The Vanishing Beauty - Chapter 5 - 3

Chapter 5 - 3

Yu Jia stood in the cold wind for nearly twenty minutes before returning to the hotel. The waitstaff were already clearing things away, as it was almost closing time, yet the lights in the private dining room remained on.

Yu Jia took a deep breath and bit the bullet as she walked back inside, acting as though she were the one who had done something wrong—and indeed, she felt she had. She shouldn't have come back for those leftovers; she deeply regretted needing to use the washroom and bitterly cursed the day she ever attended this dinner party!

That scene in the washroom was something she had only ever imagined or heard whispers about, but never witnessed firsthand. This time, her horizons were well and truly broadened, and to make matters worse, it had happened to her good sister Yu Meng, with the level of passion doubled.

Upon Yu Jia's entry, Yu Meng hurried to her feet, calling out "Sister Jia" with a submissive, downcast expression. Yu Jia refused to look at her, as if sparing her another glance would pollute her own eyes. She fancied herself a decent, respectable woman, yet Yu Meng had cast aside respectability to become... to become... Yu Jia couldn't bear to let her mind wander any further.

Yu Meng had initially felt it was no big deal. Neither was married, both were dating around, and in an empty room, passion had simply gotten the better of them... She refused to view it as a crime. Yu Jia was simply making a mountain out of a molehill.

Today's banquet had been staged specifically for Liangcai's eyes—to provoke him and push him into action—and judging by current results, it had worked swimmingly. Even so, looking at Yu Jia's conflicted, troubled face, a pang of guilt inevitably stirred within Yu Meng.

Yu Jia took short, rapid strides forward and snatched up her handbag.

Yu Meng hastily urged, "Your food!"

"I'm not taking it."

"Take it, take it." Yu Meng scooped up the bag and handed it directly to Yu Jia.

Left with no choice, Yu Jia took it. She let out a heavy sigh.

"Sister Jia..." Yu Meng attempted to play the emotional card, trusting that Yu Jia wouldn't spread the word—though she wouldn't have cared even if she did.

"Is the wind strong outside?" Yu Meng asked. "Make sure your coat is buttoned up."

Finally, looking directly at Yu Meng, Yu Jia spoke in a solemn, earnest tone, "I'm not opposed to you dating. In fact, I came here today to support you."

"Yes," Yu Meng murmured obediently.

"But surely..." Yu Jia's tongue tripped over the words slightly, "Surely... you could find a proper bed!"

Whether driven by the lingering effects of alcohol or something else, Yu Meng felt her face flush with heat under the remark.

Surely you could find a proper bed... What a deafening realization!

Before this upright, respectable woman, she found herself stripped of moral high ground, left with no choice but to bow her head and plead guilty. Yet deep down, she couldn't help feeling that Yu Jia was putting on a hypocritical act. Had Yu Jia truly never fantasized about such a scenario? It was fresh and thrilling, serving as a genuine life experience. She, Yu Meng, had simply gone ahead and put it into practice, whereas the upright wives could only ever indulge in mental daydreams. Besides, it was nothing more than a passionate goodbye kiss, far more innocent than a Jacky Cheung song, without any substantive boundary-crossing.

Having taken her lecture with a listless, drooping spirit, Yu Meng decided once Yu Jia departed that this woman was simply boring. No wonder Liren had lost interest in her.

She sat a little longer. Once she felt completely composed, Yu Meng called a car home. Upon reaching her doorstep, she found a massive bouquet of roses leaning against her door, tucked with a card addressed simply to "Ms. Yu Meng."

Flies and butterflies swarmed around her endlessly. Without a hint of ceremony, she scooped up the flowers, unlocked the door, stepped inside, kicked off her shoes, ran the bathwater, and soaked in a hot bath. Then, she indulged in a sweet, dreamless sleep. Tomorrow's problems could wait for tomorrow; right now, it was still her birthday, and she reigned supreme.

For several consecutive days, Yu Jia remained utterly unsettled. The shock of that night's spectacle had been too profound. She tried desperately not to think about it, yet the memory stubbornly popped back up, forcing her to replay the "movie" in her mind over and over.

Things between her and Liren had grown completely lifeless long ago—purely insipid water. Yu Meng's lifestyle, however, was something she wouldn't even dare to dream of. Yu Jia figured this must simply be what life in a big city was like. Yet upon second thought, she dismissed the notion as narrow-minded; didn't such things happen in small towns too? Wherever men and women coexisted, illicit affairs and hidden scandals were bound to occur.

She really shouldn't be making such a fuss over nothing.

Sisi caught onto her mother's abnormal behavior and teased Liren about it, remarking that her mother had "played so hard she lost her soul!"

Liren offered no comment. He had been consumed by anxiety lately; having aligned himself with a new boss, he considered himself safely under a new umbrella, only for the rumor mill to immediately churn out news that his newly pledged patron was about to be reassigned to the western region.

