Transmigrating Behind the Mirror to Become Her Guardian Lady - Chapter 5

An hour ago, Shu Mengli and Jiang Weilu were still trapped in the freezing storage room.

However, after a brief exchange, Shu Mengli had gained a basic understanding of Jiang Weilu’s family. She was simultaneously shocked by the extraordinary prominence of the Jiang household.

The Jiang family had a long heritage, having risen to power generations ago. Their current status as a true blue-blooded elite was unquestionable; in the entire capital, only the Li family could stand as their equal.

While there were many branch families, Jiang Weilu belonged to the main house. Her father, Jiang Ming, was the youngest of the current family head’s three sons.

Logically, someone of Jiang Weilu’s noble standing should not be living like this. However, Jiang Ming was a man who cared only for his career and held little regard for his family. Since Jiang Weilu’s mother died of complications during childbirth, he rarely returned home.

It wasn’t until a year later, when he remarried Liu Yi who gave birth to Jiang Yuxi a year after that that Jiang Ming began returning home on a fixed schedule of once a month.

It was ironic; rather than a home, this place felt more like a hotel to Jiang Ming.

But this gave the stepmother many opportunities. On the surface, she was always amiable and gentle to everyone, but beneath this facade hid the heart of a viper. Taking advantage of the fact that the girl’s mother was dead and her father was absent, she bullied Jiang Weilu relentlessly—slandering her, framing her, and throwing bucket after bucket of “dirty water” on the girl to consolidate the status of herself and her own daughter.

She had successfully made the neglectful Jiang Ming believe that Jiang Weilu was an envious, gloomy, and incompetent girl with a track record of misconduct.

Sitting in front of the water curtain, Shu Mengli quietly listened to Jiang Weilu’s narration of her past. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that she was twenty-eight this year and that getting angry was bad for her skin.

No wonder, she thought. She had initially taken Jiang Weilu for a seven or eight-year-old, but the girl was actually ten. One could only imagine the kind of life the child had been living.

At that moment, Shu Mengli’s heartache for Jiang Weilu reached its peak. She pounded her chest at the water curtain and declared, “Leave it to Sister!”

Thus, “Shu Mengli’s Little Classroom” began. In that storage room, she gave Jiang Weilu the first lesson of her life.

“In this world, you cannot simply keep retreating; otherwise, people will only think you’re easy to bully.”

“However, compared to your stepmother right now, your disadvantage is too obvious. In that case, let’s keep our cards face down. She is in the light, while you are in the shadows. We’ll strike her when she least expects it!”

In short: We’re going to play dirty!

This lesson proved incredibly beneficial to Jiang Weilu. From then on, this became her favorite method: a honeyed tongue but a sword in her heart, a deep-seated schemer who hid behind the scenes, smiling as she watched others rise and fall.

As her future best friend would put it: This girl is truly full of “bad water”!

But clearly, at this time, the Jiang Weilu who had just met Shu Mengli was still young and needed a sister’s protection.

Sitting on the floor of the cold storage room listening to the lecture, her mind was wandering. She cupped the mirror, staring at the beautiful, otherworldly sister inside. As the lady spoke excitedly, her snow-white little feet swung back and forth. Jiang Weilu became increasingly certain: She’s an elf!

Otherwise, how could she be so cute?

Inside the mirror, Shu Mengli’s throat was dry from talking so much. When she finished, she realized the child was staring at her in a daze. She instinctively looked down at herself.

A simple, convenient camisole nightgown was draped loosely over her body, outlining her full, shapely chest and slender waist. Further down were her long, straight, snow-white legs and bare, cute little feet.

“Ahem.”

Shu Mengli awkwardly pulled the collar of her nightgown upward.

I hope I haven’t corrupted the child.

Fortunately, it was a child who had found her; if it were anyone else, they might have mistaken her for some kind of female demon.

She looked up at Jiang Weilu, who was still dazing behind the water curtain, and couldn’t help but study her closely.

In truth, the child was exceptionally beautiful. Though she was far too thin, her bone structure was superior and her features were delicate. Her eyes, in particular, were stunning. Shu Mengli had seen countless people in her years as a fashion editor, but she had never seen more beautiful eyes.

They were large peach-blossom eyes with pupils darker than the average person’s, making them look incredibly deep and enchanting. When she looked down, her long lashes curled like feathered fans, fluttering movingly. Such eyes on her face made Jiang Weilu look like an exquisite porcelain doll. It was obvious she would grow up to be a peerless beauty.

