RITM - 41

Chapter 41: The Fourteen-Sided Mirror - Cohabitation (1)

Seeing her brother’s red eyes commanding her, Xie Xinqi was extremely frightened. But the thought that Luo Wei might be seducing him made her anger surpass her fear. She gritted her teeth and said, “I won’t do it! She probably envied me secretly for a long time, right? Luo Wei, am I right? When my parents took you to get a DNA test, you were on the phone with your parents non-stop. Were you trying to tell them the good news but got slapped by the result?”

Luo Wei was dumbfounded. Thinking about how her parents would still be insulted by others’ words even after their death, she almost raised her arm to slap Xie Xinqi’s face. However, the last bit of rationality told her that violence couldn’t solve any problems. She laughed lightly: “You, young lady, have received a good education, but your upbringing and morals are terrible. I used to admire your work, what a mistake. How can someone so selfish and lacking in familial affection possibly understand art?”

That phrase “lacking in familial affection” hit Xie Xinqi’s sore spot. Her memories of being alone in the studio since childhood and eating alone formed a stark contrast with Luo Wei happily cuddling with her parents, like black and white. Her lips trembled, but she forced herself to smile: “How could I not understand familial affection? All parents hope their children will do well. For example, your parents probably wish you were born to my parents because then they could get a large sum of money.”

Luo Wei clenched her fists, her face turning pale: “Xie Xinqi, I warn you, you can insult me, but don’t insult my parents!!”

Her appearance was somewhat frightening, and Xie Xinqi was momentarily stunned, realizing that she had gone too far with her words. But words once spoken cannot be taken back, and it was hard for her to back down. Caught between a rock and a hard place, she could only continue stubbornly: “I didn’t insult them. Their hope for you to come to our family isn’t due to lack of money, then what is it?”

The longing and guilt towards her parents had already caused Luo Wei to completely collapse. Her ears turned red with anger, tears welling up in her eyes, and she rushed forward to slap Xie Xinqi. The sound echoed throughout the hall, drawing everyone’s attention. Xie Xinqi was stunned by the slap, covering her face and muttering: “You actually dared to hit me... My parents and brother have never hit me, yet you dare to hit me...” Her eyes filled with hatred, she raised her hand, preparing to slap Luo Wei back. However, her wrist was grabbed, and she couldn’t muster the strength.

Turning around, she saw Chang Feng. Behind Chang Feng stood eight tall bodyguards in black suits, making him appear much shorter. At the same time, his eyes curved into crescents: “Miss Xie, first insulting others, then resorting to violence, are you planning to play the spoiled princess to the end?”

“You know I’m a princess? A woman of this status dares to hit me! She has no right! Let go!”

“This status? Miss Xie, could you define what ‘this status’ means?”

Everyone witnessing this situation held their breath for Xie Xinqi. It was obvious now that Luo Wei had connections with the Hecheng Group; otherwise, Chang Feng wouldn’t have stepped in to help her. However, Xie Xinqi never knew how to assess the situation. Still angry, she spoke without thinking: “Her? Unknown origin, just looks like me, not even fit to be my substitute.”

“Your substitute? If I remember correctly, you once flew back specifically to meet King, but you didn’t even see him, right.”

At this point, Su Jianian’s expression also darkened. Xie Xinqi couldn’t lie, and the more she said, the more mistakes she made: “You know it’s because I was late! If I remember correctly, I was King’s only arranged meeting partner, right?”

“Does Miss Xie know why he wanted to meet you?”

“Because I am Xie Xinqi.”

“No, it’s because King lost contact with his first love at the time. He looked at your photo and thought you resembled that girl, so he agreed to meet you. However, they are married now, so the one who was a substitute is you, Miss Xie.”

In fact, He Yingze didn’t want to deal with Xie Xinqi at all, even though she looked like Luo Wei. All these words were fabricated by Chang Feng, but Xie Xinqi believed them.

“What nonsense are you spouting? What does this have to do with Luo Wei...” At this point, Xie Xinqi stopped, turning her head in astonishment to look at Luo Wei.

Chang Feng spread his hands to Luo Wei: “Madam He is the current First Lady of the Hecheng Group, not someone of unknown origin.”

The whole room was in an uproar. People’s gazes, like spotlights, all focused on Luo Wei—so this was the true identity of “Queen”? So she and He Yingze were already married? In such a setting, no one would act improperly, but almost simultaneously, the men all acknowledged that Luo Wei was as beautiful as a celestial being, extraordinary because she was He Yingze’s wife. The women, however, scrutinized her with suspicion, wondering what kind of ability this woman had to conquer He Yingze? Of course, the most bewildered person was Luo Wei herself. What was going on? Wasn’t her marriage with He Yingze just a formality? How did it suddenly turn into her being his first love...

