Transmigrating Behind the Mirror to Become Her Guardian Lady - Chapter 21

Early morning. 6:00 AM.

Almost exactly on time, Shu Mengli snapped her eyes open. Before her were stray hairs stirred by the morning breeze and the familiar snowy-white ceiling. She closed her eyes for two seconds to ground herself before carefully sitting up from the carpet.

A scattering of glass shards lay to her left the aftermath of her experiment with the glass cup and the mirror space last night. Looking at the fragments, Shu Mengli blinked in surprise, then laughed at the sheer incredibility of her own thought.

If the mirror could speak, it would probably be very gentle.

After all, whenever she woke up, she was usually lying face-down on the carpet facing the mirror. This time, however, she had been tilted slightly to the side, perfectly avoiding the broken glass. It was as if the mirror were a worrying old mother, anxious that she might get hurt.

Remembering something, Shu Mengli scrambled up from the floor. Ignoring the glass, she walked straight to the desk opposite the mirror and picked up her phone. Six hours had passed; the phone was still in recording mode, but the battery was in the red, down to its last sliver of life after a night of work.

She plugged it in for “emergency resuscitation” and sat on the sofa to watch the recording. The footage began the moment she set the phone down and turned around. She saw herself walk to the mirror and, without hesitation, reach out and sink into the mirror world as if parting a gentle lake surface.

Though she had crossed over three times now, seeing it from another perspective still felt miraculous. The scenes that followed were as expected: after she entered the mirror, the room fell silent save for the night wind.

She fast-forwarded through the long, silent hours until 6:00 AM. Her eyes brightened, and she sat up straight. Exactly at 6:00 AM, the silent mirror flashed with light, and she abruptly reappeared on the carpet.

Shu Mengli bit her fingertip, staring at this supernatural phenomenon. Just what is the origin of this mirror? But before she could ponder further, her thoughts were interrupted.

The phone vibrated with a pleasant ringtone. Someone was calling at 6:00 AM. She saw the name “Jiang Xin” and felt an ominous premonition. A call at this hour is never good news.

Sure enough, the moment she swiped to answer, her friend’s boisterous voice rang out. “Mengmeng! Wake up and get to work!”

Shu Mengli gasped. “Jiang Xin, you’re not human!”

Half an hour later, the corporate slave Shu Mengli arrived at the office. Jiang Xin looked anxious until she spotted her, rushing over with a sigh of relief.

“My ancestor, you’re finally here!”

Shu Mengli let herself be dragged along, looking helpless. “You’re the death of me. Who calls someone at 6:30 AM to come in for overtime?”

“I had no choice,” Jiang Xin replied, even more helpless. “Look at my dark circles. I didn’t sleep until 4:00 AM!” She leaned in and whispered, “Word is the future big boss, President Jiang, is unhappy with our recent performance. The higher-ups are panicking. They want us to catch up, so they’ve temporarily swapped this issue’s theme to ‘A-Xiang’s Scent,’ which was a huge hit last time.”

“But you know A-Xiang’s temper. She only listens to you.”

A-Xiang. At only nineteen, she was the most famous genius perfumer today. Her talent was peerless, and her perfumes were worth their weight in gold. But genius often comes with quirks; A-Xiang was a masterpiece of stubbornness and difficulty. When the magazine Fengxiang first approached her, she refused to cooperate until Shu Mengli personally took charge. The resulting issue had been an explosive success.

Since then, A-Xiang had become incredibly attached to Shu Mengli. Shu Mengli’s gentle nature—and her habit of granting A-Xiang’s every request during interviews—had won the girl over completely. After all, who doesn’t love a gentle, radiant, and beautiful older sister?

But the beautiful older sister was currently rubbing her forehead and sighing. “Is President Jiang a devil?” If she wasn’t satisfied with Fengxiang, what could satisfy her? And… “And A-Xiang, that proud little brat, is so hard to handle!”

