The Vanishing Beauty - Chapter 5 - 8

Chapter 5 - 8

It took Yu Rui several days to realize it, a thought that finally dawned on her in the middle of a dream: could Yu Meng's beauty salon have something to do with Liangcai?

No, when she was with him in the past, he hadn't been that extravagant. When all was said and done, Zu Liangcai was merely a public servant with no such massive pool of resources.

Nor would he have dared.

The most he could help with was introducing someone for a job or greasing the wheels for a minor matter—which just went to show Yu Rui's naivety. After all, human connections were capital too. The beauty salon had actually been set up by Old Zhao's wife. Old Zhao ran a business, and Liangcai had put in a good word for him, clearing the regulatory hurdles and ensuring smooth sailing in everything. To express gratitude to Liangcai, the favor was repaid through Yu Meng.

Yu Meng was more than happy to accept it. Having run a shell company for years, she finally had a tangible business of her own. Who among the women's enterprise association would dare mock her now? She, Yu Meng, was finally going to hold her head high!

Of course, Liangcai had given her gifts with his own hands as well—rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, watches, and more. Yet what Yu Meng cared about most wasn't these material things; she cared about his heart. If his heart belonged entirely to her, what did these objects even matter?

Yu Meng grew increasingly adept at appreciating Liangcai, savoring his mature charm. He was so sexy, enchanting, romantic, and gentle, while occasionally showing a slightly comical, boyish side. Yu Meng believed that this facet of him was reserved exclusively for her.

When a romance reaches its final stages, a woman ought to display a mother-like tolerance. While her man fought battles out in the world and grew weary, she could serve as a gentle harbor where he could drop anchor. Sometimes, they would also play little games. Spontaneous ones.

For instance, Liangcai would occasionally pull out a book on massage. "Flip to a page," he would say. Yu Meng would take it and randomly open to a page. True to form, he would follow the manual, administering a massage according to its instructions. On one occasion, the page happened to be about massaging the armpits. Liangcai proceeded as usual, while Yu Meng, who was ticklish, burst into gales of giggling laughter.

By now, Yu Meng believed deeply in one truth: love isn't about whether you fall into it or not; people truly grow through love. Every time she looked in the mirror, Yu Meng felt her skin radiating a healthy glow. This was the power of love.

By comparison, Yu Shuang was in a far less favorable state. With Rui staying with her, she occasionally exchanged a few words with her. Kang Long never showed up at her doorstep, nor did she go looking for him.

Complete free-range management.

Yu Rui worried for her, but Shuang always brushed it off with, "Let nature take its course." As luck would have it, on this particular day, Yu Yi and Kang Long both showed up at the door simultaneously. One was there to see Rui, the other to see Shuang. The four of them dispersed into two separate rooms.

Yu Yi's arrival was unexpected yet entirely reasonable. Ever since the recent gathering, Yu Rui had been mentally prepared for Sister Jia to talk to Yu Yi about her situation. Perhaps in Jia and Yi's eyes, this was an opportune moment. She had just suffered a breakup, felt vulnerable, and needed comfort; if Yu Yi appeared right on cue, things might naturally fall into place.

Yu Yi set down the box of chocolates he was carrying.

"Have a seat," Yu Rui said with a smile. She was tougher now than she had ever been. In the past, she favored roundabout ways; now, she chose to face things head-on. Telling the truth was better than spinning falsehoods—it was more effective. Whether dealing with others or herself, one needed to be honest.

Yu Yi sat down. She asked if he was thirsty. He hurriedly replied that he wasn't. Even so, she walked over and fetched him a canned drink. Pulling the tab, Yu Yi drank cautiously.

"You've heard about it, haven't you?" Yu Rui took the initiative.

"Oh, um." Yu Yi cleared his throat, sounding as though he were defending his thesis.

"Can't be helped," she offered a bitter smile.

"He... he doesn't know how to appreciate a good thing." Struggling over the word "thing," he quickly corrected himself, "Doesn't recognize... a good person."

"I am a good person," Yu Rui said, pointing at herself.

"An exceptionally good person."

"You're a good person too." The classic "nice guy" card.

"Actually..." Yu Yi braced himself to bare his soul.

"I know what you're trying to say," Yu Rui cut him off. "Thank you, but I can only say thank you to you. For all these years, though we can be considered childhood sweethearts, you don't really understand me, and I don't truly understand you. To be honest, I admire you—you're smart, willing to put in grueling work, and you carved out a path through your education. I'm happy for you, and proud of you too. But have you ever thought about it? You, me—neither of us can afford to take the wrong path. You're suited for a girl who can converse with you on your level and progress alongside you."

Yu Yi tried to speak.

Yu Rui stepped closer. "I know you'll blame me. But both of us need to be honest—honest with each other, and honest with ourselves."

Yu Yi managed a slight smile and, mustering his courage, said, "Actually... I already guessed as much before I came... But I still wanted to come and say it to your face... Xiaorui, I've had you in my heart all this time. Even if you reject me, I had to speak up and let you know... You and I aren't cut from the same cloth. I've always felt that sooner or later, you're destined to accomplish something big."

Yu Rui let out a dry chuckle. "What big thing could I possibly accomplish?"

Yu Yi continued, "Whether joyful or sorrowful, everything is fleeting. Ordinary, quiet stability is the natural state of things." Yu Rui froze for a moment, astounded that Yu Yi could utter words carrying such profound philosophical weight.

Simplicity and stability are the truest forms of life. She had once admonished herself with those very words. She had lived by them too. Find an ordinary sort of person, live an ordinary sort of life, keep things peaceful, bear children, and grow old slowly.

Yet reality proved otherwise: could you truly remain ordinary even if you wanted to?

