Transmigrating Behind the Mirror to Become Her Guardian Lady - Chapter 27

A summer morning.

May 25, 2020, 6:00 AM.

Shu Mengli woke up on the carpet right on time.

As per her usual routine, she lay there dazed for a moment. Only when the lingering drowsiness gradually faded and she became completely clear-headed did she sit up.

An irrepressible sense of joy welled up in her heart, and a smile spread across her face.

She was truly happy that her visit this time had been able to help Lulu, making her hold more weight in the heart of the Jiang family’s old patriarch, Elder Jiang. After all, in the Jiang family, gaining the favor of this old patriarch was the only true foundation for securing one’s foothold.

However, Shu Mengli also knew that the more brilliant Jiang Weilu became, the more jealousy she would inevitably attract. Thinking of this, she could not help but feel a pang of worry in her heart. After she left, would the child be bullied again?

But the mechanism of her transmigration was not under her own control. No matter how anxious she felt in her heart, she was completely powerless right now.

Fortunately, though, there was still Jiang Ming in the small Jiang estate. As someone who valued Elder Jiang’s opinion so highly, he would never allow any accidents to happen to Lulu.

And the reality was indeed exactly as Shu Mengli thought.

Behind the glamor of a wealthy family, internal schemes were never lacking. These were not things that Shu Mengli, who only appeared once every six months or a year, could completely shield her from or resolve.

Therefore, without Shu Mengli’s knowledge, Jiang Weilu had to deal with quite a few conspiracies coming from her stepmother. Furthermore, she had long ceased to be that little girl Shu Mengli had first found in the utility room—the one who knew nothing but to cry and hope for someone to come save her. To be able to live so prosperously in the Jiang family, Jiang Weilu had long become far from simple.

It was just that there was no way for Shu Mengli to know any of this. She had missed out on too much time in Jiang Weilu’s life, and she no longer understood her little girl quite well enough.

But right now, she had no time to think about all that. Shu Mengli scrambled up from the carpet, preparing to head back to bed for some catch-up sleep. She hadn’t forgotten that in the evening, she still had to attend a banquet with Jiang Xin to meet their future big boss.

8:00 PM.

In front of the Shanghai Grand Hotel.

Luxury cars were driving inside one after another as if they cost nothing, keeping the doormen so busy they could barely keep up with receiving them. People came and went in an endless stream. Men and women dressed in tailored suits and exquisite evening gowns wore practiced, superficial smiles on their faces as they exchanged pleasantries with one another.

At this moment, Shu Mengli was standing inside the banquet hall, leaning there listlessly while looking around idly. Little did she know that while her beautiful eyes drifted around to take in the scenery, she herself had already become the most beautiful scenery in the eyes of others.

Look at her.

For tonight, Shu Mengli had put on the evening gown that Jiang Xin had specially prepared for her: a smoky-purple camisole long dress with a slit reaching all the way up to the root of her thigh. As she walked, the hem of her skirt swayed, revealing slender, well-proportioned long legs that were dazzlingly white.

Looking further up, her slender waist, contoured by the form-fitting gown, was so delicate that it seemed as though a single hand could completely encircle it. Consequently, people’s gazes greedily wandered even further upward, until they were utterly captivated and left speechless by her flawlessly exquisite, fair collarbones and that breathtakingly beautiful face of a dangerous temptress.

Someone licked his lips and, unable to restrain himself, reached up to loosen his tie before attempting to walk over here in hopes of striking up a conversation with the beauty.

Standing next to her, Hao Wei watched the surrounding gazes directed their way, and her face turned completely dark. Shifting her steps slightly, she stood closer to Shu Mengli’s side to block the incoming stares.

To her surprise, Shu Mengli did not appreciate the gesture at all. Taking a wary step backward, she looked at Hao Wei, who had suddenly drawn close. With eyes filled with the vigilance one would show a bad person, her gaze practically screamed: What do you think you’re doing?!

Looking at her gaze, Hao Wei let out a sigh and was just about to explain. Unexpectedly, however, Jiang Xin who had gone to accompany the big shots for drinks the moment they entered the door came stumbling back at this exact moment.

