A Mature Teenager

Ru lifted his shirt to see a ghastly sight. Although the wound looked deep, it didn't seem to have done much damage. The wound was right below his left kidney. It seemed to be like something sharp had pierced through him. The blood was oozing out of the wound but Xiao Zhi-Yuan didn't seem to care much about it. Perhaps the adrenaline was still high from the earlier scuffle.

"I asked a question, Xan!" Ru raised her voice instinctively but Xiao Zhi-Yuan didn't answer.

"Aye, this is the first time, Oniisan has called me Xan and not kiddo. I'm so happy!" He grinned again disregarding Ru's fierce gaze.

"Xan, what happened?" Ru softened her tone while gritting her teeth.

"Aiyah! Nothing happened. I told you Nah, I don't fit in here. So, they just tried to teach me a lesson for being different. That's the problem with us humans. We want to be different ourselves but if someone else turns out to be different, we get upset over it." Xiao Zhi-Yuan shook his head like a mature person. "Anyways, when they pushed me in the corner, that small pole just dug in my skin." He spoke nonchalantly as he pointed towards a sharp edge of the pole on one side.

Ru rubbed her forehead as she questioned, "Where are your incompetent bodyguards?"

"Oh, those! I asked bro to keep them away from me. I don't like them running around me like my tail." Ru had the urge to slap him and she even lifted her hand to do so. But the way he closed his eyes in fear made Ru drop her hand down.

She had been placing her hand over his wound to stop the bleeding but it wasn't that effective. "Let's take you to the hospital," Ru suggested.

"Nope!" Xiao Zhi-Yuan backed away saying, "I'm not going to the hospital."

"Why?" Ru questioned while Xiao Zhi-Yuan pursed his lips. "Don't tell me, you're actually scared of hospitals?"

Xiao Zhi-Yuan didn't like the term 'scared'. So, he argued, "No. I just don't like hospitals. Have some bad memories." He didn't want to share the detail of his dislike for hospitals. His worst memories were associated with hospitals. How could he talk about it so openly?

"Fine! Then sit down on the ground," Ru saw the way his face was solemn at the mention of the hospital. So, she decided not to push him any further. She could treat his wound anyway so it didn't matter much.

Xiao Zhi-Yuan didn't argue this time and sat down on the ground. Ru lifted his shirt up and pulled out her set of needles. She placed the already disinfected needles precisely around his wound and the blood stopped oozing out. Xiao Zhi-Yuan was more than impressed since he didn't feel anything.

Ru stood up and pulled out her cell phone to make a call. "Hey, Wu Dishi! Do something for me." She instructed Wu Dishi about the things that he needed to bring and disconnected the call.

"Now, you tell me who were these thugs," Ru turned to Xiao Zhi-Yuan for a questioning session. She had a hateful look in her eyes as she glared at the teenager who still laid unconscious on the ground.

"I can't point fingers at other people when I'm the one to blame." Ru gave him an inquiring look and he went on, "I mean, I shouldn't say that they are in the wrong since I know that it's me who's weak. instead of pointing my finger at them to blame, I can only work on myself to become stronger. But I never cared about it before since I was never bullied back in New York."

Ru didn't know whether she should smile at the fact this teenager was mature for his age or be sad that he had grown up earlier than he was supposed to? She didn't like the idea of Xiao Zhi-Yuan losing his innocence at such a young age just because of this cruel world. She had faced the cruel world first hand and she never wished that anybody else should go through what she did.

She tousled his hair and said, "Stop talking like an eighty-year-old. As for being strong, physical strength is superficial. If anything, you should become more clever than your enemies. Also, I know you're hurting. There is nothing wrong with lying sometimes but we should avoid lying about our feelings. Otherwise, those pure feelings get tainted by lies."

Xiao Zhi-Yuan gazed at Ru strangely. He didn't know why he had this strange connection with Ru. But he just knew that the person before him was someone extraordinary. And also, he just knew that he wanted this person in his life. After his own brother, 'he' was the sincerest person he had ever met.

After a while, Wu Dishi brought the things that Ru asked for and stood at a side in silence. Ru wore her gloves and cleaned the wound properly before stitching it and applying the bandage.

"You're all set. Wu Dishi will drive you home." Ru told Xiao Zhi-Yuan who had his eyes closed. When Ru saw him showing this vulnerable side, she couldn't help but smile. 'So, you aren't that strong after all, eh?'

Xiao Zhi-Yuan looked at his perfectly bandaged wound and lifted his eyes to face Ru. "Oniisan can really do anything!" His praise made Ru frown a bit. "Oh, and why don't Oniisan take me home? I don't want to go with him." Xiao Zhi-Yuan gave Wu Dishi a look and said, "No offense by the way."

"None taken," Wu Dishi replied politely.

Ru wasn't planning on saying yes but his black gleaming eyes made her agree. "Fine! Wu Dishi drive the car!" Ru helped Xiao Zhi-Yuan up and took him to the car. Wu Dishi had already placed her bicycle in the luggage compartment afraid that his master might get angry if he forgot the precious ride of 'his'.

When Wu Dishi was driving both Xiao Zhi-Yuan and Ru, he was wondering what relationship there could be between the two. He had never seen his master act so cordially with anyone before. What's more, the teenage boy was actually calling his master as Oniisan!? No-one ever dared to call his master this affectionately before! Wu Dishi thought this was huge news and he needed to share it with someone but he couldn't even do that.

Rumors and gossips were forbidden in Knight Empires and the consequences of both were unimaginable. He definitely didn't have the desire to be one of those who got to experience those consequences first hand. Therefore, he could only shut his trap and concentrate on his job.

On the other hand, Ru was staring at Xiao Zhi-Yuan's calm and collected face. He didn't look like someone who had just been hurt. Although there were signs of paleness on his face, he didn't show any signs of weakness though.

But in her limited time with Xiao Zhi-Yuan, she had read him inside out. This boy was not aloof or cold. Instead, he was a very warm person. He was always sincere. His reason for distancing himself from the world was that he was afraid of losing people. Ru had learned that he grew up without parents and that might have been his reason for avoiding the attachments. Why he chose to attach himself with her, she didn't know. But she knew that she wasn't gonna complain about it either.

When Wu Dishi stopped the car before the apartment building, Ru was surprised. She only read the huge name board, 'Joyous Homes' and a wave of old memories rushed to her mind.

'Here I am, standing before the place where I didn't plan to come again.' she thought to herself as she shook her head lightly. She pulled off the cap from her head and climbed off the car.