A boat sailing against the current must forge ahead or it will be driven back. Blessed with a beautiful appearance, if you choose not to strike out, others will still come knocking with their own agendas. A woman like her was bound to face the wind even when the trees wished for stillness.

"You're very brave," Yu Rui said.

"I wish you happiness," Yu Yi replied.

For reasons unknown, with the doors of their hearts flung open and complete candor established, both of them felt a sudden surge of emotion, their eyes turning red. Touched for each other, moved for themselves, sighing over life and feeling melancholy about fate, Yu Rui felt it was her duty to be magnanimous. She opened her arms in a welcoming gesture of a hug.

Yu Yi stepped forward and embraced her, spinning her around in a circle. Yu Rui's feet left the floor as she spun through the air. She was crying, yet smiling at the same time. The awkwardness vanished, and Yu Rui felt immensely grateful that she still had this friend.

In the other room, Yu Shuang stared at her computer screen, where an Excel spreadsheet was open. A sudden work emergency required her immediate attention, and Kang Long stood awkwardly to the side. Finding him underfoot, she told him to step back a bit.

"Is something the matter?" she asked without looking up.

"Just a little."

"We'll talk in a bit." Her hands flew across the keyboard, absolute concentration etched onto her face as she worked furiously.

Kang Long had no choice but to stand aside and read a book. Midway through, Yu Rui and Yu Yi came by to announce they were heading downstairs to pick up some groceries, but Yu Shuang was too caught up in her work to acknowledge them. After a long while, she finally paused. She walked over to the fridge for a cold drink and tossed a bottle toward Kang Long.

He caught it cleanly.

"Yu Shuang," he addressed her by her full name.

Yu Shuang was taken aback; he rarely ever called her that.

"Between the two of us... we should be completely honest," Kang Long began.

This opening statement caught Yu Shuang off guard as well. "Right, honesty. I've always been completely honest with you."

"I mean myself. I should be honest with you too."

"That's right."

"As you said last time, if there are any changes, we need to inform each other promptly."

"Go ahead, I'm listening." Yu Shuang took a sip of her drink.

"I've hit a bit of a dilemma."

"No need to hesitate, just spit it out." Yu Shuang braced herself.

"I've grown to like someone else," Kang Long stated plainly.

Yu Shuang nearly lost her footing. Even with their relationship being so loose and managed under a "free-range" philosophy, she had never anticipated Kang Long would be honest to this grotesque extreme. "I need to be like Sartre, and you're Simone de Beauvoir—if there's a change, I must tell you; you have the right to know," he explained, his tone entirely unruffled.

"And then?" Yu Shuang took a deep breath, setting her drink down on the desk.

"I don't know."

"Are you proposing we break up?"

"I haven't thought about breaking up."

"You mean you intend to date two people simultaneously?"

"I have feelings for you, and feelings for her too."

"Who is she?"

"A colleague."

"Did you sleep together?" Yu Shuang demanded bluntly.

"No." He remained thoroughly honest. "We just clicked, we have great chemistry." He trailed off, hesitating.

"And?"

"We kissed."

Bang! Yu Shuang slammed her hand down on the desk.

"What makes her so great?"

"You're getting a bit emotional."

"Do you even realize what this is?"

"Not yet."

"Are you genuinely stupid, or just playing dumb?"

"I'm worried and confused too, which is why I'm telling you."

"You clicked, she's your colleague—" Yu Shuang muttered, lowering her head like an enraged lioness. "What's her position? What does she research? What do you talk about?"

"Pine nuts."

"What?"

"She studies pine nuts."

"You're chestnuts, she's pine nuts—marvelous, why don't you two go run off together!" Yu Shuang finally exploded in fury.

Kang Long retorted, "You get mad even when I'm being honest with you."

"We're done talking!" Yu Shuang stormed toward the door and marched straight out of the apartment, nearly forgetting that this was actually her place.

One confession of love, one confession of betrayal—that day had turned both Shuang's and Rui's worlds completely upside down. Yu Shuang had cried out of anger, marking the first time Yu Rui had ever seen Shuang weep over matters of the heart. Was it jealousy? That was what Yu Rui assumed; so even Yu Shuang was capable of jealousy and felt the sting of envy. Yet the nature of Kang Long and Yu Shuang's relationship and dynamic transcended Yu Rui's understanding. Kang Long was simple to a terrifying degree—while most people would hide such things, he bared it all in the open. Yu Shuang, however, refused to admit she was jealous, labeling it instead as: a gross violation of the rules of engagement.

Yu Rui offered comfort. "If you don't get married, that's how things are. He can look for someone else at any given moment."

Yu Shuang countered, "Does getting married stop people from looking elsewhere? What happened with Sister Meng's ex-husband?" Yu Rui was left speechless. When all was said and done, it boiled down to the boundaries of one's own moral code.

"What are your plans now?" Yu Rui asked.

Yu Shuang wore a vacant, dazed expression.

"Why not strike while the iron's hot, turn the tide, and just..."

"No." Before Rui could even finish, Yu Shuang gave her answer.

"Don't be willful. Opportunities don't come often—grasp it."

"We're breaking up." A cold glint flashed in Yu Shuang's eyes.

"Huh?"

"Maybe it was a mistake right from the start," Yu Shuang wailed. "I never should have bothered looking for anyone... I'm suited to live alone... I'm just... Mom—why did you have to leave us so suddenly—" Crying out to an unresponsive heaven and an unlistening earth, she suddenly turned to Yu Rui. "You can't leave me."

"I won't leave," Yu Rui promised. "I'm not going anywhere."

In front of Rui, Shuang acted just like a child.