Her arrival unexpectedly interrupted Hao Wei, who was about to speak. In her dazed and dizzy state, Jiang Xin threw her arms around Shu Mengli.

“Blegh! Damn it, I can’t take it anymore! Those dead fat bastards can drink way too much, I’m gonna throw up, blegh!”

Seeing that she was truly heavily intoxicated, Shu Mengli held Jiang Xin out of concern and patted her on the back. “What happened? Didn’t you say you were just going over to say hello? How did you end up drinking so much?”

Jiang Xin leaned against her shoulder, crying and whining, “They’re just a bunch of old perverts! Their eyes light up the moment they see a woman, and they kept force-feeding me alcohol.”

But there was no other choice; they were all partners and big bosses, and she couldn’t afford to offend a single one of them. Fortunately, aside from forcing her to drink, they wouldn’t do anything else. Just wait a little longer just another half a month. Once President Jiang took over Fengxiang, she would take the great beauty Mengmeng straight to the boss and have a good cry in front of her! Perhaps if the boss’s heart softened, she wouldn’t let them go out for these social business entertainments anymore!

Shu Mengli let out a sigh, soothing her gently, “Then what about President Jiang? What time is she coming, and when can this cocktail party finally end?”

Jiang Xin shook her head and lifted herself from Shu Mengli’s shoulder. “How could someone of that status and position ever arrive so early? But we still have to wait. Look around this hall—which one of them isn’t waiting for her?”

“That’s true.” Shu Mengli sighed. How could an important figure’s lateness ever be called lateness? The moment she arrived would be the true opening of the stage.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about that.” Jiang Xin gave a light click of her tongue and shook her slightly dizzy head. “I really can’t drink anymore right now. I need to take a breather first. Which of you two can go take over for me for a bit?”

After saying that, she cast an apologetic look at Shu Mengli. Sorry, even though we clearly agreed not to let you drink, there’s really no other way right now.

Shu Mengli understood her meaning and shook her head, just about to say it was fine. However, right at that moment, Hao Wei, who was standing beside them, spoke up.

“I’ll go.”

The moment she spoke, both Shu Mengli and Jiang Xin were stunned for a moment, and they couldn’t help but turn around to look at her.

Hao Wei still maintained that cold beauty persona of hers, her gaze softening only when she looked at Shu Mengli. “Mengmeng, you stay here and look after the Editor-in-Chief. I’ll go over there to keep them company.”

With that, she turned around and left. Shu Mengli couldn’t even stop her if she wanted to, and could only grit her teeth secretly as she watched her retreating figure.

Standing to the side, Jiang Xin watched the interaction between the two with great interest. “Do you really hate her that much? She clearly cares about you and didn’t want you to drink.”

Shu Mengli bit her red lip lightly, her face torn with inner conflict, yet she had no desire to accept the favor. “It’s not like you don’t know what happened between us before. I would rather drink myself to death right here than accept a single shred of kindness from her.”

“Alright, alright.” Hearing this, Jiang Xin hurriedly reached out and hugged Shu Mengli to comfort her. “Good girl, don’t be angry, don’t be angry. It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t back then…”

However, before she could finish her sentence, Jiang Xin’s gaze accidentally caught sight of someone approaching, and she suddenly froze. Immediately after, her expression changed, and she said through gritted teeth, “Damn it, those dead fat bastards are coming over again!”

Shu Mengli followed her gaze, let out a light click of her tongue, and sighed. In the end, there was no escaping it. Sure enough, it was simply impossible to attend a cocktail party and expect not to drink.

She reached out and patted Jiang Xin on the shoulder. “You rest up. I’ll take this wave.”

An hour and a half later.

Even though Shu Mengli had an excellent tolerance for alcohol, she was beginning to feel a bit light-headed and dizzy. The main protagonist of the cocktail party was long overdue, so everyone gradually began to mingle freely. The people to greet changed round after round, and when encountering those who could drink heavily, it was unavoidable to accompany them for a few rounds.

