The Devil who devoured Snow White

328  You promised me, right?

Si Hongqi was currently standing in front of Tian Ruyi's place. He tried knocking but there was no answer from inside. That was why he decided to wait outside thinking that she might not be at home yet.

Seconds ticked until an hour passed by. He was checking his phone over again and again, waiting for her messages, or even calls but there were none. When he tried contacting her again, he was notified that her phone was turned off. Si Hongqi decided to wait for Tian Ruyi for a bit longer, hoping that she would show up. When he thought that she was not going to show up, he decided to leave. He walked towards the elevator and pressed the arrow down button.

Ding!

As the door slid open, his eyes widened when he saw the person standing inside the elevator. "Tian Ruyi…"

The woman slowly lifted her tired eyes to look at his face. She looked thinner and paler than the last time Si Hongqi saw her. She was carrying a white plastic bag with a few bottles inside.

"Ah… you're still here? Sorry, I passed by some-"

Tian Ruyi's words was cut off when she was suddenly pulled inside his arms. "Thank goodness… I thought you weren't going to come," he whispered in relief as he tightened his embrace around her.

She was startled by the hug. Tian Ruyi stood still like a rock on her ground. She gradually pulled her lips into a line as she steadily tightened her grip on the plastic bag she was holding.

Taking a step back, Si Hongqi inspected her features, a worried expression on his face. "Where have you been, Ruyi? Do you know how worried I was? We've been looking for you!"

Just as she was about to open her mouth, another person entered the elevator. She glanced at the man before she turned her gaze back at him. "We can talk in my place." She side-stepped and walked past him, heading to her apartment.

Si Hongqi noticed how distant she was but he couldn't really blame her after what she had been through and for that reason, he wanted to be there for her just as she was there when he needed someone. He followed her and entered her place before he opened his mouth once again and directly asked, "Do you hate me?"

"Should I?" She replied upon sitting on the sofa. She removed the bottles from the plastic and placed it on the coffee table.

He sighed once again as he looked at how she was being so distant. After walking towards the kitchen to retrieve two glasses for them, he returned to the room and sat down next to her. He poured some of the beverage from the bottle into their glasses before he offered one to her.

Tian Ruyi acknowledged the offer of the drink before taking the first sip from it. The bitterness of the drink spread in her mouth but she had always liked it that way, especially now. "I've been living with your brother." She suddenly said out of nowhere.

Si Hongqi did not give off the impression of being surprised by her words in the least, which is understandable given that he was already aware of the situation. He didn't have to put on an act or pretend.

When she glanced at him, her brow twitched. "Even though you said that you were looking for me, it seems as though you already know where I was. Were you genuinely trying to find me?"

"I did… at first." He turned to look at her, gazing into her eyes. "Si Guanlin's dangerous. I don't know what he'll do to you if I want to get you from him."

Si Guanlin reached out and gently held her hand. "I'm sorry, Ruyi."

She gazed blankly at the man beside her, scrutinizing him. It was not like she was clueless on how dangerous his brother was. She pulled her hand back before she reached out to her bag and took something out of it. It was a knife. "Si Guanlin wanted me to kill you. That's why I'm here." He became stiff as a sudden coldness hit his core when he heard her words. "W-what?" He stuttered, looking at him in disbelief.

Tian Ruyi shifted her gaze towards the knife she was holding before placing it away. "I'm not an idiot, you know. I'm not going to allow him to use me. Revenge this, revenge that. Of course I wanted to go after Bai Jingye's killer for revenge but that doesn't mean I'm going to kill others."

Once again, Si Hongqi was shocked with what she said. This time, her eyes didn't look as dead as earlier.

In one gulp, she finished the drink from her glass before she reached out to the bottle to refill it. "In fact, your brother is waiting for me in the parking lot." She turned to him. "He really gets on my nerves, you know. I'd rather kill him."

He looked at the knife that was placed on the sofa before he reached out and took it. "I don't really mind it if you're the one who's going to kill me."

She turned to him and raised a brow. "I'm not a murderer, why should I kill you?"

"You said that he's waiting for you in the parking lot, doesn't that mean he expects you to do your job? If you left her without killing me, he might come after you and kill you instead."

"You said that you'll protect me." The words came out of her mouth unexpectedly as she stared intently at him.

As he heard those words from him, Si Hongqi felt his heart leap in his chest. He ended up staring back at her and so did she. Tian Ruyi took the knife from him and once again, placed it on the side before she held his hand. With a soft gaze, she continued, "You promised me, right?"