Chapter 2: Meeting him again.
The first thing that Li Ruo saw when she exited her house was the pine tree that she had planted with her father when he was still alive.
A sincere smile forms on her face as she thinks of her father, he was the only one who genuinely loved her but he passed away when she was 13.
She had always thought that her father had died in a car accident, even though she knew that they weren't related by blood but he was the only one who had given her the love and the feel of having a family even though it was for a short time but those were the best years of her life.
Li Ruo found out the truth of her father's death just a short while before she was imprisoned by those people, a tear slips past her cheeks from her left eye as she thinks of how naive she was.
'Not again Li Ruo.... '
'You have to remember who you truly are, you have to stay strong, you have to protect the people important to you in this life'.
Li Ruo wipes her face and pats her cheeks as a spirited glow fills her eyes.
'I have to save them and not let them be disappointed in me again'.
Li Ruo reaches her school as it was quickly as it was only a short distance from her current house.
She enters her classroom and walks towards the third seat in the row just next to the window.
Her class was on the third floor facing the greenery and it was a sight to behold in monsoon.
She remembers the times when she was made fun of, the only friend she had was Xiao Rui who just like her was an underachiever.
It wasn't that they were not good at studies but rather they both had their own circumstances and the were the only ones who could truly understand each other.
She was always forced to write Li Jinning's name on her homework and assignments in the past. Even when they had exams, she had to teach her 'sister' and was never free to study herself.
Doing all the household chores made her so tired that she slept during most of her classes.
Xiao Rui's condition was not any better, he lived with his grandparents for as long as he could remember. His family was well off but all came to an end when his parents died in a car accident.
His father left the world on the site of the accident but his mother didn't, she received treatment but still couldn't survive and left the old couple and the kid a debt which accumulated over the years.
Xiao Rui worked in his free time to pay the debt and earn a living for the family of three but still if someone asks him about the debt, his reply will always be
'I don't regret anything that has happened, the only thing I regret is not being better enough to get my grandparents out of our current situation'.
Li Ruo sits on her seat as a hand envelopes her shoulder from behind.
She turns her head and is greeted by Xiao Rui's warm smile.
For a young man of 15, Xiao Rui was a handsome fellow. With the black hair and the obsidian eyes that have him a unique look and the aura around him so strong but suppressed by all the things happening in his life. She still remembers hearing something about him being the son of the young lady of a powerful family just before she was imprisoned but sadly she couldn't meet him because of the circumstances .
Lu Ruo realises that she has been staring at his face and turns her head so fast that it almost gives her a whiplash. Thankfully the shade of red that's turning a shade darker from embarrassment isn't easily visible because of her yellowish skin.
"You do remember that we're having our exams soon, right? "
Li Ruo turns to Xiao Rui who's staring out the window while the breeze blows his hair and shrugs as their isn't much she has to say about it.
"They are gonna be the deciding factor, you shouldn't be so casual"
"Don't worry, it's not that I'm casual but that I've decided that I'm gonna change my life and I'm gonna help you change yours".
Li Ruo pulls Xiao Rui closers as she whispers to him
" I have some money which I've kept hidden from my family no one else knows about it, it should be enough to sustain us till the exams are over, I'm gonna give it to you".
"I can't take it..... it's your money plus you're gonna need it for academy"
" You know how my family condition is..... if they know I have money left for myself then there's no way I can survive in the coming days plus I've decided to leave home and I have no other place than your home" ,Li Ruo begs Xiao Rui to not refute her again.
"At least you've come to your senses and finally decided to leave them"
Before Li Ruo can say something else, the bell rings indicating the start of the school, all the seats expect the ones surrounding Xiao Rui and Li Ruo are full.
It wasn't that there were extra chairs in the class but one of the many ways if isolating them from everyone else.
They were never literally bullied by their schoolmates as it was something looked down upon in this time and age but in turn isolated from everything.
Even the teachers turned a blind eye to all the happenings and their eyes even carried a trace of disdain whenever they looked at the two brave young adults trying to find their ways in life while dodging all the rocks and climbing all the obstacles life had for them since a young age.
As the school comes to an end, the teacher reminds everyone to use the preparatory holiday well and do their best in the exams a month from now.
Of course the teacher's gaze never went in the Li Ruo's direction and she had no expectations when it came to her.
Li Ruo made her way to Xiao Rui's house along with him when she suddenly stopped.
Xiao Rui turned to her to be met with determined eyes
"I'm gonna change our lives..... the exam that's gonna decide it is near and I swear to turn our fate and make this life better"
For the first time in all these years of knowing her, Xiao Rui's heart wavered as his eyes glazes a bit.
Looking at the figure bathing in the light of the setting sun, all he could do was nod while swallowing the lump in his throat.
For the first time in all these years, he felt like it wasn't bad having someone by his side, he felt that his life could truly change for the better.
Offering Li Ruo a hand which she took gladly and tightly held, Xiao Rui went in the direction of his home while their shadows danced with each other.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Acyst
Acyst Hey everyone
Sorry for the delay, the reason I didn't post was because soon after I posted the first chapter, an acquaintance of mine said some really hurtful things and I couldn't get over it. I had even decided to never continue the story. But today I logged back in and saw all the encouragement and decided to continue writing this story. I welcome all the advises about the story or if there's some better words to describe a situation as I know my vocabulary can be a little lacking.
Thanks
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