The Inconceivable Flame: A Fallen Angel's Disguise

Both Ru and Xiao Zhi-Ren took a couple of steps backward and huddled up their head close to each other. "Do you have a girlfriend, Mr. Xiao?" Ru asked Xiao Zhi-Ren with her eyes still stuck on the teenage couple embracing each other. Okay! Only the girl was canoodling, the boy was frozen still at his spot.

"Nope!" Xiao Zhi-Ren replied popping the ’p’ dramatically. "What about you?" He asked Ru in return.

"If I don’t even like girls why would I keep one close to me?" Although she replied like that, inwardly she was thinking, ’I haven’t lost my mind yet. I can’t even imagine hugging opposite gender much less the same one.’ She cleared her throat saying, "Aye! My grandfather was right."

"About what?" Xiao Zhi-Ren inquired curiously.

"He used to say that the younger generation will surpass the older one in no time. Look, you’re single. I’m single but such tiny kids have girlfriends." Ru sighed and Xiao Zhi-Ren had to nod in agreement.

"Let me go now!" They heard Xiao Zhi-Yuan’s irritated voice making them share a look. ’Was they wrong about this girlfriend part?’

Xiao Zhi-Yuan was glowering but the cute girl before him was unfazed by his expression. And she even dared to pinch Xiao Zhi-Yuan’s cheeks saying, "I know you look cute while scowling but that smile you just had earlier was even cuter. Can’t you smile again? Please!" Her dewy eyes beseeched Xiao Zhi-Yuan.

Ru and Xiao Zhi-Yuan dry coughed reminding the youngsters that they were also present here. "Oh, who are they?" The cute girl finally noticed their presence and asked Xiao Zhi-Yuan.

"My brothers!" Xiao Zhi-Yuan’s demeanor changed as he introduced both Ru and Xiao Zhi-Ren with a bit of haughtiness in his tone.

"Oh... You guys make such a striking picture. It’s almost like looking at three male gods coming right out of a comic book." She was looking at them with a fangirl expression. In a second, she made her perspective of them; the tallest one seemed refined while the green-eyed one was bewitching. As for Xiao Zhi-Yuan, she always called him an ice burg; cold.

"And she is?" Both Xiao Zhi-Ren and Ru inquired simultaneously.

Before Xiao Zhi-Yuan could answer, the pretty girl spoke herself, "Hi! I’m Shen Yue. But you can call me Yue Yue." She held Xiao Zhi-Yuan’s arm and continued, "He’s my Xiao Tang Yuan(Little Dumpling) and I’m his Dai Mao(a symbol of cuteness)."

Xiao Zhi-Ren and Ru had the same look on their face; they both were trying to stifle their laughter. "Aiyoh! Little Dumpling you didn’t tell us about your cute girlfriend." Ru teased Xiao Zhi-Yuan making him fume.

Shen Yue was smiling bashfully at the side while Xiao Zhi-Yuan peeled her hand off of his arm and took a couple of steps away from her saying, "She’s not my girlfriend. And you! Stop clinging to me for no reason." Shen Yue’s face fell at his words.

Ru glared at Xiao Zhi-Yuan and turned to Shen Yue. "Hey, little Yue Yue! Would you like to join us for dinner? Mr. Xiao here is very generous and he won’t mind at all."

"I’m the one paying? Again?" Xiao Zhi-Ren asked feigning a sickly sweet voice.

"Obviously, you’re so rich after all," Ru answered matter-of-factly and added, "Don’t be such a cheapskate."

"Cheapskate? Why do I feel like the pot is calling the kettle black[1]?" Xiao Zhi-Ren said ironically making Ru narrow her eyes at him.

"Did you just called me a pot?" Ru argued stubbornly.

"No... I called you black." He replied plainly.

"Wicked![2]" Ru grinned charmingly. "Then I don’t mind."

Xiao Zhi-Ren was dumbfounded by her response. ’Calling a pot was a problem but calling him black is wicked? What the hell is the logic here?’ He couldn’t stop himself from asking, "Calling you black is cool?" Ru nodded vigorously. "How? And why?"

"Because black is my favorite color. It’s mysterious like myself and it represents strength, seriousness, power, and authority. In other words, this one word ’black’ is my perfect definition." Ru answered his question smoothly.

’Why do I even bother questioning him?’ Xiao Zhi-Ren really wanted to bang his head against the wall or perhaps he wanted to bang Ru’s head against the wall. Whichever it was, he couldn’t do it before the pair of teenagers who kept gazing at them with indescribable expressions.

Xiao Zhi-Ren cleared his throat and passed a gentle smile to Shen Yue saying, "Since you’re Yuan’s friend. You can join us."

"I would love to but I’m here with some family friends. I’ll join you guys some other time." Shen Yue had a cheery personality and she loved the bickering between Xiao Zhi-Ren and Ru, finding them adorable. Knowing Xiao Zhi-Yuan’s aloof and cold personality, she didn’t expect that his brothers would have such an impressive and winsome charisma.

"I’ll see you at school, my little dumpling!" With that, she planted a soft kiss at Xiao Zhi-Yuan’s cheek stunning him. "Bye!" She waved goodbye to Xiao Zhi-Ren and Ru before turning to leave.

"Hey, little squirrel, are you that upset because of your cutesie’s absence that you can’t even move now?" Ru wiggled her brows teasing Xiao Zhi-Yuan.

"How can you hide such a cute girlfriend from your own brother?" Even Xiao Zhi-Ren joined Ru in teasing his little brother.

Xiao Zhi-Yuan’s face was red but whether it was because of anger or was he feeling shy, that wasn’t sure.

He pushed both Xiao Zhi-Ren and Ru away saying, "She’s not my girlfriend. She is just classmate who is irritating." He opened the door of the private room and slammed the door behind him grumbling to himself, "Why are the girls so brazen these days? Where is women dignity?"

"Did we go too far?" Ru voiced out in a serious tone.

Both tilted their head and as the ink-black eyes locked with emerald green ones, they both smiled mischievously and shook their head saying, "Nah!"

Laughing blithely, both entered the private room one after the other.

[1] "Pot calling the kettle black": people should not criticize someone else for a fault that they have themselves

[2] "Wicked": Taken as British slang for ’cool’