Click.
The entire mansion was plunged into complete darkness after the main power supply was switched off.
Just as Blaine was just about to get up to check the circuit breakers, he noticed warm, glimmering lights flickering in the dark.
Ruby was singing the birthday song while bringing a lit birthday cake over to Blaine.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…”
When he heard the woman’s beautiful singing voice, it felt as if her voice was striking the softest spots of his heart.
Ever since his mother’s death ten years ago, no one had ever sung the birthday song to him again, and he had stopped celebrating any birthdays ever since.
Ruby walked toward Blaine while holding the cake in her hands. The light from the candles completely illuminated her beautiful face. Her eyes looked gentle underneath the candlelight, the seeming glimmer of tens of thousands of stars in them as she stared at Blaine. Her smile seemed sweet and gentle.
“Happy birthday, Blaine.”
The moment Blaine stared at the woman in front of him, he somehow felt a pang in his heart.
The moment Ruby placed the birthday cake on the table, Blaine’s arms were embracing her tightly.
“Blaine?”
Since she was being tightly embraced in Blaine’s arms, she was unable to look at the man’s expressions. All she could hear was the man whispering into her ear, “I haven’t celebrated my birthday in years.”
She replied confidently, “All the more reason to celebrate then. However, you’re not a fan of lively environments, right, Blaine?”
No one would hate being in a lively environment except for people who were too used to being alone all the time. It was only people like that who would instinctively refuse to be in any sort of lively environment.
Blaine released her a little as he stared intensely at her beautiful, beady eyes through the candles’ glimmering lights. He said, “Today isnt’t just my birthday though. It’s also my mother’s death’s anniversary.”
Ah, so his refusal to celebrate his birthday because he was too depressed about it?
“So you were at the cemetery today to pay respects to your mother, Blaine?”
Blaine replied with a simple ‘yeah’. His expression dimmed as he lowered his gaze and continued, “But it’s my fault that my mother’s dead, so this day shouldn’t be celebrated.”
Ruby reached out and smeared some cream on her fingers before suddenly wiping it on the tip of Blaine’s nose.
Blaine was slightly stunned. Although he was aware of how bold she was, he did not expect her to be bold enough to smear cream on his face.
Ruby stared at his stunned expression. The milky white cream on the tip of Blaine’s nose made him seem less menacing. He was basically being pranked by her right now.
Ruby smiled as she stared at Blaine while saying, “Even if your mother’s death is your fault, your mother would never want to see you depressed and destroyed because of her. Yes, it’s important to pay your respects to her on this day, but you also have to celebrate your own birthday. The dead are already dead but we’re still alive and need to live. If your mother saw how depressed you are from heaven, she would be sad too.”
While staring at the side of her gentle face, he listened to her rare effort to comfort him so warmly. A wave of warmth washed over his heart, like a calm wave.
Blaine’s bitter handsome face seemed to have melted a little as he said, “I never expected the little fox with a silver tongue to also be capable of comforting people.”
Ruby pouted her lips and spoke as if she was hinting at something, “Oh Blaine, you underestimated me too much. Not only do I know how to comfort people. I know how to bake cakes as well.”
Although the lights were dim, he could see that her little face was blushing slightly.
Blaine pouted his lips, cracked a gentle smile, and blew the candles.
The instant the candles were extinguished and just before the lights were turned back on, Ruby suddenly asked while shrouded in darkness, “Were you serious about what you said earlier, Blaine?”
The man only replied to her with a few words, “Is there a problem with that?”
Lustful, playfully barbaric...and a shred of seriousness could be heard from the tone of his voice.
All the lights in the mansion were switched on again.
As Blaine stared at the little fox’s blushing cheeks, he asked with a subtle smile, “Did I scare you?”
Ruby shook her head and curiously asked, “Why would you like me, Blaine? I have nothing and am merely a stray cat you picked up.”
Blaine smeared some cream on the tip of the woman’s nose as he calmly stared at her and said, “You’re nothing like a stray cat. Would a stray cat argue with me? Would a stray cat talk about being treated fairly? Heck, a stray cat would climb onto its master’s lap when being ignored as it would be afraid of being abandoned. However, whenever I ignore you, you’d ignore me as well. Whenever I’m mad at you, you would be mad as well. This is unlikely behaviour for someone who’s dependent on another person.”
Ruby was squinting her beautiful eyes as she said, “You think I’m unreasonable, don’t you, Blaine?”
Blaine raised his hand to pat her hair. “Oh Softie. It’s really difficult for me to like anyone. However, since you’ve made me fall in love with you, I’ll never let you go. It’s difficult for a loner like me to develop feelings for anyone but since I’m starting to, I don’t want it to stop. If I actually fall in love with you, I’ll do everything in my power and wisdom to love and protect you.”
As she stared at the man’s handsome face, it seemed she had somehow caught feelings for him as well.
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