"Dinner is served, Madam."
As the maid announced this Ru's mind immediately spaced out everything else except for the food she was hungry for. After all, she came for the food. No, you came for the woman on the third floor. Her conscious reminded her. So what? Now, I'm here for the food. So, shut up!
"Let's go to the dining room." Old Madam Ji made her way towards the dining hall while Ru trailed behind her happily.
"What took you so long in the comfort room?" Xiao Zhi Ren who was walking beside cheery Ru asked.
Ru gave him a forced smile and said, "Didn't I already explain that I was lost?"
"Oh, and you want me to believe that a self-proclaimed 'genius' like you forgot his way back?" The way he air-quoted the word genius made a vein twitch on Ru's face.
"I wasn't paying attention." Ru tried to shirk away but how could Xiao Zhi Ren let her do that?
"I don't buy your words."
"How ironic!" Ru feigned a gasp and added, "I wasn't selling my words as well."
This time Xiao Zhi Ren's mouth twitched. He took a deep breath to stop himself from coming up with an ironic retort. "We can either dilly-dally for the whole night or you can be straightforward with me. Because I'm really not believing that you lost your way."
'As if I didn't know that.' Ru rolled her eyes inwardly at him. 'Why is he so insistent? Have to shut him up.'
With a devious look in her eyes, she stated, "My aunt visited. I was busy taking care of her."
"You have an aunt? And she visited you here?" Ru held back her urge to laugh at his expression but it was a real effort on her part.
Scratching the tip of her nose, Ru cleared her throat and said, "I do have an aunt, Zhi Hyung. She likes to visit every month for five days without delay. She is very diligent and trust me when I say she's a pain in my poor arse. As much as I hate her, I can't go against nature now. Can I?"
Xiao Zhi Ren was surely still lost since he said, "Yeah. We can't be disrespectful to elders."
That did it for Ru as she burst out laughing. He looked so innocent while talking about this that for the first time, Ru had the urge to pinch someone's cheek and if our young master Ru wants to do something, who would stop her? Apparently, no one!
Ru actually pinched his cheeks making his eyes widen as she gave him a toothy grin. "Zhi, you are adorable."
Before he could bask in the first compliment from her, he recalled something and cursed under his breath before whispering softly, "You were talking about your periods?" His face was beetroot red while his voice was cautious which made Ru laugh even louder.
"I was." Her answer made Xiao Zhi Ren want to dig a hole and just bury himself in. How could he be so... naive?
"Stop making fun of me." He grumbled to hide his embarrassment. It wasn't his fault that he didn't know the meaning of 'visit from my aunt'. He had been in the States for more than ten years. Also, that term had nothing to do with him.
"I'm not making fun of you. I really think you're adorable."
"Don't you think that men don't like being called adorable?"
"Really? But they should. I like this bashful side of yours a lot better."
Her words lingered in the air while she had walked inside the dining hall and took a seat with an impassive look back on his face.
While Ru was trying to keep her composure, she didn't see the thoughtful look on Old Madam Ji's face. She had seen Ru's earlier interaction with Xiao Zhi Ren in the hallways. She was just as much stunned as Xiao Zhi Ren was when Ru pinched his cheeks. That grandson of hers never even let her touch his face! This was unbelievable.
Soon Xiao Zhi Ren also joined them on the table and took a seat beside Old Madam Ji while Ru was seated opposite of them.
"Enjoy the meal," Old Madam Ji said with a smile on her face and that same thoughtful look in her eyes.
"I sure will."
"He sure will."
Both Ru and Xiao Zhi Ren said simultaneously and gave each other a look before turning back to the food.