Just as the words left her mouth CLANG!

The office door slammed open, and a high-energy teenage voice echoed through the workspace. “Sister Meng!”

A girl with lively eyes came bouncing in. Seeing Shu Mengli, she beamed and ran over. Shu Mengli shook her head with a smile. “Slow down, A-Xiang. Why are you here so early?”

“I heard I was coming to Fengxiang to see Sister Meng, so I woke up at five!”

Shu Mengli’s mouth twitched. It seemed Jiang Xin calling her at 6:30 was actually merciful. Thanks, pal!

However, halfway there, a hand reached out and grabbed A-Xiang’s collar, lifting her like a kitten. A-Xiang’s momentum was broken, her expression shifting from joy to bewilderment. She thrashed around and looked back, turning into an angry whirlwind.

“Dead-fish eyes! You dare grab me? Let me down!”

Hao Wei, the one called “dead-fish eyes,” remained unmoved. She looked at Shu Mengli without letting go. “I think Miss A-Xiang should behave with more dignity.”

Shu Mengli took a deep breath, feeling like she couldn’t catch a break. She looked to Jiang Xin for help, only to find her friend staring at the bickering pair with extreme excitement. Her eyes practically screamed: Fight! Fight!

Shu Mengli clenched her fists. President Jiang! You have no heart! She didn’t know then that when the “heartless” President Jiang eventually arrived at Fengxiang, the bickering would only get worse.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mirror, Jiang Weilu was facing her own turmoil.

A night had passed since Shu Mengli’s departure. It was now the next morning. Parting was never something one got used to; each time brought fresh sorrow. Naturally, Jiang Weilu hadn’t slept well.

She woke up a bit late and was called down to breakfast by the butler. Jiang Ming, Liu Yi, and Jiang Yuxi were already seated. Jiang Ming’s image was still ridiculous—his mouth, despite a doctor’s care, was still swollen like a giant sausage. Jiang Yuxi, now sober, knew how much trouble she was in and sat trembling, not daring to speak. Even Liu Yi kept her head down.

Jiang Weilu swept her gaze over the scene, wore her habitual smile, and sat down quietly. Jiang Ming finally spoke.

“Good, Lulu is here. Everyone is present. Jiang Yuxi, didn’t you say you wanted to confront her? What do you want to say?”

Jiang Yuxi jumped, her first instinct being to shift the blame. “Father, it really wasn’t me! It was Jiang Weilu! She made me do it!”

As soon as she started, Jiang Weilu knew what they were discussing. Her fingers brushed the small mirror at her chest as she put on a look of total bewilderment. “What did I do? Oh, Father, are you talking about last night?”

She seemed to suddenly realize what was happening, her eyes wide with surprise. “Sister, are you saying I ordered you? How did I do it? Why would I do that?”

Jiang Yuxi bit her teeth. “It was you! You swapped the wine for a drink to trick me, and you gave me the cigarettes full of firecrackers to give to Father!”

“Huh?” Jiang Weilu laughed helplessly. “If I give you something, you just drink it? If I tell you to take something, you just take it? Sister, don’t you usually hate me the most? Why were you so obedient this time?”

After throwing out a barrage of questions, Jiang Weilu tilted her head and smiled virtuously. “Yuxi, it makes me sad that you’d say that. But even though I’m your sister, I can’t let you slander me. I remember Grandpa’s living room has surveillance cameras. Why don’t we go look at them? Just as well…”

She gazed at Jiang Yuxi, her smile remaining warm. “I thought it was strange when I accidentally tripped and broke Grandpa’s wine. It was as if someone…”

“It was me!” Jiang Yuxi suddenly shouted, interrupting her. She felt her hair stand on end. The person opposite her was clearly smiling, yet it felt unnervingly cold. The gaze looking at her was flat and mocking, as if saying: Do you have the guts to look at the footage?

