Eyes are assumed to be a speculum to our soul. Because eyes hold all the sentiments and emotions that we want to screen with the pretense of a smile. But the actual reason for lurking behind a smile is that sometimes those feelings and emotions are so overwhelming that we couldn’t possibly find the words to describe them. Nah!
The genuine purpose is that we can describe those feelings but we can never justify them with words. But with our eyes... They have their own charm and their own voice. A special song that all can hear but only a few can appreciate the lyrics.
Xiao Zhi-Ren’s eyes had those tangled feelings looking at his father coming his way accompanied by a group of people. He didn’t let his smile fade but he didn’t have any control over his own eyes. That is to say, his face had a soft smile but his eyes didn’t have the spark of that smile in them.
Looking into his ink-black eyes, she could feel a story floating in those eyes that reminded her of the dark night that she so fancied. But oddly, it was one of those moments when she felt the urge to read that story.
His eyes held a world in them which was unknown to her. But unknowingly, she wanted to explore that world.
Sensing an ardent gaze, Xiao Zhi-Ren stirred his eyes to meet Ru’s green ones looking keenly at him. At this moment, he found her eyes orphic; mysterious and entrancing, beyond his understanding.
For a split second, his heart shook vehemently against his chest. He felt like cowering away. Sneaking away from her eyes that seemed to be trying to read his heart... Or perhaps, his soul.
The eye contact between them was broken when Xiao Zhi-Ren heard someone’s voice, "Chairman Ji, meet Mr. Xiao Zhi-Ren, the astonishingly competent CEO who is behind the success of SnapVise Technologies." A director from Ji Yifeng’s side introduced Xiao Zhi-Ren and turned to say, "And Mr. Xiao, this is the Chairman of Ji Conglomerate, Mr. Ji Yifeng. But I think, Mr. Ji doesn’t need an introduction." He didn’t forget to brown-nose while he was at it.
Xiao Zhi-Ren took a deep breath and extended his hand towards Ji Yifeng as if meeting any other distinguished guest. "It’s a great pleasure meeting you, Mr. Ji." His voice was profoundly dignified and professional.
The way he hid his emotions made Ru praise him in her heart. Then she slipped her eyes towards Ji Yifeng and was astonished for a second to see him bearing the same look in his eyes that she saw in Xiao Zhi-Ren’s eyes.
But the story in Ji Yifeng’s eyes was a lot brighter to her since she could easily see a sense of being hurt, lost, yearning and sadness. It took a while for Ji Yifeng to extend his hand to shake Xiao Zhi-Ren as he said, "Likewise... Mr. Xiao Zhi-Ren." The way he said Xiao Zhi-Ren made Ru raise her brow in question.
’Interesting... Indeed, very interesting.’ She knew she had no right to interfere here. So, she tried to make her ubiquity unobtrusive. But she forgot a certain nature of her own self. She had an aura that was remarkably eye-catching. Even in her plain clothes, her presence could make people turn their head to get a glimpse of her.
"And this gentleman is..." Ji Yifeng wasn’t the only one who noticed her presence but he was the first to question her identity.
"I am a nobody..." Ru immediately replied taking a few steps backward, trying to run away.
How could Xiao Zhi-Ren let her slip away so easily? With a ’swish’, he caught the collar of her jacket making her halt. He turned her around while Ru was cursing in her heart. "This is Mr. Xie Rong!"
A few low gasps were heard from the group of people behind Ji Yifeng as someone voiced out, "He must have the same name as the chairman of Metrix Consortium. How could the real chairman be so young."
Everyone nodded agreeing to his assertion. Now, that observation made Ru feel offended. What did he mean by that? Did everyone had to be an old broom like him to become a chairman? What nonsense! She jeered in her heart.
But her face held a serene eloquence as if she wasn’t stirred by his words at all. What she didn’t know was that someone else felt even more offended than Ru herself at this moment. "Master, should I get you something to eat?" Ru was surprised to see Wu Dishi but since he was here acting servile, the group of elderly Chairmen couldn’t help but be shocked.
