RITM - 51

Chapter 51: The Sixteen-Sided Mirror - Autumn Rain (4)

Su Jianian’s mother watched them all with an expressionless face, as if observing monkeys performing in a circus. Xie Xinqi thought this was already the worst-case scenario, but then Liu Yixue’s mother delivered another blow, sending her spiraling into despair: “Yes, she was pregnant! After you cruelly dumped her to chase your first love, Luo Wei, she carried your child, was taken by your mother to get an abortion, bled to death, and died alone in a foreign land!”

The rain suddenly eased. Xie Xinqi stumbled back a step, the sound of her high heels clattering against the pebbles drawing the attention of the others.

Though she had long suspected Su Jianian’s lingering feelings for Luo Wei, having it confirmed left her completely unable to accept it. As Su Jianian stepped into the rain and strode toward her, she heard Yixue’s mother sneer: “Isn’t this Luo Wei?” By this point, her mind was in chaos. She hadn’t considered how thoroughly Yixue’s mother had investigated Su Jianian’s romantic history—how could she not know that Xie Xinqi wasn’t Luo Wei? Thus, she failed to recognize the vindictive undertone of the comment. All she could think about was this: Xie Xinqi, despite being born into privilege, had managed to ruin everything so spectacularly that she was now seen as inferior even to an ordinary girl like Luo Wei. How much of a failure was she? No, she hadn’t been born lucky at all. Her family was broken, far worse than Luo Wei’s.

She dropped her umbrella and fled into the rain, only to be caught by Su Jianian, who grabbed her wrist.

“Xinqi, listen to me—I didn’t know anything about this! I swear!” He pleaded desperately, gripping her struggling hand tightly. “I admit, I was the one who broke up with Yixue after returning to the country, but I didn’t know she was pregnant, and I didn’t know she had died. Even today, this is the first I’m hearing of it!”

“If it’s not your fault, whose is it? Your mom’s?”

“I…”

“Or should we blame Luo Wei?”

“I used to like her, but now I like you. You have to believe me.”

“Believe you?” She had wanted to lash out at him, but looking into his rain-soaked eyes, she fell silent for a long time. “I can’t accept this. Let’s break up.”

He stood frozen for a long while, his chest feeling as though a heavy weight pressed down on it, making it hard to breathe. His hand trembled as he held onto hers: “Xinqi, I’m suffering too—I’m suffering more than anyone. Can you give me some time to calm down? Please don’t act impulsively, okay?”

“I’m not acting impulsively. If someone really has died because of this, I will definitely leave you.”

“I won’t say ignorance excuses guilt, because this was my mother’s doing. Her mistakes are also my responsibility. I know she’s always been like this—she’ll stop at nothing to fulfill my desires. What she did was morally wrong, I know that, I understand… But you can’t punish me like this! I love you so much—I can’t accept breaking up.” As he spoke, he seemed on the verge of a manic episode, his lips and cheeks trembling uncontrollably like his fingers.

“This matter has crossed my底线 (bottom line). I’m sorry.” She twisted her arm and furrowed her brow, saying, “Let go.”

He still held onto her tightly, his gaze never leaving her face. His eyes shimmered with tears, making him look pitiful. “Please,” he begged.

“You’re only making me despise you more. Let go.”

He clenched his jaw, his lips pale. “Then what can I do to make you respect me? Do I have to say it—the truth about why you left me? That… that unspeakable secret?”

She looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

With one hand, he pulled his phone from his pocket, opened a webpage, and quickly searched for a news article. He wiped the rain off the screen with his sleeve and held it up to her. The headline read: “The 37th Gongzhou Art Exhibition Opens This Month—Portrait ‘Lovers’ Sparks Controversy.” The accompanying photo showed a framed portrait displayed at the exhibition.

It was her painting of Xie Xiuchen.

“The title wasn’t my choice,” she replied, though her heart was pounding furiously.

“I know—it didn’t have a name originally. Aren’t you curious why, even after you changed your name to submit it, I still knew it was yours?” Before she could respond, Su Jianian continued softly, “There’s no one else in this world who could paint Xie Xiuchen like this. Look, even the organizers named it ‘Lovers.’ Critics who’ve seen this piece all say…”

He glanced at the phone screen and recited softly from the article: “This painting is tender and passionate in style; every stroke conveys the artist’s feelings for the model. Without years of deep, unwavering love, such an exquisite portrait would not have been possible.”

Now it was Xie Xinqi’s turn to pale. “What… What nonsense are you spouting? He’s my brother!”

“But you love him, don’t you?”

