015 Black Woman

"Admiration" always lights up earlier than any other shop in Zone 5. As soon as it approaches four or five o'clock, before the sun has fully set and dusk is about to fall, lights begin to flicker on throughout the store.

When Su Ziceng pushed open the heavy glass door and stepped into the shop, the wall lamp near the entrance seemed to sense his presence and lit up. The store's ceiling was made of assembled crystal pieces. Once the lights turned on, sparkling fragments scattered across the floor, slicing shadows into strips and then piecing them together again. Walking on these flickering shadows, whether it was a plump woman or a slender young girl entering the shop, they all transformed into the most graceful silhouettes.

Even Su Ziceng felt as if he had entered a dreamy haze upon stepping inside. It felt as though the store hadn't experienced the noise just moments ago, and the soft tunes of a vinyl record played, smooth like hot cocoa, irresistibly enveloping him, making it impossible to extricate oneself.

Silk shirts, sequined long skirts, feathered top hats, fur capes—this was a shop timeless and never out of fashion. Whether Su Ziceng was eighteen or thirty-five, he could always find the right clothing in this store named "Admiration."

Beyond the clothes, there was also a shelf filled with a wall of liquor, varying in colors and bottle shapes, displaying shades of amber under the light.

"Hello?" Su Ziceng had never seen a shop quite like this, each decoration reflecting the shop owner's incomparable taste. He was eager to meet this owner and also to find out what exactly had happened here earlier.

The aroma of coffee caught Su Ziceng's attention as he turned his head and saw a coffee table placed near the window, with a coffee machine on top making a "hissing" sound as it ground away. A woman sat beside it, nodding at him, signaling Su Ziceng to come over and sit down.

Su Ziceng had never encountered such a woman before; her only color was black—black hair, black cheongsam, black stockings, even the liquid she held in her hand was dark. The only ornamentation on the woman came from the lights around the store, under which her black eyes and hair shimmered, her black cheongsam outlining enticing curves, her black stockings tightly encasing her sturdy calves. The one thing that wasn't black? The liquid in her hand was liquor.

The woman's voice was hoarse as she spoke, a woman indulgent in tobacco and alcohol. Drawing nearer, Su Ziceng could see the pale skin of her face lined with delicate wrinkles and the tips of her fingers yellowed by smoking habits. She didn't wear perfume, but she had an aroma of wine and tobacco. In response to Su Ziceng's inquisitive gaze, she moistened her lips with the liquor, "Welcome to Zimu's 'Admiration.'"

Zimu was her name, and Admiration was the name of the shop. This woman named Zimu answered the two questions Su Ziceng was most eager to ask.

"Welcome to our store, but, I'm not in need of staff right now," Zimu's lips, perpetually soaked in dark liquor, lacked any rosiness. Her eyes were beautiful like cat's eyes, able to discern the thoughts of every customer or job applicant that walked in.

"I..." Su Ziceng, feeling his thoughts revealed and slightly aggrieved, recalled that other shops he had approached had at least given him a chance and asked some questions. However, this shop named "Admiration" didn't even allow him the opportunity to speak.

"In the past three years, I've hired ten sales assistants, none lasting more than three months. The last one, the person you just encountered on the street, I was actually quite satisfied with," Zimu paused her drinking, savoring the aroma of the liquor.

"I don't know her?" Su Ziceng became a bit anxious, realizing that she was being mistaken for an accomplice of the woman who stole the clothes.

"Of course you don't know her. Yan Wuxu tried hard to get to know the nobles from Zone 2, but she never had the chance. She came here wanting to meet some high-class people, only to find that everyone who comes to 'Admiration' only has eyes for the clothes, not the people." Zimu didn't ask for Su Ziceng's name but had clearly discerned her identity.

"I don't live in Zone 2 anymore." Su Ziceng spoke carelessly, feeling that all attempts at concealment were futile in Zimu's eyes, "Also, how do you know I came... looking for a job, and not..." She glanced at her clothes, she had not planned on running away when she left home, so she wore a simple set of house clothes and a pair of simple flats.

"Your eyes don't seek clothes, but curiosity," Zimu drained her glass, "just like Yan Wuxu back then."

"We're different," Su Ziceng thought about the girl from earlier, hesitating whether to expose her, but Yan Wuxu had been gone for a while, and Zimu showed no intention of chasing after her. She might have been too busy to chase, or simply uninterested in pursuing the matter further, so Su Ziceng dismissed the thought and quickly looked around the store, "We're different, I can name every wine in your cabinet and every brand of clothes here, she couldn't."

Zimu said Su Ziceng's eyes don't seek clothes, Su Ziceng said her eyes also sought nothing, in Zimu's eyes, there was only alcohol. Whenever Zimu's hand stirred her drink, her gaze would shift just like the color of the alcohol.

"Too bad I'm not selling alcohol here," Zimu's cat-like eyes flickered, but indeed Su Ziceng had sparked some interest in her, "Nor clothes."

After hearing this, Su Ziceng became even more confused. Not selling alcohol she could understand, but saying it's not about selling clothes confused her; 'Admiration' was clearly a high-end ready-to-wear clothing store.

"Do you know why I didn't go outside to chase after Yan Wuxu?" Zimu stood up, she was quite tall, a head taller than Su Ziceng, who was 1.65 meters. She did not move from her spot; her other leg was revealed, bereft of black stockings, just a shiny steel brace.

"It's not because of this," Zimu walked a few steps, her steps were steady. If it wasn't for seeing that prosthetic leg, one wouldn't be able to tell she was wearing one, "You can stay, later you can take away one of her dreams like Yan Wuxu, whether it's jewelry, clothes, shoes, or maybe, like me, you prefer alcohol more."

Su Ziceng still wanted to ask what it was that Yan Wuxu took away, but Zimu had already grabbed a bottle of alcohol and an empty glass, placing them in front of her and filling two glasses, "Cheers to finding a wine-savvy sales consultant."

The liquor cooled her insides first, then slowly turned into boiling water, steaming up. Su Ziceng imitated Zimu, tilting her head back to finish the drink.

The wine at 'Admiration' was as good as the clothes, Su Ziceng reminisced, then remembered she hadn't discussed her salary yet, and that she had only ever bought clothes, never sold them.