80 79. Second Brother

RuQian received a message, she checked it and sighed, "I don't think I'll really have the time to be introduced to you later. I have a rat bitch to deal with." She sipped her drink slowly enjoying the cool liquid flowing down her throat.

"You know a lot of rats huh?" Mu Chen understood whom she was referring to.

"That's our life, isn't it?" She felt Mu Chen staring at her, she turned to him to see his questioning gaze. "Oh come on, I might not know who you are but I can at least tell that you are rich." She stared into his shining gray eyes wanting to get closer to him and know more about him. But she wasn't an idiot to not know why he was hiding his identity.

"Darkness is your old friend huh?" Mu Chen was slightly taken aback by the drastic change in the topic. He nodded wordlessly. "Should I befriend it too?" He studied her smiling face quietly wanting to know what she was thinking. He had a slight idea of what she was trying to say.

"You just put yourself in the spotlight an hour back. It will be difficult to befriend darkness."

RuQian tilted her head thinking about it, "Hmm, I will just have to deal with it. But I will have to befriend darkness, it's easier that way."

Mu Chen pursed his lips, "You'll have to do it someday anyways. It won't be bad to start early."

"Huh?" RuQian quirked her brow pretending she did not understand what he meant. She then realized why Mu Chen had sent master Liu to her but this did not happen in her past life so she was curious what had changed this time.

"It will be difficult to always stay in the shadows." He continued unfazed by her act.

"I won't always be in the shadows. I can't really hide myself completely, so I'll just have to stay in between." RuQian wanted to ask him if it was difficult hiding everything from his family but she couldn't bring herself to question him. If she said she knew him, she would have to open up about herself and that was something she was terrified to do. She couldn't share her feelings with anyone. What if he too was like Chang Min. Everyone would only hurt her, she did not want to take chances.

"It's dangerous to just stay in between." His eyes narrowed as he warned her, guessing her plan.

"I can't always stay in the light and neither can I always stay in the dark. Staying in between is my best bet. It's not like I like the light anyways, so I might as well embrace the darkness." RuQian shrugged finishing her drink and turned towards Mu Chen. "I should be going back now. You can stay with your friend. I can see if I'll have time afterwards to be introduced to you, Mr. Whoever you are."

As RuQian turned around to leave, Mu Chen held her wrist lightly and whispered in her ear, "I don't think I can stay." RuQian glared at him with blazing eyes and tightly pursed lips. If not for her next words he would have thought she was mad that he touched her.

"If you couldn't even spare this little amount of time, you really shouldn't have come." RuQian pulled her hand from his grasp and left without even turning back. She was so mad at him. He did not even introduce himself, she could understand that his identity was a secret and he didn't want her in danger. But now he wanted to leave just like that without telling her his name. She knew his name but he didn't know that and the asshole did not even wish her on her birthday.

She really wanted to kick him in the nuts, that's how angry she was. She stomped angrily towards the ballroom. She had liked their small banter, the push and pull, and she had even liked their serious talk.

Mu Chen was a very intelligent man. When she had started talking she had seen the way the gears in his head turned. He understood what her future plan was. She had actually changed a lot of her plans mainly her career plans after he sent Master Liu to her. RuQian had taken a very huge risk by sharing one of her most important future plans with him, even if it was indirectly said. The guy however had the audacity to say that he would leave. What a bastard! All men were the same.

Mu Chen felt like an ass after she left. He could tell she was angry. He didn't even introduce himself and just said that he would have to leave. She was probably going to deal with that Xu Xu girl. She would be in a bad mood and he just worsened it for her.

"Fuck! I didn't wish her." He pulled at his hair wanting to kick himself now. How could he not wish her on her birthday and IN her birthday party? What was wrong with him? And he even forgot to give her her gift. 'The hell. I am seriously a moron.' He chided himself in the dark.

'I really can't leave like this. At least she doesn't remember me, well she does but she won't say that out loud, or else she wouldn't have been pissed. I should just wait for her and meet her after she's done with that rat bitch and wish her, no I should probably apologize to her, no I should give her the gift first. She won't feel mad if I give her a gift right? Who do I ask about this? If I call my family, they'll think I have a girlfriend or something.'

After thinking for a while Mu Chen called a number, "Second Brother? Woah you actually called me?" Mu Chen hung up without saying anything, there was no use talking to this idiot.

He called another number, "Hello." A sleepy voice answered after a while, "Chen, is that you? What's wrong? Did something happen?" The sleepiness immediately left and was replaced by a slightly panicked voice.

"Well, something did happen. I need your guidance on something." Mu Chen murmured.

"Oh, so I don't have to come there, right?

"No no, I just need your advise."

The person on the other side raised his eyebrows in shock. His stubborn didi[1] needed advise from him? The guy who never asked anyone about anything even when he was a kid wanted his advise? He couldn't fault the guy though, he always made the best decisions even under the worst pressure, so he never needed anyone else. "Um.. sure. What can I help you with?"

"I kinda made someone mad at me, so now I don't know what to do."

Okay so his didi cared about how other's felt now? Must be his family, he came to this conclusion. "I need a little more context here didi. Why is that person angry with you?"

"Um.. I had to wish that person on their birthday which I forgot to do and I also forgot to give her the gift and then I told her I was leaving when she told me she would meet me later, so she left without even looking back at me. Ugh.. she's mad at me, I know she's mad. What do I do?" Mu Chen kept groaning making Yang Bo Ran feel even more curious about what was wrong with his ever calm brother.

He grasped the situation and perceived that his second brother was talking about a woman, but he was sure it was no one from his family because it wasn't any of their birthday. Did his second brother have a girlfriend. He wanted to ask but he kept quiet wisely. He coughed slightly to gain his second brother's attention, "If you think you've angered her, apologize first, then wish her a happy birthday and then present her with the gift. She'll understand."

"Oh, she will? Wait, how do you know it's a She?"

"You said it was a she..." What was wrong with his second brother. A man who had perfect memory even when he was dead drunk, didn't remember what he said in the previous sentence? He had a girlfriend for sure.

"Oh, I said that right? Okay. So she won't be mad if I apologize right? Alright, thanks for the advise, I'll talk to you later. Bye Bo bro."

Yang Bo Ran felt emotional when he heard the last sentence. Mu Chen had only called him that when he was a kid. He felt it was too childish to call him Bo bro later on in his teenage years. It had been years since he had seen or heard(in this case) his Second Brother speaking in this manner. Whoever this woman was that had been able to bring out the old Mu Chen was nothing short of an angel.

[1] dìdi- Younger brother in Mandarin.