"Sister Ye, we are leaving first!"

          It was after 12 midnight.  The part-time worker-cum-student, Xiao Jia and the Obasan (middle age lady) cleaning lady had finished their cleaning duties and were the first to leave.  Xiao Jia bid farewell to Ye Ruwei as his classes were scheduled for tomorrow morning.

          "Be careful on the road!"  Ye Ruwei said softly.

          "We will…..Bye bye!"

          After Xiao Jia and the Obasan had left, Ye Ruwei checked all the windows and door and rechecked the water and electricity switches before locking the door.  In a happy mood, she walked out of Hongye Hot Springs.

          She stood at the door for a moment and looked around but did not see the black two-door sports car.

          That’s strange.......has he left?

          A strong feeling of disappointment immediately surged from her heart.  Ye Ruwei frowned as she stepped down the stairs.  She looked around while walking towards the road outside the low bamboo fence.  As soon as she reached the road, she saw the black BMW sports car parked outside the low bamboo fence.

          So, he is here!

          Immediately, she let out a sigh of relief.  She smiled and walked briskly towards the man who was looking up at the night sky.

          "Mr. Mu, sorry I'm late and I’ve made you wait for so long!"

          Lone Wolf slowly turned around to look at her.

          "It's not very late."

          He obliquely glanced at the electronic clock on the dashboard which showed a quarter past midnight.

          He thought she would need time to prepare herself when she goes out like other women who would spend an hour to makeup and dress.  He did not think she would turn up with a bare face for the appointment.

          He stared at her red lips and suddenly he reached out to touch her lips with force.

          "Ah, it hurts!"   Enduring the pain, she touched her lower lip with her finger and did not understand the reason for his sudden action.

          She really did not makeup........she did not even put on lipstick!

          He never paid attention to a woman's makeup but he knew that very few modern women would choose not to put on lipstick.  It was not that they did not take care of their appearance, it was just that with natural beauty, all accessories were unnecessary.

          "Get in the car!"

          "Uh?"

          "Do you want to see the stars?"

          "Oh, yes!"

          Ye Ruwei quickly ran to the other side of the car to open the door and sat in.

          "I remember it's near Qing Tian Gang" (A hill that is near Taipei City)

          "Let's go."

          He stepped on the accelerator and the car shot forward like an arrow speeding away.

 

          The night sky was dark blue and it was almost black, looking like a piece of velvet fabric hanging above the countless bright stars.  The stars were like crystal beads placed on velvet and with the rotation of the earth, they were slowly flowing towards the west.  If it is watched in slow motion, the stars could be seen moving with silver streaks marking their trails.

          Ye Ruwei was lying on the soft grass with her bright red mouth partially opened.  Her eyes were full of admiration and she was focused on watching the flow of the beautiful scenery.

          "Beautiful stars……really beautiful!"

          The stars she saw were just like in her childhood memories, so impressive that she was almost speechless.

          "They are really beautiful, aren’t it, Mr. Mu?"

          She looked towards Mu Zheng who was sitting on the grass, looking in silence at the awesome sight.

          "It is really beautiful........"

          Mu Zheng squinted his eyes and was moved by this breathtaking natural beauty.  His cold heart seemed to have some small abnormal palpitations.

          Can this be what the poet's praised about the good things in life that one should enjoy?

          Ever since he was saved from the gates of hell when he was eleven years old, he was trained to be a killer by his savior.  He did not care about the changes in the sky over his head because he had become a hard-hearted killing machine.  Learning to kill mercilessly and speedily was much more important than watching the stars in the sky!

          "Mr. Mu….."

          "My name is Mu Zheng!"  He was tired of her calling him Mr. Mu.

          "Oh, Mu Zheng.  Who don’t you lie down?  If you lie down like me, you will be able to see the sky more clearly."   Ye Ruwei suggested kindly.

          Mu Zheng did not answer, still quietly looking at the stars in the sky.

          He would not allow himself to let down his guard, even if the little woman was like a small jasmine flower.  He would always be on alert and lying openly on the grass would be vulnerable to a surprise attack. 

