Chapter 20: Qiankun Mirror

Zhang Yuetong stepped on the gas pedal, “There’s a sunflower on your hair tie, and another on your bracelet. One might be a coincidence, but two is definitely intentional. Since I had to buy flowers for today’s magic trick, I saved two sunflowers just for you.”

“You’re really impressive,” Lin Ran smiled and suddenly turned to look at Zhang Yuetong.

“With someone as capable as you, I guess you don’t really need a boss, but rather… a partner, right?”

Zhang Yuetong was momentarily stunned.

She glanced at Lin Ran, then looked back at the road ahead.

After a brief silence, she chuckled, “This partner you’re talking about… it wouldn’t happen to be yourself, would it?”

“Yes, of course, it’s me!” Lin Ran laughed.

“Consider it?”

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Hbydt Zwlvsdt tyhl y dsdnsxxkvvyz alprsdpl, “Xb? Zsw oydv vs pvyav y cwpkdlpp okvb xl? Ps usw byhl xsdlu?”

Nkd Syd pbawttle, “Ls.”

Mbld pbl pxkzle ytykd, “Jwv… R vbkdj R’x iwkvl hyzwyczl.”

Hbydt Zwlvsdt fwpv pxkzle okvbswv alprsdekdt.

Gp vblu rypple y cwp pvsr, pbl pweeldzu pvsrrle vbl nya yde zlydle swv vs ypj y uswdt nswrzl cu vbl asyepkel, “Tlyekdt vsoyaep Wldtzsdt Wkzx Ukvu? Llle y akel?”

Nkd Syd: “…”

Lso Nkd Syd wdelapvsse obu Hbydt Zwlvsdt oyp eakhkdt y hyd—kv oyp vs rknj wr ryppldtlap yzsdt vbl oyu yde xyjl psxl lmvay typ xsdlu!

“Eso, obyv y nwvl eakhla!” Mbl tkaz lmnzykxle, bla lulp zktbvkdt wr.

“Yes, we’re heading that way. We can get off at Century Mall.”

Zhang Yuetong smiled and nodded, “Hop in. Twenty yuan for the two of you.”

The story didn’t end there.

Zhang Yuetong even picked up two more passengers at the next stop before driving off toward Fenglong Film City with satisfaction.

Lin Ran turned to Zhang Yuetong and said, “I actually kind of liked you before.”

“Oh? You don’t like me now? Think I’m too shrewd?”

“I like you even more now!”

“…”

A young girl in the car sized up Lin Ran and whispered, “Aren’t you that… internet celebrity… Lin something?”

Lin Ran shook her head innocently, “No, I’m not.”

“Oh…” The girl seemed a bit disappointed, “With the mask on, you kind of look like her. Your eyes are similar.”

As they neared Fenglong Film City, the passengers all got off the van.

Only then did Zhang Yuetong speak, “By the way, this business performance is requested by a major client of Feiye Group. They might be here for you. Just be aware, but don’t worry too much. Just perform as usual. I think these people are respectable and won’t take advantage of the situation. Even if they try, the organizers wouldn’t allow it.”

Lin Ran understood that she was hinting at the possibility that someone might use the pretense of a business performance to exploit her.

“This Mr. Lu…” Lin Ran couldn’t help but sound a bit jealous, “Is he a very outstanding person? Only someone outstanding would make you a vice president, right?”

Zhang Yuetong couldn’t help but laugh as she looked back, “Are you really trying to poach Feiye’s talent?”

Lin Ran turned her head away and sighed, “That depends on how solid that talent is. If he’s handsome and outstanding, it might be difficult!”

Zhang Yuetong continued to smile, “Well, this CEO of Feiye is indeed very outstanding… in some ways. I can only say in some ways.”

“If you think he’s outstanding, then he must be truly outstanding,” Lin Ran said as the car stopped at the entrance of the residential area.

She pushed open the car door, “Thanks for the ride.”

“Hey, Ah Ran!” Meng Xiao waved at her from a distance, “I got us some late-night snacks with beef! Big chunks of beef!”

Lin Ran smiled as she walked over and took Meng Xiao’s arm, “That’s great! You’re the best!”

Zhang Yuetong stared in shock as Lin Ran walked into the residential area holding the arm of a “man.”

She hadn’t realized that Lin Ran already had a boyfriend, and it seemed they were even living together.

Seeing the two of them so happy with their discounted supermarket meals, Zhang Yuetong couldn’t help but think of her own childhood when her family was poor.

Back then, though they were poor, they were genuinely happy.

Now, even though she has everything and no longer has to worry about money, it feels like something is missing.

She was lost in thought for a moment before finally driving away.

…

The residential area was full of high-rises, and waiting for the elevator could take quite some time.

Lin Ran and Meng Xiao pressed the button and waited for the elevator while chatting.

Just then, a few drunken men staggered over.

One of them saw Lin Ran and his eyes lit up, “Hey, when did such a pretty lady move in? Haven’t seen you before. Which floor do you live on?”

He reached out to grab Lin Ran’s hand, but Meng Xiao frowned, stepped forward, and blocked his hand.

She said coldly, “You’re drunk.”