This was hardly good news for Liren.

Everyone knew how close he had grown to this superior. He had originally hoped to keep a low profile, but he couldn't help the fact that the boss deeply appreciated him, which had naturally bred jealousy among many others. Now that the boss was leaving, Liren's position became precarious. The incoming leader would undoubtedly hesitate to employ someone tied directly to the "previous regime" out of sheer distrust. He found himself plunged once again into an endless abyss of waiting.

Yet Di Liren kept all of these worries to himself, refusing to share them with Yu Jia. It was pointless; even if he told her, she had no way of helping. At this stage, they were essentially husband and wife in name only. Moreover, ever since he accidentally stumbled upon "that scene," Liren had lost all romantic appetite. It felt as though a private, intimate secret had been exposed to the world, draining all subsequent acts of their thrilling edge.

He understood that every time Yu Jia meticulously spelled out her exact departure and return times, she was purposely carving out space for him to conduct his own affairs. Yet, once the illusion was shattered, Liren found the gesture entirely devoid of meaning. Did she think he needed her pity? That she had to intentionally leave the house to give him breathing room for self-indulgence? Was Di Liren really that unpopular on the market? If he truly wanted to, he could easily leverage marriage to turn his fortunes around. Keeping a mistress was as easy as turning over his hand—what big deal was it anyway?!

The weather lately had been entirely erratic—swinging wildly between freezing and scorching.

Huang Qi returned from out of town, and Yu Rui arranged to meet him. Though Huang Qi suggested meeting in the downtown area, Yu Rui insisted on visiting his rented room instead. This marked the very first time she had ever set foot in his place since he rented it.

It was located in an urban village, accessed via a labyrinth of winding alleys flanked by tiny barber shops and greasy little diners. The pathways were grimy, and from time to time, rustic-looking middle-aged locals could be seen wandering in and out.

Huang Qi's room measured a mere ten square meters. It contained a single bed, topped with a lone pillow and a thin quilt, suggesting he lived entirely alone.

A pair of dumbbells leaned against the wall beside the bed, paired with a chest expander. A cheap, low-end air conditioner hung on the wall. A long desk sat by the window, cluttered with skincare products, while a bag of shriveled, dried-up carrots rested in the corner of the table. Yu Rui found herself oddly fascinated by the fact that they hadn't even grown mold.

Huang Qi had spent several months away shooting a drama, working right through the New Year holiday without a break. This time, he had landed the role of the fourth male lead, a character who met his demise by the sixteenth episode, though he still had to remain with the crew for the entire filming schedule.

He chatted excitedly about happenings on set. Yu Rui listened quietly, much like a mother listening to her son report on his report card. In front of Yu Rui, Huang Qi kept zero defenses up. The sentiment was entirely mutual; as college classmates who could be considered childhood sweethearts, former lovers, and now industry peers, many things remained tacitly understood between them.

Stepping into Huang Qi's place felt strangely like coming home to Yu Rui—relaxing and comfortable.

She had broached the topic of opening a shop with Shi Tongguang once more, abandoning her previous subtle hints in favor of a frank, open discussion. In response, Shi Tongguang had been equally straightforward, claiming his company was facing a tight cash flow crunch and warning that investing now might result in a total loss, objectively advising her to exercise caution.

It was essentially all stalling tactics.

She knew full well that Shi Tongguang had begun dating a woman surnamed Liu. She had seen it on his phone, having successfully guessed his screen-lock password.

He was already plotting his exit strategy.

This constituted infidelity. He hardly ever came home anymore, and on the rare occasions he did, he wouldn't even stay for a meal, invariably claiming he was busy negotiating business deals. Yu Rui had initially wanted to pick a fight with him, but upon calming down, she realized how pointless it was.

She felt he lacked sincerity, while he felt the same about her. They weren't even merely sleeping in the same bed with different dreams anymore; at this point, their minds and hearts were drifting in completely opposite directions.

They were merely a step away from officially calling it quits.

Yu Rui could keenly sense that Shi Tongguang was simply waiting for her to initiate the breakup so he could neatly play the role of the aggrieved victim and make a clean getaway.

Yu Rui couldn't help letting out a sorrowful sigh. She finally understood why the wives of breathtakingly gorgeous male celebrities still went out looking for side pieces; when two people lived together, how long could mere physical attraction sustain them? Ultimately, a relationship required enduring companionship, shared hardships, and standing by each other through thick and thin before mutual respect could naturally blossom. Married life was definitely not an upgraded version of romance; rather, it was a grand stew blending romance, familial affection, friendship, indebtedness, and gratitude all into one pot. It required mutual obligations, where you owed me and I owed you, simmering away together until everything melted into the same broth.

She and Shi Tongguang were destined to fail.

