The Vanishing Beauty - Chapter 4 - 10

Chapter 4 - 10

Extending diagonally from the second floor was a terrace covered by a glass canopy.

If they wanted to have a barbecue, the glass windows had to be propped open. The men propped the windows open, while the women set up the barbecue grills. With so many people, there was a grill on each side, divided by gender. As the men grilled, they chatted expansively about everything under the sun, their voices booming. Meanwhile, the women spoke in low murmurs.

As Yumeng grilled, she began to hum a little tune.

Yushuang asked, "Sister Meng, got something good going on?"

Yumeng smiled. "What good could I possibly have? I'm just a divorced woman, well into middle age, part of the most vulnerable demographic." It was the exact opposite of what she meant. She was thoroughly pleased with herself.

The sisters all laughed.

Only then did Yumeng realize Sisi was present, and she cautioned, "We have a child with us today, so let's not talk about men."

Yushuang made a sarcastic jab. "Aren't you suffering?"

Yujia glanced at Yushuang, then looked at Yurui. Yu Qi kept her head down, busy grilling meat. Yumeng replied, "I wish all the men in the world would drop dead so women could rule the world; then there wouldn't be so many annoying troubles."

Yurui chimed in, "If women ruled the world, there'd probably be even more troubles."

Yumeng countered, "Women love peace."

That was when Yujia spoke up. "Aren't all those palace intrigue dramas about men fighting?"

Yumeng retorted, "That's only because women haven't held the reins of power."

Sisi interjected, "It wouldn't be good if all the men died off either, because then we women would have to do all the work ourselves. It's better to just make men the slaves of women."

"Di Sisi!" Yujia gave a light reprimand; her daughter's mind was far too active. "Those are the last two skewers!" Sisi hooked her arm around Eldest Aunt Meng's arm. "Mom, didn't you say today was supposed to be about total relaxation?" Yujia replied, "You're already relaxed enough! You don't look like a proper young lady at all!"

The sparks of war were ready to ignite at a moment's notice.

Yurui hurriedly told her younger sister Yu Qi to take Sisi inside the house to play. Only the four women were left in the barbecue area.

Yumeng sighed with emotion. "Ah, if you turned the clock back all those years, who would have ever imagined the four of us could gather together like this today?"

"We have Shuang to thank for this," Yurui said.

"Don't," Yushuang hastily deflected. "We have Sister Jia to thank."

Yujia corrected her, "What thanks are you talking about? Bottoms up on this cup!" She raised her beer glass.

Having played too hard and grown exhausted, the ladies decided to stay the night at the villa and leave the following day. Yuanhai had temporary business at his company and had to make a trip there. The two friends and Kanglong all left in his car. Yujia insisted on leaving too, ignoring all attempts by the sisters to persuade her to stay.

The gathering had produced excellent results, and she felt she needed to strike while the iron was hot to mend her relationship with Liren.

To her surprise, Di Liren urged her to stay behind. "I'll take Sisi back, and you can get some proper rest and relaxation," he said, putting on a pretense of concern.

Once the words were dropped, Yujia couldn't afford to not give her husband face, so she had no choice but to go along with the flow.

They were all wearing facial masks—Yushuang being the sole exception, lounging to the side and playing on her phone. Yumeng had brought back a considerable amount of cosmetics from Hong Kong and distributed them among the sisters.

Yushuang only asked for a hydrating mask plus a bottle of butter cream, declining everything else. Yurui picked out one essence and two makeup items, feeling too embarrassed to ask for too much. Yu Qi usually couldn't afford high-end brands, but fortunately she wore very little makeup. Yurui helped her select a toner, facial cream, and sunscreen.

Yumeng helped Yujia adjust the placement of her facial mask, studying her face closely. "Tsk tsk, you look at least ten years younger; every penny of that money was well spent." Yujia gave a bitter smile. She might look younger on the outside, but Liren turned a blind eye to it all anyway.

"When did you go to Hong Kong? I thought you went to visit your son," Yujia asked.

