After Exchanging Shadows

A headache.

Ruan Yesheng felt her brain was already filled with lead. She slowly blinked after a long time, until she grew accustomed to the few rays of light that came streaming in.

The curtains were drawn slightly. It was blurry, and she was very uncomfortable from the lights that were shining on her.

She didn’t like the color of those curtains.

“She’s up! She’s up!” came Feng Tangtang’s voice. Within her joy was some anxiousness, as if she was carrying some even more pressing matters on her mind.

A person came over with a few quick strides.

That person sat by her side. Ruan Yesheng could distinctly smell the whiff of cologne coming from the person’s body.

She also didn’t like this smell, it smelled like something foul.

“Feeling slightly better yet?” The man’s warm, gentle voice resonated in her ear.

Ruan Yesheng forced herself to pry open her eyes and look at him.

The man, wearing a straight, slim suit, sat on the stool beside her sick bed. He had layered and short hair, a graceful and handsome appearance, and a pair of gla.s.ses was being supported by the bridge of his nose.   

Lu Qingming?

Hold on, it’s very normal for Tangtang to be here, but why is he here as well?

Ruan Yesheng had seen Lu Qingming before, that was because he was Xi Mo’s agent, and she had always maintained a distance with him. Naturally, Lu Qingming also wasn’t willing to cross paths with her much either. The two people minded their own businesses. Afterwards, she gradually fell out of the circle, and barely saw Lu Qingming any more. If it wasn’t for seeing him today, she would’ve forgotten his appearance soon.   

Since when did he become this nice to me? His soft, warm voice made her whole body develop gooseb.u.mps.

“Do you want to eat something?” Lu Qingming gently spoke to Ruan Yesheng, “The doctor said you didn’t have any major problems. He said that if you wake up, it’s best to let you eat something so you can fill your stomach. Whatever you want, I’ll immediately get someone on it.”   

This tone instantly reminded her of the way a loyal servant treats his queen.

Ruan Yesheng’s beautiful eyes gave a roll. She remained silent..

Is there something wrong with Lu Qingming’s head?

“Nothing you want to eat?” spoke Lu Qingming, “Even if you don’t want to eat anything, you should still eat a little at the very least.”

Ruan Yesheng didn’t want to pay any attention to him.

She tried to give her stiff neck a stretch, and said to Feng Tangtang, “Tangtang.”

Feng Tangtang’s eyes unexpectedly widened after hearing this intimate way of greeting. The water she was preparing to bring over couldn’t help but spill out.  

Feng Tangtang became scared out of her wits, “Si… Sister Xi.”

Ruan Yesheng felt stunned at the same time.

Cold, clear, low, and soft. This wasn’t her own voice, but it did sound like Xi Mo’s.

And why is Tangtang calling her Sister Xi?

Ruan Yesheng’s gaze slowly shifted down and looked at those pair of hands laid on top of the white sheets.

This pair of hands was fair and slender, the thin blue-green blood vessels within were somewhat visible on the back of these hands, looking very thin. In all these years, she had come to know her body very well, how could she not tell that these weren’t her own hands? The fingers on these hands were obviously a bit longer than her own, they seemed like they were used to play a piano.

She couldn’t play the piano.

Xi Mo however, had very profound artistic merits with the piano.

She bent her head and turned to look at the perfectly straight black hair hanging over her shoulder, her clear hair was being spread out. Besides being a little fluffy and messy from just waking up from her sleep, she unexpectedly couldn’t see even the slight bit of a curl.

Ruan Yesheng: “…”

“Xi Mo?” Lu Qingming said caringly, “What’s the matter? You suddenly spoke out like that.”

… Xi Mo.

This single utterance settled it then and there, which thoroughly drove in the heaviest of emotional impacts on Ruan Yesheng.

Ruan Yesheng took a deep breath of cool air. She pinched her fingers and weakly forced out a small smile, “May I ask, can anyone give me a mirror first?”

Feng Tangtang was scared out of her wits again.

Sister Xi actually smiled.

She actually saw Sister Xi smile in real life, besides when being required to when acting on stage.

