019 Live Once More

In the following days, Su Ziceng always arrived early at "Admiration", but no matter what time she got there, Sister Mu was always sitting at the tea table outside, watching her walk in. It felt like walking a night road, where you'd always discover a cat squatting on the wall, never knowing if you startled it or it startled you.

The initial feeling of being oppressed by Zimu became less and less obvious, Su Ziceng began to try, like that day, to observe every detail of the customers.

Gradually, she understood that Sister Mu's slightly delayed standing up was because her cat-like eyes were observing the customers' preferences. Decisive customers would naturally look at the clothes they thought suited them, and at that moment, Sister Mu would quote a higher price for those clothes, letting the customers indulge in their own good taste as they happily paid the bill.

Su Ziceng had thought that these were Sister Mu's favorite kind of customers, until one day, when she encountered such a customer, she realized that "Admiration" wasn't selling clothes, nor beverages.

That female customer entered the door more cautiously than anyone else, seemingly using all her strength to step into "Admiration". It was obviously a transparent glass door, but few could truly see the scene inside "Admiration".

The woman's body was clad in a men's sweatshirt, washed so much it had turned white. The oversized clothing made her figure look somewhat hunched. Her hair was dirty and messy; the only embellishment on her face were those few strands of black hair hanging down, and her eyes, hidden behind, trembled like fragile glass balls. Sister Mu gestured to Su Ziceng not to talk much, but just handed her a glass of wine.

A glass of wine redder than rouge, under which the female customer calmed down, Su Ziceng peered through the woman's hair and saw her swollen face, originally delicate, bloated like a spoiled, fermenting bun.

Zimu took the woman to the back room, and when she came out, the frightened woman had transformed. Zimu chose a long trailing dress for her, pinned her hair up high, and everyone's gaze fell on her flawless neck. Her face was lightly dusted with powder and blush, and though the swelling was still there, it wasn't very noticeable anymore. The panic and despair the woman had when she arrived had vanished.

The fitting mirror in "Admiration" was unlike any other, made of three floor-length mirrors arranged to allow viewing from the front, left, and right. In the triple mirror, three women simultaneously saw the transformed female customer, and even the eyes of Su Ziceng lit up with admiration.

This was a woman planning to escape from the Sixth District; she had lived humbly for over twenty years, and after enduring an abusive man, her tears had dried up, and she needed no irrelevant consolation. What she needed was to regain her self-esteem and the courage to leave the Sixth District.

When the female customer left, she only said "Thank you," nobody spoke of money; at that moment, Su Ziceng saw genuine joy flashing in Sister Mu's eyes, her happiness was richer than a drink from any ten-year-old bottle in the store.

"Her..." Su Ziceng watched the departing female customer and the more vibrant-looking Sister Mu, an unbidden ripple stirring in her heart.

"Do you wonder why I chose to open a women's boutique on this street near the Sixth District?" Sister Mu was unusually not drinking; she let Su Ziceng brew a cup of tea, the thick amber color spread leaf by leaf in the water, dancing lively at the bottom of the cup.

Outside the window, several thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girls stopped, chattering in front of the dresses displayed in the window. Their eyes carried disappointment, but more than that, hope; looking at the colorful and splendid clothes in "Admiration" had become a daily routine for many girls from Zone 5 and the Sixth District.

"I am not even as fortunate as those girls. At least they have tomorrow and hope," Sister Mu said a lot more today than usual, not drinking. It was as if the strong tea, detoxing her from alcohol, also stirred up many thoughts of hers.

"The purpose of opening 'Admiration' is to let every girl feel like a princess for once, whether in reality or in their imagination. So I painstakingly mix and match clothes and arrange the display windows, these have become the only things I can do every day. I have always strived to let ordinary people enjoy the elegance of the wealthy, even if just once in their lives."

As she spoke, Sister Mu twisted the teacup in her hands and after turning the handle towards Su Ziceng, asked, "The story of 'Admiration' is over, what about you, do you have something special you want to do?"

"The only thing I want to do now," Su Ziceng steadied the cup, "is to live again properly."

Sister Mu listened and smiled, finding it a strange thought. Everyone only lives once, where does the 'again' come from. "It turns out you are just like Yan Wuxu, dissatisfied with the current life. Perhaps, you should, like her, try to get a recommendation spot at Kelly Women's College." In Mo City, the only thing that could change the fates of these young girls was Kelly Women's College. Though one can't change their birth, besides getting married, education is another path that can change a person.

"A recommendation for Kelly Women's College? Sister Mu, do you have a way?" Su Ziceng knew very well, whether it was her leaving home or her brief attempt at self-reliance, it was just a "capricious adulthood gift" before her eighteenth birthday; she couldn't possibly be a sales clerk at "Admiration" for life. the Su family and Hang Yishao were the emotional ties she couldn't let go of.

Sister Mu did not immediately deny, but still shook her head. Indeed, with Su Ziceng's current age, she shouldn't waste her academic potential in her store. This girl had many praiseworthy aspects, but she also had many shortcomings, all of which could hinder her progress.

Kelly Women's College would be an excellent training ground, capable of sculpting each woman's brilliance into something more attractive. However, the threshold to enter this training ground was also not low.

"I am powerless, but you should have heard about the recommendation methods at Kelly Women's College?" Sister Mu sipped her tea and spoke profoundly.

"School recommendation or by alumni recommendation! Neither of these routes work," Su Ziceng saw that Sister Mu had no solution, she thought, perhaps she had to go back and ask Su Qingzhang.

"You missed one method, there is another way, through a recommended person," Sister Mu's words gave Su Ziceng a bit more hope.

"A recommended person?" Su Ziceng repeated.

"Speaking of which," Sister Mu grinned and turned to the shop door, the man who bought a "vase" the other day came again, "I forgot to introduce you, this is Pello, a lecturer from Kelly Women's College."

Su Ziceng had not expected that this man, who appeared to be in his twenties, was already a lecturer at "Kelly Women's College". In her impression, the teachers at school should at least be middle-aged men with half-white hair like Secretary Wang.

"Sister Mu, you put me in a difficult position again," Pello smiled wryly, the other day, Zimu specifically let slip to the former sales assistant, that is the girl named Yan Wuxu, who took a recommendation spot from him, and now there was another, he was somewhat overwhelmed.

"Can you really help me get a recommendation spot at Kelly Women's College," Su Ziceng seized the opportunity, pressing on.

"Is your reason for entering Kelly the same as that female student?" Seeing Su Ziceng's anxious face, Pello, a kind person, never refused others' requests. Although he knew that Su Ziceng's thoughts couldn't possibly be the same as Yan Wuxu's, he was still a bit curious.

If her thoughts are really the same as Yan Wuxu's, then this young girl is only meant to be a peaceful miss in a wealthy household. But she has a pair of unique eyes, looking very clear yet seeming to harbor many emotions.

He spoke of the same thoughts, probably meaning an eagerness to study, Yan Wuxu being a teenage girl, what other thoughts could she have, Su Ziceng quickly nodded her head.

Pello's gaze cooled down, this was the Su Ziceng? The one his mother had talked about since his childhood? "Sorry, I can't help you."