Chapter 3

A One-Sided Mirror, The Gamble (2)

In the blink of an eye, they had all grown up. She had long lost any news of that boy she once dreamed about, and Su Jianian had become distant as well. She felt a twinge of loneliness but was happy to reconnect with an old friend. “Yes, but I see your news often, so you don’t feel unfamiliar to me at all. I remember when we were kids, every time we went out to play, your mom would call you home to practice piano. You were the most diligent person I knew, and now, your hard work has truly paid off.” She gave him a thumbs-up as she finished speaking.

But he didn’t respond to her praise. Instead, he patted Xiao Lajiao’s head, who was enthusiastically welcoming him, and changed the subject. “I heard from my sister that you’re looking for a job in jewelry design?”

“Yes.”

“Being so persistent about something you love—it’s different. You’ll definitely do well.”

The three of them chatted at home for a while before heading out for dinner together. Despite the siblings’ well-off family, Xiao Lajiao was rebellious and insisted on earning her own living and moving out. On this particular day, it was only after Su Jianian persuaded her that she finally agreed to spend the night at their parents’ home. At nine o’clock, they decided to call it a night and head their separate ways. On this moonless night, cold rain pierced through the mist, drifting down from the sky. Under the eaves, Su Jianian opened an umbrella. “Luo Wei, you’re staying at my sister’s place, right? Let me walk you home.”

Luo Wei waved her hands quickly. “I can go by myself; it’s no problem.”

“Let’s go.”

Just as she was about to insist, Xiao Lajiao’s arm, strengthened by her Muay Thai training, swung around, nearly pushing Luo Wei into Su Jianian’s arms. “If it’s so close, what’s the harm in letting him walk you? Go on, just fulfill my brother’s wish. Be good, now.”  

Luo Wei’s inner expression morphed into The Scream by Munch as she mentally hacked Xiao Lajiao to pieces thousands of times. But outwardly, she forced a pale imitation of Bai Yinshuang’s graceful smile. She stepped under the umbrella, bowed her head, and walked into the rain with Su Jianian. However, walking under the same umbrella with him was only the beginning of her mental torment.

The two walked side by side in the rain, but the atmosphere had completely cooled, far removed from the warmth they shared as a trio earlier. Neither of them spoke. It wasn’t a companionable silence, either—just a void filled by the ceaseless sounds of rain, like a music box playing a monotonous tune. Even their breathing seemed chilled by it. This was a street they had walked countless times as children.

The night sky was dark blue, the clouds a soft gray-black, and the streetlights cast icy veils onto the roads. Ten years ago, on rainy nights like this, they had walked past here countless times. Back then, puddles of rainwater reflected the silver glow of the streetlights and the soles of sneakers worn by a group of children. Now, looking down, the puddles reflected a pair of beige high heels that walked a little unsteadily and a pair of men’s ostrich leather casual shoes, much larger than they used to be.

“Actually, I’ve always wanted to apologize to you,” he suddenly said, his directness surprising her. She looked up and saw his eyes faintly glowing in the shadows. Before she could respond, he continued, “For hanging up on you ten years ago when you called me.”

“It’s fine, really. We were kids back then; we didn’t know any better.”

“It’s because that year, I received a phone call from your father.”

She froze, staring at him blankly. “...My dad?”

“He said you were spending too much time contacting me, not focusing on your studies, and that your grades were dropping quickly. He was worried you wouldn’t even make it into high school.”

She was utterly confused. “How is that possible? Back then, I was in the top two of our class! There was someone who always beat me by one or two points, but...”

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered a time she had locked herself in her room, chatting with Su Jianian on the phone, playfully calling him “Jianian-ge” and using all sorts of indirect methods to inquire about another boy’s situation. When she hung up and opened the door, she was met with her parents’ unnerving stares. Could it be that, from then on, they believed... that Su Jianian was her secret crush?

Su Jianian gave her a startled look as well. “Really?”

