Stranger in the mirror, where can I find me?
At six in the morning, I paused before the full-length mirror in the dressing room, my fingers unconsciously running across the surface. The woman in the mirror was wearing a Chanel Pre-Fall ensemble, the pearl necklace around her neck sleek and elegant, even the curve of her hair meticulously refined.
This is Gu Yanshen's favorite look. He said that this kind of dress is worthy of the identity of "Mrs. Gu".
But the eyes in the mirror were so unfamiliar—empty, tired, like two pools of stagnant water. I tried to move the corners of my mouth, and the woman in the mirror gave me a perfect social smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"Very beautiful." Gu Yanshen hugged me from behind, his chin resting lightly on the top of my head, "My little fish is always the most beautiful."
His kiss landed on the side of my neck, and I subconsciously tensed my body.
"What's wrong?" He was keenly aware of my stiffness.
"Nothing." I forced myself to relax. "Just wondering... should I try a different lipstick color today?"
He chuckled, turned around, and took out a pair of diamond earrings from the jewelry cabinet. The moment the cold metal touched my earlobe, I couldn't help but shudder.
"Don't move." His movements were gentle but unyielding. "Tonight's dinner with the Rico Group is very important, you know."
I know. I always know what's important and what's not. What's important is his business, his reputation, and the life he's carefully planned for me.
After seeing him off, I stood alone in front of the entrance mirror. Cloud nuzzled against my ankle, purring coquettishly. I knelt down to pet it, only to see my own distorted reflection in its clear, cat-like eyes.
Nine fifty.
I excused myself to go to property management to sort out a parking card issue and headed for the fire escape. My heartbeat quickened with every step. Was the note in my collar a lifeline, or another trap?
The fire escape was empty, with only the emergency exit sign emitting a faint green light. I leaned against the cold wall, waiting for fate's verdict.
At ten o'clock, footsteps were heard on the stairwell. It wasn't Shen Que.
It’s Zhou Ling.
"Madam." He bowed slightly, "Mr. Gu asked me to pick you up."
My blood instantly ran cold: "What do you mean?"
"Mr. Gu is waiting for you in the car." His expression was calm. "He hopes you can give him a reasonable explanation about this morning's itinerary."
As I followed Zhou Ling toward the underground garage, my mind raced. How did Gu Yanshen know this? Was the note in the collar a test?
A black Rolls-Royce was parked in its designated parking space. With the rear window down, Gu Yanshen, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, was reviewing documents.
"Get in the car, Xiaoyu." He didn't even look up.
In the car, he finally put down the documents and took off his glasses.
"Do you want to know how you were exposed?"
I looked at him in silence.
"Three flaws." He held up his fingers. "First, you deliberately chose flat shoes this morning, as if you were planning on walking a lot. Second, you sprayed on that seldom-used perfume, as if you were meeting someone important. Third..."
He picked up his phone. The screen displayed the monitoring interface of the cloud collar: "At 9:45 this morning, the collar's temperature sensor showed an abnormally high level, indicating that you were nervous."
I closed my eyes. It turned out that my every move was under his surveillance.
"But most importantly," he stroked my cheek, "I understand you, Xiaoyu. Every subtle expression and every subconscious movement of yours tells me what you want to do."
Instead of driving home, the car drove towards a high-end office building I had never been to before.
"I'll take you somewhere," he said, "where you might understand something."
The top-floor office was surprisingly spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the bustling CBD. A woman in a white suit stood up to greet him.
"This is Anya, a behavioral psychologist," Gu Yanshen introduced. "She's also a consultant for our company."
Anya smiled and handed me a document: "Behavior Prediction Model for Highly Sensitive People".
"Mr. Gu commissioned us to develop a system," Anya explained. "Using daily behavioral data, we can predict individual behavioral tendencies and emotional changes."
I flipped through the files, my mind growing more and more horrified. This system recorded everything from my wake-up time to my dietary preferences, my shopping habits to my socializing frequency.
"Last Wednesday at 2:00 PM, your heart rate increased for seventeen minutes." Gu Yanshen pointed to a page of data. "During that time period, you were meeting that person."
He even knew the exact time when Shen Que and I met.
"Now," Gu Yanshen leaned closer to me, "do you still think you can escape from my grasp?"
When I got home, I went straight to the liquor cabinet and poured myself a glass of whiskey. The amber liquid swayed in the glass, just like my wavering heart.
Gu Yanshen followed in and snatched my wine glass.
"You can't stand this?" His eyes were filled with pity. "I didn't want you to know this."
"Why?" My voice cracked. "Why are you monitoring me like this?"
"Because I love you." He answered as if it were a given. "Because I want to protect you. Because you never know how dangerous this world is."
He turned on the TV and saw a local news report about a stalking case. The victim cried, "I never thought he would do this to me..."
"See?" Gu Yanshen turned off the TV. "Even the people closest to you could hurt you. Only I, only I, will protect you at all costs."
That night, I sat alone on the bed in the guest bedroom, unable to fall asleep. In the early hours of the morning, I quietly got up and opened the encrypted document again.
"Today I truly understand that love can be the most sophisticated prison. Surveillance no longer requires cameras; it has become internalized in every breath and every heartbeat of mine."
I paused at this point. If even these words were within his predictions, then what was the point of writing?
Just then, Yuntuan jumped onto the bed and put a small USB flash drive next to me.
I stared at it in shock. There was a note on the USB drive: "Last chance. Tomorrow at 3 pm, usual place. Bring all the information. - Shen"
The collar, the USB drive, and those perfect meeting opportunities... I should have thought of it earlier. Chen Que's appearance was too coincidental.
But this may really be the last chance.
The next day at 2:50 p.m., I stood in the alley behind the cafe, clutching the USB drive containing all the manuscripts.
At three minutes to three, my cell phone rang. It was Mom.
"Xiaoyu!" she cried, "They say you embezzled money from the charity foundation and they want to sue you!"
My phone slipped from my hand and fell to the ground.
At the entrance of the alley, Gu Yanshen walked slowly, holding another identical USB flash drive in his hand.
"Every choice has its price, Xiaoyu." He dropped the USB drive at my feet. "Now, it's time to go home."
When I got home, I found that all electronic devices had been taken away, and Lian Yuntuan's collar had been replaced with a new one.
In the evening, Gu Yanshen personally cooked my favorite dish. He gently picked up food for me and poured wine for me, as if nothing that happened during the day had happened.
"You know," he whispered, "I'd rather you hate me than lose you."
In the mirror, our reflections still match perfectly, but I know that the me I once was is completely dead in that alley this afternoon.
From now on, all that is alive is a delicate shell.
A lost soul that can never find its way home.
I finally lived the perfect life he wanted, but I also finally lost myself.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
