Titanic: Parallel World

2

Shen Rui couldn't possibly be obedient. She didn't know how Rose would react to Carl with such an expression and tone, but she felt her scalp tingling. A man who had always been dominant, a man who would slap a woman hard, was actually speaking to her in a half-coaxing, half-deceiving tone.

For a moment, Shen Rui thought about her virginity crisis. In her mind, this was definitely the prelude to being pushed down. She tried to shrink into the corner of the bed, blinking her innocent eyes at Carl, while scheming in her heart about how to get through this. It seemed that no one would come to rescue her. The smile on Rose's mother's face as she left was so meaningful. Shen Rui had seen it at least ninety times, if not a hundred. Mothers who sell their daughters in TV dramas all smile like that.

She pulled the blanket over, and one corner happened to be under Carl's weight. Shen Rui didn't let go, and Carl didn't move. The two of them were at a standstill, each holding a corner of the blanket. Finally, Shen Rui lost her strength first. As she turned to jump off the bed, Carl hugged her. He stared at her face in confusion and called her tentatively, "Rose?" Her strange behavior had already made him suspicious.

Shen Rui opened her mouth, her face flushed, but she still couldn't say a word. She was so frustrated that she almost cried. Carl gently stroked her back, again and again. Shen Rui's initially stiff and tense body gradually relaxed. She bit her lip and looked at this strange man. She heard him say awkwardly, "Maybe the Picasso you like will appreciate in value. After we arrive in America, we can buy some more." To make a woman happy, it's nothing more than jewelry and precious stones. He had given Rose a lot, but it was far from making her as happy as the batch of paintings he bought that he saw as garbage.

This made him very unhappy. What women should like are shiny jewels and silk, not books and paintings. Of course, they should understand a little bit about them, but they shouldn't think of themselves as experts. No matter how knowledgeable they are, women's uses are to decorate men and please men in bed. Whether Rose has gone to university or studied philosophy, she is first and foremost a woman.

Carl would not compromise. Just because he liked this woman didn't mean she could embarrass him in public. Esme was just an old fool who didn't understand anything, and this old fool was also very wealthy, with many profitable projects in America. How wonderful it would be if he could establish a good relationship with him on this trip, so that when they arrived in America, he would have another partner.

However, Carl still stuck to his principles. No matter how much he wanted to establish this connection, he didn't let Rose take the lead. She only needed to be a qualified fiancée. But she was like an disobedient kitten, meowing loudly when the owner wanted her to be quiet.

Carl was trying to be nice to her, and Shen Rui was confused. She remembered that in the movie, Carl was always aggressive. When he was fond of Rose, he would coax her like a kitten or a puppy, but when he was unhappy, he could even flip the table. She had to do something, at least to get through tonight. So, Shen Rui smiled at Carl, trying to stretch her facial muscles to make her smile look natural.

Carl breathed a sigh of relief. Rose must have looked strange because she was frightened earlier. He sat up from the bed, walked over to the dressing table, and opened the enamel music box that was placed on the table. The exquisitely crafted music box had a small figure carved from crystal rotating inside. Shen Rui's eyes were drawn to Carl's, and she had always liked these little things. She took a look and then turned back to stare at Carl.

He put his hands in his pants pockets, smiled, and nodded his chin towards the music box on the table, saying, "Little girl's stuff." He had also bought this for Rose. Shen Rui frowned. She seemed to understand this man in front of her a little better. He liked Rose, so he was happy to please her in small details, but he also wanted to maintain his pride or status by saying a few words to save face after pleasing her. Even when pleasing her, he had to find an excuse for himself.

Having experienced it herself, Shen Rui no longer felt that Carl liked Rose as much as he liked an object. She began to understand why he was so awkward. No matter how much he disliked Picasso, he still bought a bunch and gave them to Rose, but then he had to say a few unpleasant words to consolidate his position, so that Rose would understand who was the dominant one in this relationship.

Men like this were the easiest to deal with. You just had to go along with them. Shen Rui was very experienced in this. Her dad was the same way. He listened to everything her mom said at home, but once they were outside, he had to be treated like the boss. Shen Rui adjusted her mindset. She would just treat him like she was serving a boss for two days. After all... she shivered. After all, the ship was going to sink.

Shen Rui had never been in love, but she had seen enough of it in movies, TV shows, and novels. She could always find an effective way to get through these two days. The biggest problem now was that she couldn't speak. Carl wasn't as bad as she had imagined, and he didn't intend to harm her. After Shen Rui felt relieved, her mind started working faster.

She could understand everything Carl said. As soon as Carl spoke, the meaning of the words appeared in her mind.

