After Exchanging Shadows

Ruan Yesheng got down from the cab. The sun was shining so fiercely that she had to shield her eyes with her hand. She had slender fingers and neatly trimmed nails, which were glossy and pure like gems. On her thin wrist, she wore an old silver watch that didn’t quite suit her.

The cab driver pa.s.sed over the change while watching her the whole time. Prior to this, he had hesitantly observed her a few times through the back mirror in the car.

Ruan Yesheng also didn’t mind it. When she was about to leave after receiving the change and saying thanks, the cab driver yelled out in a rush, “Hold up, miss.”

“What’s the matter?” Ruan Yesheng looked back, and her slight curls of long hair casually landed on her shoulder.

She was just too beautiful. Even her body was overly alluring.

She also had a pair of especially seductive eyes. Whenever she looked at people, intentionally or not, it was as if she had used the tip of a feather and tickled a person’s heart until their spirit weakened and the soul also scattered. They just still couldn’t obtain it though.

There was once a senior sister with a venomous tongue who had said her seductive looks were precisely a calamity. Making a living through looks wouldn’t just last for a few years.

Presently, she had really hit the mark with her words.

Hearing that the accent was foreign, the cab driver mumbled, “Pardon me, I know this might be very rude. May I ask if you’ve been on TV, or appeared in books before? I’ve seen a few photos that look a lot like you from one of the books my daughter has. She really, really likes you. May I ask if you’re the superstar from that book?”   

If it really is, then he probably wanted to coax his precious daughter by helping her get a few autographs.

Ruan Yesheng gave a smile. “You’ve mistaken me, I’m not the person. I don’t have that kind of fortune.”

The cab driver was a bit embarra.s.sed, “Sorry about that, really sorry about that.” That’s right, at this time and age, why would there still be superstars taking the cab by themselves when they all have their own rides?

The cab couldn’t stay for long. After saying bye, the cab driver quickly sped off in the car.

Ruan Yesheng opened the parasol and quickly walked into the hotel. She rang up Feng Tangtang at the hall, but Feng Tangtang still hadn’t picked up after a long time of ringing.

She continuously called her a few times, but it still remained that way.

Ruan Yesheng put away her cellphone and took a glance at the giant billboard on the first floor of the hotel. The fourteenth floor was holding a release conference for some jewels and other luxury items.  

As a newly contracted spokesperson, Xi Mo’s photograph was naturally on the cover.

Nowadays, Xi Mo was as popular as ever. She was the G.o.ddess of countless people’s hearts.

Many young people that were holding flowers and presents were wandering about the first floor, perhaps because they couldn’t go up. Some of them were either taking selfies or pictures with Xi Mo’s billboard.

Ruan Yesheng stared intently at Xi Mo’s photo.

The Xi Mo who was magnified countless times was also squinting back at Ruan Yesheng from her place high, high above. The lights that filled up the hotel hall shined down onto her photo. Her facial features and her hair, roamed gorgeously under the lights, everything was at the peak of beauty.

Below her slender neck, even the diamond necklace she was endorsing seemed to have dimly lost its l.u.s.tre.

She was dazzling, like the moon out of reach.

As for herself, she could only humbly look at her like this.

Still only at her photo.

Feng Tangtang finally returned the call, and spoke with great urgency, “So sorry Ruan Ruan, I was too busy and didn’t hear you call, have you arrived?”

“It’s nothing, I’m on the hotel’s first floor.” Ruan Yesheng laughed. “Since you’re this busy, let me go straight up and get that thing from you. I don’t think I can enter under the current circ.u.mstances though.”

Feng Tangtang panted slightly as she spoke, “There’s too many people, so the security guard hasn’t been letting anybody through for a while now. Thus, I went to give a greeting to the security guard. If you let the security guard know, he’ll let you in. Wait for me at the lounge of 1437, there’s no one there and the thing is still inside my bag. Once I’m free I’ll come over immediately.”  

“Alright, I’ll wait for you,” said Ruan Yesheng.

After hesitating for a while, Feng Tangtang lowered her voice, “Ruan Ruan, about the matter with Sister Xi, you really won’t blame me?”

She had been apologizing to Ruan Yesheng the whole time over the past few days.

Ruan Yesheng intentionally gave a harrumph, “Why are you still such a drag? You’re always bringing this up, don’t you know that I don’t like her? So why do you keep mentioning it?”    

“No, it’s not that.”

“Already said it’s nothing. People should always walk forward, you deserved better choices.” Ruan Yesheng’s voice softened, as if it was at ease, “Follow her and do your best.”

“’Kay.” Feng Tangtang felt relief at this and hung up the phone, “Come up, I’ll see you later. Bye bye.”

Ruan Yesheng took the elevator to the fourteenth floor. The security guard had let her through.

The venue of the conference was already temporarily sealed off. There were still a good few circles of people surrounded outside. From the sounds alone, one could tell that the inside must be packed full of people and extremely lively. Numerous reporters flocking there.  

Ruan Yesheng didn’t pay attention to it. She made a path through the crowd and headed towards the lounge of 1437. 1437 was out of the way and certainly didn’t have anyone pa.s.sing by. Feng Tangtang still hadn’t arrived after Ruan Yesheng had waited for approximately twenty minutes.

