Chapter 18

Six-Sided Mirror, Wangcheng (2)

“I’m at the 45th floor of the hotel, come over.” On the other end of the phone was He Yingze’s emotionless voice.

“Hotel? Is it Zhen...” She didn’t even have a chance to finish her sentence before the line went dead.

Half an hour later, she stood obediently at the 45th floor of Zhenji King City’s hotel. This floor had a restaurant and a presidential suite, which was a duplex apartment. The interior was decorated in warm golden beige tones, with a black velvet carpet holding a coffee table and wine glasses. A spiral staircase led up to a spacious, open area. The walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a magnificent panoramic view of Gongzhou. At the center of the room was a large circular depression in the floor, with a desk piled high with documents, a slim-legged LED desk lamp, and a laptop. He Yingze was sitting at the desk, on the phone. When he saw her enter, he gestured toward the sofa, signaling her to sit down.

She sat there for thirty-six minutes. Out of boredom, she started checking her bank transactions, going over her expenses for the month, and then pulled out her ledger to organize the bills. As she was getting absorbed in her task, a voice drifted down from above: “You actually keep a ledger for these small expenses?”

She closed the ledger and said confidently, “Small amounts add up—it’s the foundation of financial management.”

“So, this is your way of managing money. Luo Wei, you really have some good plans,” he replied sarcastically.

“Are you teasing me for fun? I know other things too,” she said.

“Tell me.”

She pulled out her phone and opened her financial management app to show him. “This one—its annual interest rate is much higher than a bank’s, and you can withdraw your money at any time. It’s very cost-effective. Oh, and there’s also the Li Cai Bao packages A, B, C, and gold investment... but those are too risky, so I don’t dare invest too much.”

“How much is the interest rate on your savings? 6%?”

“5.56%.” Seeing He Yingze laugh, she cleared her throat and said, “Are you laughing at me? Poor people have their own ways of managing money, you know? We’re saving up to buy a house!”

“That’s exactly why you’re getting poorer. By the time you’ve saved enough money, the house prices will have gone up several times,” he said, pulling out his phone and opening the stock market. He tapped a few times. “Put all your money into these stocks, these, and these. Sell the last one in a week, and the others right after the market opens the day after tomorrow.”

“All of it?”

“Yes.”

“But... the risks...”

“If you lose, I’ll double the compensation.” He glanced at his watch. “What brand of clothes do you like?”

The topic changed so suddenly that she was taken aback. “Mélanie Green.”

He pulled out his phone and searched for it. After a quick glance at the results, he gave her a strange look. “What kind of taste is this?”

She knew he would say that. Mélanie Green was a small French brand, but their designs were fantastic. Men usually wouldn’t understand these things, especially someone like him, who was so impatient. She could only say, “No matter how you look at it, I like them.”

“These clothes are too informal,” he quickly browsed through Mélanie Green’s website. “Forget it, I’ll think of something else. You can go back now.”

Think of something else? Go back? What was his purpose in having her come here today? She took two steps toward the door, then turned back and said, “Xiao...” but she couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

He kept his gaze on the computer screen without looking up. “That day I had something urgent to handle, so I didn’t have time to tell you. We can talk next time.”

Luo Wei was frustrated, but thinking about his cold attitude these past few days and the fact that they weren’t close enough to throw tantrums, she could only respond politely, “Alright.” She even swallowed the words, “Next time, please let me know in advance.”

After returning, she didn’t forget what he had said and bought the stocks he had recommended. However, still feeling somewhat doubtful, she only invested a portion of her savings. Two days later, she checked her bank account and couldn’t believe her eyes. Realizing she wasn’t dreaming, she cast aside all her doubts and texted He Yingze. After hesitating between “Xiao Ying,” “He Yingze,” “Mr. He,” and “President He,” she finally decided to skip the formal address: “The two stocks really made a fortune. In just these two days, I’ve earned eight months of salary. Thank you.”

The message had barely been sent for five minutes when the phone rang again: “Eight months? You didn’t invest all the money?”

“No... I was still considering the risk...”

“When you’re working with me, you do what I say. Understood?”

He was so harsh. The current He Yingze was nothing like the Xiao Ying in the phone calls. She didn’t know what had happened during this time, but she felt a sense of longing for the boy who had once been so close to her. Trying to act casual, she replied, “Got it. I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Come over now.”

