Chapter 17

Six-Sided Mirror – Wangcheng (1)

On Monday, Luo Wei went to work and found her colleague munching on a large bag of dried figs, looking completely lost in the pleasure of eating. She laughed and said, “I rarely see you enjoying snacks so much.”

Her colleague frowned, beckoned Luo Wei over with a finger, and whispered in her ear, “Because I’m a little constipated. These help with digestion.”

“Really? Figs have that effect? How interesting! Are they tasty?”

“They’re delicious! Super sweet, with a nice chewiness. Want to try some?”

Before Luo Wei could refuse, her colleague poured a bunch of figs onto her desk. Luo Wei had only ever eaten fresh figs, never dried ones, so she curiously took two, thanked her, and sat down at her desk. She popped one into her mouth, and after the first bite, she froze for a moment. It was so sweet, much sweeter than fresh figs. But the sweetness wasn’t overwhelming; the sticky fruit pulp dissolved in her mouth, and the crunchy seeds gave her a feeling of pure bliss, like she was floating up to heaven. She slowly savored it and, for some reason, thought of He Yingze. His gentle smile, his pleasant voice, and the feeling of her heart being filled with sweetness when talking to him... How was it that these two things—one being a sweet fruit and the other a cool, distant man—could feel so alike? The more she ate, the happier she became. She pulled out her phone, snapped a picture of the figs, and sent it to He Yingze with a message: “These are really delicious.”

He replied quickly, but his message made her frown immediately: “I can tell. You’re eating this to save energy for weight loss.”

She remembered telling him on the phone that she was on a diet and wasn’t planning on eating snacks, so she sent a bunch of laughing emojis in response. He replied, “Since you’re not worried about gaining weight, I’ll take you to a really good restaurant on Friday night.”

“Yes, yes, that sounds great!”

Luo Wei almost wanted to send a bunch of “Xiao Ying, you’re the best!” messages. Although he didn’t reply after that, she was already overjoyed. When she looked up, her constipated colleague was looking up at the ceiling, laughing helplessly, and shaking her head. “Women in love are really scary.”

Luo Wei popped the last fig into her mouth and almost choked: “No, no, it’s not my boyfriend, just a friend.”

“Male or female?”

“Male, but just a friend.”

“Really?” Her colleague gave her a completely disbelieving smile and continued eating the figs for her constipation remedy.

On Friday evening, she was meeting Xiao Ying. Just thinking about it, Luo Wei felt that time was passing so slowly. She couldn’t get motivated for anything, and only felt better when she was in contact with him. She had even started skipping dinner, eating very little for lunch, and would jump rope until she was covered in sweat whenever she had a free moment, all with the goal of being a little slimmer and more attractive when she saw him. After ten o’clock on Thursday night, she received his call. She was so hungry she felt dizzy, but hearing his voice made it all worth it. After chatting for a while, he was about to hang up. Maybe because she was physically weak, she became a little more emotional and firmly said, “I’m not going to sleep. I don’t want to sleep.”

“Be good and don’t be silly.”

Hearing his increasingly gentle voice made her feel like she was melting. Her eyes suddenly felt warm, and she buried her face in the blanket, her voice coming out muffled: “But I want to talk to Xiao Ying a little longer...”

She had her mouth buried in the blanket, and her voice sounded like a buzzing. He paused for a moment, unsure if he had heard her correctly: “What?”

“I said I’m really hungry. I’ve turned into Armstrong.”

“You’re really dieting?”

“No, I just eat less than usual...”

He sighed with a tone that was almost disappointed: “I think there’s something wrong with you. You’re already this skinny, and you’re still dieting? Stay at home, I’ll come pick you up to get something to eat.”

“Ah?” Before she could ask another question, the phone line went dead.

Despite what he had said, the whole evening passed, and even by the time they were supposed to meet the next day, He Yingze hadn’t contacted her again or replied to her messages.

Five days later, the persistent alarm clock woke Luo Wei up. She opened her eyes, checked her phone, and saw no missed calls, just the top headline: “The largest gang, the Canglong Group, with 11 key members arrested, and rumors say the leader, Huang Xiao Nan, has returned to Gongzhou.” Boring news. She tossed her phone aside, feeling a pang of disappointment. After getting ready, she left for work, as usual. For the past few days, her mood had been at an all-time low, and she really wanted to ask He Yingze what had happened, but thinking of his line of work, she decided not to bother him.

At the studio, it wasn’t the usual harmonious, busy scene. Edward was pacing back and forth, looking flustered, while the newly arrived staff whispered to each other, heads lowered. Knowing that their boss was emotionally inept, it was better to avoid him when he was upset. Luo Wei slipped in quietly, but Edward called out to her, “King wants to invest in my studio. Be ready to pack up and leave at any moment.”

She was a little confused, but didn’t miss the important name: “King?”

