The selfie

"I . . . I . . . I am sad," Ruoruo stammered. She began sobbing as she slumped to the ground after hearing her sister scream so painfully and the loud sound of the glass cup her sister held hitting the ground had her heart racing so fast.

"I warned you not to be sad about anything. You should live well and do what you want. That is the only reward I get from doing all I am doing now. I have warned you about speaking about him.

"I can not lose you. I must not. Do not say another word about him or I will never talk to you again," she threatened as she stood up.

Ruoruo stood up immediately and stopped her sister. "Stay there, I will learn the glass on the floor," she said firmly as she walked away.

Lin Jing sat down and mopped her tears. She knew she was a little bit harsh but she was willing to do anything to protect her sister.

Ruoruo washed her face with cold water before returning to clean up the glass. She knew she was very daring with what she said but she had no choice.

This was the third time her sister was getting beaten up for goodness' sake. If only they could go into hiding together.

Lin Jing watched her sister as she diligently cleaned the broken glasses on the floor while trying to say anything. She noticed her open her mouth to speak but would close her mouth again with a sigh.

"I will do it," Lin Jing was forced to tell her sister as she could not keep watching the girl acting as though she was in her living room for a condolence visit.

"How are you doing with your boyfriend?" Ruoruo asked instead of answering her sister's request.

"We are fine," she replied with a sigh as she was glad her sister did not ask any more questions about what they should never talk about.

Ruoruo looked at her sister and laughed heartily. "I am glad," she murmured as she met her sister's gaze. She wanted to ask her if that man was okay with their relationship but she had to bite her lower lips from saying anything about him as he was a taboo topic, especially in her sister's living room.

Lin Jing looked at her the contagious joy her sister did not hide in her smile although it was also not able to cover up that innermost pain she felt.

It was a smile that gave her hope and she could not help but smile back as she smiled, she could feel the hope flow through her vein.

This was the reason why should stop at nothing to protect her sister from the world she was in. The joy the little girl brought was what kept her going even after their mother suddenly disappeared.

***********

"I will love you to meet my mother and friends officially as soon as you have recovered fully," Mr. Shen who was dating whose name was Shen Yan told her firmly obviously not giving her any room to escape or avoid it.

"It is only right I do so. People will want to know how solid our relationship is especially the people we are doing this for," she agreed wholeheartedly although she did not like the tone in which he spoke to her.

"I would never forget that," he replied to her. he was smiling but it was difficult for her to see that the smile was far from getting to his eyes, so fake.

But that was the reason she felt at ease. She was never going to fall in love with him or so she believed and she did not want him to get to attached because no one know what would happen in the future.

People always change and she was not an exception. If she ever changes, her surroundings will have to change to fit her in meaning those people she would be with and when that happens, she might not want to be with him.

It would hurt him if that happens and make her the villain. It was best emotions and feelings are kept out of contractual relationships to make their end goal the priority in all they do.

"Are you a good actor because I know you have no feeling for me but you should be able to cover that up in front of my eagle-eyed friends."

She smiled. "I will take care of it. You are doing enough by coming to visit me here. That way we would be able to make them believe it," she told seriously.

She held his hand and brought it to her face. She pressed the bad of his warm palm against her cheeks. He was taken aback and tried to pull his hand from her grip but she held unto it with a smile.

She picked up her phone when he stayed still. She took a selfie with a peaceful smile on her face as she closed her eyes.

When she released his hand and looked at the picture on the screen of her phone, she smiled pleased with what she saw.

The camera of her phone contributed as well as the natural lighting from the ceiling-to-floor windows and the beautiful woman holding a man's hand against her cheeks.

She tapped on her phone and he received a notification on his phone. He pulled out his phone while looking at her weirdly.

She smiled, alas, he followed her social media. People will have a lot to say about the picture. She smiled when he moved his gaze from the phone to her eyes.

"That should make them curious and make it easier when we meet openly."

He nodded as he found out that she was doing it to expose the fact that she had a man now. He cleared his throat to hide the peculiarly sore feeling that gave him.

"I will take care of it on my end while you hint that you have a woman and when we meet, we will not be too unfamiliar or it won't be too much of a surprise to make it unbelievable.

"The moment we can persuade your brother that it is real, then we have gotten to the peak and would just as naturally as we have nothing to correct or adjust anymore," she told him seriously.

You would not say she did not trust his brother because she trusted his brother more than she trusted him but she wanted them to fool everyone around them to leave no stone unturned.