          "Are you afraid that you might accidentally lie down on dog shit?"

          Ye Ruwei naively asked and Mu Zheng burst into laughter.

          Dog shit?  She really has a good imagination!

          She seriously stressed.  "Don’t worry!  Just now, before lying down, I had checked the ground for dog pooh.  It is clean here."

          She also did not want to go home with the terrible dog pooh smell on her body!  If she happened to lie down on dog pooh, he would hold his nose and be the first one to flee.  She was not so stupid to destroy this serene atmosphere.

          "No."   Mu Zheng shook his head.  He did not know how to explain the complexity of his identity or background to her.

          "I don’t know what is giving you so much pressure but since you are already here, it will be nice to relax.   A beast will not suddenly pounce out here!"

          "What?"  Mu Zheng said with a puzzled frown.

          "Actually it is like this!"  Ye Ruwei's delicate jaded finger lightly pressed on his broad, thin shoulder while reprimanding.  "Look at yourself.  Your whole body is very tense.  The moment you reach here, you have been looking into the surrounding darkness.  What are you afraid of?"

          He was shocked.  The surprise in his eyes instantly turned complex.

          This simple, naïve little woman has a pair of accurate and sharp eyes that could see through his strict never-slacken guard which had taken a long time to develop. 

          Once again, he looked around his surroundings.  There was no trace of artificial light or another person's existence except for the two of them.  As long as someone comes close, he would know.  He was actually over-sensitive.

          He laughed at the bottom of his heart.  Suddenly, his body relaxed and he laid down on his back by her side.  He discovered that the sky was indeed clear and much more dazzling from this angle.

          "Am I right?  Doesn't the stars look more beautiful and more appealing?"

          She proudly tilted her little nose and the smile on her face was so sweet that it was enough to melt anyone.

          Suddenly Mu Zheng's mood changed.  His narrow eyes became deep and quiet and were difficult to fathom.  His tall lean body slowly moved sideways closer to her.

          "You……..what do you want to do?"

          Ye Ruwei quietly swallowed.  Did he intend to kiss her?

          "Kiss you!"

          As soon as he had spoken, he kissed her on the lips.  Before she could utter a sound, his tongue was already in her mouth seeking hers.

          "Mm…..'

          Helplessly, she closed her eyes and was too weak to withstand his mad plunder.

          Her lips taste so sweet!  Are women's lips so sweet?

          This is not the first time, he had touched a woman but this is the first time he lost control of himself.  Pinching her small chin, Mu Zheng eagerly sucked and kissed and hungrily devoured her red lips until she cried out in pain.

          "Painful?"  Mu Zhen involuntarily stroked the red and broken skin on her soft lips.

          Ye Ruwei nodded.  Why did he bite her lips until the skin broke on their first kiss?

          "I’m sorry!"  Mu Zheng sincerely apologized.  He had never lost control of himself so easily.

          "You reek of blood."   This was just a normal complain but in the ears of Mu Zheng, it had a different meaning.

          "You are disgusted with blood?"  His eyes turned cold.

          "Of course."   Who likes to be bitten?

          "Let's go back!" 

          Mu Zheng suddenly got up and walked towards the car parked by the side of the road.

          "Mu Zheng?"   In a daze, Ye Ruwei quickly got up and followed behind him.

          He continued to take big strides forward without looking back at her.

          Ye Ruwei blankly followed his footsteps and did not know what had happened.

          She vaguely felt he was unhappy and it could be said he was angry but she did not understand why he became angry suddenly.

          Could it be because she said she did not like blood?

          Looking at his back view, she realized that this man was hard to understand!

          She really did not know what he was thinking!

          At this moment, if she is clear-headed, she should not have carried on with this man.  She should have withdrawn and not put her feelings into this relationship with such a cold man but the smart one is always the most stupid!

          She foolishly gave all of herself to this man and did not even ask about his past.  Her whole heart, pure and flawless was lost to this man and at the same time, she had chosen the painful path……

         

          "Mu Zheng!"