Seeing her expression, he knew the question was unnecessary. They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. A gust of wind blew rain onto their faces. She turned her head to avoid her long hair brushing against him, while he remained motionless, his trembling bangs disrupting his vision. Finally, his smile held a hint of helplessness. “Maybe they just didn’t want you to have too much contact with boys.”

She had grown up surrounded by boys, so that explanation didn’t make sense. They simply didn’t want any ties to Gongzhou, for reasons she couldn’t fathom. She didn’t explain further but instead smiled reassuringly. “Since it was just a misunderstanding, there’s nothing to dwell on. I thought you just found me annoying.”

“Luo Wei, I could never think that.”

Su Jianian had changed a lot—he had become much steadier, no longer as sensitive as he was when they were younger. He fell into thought again, and their conversation didn’t continue until Xiao Lajiao’s apartment came into view. In the past, walking here at night, you could see the bright moon through the gaps between the tall buildings. Tonight, looking up, all you could see was the misty rain. Subconsciously, she slowed her pace, trying to find the right words for a goodbye. Before she could speak, he said, “After you moved away, I never thought I’d receive a letter from you.”

She remained silent, listening as he continued.

“During that time, my grandfather had just passed away, my parents were getting a divorce, and I was in the middle of my rebellious phase. I didn’t know how to manage my emotions and had completely stopped practicing piano at home. That made my mother even more disappointed in me—you know how terrifying her disappointment can be.” Seeing the understanding in her expression, he gave a faint, helpless smile. “So, I didn’t want to go home at all. I would often wander around here alone, reading your letters. They were the only thing that made me happy during that time.”

“Jianian-ge, I regret not being there to help you through those tough times…”

“Men don’t like showing their vulnerable side to others. Even though back then, I was just a middle schooler.”

She laughed, but in her heart, she felt their conversation couldn’t continue any longer. She rummaged through her bag for her keycard and house keys while saying, “I’m going to head in to rest now. You should go home early too.”

“Luo Wei.”

“Hm?” She had just found her keycard when she looked up at him.

“Even though it’s a bit late to say this now, I feel it’s something you should know.” He hesitated, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible. “Ever since we lost contact, I haven’t been able to like anyone else.”

“O-oh, I see…” Her brain suddenly short-circuited. She quickly turned around and pressed the card against the machine.

Behind her came his low voice again: “Even if back then you approached me because of someone else, my feelings have never changed.”

A faint beep-beep sounded as the door unlocked. But her hands trembled, and both the key and the card fell to the ground. Su Jianian bent down, picked up the key, and handed it back to her. She grabbed it without even glancing at him, pulled the door open, and rushed upstairs. The quiet rain outside felt like the hazy romance of first love—ephemeral and fleeting, gone with the next dawn. 

As soon as she collapsed onto the sofa, she saw a message from Xiao Lajiao: “Luo Wei, did you check Weibo this morning? Something big happened with your twin sister.”

Her mind was a bit scattered, but she opened Weibo anyway and searched for the name “Xie Xinqi.” A video with tens of thousands of shares caught her eye: The shaky footage was shot at an amusement park that afternoon, showing a stunningly elegant girl clinging to the arm of a tall young man, occasionally glancing around. The person filming followed them for over thirty seconds. Luo Wei was about to close the video when the girl turned her head—and it was unmistakably Xie Xinqi’s face.

She stared wide-eyed at the camera, visibly surprised by being caught, but she didn’t try to avoid it. Instead, she pulled in her stomach, tilted her hips, and struck an S-shaped pose. With a subtle smile in the direction of the camera, she then used her finger to pull down her lower eyelid, stuck out her tongue, and made an exaggeratedly goofy face…

Luo Wei’s jaw nearly hit the floor. She replied to Xiao Lajiao’s message with a row of ellipses. Xiao Lajiao responded immediately: “The boldness of that heiress is unmatched! She’s even daring to mess with that racecar driver. His fangirls, girlfriend fans, and abs fans are as fierce as those of any top celebrity. The online blacklash is insane right now, and look at her—completely unbothered. I have to admire her nerves of steel.” 