“What... What kind of joke is this? She’s He Yingze’s wife? If He Yingze is already married, then why did he agree to meet with me in the first place?”

Xie Xinqi’s words were now nothing more than self-deception. The assets of the Hecheng Group were over seven times that of the Xie family, with just the Zhenji Wangcheng alone being more than three times the size of the Xie family’s holdings. Everyone present felt embarrassed for Xie Xinqi. As expected from a reckless and thoughtless young lady, she didn’t even realize how much she was disgracing herself.

Among those present, Xie Xiuchen reacted the quickest. He stepped forward and said apologetically, “So you’re Mrs. He. My younger sister was extremely rude just now. I’ll make sure to discipline her when we get home. Please follow me; I’ll take you to change into a new set of clothes.”

Luo Wei had assumed that given Xie Xinqi’s unruly personality, she would surely argue back and humiliate her before leaving. Unexpectedly, Xie Xinqi turned her head away, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. But even in this situation, she refused to show any sign of weakness. Instead, she furrowed her brows, her red-rimmed eyes glaring at Xie Xiuchen, and indignantly said to Luo Wei, “So what if you’ve become He Yingze’s accessory? You still haven’t achieved anything.” With that, she turned and walked away. Su Jianian chased after her and tried to grab her hand, but she violently shook him off.

No one else knew that Xie Xiuchen wasn’t usually such a stern older brother. He had always doted on her, never letting her suffer even the slightest bit of委屈 (grievance), let alone allowing her to be humiliated in front of others. She stormed out of the exhibition hall and found herself in a deserted corner, gasping for breath. Not long after, she heard the sound of leather shoes stepping on the smooth marble floor. This sound was so familiar. From childhood to adulthood, every time she turned her back to this person, she could hear these footsteps. Her spoiled temper and vanity had made her unpopular among girls during her school years. Every time the girls in her class ganged up to isolate her, she would fiercely retaliate until they fell silent. Later, as she cried alone in a corner, the first footsteps she heard were always these. She turned around upon hearing them, only to hear Xie Xiuchen coldly ask, “What’s wrong with you today?”

“I don’t like her,” she said bluntly.

“Because you don’t like her, you think it’s okay to embarrass yourself and our family like this?”

“But... but...” she faltered again, “But I just don’t want her to get close to you...”

Xie Xiuchen paused for a few seconds, his brows tightly knit as he refrained from thinking too deeply: “Aren’t you always hoping I’d find a wife for you? Now that I’m talking to a girl I have some interest in, this is the attitude you’re giving me?”

“You’re interested in her? She looks so much like me—doesn’t that feel strange to you? Besides, she’s already married.”

“Just because she looks like you doesn’t mean she’s the same. Her essence is completely different from yours. Luo Wei is sensible, cheerful yet humble. Even though she’s married, it’s hard not to like her. King really knows how to pick a wife.”

“You’ve only talked to her for a few minutes, and you’re already convinced she’s a good girl? I can tell at a glance that she’s full of schemes—she’s definitely not a good girl.”

“So what kind of girl is a good girl, you?”

“Yes!”

Xie Xiuchen couldn’t help but laugh bitterly: “How rude. I think you should go apologize to all the good girls right now.”

“Girls are great at pretending. If she can deceive He Yingze, deceiving you must be a piece of cake.”

“Surface-level politeness is important in life, but you mistake low emotional intelligence for straightforwardness. With your severe spoiled temper, no man will be able to tolerate you. The fact that your boyfriend has put up with your personality for so long has everything to do with our family’s wealth. If one day our family falls apart or a better girl comes along, Su Jianian might not stay as loyal as he is now.”

“He’s already disloyal! To him, I’ve always been Luo Wei’s substitute!” she exclaimed passionately, panting heavily before trying to calm down and continue, “I know there’s no such thing as unconditional love in this world, no fairy-tale romance. Growing up watching our family, how could I not understand? Men all have an expiration date. When they stop treating me well, I’ll just replace them.”

“If you keep replacing them like this, what will you do when you grow old?”

“As long as I have money, isn’t it easy to hire someone to take care of me?”

“Xie Xinqi, you’re starting to sound more and more like your mother.”