“You don’t know who King is in the jewelry industry? Good. Luo Wei, how about we play cosplay? I’ll be the tomato, and you can be the egg.”

Luo Wei froze for a moment, a chill running down her spine. The head assistant stood up and whispered in her ear, “He’s talking about King from Hecheng Group, the founder of Gongzhou Hecheng Diamonds, now the top executive at Zhenji Wangcheng. This morning, one of his subordinates called Edward, saying they want to buy Edward’s brand. They won’t put Hecheng Group’s name on it, but within a year, they’ll help Edward expand his flagship stores globally, doubling their number.”

“How much equity does he want?” That was the first question Luo Wei could think of.

“20%.”

“That’s not much. Isn’t this a good thing? Why doesn’t Edward want to accept it?”

“The problem is, their attitude is very forceful. Edward hesitated for just a moment, and they started threatening him. You know our boss’s temperament; he hates it when people try to force him, but he can’t do anything about King.”

Luo Wei had to admit that He Yingze had a good eye—EC was growing fast. The first assistant added, “And they also made a very strange request. Any employees who have been signed on for more than two years can be assigned to them at will.”

Luo Wei felt like she was turning into a ticking time bomb, ready to explode into fireworks at the slightest provocation. Her first job, and it was already hanging by a thread. Surely He Yingze wouldn’t make things difficult for her, right? She still wanted to make a name for herself in jewelry design—she couldn’t afford to be fired…

“You two, come with me to Zhenji Wangcheng.” Edward answered a call, his face turning pale, and then he spoke to them, “We’re leaving now. King wants to see me.”

Although it hadn’t been long since their last meeting, Luo Wei still felt extremely nervous and took a deep breath. In fact, compared to the risk that He Yingze might fire her, she was more afraid of facing him.

When they pushed open the door of the Zhenji Wangcheng English afternoon tea restaurant, He Yingze was sitting on a European-style classical sofa, surrounded by a circle of stone-like subordinates. One hand rested on the oak-framed armrest, and the other held a cup of tea. When he saw Edward, he gestured for him to sit across from him. And then their negotiation began—not so much a negotiation as He Yingze issuing orders, while Edward passively struggled. Edward was a typical artist—headstrong and unruly—but even he seemed a little restrained in front of He Yingze. Luo Wei and the first assistant stood on either side of Edward, secretly sweating for him. Watching He Yingze speak—calm yet filled with aggression—her anxiety grew stronger.

What’s going on... The Xiao Ying she knew from phone calls and texts was so approachable—humorous, friendly, gentle, and sometimes stern—but now, in person, he was like a completely different person. And since they entered, he hadn’t even glanced at her, as if she were just a stranger. Their relationship had been getting better and better, so why had everything suddenly cooled off? She couldn’t understand…

While she was still lost in her thoughts, He Yingze suddenly said, “As I mentioned, this cooperation is mutually beneficial, so you don’t need to worry too much. And I don’t have many demands for your employees, just that you occasionally give Luo Wei some time off.”

She looked at him in surprise. Edward, too, looked at her in confusion. “Luo Wei?”

“Yes.”

Her gaze never left He Yingze, hoping to get some kind of signal from him. But he just took a sip of tea and gave Edward a reassuring smile. “She and I were classmates in elementary school. There are some personal matters I need to take care of.”

“Well, in that case, I’m relieved,” Edward sighed in relief. “If you need to find her, just have someone give me a call. I’ll make sure she’s available.”

Luo Wei had been sold out by her own boss. Even more bizarre, until they left Zhenji Wangcheng, He Yingze had continued to treat her as if she were invisible. She didn’t even have the courage to ask him about it. Instead, she spent the entire evening at home, feeling completely distressed.

The next morning, she woke up to a text from Edward. He told her not to come to the office and to wait for King’s instructions. Just as she was about to reply, her phone rang. The name “Xiao Ying” appeared on the screen. She answered the call, speaking softly, “Hello...”

“I’m on the 45th floor of the hotel. Come up,” came He Yingze’s emotionless voice on the other end.

“Hotel? Is it Zhen...” Before she could even finish her sentence, the line went dead.

-Rose Theater-

Xie Xinqi: “Many readers are really curious, is the ending of Mirror Rose a comedy or a tragedy?”

Luo Wei: “Of course it’s...”

Xiao Lajiao: “Hey, hey, hey, can you not spill everything in your excitement? Spoiling is fun for a moment, but tomorrow we’ll be heading to the crematorium, okay?”

Luo Wei: “Alright... I won’t say anything. But I think you can tell from the storyline whether it’s happy or sad, right? ^_^”

Su Jianian: “Can’t tell.”

Xie Xiuchen: “Can’t tell.”

Luo Wei: “Wise as Xiao Ying, you must be able to tell, right? @@”

King: “Heh heh.”