She couldn't afford to lose both her person and her money.

This month, Shi Tongguang had delayed transferring money into her account yet again, making Yu Rui realize she needed to cut through the Gordian knot with a swift slash.

Yet, right at this critical juncture, Yu Rui discovered a startling truth: she had missed her period. She was pregnant.

It was Lao Sianshi's seed. Around the New Year, he had gone wild insisting on practicing some bizarre "Jade Maiden Sutra"—back then, hoping to please him and secure her place in the family, she had foolishly agreed... She had warned him repeatedly to pull out in time, but in the heat of the moment, everything had rushed past in a blur...

Regret was useless now. She could only look forward and solve the problem. To be frank, Yu Rui had never once considered using a baby to force a marriage, not even when she desperately wanted to walk down the aisle. Still, circumstances changed with the times. In the past, she would have consulted Lao Shi, and the two of them might have kept the child and tied the knot.

Yet now, even if he begged her to marry him, she wouldn't agree.

She wanted his money, but his dragging, stingy attitude toward coughing it up filled her with contempt. This man was a dead end. Bringing a child into the world with him was entirely out of the question—it would leave them hopelessly entangled for a lifetime. However, the mere thought of undergoing an abortion filled Yu Rui with sudden terror. Working in this circle, horror stories were everywhere: the actress who suffered a massive hemorrhage during a home-brew abortion and nearly lost her life, the starlet whose early excessive terminations permanently ruined her fertility... Yu Rui even thought of Peggy from Mad Men, who hooked up with a colleague upon entering the workforce, got pregnant, and ultimately had to give the baby up. She refused to live like that. Better a clean break than a lingering torment. She stroked her flat abdomen; the tiny seed had not yet sprouted. She spent three days quietly chanting the Great Compassion Mantra, praying to secure a measure of release and peace for the unborn child.

Demanding money and undergoing an abortion were both monumental matters. She needed someone reliable, steady, and guaranteed not to betray her to confide in.

Yu Qi? No, she was far too young, and Yu Rui didn't want her image to shatter in her little sister's eyes.

Yu Jia was equally unsuited; she was an upright, conventional woman incapable of comprehending such "filthy, chaotic" business. It was impossible to explain to her.

Shuang was even less appropriate—she was practically a walking time bomb.

As luck would have it, Huang Qi had just returned. Perfect, he was the ideal confidant.

Yu Rui sat on the edge of the bed.

Huang Qi was rarely this talkative. He rambled on about the television crew, how stunning the leading lady was, how well he had bonded with the male lead over drinks, how he finally understood the craft of acting, how his pay rate had increased substantially, and how the assistant director had promised to keep him in mind for future roles...

During a brief pause in the conversation, Yu Rui dropped her sentence: "I'm pregnant."

Huang Qi froze in place.

Yu Rui repeated herself.

"Whose is it?" he asked.

"Whose else could it be? Shi's."

"Does he not want to take responsibility?"

"I'm the one who doesn't want it."

"Do you need me to step in?"

Yu Rui felt a flicker of warmth and let out a bitter laugh. "What for? Go beat him up?"

"You have no feelings left for him," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Hard to say," Yu Rui still tried to keep up a facade.

"Bleed him dry! Demand a bigger payout!" Huang Qi was direct enough, unfazed by the ugliness of it all. In order to secure a role himself, he had once spent a night pandering to an influential female producer. They were all just taking what they needed. He saw nothing heinously evil about it.

Huang Qi's words pierced straight through the shy, hesitant veil Yu Rui had draped over her own thoughts. Subconsciously, she had been trying to evade the reality—even though her mind had already reached a definitive verdict. She had to admit that under the circumstances, terminating the pregnancy and walking away with a hefty payout was the absolute optimal strategy. Huang Qi simply gave her the validation she needed, solidifying her resolve.

Judging by their previous negotiations, squeezing money out of Shi Tongguang was going to be an uphill battle. The sudden appearance of this child served as a tremendously advantageous bargaining chip, arriving right when it was most needed. Yet, as a woman, Yu Rui was racked with deep guilt; in a sense, this child had been born at the worst possible time. She felt as though she was exploiting the child—treating the baby, or rather, the embryo, merely as a bargaining chip in a high-stakes gamble, all for the paltry sum of one million. How absurd was that?

What if he actually wanted the child?

Even if he wanted it, she wouldn't give birth to it!

Though, in all likelihood, he wouldn't want it anyway.

After stepping out of the urban village, Yu Rui sat alone in the back of a taxi, weeping silently for a long stretch. The driver grew thoroughly alarmed, nearly forgetting how to steer the car. Yu Rui had to comfort him instead, murmuring that she was fine, completely fine. She had just finished hashing out a plan with Huang Qi: if she went through with the surgical procedure, he would accompany her and pose as the father of the child.