Very soon, she suddenly felt the floor unexpectedly tremble a few times, as if something had exploded.

At the same time, the floor alarm began to sound out, sharp and shrilling to the ears.

Ruan Yesheng immediately stood up. Those floor shakings became more and more prominent. There were a few times where she had nearly lost her footing.

An earthquake?

This was the first thought that crossed her mind.

She quickly ran out the door. She was faced with rush after rush of heat waves. There were people everywhere in front of her who had lost their composure, and were running about in terror. Thick smoke billowed in from near and afar.    

Ruan Yesheng made her way without any hesitation along the emergency exit signs, she ran towards the emergency stairwell.

She had always excelled in sports and dancing, her body’s flexibility and agility were both very high. In addition to her location being very close to the stairs, she was also luckily running ahead of the pack.

A giant horde of people followed behind. It was as if everyone went crazy, their faces were filled with savagery while running. Many people were pushed and tripped over in the chaos, and some even trampled to death.

There were lots of reporters among them, and no shortage of some superstars who had made it on screen. Yet at this critical moment, no one cared who the superstars were, they all jostled for their lives.

Only when Ruan Yesheng had run out a few steps, she suddenly turned back.

Her phone was ringing. Ruan Yesheng dodged the train of people and ran along beside the wall while taking the call, “Tangtang!”

Feng Tangtang was about to cry, “Heavens! Ruan Ruan are you still there? Come down quickly! The thirteenth floor below exploded and is up in flames, it’ll soon travel to the fourteenth floor. Come down quickly, and absolutely do not use the elevators!”

“Where are you!” said Ruan Yesheng.

“I’m outside the hotel! Sister Xi told me to buy the beverages she wanted to drink, so I went down. Who’d guess a fire suddenly started on the thirteenth floor! That’s not important though, just come down quickly!”  

The reception flickered on and off. It was completely gone after a while. Ruan Yesheng was helpless. She looked around from within the crowd for some time but still didn’t spot Xi Mo’s shadow.

Xi Mo had so many security guards by her side, could she have been escorted downstairs long ago?

Ruan Yesheng was perturbed. The venue on that side was already embroiled in thick smoke. Nothing could be seen at all.

She had no means of going over there again, so she was only left with the option of running to the emergency stairwells once more.

The waves of heat were like venomous tongues on fire, chasing in hot pursuit from behind. Ruan Yesheng saw a washroom nearby and recalled the public welfare advertis.e.m.e.nt about fires that she had acted in a long, long time ago. The advertis.e.m.e.nt had thoroughly gone through how to correctly make it out alive in the event of a fire.         

Due to the herding effect, the emergency stairwells were certain to be swamped with people from the very start. It would be easy to get stomped to death if she was to go over there again.  

Only that when she entered, she became startled.

Xi Mo’s lavish formal dress was wet all the way through, with trickles of water dripping down. To make moving around convenient, she had torn off the larger half of the dress, revealing her long and pale legs. Her long hair was also damp, and with the high heels discarded, she bared her feet that were as sleek as jade. She appeared to be in a great hurry to leave, thus looking as wild as can be.   

Ruan Yesheng: “…”

Xi Mo: “…”

A swan in distress is still a swan.

Even like this, Xi Mo’s elite, cold G.o.ddess look was still apparent.

She lifted her eyes, coldly looking at Ruan Yesheng.

Ruan Yesheng sank inside her thoughts, she’s about to die, but she still didn’t forget her appearance. She also didn’t speak, promptly turned on the taps and splashed water onto her own body.   

Xi Mo had clearly made herself damp already and could run outside, yet she didn’t move. It looked as if she was waiting for Ruan Yesheng.

Ruan Yesheng quickly finished wetting herself with water and shouted at her, “Run! Are you planning on having hotpot here? You’re seeking to get boiled!”

Xi Mo’s expression sank.

Ruan Yesheng grabbed her hand and was about to run out, when strange sounds came from outside.

Crackle.

Crackle.

Like some skeleton being crushed flat, and also like teeth grinding.

At the same time, an indescribable odor wisped in and mixed with those charred smells, making it particularly strange.

Xi Mo clutched onto Ruan Yesheng. Her gaze fluttered down to the gap at the bottom of the washroom door.

Ruan Yesheng understood her thoughts. She had also seen it for herself, there was something outside. A dark, black  shadow at the bottom of the door gap.   

The washroom door was suddenly sent flying with a bang towards them. Ruan Yesheng instinctively embraced Xi Mo and fell lying down. She couldn’t see anything with her back facing out. All she knew was that the door had brutally collapsed onto her body.

Something frenetically ran inside, rushing towards them.

Other footsteps seemed to follow tightly behind, which were even faster than the previous.

Waves of heat came sweeping over.

Ruan Yesheng felt she was quickly going insane. The eyelids couldn’t open somehow, even after struggling for a long time. The ears seemed to be filled with hot magma, as if the eardrums would burst open. Nothing could be heard, she could only faintly feel the heartbeat inside her and Xi Mo, who was below.

Thump, thump, thump.

One by one, the sounds slowly amplified beside her ears.

Those footsteps headed towards their way.

Xi Mo was stock-still inside her embrace, having already lost her consciousness.

Ruan Yesheng also fainted.