Chapter 2: The Party and Bo Cheng
"Hello there, guest" said Ruan Muchou as she struggled to remember this scholar with the green robes' name. At the end she gave up, it's not like he matters at this point.
"Hello" he replied unenthusiastically and even glared at her. 'Keep a straight face and walk away, Muchou. Walk away. It's not worth angering the great beast later.'
She had decided to entertain the guests so as to not be sung the happy birthday song by her mom later on and sit there like an awkward monkey she knew she was going to devolve into. There were at least 25 people there to 'celebrate' her 13th birthday, but she knew as good as her mother that these people, who had bought nothing but sons to the celebration, were here to propose engagements.
Her Ruan family was headed by her uncle, Ruan Jian, a laid back, indefatigable man of 40 years of age. Unfortunately, he was unmarried to this day and because of the situation with Ruan Mochou's immediate family, he was the perfect candidate to be the patriarch. The reason for so many possible suitors is because of him. Ruan Jian owned a fourth of all the businesses in Nonbaek, the city they lived in, resulting in him being one of the richest and most influential people in Nonbaek. As it was set currently after his death, the only inheritors of his wealth would be Ruan Mochou and her younger brother, Ruan Lifeng.
No one here thought her a beauty or a kind girl, as none of them really knew her. Neither had she friends to speak of. She once did have two friends, but one betrayed her and the other slowly forgot about her. Regardless, they saw her as a safe filled to the brim with gold. Not that it mattered. She would marry upon her dead body.
"Big sis, what are you doing?" came a voice from right. behind. her.
"AHh!!" Ruan Mochou turned around and lo and behold, there stand her younger brother with a smirk on his face so infuriating, she feared she might attack him. The only consolation she had was the fact that he was looking up at her. Just like he'd always done. Heh.
"Are you trying to give your elder sister a heart attack?! I almost keeled over from the start you gave me! Just because of that, no sweet and sour chicken for you later. I'll hand it all to Vermilla." she scolded him.
"NO! YOU MONSTER! If you'd kick the bucket, then that means you were too old and needed to go!" shouted Ruan Lifeng back.
"Who's old? If I'm old, what's mom?" she retorted.
"..." That shut him up. "Anyways what do you want?" asked Ruan Muchou. "I was going to give you a present..." said Ruan Lifeng under his breath, cheekily. Immediately after she heard what he said, it was like she was drowned in boiling hot guilt water. She sighed and said "Don't worry, I won't give your share of sweet and sour chicken to Vermilla, I'll give her something else to eat later." and as soon as she uttered those words, his face glowed as if the sun had just risen from a long period of darkness. "Now, where's the present you wanted to give me?" she asked. "Here." He extended his hand and in his tiny little palm lay a small red box with a black ribbon tied to a note with "From Mom and Lifeng" and her name written in blue, though it was written in horrid handwriting, it was still quite nice. She opened the box and in it lay a jade spatial ring encrusted with tiny black onyxes on the sides. Her favorite gems. She was elated when she lay her eyes on it as she had always wanted something from both her mother and brother that she could wear forever that could double as a useful gadget, but she was never someone who had asked for sentimental things if it weren't books. She put it on and checked the space inside. It was huge! Or at least it was huge to her. It was enough to stuff an entire small room of things she might need.
She looked back at her younger brother, who all of a sudden seemed much more adorable than yesterday, with his huge grin that made his green eyes become slits on his face and his chubby cheeks. Normally, she'd just thank him and give him an extra portion of sweet and sour chicken, but this time she couldn't help but squeeze him so tightly, he started to tap at her, reminding her that this little squishy human needed to breathe and needed his spine intact. So, she let go.
"Thank you, Lifeng." she said. "You're welcome, big sister!" he replied as he skipped away merrily.
'Cute child.' Ruan Mochou thought as she walked away to find her mother to thank her as well.
