"What?"

"I want you to marry me..." Lin Ruoxi's face now turned red. Her previous serious and confidence expression had been long gone.

Naruto shocked after truly heard what she said. He had simulated many words in his mind but never the word "Marry" ever cross his thought. He simply caught unprepared and didn't know what to say.

"You're kidding right?" Although it was a stupid question, Naruto couldn't help but hoped that she really just joking.

"No! I really want you to marry me!" Lin Ruoxi now gazing at him. Although her cheeks still red, but it was clear that she is serious.

"B-but why?! I know that I'm handsome and full of manliness but we just met yesterday, you not even sober, how could you want me to marry you?!" Naruto who always calm before had becoming completely agitated, he could not follow this beautiful woman way of think.

Seeing Naruto narcissism, Lin Ruoxi became speechless, but she must explained her reason so she said, "there is a reason of course, but I am sorry that I can't completely tell you, in short, I'm being forced to marry some unknown person whom I hate. I'm not a child. I understand what I'm doing right now. I'm not young anymore, I'm already at the age of marriage yet I couldn't find any appropriate candidate. You on the other hand, had shown kindness, courage, and sincerity by helping me last night. I couldn't think of any better person to married except you."

After saying that, Lin Ruoxi's face turned to the side as she didn't dare to meet his cerulean blue eyes. Naruto widened his eyes, then smiled bitterly, "so from what you said, the marriage you want with me is just a cover for you. Comparing me with other candidates, obviously, you believe that I wouldn't do anything bad to you especially wouldn't stab you in the back, am I right?"

Lin Ruoxi who was directly confronted by the facts becomes unavoidably uncomfortable, but she did not deny it as she nodded: "Naruto, I can guarantee you that if you willing with me at most three years, when my enterprise is secured, we will divide the fortune and you will free to do as you wish. Moreover, I will give you a big reward, much bigger than the amount you could make in your entire life by selling ramen."

"Ruoxi..." Naruto's expression becomes cold, then he smiled and said while pondering: "It seems to me that you don't understand something. Although I am poor and only a ramen seller, but that doesn't mean that I will get married to somebody without emotion for money, even if it is a fake one. You may say that I am a liar, a dumba.s.s, or self-thought to be infallible. But I don't have any special temperaments except for my stubbornness. And "fake marriage" isn't a word in my dictionary."

"I know..." Even Lin Ruoxi already expected what Naruto respond would be, she still surprised that he didn't get sway by riches she offered.

Naruto looked at the gloomy Lin Ruoxi, he sighed then continued: "If you are truly a conservative woman who didn't want her virginity taken by an unknown person, I'm sorry and truly sympathize for you. If you really want to get marry with me, then I would court you directly. I believe that there were no men would able to resist your charm including me but… if you want me merely for the sake of being a s.h.i.+eld for your enterprise, then I, Naruto, will not accept it."

Lin Ruoxi became nervous because, in reality, she really didn't want to get married, she was a full-fledged businesswoman who still wanted to achieve many things, where had the time to play house-wife.

Seeing Lin Ruoxi just silent, Naruto shook his head. Then he stood up and was about to leave when he heard Lin Ruoxi's s.h.i.+vering voice.

"A hundred million for three years"

Naruto stopped for a while, then started walking again

"Two Hundred for two years!"

Naruto just keep walking. Lin Ruoxi stood up and shouted desperately.

"Alright! Three hundred for two years!"

Naruto didn't stop at all until his figure completely disappeared from her sight. Lin Ruoxi fell back into her chair in a daze expression, then tears started falling from her eyes as she wept continuously on that chair.

(***)

Naruto stood in front of the coffeehouse. He's mood currently not very good, Naruto absentmindedly look into the sky as he reminiscing about something.

"You should get married."

In the room of the highest floor of the big mansion.

There were two human figures, one of them standing in front of the desk, while another sitting behind it, looks like preoccupied with all the papers in front of him.

"I don't have a time."

The man behind the desk replied lazily as he signed a paper with his right hand before reading a paper on his left hand.

"You will if you make it."

The man infront of the desk said with a concern in his voice. This man who seemed like in his late twenties had a lean body, lazy face, black pupil eye, and black 'pinneapple' looking hair.

"Well, then I couldn't make it."

The man behind the desk casually replied to him. This man also in his late twenties, had good shape body, handsome face, blue cerulean eye and golden hair.

"Come on, in our peer, you are the only one left."

The golden-haired man wrinkled his brow

"Huh? What about her?"

The black-haired man smiled bitterly

"She just got proposed by the main heir of **** clan..." he stopped for a while before continued, "and she accepted it."

The golden-haired man eyebrows trembled but quickly came back to normal, "that's... good for her."

The black-haired man snapped and angrily said, "it's your fault you know! she's been waiting you for so long, yet you still didn't do anything, do you know how bitter she was when she's attending others wedding? If you just take your time to-"

Before the black-haired man finished his word, the golden-haired men cut him off and said, "Enough! Do you know who I am? I'm the head of the village, my responsibility is to protect our village and leading it to dominate the entire land! Where i have a time to play loving-family!"

Then the golden-haired man continued what was he doing before.

The black-haired man just sighed and didn't say anything else.

Naruto finally came back to his sense. He remembered that Old Lee's family invited him over to his house. Reorganizing his mood, he walked toward his home, but before he managed to go very far...

"Oh no! What is she doing?!"

Naruto snapped his head toward the one who shout, and turned his head toward where their gaze were.

In the second floor of the coffee house, a silhouette of a person had been seen, standing at the balcony's guard fence. That person seemed slim and the figure outline indicates that person is a woman.

'Wait, Woman?'

Naruto focused his eyes before he was startled

"Ruoxi?!"

Lin Ruoxi was very desperate, she had been pushed by the pressure coming from her life, work, and family disputes. She had been struggling alone , trying to survive as long as she could. She always an optimistic person, she knew that as long she survived, a way out will appear. But Last night, she's at her breaking point. Every road had been closed and she could only accept her fate. Then she met Naruto, she thought that there's still hope, that somehow Naruto will be the answer of her suffering. Alas, it just a pipe dream, not only she fell into an abyss, she also hurt a person that was so kind to her.

Her eyes looked at the horizon, it filled with renouncement, loathing, pain and sadness, as if her soul is trying to break free from the suffering she was experiencing in this beautiful body… She only wanted this to end. Yes, maybe dead was her solution. No more pain and no more worries. Lin Ruoxi closed her eyes then let her body fell from the balcony.

She felt the wind brus.h.i.+ng against her skin and it's so cold. Maybe the wind also wanted to hurt her before everything was over, well let it be. But at this moment, the cold wind gone, replaced by a strong heat and masculine aura filled her senses, then she heard it... a sound... no... it's more like... a painful groan

"Ouch!"

*Bang!*

Then there's a sound of something hard collide against something harder, because the sounds like a breaking ground but there's no splatting sound. Lin Ruoxi slowly opened her eyes, but she's not suprised or startled. She just gazed at the man's face who are twiching in pain.

'Why did you?'

'Why did you save me again?'

The man finally faced her with a worried tone, "s.h.i.+t! it doesn't hurt but it still stung! Ah Ruoxi, you okay? Thank G.o.d I still make it on time." Lin Ruoxi didn't answer him, instead just close her eyes and leaning her head against his body, feeling his warm.

'Maybe... he is the answer'