Wu Dishi had been here all along, but just like his master, he had his ways to conceal his presence. It’s just that he couldn’t stay away from this discussion when he heard those people questioning his own master’s identity.
"Is he really the mysterious chairman of Metrix Consortium?" Ru didn’t know who inquired but she was certainly glad that she wasn’t the one who had to slap an answer at his face. After all, her grandfather taught her to be reverential to the elderly people.
"Mr. Gou has any doubt about our chairman?" Hearing Wu Dishi’s reply, people couldn’t even gasp anymore. In the past two years, every one of them tried to find something about this chairman of Metrix Consortium but in the end, it turned out to be someone half of their own age. How ludicrous was that?
Ru tried to disregard all the people as she had suddenly come up with a thought, "Mr. Ji," Ji Yifeng looked at Ru but he was the only person whose expression didn’t change even for a second. And why would it, he had felt the firm and prodigious aura of Ru and that led him to inquire about her earlier. "You’re from the same Ji family whose Old master is Ji Ru Sheng?"
Ji Yifeng frowned slightly at this inquiry but still answered politely, "Yes... He’s my father."
Ru immediately passed him a beautiful smile surprising everyone with her handsomeness. "Say, would your old master be interested in selling his antique collection of hand carved, Chinese folk art?"
This question... It came out of the blue. It didn’t just surprise Ji Yifeng even Xiao Zhi-Ren was dumbfounded at the side. ’Seriously? Is this the place or time to discuss antique collections?’ Xiao Zhi-Ren could only roll his eyes at Ru since he really didn’t have any words for her.
"This... Mr. Xie, I won’t be able to answer. My father loves his collection but he certainly admires young competent young men like yourself. Why don’t you make this request to him personally?" Ji Yifeng suggested with a gentle smile on his face.
His impression of this green-eyed ’man’ altered in a minute. He found Ru to be a very impressive person. He had a perception that his father, Ji Ru Sheng would love this young one.
Ru rapped her chin in a pensive manner as she said, "I’ll think about this."
"Please, excuse us, Mr. Ji but we have something to discuss." Xiao Zhi-Ren politely made an excuse as he tugged at Ru’s sleeve.
Although Ji Yifeng’s heart felt the pain of being treated as a stranger by his own flesh and blood, he had no way or reason to impute his son. Therefore, he nodded his head.
Xiao Zhi-Ren dragged Ru to a corner while she was scowling. "What the hell? Would you stop pulling my jacket so much? It’s branded!" Ru fixed her jacket making Xiao Zhi-Ren close his eyes briefly trying to control his anger.
"Do you know what I have the urge to do right now?" Xiao Zhi-Ren asked while gritting his teeth.
Ru grinned looking at his livid expression and answered, "You want to punch me in the face."
Xiao Zhi-Ren’s eyes widened as he said, "How did you guess?"
Ru patted on his shoulder saying, "Everyone wants to do that. It’s one of my special qualities. I can bring out a person’s real self." She was surely feeling proud of herself while Xiao Zhi-Ren didn’t know what he was supposed to feel.
Was it normal that his anger suddenly lost like thin air? He kept staring at Ru’s tranquil face which oddly brought a sense of peacefulness to his heart. "But since you want to punch me, let me give you a piece of advice."
"What? You won’t let me punch?" Xiao Zhi-Ren retorted but Ru’s answer was unexpected.
"Although I can defend myself against your punch, I still won’t stop you from hitting me." He furrowed his brows in confusion as she continued in her deep and low voice, "Hurting me might give you a sense of accomplishment and you’ll also learn a lesson but it’ll be nothing compared to the lesson that you learned from being hurt by this world."
Xiao Zhi-Ren’s heart shook once again. How could a person’s words make him speechless? And how could that same person’s eyes make him feel vulnerable?