The Vanishing Beauty - Chapter 7 - 5

Chapter 7 - 5

During the company's rotation every few years, Yu Jia was transferred to the archives department.

It was considered a form of special care for her. This was a position that countless middle-aged women living secure lives dreamed of. A large office, a secluded corner, where no one bothered to check up on her, and among the entire publishing house, aside from the newly joined employees, very few people ever came there to read books.

This post had originally belonged to a relative of one of the leaders. With that relative retiring this year, the spot had opened up. The archives department used to be the gossip distribution center for the women in the office, but after Yu Jia moved in, visitors became even more scarce. Having just lost her husband and lacking any power or influence, the other women couldn't be bothered to suck up to her, fearing they might catch her bad luck.

Consequently, once Yu Jia stepped into that room in the morning, save for a pale streak of sunset piercing through the window in the evening, the rest of the time felt as though she were sitting in a cold, neglected palace. Alone in absolute silence, Yu Jia felt a creeping dread. Would her days just pass by like this? Sitting here like this for ten years before retiring, smoothly sliding into old age?

She didn't dare to think about it. Having lost Liren and her family, and with Sisi eventually having a life of her own, what would become of her? Lonely and desolate. The crucial part was that she was also so utterly insignificant. In the past, she had felt indispensable at home; now, home was gone. In an instant, she had lost all her support and anchorage. Overcome by a profound sense of crisis, Yu Jia knew she couldn't go on like this. Yet, if not this, what else could she do?

She thought of Bai Yuan Kai. Last week, accompanied by Yu Qi, she had gone to the Quju opera society to attend a performance. Seeing how enthusiastically Yu Qi approached her work, Yu Jia had also harbored thoughts of whether she could ask Yuan Kai or Yu Meng to introduce her to a job. Even working as a staff member at Yu Meng's beauty salon would be better than holing up in this place.

In the end, Yu Jia never brought it up. She felt she was too old; compared to Yu Qi, was she even a suitable fit? Yu Qi could start from the ground up as an assistant, but could she? Even if she could, would anyone want her? If she went to Yu Meng's beauty salon as a technician, would Yu Meng agree? Yu Jia didn't want her friends to feel that hanging out with her and interacting with her was a burden.

The only good news this season was that Yu Yi got engaged—to that female PhD student from Linqu. Yu Jia hosted the engagement banquet, and all their friends from the metropolis came. Yu Meng gave a huge red envelope, while Yu Shuang, Kang Long, Yu Rui, Yu Qi, and Yuan Kai were all in attendance. Everyone showered the female PhD student with praise.

Knowing that her younger brother had previously harbored feelings for Yu Rui, and not wanting him to see someone and dwell on the past, Yu Jia seated Yu Rui at the very far end of the table. That day, Yu Yi got dead drunk. Yu Jia understood her brother's hardships; the feeling was somewhat like Xiangzi the camel ending up with Tiger Girl. No, no, no—the PhD student was far better than Tiger Girl. Not everything one desires has to be claimed as one's own. Judging by the current situation, with Liren gone, it would be very difficult for the Yu family to gain a foothold in the big city. For Yu Yi to join forces with the PhD student to build a family together could be considered aligned with the true essence of marriage.

Marriage was a partnership: you plow the fields and I weave the cloth.

As the banquet drew to a close, Yu Meng didn't leave, staying behind to help Yu Jia clean up.

Yu Jia asked, "How was it?"

Raising her head, Yu Meng knew she was asking about her impression of the PhD student. "She's alright."

"Tell the truth," Yu Jia smiled.

"She seems like a good person," Yu Meng had to phrase it diplomatically.

"It's just that she's not much to look at," Yu Jia helped her finish.

Yu Meng chuckled and made a gesture near her mouth, implying that the bride-to-be had slightly protruding teeth. Yu Jia gave a bitter smile. "You can only hope for one thing." Yu Meng said, "Yes, you hope for one thing, but I'm just afraid..." She didn't finish her sentence, but Yu Jia understood. She was afraid that right now they were settling for her education and career, but once he achieved success in the future, he would want to swap her out for a new wife.

Yu Jia trusted Yu Yi's character, but character wasn't an absolute guarantee against such things. She currently had zero faith in men, not even her own younger brother.