Jiang Yuxi didn’t. If they watched the cameras, everyone would know she tripped Jiang Weilu and stole her things. As for why Jiang Weilu had firecrackers in her cigarettes? A child’s whim to play? Boredom? One could find a hundred excuses. More importantly, Jiang Weilu was protected by Elder Li; Jiang Yuxi had no one.

She had to swallow this bitter loss like a foul-smelling pill. A drop of cold sweat fell from her brow as she gritted her teeth and confessed.

Liu Yi looked up in shock that wasn’t what Yuxi had said this morning! Even Jiang Ming was stunned. She did something bad and tried to frame her sister, only to be ruthlessly exposed?

Thinking he had the truth, Jiang Ming’s anger surged, making his “sausage mouth” look even more inflamed. He slammed the table. “You, Jiang Yuxi! I never realized you were this wicked! To do something wrong and then try to frame your sister? How can you be so malicious at such a young age?”

Jiang Yuxi shook with fear, tears falling. Liu Yi tried to intervene. “A-Ming…”

Jiang Ming waved her away, his rage turning toward her. “And you! Is this how you teach a child? Are you training her according to your own standards?” He was essentially calling Liu Yi malicious to her face. Her face turned deathly pale.

Jiang Ming let out a cold huff. “For the time being, you don’t need to go out and embarrass us. Stay home and reflect. You can come out when you’ve regained your senses! Butler! The family rod!”

Jiang Yuxi’s face turned white as she staggered back. “No, Father, I know I was wrong!”

Jiang Ming took a deep breath, then looked toward Jiang Weilu. His expression softened slightly. Regardless, at least one daughter was useful. Lulu was now the Li family’s benefactor; as long as she was around, the Li family would owe the Jiangs a debt of gratitude. He needed to re-evaluate her value.

“Lulu, if you don’t want to watch, go upstairs. I’ll have the butler send breakfast to your room. Oh, and make sure you keep the jade pendant Grandpa Li gave you safe, understood?”

Jiang Yuxi’s breath hitched. She didn’t even dare to cry out loud now, terrified that Jiang Weilu would spill everything and finish her off. She instinctively looked over. Jiang Weilu was answering her father with a virtuous smile.

“Yes, Father.”

Then, she noticed Yuxi’s gaze. She looked back, the curve of her lips widening. She mouthed a single word:

Good. We’re going to have so much fun.

Time flew by. After Jiang Yuxi was punished and grounded for three months along with Liu Yi, the matter finally settled.

It was now March spring was in full bloom and all things were reviving. Jiang Weilu had celebrated her birthday in February; she was now eleven years old. But her mood hadn’t improved with Jiang Yuxi’s misfortune. On the contrary, she grew increasingly irritable.

Three months. It’s already been three months! Why is it so long this time? Why hasn’t Sister come back!

She no longer just cried; she worried about accidents with the mirror. But she was powerless. She let out a breath, suppressed her bad mood, and packed away her finished homework to take a cold shower.

The sound of rushing water filled the bathroom with a misty haze, obscuring the vision. Even a deep-thinking person like Jiang Weilu couldn’t guarantee being inseparable from the mirror every second.

Then, the accident happened. Just as she turned slightly to wash her hair, a figure slipped in quietly. Stealthy and quick, a hand reached out, snatched the small mirror from the sink, and vanished.

Half an hour later, Jiang Weilu emerged from the shower. She grabbed a towel and dried herself haphazardly, not even stopping to dress before checking on her mirror.

However, she didn’t see her most precious treasure. The world fell silent; for a moment, she felt as though she had forgotten how to breathe. Her body reacted faster than her brain she rushed to the sink where she usually kept it, searching frantically.

Nothing. She looked at the floor with a sliver of hope.

Nothing! It wasn’t in her clothes. It wasn’t in the crevices of the wall.

The world before her eyes blurred and shifted. Jiang Weilu’s legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed to the floor.

Her mirror… was gone!