Hiding behind the trees Tony observes a man wearing a white dress like that of a scholar, he has a handsome smile as he greets Zetian.
Yet there was something off about that smile, it wasn't with an energy of sincerity, but more on the lines of manipulative deceit being masked.
The cold stern mask she was wearing on her face slid off and she was like a happy sunflower facing the bright sun.
Clutching onto the velvet ring box even tighter as though she was holding carefully her precious heart that she's about to gift into the hands of someone she loves.
Yet that deceitful smile on the handsome scholar's wasn't meant for her as his eyes reveal no emotion as he notice her innocent smile towards him.
Instead his eyes were looking at the velvet ring box that she's holding in her hands with greed.
"Miss Zhao you brought the ring!" calling out with joy, his anxious heart relieved of the anxiety when he waited for her. "I was worried you wouldn't come."
Taking a deep breath of air as Zetian steadies her longing for the gracefully dressed scholar that meets her eyes.
Carefully she slid her fingers on the edge of the soft cover and opened the lid of the box to reveal a ring adorned with a sparkly diamond.
The scholar's eyes widens with greed as he takes the box from the hands of his innocent lover.
Eyeing the pure diamond jewel that's attached tightly onto the ring which glistens like the afternoon sun.
So observed by the beauty of the glistening jewel he's holding in his hands that he absolutely forgot the girl looking with awaitful eyes at him.
Seeing that the scholar was so absorbed by the ring she brought to him she asked in a worried tone, "Do you not like it Brother Zhang?"
"Oh no I absolutely love it," Zhang comments as he took both of Zetian's soft hands into his, feigning affection for her. "Hope it didn't cost you a lot of more."
Her cheeks turned a shade of light red as she quickly pulls her soft hands away from him to hide away a slight fresh scar on the lower parts of her pinky.
But this doesn't escape the notice of Tony who observes from afar, 'Only a woman in love will do such a foolish thing.'
From the anxiousness she hold the ring before and the fresh scar on his pinky Tony deduce that Zetian used the money she saved up from her some kind of piggy bank that she broke apart a couple days before.
"I'm glad you like it Brother Zhang," Zetian saids in a shy nature hiding her injured hand at her back. "It didn't really cost me that much money."
Obviously Zhang didn't care a dime how much it cost for his lover to obtain the ring for him as his eyes observed selfishly the sparkly new toy in his hands.
"Qin Er would love this ring," the name of a female slipped out of his mouth before he was quick enough to catch himself. Or perhaps he already had enough or finish manipulating this poor innocent girl in his hand.
"Who's Qin Er?" hearing the familiarity by which Zhang called out the name of a female made Zetian feeling a tinge of jealousy.
But her mind was still so caught up by the thought of a woman out there besides her whom Zhang adores in his heart so she wasn't fast to catch the total story with the ring.
"I thought you said it was for playing out an act in front of your father to approve of our relationship," her eyebrows knit together slightly as she asks with suspicion.
"It was a mistake Miss Zhao," Zhang removes his attention from the ring and says to her with a cunning smile, "for some reason that name slipped out of my mouth."
"It has been half a year already can we finally publitize our relationship at school," Zetian asks expectantly as she waits to hear his answer.
But hearing her request the handsome smile on his face was soon removed and in its place was eyes of coldness as he tried to mask away his annoyance for her.
"Sorry Miss Zhao we can't establish this relationship in such a haste. Maybe after I get my family's approval," he tells her as he starts taking steps walking away.
Zetian takes hold of the edge of his sleeve to stop him from departing and she has a sad expression revealing the pain she tries to hide away from behind that gentle smile.
There was a hint of holding back her tears shown through her eyes as she looked on at the handsome face that's turned away from her.
Saying to him in a slow manner to not reveal her present turbulent emotions, "But you said the same thing to me last time."
The scholar glanced at Zetian from the corner of his eyes shaking his head saying with a tone of despise, "Can't you stop taking everything so seriously?"
Hearing this only made Zetian feel like her heart was touched by a cold arrow as again and again she had made numerous compromises to this relationship.
But it was as though no matter how much effort she adds to the growth there was never a result which wasn't quickly removed from her sight.
'A relationship can never begin by compromising,' Tony feels in his heart with empathy what Zetian is bravely going through. 'As each compromise from one side would only reveal the growing distance even if he's standing right in front of you.'
But the handsome scholar was not in the least in touch with the emotions that his lover was demonstrating towards him.
He had only annoyance for her clinginess, pulling away her sleeve with strength from her loose grip and starting walking away.
However, Zetian was stubborn to allow her mind which was festered with worry that he'll leave her side.
Running to him with speeding steps to embrace him at the waist with her arms, unwilling to let him go as teardrops fall down those soft cheeks of hers.
"Tell me the truth...are you in love with another woman," her shouting was mixed with emotions of anger and disbelief that it all wasn't just a horrible dream.
Sometimes the intuition from our conscience that's shouting at us but we avoid from the start is more revealing than any actions or words that can be demonstrated.