“I’m not… drunk!” The man tried to push Meng Xiao aside, “Hey, pretty lady…”

Meng Xiao didn’t hesitate to grab the man’s wrist and push him back, warning, “If you touch her again, I won’t be so nice!”

“Little punk! You’re looking for trouble!” The man signaled, and his companions came over, surrounding Meng Xiao.

Lin Ran didn’t expect this to happen.

She wasn’t a fighter and wasn’t sure if Meng Xiao could take on all of them.

She quickly took out her phone and called the police.

She raised her phone, “I’ve called the police! If you don’t leave now, you’ll be arrested!”

“Calling the police? Hmph, by the time they get here, I’ll have broken this punk’s leg!” The man, emboldened by alcohol, shouted, “Get him, guys!”

Meng Xiao sighed and delivered a powerful kick to the chest of the first man who rushed at her.

A few minutes later, the police arrived.

Seeing the drunken men lying on the ground groaning, they were momentarily confused, “Who called the police?”

Lin Ran raised her hand, “I did…”

Meng Xiao suddenly put on a pitiful expression, pointing to the men on the ground with a fearful look, “They… they tried to harass us and said they would break my leg… It was so… so scary…”

Lin Ran: “…”

There was surveillance at the elevator, and after reviewing it, the police took the drunken men into custody.

One of the officers gave Meng Xiao a thumbs up, “Good job, young lady!”

He had checked Meng Xiao’s ID and realized that she was actually a girl.

Seeing that the police weren’t going to hold her accountable, Meng Xiao sighed in relief and smiled, “I thought you’d make me pay for damages…”

The police laughed, “Why would we? You were acting in self-defense. Without your protection, your friend could have been in real danger. These guys were causing trouble while drunk; they’ll be detained for a few days. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure they learn their lesson.”

…

“You’ve got some pretty good acting skills!” Back home, Lin Ran praised Meng Xiao, “If I hadn’t seen you fight, I would have believed that poor act of yours!”

Meng Xiao smiled sheepishly, “I was afraid the police would hold me responsible for hitting them… But luckily, they didn’t arrest me.”

Lin Ran was curious, “You’re so good-looking, can fight, and can act—why are you just a stunt double? You could be an actor yourself; a lot of people would like you.”

Meng Xiao gave a bitter smile, “It’s not that easy. Good roles rarely come to people like me. Even if I manage to land one, it often gets taken away by someone else.”

Lin Ran fell silent and then changed the subject, “By the way, should we heat up the late-night snacks?”

“Yeah, I’ll pop them in the microwave for a bit. You grab the utensils, and we can eat soon.”

“Okay!”

After washing up, Lin Ran was about to go to bed when she saw Dahua walk out of the Qiankun Bag with something in its mouth and place it in front of her.

Lin Ran’s heart skipped a beat.

She had never seen this object before.

Could it be another new treasure from that magical trash can?

She picked it up.

It was a mirror with a bronze frame, covered in green patina.

The mirror surface, however, was made of glass.

In Lin Ran’s experience, things from the heavens were usually crafted with ancient techniques, so she was surprised to see modern glass.

But the mirror was badly damaged.

The bottom right corner was missing a quarter of the surface, and the remaining part was riddled with cracks, as if it had been violently smashed.

Lin Ran wasn’t surprised, though.

Most things that end up in a trash can are of this quality, and she didn’t expect to get something brand new.

She turned the mirror over and saw three characters engraved on the back: “Qiankun Mirror.”

The frame was intricately carved with patterns, and the front was set with a circle of yellow-glowing stones of unknown material.

She counted six yellow stones in total, with two empty slots where stones had fallen out.

Lin Ran wasn’t sure how to use this thing.

After thinking for a while, she jokingly said to the mirror, “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”

Suddenly, the mirror flashed, and four large characters appeared on the surface: “The Queen Mother of the West.”

(T/N: The head of female fairies in the upper realm in Duan Wenqiang’s fairy-tale novel “Three Realms and All Daos”)

Lin Ran: “…”

Even a mirror knows how to flatter?

At the same time, she noticed that one of the yellow stones around the mirror had dimmed and turned white.

So, asking a question consumes these stones?

The characters on the mirror faded after about ten seconds, and it returned to its broken state.

Lin Ran didn’t dare to ask random questions anymore.

After thinking for a while, she asked something she really wanted to know.

“Mirror, mirror, tell me, where is my husband?”

The mirror flashed white, and then an image appeared.

It was a snow-covered mountain, surrounded by a vast expanse of white.

Nothing could be seen except for distant, rolling peaks.

Lin Ran: “…”

Not a single person in sight.

What does this mean?

Is it saying she’s destined to be single forever?

However, knowing that the image would soon disappear, she quickly took a picture with her phone.

Afterward, she put down her phone and continued to examine the Qiankun Mirror.

Due to her previous two questions, two of the yellow stones had already dimmed, and she had no idea when they would light up again.

Just then, a line of text suddenly appeared on the mirror:

Remaining Time: 11,345 days.

Lin Ran was startled.

She realized that the mirror was reflecting her phone.

The phone was currently displaying its lock screen.

Her lock screen was a system-default news feed that pushed trending hot figure news topics.