She followed up with a photo of Xie Xinqi in a beach bikini.  

The American public has a passion for world travel, cultural openness, and a “seen-it-all” attitude, where even the strangest eccentricities seem perfectly normal to them. Yet, at this moment on Malibu Beach in Los Angeles, heads still turned toward an Asian woman lounging on a deck chair. She was dressed in a colorful bikini, fluorescent yellow-framed sunglasses perched on her nose, her glossy pink lips sipping from a cocktail straw. A tiny white fluffy dog in a pink skirt darted around at her feet, its tail wagging with as much exaggerated delicacy as its owner.  

Not far away, in a reserved parking spot, sat her bright red Ferrari. Her deeply tanned skin seemed to match the car’s color.  

Standing next to her was a pale-faced, stern, and rigid butler, holding up a newspaper with her photo on the front page. Looking at the goofy face in the image, she simply raised her right eyebrow and exaggeratedly shrugged in an American fashion. “So you came all the way here just to deliver a newspaper to me?”

“I am here to inform you that your brother is very unhappy after seeing this photo. He requests that you return to Gongzhou immediately.”

“With my brother’s way of handling things, seeing me in this news would only make him think I’ve brought glory to the family.”

“I ask that you tell him yourself.”

Just imagining her brother summoning her with a stern face made her skin crawl. Gritting her teeth, she said, “He knows perfectly well that I’m dating this guy because he’s the most patriarchal of patriarchs—keeping a revolving door of women by his side while forbidding me to date anyone. He’s the ultimate straight-man chauvinist! I just want him to see that I’m not a little girl anymore!”

“I ask that you tell him yourself.”

She really wanted to punch this walking tape recorder, but she held back and waved at the newspaper dismissively. “Tell him I’m working on my doctoral dissertation and have no time.”

“Mr. Xie instructed me to give you this if you refused to return.” The butler handed her an envelope.

“What is it?”

“A photograph of your matchmaking candidate.”

“Matchmaking? Are you kidding me? My brother wants me to go on a blind date? Isn’t he the one who thinks I’m still thirteen years old? The one who believes that if I even talk to a man, I’ll end up giving birth to septuplets?”

“That’s because Mr. Xie said that any man chosen for Miss Xie must be of the highest quality.”

“Highest quality?” She slowly pulled out the photo, looking at him skeptically. “What kind of person?”

“Miss Xie, please take a look.”

She glanced at the photo inside, blinked, slid it back into the envelope, and then pulled it out again. Her sunglasses glinted in the sunlight as she let out a cold laugh. “Is this some kind of joke?”

The butler merely smiled. She stretched lazily, radiating a carefree aura as though she were about to roast herself in the sun. “You expect me to go on a blind date with this guy? I can tell just by looking at his eyes that any woman who gets near him is either going to hit a wall or be tortured until she’s scarred inside and out.”

“And your point is?”

“My point is, book me a flight back to Gongzhou.” She slid her sunglasses down slightly, revealing a pair of large, sparkling eyes. Her mouth formed a perfect O as she spat out one word: “Now.”

Her brother was too reliable—she had wronged him. She looked at the photo a few more times, finding it more captivating with each glance. Despite the man’s clean and delicate features, his expressionless face carried a subtle hint of a furrowed brow. His cold and regal demeanor was enough to make her think, This is it. I’m marrying him.

The butler noticed her satisfaction and smiled faintly. “It seems Miss Xie is quite pleased with Mr. He.”

“His last name is He?” Xie Xinqi straightened her posture.

“Yes. Miss, did you not even look at his name?”

Seeing the butler gesture as if flipping a page, Xie Xinqi turned the photo over. There, printed in stark, solitary letters, was a single word:  

King  

Her hand trembled, almost dropping the photo. “…Oh my god.”