Yu Jia hadn't brought up her workplace troubles to Yu Meng; Yu Meng took wild shortcuts and relied entirely on connections, a path Yu Jia couldn't emulate. She preferred practical, hard work. Yu Jia decided to consult Shuang instead. On the anniversary of Liren's passing, Luan Chengyun brought several friends to visit Yu Jia. They were all people Liren had associated with in the past and were also acquainted with Luan, though they had lost touch for a while after Liren's promotion, and the funeral notices hadn't reached them. Now that they knew the situation, they insisted on coming to offer their condolences and check on the widow.

In the small apartment Yu Jia rented, among the four men present, aside from Chengyun, the other three lavished praise on Liren. They spoke of how honest, loyal, devoted to his wife, and loving to his daughter he had been—all of it said from the bottom of their hearts. As Yu Jia listened, her face flushed red and turned pale by turns. Oh, Liren, Liren! You certainly managed to win fame both in life and after death! After sitting for a while longer, Luan Chengyun saw the three friends out, then turned back to have a few more words with Yu Jia. Observing Luan's demeanor, she could tell he understood Liren's "true face."

"Do you believe it?" Yu Jia asked.

Chengyun asked what she meant.

"What they just said."

Luan Chengyun smiled and remained silent.

Yu Jia said with vexation, "The coffin lid is nailed shut, and his legacy is set; he's nothing more than a good man, a flawless man now."

"He always was," Luan Chengyun replied with an unchanging smile.

"Alright, Lao Luan, we've known each other for years. You don't need to use comforting lies with me."

"I mean it," Luan added.

"What did he say about me when he was with you?" Yu Jia suddenly felt a bit curious.

"He said you had it hard."

"Is that even possible?" Yu Jia sneered coldly.

"Cross my heart and hope to die."

"You're a good person," Yu Jia said. "I understand what you're thinking. You must believe that since Liren is already gone, my well-being is what matters most, so why bother telling me the truth? Do you know he was still trying to divorce me right before he died?"

"I heard about it from him."

"He was outside..." Yu Jia couldn't bring herself to finish. She didn't want to air her husband's dirty laundry in front of a friend; after all, he was still their daughter's father and a revolutionary martyr.

"That was a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding? Remember the woman who cried the hardest at the funeral?"

"That was someone he used to sponsor, who later came to work around here," Chengyun said. Someone he had sponsored? When was that? It was someone he had helped during his field research. Luan Chengyun added further details, mentioning that the person was an earthquake orphan whom Liren had looked after. The details grew increasingly specific. Yu Jia tried hard to recall the woman at the funeral... Suddenly, a wave of guilt washed over her; she understood Liren so very little. Could it be that he truly was a good man?! No, even if he was a good man, it still didn't make it right! She still hated him because he didn't love her—no matter how much of herself she gave, he never loved her!

Luan Chengyun then inquired about Yu Meng. Yu Jia could sense that he still carried lingering feelings for her—though they were divorced, he still thought of her and missed her, whereas Liren hadn't even managed to divorce Yu Jia before death, yet had broken off all emotional ties with her completely.

How ironic!

Changing the subject, Yu Jia talked about her frustrations at work. After pondering for a moment, Luan Chengyun remarked that things couldn't just go on like this. He pointed out two paths for her: first, to cultivate connections with the right people, just like certain other women. Needless to say, this was a subtle jab at Yu Meng. Yu Jia shook her head. "And what's the second path?" Luan Chengyun said, "Strike out on your own." When Yu Jia asked what she should do, Luan Chengyun replied that it depended on what she liked, what she wanted to do, and what she was good at. Yu Jia was stumped. Immersed in marriage for all these years, what did she even like? What did she want to do? What was she capable of? She had no clear idea herself. She loved Kunqu opera, but could she make a living off of it? Did being good at cooking count? But she certainly couldn't go around working as a domestic helper or a part-time hourly cleaner. Her head throbbing from the dilemma, Yu Jia could only shelve the thought for the time being.

Ever since becoming the chairman's assistant, Yu Rui's workload had more than doubled. Ye Cha occasionally helped out and offered pointers; despite tossing out harsh threats, when things actually landed on her desk, he couldn't bear not lending a hand. Yu Rui now deeply admired Ye Cha, especially for his ability to act as a bridge between Weng Yang and Han Guang. For instance, occasionally Han Guang would ask about Weng Yang's itinerary, while Weng Yang practically demanded a daily report from Yu Rui regarding Han Guang's movements. Han Guang had instructed Yu Rui to use the method of mixing truth with falsehood, meaning she didn't have to spill every single detail.

