RITM - 45

Chapter 45: The Fifteen-Sided Mirror - Awakening (2)

The movie poster on the screen featured a ghostly woman with disheveled hair and one missing eyeball. Long rumored to have scared a viewer to death during its premiere, this film was known as a five-star horror movie, and she was incredibly excited to watch it. Too scared to watch alone, she followed He Yingze into his room. However, the intensity of the movie far exceeded her expectations. Even after watching it together on the couch under the bright lights of the chandelier, everything still felt gray to her, her mind replaying horrifying scenes. The ticking of the second hand echoed loudly in the eerily silent room. Clutching the sofa cushion, she dared only to move her eyes, too afraid to even turn her neck. He Yingze stood up and left a single sentence behind: “If you’re too scared to go back, you can sleep here.”

She said seriously, “I need to think about which is scarier—you or horror movies.”

“Don’t get your hopes up. Unless I haven’t been with a woman for a long time, I wouldn’t be interested in an A-cup.”

“You always seem to have something to say about my cup size—I’m a B!” Her face turned bright red.

“B- or A+ at best.”

Unable to win the argument, she changed the topic again: “You’re my boss’s boss. How can I let you sleep on the couch?”

“Don’t be so polite—it’s you who’ll be sleeping on the couch.” He spoke with certainty, then went into the bathroom to freshen up. Before closing the door, he tossed a shirt her way. “If you’re too scared to go back and get your clothes, just wear mine for now.”

This guy had no sense of chivalry! She didn’t care, though, and lay down on the bed for a while. Hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom, she waited. As time passed, her ability to think clearly completely disappeared. The previous night, she had accidentally fallen asleep in her daytime clothes, but this night, waiting for him to come to bed felt entirely different. She clutched his shirt nervously, her hands trembling as she tried to pull the zipper at the back. When her hand reached behind her head, a strange noise came from her back—she knew it wasn’t good. Reaching behind her, she confirmed it: the zipper on her dress had broken. The slider was stuck below her neck, but the teeth had split open, leaving a gap. With images of the ghost’s pale face still haunting her mind, she didn’t dare run back to her room alone. For the next five minutes, she struggled with the cursed zipper. Despite breaking into a sweat, she couldn’t get the slider to budge. Finally, the bathroom doorknob turned, and He Yingze walked out.

“Xiao Ying, hurry up and help me...” Her words trailed off, unable to continue.

He was wearing navy blue pajama pants and matching slippers, his upper body bare, drying his damp hair with a towel. He glanced at her indifferently, opened the fridge, and crouched down to grab a beer. She shook her head, trying to shake the image of the beauty mark on his nose and his six-pack abs out of her mind, but her gaze was immediately drawn to the young, toned lines of his back. Stammering, she said, “Uh, I... I’m stuck...” Oh no, what was she trying to say?

“What’s stuck?”

He used a bottle opener to pry off the beer cap, and as the cap flew off, the muscles in his arm tensed visibly. She tried to focus on finishing her sentence, but she watched as he tilted his head back and drank straight from the bottle, his prominent nose and Adam’s apple moving as he swallowed... Memories of kissing him suddenly flooded back. Realizing she had a fleeting desire to relive that moment, she wished she could bang her head against the wall to erase the thought. Only when he asked her again what was stuck did she hurriedly lower her head and mumble, “Um, the zipper on my dress broke. Can you help me fix it?”

He set the beer bottle down and walked toward her. She held out her hand to stop him: “W-wait, put your clothes on first!”

“I’m only wearing pants because you’re here. Normally, I sleep naked.” His reaction was calm as he approached her. “If you’re uncomfortable, just don’t look.”

Luo Wei could only resign herself to her fate, turning her back to him, lowering her head, and brushing her hair forward over her chest. He sat behind her. The mattress shifted slightly. His damp fingers touched the zipper slider, unintentionally grazing her neck. The fresh scent of his shower gel enveloped her. With his other hand, he aligned the two rows of zipper teeth, pressing them together through the thin fabric of her dress against her skin. He pulled the zipper down twice with practiced ease, finding the right position. Then, with a soft “zip,” the dress’s zipper was undone. She could feel the fabric parting, exposing her skin and the deep red strap of her bra to his view. For four or five seconds after fixing the zipper, they remained silent, neither making a move. Their breathing was erratic, their heartbeats pounding like they were in their throats… Finally, she turned her head and said, “...Thank you.”

It seemed he had just realized the awkwardness of the situation, nodding stiffly: “No problem.”

Afterward, she retreated to the bathroom and changed into his shirt. Though fully clothed, something had changed. The shirt was clean, yet it still carried the faint, barely detectable scent of his freshness. Wearing it, she felt as if he had become her intimate garment. The sense of security she had felt the previous night had vanished without a trace. After turning off the lights, neither of them went to the couch, looked into each other’s eyes, nor made any move to get closer. They lay on opposite edges of the bed, their backs facing each other, with at least two meters of empty space between them. By 2 a.m., she still couldn’t fall asleep, and she could sense He Yingze lying quietly on the other side, shifting positions every few minutes before settling back down.

---

The next day, they flew back to Gongzhou early, arriving home just in time for breakfast. While washing her hands in the bathroom, she stepped onto the scale. The numbers jumped several times before settling, and she smiled calmly, secretly thrilled. Yes, she had lost weight—and not just a little. Though she worked slowly, her persistence paid off, and life rewarded her with gradual, steady surprises.