After all, they had just recently experienced mortal danger from a fire. If they were burned anywhere, injured anywhere, disfigured anywhere, then it would certainly become a sky collapsing major event. Lu Qingming knew this was a normal reaction, so in order to help her feel at ease, he hurriedly went and brought over a mirror to her.

Ruan Yesheng sat on the sickbed, her unblinking eyes watching the woman’s face in the mirror.

A silhouette, as if sculpted from jade, a prominent nose, a face of indifference that made people feel as if she was both cold and unfeeling. This unfamiliar, yet familiar detached beauty completely cooled down her heart.

Ruan Yesheng covered her mouth, pressing down on the frightened exclamation that almost overflowed, that she had been enduring for a long while now.

That fire… the thing outside the washroom, the sound of footsteps heading towards her, and Xi Mo, just what exactly happened back then?

She immediately felt her brain begin to short circuit.

“Xi Mo.” Lu Qingming naturally understands the significance of Xi Mo’s face and used a warm tone to call out to her, “Don’t worry. Although the fire at the hotel was large, you practically didn’t suffer any injuries, you only suffered a shock and pa.s.sed out. There isn’t the slightest problem with your face, so be at ease, I already had the doctor take a look at it.”

Ruan Yesheng was put in a trance for a while. With a slight raise of her shoulder she chucked the mirror clean away.

Lu Qingming thought she must be throwing a tantrum, and also a barely suppressed one at that, so he said, “What’s the matter? Are you not feeling too well, shall we have a doctor come pay a visit again?”

“Nothing much, I’m quite well.” After half a beat, Ruan Yesheng spoke while looking at the mirror that had been chucked on the bed, “Only that, it feels like I’ve become uglier after I woke up.”

Lu Qingming: “…”

Feng Tangtang: “…”

“Tang…” Ruan Yesheng watched Feng Tangtang.

Xi Mo thinks highly of herself. Ruan Yesheng knew that she usually calls people directly by their names. In order to avoid being suspected, she coolly spoke, “Feng Tangtang.”

Even if one was past their prime, but the foundation was still there. Ruan Yesheng’s acting skills were top quality. She swiftly a.s.sumed a hundred percent of Xi Mo’s usual grandeur, cool headedness and elegance.

All this, even though she had always thought of Xi Mo as nothing more than a show off in the past.

Feng Tangtang felt as if she was going to cry. She instinctively stood up straight. “Sister Xi.”

Now this is Sister Xi.

Still the same old formula, still the familiar style.

“I remember Ruan Yesheng was also inside the building. She was with me during the accident and was trapped inside the washroom. Where’s that person?” said Ruan Yesheng.

Never in her previous daydreams had she ever thought there would come a time where she would ask how she was doing herself.

Feng Tangtang hurriedly answered, “Ruan Ruan is also inside this hospital, she was sent here together with you-”

Lu Qingming coolly cut off Feng Tangtang, “Xi Mo, don’t pull together any relationships with unrelated people. After a period of time, I’ll have the doctor come over again to make certain there are no problems. I’ll help you complete the procedures for changing hospitals. Currently this situation has been hot on the press. I’ll speak to you again once you’ve finished eating.”

Unrelated people.

Ruan Yesheng gave a cold laugh inside again.

Feng Tangtang’s face was filled with awkwardness.

It was evident to Ruan Yesheng that Feng Tangtang’s heart was not where it was. Feeling perfectly pleased, she spoke with an impa.s.sive face, “I see that you care about her quite a bit. Since you two are friends, go and see how she’s doing.”  

Feng Tangtang suddenly gave a sigh of relief. “Okay, Sister Xi.”

Ruan Yesheng thought for a bit, then called out to her, “Go see as soon as possible if her face is disfigured, and tell me on the phone.” Should her own face have half a bit of problem with it, she would desperately have to go find someone to get it fixed.

Feng Tangtang: “…”

Did Sister Xi want Ruan Ruan’s face to be disfigured, or did she not want it to be disfigured?

Feng Tangtang had terrifying thoughts. She was scared out of her wits for the third time.

“Not going?” Ruan Yesheng gave a glance at Feng Tangtang.

Feng Tangtang hurriedly spoke, “I’m going, then I’ll be leaving, Sister Xi. If there’s anything you want, just give me a call.”

With that, she sprinted out.