The call ended abruptly. She wanted to repay this favor quickly, so she hurriedly gathered herself and made her way to the 45th floor of Zhenji King City. This time, there were hotel maids by the door, tidying up housekeeping carts. She bypassed them and entered, finding He Yingze leaning on the sofa in a black open-collar shirt, watching a replay of a soccer match. Upon hearing her footsteps, he didn’t turn around but said, “You’re slow.”

She looked at the group of maids outside and asked, “Do you live here?”

“Yes.”

“What about meals?”

He pointed to the corner with the remote, where two maids were cleaning a trolley with Western food.

“Come up.” He turned off the TV, put down the remote, and headed for the spiral staircase.

She followed closely behind, startled when she reached the second floor. There, she saw three plastic mannequins dressed in different evening gowns: bright red, deep purple, and black. Six or seven people were gathered around the mannequins, one of whom was a tall, blonde woman wearing a ponytail, a bud cap, a small jacket, and a soft measuring tape around her neck. She looked very stylish and seemed to be a fashion designer. When they entered, the designer quickly assessed Luo Wei, tightening the waist of the red gown and pinning it with pearl pins, before waving friendly to them.

“These three dresses are beautiful.” Luo Wei’s eyes widened. She looked at the hems of the dresses and excitedly said to He Yingze, “You might not see it, but these dresses have the style of Mélanie Green. Though their clothes are more casual, they wouldn’t usually be this formal.”

The designer didn’t understand Chinese, but she smiled at them with her deep blue eyes. He Yingze crossed his arms, scrutinizing the three dresses, and spoke a few words of French to the designer. The designer nodded and adjusted the deep purple gown. Only then did He Yingze turn to Luo Wei and say, “She is Mélanie Green. Of course, she has her own style.”

Luo Wei almost fainted. “I’m not that naive, don’t fool me.”

“I told you to invest in stocks so you could make some money to buy shares in Mélanie Green’s first store in Gongzhou. You didn’t listen to me, now the shares are fewer, and you’ll bear the responsibility.”

“Mélanie Green is opening a store in Gongzhou?!”

In He Yingze’s long silence, Luo Wei realized that her shock might have been an overreaction. He wanted to broker a small, unknown brand in Gongzhou, which was as simple as going downstairs to have a bowl of noodles… but the reason? Was it just because she liked it? Was there something about her that he wanted to use? Could Xiao Ying have a crush on her…? She glanced at He Yingze again, feeling like she might need to take some medication. But no matter what, it was true that he had good intentions toward her, and that was already very fortunate. She still couldn’t quite figure out what was going on, and just then, Mélanie finished adjusting the dresses. She made the angle of the black dress’s diagonal edge larger, reduced the diamonds on the purple dress’s waist, and lifted the low neckline of the red one. Then she spoke to He Yingze for a moment. He Yingze nodded and motioned toward the three dresses with a jerk of his chin. “Pick one you like.”

“Why? I don’t understand...” Luo Wei looked at He Yingze in confusion.

“In a few days, you’ll be attending an event with me.”

“But dresses can be bought anywhere, there’s no need to go through all this trouble.”

“Did you forget what I told you before? Pick one.”

“You’re so fierce.” She stuck her tongue out, walked past him, and shot him a playful glance over her shoulder, winking at him. “Little Xiao Ying was much cuter back then.”

He glared at her, and she retracted her neck, noticing that everyone around them was staring at her in surprise. It seemed like no one ever dared to speak to him this way. However, under the gaze of Mélanie’s beautiful eyes, she felt that picking any dress would be an insult to the other two. She turned silently toward He Yingze, seeking help with her eyes. He casually said, “Don’t worry, all three dresses are yours. What you pick now is for the event.”

As the saying goes, “If someone is suddenly being overly kind, it’s either for ill intentions or for a hidden agenda.” Although He Yingze didn’t seem to be showing kindness, it made his behavior even more unsettling. What was the purpose of his actions? She thought over it repeatedly but still couldn’t come to an answer. Just then, he walked over, pointed to one of the dresses, and said, “If you can’t choose, wear this one.”

“Why?”

“My shirt tonight is this color.”

“What kind of reason is that? Admit it, you straight guys have no sense of style, haha.”