After all this time, Jiang Xin had also recovered. Looking at Shu Mengli, whose steps were already beginning to falter, how could she bear to let her continue drinking? She reached out and pulled Shu Mengli back.

“Mengmeng, stop drinking. Didn’t you need to head home before twelve o’clock tonight? Why don’t you leave first?”

Oh, right.

Jiang Xin’s words entered her ears and reminded Shu Mengli that she still had to go see Lulu tonight. However, she was still a bit worried about her close friend. “If I leave, what are you going to do?”

Jiang Xin rolled her eyes. “Are you treating me like a child? This isn’t my first time attending a cocktail party. Besides, it’s almost eleven-thirty already. Who knows if President Jiang is even coming anymore? Be good, you head back first.”

“Furthermore! Who doesn’t know how you behave after you get drunk? I’m actually afraid that if President Jiang does show up, you might slap her right in the face!”

“Pfft.”

Shu Mengli was successfully amused by her words, but then she felt quite apologetic. “I’m really sorry.”

Jiang Xin smiled softly and shook her head. “It’s fine. Be good, hurry on back.”

The two of them had been close friends for many years, so Shu Mengli didn’t stand on ceremony with her. After giving Jiang Xin a few brief reminders, she couldn’t hold out any longer and left the hall first.

However, not long after Shu Mengli left the banquet hall, Hao Wei who had gone to substitute for Jiang Xin returned. Her tolerance for alcohol was somewhat better than the two of them. Seeing only Jiang Xin standing there alone upon her return, she frowned. “Where is Mengmeng?”

Jiang Xin glanced sideways at her. “She got drunk, so I told her to go home.”

Hearing this, Hao Wei’s frown deepened. After a long silence, she unexpectedly turned around to leave without saying a single word.

Jiang Xin grabbed her. “Hey, where are you going?”

“Didn’t you say she got drunk? I’m going to take her home.”

“Oh, come off it. As if she needs you to take her. Are you unaware of her attitude toward you? Do you think she would actually let you take her home?”

Hearing this, Hao Wei turned her head back with an expressionless face, showing none of the gentleness she reserved for Shu Mengli when dealing with others. “Then are you comfortable letting her head back all by herself when she’s dead drunk? How about you go take her home instead, and then I won’t go.”

These words struck a painful chord. Jiang Xin still had to wait for President Jiang, so how could she possibly leave? In the end, she gritted her teeth. “I know exactly what kind of intentions you harbor toward Mengmeng, but you are only allowed to send her home, do you hear me?!”

Hao Wei’s expression was rather helpless. “What kind of person do you take me for?”

It didn’t take long to walk from the banquet hall to the outside entrance.

Before long, the slightly hurried Hao Wei spotted Shu Mengli’s retreating figure at the entrance and quickly rushed over to catch up.

By this time, the alcohol had really started rushing to Shu Mengli’s head, but she could still vaguely recognize who the person chasing after her was, and she instantly became annoyed. “Why did you come over here? Aren’t you annoying?!”

Only, because her voice was slurred and mumbled with intoxication, her attempt to snap at someone lacked any intimidating edge whatsoever; instead, it sounded soft, sweet, and adorable.

Hearing this, Hao Wei’s heart softened. Wanting to reach out and support her, she responded in a gentle, pleasant voice, “I was worried it wouldn’t be safe for you to go home alone, so I came to take you—”

“As if I need you to take me?”

Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by Shu Mengli. The intoxicated woman’s gaze was detached. “How many times do I have to tell you? Stop bothering me, alright?”

After delivering those hurtful words, Shu Mengli didn’t even look at Hao Wei’s expression. She reached out to hail a taxi, stepped inside, and drove off.

Behind her, Hao Wei stood frozen in place, watching her departing figure with a desolate expression.

At the exact same moment Shu Mengli left the cocktail party, thousands of miles away in a distant place unknown to her, the driver who had finally managed to repair the car let out a sigh of relief. Getting into the vehicle, he respectfully reported to the person in the back seat, “President Jiang, the car is fixed.”

