Chapter 16: The Woman in Black

"Admiration" lit its lights earlier than any shop in Zone 5. At just about four or five o’clock, before the sun completely set and twilight descended, the shop’s lights would start to flicker on, one by one. When Su Ziceng pushed open the heavy glass door and stepped inside, the wall lamp near the entrance sensed movement and turned on. The shop’s ceiling was made of pieced-together crystal fragments, and once the lights were on, the entire place sparkled. The shadows of people were cut into pieces and then reassembled. Walking through the light’s reflections, figures swayed, whether plump women or slender girls; all became graceful silhouettes upon entering the shop. Even Su Ziceng, upon entering, felt a dreamy disorientation. The shop seemed unaffected by the recent clamor, and the low, soft vinyl records sounded smooth like hot cocoa, making it hard for one to resist being drawn into the ambiance. Silk shirts, sequin dresses, feather hats, fur shawls—this was a timeless shop, forever unfashionable. Whether eighteen-year-old Su Ziceng or thirty-five-year-old Su Ziceng, one could always find the right clothes in this shop called "Admiration." Besides clothes, the shop had a rack lined with a wall of liquor, varying in colors and bottle shapes. Under the lighting, they displayed hues of amber, ranging from light to dark. "Hello?" Su Ziceng had never seen such a shop. Every arrangement reflected the shop owner’s unique taste. She wanted to meet the owner and understand what exactly had transpired here. With the scent of coffee, Su Ziceng turned her head and noticed a coffee table near the window, with a coffee machine grinding away, accompanied by its "whirring" sound. A woman sitting nearby nodded towards her, signaling Su Ziceng to come over and sit. Su Ziceng had never seen such a woman. The only color on her was black—black hair, black cheongsam, and black stockings; even the liquid she was drinking was black. The woman’s only adornments were the shop’s lights. Under the lighting, her black eyes and black hair glimmered. Her black cheongsam outlined enticing curves, and the black stockings tightly wrapped around her strong calves. The only thing not black was the liquid in her hand? It was wine. When the woman spoke, her voice rasped. She was a woman who indulged in smoking and drinking. As Su Ziceng approached, she could see fine lines on her pale skin and yellowed fingertips from habitual smoking. Without wearing perfume, she exuded a scent of wine and tobacco. Answering Su Ziceng’s questioning gaze, the woman licked her drink with the tip of her tongue, "Welcome to Zimu’s Admiration." Zimu was her name, and Admiration was the name of the shop. This woman named Zimu answered Su Ziceng’s most pressing questions. "Welcome, but I currently do not need staff." Zimu’s lips, soaked in black liquor for years, had little color. Her eyes were beautiful, like cat’s-eye stones, capable of understanding the thoughts of every customer or applicant who walked in. "I..." Su Ziceng felt seen through and was somewhat unwilling. Though the previous shops all rejected her, at least they had given her a chance by asking questions. In this shop named "Admiration," she didn’t even get an opportunity to speak. "In the past three years, I have hired ten sales assistants; none lasted more than three months. The previous one was the woman you met on the street; I was quite satisfied with her." Zimu paused, savoring the wine. "I don’t know her?" Su Ziceng was anxious, suspecting she was mistaken for the accomplice of the girl who had stolen clothes. "Of course you don’t know her. Yan Wuxu tried hard to meet prominent figures from Zone 2 but never got the chance. She came here wanting to know some upper-class people, but each person who visited Admiration only had eyes for the clothes, not the people." Zimu didn’t ask for Su Ziceng’s name but precisely identified her background. "I no longer live in Zone 2," Su Ziceng spoke carelessly, feeling all concealments were futile under Zimu’s gaze. "And how do you know I’m here for a job and not..." She looked at her own clothes; she hadn’t intended to run away when she left home, so she wore simple home attire and basic flats. "Your eyes have no clothes, only curiosity," Zimu finished her drink, "just like Yan Wuxu back then." "We’re different," Su Ziceng thought about the girl earlier, hesitating whether to expose her. But the girl named Yan Wuxu had been gone for a while already, and Zimu didn’t seem to want to pursue the matter. Either she couldn’t spare time to chase or didn’t care to investigate. Su Ziceng gave up the idea and quickly glanced around the shop. "We’re different; I can name all the wines in your cabinet and the brands of clothes you have here; she can’t." Zimu said Su Ziceng’s eyes lacked clothes; Su Ziceng claimed Zimu’s eyes lacked everything. In Zimu’s eyes, there was only wine. As Zimu’s hand swirled the wine, her gaze would change with the wine’s color. "Unfortunately, I don’t sell wine." Zimu’s cat eyes shimmered but indeed showed some interest from Su Ziceng’s remark, "nor do I sell clothes." Su Ziceng was even more confused after hearing this. Not selling wine she could understand, but why not sell clothes? Admiration was clearly a high-end clothing store. "Do you know why I didn’t go out and chase Yan Wuxu?" Zimu stood up; she was very tall, a half head taller than Su Ziceng’s 165 cm height. She didn’t walk, just stood there, exposing her other leg—no black stocking, just a shiny steel prosthetic. "It’s not because of this either." She took a few steps. Her gait was steady, almost indistinguishable from having a prosthetic leg if not seen clearly. "You may stay. Then you can take away one of Yan Wuxu’s dreams—a piece of jewelry, clothing, or shoes. Or you can love wine like I do." Su Ziceng still wanted to ask, but what did Yan Wuxu take away? Zimu had already grabbed a bottle of wine and an empty glass, placing them in front of her and pouring two full glasses. "Celebrate finding a sales assistant who understands wine. Cheers." Wine slipped down the throat, cold at first, then slowly warming, rising up like boiling water. Su Ziceng mimicked Zimu, tilting her neck to finish the drink. The wine in "Admiration" was as good as the clothes. Savoring the taste, Su Ziceng realized she hadn’t discussed salary. Plus, she had only bought clothes, never sold them.