Carl casually picked up his suit from the chair, slung it over his shoulder, and walked over to Shen Rui. Shen Rui nervously tucked her feet in as Carl leaned in and gently brushed his lips against her cheek: "Sweet dreams." Shen Rui had no choice but to accept the kiss, her eyes tightly shut, her head tilted back slightly, and her face scrunched up. Carl found it both amusing and irritating. She was already his wife, and they had long since consummated their marriage. Was this just a woman's little trick?

Carl was willing to indulge Ruth in this regard. He turned and walked out the door, glancing back at Shen Rui one last time before closing the door with a soft "click." Shen Rui immediately got out of bed and went to the window, clutching the frame as she peered outside. She could see nothing; the sky and sea blended into one, and only the faint light from the window reflected the nearby waves.

A sense of unreality crept into Shen Rui's heart. Could it be that if she just went to sleep, she would wake up back in the movie theater, watching the lives and deaths, joys and sorrows of the characters on the screen as if nothing had happened? All she would need to do was pay for a movie ticket, munch on some chicken, and be an audience member. But now, she had to struggle for survival alongside the people here.

Shen Rui jumped back into bed, wrapping herself in the soft blanket and burying her head in the pillow. Tomorrow, what would she do tomorrow? She tossed and turned in bed like a pancake, eventually curling up and falling asleep. The sound of the waves persisted in her dreams, making her sleep restless. She had a night full of terrifying dreams about shipwrecks.

The next morning, the maid woke Shen Rui: "The master said you are to have breakfast with the Countess and Mr. Ismay this morning."

Shen Rui rubbed her eyes, wanting to bury her face back into the pillow and continue sleeping. This was just a dream, she told herself. If she could just sleep a little longer and open her eyes, she would be back in the movie theater, and the young couple next to her would be making those tsk-tsk sounds again.

This time, there were indeed tsk-tsk sounds, but they came from Mrs. Calvert. She dismissed the maid and pulled Shen Rui out of bed. Shen Rui's heart tightened again. Carl might not be able to tell, but her mother was different. If someone who looked exactly like Shen Rui appeared in front of her mother, she would know the truth without a word. A mother knows her child best.

Mrs. Calvert chattered on, barely sparing a glance at Shen Rui. She scolded her daughter: "Did you push Carl away again yesterday?" she asked in a low voice while tightening Shen Rui's corset. Shen Rui remained silent, taking shallow breaths.

"Don't you realize he's the best match you could ever find? The only son of the steel magnate, with royal blood. Do you think I haven't thought about your future? Do you want to become someone's mistress after our family's reputation is ruined?" Shen Rui's compliance only made Mrs. Calvert talk more, but she eventually remembered the maid who had just left: "What happened last night must not happen again!"

She helped Shen Rui into her dress and pulled her in front of the mirror: "Look at yourself. If it weren't for Carl, would you have this life?" Their entire existence, from head to toe, was maintained by Carl's grace. Shen Rui rolled her eyes inwardly. If it were the original Ruth hearing these words, she would only rebel more, but Shen Rui wouldn't. She felt that all of this had nothing to do with her, or at least not until they were safely off the ship. She could escape in the chaos, just like the original Ruth, change her name, and hide. Shen Rui smiled with satisfaction at the jewels hanging on her body. These could all be sold for money. Thank you, Carl, for your generosity.

Mrs. Calvert felt that her words had taken effect. She couldn't understand her daughter's thoughts at all. In her view, what more could a woman want than to marry a respectable man at this time? Ruth didn't understand that if they continued like this, they would have nothing left. She wasn't mature enough to realize that living in poverty wasn't as simple as she thought. But Mrs. Calvert knew what would happen if they truly fell into poverty.

A woman in that position would lose everything—dignity, pride, and respectability—all trampled underfoot. Yet Ruth still acted like a little girl lost in a beautiful dream, refusing to wake up and face reality. What was wrong with Carl? Even when the Calvert family still had money, Ruth might not have been able to find such a good match.

The Calvert family was desperate to escape their predicament, but they hadn't completely neglected their daughter's future. The candidate Mrs. Calvert had painstakingly found was treated as worthless by Ruth. It was a miracle that Carl still liked her. But Mrs. Calvert wouldn't let Ruth continue to be willful. Such behavior would only lead to ruin. A man's favor doesn't last forever. You have to take advantage of it while he still likes you.

The maid came in, holding a bouquet of yellow roses. Mrs. Calvert plucked one and tucked it into Ruth's hair. She kissed her daughter's cheek: "You are truly beautiful."

Shen Rui was stunned. When she watched the movie, she thought the heroine was beautiful, with a touch of wildness, a vibrant beauty. But now that she had become her, there was an added sense of calmness. Every movement and smile was different from before. Only now did Shen Rui truly accept the fact that she had become Ruth Calvert. She tried to get used to her new appearance in the mirror. Even though it felt unreal, even though it still felt like a dream, she was now indeed Ruth Calvert.