Ru"s smiled to herself. It was indeed awkward for him. He was seeing her as a girl now but she was still using her low and deep masculine voice. He was truly conflicted inside.
"I think you"re already used to this voice," remarked Ru plainly.
"True. I am used to it." He agreed gingerly. But a part of him wanted to hear that silvery charming voice that was stuck in his memory. He missed the voice of that girl. But at this point, Xiao Zhi Ren wasn"t even sure whether that was also Ru"s real voice or not? She seemed skilled in the impersonation. He won"t be surprised if she used another voice at this moment.
He wanted to confront her. He did! At first, he even felt betrayed but then his mind calmed down and he realized that no person would hide his own ident.i.ty for the sake of fun. There had to be a reason behind it all. Most of all, she was someone who was living the life of a facade. How hard would it be for her to disguise herself as a man? It was like losing your own individuality and living as someone you are not.
While Xiao Zhi Ren"s mind was playing the game of words, he heard Ru"s voice breaking his train of thoughts. "Don"t think too much. Sometimes the worst place to live in is right inside your mind. Let me hear your words, your mind will only make it worse for you." Seeing Ru acting so calm, Xiao Zhi Ren finally stopped listening to his mind.
Even if he didn"t have the right to know about her reasons for disguise, he really wanted to know why she didn"t recognize her?
"Rong-" Xiao Zhi Ren cut his sentence. He didn"t know how to call her anymore. After all, now she was a girl to him.
"You can just call me R." Hearing Ru"s words, he nodded.
"Well... Have we met before?" Xiao Zhi Ren asked hesitantly trying to keep his anxiousness in check.
"We?" He nodded. "I don"t think so. I saw you for the first time when I broke your "present"." Ru air-quoted to remind him of the incident.
Xiao Zhi Ren didn"t feel like she was lying at all. And then it struck him, she couldn"t see back then! But wait! He had met her even before she lost her eyes. It couldn"t really be described as a meeting since he was the only one gawking at her while she was hopping from one stall of food to another.
He felt disappointed inside. However, he didn"t want to lose her again. It took years to find her. He didn"t want to repeat those long years of solitude.
"Rest for a while. We"ll go home in the morning." Xiao Zhi Ren instructed her with a heavy heart.
"Zhi," Ru stopped him from leaving.
"Do you need anything?" He quirked his brow inquiringly.
She shook her head and took a moment before saying, "Can you-I mean... Can you keep..." Ru couldn"t seem to form a coherent sentence. She didn"t like taking favors. It was against her princ.i.p.als. If she could it herself, she"d never ask anyone for anything.
As if reading her worries, Xiao Zhi Ren came close to her and rubbed her fluffy hair. "Don"t worry. Your secret is safe with me." Ru was again in disbelief. How did he know what she wanted to say? It was obvious which secret he was talking about. But why did she feel so relaxed when he rubbed her head like she was a pet? Also, why did his words made her feel at ease? It didn"t make sense!
She was treated like a pet and she actually likes it? Who took over her body? There is no way young master Ru would feel this way!
Clearing her throat awkwardly, she started again, "Thanks for that. And can we leave now? I don"t really fancy hospitals."
Xiao Zhi Ren wanted to say that the doctors wanted to observe her condition but seeing a strange disdain in her eyes, he sealed his lips. He was the one who saw her life hanging by a thread on a hospital bed for the whole eight months. He could imagine her feeling of disgust and repulsiveness towards the hospital.
"Okay. Let"s go!" He answered and dialed a number getting his chopper ready.
What he didn"t know was that she was more uncomfortable on that plush bed. She really wasn"t used to lying on such soft mattresses. Her back was protesting against it. Old habits do die hard, after all.