When the party was halfway over, she was called over by her mother to showcase her skills at the qin and sing. She decided to play a song called Upwards to the Moon [1] she had heard after she was forced to watch a play with her mother one day.
Left hand holds the earth
Right hand holds the sky
From my palm erupts
Flashing in all directions lightning bolt
Hold time
Quickly turning into years
Three thousand lifetimes
As if we've never met
Left hand yields a flower
Right hand swings a sword
Falling between my eyebrows,
Ten thousand years of snow
A teardrop
Ah, ah, ah
that's me
Ah, ah, ah
Left hand strikes
Right hand strums a chord
A boat floats on the
River of Oblivion
When troubled
Open red lotus
Don't stop
Giving me a distraction
Left hand upwards to the moon
Right hand on a red thread
To give you and me
Our predestined love
In the moonlight
Ah, ah, ah
You and I
Ah, ah, ah
Left hand become feathers
Right hand into scales
Some lifetime are in the clouds
Some lifetime are in the forest
Willing to follow you
To turn into a grain of dust
In all
Mortal realm emerges
Left hand picks you up
Right hand lets you go
When I clasp my hands,
You're back in my heart
A stick of incense
Ah, ah, ah
You're me
Inseparable
A round of applause proceeded the song and as she curtsied, she felt a burning gaze on her, when she looked towards where she had felt it she peered into a pair of gray eyes among the crowd and because she hated the way the pair of eyes wouldn't look away despite her clearly staring back, she decided to glare at him and only looked away when her mother dragged her to a father and son duo gazing at her and her mother, greedily. 'Bastards' she thought. "Congratulations young lady, on your 13th birthday." greeted the father. He wore a simple yellow robe that did no favors to his snake-like eyes and appearance. "Hello Master..." "Oh, forgive my manners. My name is Bo Liwei and this is my son, Bo Cheng who has just recently turned 17" he replied arrogantly.
'Of course you two are Bo's. Isn't that wonderful?' Ruan Mochou thought sarcastically. The Bo family was on the same par as the Ruan family, only they were more military-based with the exception of Bo Liwei, who as his appearance suggests, is a wealthy businessman from a side branch, but not as wealthy as her uncle.
"Greetings Master Liwei and Young Master Cheng-" she paused for a brief second as she recognized the obsessed look in Bo Cheng's eyes for a moment before he quickly masked it. As if the gray eyes didn't give him away. 'Well, fuck' she thought as she re-evaluated him. He had long silky black hair tied with a ribbon, a dark blue robe which contrasted nicely against his fair skin. His lips were thin, as if they were being pressed together in an effort to refrain from saying something and finally his eyes were the grayest and coldest she had ever seen, almost white cold and comparable to snow or even ice. "I hope you are enjoying the party?" she asked after having the skin on her upper arm twisted sneakily by her mom next to her. 'I WILL NOT FORGET THIS MOTHER!' she thought. Her mind was full of grievances as she asked the question. "Yes, it is entertaining. Your skill at the qin and singing is of admirable caliber and have decided to introduce you to my son, so the two of you could become friends." he said. 'Bastard. I know exactly what you're trying to do. I'll marry upon my grave, you imbecile!'
"Hello, Young Mistress Ruan." said Bo Cheng as he stared at her with his cold, gray eyes. "Hello, Young Master Bo." she replied. At this moment, she hoped with all her might that her mother would remember her earlier promise of not setting her up with strangers, but hope as she might, her mother uttered the words she had dreaded the most "Mochou'er, go and give Young Master Bo a tour.". She was doomed. By her own mother...
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Lunara
Lunara [1] Upwards to the Moon is an ending song to Ashes of Love. I bumped into it when I was blankly scrolling through Youtube one day.
How's this chapter? I think it was better than the last. Of course, there is a lot that could be improved, but it's getting there. If you still kept reading despite the dreary 1st chapter, thanks! It might not mean much, but it means a lot to me, a stranger. I don't have any jokes right now. I'll probably post two later.
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