Yumeng blinked and smiled. "Am I not allowed to have a little private life?"

Yurui chimed in, "Sister Jia, Sister Meng almost certainly has something going on."

"Really?" Yujia grew nervous, grabbing Yumeng's wrist.

Yumeng showed a trace of impatience, finding them making a fuss over nothing. "Real or fake, what does it matter? My romantic situation has never stopped; it just depends on what kind of situation we're talking about."

"Who went with you?"

"A friend," Yumeng answered briefly.

"What kind of friend?" Yujia probed to the bottom of it.

"Just an ordinary friend." Yumeng looked slightly sheepish.

"How old?" Yujia persisted, crossing the line into a bit lacking in tact.

"My dear older sister," Yumeng had to put up a blockade. "Are you going to ask next where they're from, what they do for a living, what their monthly income is, how many apartments they own, and whether they have a wife and kids?" She paused. "Just an ordinary friend, we're seeing how things go, why make it so complicated? Right now I don't want to think about anything at all, I'm just following my feelings."

She didn't want to think about it? Was that even possible? Yurui pondered. But this was precisely where Yumeng's brilliance lay. Men fell for this routine.

"Be careful and stay safe," Yujia cautioned, sounding very old-fashioned, much like a mother instructing her daughter.

Yumeng had nothing to say to that.

Yujia then asked about how Haoyu and Zhengyu were doing. Yumeng pulled out her phone and swiped through photos, showing them one by one. In a selfie, Weng Yue was also visible. Yujia asked if this was that board director friend she always talked about.

"The one who went to Hong Kong wasn't her," Yumeng blurted out. "She got drowned a little bit over in the US." Realizing her mistake the moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it and couldn't elaborate further. Drowned a little bit? Yurui assumed she meant castrated, though she didn't quite understand what it meant.

Yumeng swiped past those photos, reaching the section from Hong Kong. She showed off pictures from an art exhibition, mentioning that she had even purchased a few paintings herself. One of them, depicting butterflies and peonies, was said to be the handiwork of a late Qing dynasty court painter.

Yurui had sharp eyes and noticed a shadow of a person reflected in one of the photos within the surface of a stainless steel sculpture.

It was a man standing behind Yumeng with his hands clasped behind his back.

Liangcai?!

Yurui wanted to look closer, but the photo had already swiped past.

It was him! She would recognize him even if he were reduced to ashes.

Yurui's heart pounded wildly. Why on earth would Zu Liangcai be in Sister Meng's photos? Could it be... Yurui didn't dare to think it through, yet she couldn't help but think about it.

Even when lying down in the guest room, Yurui was still deep in thought. Noticing her older sister spacing out, Yu Qi asked what was wrong. Yurui waved her hand and said it was nothing. Yuanhai returned and went around to every room to bid everyone good night.

The sisters Yurui and Yu Qi shared a room. Yumeng and Yujia stayed in another.

Yushuang took a room entirely to herself; she disliked sharing living space with others.

After taking a shower, Yumeng tried on bras with Yujia, emphasizing that the ones she bought this time were all top designer brands that no man could possibly resist looking at.

Yujia felt helpless. At this point, even if she pasted herself in gold and smeared herself in honey, probably no one would care. Yet she couldn't win against Yumeng's enthusiastic insistence, so she put on the black set—she truly couldn't bring herself to accept the red one. Her auxiliary breasts bulged out forcefully. Yujia felt deeply uncomfortable, and it didn't look good either. She quickly took it off and changed back into her middle-aged woman style undergarments.

"Who am I even wearing this for?" Yujia sighed, lamenting for herself, but also speaking to Yumeng.

Yumeng paused for a fraction of a second, then said, "You're wearing it for yourself." After a few seconds of silence, she continued,

"Shouldn't you look beautiful? All these years, how much have you sacrificed for Old Di's family? Boiling down the thick, simmering down the thin, getting up early, working late into the night—your contributions are monumental!" Yumeng understood these principles perfectly, but Liren simply feigned ignorance. A wave of bitterness washed over Yujia's heart, yet she still had to force a smile, draping herself in the painted skin of happiness.

