The Inconceivable Flame: A Fallen Angel's Disguise

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Can’t you let go of my ear?" Ru was trying to pry Zhu Jie’s hand off of her ear which was brutally assaulted. "Don’t test my patience!" She glared at him furiously.

He suddenly let go of her ear and stood in front of her saying, "Go ahead. Hit me." He held a challenging stance but no matter how irked Ru was inward, she couldn’t bring herself to hit him.

She unclenched her fists and stomped her foot in exasperation. "You’re taking advantage of the fact that I love you. This is so unfair, bro!"

"Ow!" He pulled her hair making her yelp. "Not my hair! That’s off-limits and you know that!"

Zhu Jie didn’t touch her hair again but didn’t let go of the matter as well. "How could you lie to me? Since when did my Ru’er start lying to me?"

Ru stood like a child who was guilty while shifting her weight from one leg to another. "I didn’t technically lie. I was just hiding. There is a difference." She still stubbornly held her ground.

"When did you come to Imperial?" Ru cursed in her mind knowing this question was unavoidable. He wasn’t letting her off now, if he knew she had been here for half a year, he might go berserk on her. No, no... This was a dangerous question.

"You see I was just about to tell you-"

His sharp voice cut her off, "Since when?"

"Does that matter?" She questioned annoyingly.

He knocked her head and said, "You flat-head! Stop trying to avoid my question. I still have old scores to settle with you."

Ru frowned while rubbing the side of her head and said, "You! Smurf-face! Why are you accusing me? There are no old scores between us."

"Little banana shenanigan! Don’t try to trick me!"

"Shut the front door! When did I trick you? I’m the most innocent little guy." She spoke righteously with an innocent look.

"Ha! Jerk-face, stop mixing your gender." He snapped back.

"Bloody lipping’ lizard, I’m not mixing my gender." He gave her a pointed look and she promptly changed her words, "Fine, fine. I’m the most innocent girl."

"Are you really?" He asked rhetorically.

"Hey! I’m a girl. Don’t question that at the very least."

He stifled his laughter and said, "I was talking about you being innocent but it seems like even you don’t have faith in your own gender."

Ru gaped at him in disbelief. He tricked her! This evil little minx!

She crossed her arms before her and turned her face away as if to declare that she was really mad at him now. He knew about her antics better than anyone. It was rare for her to act cute but she did it. And he was one of those lucky people who had to handle her grumpy self.

Zhu Jie held her arms and said, "Get over with this grumpy look now. Your face will look like a balloon otherwise."

Ru subconsciously lifted her hands to touch her face before shaking her head. Not wanting to fall for his words again.

As he kept tugging at her arm, she finally had to react, "You called me jerk-face."

"And you called me smurf-face. Am I complaining?"

"Whatever!" Her grumbling made him laugh out in pleasure as he rubbed her hair lovingly.

"So, does our Ru’er still needs that big and warm hug?" She nodded her head vigorously making him amused. He pulled her in his arms like a little kid and said, "If your subordinates knew that their lord actually acts cute like this with her brother, they might get a heart attack."

"What does that have to do with them? I’m hugging my own brother, not theirs." She replied back.

After a long comfortable hug, he pushed her away slightly and said, "This little brother of mine is still changing topics."

"Elder brother, you should get over it. The water has already gone under the bridge, let’s not try to dig old graves now."

Zhu Jie knew he couldn’t win in words with her. She had her ways to sneak away. Technically, they were cousins but since they called each other brother from the beginning, none of them really changed it. She didn’t want to be his little sister, so he treated her like a little brother and for her, he was a brother from the very first day.

Tapping her forehead, he said, "Little brother, be nice and tell me how long have you been here?"

’What the fudge! Why are we still stuck here?’ She was yelling in her mind but had to maintain her composure for his sake. As if a lightbulb suddenly went on, she said, "I lost my first kiss."