In high school, her grandfather had told her that how a person treats their body reflects how they treat their life, career, and relationships.

At the time, she hadn’t understood, but now she realized it was golden advice. Take Lu Xiren, for example—he was an art director who relied on bursts of inspiration, indulged in unhealthy eating habits, loved staying up late, and had chaotic, promiscuous relationships. Chang Feng had little interest in food, didn’t exercise, and ignored illnesses, so it made sense that he prioritized King above all else. On the other hand, He Yingze cherished his body the most. He never deprived himself of comfort in clothing, food, housing, or travel, avoided staying up late, didn’t diet excessively, but exercised restraint in everything. He regularly went to the gym, played golf, and got full-body checkups. Someone who took such good care of themselves naturally reaped success and lived a selfish yet fulfilling life, excelling even in love. She had learned many good habits from He Yingze and increasingly felt that meeting him was a stroke of luck.

This thought lasted only until she went downstairs.

Chang Feng and Lu Xiren had arrived at some point. Upon seeing her, Lu Xiren’s mouth formed an “O” shape, and Chang Feng stood up in surprise: “Wow, Miss Luo... So you and Sixth Brother spent the night in Hong Kong, and now you’ve come straight home?”

They seemed unaware that she lived here. She glanced at He Yingze, hoping for some support, but he was busy nibbling on toast and flipping through the newspaper, oblivious to her silent plea. Seeing her silence, Chang Feng became even more convinced of his assumption: “This is the first time I’ve seen Sixth Brother bring a woman home. Miss Luo, you must have some tricks up your sleeve.”

Unable to bear the pressure, she went straight to the kitchen to make herself breakfast and took a big gulp of milk. Chang Feng was undoubtedly a gossip king, and his surprise only grew: “Don’t tell me you’re living with Sixth Brother?! Oh my god, don’t tell me the two of you have turned this fake relationship into a real one?!”

Lu Xiren chimed in: “Could it be that this budding rose has finally blossomed under Sixth Brother’s cultivation?”

Luo Wei nearly spat out her milk but quickly waved her hands: “No, no, no! I’m just here to cook lunch and dinner for your Sixth Brother.”

They reluctantly sat back down, looking somewhat disappointed and confused. She carried her breakfast to the dining table and ate silently, eager to leave as soon as possible. He Yingze and his two subordinates eventually returned to their normal conversation. Thinking about the new product planning she still had to work on, Luo Wei quickly finished eating and set her utensils down. He Yingze also put down his newspaper: “Is that all you’re eating?”

“Yes,” she replied. She had just lost weight and didn’t want to gain it back immediately.

He pushed an untouched plate of breakfast toward her: “Eat this.”

“Thank you, but I’m full—I won’t eat anymore.” She smiled apologetically and pushed the plate back.

He pushed it back again, staring at her with an overwhelming presence. She felt her scalp tingle but remained firm: “No, I’m really full. I don’t want to eat.”

“Breakfast is important. Eat.”

She had thought his habit of giving orders had improved during this time, but it seemed he hadn’t changed at all. Looking at the golden fried egg, the fresh, fatty yet not greasy bacon, and the honey-drizzled waffles, her appetite did improve slightly. However, thinking about the gap between her and He Yingze, she resolutely pushed the plate back: “No matter what you say, I’m not eating.”

“Luo Wei, you don’t need to lose weight.”

She blinked, surprised that He Yingze would say something nice, and asked curiously: “Why?”

“A skinny camel is still bigger than a horse. Losing weight won’t make a difference.”

“...” A vein throbbed on her forehead as she forced a polite smile. “You’re making me suspect you’re seeking revenge for the siu mai incident, Mr. He.”

“Why do you doubt?” He stood up from his chair, walked over to her, and forked a piece of bacon, bringing it to her mouth. “I am getting revenge.”

“I knew it—I won’t fall for it!” She smirked defiantly, but in the end, she couldn’t resist him. He pinched her cheeks and stuffed a piece of bacon into her mouth. Just as she was about to spit it out in protest, she accidentally knocked his wallet off the table while turning around. She apologized and quickly picked it up behind his back. A plant specimen and two old photos slipped out: the plant specimen was the dried rose they had taken from the time capsule. In the first photo, both she and He Yingze were children. They were sitting on the grass; she was struggling to hug his arm, laughing joyfully, while he was expressionless, grabbing her twin ponytails. The second photo was of her alone—a silhouette of her wearing her high school summer uniform. In the photo, she was walking under a sycamore tree, holding books in one hand and tucking wind-blown strands of hair behind her ear with the other. She had no memory of the second photo, but she clearly remembered the day of her high school graduation photoshoot. A man claiming to be a photographer from a youth magazine had asked to take her picture as material. She had agreed generously, and he had told her to walk naturally while taking several shots.

Why was this photo in He Yingze’s wallet? And the edges of the photo were worn, suggesting it had been there for quite some time…

She suddenly found it hard to breathe. Originally, she intended to put both photos back, but realizing she had been staring blankly for so long, it would be hard to hide, so she quickly stuffed the rose specimen and the second photo back into the wallet. Holding only the childhood photo, she said, “Oh, isn’t this our childhood photo? You actually kept it.”