“If that’s true, then I should like you.”

“…”

For Xiao LaJiao, the meaning of life was enjoyment. She didn’t like to fill her head with too much useless information. But these past few days, she kept thinking about one question: what kind of base is Room 4948 on the 49th floor of Building 2 in Saint Teresa? The first time the door opened, a nearly 1.8-meter-tall, sexy woman greeted her. She initially thought it was the owner, Lu Xiren, but the second time she went, the person who opened the door was a girl with double ponytails and a pink lace Lolita outfit. She was startled, even wondering if she had accidentally stumbled into a cosplay exhibition. She stepped back and looked up, confirming she hadn’t made a mistake with the door number. The girl took the stack of packages she delivered, sweetly said “Thank you,” and shut the door.

That morning, she had to deliver more than ten packages to Room 4948. When she entered the elevator, two boxes fell to the floor. As she bent down to pick them up, she curiously glanced at the sender information on the packages. The first package was labeled “Luna’s Temptation Official Flagship Store,” the second one read “Food and Pleasure House,” the third said “Beauty Uniform Mall,” and the fourth was labeled “Cloud Rain Limited Edition Library.” These names weren’t particularly alarming on their own, but together, they were startling. What kind of pervert buys all these things at once? This time, the person who opened the door was a blonde, blue-eyed woman in 13 cm high heels and a leopard print outfit. The woman yawned, took the packages, and returned to the living room, which looked like a battlefield from World War III. Xiao LaJiao nearly dropped her jaw in shock.

At the same time, Luo Wei was taken to a luxury store by He Yingze, with Lu Xiren and Chang Feng following behind them. He Yingze picked out a bunch of shoes, bags, and jewelry for her, all to match the dress she was wearing. She felt uncomfortable spending so much money and thought that she could just find some accessories at home to wear. In response, he only said one thing: “The woman standing next to me cannot lose value.” With that one sentence, he dismissed all her personal collections, even bringing in a professional makeup team to make her over, transforming her into someone she could barely recognize.

After a whole day of busyness, the clock tower struck 9:15. At the entrance of Zhenji Wangcheng, an artificial volcano erupted, casting a red hue over the entire building and part of the sky. Helicopters, yachts, and luxury cars brought many wealthy individuals and their beautiful companions, their laughter in various languages echoing throughout the stairs. Luo Wei got out of the car with He Yingze and saw him fold his arm, placing it across his abdomen. She immediately understood and went to link her arm with his. Soon, she realized that no matter where they went, everyone’s gaze followed them. Particularly, groups of women looked at her with a mix of emotions: envy, jealousy, amusement, and even hatred... Luo Wei smiled with a Mona Lisa expression, but inside, a thousand alpacas were galloping. If she could, she would love to grab a megaphone and loudly announce that she had no idea why she was even here—she was just following orders! Let those other delicate beauties handle the task of drawing all the hate! But she couldn’t do anything. When they reached a less crowded area, she cleared her throat and said, “Xiao Ying, it feels like so many people are staring at us… Is there something I should pay attention to?”

“That’s probably because your hair looks pretty nice when it’s styled up.”

It wasn’t the first time someone had complimented her looks, and He Yingze’s tone didn’t seem to carry any flattery, but she still felt flustered and happy for a long time. She whispered, “...Really? Do you really think so?”

“Are you doubting my taste? Of course, it’s not true.”

“...”

-Rose Theater-

Xiao LaJiao: “Ever since the sweet moments between the male and female leads of ‘Mirror Rose’ increased, some fans have been saying that it’s too perfect, and it couldn’t exist in real life. To this, our Ze Ge has something to say.”

Shan Shan: “I used to think that romance novels should write the most tragic and heartbreaking stories to let readers release their emotions, thus helping them face a less-than-perfect life rationally. But now I realize that fairy-tale love does exist, as long as you have eyes to see the beauty. So, in ‘Mirror Rose,’ I want to write the most beautiful side of love so that everyone can see it, be more positive about life, and believe in love and receive love.”

Luo Wei: “So, you’re not going to make us suffer, right? ^_^”

Shan Shan: “Life without ups and downs of sweetness isn’t life, it’s not a novel. The so-called art comes from life but is elevated above it. What’s the point of writing a novel that’s all sweet from beginning to end?”

Luo Wei: “…”