The Vanishing Beauty - Chapter 1 - 10

Chapter 1 - 10

All evening long, Yu Meng went out of her way to figure out Bai Yuankai's "background and details." Yet her methods were high-level; instead of asking directly, she spoke in riddles, beat around the bush, and ambushed him when he least expected it.

It was as if she hadn't asked anything at all, yet everything she wanted to know was already securely within her grasp.

Yu Shuang was wandering in her own thoughts. Through the conversation, Yu Meng grasped Bai Yuankai's temperament, his profession, and his current position. She also learned that he was single. The only thing she hadn't thoroughly probed was what kind of girl he liked.

"Xiaobai, keep an eye out and set someone up for Yu Shuang," Yu Meng joked. The more outrageous the remark, the safer it was to place out on the table for discussion.

Yu Shuang feigned annoyance, saying she wasn't a head of Chinese cabbage being bought at the market. Bai Yuankai thought for a moment and said that might be a bit difficult. Yu Shuang grew dissatisfied and demanded, "What do you mean by that?" She and Yuankai were buddies, so she didn't hold anything back and let her temper fly straight out.

"Weren't you looking for Wallace Huo?" Yuankai joked with a straight face.

"Oh, my!" Yu Meng let out a soft cry of astonishment.

Bai Yuankai added, "Then again, maybe not—that was the standard from five years ago."

Yu Shuang directly corrected him, "Right now it's Wang Kai."

Yu Meng chuckled and said, "Then we'll have to let Xiao Rui see if she can get in touch with him." Yu Rui worked in the entertainment industry.

Bai Yuankai naturally understood Yu Meng's implication. After Yu Shuang's mother passed away, Yu Shuang's mental state left everyone worried. Yuankai had also advised Yu Shuang: "Go date someone." "I don't want to get married," Yu Shuang retorted. Yuankai messaged her: "I didn't say get married, date first." Yu Shuang replied: "I don't need a man." Yuankai corrected her: "You don't need a man; you need a human being, you need spiritual communication."

Hitting right on the mark.

Materially, Yu Shuang was independent. But spiritually, her mother's passing had left a massive void in her. She had agreed to go on blind dates to see if a Nüwa might appear to patch up the rent in her skies.

Yuankai corrected: Nüwa was a goddess.

Yu Shuang retorted: A male wouldn't be called Nüwa. Then what is he called? A male god, she replied.

Halfway through the meal, Yu Rui still hadn't arrived. It was as if she were a TV program previewed ten times over, yet delayed indefinitely from airing. Yu Shuang didn't offer any explanations. Yu Meng, however, felt compelled to put in a few words for Rui, explaining that she genuinely had matters to attend to—rushing around between crew sets and auditions.

Elevating her social standing.

Bai Yuankai asked, "Don't you have four great beauties?"

Yu Shuang answered, "There's also Sister Jia."

Yuankai gestured along his arm and asked, "Is that the one with short hair?"

Yu Meng grew sensitive. "How do you know that?"

"The one collecting money that day."

"Her child is young, her family is busy, and her husband is an official, so she's tied up. Otherwise, she'd have come today too." Yu Meng summed it up in a few sentences, implying he shouldn't read too much into it. The only dish available to be served today was Yu Rui.

Yu Rui didn't arrive until they were almost finished eating. Finding this improper, Bai Yuankai insisted on ordering another round. Yu Rui remained reserved, saying she wasn't hungry. Yu Shuang chimed in, "Let him order. You can't fleece this guy many times a year." Yu Meng handed the menu to Yu Rui, who ordered two dishes that were neither overly expensive nor too cheap. Bai Yuankai took back the menu, added a fish, and moved to order chicken as well.

He was stopped by Yu Shuang. Her principle was simple: no waste. However, what made things interesting was that now that Yu Rui had arrived, everyone's conversation became somewhat guarded. Aside from the funeral, this could be considered their first formal, proper meeting.

Unsure of how she should present herself, Yu Rui simply decided to play the lady—neither gaining nor losing ground.

With the female party being so reserved, Yuankai found it difficult to act too unrestrained. It amounted to little more than simple question-and-answer exchanges discussing the entertainment industry. Yu Rui shared a few harmless pieces of industry gossip, which left Yu Shuang yawning. As the time drew near, Yuankai paid the bill. Yu Meng organized a group photo session—pairing them up in twos, and then asking a waiter to take a collective shot.

When the photos were developed, everyone except Yu Shuang looked bright-eyed and full of spirit.

At the restaurant entrance, Yu Shuang had already climbed into the car.

Bai Yuankai asked how they were heading back.

Standing outside the car door, Yu Meng said she hadn't been drinking and could drive. "Shuang and I still have somewhere to be—we need to pick something up at the hospital." She then deliberately asked how Yu Rui was planning to get home. Yu Rui was stunned for a second before instantly grasping Sister Meng's underlying intent.

She was manufacturing an opportunity for her.

Acting like a gentleman, Yuankai offered to give her a ride. Yu Rui declined once before letting him insist, accepting his hospitality as the most gracious course. Once they got in the car, Yu Shuang asked where Rui was. Yu Meng replied, "In the car behind us."

Shuang didn't press further. Just two traffic lights after pulling out, the faint sound of snoring rose from the backseat. "Hey!" Yu Meng called out. Shuang wouldn't wake up.

"Unbelievable!" Yu Meng sighed inwardly. She worried for Shuang; with a woman like that, what man could possibly put up with her?