Unfortunately, the child was too thin now, looking as though a gust of wind could blow her away.

I must make sure she eats properly, Shu Mengli thought, looking at the “porcelain doll” who was still spacing out.

She smiled helplessly. Now was not the time for daydreaming; they still had to escape the storage room.

Yet, in a show of indulgence, Shu Mengli said nothing. She simply raised her hand and tapped her finger against the water curtain.

A soft tink sounded on the surface of the small mirror in Jiang Weilu’s hand. Startled, the girl snapped back to reality. Realizing she had been staring at the “elf” in the mirror for a long time, the tips of her ears turned red with embarrassment. She lowered her eyes, not daring to look at Shu Mengli.

Shu Mengli smiled gently at the girl’s “quail-like” behavior. “Now that the theory is finished, let’s start the practical. First, find a piece of wire in the room, and then—”

Shu Mengli’s eyes curved into crescent moons within the mirror space. “And then, Sister will teach you a new skill: lock-picking.”

After saying it, she couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. This… shouldn’t count as corrupting a child, right?

In truth, while Comrade Shu Mengli was now an elegant and gentle workplace elite, she had been quite the troublemaker as a child. She had done all sorts of “bad deeds,” and there wasn’t a lock in the alleys she hadn’t poked at. Back then, she was cheerful, lively, and carefree—until that incident happened, causing her to gradually grow into the mature and powerful woman she was today.

Thinking of the past, Shu Mengli shook her head with a smile. Forget it, it’s all in the past.

On the other side, Jiang Weilu was extremely clever. While Shu Mengli was lost in thought, the girl had already used the wire to pick the lock exactly as taught.

Click.

The light from the hallway spilled through the opening crack of the door.

“Wow!”

Jiang Weilu let out an instinctive gasp of wonder, but immediately covered her mouth. The excitement in her eyes, however, could not be hidden. Even though her years in the Jiang family had been miserable, she was still a child of a noble house who had received a high-class education; doing something so “rebellious” for the first time felt thrilling and adventurous.

But opportunity waits for no one. Prompted by Shu Mengli, Jiang Weilu snapped out of it and slipped out of the storage room.

Once the “new map” was opened, things became much simpler.

Under Shu Mengli’s guidance, Jiang Weilu found the contact information for reporters in a newspaper. Then, she went to the servants’ quarters and found the lying maid’s phone in her locker.

Jiang Weilu’s eyes flickered with admiration. She was completely won over by Shu Mengli. Whether it was the contact info in the newspaper or the fact that the maid actually had a phone in her locker, her sister had calculated everything perfectly.

Shu Mengli chuckled. In truth, it was simple.

Based on her deduction, even if Jiang Weilu’s world was a parallel one, it wouldn’t deviate too far from her own. Eighteen years ago was the height of print media; it was normal for newspapers to have hotline numbers. (Note 1)

As for the phone, based on her analysis of the opening scene, the lying maid was a sycophantic and vain person. Someone like that, who teamed up with Liu Yi to frame Jiang Weilu, would surely have received benefits. What would a vain maid do with such benefits? Shu Mengli guessed she would buy the most boastful item of that era to satisfy her vanity. (Note 2)

Of course, if she had been wrong, she had other ways to shift the blame. Fortunately, her guess was correct.

Looking at the phone in the locker through the water curtain, Shu Mengli let out a cold snort. “Lulu, use her phone to call the reporters.”

The sudden instruction made Jiang Weilu hesitate. “Ah?”

But soon, the beautiful sister’s voice came from the mirror, as soft and warm as jade. She said:

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’ll do the talking.”

Jiang Weilu’s heart jolted. Her pupils flickered, and she nearly lost her grip on the mirror. Something in her chest was vibrating violently, growing so intense that she could hardly stand. Finally, the intensity broke through; a multi-colored butterfly seemed to flutter out from her chest, dancing in the air. Suddenly, the whole world looked different.

This was the first time in her life. The first time anyone had said to her: Don’t be afraid. I’m here.

It was as if she had been walking alone on a dark road since birth. She had wanted to give up; she had become numb. But then, one day, a beam of light shone in, took her hand, embraced her, and led her toward the brightness.

It told her: Don’t be afraid. You still have me.

Suddenly, she had hope, someone to lean on, and the courage to keep going. From that moment on, she could never let go of that light.

If you have once embraced warmth, how can you ever endure the darkness again?

