Rui was a career woman working in the bustling office district of the city. Her days were filled with relentless work, and while she was highly regarded professionally, the label of a “successful woman” often felt like a heavy burden. Every night, as she kicked off her shoes and returned to her empty apartment, she couldn’t shake the hollow feeling deep within her heart.
One day, while strolling through the city on her day off, Rui found herself stopping in front of an antique shop window. Inside, an ornate antique mirror caught her eye. Its intricately carved frame exuded an inexplicable allure.
“Why am I so drawn to this?”
Acting on impulse, she bought the mirror and brought it home. However, the moment she looked into it, a strange unease crept over her.
At first, she thought it was just her imagination. But with each glance, the discomfort grew into certainty—something was different.
The “other Rui” reflected in the mirror wasn’t the person she knew.
In the mirror, Rui’s reflection had soft, wavy hair that danced in the breeze, and she wore a casual, flowing dress. She stood in a pastoral landscape, a gentle smile playing on her lips—an image starkly different from Rui’s structured, corporate life.
“Is this the life I could have had if I had made different choices?”
A wave of uneasiness settled in her chest. The person in the mirror seemed to embody the “other possibilities” Rui had long suppressed.
Late at night, in the stillness of her apartment, Rui found herself speaking to the reflection.
“If I had given up my career, would I have been living your life?”
The Rui in the mirror simply smiled. She said nothing, but the smile itself spoke volumes. It seemed to suggest that the life Rui longed for, the one she had once left behind, still existed somewhere deep within her.
From that moment, Rui began to feel a growing sense of doubt. The mirror showed her two realities—one before her eyes, and one within its depths. Torn between them, a question took root in her mind.
“Am I truly happy with this life?”
One evening, Rui made a decision. Standing before the mirror, she spoke aloud, as if addressing both her reflection and herself.
“What is it that I really want? If my career isn’t everything… then what else is there?”
The next morning, Rui took a step she had never considered before. She decided to distance herself from her hectic routine, trying new hobbies and reaching out to old friends she had lost touch with.
Day by day, the Rui in the mirror seemed to change. Eventually, when Rui looked into it, the reflection was indistinguishable from her real self.
“In the end, both lives belong to me.”
Rui whispered with a soft smile. No matter which path she chose, it was still her path—and that realization brought her peace.
The mirror no longer held any mysterious power. It stood quietly in the corner of her room, just another object. Yet, the emotions she had confronted and the silent dialogue with her other self had undeniably lit a new spark within her heart.
