Chapter 10: A Reflection in a Broken Mirror
The sound of his name, spoken in that specific, melodic tone he hadn't heard in years, seemed to freeze the very air around Li Wei. For a single, disorienting second, the polished marble floors of the luxury mall seemed to shift, transforming back into the sun-drenched, dusty pathways of his university campus. The hum of affluent shoppers faded, replaced by the memory of buzzing cicadas and distant laughter.
He saw her not as a beautifully dressed woman standing under the glow of a jewelry store, but as the girl with the warm smile who always sat in the third row of the lecture hall, the one whose mere presence could make his carefully constructed code of confidence crumble into shy, stuttering awkwardness.
The moment passed as quickly as it came. The System's interface, a constant, calming presence in his periphery, seemed to pulse gently, reasserting the reality of his new existence. The phantom memories dissolved. He was not that boy anymore. He was the Host.
He turned fully to face her, and the smile that touched his lips was not the nervous, eager grin of his youth. It was something cooler, more composed, edged with a faint, unreadable amusement.
"Su Lin," he said, her name a statement, not a question. He didn't stutter. His voice was even, a calm baritone that carried effortlessly over the mall's murmur. "It's been a long time."
Su Lin's smile widened, though a flicker of surprise danced in her warm brown eyes. The Li Wei she remembered would have blushed, looked at his shoes, and mumbled a greeting. This man held her gaze with an unnerving steadiness.
"It really has!" she said, taking a few steps closer. She gave him a playful, assessing look. "Li Wei, you look... different. I almost didn't recognize you. City life agrees with you, I see." Her gaze briefly flicked over his simple but exquisitely tailored clothes, instinctively recognizing quality far beyond the budget of the student she knew.
"Does it?" he replied, the faint, amused smile still playing on his lips. "I suppose a few years can sand down the rough edges. You look exactly the same." It was a lie, a polite one. She was more beautiful, her youthful prettiness refined into a poised elegance.
She laughed, a light, genuine sound. "A flatterer now, too? The Li Wei I knew would have tripped over his own tongue trying to give a compliment."
"He was a foolish boy," Li Wei said, his tone light but his meaning absolute. He was casually dismissing his old self, the one who had loved her from afar. "More interested in lines of code than social graces. I hope time has been kind to you, Su Lin. What brings you to this temple of consumerism?"
The easy, almost teasing banter continued for a few minutes. She talked about her work as a curator at a private art gallery, he asked polite, insightful questions that demonstrated a worldliness the old Li Wei could never have possessed. He deflected her own curious questions about his work with vague, charming answers about "international investments" and "portfolio management." He cracked a dry, witty joke about the absurdity of a jade bracelet's price tag that made her laugh again, but the whole time, she watched him with a growing, bewildered curiosity. The man before her was a ghost wearing Li Wei's face—familiar yet utterly, fundamentally alien. The shy cat was gone, replaced by a sleek, powerful panther pretending to be domestic.
Seeing an opening, Li Wei gestured with his chin towards the men's boutique he had been heading towards. "I was about to wage war on my decidedly dull wardrobe. Would you care to join me? I could use a second opinion that isn't from a salesperson on commission."
The invitation was delivered with a casual confidence that brooked no argument. For a moment, Su Lin looked genuinely tempted, her eyes lighting up. "I'd actually love to—"
Her words were cut off by the precise chime of her phone. She pulled it from her purse with an apologetic wince. "I'm so sorry, one second." Her smile faded as she looked at the screen, replaced by a professional frown. "Hello? Yes, Director Wang, I'm here... What? Now? But the exhibition isn't until..." She listened, her shoulders slumping slightly. "...I understand. Yes, I'm on my way."
She ended the call and looked back at Li Wei, genuine regret on her face. "I am so sorry. That was my boss. An urgent donor crisis. A piece we were counting on for the new exhibition just fell through, and there's a panic. I have to go right now."
"The perils of the art world," Li Wei said, his expression one of mild, understanding sympathy. There was no trace of the crushing disappointment the old Li Wei would have felt. "Don't apologize. Duty calls."
"It really was good to see you, Li Wei," she said, her tone sincere. "You're... well, you're full of surprises."
"Likewise, Su Lin." He pulled out his phone—a sleek, black, custom device that looked more like a security tool than a consumer product. "Let's not leave it another five years. Your number?"
She recited it, and he input it with a few swift taps. A moment later, her phone chimed with a text from an unknown number. It simply read: Li Wei.
"Now you have mine," he said.
With a final, slightly flustered but warm smile, she turned and hurried towards the mall's exit, quickly disappearing into the flow of people.
The moment she was gone, the air around Li Wei seemed to cool by several degrees. The faint, charming smile vanished from his face, replaced by his default expression of impassive calm. From the shadow of a massive decorative pillar near a high-end tea shop, Kai materialized. He hadn't been there a moment before, and now he simply was, falling into his designated place a step behind and to the left.
His dark eyes scanned the area where Su Lin had departed, then returned to Li Wei's back. He offered no comment, asked no questions. His job was vigilance, not conversation.
"Let's go," Li Wei said, his voice once again the flat, commanding tone Kai was familiar with. The encounter was already filed away, a brief, interesting data point from a previous life, nothing more.
They continued to the minimalist men's boutique. The shopping was a swift, efficient affair. Li Wei had no patience for browsing. He pointed to a selection of trousers, sweaters, and dress shirts in neutral tones. "These. In my size." He didn't ask the price.
Then, he turned to Kai. "You need clothes that don't scream 'underworld enforcer.' Pick something functional. Dark colors. Nothing restrictive."
Kai didn't argue or show surprise. He gave a curt nod and selected two pairs of tailored black tactical trousers and several simple, long-sleeved black and grey shirts from the more utilitarian section of the store. The total was more than he would have earned from a dozen "jobs" in Kowloon.
At the counter, the manager began to ring up the staggering total with a deferential smile. Li Wei didn't reach for a wallet. He pulled a single, matte black card from his pocket. It was devoid of numbers, logos, or a name. It was the card linked to the 10 billion RMB liquid share portfolio the System had granted him—pure, unrestricted liquidity.
He tapped it on the reader. The system processed the exorbitant amount instantly, without even a prompt for a PIN. The manager's eyes widened almost imperceptibly before his professional mask slammed back down. He handed over the bags with a deep bow. "Thank you for your business, sir. A pleasure."
Their next stop was a luxury watchmaker, followed by a bespoke shoe store. The process was the same: decisive selection, the black card, silent, efficient payment. Kai remained a silent shadow, his eyes constantly moving, categorizing everyone who entered their vicinity. He accepted the expensive items given to him without a word, his expression unchanging.
Arms laden with the weight of his new, impossibly expensive reality, Li Wei finally nodded. "That's enough."
They walked out of the mall, the automatic doors swishing closed behind them, leaving the world of soft lights and quiet money for the energetic chaos of the Shanghai night. The valet, seeing them approach, practically sprinted to retrieve the Valkyrie.
As the low, powerful hum of the engine filled the air, Li Wei slid into the passenger seat, placing the bags at his feet. Kai took the driver's seat, his hands resting on the steering wheel.
Kai pulled the hypercar out into the river of glowing taillights, leaving the glittering mall behind.