The Vanishing Beauty - Chapter 5 - 10
Chapter 5 - 10
The grand opening of the beauty salon was truly a magnificent spectacle, and Yu Meng stood at the absolute center of it all. Dressed in an Armani pantsuit and a full face of heavy makeup, she looked as though she were preparing to walk the red carpet at the Academy Awards.
Yu Jia was abroad and unable to attend, though Lirin had sent a floral basket on their behalf.
Yu Shuang showed up, keeping to the sidelines as a pure spectator.
Weng Yue was busy managing the interior, leading a group of female entrepreneurs from the enterprise association to tour and test out the salon's treatments—things like respiratory purification salt therapy, Dead Sea mineral stress-relief spa treatments, mental flotation pods, and sub-zero whole-body cryotherapy. Everything on offer was cutting-edge.
As a result, among all their friends, only Yu Rui was genuinely able to help greet the guests. Having previously worked in public relations, she was exceptionally thorough and possessed a deep understanding of proper protocol, right down to the precise placement of the floral baskets. From time to time, she would call out, "Hey! Shuang! Give me a hand!" Yu Shuang would hurriedly put down her phone to help. Floral baskets from higher-ranking figures could never be placed behind those from lower-ranking ones.
The event was chaotic and bustling, and Yu Rui found three particular details most compelling and worthy of rumination:
First, Luan Chengyun had sent a floral basket. What did that mean? Was it intended as a sarcastic jab, or was he unable to let go of the past? Yu Rui couldn't quite tell. Yu Meng's attitude, however, was crystal clear: she plucked off the congratulatory ribbon, threw it away, and kept the basket itself—she had no intention of wasting a single floral basket. Even if it came from, well, her ex-husband. When everyone pitches in to gather firewood, she was more than happy to strike the match.
Second, Bai Yuankai's speech left her utterly intoxicated. Every single word he spoke sounded so soothing and pleasant to the ear. It was both profound and accessible, breaking down complex ideas into simple terms without losing its sense of humor—even if it was merely a short opening address for a beauty salon. Yu Rui seized the opportunity to exchange a few words with him. She had no idea whether he knew she had already broken up with her boyfriend, but she wanted to slip the news to him in a subtle manner.
When she learned from Yu Shuang that Bai Yuankai was currently dating another woman, Yu Rui's heart sank instantly. There was no need for any little tricks anymore. She might as well just focus on work. Yu Rui laughed at herself bitterly—even if he didn't have a girlfriend, what of it? She was a woman who had undergone an abortion; could he ever accept that? She had placed him on a pedestal of absolute purity, leaving her to regret the "stain" upon her own past.
There was one final detail that Yu Rui found to be the most subtle and obscure aspect of the entire event. Near the entrance sat a floral basket that looked identical to all the others at first glance. However, the name inscribed on the sender's tag was: Situ Lian. This was Zu Liangcai's pen name! Though he had almost never published articles under this moniker. Back when she was seeing him, he had strictly forbidden her from calling him by his real name, insisting she always call him Situ Lian.
It could simply be a coincidence, of course. Perhaps he was merely an ordinary acquaintance of Yu Meng's, or even if they were lovers, this beauty salon might not have any direct connection to him at all. Yu Rui wanted to believe that. Even so, she still intended to investigate thoroughly, as she might soon find herself needing to approach Liangcai again regarding work matters. If—and she meant if—this beauty salon was a gift to Yu Meng from Liangcai, Yu Rui knew she would feel profoundly unsettled. After all, back when she was with him, she had received nothing more than a paltry bit of sponsorship and a job that had nearly pushed her toward utter ruin—the very job through which she had met Shi Tongguang.
Kang Long didn't arrive until the event was nearly over. Xiaobai had tipped him off, letting him know Yu Shuang was there. After finishing his speech, Bai Yuankai had to attend a meeting and left early. Yu Rui was busy tending to guests. Yu Meng was occupied demonstrating medical equipment. Yu Shuang stood quietly in a corner playing on her phone. Kang Long walked straight over to her.
"Step aside with me for a moment," he said.
Yu Shuang stood her ground, remaining rooted to the spot like a driven stake.
"I've thought it through. You matter more to me."
Yu Shuang stared at him with eyes sharp enough to shoot laser beams. "Nobody asked you to play multiple-choice questions! I'm not a head of cabbage for you to pick and choose between! Go play with whatever pine nuts, hemp nuts, mad nuts, or idiots you want!"
Just as Kang Long opened his mouth to explain, Yu Meng drifted over with a cluster of middle-aged women in tow, stopping right in front of Kang Long and Yu Shuang. She grabbed Kang Long by the arm and announced, "Take this gentleman here, for instance—a university professor and senior intellectual. He's a perfect match for our treatments. Make no mistake, our programs aren't just for women; men can benefit from them too. Mental flotation pods don't discriminate by gender."
