The Inconceivable Flame: A Fallen Angel's Disguise

"Organize the product launch event. Let’s name it... ’New Phase of Tech, Made by Snap Tech’. But make sure to not reveal the details of the products that we are launching." Xiao Zhi-Ren told Qin Qu as they were planning their first product launch in China.

"Wouldn’t it be better to give some sneak peek to our new product? It’ll generate some anticipation in public." Qin Qu suggested.

Xiao Zhi-Ren placed his customized black pen on the table and looked at his best friend, "Qu, I want the product to stay as a secret to cause a whole new level of anticipation." Qin Qu definitely wasn’t following but he still listened attentively. "This is SnapVise Technologies first step into China. And as you are familiar, there is already enough hype surrounding us. Now, we just need to focus on taking advantage of this hype. The less our customers will know, the more curious they will be to find out."

Qin Qu nodded his head in admiration completely understanding Xiao Zhi-Ren’s intention. "Oh, and don’t forget to release a promotional video." Xiao Zhi-Ren reminded Qin Qu and turned to see Xiao Zhi-Yuan surreptitiously trying to escape from the house. "Where are you going, Yuan?"

Xiao Zhi-Yuan straightened up to look at his elder brother’s questioning gaze. He scratched the tip of his nose and answered, "I’m going to see Oniisan."

A line appeared between Xiao Zhi-Ren’s brows. "Why?"

"Because I’m gonna ask him to help me with the Chinese Literature." Xiao Zhi-Yuan answered straightforwardly.

"Why don’t you chose foreign Literature just as your Oniisan had suggested," Xiao Zhi-Ren argued. He really didn’t understand the reason for Xiao Zhi-Yuan trying to stick with Chinese Literature when he wasn’t even familiar with the basics of it.

"Humph!" Xiao Zhi-Yuan scoffed. "Then how will I be able to prove myself?"

Xiao Zhi-Ren’s frown deepened as he said, "But I don’t need you to prove yourself to me."

Xiao Zhi-Yuan gave him an odd look saying, "Who said I was gonna prove myself to you?" Xiao Zhi-Ren was surprised with that response. ’Not me? Then who?’ He was thinking when Xiao Zhi-Yuan answered his unasked question, "I’m only gonna do it to prove myself to Oniisan."

Xiao Zhi-Yuan didn’t stick around for long to listen to his elder brother and left the house. He took the elevator to the top floor but to his dismay, there was no-one at home. Xiao Zhi-Yuan was disappointed and with his sour mood, he walked out of the building.

But to his surprise, he was greeted with the scene which immediately uplifted his spirit. Ru was on her bicycle and was riding right towards him. Xiao Zhi-Yuan found the sight quite impressive. Ru’s tall figure on the bicycle didn’t seem awkward to him at all. If anything, it felt to be excessively handsome with a rebellious charm.

"Hey, Kiddo!" Ru tousled his hair while riding the bicycle around him in a circle.

"What’s with the bicycle?" Xiao Zhi-Yuan questioned with interest.

"Oh, this? This is my ride. Cool, right?" Xiao Zhi-Yuan never thought that he would say that a plain bicycle is cool. But at the moment, he found the same plain bicycle super cool. He kept watching Ru riding the bicycle in circles around himself. "How’s your wound? After I took out the stitches yesterday, did it hurt?"

"Everything is alright. I didn’t feel a thing. You’re the best doctor!" Xiao Zhi-Yuan gave her two thumbs up with admiration blinking in his eyes.

"That’s good! What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you," Xiao Zhi-Yuan answered with a small smile on his young face.

Ru stopped the bicycle and climbed off of it. "Why? Do you need something?"

"I was hoping you could tutor me in Chinese Literature." Xiao Zhi-Yuan spoke hesitantly.

Ru frowned at his words and asked curiously, "Do you really want my help with study or are you just looking for ways to spend more time with me?"

Xiao Zhi-Yuan grinned goofily at being caught so easily. He lowered his head in embarrassment but Ru found him too cute. She ruffled his hair as she chuckled lightly. "People usually find excuses to run away from me. You’re the first who’s trying to look for ways to stay close to me." Xiao Zhi-Yuan was surprised to hear that.

"Is it bad that I want to spend time with you?" He asked peering at her green eyes.

Ru stared back at his face while she pondered for a while. "Let me warn you, most of the people in my life have a habit of calling me a troublemaker since somehow there is always trouble where I go."

"I don’t mind." Xiao Zhi-Yuan answered almost instantly.

"Aigoo! Let me finish first. Although people called me the troublemaker, my grandfather had the belief that trouble doesn’t follow me, I am the trouble myself." She took a pause and looked seriously at his face asking, "Do you still think I should be your tutor?"

Xiao Zhi-Yuan bobbed his head up and down vigorously. There was no doubt in this. He wanted to be close to Ru. He had a feeling that he would get to learn a lot from his Oniisan. And he was a seeker for knowledge burning with curiosity all the time. Who could play the role of his tutor better than his Oniisan who knew almost about everything?

"Okay!" Ru clapped her hand in excitement and smiled at him mischievously. "From now, you’re a bubble, I’m gum. Come, let’s have some fun." Xiao Zhi-Yuan gaped at her and eventually, both laughed out at her silly sense of rhyming. But Xiao Zhi-Yuan had a feeling that these silly rhymes were to make him laugh.

"I thought we were going to study," Xiao Zhi-Yuan asked in between his laughter.

"Who said study can’t be fun?" Ru retorted with her green eyes wide open.

"Every student in the world say it." He answered matter-of-factly. Ru frowned at his words. How was she supposed to know it? She had never been to school in her entire life. For her studying was not torture, the fact that she only had to study was the torture. She was homeschooled but she had better and extensive knowledge than any other person her own age. "Also, school is even a bigger hell where merciless devils roam around freely." He was quite indignant about his school experience.

High schoolers are scary no matter where you go in this world. And Xiao Zhi-Yuan was quite tired of their petty behaviors.

Ru clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Tsk... Tsk... Xan boy!" Xiao Zhi-Yuan looked up and she went on, "It’s not that school is a hell filled with devils. It’s just that the whole world is filled with devils. A hell doesn’t create devils, it’s the other way around. Only devils can create hells." He found this reasoning quite convincing. Taking advantage of their almost same height, Ru slung an arm around his shoulder saying, "Also, only GOD can be considered the merciful one. The rest of his creations- I mean us, humans- are only merciless. It’s the basic rule of life. To survive, you have to become the merciless one. And if you can’t become one then learn to pretend like one."

Not bothering to stop, Ru took him to her own apartment at the top floor. But unbeknownst to them, a certain someone was watching their interaction from the second floor of his apartment.

"I have never seen Zhi-Yuan laughing like that," Qin Qu’s voice from beside him broke the train of Xiao Zhi-Ren’s thoughts. He wasn’t surprised to hear his friend’s words since they were true. Xiao Zhi-Yuan kept to himself usually and he wasn’t someone to laugh so easily.

"This... Mr. Xie Rong is scary and intriguing." Xiao Zhi-Ren mumbled to himself. He wasn’t scared that Ru would hurt his brother. But something in him was in conflict. Something even he couldn’t describe in words. More so, this intriguing feeling was even more conflicting.