The moonlight shone in from outside the window, casting a shadow over the face of the person in the back seat. Her features could not be seen clearly, but one could vaguely discern that she was an exquisite, peerless beauty who seemed almost unreal. Yet, this beauty’s face bore no expression whatsoever, her gaze was cold to the absolute extreme, and the powerful aura surrounding her made people somewhat afraid to approach.

After a long pause, her red lips parted slightly. “Let’s go.”

Whether missing each other was destined by fate or not, a missed encounter was still a missed encounter.

As Shu Mengli did her absolute best to break free from tonight’s dragon’s den and tiger’s lair to rush toward the young Jiang Weilu, she had never imagined what she would miss out on.

And back at that distant hotel, at the exact moment the entire hall of people finally welcomed President Jiang who had arrived late due to her car breaking down on the road the heavily intoxicated Shu Mengli had also finally arrived home.

The first thing she did upon entering the house was toss her bag aside and search the entire place for a clock. When she saw the clock pointing to 11:59 PM through her blurry vision, Shu Mengli finally let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, thank goodness she didn’t return late.

It also happened to be a perfect coincidence. Right after Shu Mengli checked the time, ding-dong, the clock inside the room chimed softly as the hands moved to twelve o’clock.

The mysterious and beautiful carved mirror lit up right on schedule, emitting a soft, gentle glow in the quiet night.

High heels stepped onto the floor, making a light clack-clack sound. The beauty dressed in her gorgeous evening gown came before the mirror and extended her hand toward it.

However, Shu Mengli did not know. She had always been the one who failed to keep their agreements; it was so during their first meeting, and it was still the case this time.

Because this time, entering the mirror space did not bring her to the one-year mark she and Jiang Weilu had agreed upon last time. Instead, it was a year and a half later.

Jiang Weilu, who had looked forward to meeting her every single day, had been forced to wait for her for an extra half a year.

And today just so happened to be the night of Jiang Weilu’s thirteenth birthday.

The girl, who had already entered junior high school, was no longer that thin and tiny little girl from before. Under the care of several elder patriarchs, she was currently being raised better and better. Her black long hair fell down to her waist like silk, accentuating her graceful waistline. Her face was no longer gaunt as it was in the beginning, but was perfectly rounded in all the right places. With a high bridge to her nose, full red lips, and a pair of large, dark-eyeballed peach-blossom eyes set into her face, she looked like the most exquisite piece of artwork crafted by the hands of God.

Yet, right now.

The doll-like, beautiful Jiang Weilu was sitting quietly by the edge of her bed, her beautiful peach-blossom eyes completely filled with melancholy as she stared unblinkingly at the small mirror in the palm of her hand.

A year and a half. It had been a whole year and a half since she last saw her sister!

Didn’t they clearly agree to meet after one year? But why had more than half a year already passed beyond the agreed time, yet her sister still hadn’t appeared? Could something have happened to her sister?

Jiang Weilu shook her head vigorously. What am I thinking? Sister will definitely come back! Definitely! She’s just a bit late this time.

But, but today was her birthday.

Jiang Weilu’s eyes grew slightly moist, and her vision of the small mirror became somewhat blurred. Could she, on this day, make a greedy wish and hope that her sister would come back to see her?

What Jiang Weilu did not know, however, was that the sister she was yearning for so deeply had the alcohol rushing to her head at this very moment.

When transmigrating at twelve o’clock, her foot slipped, and she stumbled directly onto the surface of the mirror, crashing into the mirror space. Afterward, unable to brake in time, she dashed forward blindly and plunged headfirst right into the water curtain.

It was just that the intoxicated person had probably forgotten that this transmigration was her sixth one. After recuperating and building up energy from the previous time, Shu Mengli could finally enter Jiang Weilu’s world this time.

Consequently, in the very next instant.

Right in front of Jiang Weilu, who was sitting by the edge of her bed:

Thud!

A human figure materialized out of thin air.

Then, the figure fell at an extremely rapid speed, slamming directly into Jiang Weilu and pinning the young girl down onto the bed.