"Perhaps dead," Qiu Zhi smacked his lips and, after receiving a disdainful glance from Su Ziceng, hurriedly corrected himself: "At least in the eyes of the Wen family, she’s dead."
This is the so-called trick commonly employed by prestigious families. When Wen Zimu was still the darling of the international T-stage, the Wen family could tolerate her rebelliousness. But once she became disabled and lost her luster, she was supposed to disappear forever from the public eye. Su Ziceng thought of herself at Su Qingzhang’s funeral; wasn’t it the same for her? In the public eye, she who brought disgrace upon her parents, might as well have died long ago. No wonder Sister Mu had become a recluse all year round, numbing herself with alcohol.
"Alright, once you’ve settled the bill, you can leave," Su Ziceng walked out, perhaps only Sister Mu could truly empathize with her feelings. No wonder, after just two months of acquaintance, she’d already developed an indescribable closeness with Sister Mu.
"Ziceng, wait," Qiu Zhi quickly paid the bill, he hadn’t told Su Ziceng yet, that he would wait for her, wait until he made something of himself... As he dashed out of the shop, Qiu Zhi still didn’t forget to yell, but Su Ziceng had already gotten into a taxi and vanished without a trace, "You have to wait for me."
Amidst a burst of car exhaust, Su Ziceng’s taxi was soon out of sight.
Qiu Zhi had no choice but to find his own car. Among the orderly parked sedans, his view was obstructed, and he didn’t see Wen Maixue and Pello coming out from the Japanese restaurant in the rearview mirror.
"Qiu Zhi is mingling with Su Ziceng again, he’s becoming more and more disgraceful," Wen Maixue complained. It’s because of people like Qiu Zhi that the folks of Mo City would say that the old families are increasingly declining.
"It seems it’s not just simply mingling," Pello said, observing the dejected expression on Qiu Zhi’s face and thoughtfully looking in the direction where Su Ziceng had departed.
At the entrance of "Admiration," Su Ziceng got out of the taxi, Sister Mu was still sitting at that old spot. Separated by the glass window, Su Ziceng could see the glinting alcohol in her hands, and her face, white as the driven snow.
"You’re here," Sister Mu was accustomed to Su Ziceng’s arrival. On the contrary, in the past months, due to the assessments in Paris, the shop felt unusually empty without Su Ziceng’s patronage.
"I’ll take you out for a walk and some sunshine," at around 3 in the afternoon, the sun on Fifth Street was just right, warmly illuminating people without dazzling them.
"Sunshine?" Admiration was located at the very end of a not-too-spacious street in Fifth District, a bit secluded but with good lighting all around. Close to Sixth District, there were hardly any tall buildings to block the light, thus Admiration bathed in sunlight almost every day. It had been a long time since anyone suggested she step out of Admiration for some sunshine.
"Yes, the kind of sun that bathes the whole body, where your shadow falls beneath your feet," Su Ziceng said, as if oblivious to Sister Mu’s difficulty walking, pulling her up.
Standing up, Sister Mu seemed to tower above even more. Su Ziceng quickly estimated that she must be about the height of Lin Ying who was in London.
The metallic right foot and the still radiant left foot – simply looking at the left foot, Su Ziceng couldn’t help but marvel at Sister Mu’s beautifully shaped calves. The proportions, with the calves notably longer than the thighs, are rare and straight in Z country.
Sister Mu noticed Su Ziceng’s gaze and waited... for a sigh. The brilliance of the left foot only made the right foot look duller. Anyone noticing the disparity couldn’t help but sigh.
Without hearing that expected sigh, Su Ziceng merely pulled Sister Mu onto the street and let go, keeping an arm’s length distance between them.
Embarrassed by both the sunlight and the stares from passersby, Sister Mu stood there, watching Su Ziceng walk farther away without ever looking back. She shuffled her feet backward a little but eventually started walking forward.
For Sister Mu, the leisurely strolling in the shop and walking on the street were two entirely different concepts. Her right leg was amputated below the knee, and if she walked too fast or too rashly, the steel frame would rub against the calloused joint, causing unbearable pain. Su Ziceng seemed utterly unaware of Sister Mu’s discomfort, still maintaining a distance from her.
After walking half a street, Sister Mu straightened her slightly stooped back and even lifted her head. Her nose tip started to glisten with sweat, but she didn’t utter a word, walking faster and faster, her smile growing ever more evident. It was a feeling she hadn’t experienced in many years.