Chapter 2 Hiram Meeting With Rachel

The temple seemed to be a very quiet place. All you could hear was the sound of wooden fish being beaten by the women who were guarding the place. A strong aroma of incense and candles burning filled the temple.

It was not like a traditional temple. There were no monks nor nuns living there. People who guarded the temple were mostly native elderly men and women.

Rachel was so familiar with every statues there. She had been accompanied by her mother there many times since she was still young.

After putting all the offering on the table, she knelt gently on the round and soft cushion, bowed her head and worshiped.

Everything she did seemed to be an extraordinary adoration in the outsiders' eyes.

On the other room, Hiram Rong also completed putting the offering on the table. However, what he wore that day was a total misfit for such place.

Bowing to and worshiping his ancestors were not difficult for him, but he would never bow to those sculptures that were just made of clay.

Sitting with his legs crossed, he was going to stay there a little longer until it's time to leave. He felt so bored that he took out his phone and started to check the stored documents.

He was so obsessed with his phone's data.

Nonetheless, the silence didn't last for more than a minute.

He soon heard the chattering noise that came from the other room.

It was so noisy that he couldn't read anymore. He furrowed his black eyebrows and his beautiful, bright eyes were slowly filled with anger. His handsome face suddenly became so furious.

"Shouldn't the temple be a quiet place?

Where does that annoying noise come from?", he whispered.

On the other room, Rachel brought her cushion closer to the temple guard. She was so chatty that she couldn't help herself but start chatting with the guard.

The woman guard was a native villager and she knew Rachel as well. At first, she didn't want to talk because she was afraid that she might disturb the serenity of the temple. However, Rachel continued to talk and urged her to response.

"Aunt, I have just seen an old lady donating very huge amount of money when I came in. It's like this much, " Rachel said while raising her hand to make a gesture, "I was wondering, since she's so rich, why didn't she go to do some charity? It would be much better if she helps those children who are too poor to be able to go to school..."

Rachel knew that the temple was not badly off financially. The offering of incense was also flourishing. So those people who wanted to pay money to buy their salvation was kind of just wasting.

Nonetheless, the aunt had been very familiar with such scenes already. She just shook her head and didn't reply. She knew that those people must have been very guilty inside their hearts that they felt they had to donate money to make them feel comfortable. All people knew about this.

"There is something more, Aunt. I have seen...", Rachel continued.

Hiram couldn't sit still any longer. What he wanted to do was to take a cloth and cover Rachel's annoying mouth.

The rooms were only separated by half concrete wall and half two-layered yellow curtain. Hence, the voice could easily pass through.

Rachel was happily talking with aunt. She didn't realize that a danger was coming.

She felt a cold wind blowing on her face suddenly. Moreover, she smelled a gentle and good scent of perfume around her.

For the first time, Rachel felt so comfortable with a man wearing a perfume.

"Can you shut your mouth up?" She heard a low and irritated voice coming down from above her head.

All the positive impressions suddenly disappeared. She looked up and was stunned as she saw his face that was angry yet very good looking. He was so handsome even if compared with the super stars.

Hiram was also surprised to see Rachel. Her face was not a kind of a gossiping face. On contrary, her face was tiny and delicate with bright, black eyes on it. She looked at him in astonishment, and her long eyelashes seemed to be trembling like the startled butterflies.

Moving back a few steps, Rachel looked to the place where Hiram just came out. Then she realized and said, "Are you from the Rong Family? Sorry! I didn't know that someone is in that room."

As to all of the people in XH Village, no one was unfamiliar with the power of Rong Family.

Even the temple was built with their funds. Thus, it was just reasonable for them to have their special room for worshiping.

Hiram lowered his anger a little bit when Rachel made her apology. However, he soon heard...

"But are all people from Rong Family impolite? Even though I may be loud, is it really necessary to threaten me like that?" Rachel raised her eyebrows as she said those words with a displeased voice.

How dare Hiram ask Rachel to shut up?

Rong Family was not new to Rachel at all.

The so-called agreement between Ruan Family and Rong Family had been mentioned by the elders ever since she was young. She even heard about it for more than a thousand times.

Deeply inside, she really had no good impressions about the Rong Family.

Hiram's already cold face turned even colder immediately. "Threaten?" he said in a very cold voice. It seemed like the whole room was covered with a layer of ice. "Did you mean I was threatening you? If so, I'm glad to practice on so-called 'threaten' to make it true."

Before completing his words, he walked closer to Rachel. He held out his long arm, wrapped it around Rachel's waist and said, "I hate gossiping woman. Since you like gossiping so much, how about I give you a horn so that you can use it to make all people hear your words?"

It all happened so sudden that Rachel didn't have time to act before she had been rudely cuddled by Hiram.

"Oh! my dear kids. You are in the temple. Rachel Ruan, can you stop quarreling with him?" It seemed that they would have a fight any second. The woman guard stood up quickly and convinced them to stop, but she said it in her local dialect.

After what the woman said, Hiram Rong furrowed his eyebrows even more. He did not grow up in the XH Village, so he didn't understand what she just said. But there was a word that was very clear to him, "Ruan".

'She is from Ruan Family?' Hiram whispered to himself.

What a coincidence! Ruan Family was not new to Hiram either.

He didn't have good impressions about Ruan Family too.

Wait wait.

Ruan Family?

"Tell me! How are you related to Simpson Ruan?"

Hiram remembered, when he was still very young, his grandfather would lie on his rocking chair and said, "Hiram, I have found you a very beautiful wife-to-be. This girl is so gentle and virtuous. I'm sure you'll love me for doing this. You are very lucky, my little boy.

By the way, from now on, you better be good to her. Oh, right! Remember, her name is... Let me think."

"My name is Rachel, and Simpson is my father. How did you know my father?" Rachel looked at the man in front of her with great curiosity. Both her parents were from XH Village, and there were only two big family names in the village - Ruan and Rong.

But her father passed away long time ago. Why would he mention her father?

Hiram laid-back his eyebrows and put a cold smile on his face again. How ridiculous was his grandfather saying she's "gentle and virtuous".

'I'm afraid grandpa has already had a blurred vision since then, ' Hiram thought.

Rachel backed off one step as soon as Hiram loosened her arm around her waist. Her face showed annoyance. That man clutched on her waist so rough and so tight that it really hurt.

"It seems that you don't like me and the Rong Family." Hiram answered but not to her question. Looking at his darker eyes, no one could tell what he was thinking that time.

"Of course! Brutal, barbaric, and likes to threaten people! I heard that the Rong Family started the business with freight. No wonder. People from that place are so rude." Rachel was working in the marketing industry. And she was the the leader of the best marketing team. There was not doubt why she was very good at conversing.

Rong Family had sent gifts to Ruan Family for many years, though they had never showed up personally. It was very clear that they looked down on Ruan Family but kept pretending to be generous. Rachel hated this deep down in her heart.

Hiram pretended to pat the dust from his body acting like he did not want to have any traces of that shallow woman. After that, he said, "What an easy woman. Since you look down upon Rong Family, it's better if you don't go against your conscience and join our family."

"I swear to God! I will never join you. By the way, why have you thought about that? Joining your family? Are you kidding me? Even if you beg me, I will never do it!" Rachel couldn't resist herself to laugh out loud. She thought that man was really entertaining. How could he think she would like to join their family?

"Very good. You better remember what you just said."

Hiram seemed to be not intimidated by what Rachel said and smiled instead. He looked at her bright, white face then slowly and clearly said, "Do remember what you just said! I will keep an eye on you!"