“Yes, as family love!” Seeing his disdainful smirk, she paused, realizing how redundant her explanation sounded. Flustered and irritated, she snapped, “You… You’re insane! How can you jump to conclusions based on this news article? Has your logic been chewed up by dogs?”

“No. If you were explaining this to anyone else, they might believe you, but not me. We’re both artists—we don’t need to lie to ourselves or others. We both know how much emotion an artwork reveals about its creator.” At this point, he had no energy left to argue further. With a deep sigh, he wiped the rain from his eyelids and nervously traced her cheek over and over. “Baby, I’m already so tired. If you don’t want him to know, if you don’t want anyone else to know, just stop talking about breaking up. After I deal with Liu Yixue’s matter, everything will return to normal.” He placed his hands on her trembling shoulders. “Trust me.”

---

From that day on, Xie Xinqi stubbornly refused to let him touch her. Every day, she found new ways to humiliate him, lash out in anger, and push him away, yet she avoided directly mentioning a breakup again. At the same time, she frantically tried to play matchmaker for Xie Xiuchen, introducing him to every eligible friend she could think of. But Xie Xiuchen always maintained an aloof, disinterested attitude, leaving her emotions tangled—part frustration, part smugness. Clearly, her brother had the highest standards. Even she admired him deeply, so naturally, the ordinary women around her couldn’t possibly meet his expectations. When their father accused him of being a playboy, it was likely just projecting his own flaws. There really weren’t many women in this world worthy of catching her brother’s eye.

Of course, reality wasn’t quite as she imagined. One Sunday afternoon, she went to the movies with a girlfriend. As the lights came back on after the film ended, she stretched lazily, only to be captivated by the silhouette of a young woman in front of her. The woman wore a crimson silk dress and carried a matching crocodile-skin handbag. Compared to her, the other girls nearby seemed childlike. Her bouncy curls were more refined than anyone else’s, her figure slimmer, her waist impossibly tiny—barely eighteen inches around. In this era of economic prosperity, beautiful women were common on shopping streets, but a figure this striking was rare even at fashion events. Based on Xie Xinqi’s experience, such people were often “back view killers.” She stood rooted in place, waiting for the woman to turn around, eager to see her face. But not only did she catch a glimpse of the woman’s flawless profile, she also saw the man who rose beside her. He was slightly over six feet tall—not much taller than the beauty—but his cufflinks and physique suggested he effortlessly commanded her presence. Sure enough, she clung to his arm, dabbing at the corner of her eye, speaking in a thick Taiwanese accent: “That was such a touching movie, wasn’t it?”

He leaned in naturally, kissing her lips tenderly. “Such a sentimental woman,” he murmured affectionately.

Her expression softened, and she leaned closer, inhaling deeply. “You always smell so good. Many people must compliment you on your cologne. But only I know it’s your skin that perfumes your shirt.”

He showed no sign of flattery, his tone instead tinged with lazy amusement. “Are you turning into a seductive woman now?”

Before he even turned around, Xie Xinqi had already grabbed her friend and hurried down the steps, walking briskly toward the exit. She hadn’t been mistaken—it was Xie Xiuchen. What an incredible coincidence! She hadn’t set foot in a cinema for ages, and here she was, witnessing him on a date.

As they walked out, she heard her heart pounding wildly, her breathing growing rapid. Descending the stairs, she felt as though all the blood in her body had rushed to her head, her legs trembling and weak. She couldn’t understand why her reaction was so intense. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen her brother with a woman, was it? Why did this hit her so hard? Why was it so difficult to think clearly? Each step felt laborious, her footsteps heavier than usual, yet her mind was flooded with heat, completely out of control. Even in flat shoes, she needed to lean on her friend’s arm to steady herself.

“Xinqi, are you alright?”

Xie Xinqi shook her head, forcing a smile. “I’m fine. Just a little dizzy from watching the movie for so long. But it was really great! That monster scene scared me half to death.” She realized her voice was louder than usual, her laughter sharper and more cheerful. She desperately hoped Xie Xiuchen would notice her, but she didn’t want him to know she’d seen him—and deliberately walked ahead of him. What kind of mindset was this? What was wrong with her…

“Yeah, the entire theater gasped! It was so intense, but the 3D glasses gave me a splitting headache.”

“You’re such a drama queen about glasses, even though you’re nearsighted.” Xie Xinqi deliberately turned her head, showing her profile to the people behind her, and playfully pushed her friend’s forehead.

The crowd exiting the theater at this time was overwhelming, and the elevators were already packed. She followed the flow of people into the stairwell. Too timid and overly self-conscious about her behavior, she didn’t dare look back to see if Xie Xiuchen and his date were following her. By the time she reached the first floor and squeezed back into an elevator, turning around only to find that he was nowhere to be seen.