During this period, Han Xiqian returned and specifically requested Yu Rui's accompaniment. Upon learning that this "older sister" had become the chief assistant, Xiqian offered a knowing smile. "My aunt must have arranged this," she said. Yu Rui was taken aback. Xiqian continued, "You aren't the first, and you won't be the last. But rest assured, as long as I'm around, she and my dad will never stand a chance." Listening to these family affairs, Yu Rui wisely kept her mouth shut and refrained from commenting.

After lingering for three days, Xiqian instructed Yu Rui to reach out to senior Bai Yuan Kai. Pretending to make a phone call to her younger sister to pass along Xiqian's message, Yu Rui learned that Yuan Kai was out of town attending a meeting and wouldn't be back for the next few days. Yu Rui caught the underlying subtext: she had to "protect" Bai Yuan Kai. This prime cut of meat had to be saved for her younger sister.

A series of major conferences followed, and the secretariat arranged for Yu Rui to attend every single one of them. After the meetings, the bigwigs gathered for dinner, with Yu Rui standing nearby to attend to their needs and serve dishes to Chairman Han. Following the dinner was a tea party, where a group of people sat around drinking tea and discussing philosophy. To her surprise, Yu Rui spotted Yu Meng sitting right in the middle of them, beaming and chatting away cheerfully.

Seeing Yu Rui, Yu Meng froze for a fraction of a second, then acted as though she didn't know her and continued chatting. It wasn't until the event concluded and she returned home that Yu Rui received a call from Yu Meng.

"Xiao Rui," Yu Meng's voice remained as sweet as ever.

Yu Rui greeted her.

"I'm downstairs at your place," Yu Meng said.

Yu Rui was startled. What time was it, and she was still showing up here?

"I was passing by and picked up some products for you. They're German goods, and I've been using them with great results."

Yu Rui hurriedly invited Sister Meng to come upstairs for a visit. However, Yu Meng told her to come down instead, saying she was in a rush to head home and couldn't stay long.

Stepping into the car, Yu Rui was immediately handed a massive bag of cosmetics. She held it in her arms and thought, Whoa, this is enough to last until next year. Yu Rui offered a word of thanks.

Acting miffed, Yu Meng reproached, "Do you even consider me your older sister or not?"

Yu Rui said of course she did.

Yu Meng chided playfully, "You landed such a coveted position and didn't even mention a word of it!"

Yu Rui sighed helplessly. "It's not like I wanted to switch; the company insisted..." She truly felt miserable being caught in the middle. She guessed that Sister Meng probably wanted revenge, having likely heard that during the committee elections, Sister Weng and Sister Meng had crossed swords, with Han Guang acting as the mastermind behind the scenes.

Cutting her off, Yu Meng pressed, "What do you think I'm going to do? Splash sulfuric acid on her? Or hurl human waste? There are a few projects we want to collaborate on, and I've been trying to talk to President Han about them, but I can never catch him. If you're still my sister, leak a bit of inside info to me."

Yu Rui was put in a difficult spot. Ever since she stepped into the role of chief assistant, Ye Cha had warned her that Weng Yang had already investigated her background down to the bare bones. Weng Yang knew all about her relationship with Yu Meng—which was precisely why she wanted to use her. Yu Rui figured this was Weng Yang's way of striking a blow against Yu Meng: Look, your little sister has become my little sister. Who succeeded and who failed was glaringly obvious. Yet, the more it reached this point, the less Yu Rui could afford to visibly pick a side. Who could predict the future? Who knew which cloud would bring the rain? Before Yu Rui could offer excuses or explanations, Yu Meng urged her to get out of the car. With no other choice, Yu Rui stepped out, said her goodbyes, and carried the bag of cosmetics back upstairs.

While she was brushing her teeth, Weng Yang called again to cross-examine her, forcing Yu Rui to give a summarized report. After taking a shower, she could finally rest as an overwhelming wave of exhaustion enveloped her. Being a person was hard; being a woman was harder; and being a woman who had to be smooth and tactful in all directions was harder still.

Yu Rui realized she still couldn't be like Sister Meng. She had scheming tricks, but lacked ruthlessness; she had clear ideas, but lacked the execution. At the end of the day, deep down in her heart, she still retained a kernel of simple-minded honesty. Yu Rui felt that right now, she was practically acting as a triple agent—an information hub where Han Guang, Weng Yang, and Yu Meng were all trying to extract intelligence through her. Yet, figuring out what to say and what to leave unsaid made the boundaries agonizingly difficult to navigate.