"You son of a bachelor! What are you doing?" Ru crouched down before him as she glared at him.
"I'm sorry! Not for what I did today but for what I did the last time." Ye Jie spoke softly.
"Eh? That doesn't sound right. Aren't you suppose to say sorry for tonight?" Ru asked him curiously. "Since I can't forgive you for the last time."
"Why not?" Ye Jie asked hastily.
"You jerk! I already got over it. I overreacted a bit because of my trigger word, 'barbarian'," she emphasized with the air quotation and Ye Jie found it quite funny. "So, where's the apology for tonight?"
"I can't even look at you for what I said tonight in anger. You were right, people should really stay quite when they are angry."
"Did you just realized that?" Ru asked as she sat down cross-legged before his kneeling figure. "Anyway, now you're making it seem like you're the bad guy."
"Aren't I? I really chose the words that would hit you where it hurts."
"Haha..." Ru laughed before saying, "And how did you know that those words would hurt me? Obviously, because you know me best. Also, my best friend can never be bad or wrong. Even if he'd be wrong then I'd made sure to manipulate this world to make him right."
They both stayed quiet before Ye Jie spoke again, "I really am sorry, Ru'er!"
"Dear friend, you've always been the only person who called me Ru'er. No-one has ever called me this affectionately other than you. You can hurt me because I allowed you to. As for that being biased part, I was just about to call you for that..." She grinned and said, "You should be biased actually. You are not just my best friend. You are like an elder brother I so desired in my life. It's your job to tell me that I'm wrong."
"But it's also your job to stand by your wife's side and say that she's right. It's not you being biased. It's you being in love... I can't possibly fight with the love of your life now, can I?" Ye Jie hated each word that she said since as always she dropped the damn blame game. "Also, I tried hating you. Trust me that was not a good feeling at all."
He shook his head and rummaged out a chocolate bar from his pocket. "I guess we don't need this since you already forgave me." He was about to open the packet when Ru snatched it away.
"Yah! How can you be such a cheap-star? You brought it for me. So, it's definitely mine to eat." Ru pointed her chin at him and gave the chocolate her full attention ignoring Ye Jie entirely.
"Ru'er!" He called out softly looking at her enjoying the chocolate.
"Hmm..." she hummed in response.
"Do you know why I never chose you?" Ru looked at him as she raised her brow inquiringly. "I always thought you're an exceptional person and I don't deserve a friend like you. I tried to push you away but you never listened. And here I am still telling you, idiot girl, you deserve someone even more exceptional than yourself."
"First of all, you chose me when even the death rejected me. You gave me these green eyes and with that, you gave my eyes the light to see the world again. What else can I possibly ask for? No-one can fight with you on that since you chose me when I needed you the most." She gave a sad smile thinking of a far off memory.
"And what are you saying about that exceptional someone? This lord doesn't swing that way." Ye Jie gave an open-handed slap on the back of her head making her scowl.
"So, if this lord is not looking for a husband then do you plan on taking a wife for yourself?" He was really angry at her for being so nonchalant about it.
"Although I'm quite good with ladies, I still don't want a wife for myself. Girls are noisy and their screeching voices are too much for this lord."
"Stop being so conceited! Even girls won't come near you otherwise."
"I don't want them to. Anyways, go away now! Your wife must have a million questions in her mind. The rest is up to you but don't you dare tell her that I'm a girl." Ru warned him.
"Why?" he knitted his brows.
"Well, your wife had a bit of crush on this lord once and I don't want that to go away."
"You! Narcissistic bastard!" Ye Jie knew that Ru only was messing with him. Her real reasons for hiding her gender were different.
"What can I do? This lord was born with such handsomeness." Ye Jie shook his head and hugged her tightly making her complain about being choked up. "Let's not fight again, okay?"
"You only have to remember that, 'A tongue might weigh little, but it can crush a man.' If you kept that in mind then we both won't have any fights in the future." Ye Jie tousled her dyed hair.
"Ru'er, your grandfather believes that you're alive." Ru was startled by his words.
"What?"
"He came to look for me again in hope that if you're alive than you'd definitely come to see me." Ye Jie told her.
"Don't be polite about it. I know grandfather must have kidnapped you again because he'd never come himself."
"He did. He came himself this time." Ye Jie answered. "You said you'll go back to your golden cage after looking for something."
"I will. I just haven't found what I'm looking for." Ru spoke in a serious voice losing her earlier playfulness.
"What are you looking for?"
"My memories!" Ru replied to his question and closed the door of the cabin again.
It was really weird. One might ask what was weird? Ye Jie would answer, their friendship. He met her accidentally. They had been through so much together and yet they never could break off their friendship.
He asked himself earlier in the night, 'Was he really a friend?' The answer was yes! He was the friend who saw his best friend in her most vulnerable state. He could never forget the time when he almost lost her right before his eyes. He was a friend who was asked to remind her that she was born as a leader.
He surely knew how to mess up everything and yet she always knew how to fix everything. He really was tired of lying to his own master that his dear 'grandson' Ru is dead. He was gonna sit inside the car when Ru opened the door again and shouted, "Mr. Ye Jie, don't take your sweet time in becoming Mr. Zhu Jie! It's about time for you to stop running." Ru closed the door shut and Ye Jie got inside the car to see Xu Mey fast asleep in her seat.
He covered her with a blanket and drove the car out of there.