92 Numb To I

Downstairs in the banquet hall, Old Madam Ji announced to everyone that Xiao Zhi Ren and Xiao Zhi Yuan were the sons of Ji Family. Those who knew Xiao Zhi Ren as the CEO of SnapVise Technologies were already impressed by this man but now, they were dumbstruck. Xiao Zhi Ren wasn't just capable, he even had a strong backing like Ji Family.

Xiao Zhi Ren wasn't very happy with this announcement since he had no interest in being a part of Ji Family or even being linked with them. But his own needs called for it. He couldn't help but grimace along.

This sudden news had brought another wave of whispers to ensue in the hall.

"I thought young master Ji Syaoran was the next head of Ji Family." Someone in the crowd voiced out.

"Didn't everyone thought that way?" An elegant lady retorted.

"But this Xiao Zhi Ren looks to be older than Ji Syaoran, does that mean he's the next in line?" Another person asked, curiously.

"Haiz! It seems even Ji Family is not safe from internal strife for power."

Xiao Zhi Ren tugged at his tie uncomfortably. All those whispers around him made him uncomfortable. He didn't want to be the next head. He just wanted to live with Xiao Zhi Yuan. But life surely doesn't go as one plans it.

Trying to ease his uneasiness, Xiao Zhi Ren drank a little too much of that red wine. Although it kept his mind from overthinking, it didn't help with the uneasiness in his heart. A certain pair of green eyes popped up in his mind. Just the thought of Ru made him feel a bit better.

Frowning, he looked around but couldn't find her anywhere. A bit anxious, he came out to the garden to look for her.

On the other hand, Ru jumped down from the balcony in a swift motion and landed straight on her feet. Fixing her suit and dusting it off carefully, she sighed.

"You're a tosser, young master!" She knocked on her own head. But at the memory of that woman's blooming smile, Ru couldn't even second guess. "A gift of a smile is all I can offer. It made her day bright and that's all that matters."

She convinced herself and felt proud of herself. But she stiffened as she heard a familiar voice behind her, "I was wondering which spiderman was bold enough to jump from the third floor. Now I realized that it's our own ninja turtle."

Ru slowly turned her body to look at Xiao Zhi Ren's amused face. But the look in his eyes was different. What was it? As he took a few steps closer, Ru realized; he was a bit tipsy.

Letting go of her nerves, she said, "I'm more suited to be the lightning god, Thor! HA. HA. HA." It was a desperate attempt to distract him from asking about her sneaky behavior.

As if reading her mind, Xiao Zhi Ren said, "Don't mind me. I really don't care why you just jumped down from there. I already knew you had some hidden motive for tagging along with me. And honestly, I don't even want to know what it is."

His straightforward words helped Ru in slightly coming back from the edge. "But I must say, that was a good jump." He put her in a loose headlock as he complimented her.

"Well, this young master has always been good at it." Ru was acting like an egomaniac again. But as always, Xiao Zhi Ren didn't find it repulsive. After all, she had the right to be in love with herself.

Getting back to her serious self, she asked, "What's wrong? Why did you drink this much?"

Xiao Zhi Ren looked at her and chuckled softly. How weird it was that this sworn brother who knew him for only a few months could actually read his face so well!

He looked straight into Ru's green eyes under the soft light of the crescent moon. "Rong, Why do people leave? And if they do leave us behind why do they still take a part of us with themselves?"

Ru thought he was talking about his mother again. Therefore, she said, "People leave because if they won't how will universe conspire for them to meet again?" Xiao Zhi Ren looked at her with a surprised look as she went on, "And Zhi Hyung, people don't take a part of us with them. Instead, they leave something behind... They leave a feeling of emptiness behind as a reminder."

"Isn't that unfair? For me to feel so empty?"

"Not really." She shrugged her shoulder and continued, "You should be glad you feel empty. The problem will occur the day you'd become numb to all of it."