Xie Xinqi froze. She had always held a deep disdain for her mother’s character. Since childhood, she realized that her mother was a vain, ostentatious, and materialistic woman who showed no maternal affection. Over the years, this ostentation had mellowed into an unnatural gentleness. But she knew that this gentleness wasn’t built on trust or familial bonds—it was all for appearances. Her father’s poor health meant her mother didn’t want him changing his will and wanted to leave a good impression on her in-laws. Feeling pitiful, she sneered, “So what? I’m her daughter after all. I’ve never learned to show weakness. How else would she have lost to your mother?”

That statement hit a nerve. Xie Xiuchen’s lips curled into a barely noticeable cold smirk, and his eyes lost their luster: “I’m going back now. I still need to take care of Miss Luo.”

Watching him turn and walk away, she stubbornly turned and left as well. Once again, she heard the familiar fading footsteps. Over time, they had grown steadier, once bringing her the most loving brother, but now only taking him further away from her.

In truth, she didn’t actually dislike Luo Wei. But something about today had made her lose control, far more rebellious and crude than usual. Perhaps it was because they looked so alike, giving her the illusion that Xin Qiao had returned from the dead to take everything she had. Passing by an interior decoration shop, she saw a mirror inside, with a potted rose arrangement in front of it. Her favorite plant to paint was roses. She remembered once, after finishing a painting of roses, she stood next to it and winked at Xie Xiuchen, asking, “Who’s prettier, me or the roses?”

Without hesitation, Xie Xiuchen replied, “You are.”

She blinked and said, “So you’re saying I didn’t paint well?”

“Don’t be difficult.”

“Who’s prettier, me or the roses?”

“Both are beautiful.”

“So in my brother’s eyes, I’m not the most beautiful, not irreplaceable.”

“Xie Xinqi, why do you have to be so difficult!”

“So tell me quickly, who’s prettier, me or the rose?”

Xie Xiuchen replied with a straight face: “I am.”

She still remembered how she had burst into laughter when he teased her like that. But at this moment, her reflection was in the mirror, and the platinum rose pinned to her chest perfectly overlapped with the position of the leaves on the branch, as if it naturally grew from the stem. Despite the luxuriousness of the platinum rose, which belonged in a jewelry box, it paled in comparison to the vibrant magenta rose beside it. The magenta rose had natural petals, a rich fragrance, and an exuberant charm—its beauty akin to the most natural smile.

Everyone might hope to collect the platinum rose, pinning it to their clothes because it symbolized wealth and status. However, what people truly wanted to approach and admire was the living, breathing real rose. Xie Xinqi had always loved art, and she knew that the most beautiful flowers in the world were not made of metal, nor painted onto canvases with a brush, nor placed in vases—they grew wild in nature.

She was the luxury item crafted from platinum, while Luo Wei was the flower of nature.

Her brother was right. People around her might come close due to money and status, but the person they genuinely liked was Luo Wei, who had a gentle personality. Su Jianian liked her, He Yingze protected her, and even her brother showed favoritism towards her… If Luo Wei looked different, she might not have thought much about it. But they looked so similar, and despite Luo Wei being inferior to her in every aspect, she received more love. Wasn’t the answer obvious? She had looked into a mirror of a parallel world, and it reflected all her fatal flaws.

The author has something to say:

Regarding the previous chapter’s plot, there were two interesting yet opposite comments:

- Reader A: I’m starting to dislike Luo Wei. Why is Xinqi always so unlucky in front of her, always acting like the evil supporting character highlighting Cinderella? I still prefer Xinqi’s personality; the white lotus act doesn’t move me…

- Reader B: This part solidified my extreme dislike for Xie Xinqi. There’s no saving her now, no matter what happens later.

Haha, actually, Xinqi’s personality is like this. Even if it weren’t Luo Wei, she would still constantly hit walls and embarrass herself. Look at previous instances where she got scolded for creating scandals to provoke Xie Xiuchen or got thrown out of a banquet by Su Jianian’s mother. Her low emotional intelligence has a way of turning small matters into catastrophic events.

Take the jewelry design competition, for example. At first glance, it seemed to highlight Xinqi’s talent, but in reality, it was portraying Luo Wei’s inner struggles. Similarly, while this part seems to glorify Luo Wei, the author’s intent (important point!) is to characterize Xinqi.

Although Xinqi once again dug her own grave, her behavior this time showed significant contrast. Normally, she’s self-centered and looks down on everyone, but here, she cared about Luo Wei, whom she completely despised. Why? Compare her reaction to Luo Wei getting close to Su Jianian and her reaction to Xie Xiuchen protecting Luo Wei. The mystery lies here…