          A week later, in the middle of the night, Ye Ruwei finally saw a familiar tall figure walking into the small garden of Hongye Hot Springs.  She immediately smiled and walked towards him.

          "One person, special personal pool."   Mu Zheng did not even look at her and walked along the red brick path leading to the individual pools.

          "Mu Zheng….."

          "Do you want to do business?"   He stopped for a moment, his eyes vaguely showed a tinge of impatience.  "If you don’t want to do business, I can go to another place.  Anyway, there are a lot of hot springs around here.  There are other places that I can patronize!"

          "This is a hot springs restaurant.  Of course, I want to do business but I want to talk to you about that night."

          "It's alright, I can go to another place."

          Mu Zheng immediately turned around and walked towards the exit.

          For the first time in his life, he was afraid to face a person, especially a woman!

          He hated to get involved with this little woman because he realized that she has the ability to influence his emotional changes.

          A killer cannot have feelings!  He had always been cold and heartless, with little or no emotions.  From the moment he was determined to follow his Lord, he had abandoned his human innate feelings.

          The more contact he had with people, the more difficult it would be for him to accomplish his tasks.  The only important thing in his eyes was how to successfully complete the missions given to him rather than to care about useless things.

          But he found that in front of this innocent little woman, it is difficult to hide his true feelings.  She is like a powerful solvent, easily dissolving his cold, indifferent exterior.  In front of her, he is like strands of loose threads.  It is so difficult to face her even with his years of habitual indifferent attitude.

          Therefore, he chose to escape from the Hongye Hot Springs and did not want to continue to face her!

          "Please don’t go!  Mu Zheng….."

          As soon as Ye Ruwei heard he wanted to leave, she panicked losing her sense of proportion and intuitively reached out to pull his sleeve.

          She had waited for a week and finally today, she could explain to him about the misunderstanding but did not think that he did not even want to give her the opportunity to explain before he leaves.

          Mu Zheng did not expect that she would be so brazen to pull his sleeve.  He was slightly stunned for a few seconds and then he coldly said.  "Let go!"

          "No, no, listen to me!  What I said that day was just a joke and was absolutely not intentional.  Don’t be angry……"

          She was so agitated and anxious that she was about to tear up.

          When Mu Zheng saw several employees and guests who were leaving cast them curious look, he frowned and then pulled her to the back.

          "Come with me!"

          At the back of Hongye Hot Springs, there was a natural small pond surrounded by green ferns and leaves.  A bamboo pipe carrying spring water was directed to the pool and the spring water continuously fills up the pool, giving a simple, quiet, soothing atmosphere.  When she has the time, Ye Ruwei loves to meditate here.

          Once they reached the pond, Mu Zheng turned his back to her and did not say a word.  After waiting for a long while, Ye Ruwei could not help but speak.

          "Mu Zheng, are you still angry?"

          Mu Zheng slowly turned his head and looked at her.

          "Are you afraid that I'll be angry?"

          "Yes!"

          "Why?"

          "Because…..I care about you!"

          With her head lowered, Ye Ruwei revealed a shy intoxicating flush.

          She knew that if she did not speak her mind this time, she would lose Mu Zheng and she did not want to lose him!  So, even if she is regarded as an unrestrained woman, she would not have any regrets.

          "Care?"  Mu Zheng slowly pondered over the word.

          'Care' to him is a very novel word because since he was born, no one had ever cared about him.

          In the eyes of his parents, he was a product of his parent's irresponsible, careless encounter.  They never valued his existence and even hoped that he would disappear to save them the responsibility and trouble of raising him.

          And he was also very clear that in the eyes of his Lord, he was just a murder weapon.  No one really cared about him……except for this shy little woman with pink cheeks.

          The cold, heartless man became soft and was surprised to find a warm feeling channeling through him.

          What is this?  It’s so warm!

          Always used to being alone, suddenly he was eager to have a gentle and tolerant embrace to warm his lonely heart.