Ambushed on the spot, Kang Long had no choice but to play along, nodding in agreement. Yu Meng pressed on with her pitch. "Mental flotation, physical stress relief, and deep relaxation are exceptionally effective for high-anxiety demographics like this." She turned her head toward Kang Long. "Right?" Kang Long was forced to cooperate, murmuring that yes, anxiety was indeed a killer, especially when trying to write academic papers.
The women chuckled.
Yu Meng dragged Kang Long forward, while Yu Meng and Yu Rui trailed behind the crowd, amused by Kang Long's awkward predicament. Yu Meng kept up a non-stop stream of chatter, explaining, "We only have one flotation capsule, imported directly from the United States. The entire therapeutic session lasts seventy-five minutes. If you want to meditate, there are five distinct phases: 'Self-Love,' 'Stress Relief,' 'Aspiration,' 'Gratitude,' and 'Forgiveness'—and our bath salts are imported straight from Israel... You just walk right in, no need to bring a thing, just your own two feet..." Dragged along by his captor, Kang Long looked as though he was being hauled off to a ritual bath, preparing to experience his lucky VIP treatment.
Yu Shuang found this moderately entertaining and followed along, treating the spectacle like watching aliens tease earthlings. Yu Rui also waited to see the "radiant" and "rejuvenated" transformation Kang Long would undergo after his session. Before long, Kang Long emerged from the bathing area draped in a bathrobe—not the standard pristine white variety, but a custom-made, heavily embroidered dragon robe trimmed with gold thread. The onlookers gathered around to inspect him.
A pitiful laboratory mouse.
A Tang Dynasty monk about to be tossed into a steamer.
Her phone rang. It belonged to Yu Shuang.
Pulling it out to check, she saw it was a call from her younger brother's wife. The moment the line connected, sobbing could be heard on the other end.
Yu Shuang panicked instantly. After listening to the details, her face drained of all color, turning completely white.
"Sister Meng, can I borrow your car?" Yu Shuang cried out.
Clueless about what had happened, Yu Rui grabbed her arm and demanded to know what was wrong.
"Help me buy a train ticket to my brother's place!" With that, Yu Shuang bolted toward the exit. Seeing her sprint away with a look of sheer terror on her face, Kang Long abandoned any thought of his therapeutic flotation experience and chased after her in his bathrobe.
In the parking lot, Yu Shuang frantically hammered her car key fob, but the vehicles were parked too densely for her to locate hers.
A car pulled up directly in front of her. "Get in!" It was Kang Long.
Unable to worry about the details, Yu Shuang scrambled into the passenger seat and barked out a destination: the high-speed railway station. The engine roared to life. "Step on it!" They were on the road. Tears spilled down Yu Shuang's face. Left with no other choice, Kang Long pushed the accelerator to the floor, though traffic in the metropolis was unforgiving; whenever they hit a bottleneck, Kang Long had to desperately hunt for the fastest alternate routes.
While driving, he asked her where they were headed. Yu Rui called to inform them that the ticket had been successfully booked, reading off Kang Long's ID number as she asked him to buy one for himself as well. Exactly what catastrophe had struck? He didn't press her for answers. But seeing Shuang's frantic state, he knew it had to be a major emergency. The summer break hadn't ended yet, meaning his schedule was free; come what may, he resolved to stay by her side.
Aboard the train, Yu Shuang periodically checked her phone without uttering a word. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her expression remained as heavy and grim as an impending storm. Kang Long busied himself sorting out their ticketing issues. Once everything was finally squared away, he returned to sit beside Yu Shuang.
Nearby passengers were eating instant noodles, filling the air with a savory aroma, and Kang Long considered heading to the dining car to grab a bite. The moment he stood up, however, the belt of his bathrobe slipped slightly, exposing half his chest. A middle-aged woman in seat B looked directly at him and let out a startled gasp, prompting Kang Long to hurriedly clutch his lapels together. His outfit was utterly absurd. The bathrobe fell somewhere between a lounging gown and a trench coat, wrapped tightly around him with zero undergarments underneath—and on his feet, he was wearing a pair of formal leather shoes. From any angle, he looked precisely like a sketchy street predator. He had no choice but to cinch the waist belt as tightly as possible and pretend to be a cutting-edge fashion icon.
In the dining car, Kang Long stood waiting for his food while clutching his clutch bag—he had the good habit of always carrying a pouch with him. A railway police officer walked over, looked him up and down, and said, "Let me see your ID." Kang Long complied. The officer possessed a dry sense of humor, reading off the identification card: "Kang Long," before glancing up at him again. "Are you dressed up as Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong?" Kang Long had no choice but to give a lengthy, comprehensive explanation from start to finish. The policeman knew nothing about space capsules or mental flotation pods, but he grasped the general gist of the situation and waved him through.
Kang Long returned to his seat holding two boxed meals, but Yu Shuang bluntly and decisively stated, "I'm not eating." Those were her very first words. Kang Long immediately put his meal aside to fast alongside her. Quietly reaching out with his right hand, he grasped her left hand. Yu Shuang turned her head to look at him, her gaze a turbulent mix of despair, raw tension, and sudden gratitude, until her tears finally broke free and streamed down her face.