Yu Rui sat in the front passenger seat. Aside from occasionally pointing out directions, she remained silent. The shifts in time and space were far too rapid. Just a moment ago she had been over at Liangcai's place, and in the blink of an eye, she was riding in Yuankai's car. Yu Rui felt nervous. From the very first moment she entered the restaurant, she had been plagued by anxieties of gain and loss. In front of Bai Yuankai, she couldn't comfortably be her true self—and no wonder, what was her true self anyway? Realistic and direct; although she possessed a literary side, life refused to let her put on airs or act demurely. While her surface remained as pretty as a flower, her heart had long since grown thick-skinned. Fate had dealt her a bad hand. She hadn't been born into a good family.

Yet he was different. Compared to her, he was the truly fresh and untainted one. Yu Rui was even a bit afraid of contaminating him. She strictly adhered to one principle: keeping falsehoods to a minimum. She feared that too many lies would affect their subsequent interactions.

"How did the audition go?" Bai Yuankai brought up what hadn't been discussed at the dinner table.

"Sister Meng told you?"

"Hm?"

"I didn't tell them."

Yuankai smiled faintly.

"I just went to see a friend," she confessed frankly.

Not knowing how to respond, Yuankai continued driving.

"I'm terribly sorry for being late," she added.

"It's fine."

"Dealing with this matter of pulling strings through friends to get a job."

Bai Yuankai offered another noncommittal "Oh."

"I'm not very good at acting," she said with typical directness.

"I can tell." Yuankai smiled. Yu Rui chuckled along with him. Glancing in the rearview mirror, Yuankai remarked, "Those earrings are very pretty."

Yu Rui was startled for a moment. Then she said, "Thank you."

Liangcai's gift had received praise from Bai Yuankai. Yu Rui felt a lingering sense of weirdness in her heart. He only saw the beauty before his eyes. She feared that one day, should he discover the rich and complex history hidden beneath that beauty, he would recoil in hesitation.

Having to "handle" two different kinds of men in a single day left Yu Rui feeling rather exhausted.

Ever since the enactment of the eight-point regulations, banquet drinking among civil servants had plummeted. Yu Jia was genuinely happy for Liren. At the very least, it was beneficial for his health. In the past, Liren hadn't skimped on drinking, which had left him thick-waisted and round-bellied. After moving to the provincial capital, he had forced himself to slim down.

The higher one climbed, the more crucial physical fitness and personal image became. He couldn't afford not to consider his political career. The part that vexed Yu Jia, however, was that while Liren no longer drank, it hadn't resulted in him coming home any earlier. During the days she had been here, Liren occasionally worked overtime even deep into the weekend, dragging on until eleven or twelve at night and simply staying over at the dormitory. When she called to check in and ensure his safety, he would tell Yu Jia to go to sleep early. Yet with Liren away, Yu Jia found it impossible to rest easy.

Drawing a lesson from her previous experience at the Fengyi Pavilion, she turned down Yu Shuang's invitation to dine out. She disliked going out at night, constantly fearing something might happen. Furthermore, her divide with Liren was currently immense. Sisi had already excitedly begun preparing her materials, studying English diligently, and preparing to take the IELTS. Today she had even brought home the application materials, chattering away during dinner about the application process and claiming that with her special talents, she had a strong shot at getting into a top school.

Unable to stomach any more of it, Yu Jia had to pull out her authority as a mother: "Do not speak while eating, do not speak while in bed." Sisi shut her mouth. Nowadays, she favored her father far more than her mother. She felt her father was like Jupiter, bringing good fortune to people, while her mother was Saturn, oppressive. At eleven o'clock at night, Sisi went to bed to rest. Unable to hold back any longer, Yu Jia dialed Liren's phone.

Nobody answered the mobile phone.

When she tried calling his office line instead, it rang twice before switching to a busy tone.

Could something have happened? Yu Jia let her imagination run wild. He had mentioned working overtime this evening. Yet the office was clearly devoid of people. A light drizzle was falling outside, so Yu Jia grabbed an umbrella, hopped in the car, and drove toward Liren's workplace. The rain actually made it better; no matter what happened, she at least had a fallback and an excuse—under the guise of delivering an umbrella, it was entirely justified and proper.

The main roads were clear, and she reached her destination shortly. Not wanting to drive straight through the gates, Yu Jia parked by the roadside. The rain was still falling. Holding an umbrella in her right hand and carrying another spare one in her left, she walked toward Liren's office building. It was her first time here. Since Liren's promotion, the security around his office location had become airtight, turning it into a high-end, forbidding establishment.

Yu Jia felt proud of her husband.

Liren was always counseling her to be cautious. It was lonely at the top, and she couldn't afford to take even a half-step wrong. "I'm looking for Di Liren," she said. The security guard at the station replied, "I'm sorry, it's not working hours right now."

They resolutely refused to let her in.

Stating her identity, Yu Jia pleaded with the security staff to go inside and take a look, claiming her husband might still be working overtime. Their child had fallen ill. She laid it on thick with urgency. As the two of them were talking, a young fellow emerged from the interior. Hearing the name "Di Liren," he hurriedly asked about Yu Jia's purpose. Yu Jia stated her identity. The young man told her to wait a moment.

Yu Jia sat in the guard station for twenty minutes before the young man returned. He led her to a subordinate guesthouse managed by the bureau. Right there, Yu Jia laid eyes on Di Liren.

He and two colleagues had rented a room at the guesthouse and were shut away working intensively on drafting documents. Yu Jia felt she had somewhat intruded upon her husband; the moment Liren stepped out, she hurriedly handed over the umbrella, explaining that it was raining, she hadn't seen him come home for a long time, she was worried the roads might be difficult to navigate, and the rain was too heavy, and so on.

With a gloomy expression, Liren took the umbrella and said only, "You go back first." It was as if she were something too disgraceful to be seen in public.