After fussing a bit longer, the two of them climbed into bed and lay down. Yumeng made plans with Yujia, telling her that next month was her birthday and Sister Jia absolutely had to come.

Yujia didn't hesitate for a second. "I'll host the celebration when the time comes, and I'll call everyone over to help you celebrate."

"Don't," Yumeng waved her hand. "Just invite you alone, a very small circle. I haven't told the others a thing."

Early the next morning, Yumeng went to the airport to pick up Weng Yue. She had ditched her when leaving, but was picking her up to welcome her back and apologize upon returning.

Shi Tongguang said he would come to pick up Yurui, and he even had Yu Qi answer the phone to confirm the two sisters were together. Yurui understood immediately that this was his way of keeping tabs on her.

Having partied far too hard the day before, Yushuang was dead to the world in a deep sleep and refused to get out of bed.

Bail Yuanhai simply let her be. "We're heading out now. Remember to lock the door when you leave." Yushuang waved her hand dismissively.

Bail Yuanhai wanted to pay a visit to the Kunqu opera master Zhou Yifen. They had made appointments several times, but the elderly lady had been in poor health.

It had quieted down slightly after the New Year.

Yuanhai was studying the "Pleading in Madness" excerpt from The Embroidered Pavilion with her under her tutelage. Yujia also wanted to go; she had practiced this aria excerpt before, but always felt she couldn't quite nail the flavor. Moreover, Zhou Yifen was a renowned figure within the circle, and now that she was advanced in age, every meeting was one less opportunity to see her. However, having spent the entire previous day hanging out, she was hesitant to stay away from home for yet another day out of fear that Liren would worry. Furthermore, going alone with Bail Yuanhai felt somewhat awkward.

Sensing Sister Jia's dilemma, Yurui arranged for her younger sister Yu Qi to accompany them—Yu Qi had an interest in classical things, and Yurui also wanted to give her more chances to interact with Yuanhai. Yurui knew she herself no longer had any hope, but Little Qi might still have a chance.

Yujia called home. Sisi said her old man had gone in to work overtime. Seeing she still had enough time, Yujia got into Yuanhai's car alongside Yu Qi, and the three of them headed toward the Zhou residence.

Along the way, Yuanhai and Yujia talked about The Embroidered Pavilion with soaring enthusiasm. Yu Qi couldn't find an opening to join the conversation and felt rather awkward. Noticing this, Yujia intentionally tossed out a conversational prompt, asking Yuanhai to explain the plot of the "Pleading in Madness" scene.

Yuanhai smiled and said, "The female protagonist is named Xiao Xifen, and she's the daughter of a Privy Councilor. Later, due to a crackdown by political rivals, Xifen is forced to feign madness to evade disaster. She goes to seek help from a diviner named Zhuge, but Zhuge mistakes her for genuinely demented and unhinged. Through this process of pleading and rejection, grief and rage, this scene blends tragedy and comedy, embodying both solemnity and eccentricity."

They arrived to pay their respects to Master Zhou.

The master was in quite good spirits that day. After exchanging pleasantries and inquiring about Yujia and Yu Qi's progress in studying opera, she began teaching them the aria from The Embroidered Pavilion. She ran through it once before thoroughly explaining the points to watch out for at every turn. Yuanhai took notes in his notebook, while Yujia secretly made comparisons in her heart; a master truly was a master—a simple pointing out of the key spots instantly cleared away all her mental blocks.

Yu Qi couldn't quite grasp the technicalities and simply stared fixedly at Yuanhai's profile, bitterly regretting her own lack of life experience and youth, which left her unable to harmonize in tune and spirit with Bail Yuanhai.

