes.
[1] It"s a Chinese song t.i.tled "The moon represents my heart". The singer"s name is Teresa Teng.