บท 11: Dream Come True
Zhi Ruo ran towards her car parked in the space the next building over and got inside. Her face was slightly wet as she breathed heavily.
What the heck was that…?
Did she actually felt her heart skip a beat?
No! This was wrong. She did not want to repeat such a tragedy.
Alas, humans were peculiar beings. They claim one thing but their heart says otherwise. Such feelings were not within their control. From the moment they had met, their fates were already intertwined. Nothing could be done about it.
However, humans are stubborn. They will deny this fact and refuse to face the reality. Such was the case with Zhi Ruo.
Her face was sweating despite the chilly night and her hands felt clammy. While driving home to her apartment, a lot of things went inside her mind.
Despite her insistence on denying his presence, his face kept popping up in her head. He had changed so much… She did not even recognize him.
If not for the fact that they had been together for a long time and she harbored deep feelings for him, she might've forgotten him entirely.
His tall stature and loss of weight was the thing that changed the most. His face did not change much. Cheeks had lost their roundness. The bags in his eyes disappeared. He no longer sported the childishness of a boy but the maturity of a man. Something that she had never thought he'd lose.
It was a peculiar charm she had liked.
Realizing the effect he had on her pained her greatly. His mere image affected her so greatly that it shook her to her very core, what more feeling his presence in the very city where they grew up?
Zhi Ruo couldn't help but sigh wearily and rest her head on the steering wheel.
"What am I going to do…?"
…
After parking her car, she got inside the apartment and collapsed on the sofa.
"Fuck my life…"
This was it. She was going to die.
And things were just starting out for her.
Was it going to end this way?
She hasn't fulfilled her bucket list yet!
Zhi Ruo grabbed her shoes and threw them by the door with a thud.
She dejectedly dragged herself towards the bathroom and took a warm shower and changing into comfortable clothes.
Walking towards the veranda, she glanced at the freshly showered plants and silently thanked her neighbor. It was fortunate enough that she lived next to a lovely old lady.
"Now what to do…"
Zhi Ruo contemplated on whether or not to waste the night away watching TV or play video games. She sat down on the sofa and sighed.
So boring…
Her grandparents were no fun. They were having fun without her in some country enjoying the free life!
Just as she thought about them, her phone rang.
Zhi Ruo did not hesitate to answer, not looking at the caller. "What?"
[Is that how you talk to your grandfather?]
Her face paled.
Shit!
Grandfather was calling. Did he felt her talking about him?
Was his grandfather an alien?
"Oh... Of course not! That was just my mood talking," she sweetly said, her tone taking a drastic change. "So, what's up? You guys don't usually call me."
[We called because we know Zhi Biming just went home and ate at the family home together with your third aunt, cousin and sister. They told us you didn't manage to come.]
Ah shit… Did they rat on her again?
"I was busy with something. My highschool classmates were having a reunion and I decided to come and unwind. I didn't necessarily want to avoid the dinner."
That was half true and half not.
Although she got along well with her third aunt and cousin, her relationship with her sister could be said to be not that good.
It hasn't got anything to do with sibling rivalry but rather, Zhi Ruo had always been uncomfortable around this sister of hers. She had been the first child in the family not to have undergone their elders strict discipline.
She was also very forgetful and very helpless. There were many things that she still needed help with and despite teaching her, she would always forget. This was the complete opposite of her older sister, who grew up under the watchful eyes of the elders.
In short, Zhi Liang was a klutz.
She did not even fit her name!¹
Along with Zhi Ruo's strict and slightly perfectionist attitude, the sibling's relationship further distanced. And while the younger one tried to mend their relationship, it had long reached the point of no return.
[Regardless, you should still enjoy dinner with the family. It is not often that your third aunt eats dinner at home and Zhi Biming just got home!]
Zhi Ruo sighed in defeat. "I'll go next time."
[Okay well we just called because we planned to delay our plans of going home to next month.]
This caused Zhi Ruo to sit up.
"Why? You were supposed to come home two weeks after Biming comes home."
[About that…]
Zhi Ruo had a blank look on her face. She was expecting this.
"Let me guess, you were invited to another auction, weren't you?"
The line went silent.
Then, a nervous chuckle rang out.
[N-nonsense! Your grandmother just wants to enjoy the view a little longer.] he spoke innocently.
[No I don't!] she could hear her grandmother say in the background
Zhi Ruo still held the same blank look. She had already expected it.
[Fine! I did get invited to an auction. And I only agreed because they said that a one of a kind treasure will appear! Rest assured your grandmother and I will go undercover and not let ourselves be exposed!]
From the way he phrased it, it sounded like they were going to be robbing someone rather than attend an auction.
She shook her head in dismay.
"Whatever floats your boat, old man. Is that the only reason you called?"
It was unusual for them to call her so late in the night, despite the time difference.
[Oh yes! I called because I wanted to ask you for a favor.]
Zhi Ruo narrowed her eyes.
"Go on…"
[You see, an old friend of mine will be attending the Hua Conglomorate's banquet on Monday and I thought, why not have you attend in our place since we're still gone by that time. Don't worry, you'll only be accompanying the old man and you're free to do your own thing.]
After dumping all her work on her cousin, Zhi Ruo suddenly had a lot of free time to spare. She no longer had to get up early to work, stay up all night working and keep traveling from place to place solely for work.
All her hard work had finally paid off.
She didn't need to do anything but still made money.
It was a dream come true for her.
Zhi Ruo had initially planned on spending her time catching up on her favorite series but it seems that she had to delay her plans sooner than she thought.
She thought about it very carefully.
After all these years working for the company, Zhi Ruo had not made a public appearance. And even if she did, there was a strict guest list and very tight security, which meant no paparazzi could possibly get in.
But now… She wasn't exactly going to present the Zhi family anymore. No one would ever remember her face. And besides, she was only attending as an escort.
There's also an added bonus of free food.
Why the heck not?
"What do I get in return?"
She wasn't stupid. Of course there had to be compensation.
There was a muffling which vaguely sounded like the two of them discussing.
[A pound of your favorite truffles specially shipped from Norwalk.]
"Deal."
The moment she heard truffles, it was already a done deal. Although she was lactose intolerant, the guilty pleasure of indulging herself in her favorite dessert made her shiver in delight.
A plate of exclusive truffles in exchange for a short trip to the bathroom was worth it.
"Now what do I wear…"
Although she was just going to be someone's partner, it would be stupid to dress simply. If showbiz taught her something, it was that the more expensive the better.
And money was not something she was lacking.
She didn't need to pick a dress since her grandparents had always been inclined to choose a dress for her.
Walking inside her closet, Zhi Ruo only picked the most basic of accessories that would work perfectly fine for any dress.
Diamond dropped earrings and a small ring for her pinkie. She preferred not to have anything around her neck and wrist and often left them bare. For the shoes, a simple pair of white stilettos would be enough.
Her grandparents always picked dressed that were knee length or floor length, as Zhi Ruo was averse to the idea of showing off her long legs.
After setting up everything she needed to wear, Zhi Ruo went to the bathroom, washed her face, did her night routine and went to bed.
Surprisingly the last thought on her mind was a familiar face.
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Kalopsia
Kalopsia ¹ Liang means 'bright one'
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