A short while later, Yuanhai and Yujia tried singing a rehearsal. As she sang, Yujia unconsciously immersed herself in the scene, thinking of Xiao Xifen, then thinking of herself, and a wave of grief welled up from deep within, causing her voice to choke slightly. Yu Qi assumed Sister Jia was simply too deeply invested in the performance. Yuanhai, however, vaguely sensed that something wasn't quite right. In truth, from the very first moment he laid eyes on Yujia and Liren at the villa, he had perceived that this couple was united in name only, their hearts drifting apart. Yet, with Master Zhou and Yu Qi present, it wasn't the right time for Yuanhai to probe further.

He simply let her hide her sorrow and indignation within the lyrics of the opera.

"You poured real emotion into that," Yuanhai smiled and praised them after the singing concluded. Master Zhou was worldly and sophisticated; having reached advanced matters of age, she had long since grown indifferent to the entanglements of romance. After the group discussed the opera a bit more, Yuanhai led the two ladies in taking their leave.

He dropped off Yu Qi first, then Yujia.

Once only the two of them were left in the car, Yuanhai finally asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Yujia repeatedly assured him, regretting her loss of composure.

"Yesterday I was too caught up in playing host, so I didn't entertain you properly."

"No, no, no... it has nothing to do with you..." Yujia waved her hands, though this practically amounted to an admission that her tears during the aria had indeed been real.

"If you run into any difficulties, don't stand on ceremony with me," Bail Yuanhai said.

"I really am fine," Yujia said. "It's just that Xiao Xifen... she's just too pitiful..." She offered an awkward laugh.

She had no choice but to divert the issue onto the ancient character.

When Yu Qi arrived home, Yurui asked how her outing had gone. Shi Tongguang had gone out to meet a client, leaving Yurui alone in the apartment.

"It was pretty good."

"Was the opera pretty good, or was the person pretty good?" Yurui smiled. In front of Yu Qi, she played the role of the older sister.

Yu Qi was startled for a second, then acted spoiled. "Sis—"

"Still hiding your thoughts from your sister?"

"It's not that..."

Yurui grabbed her younger sister's hand. "I just wanted to let you go out and see the world, to interact more with outstanding people so you don't get hoodwinked by those punk boys at school and end up getting hurt." Yu Qi didn't speak; she did hold favorable feelings toward Bail Yuanhai, but the two of them were destined to be even more impossible, not even living in the same city. She could sense that Yuanhai treated her merely like a younger sister.

"In a couple of years, if I'm still stuck here, you should come over too," Yurui sighed helplessly as she imagined the future. "Though who knows how many things can happen in the span of two years." She paused for a moment before continuing, "People are shrewd nowadays, and men have learned to be practical too. Between a pretty girl with no money and a wealthy woman who isn't pretty, eight out of ten will choose the latter. Good looks can't be eaten as meals, and when you marry a wife, you look for stability." She added a supplementary thought, "Extremely wealthy men—tycoons—are the exception." Yurui hadn't interacted with many genuine tycoons—tycoons had an even greater need for alliances of equals.

Hearing this theory, Yu Qi grew worried for her sister. Shi Tongguang was only "moderately wealthy," which meant he couldn't escape practicality. Moreover, after spending the New Year together, Yu Qi understood her sister's hidden bitterness—he hadn't even taken her to meet his parents. She immediately chimed in, "Sis, just pick whoever you like, you're still so young. You don't need to consider me. Once I graduate and find a job, I'll be independent. You should just find someone you genuinely love."

Yu Qi's words came out somewhat jumbled and incoherent.

In the past, Yurui had always claimed she was doing things for her younger sister's sake. That was because she was somewhat unwilling to face herself squarely; it wasn't as though she had never experienced handsome, penniless men—Huang Qi was a prime example.

It truly didn't work out. A impoverished couple finds themselves plagued by sorrow over every little thing.

It was just that hiding behind the excuse of looking out for her younger sister at least allowed her to wash away a fraction of the guilt of being "attracted to wealth and abandoning poverty." She hadn't evolved to the level of psychological comfort that Yumeng possessed.

Yurui wanted to give Liangcai a phone call, but after mulling it over for a while, she decided the timing still wasn't right.