Shu Mengli, however, was unaware of Jiang Weilu’s psychological shift. At that time, she was delighted that a rival of Jiang Ming’s actually dared to listen to her “scoop,” and she was wickedly feeding them exaggerated information.

The call lasted until both parties were satisfied. Afterward, Shu Mengli urged Jiang Weilu to hurry back. She was nervous the whole way and didn’t notice that the child holding her was even more silent than usual.

Soon, the pair returned to the storage room to wait for the show to begin. Then Liu Yi burst in, Jiang Weilu exposed her according to plan, the necklace was found in her pocket, and the prey fell into the trap.

Recalling what had just happened, Shu Mengli gave a soft, smiling reminder.

“However, from now on, Lulu must learn to protect herself. After all, it’s inconvenient for me to be inside the mirror; I might not be able to help you in time every time.”

Shu Mengli knew that this single blow wouldn’t make Liu Yi back down. Someone who “overturned their ship” for the first time would only be consumed by rage. While they had successfully shifted the blame, a furious Liu Yi might very well come to test Jiang Weilu.

But it didn’t matter. Shu Mengli sneered. With her around, she wouldn’t let the child be bullied. She wanted to see who was truly more capable.

Behind the water curtain, Jiang Weilu nodded obediently at her sister’s words. “Don’t worry, Sister. I will learn well. In the future, I’ll be the one to protect you!”

After speaking, Jiang Weilu’s voice trailed off. She seemed to be hesitating, unsure of how to speak. After a long while, the matter in her heart won out, and she asked timidly:

“Then… then can I be with Sister tomorrow as well?”

Since Sister won’t promise “forever,” then “tomorrow” should be okay, right? Though she greedily wanted many more tomorrows.

The child’s face on the water curtain was filled with a mix of plea and fear. Her large, watery eyes gazed expectantly, like a kitten wanting to be petted but not daring to move. It instantly melted Shu Mengli’s heart.

To refuse now would be too cruel!

A brilliant smile lit up Shu Mengli’s lips, her eyes full of indulgence. She answered almost without hesitation: “Okay!”

Her voice, as crisp as shattered jade, rang out both inside and outside the mirror.

But then, something unexpected happened.

The moment the word left her lips, Shu Mengli felt the world around her go silent. There was no sound at all—she couldn’t even hear her own breathing. This happened so suddenly that it took her two seconds to realize: it wasn’t that there was no sound, but that she could no longer hear.

She watched as Jiang Weilu’s expression shifted from joy to bewilderment, then to urgency, and finally to panic. The girl seemed to be shouting something at her, her voice appearing to be very loud.

But Shu Mengli couldn’t hear her.

Slowly, even the scene before her eyes began to fade. The water curtain was receding at high speed. It felt as though she were on a chaotic time machine, being pulled away from the curtain and into the darkness.

Her mind felt as if it were being stirred; in an instant, everything became fragmented. Her consciousness fell into chaos. Finally, an irresistible pulling force hit her. Shu Mengli felt she was finally released, and her consciousness plunged into total darkness.

Outside the Mirror.

When Jiang Weilu heard her sister smilingly agree to her request, her large eyes lit up instantly. She stared at the mirror in her hand; if she were a golden retriever, her tail would be wagging to the sky.

However, at the height of her happiness, the unthinkable occurred.

Jiang Weilu saw that the sister who had been smiling and talking to her just a second ago was gradually fading away. A terrible premonition gripped her, and a wave of indescribable panic rose in her heart. She hurriedly reached out and began rubbing the mirror surface vigorously—just as she had done in the storage room to “wipe out” Shu Mengli—as if this could make the figure vivid again.

But it was completely useless.

The shadow of Shu Mengli sitting cross-legged grew fainter and fainter with every wipe. Jiang Weilu was utterly distraught, tears ready to fall. She hadn’t been this panicked even when she was bullied most by her stepmother. She called out desperately to the person in the mirror:

“Sister! Sister, what’s wrong?”

There was no response.

Under Jiang Weilu’s panicked gaze, Shu Mengli’s figure cruelly faded away—like a pencil sketch being erased—until it vanished. There was no longer a beautiful, otherworldly sister in the mirror, and there was no longer an echo.

The beautiful small round mirror became ordinary, reflecting only Jiang Weilu’s tear-stained face.

Plop.

A tear fell onto the mirror, blooming into a crystal water flower. In the next instant, it was brushed away by a fingertip.

The person in the mirror was gone, but Jiang Weilu continued to wipe the glass. Her movements were mechanical. She wiped, and wiped, and wiped…