During that time, Sister Mu had her happiest moments, because she was pregnant and temporarily left the runway. But with Jacques’s help, she discovered her other talent, the talent for design, and she even planned to enter the field of design after her child was born.
"But the Wen family didn’t let me go. On the night Jacques and I fled, more than a dozen cars chased ours. During the evasion, our car rolled down the mountain. Jacques used his body to block the shattered glass to protect me and the child. All I could do was watch his body shield me as it slowly grew cold," Sister Mu lowered her head, the tears blurring the shiny metal on her right leg’s brace.
"Sister Mu..." Su Ziceng stood up and wrapped her arms around Sister Mu’s shoulders.
"Although Jacques protected me, I still couldn’t save my child and my right leg," Sister Mu gently patted Su Ziceng, for though the past was bitter, it was after all behind her.
"Afterwards, the Wen family’s people sent me to the hospital. Once they learned that my right leg couldn’t be saved, they avoided me as if I were a flood or savage beast." In the most painful times for Sister Mu, there was no comfort, no warmth, only disdain and contempt surrounding her, "Apart from Wen Maixue’s mother, no one cared about me."
"So later, Wen Maixue replaced you and became the young lady of the Wen family," Su Ziceng sympathized with Sister Mu, she was also worried for Wen Maixue.
"Wen Maixue? She doesn’t deserve it," Sister Mu snorted, "On that night when Jacques and I left, I only informed Wen Maixue’s mother; Wen Maixue was also present. My biological mother died early, and I was brought up by Wen Maixue’s mother. So, even though we were not from the same mother, I always saw Wen Maixue as my own sister."
That pure and fair Wen Maixue, who followed her calling "Sister," had become the source of Sister Mu’s pain. "If it weren’t for her betrayal, Jacques and I wouldn’t have been separated by life and death, my child and my leg..." Sister Mu touched her leg and spoke dryly.
"Wen Maixue is actually so despicable," Su Ziceng thought about Wen Maixue’s saintly facade, and then thought about how she was so affectionate with Pello in the afternoon, feeling even more disgusted.
"So, when I knew you were going to attend the Eve Ball, I designed ’Angel’s Broken Wings’; and when I knew she liked Pello, I did everything I could to match you with Pello. Ziceng, I am not pure either, I’ve been using you," Sister Mu looked deeply into Su Ziceng’s eyes, watching them continually change.
"Sister Mu, I understand your feelings, everything that you’ve been through, I have also felt," Su Ziceng recalled her time with Chang Chi, which was nothing short of overt conflict and covert struggles. That her in the newspaper, wasn’t she just the incarnation of Wen Maixue, wearing a righteous face, engaged in disgraceful falsehoods.
"What a silly girl," after hearing that Su Ziceng didn’t mind, Sister Mu breathed a sigh of relief. When Su Ziceng entered "Admiration," Sister Mu felt a sense of familiarity, now she realized it was because they both bore similar fates. It’s just that Su Ziceng is at the starting point, while she is at the end, "You should scold me severely, if it were the Su Ziceng who first entered your shop, you would definitely have..."
Su Ziceng gave Sister Mu a tight hug, "When I needed help the most, you were my guiding light, and you’ll still be here," Su Ziceng pointed to her heart.
"Sentimental brat," Sister Mu spit out, her eyes crinkling at the corners, coming more to life, "That little bit of craftiness of mine will be completely squeezed out by you soon."
Sister Mu also knew that Su Ziceng was currently facing a difficult situation; at the Su Bi Auction, although she managed to resolve an awkward situation with her wit, the current trend was already very unfavorable.
"Secretary Wang has tried everything, but the channels in Chang Mei’s hands are truly out of my reach, I need to think of other methods." Su Ziceng also understood this.
"Do you still remember the triple mirror downstairs?" Sister Mu reminded Su Ziceng.
That triple mirror was something anyone who had seen it would never forget—Su Ziceng reminisced about the cherry wood carved mirror frame, more than two meters tall, the silvery mirror, clear inside and out.
"A good piece from the Victorian Era, I’d dare say there’s only one such mirror in the whole Z country," Sister Mu was quite proud of the decorations in "Admiration," each piece a gem.
"Don’t tell me you’re planning to it for me to use as an auction item?" Su Ziceng frowned, knowing Sister Mu’s stingy temperament; she would never suddenly become a molting peacock, "Or else you design a new series, and I’ll auction them in rotation."
"I only release one work per year, and this year’s piece has already been reserved by an acquaintance. Too much of something is not precious. You might want to go to Bianjing City and have a look; that is the center of the whole Z country, and also an ancient capital of several dynasties; maybe some random stall or shop there has hoarded some antiques." Sister Mu glared at her, giving more dubious advice.
"Bianjing City, that’s the imperial capital," Su Ziceng used a country bumpkin’s tone.
"That’s just right, if you can’t establish yourself in Bianjing City, you can forget about competing with Wen Maixue for the title of Mo City’s top socialite," Sister Mu put a big label on Su Ziceng and then started to prepare dinner.
Su Ziceng glanced at the clock; it was already five o’clock. She was about to get up to leave when her cellphone cheerfully rang. Sister Mu glanced over, and the display flashed with the name "Pello."
"Looks like you can skip dinner tonight," Sister Mu talked to herself while Su Ziceng stared blankly at her cellphone screen. (To be continued. If you work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)