Rose Lock - Chapter 29

Gong Yan paused in her smoking, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Hua Manyi was completely oblivious, her attention fixed on the seductive words from Ian, sounding somewhat doubtful of her own ears, “I- Miss Ian?”

Ian found her even cuter like this, curving her index finger to flick Hua Manyi’s nose bridge, “Yiyi, I currently don’t want to go back just yet. I’ll stay here and keep you company, okay?”

Her uncle would probably come to Sea City again in the second half of the year. If he had his niece here to handle everything for him, her uncle would surely be very supportive.

Hua Manyi looked into Ian’s eyes, the enthusiasm within them made her gaze waver as she vaguely said, “Ian, I’m very happy you can stay.”

“Then can Yiyi be my female companion for tomorrow night’s ball?” Ian asked.

“Let me consider it…” Hua Manyi pondered. She wasn’t scheduled to perform tomorrow night, so going wasn’t out of the question.

“She’s busy tomorrow.” The woman who had been silent for a long time suddenly spoke. Ian looked over and immediately burst into a smile, “Madam Gong, Yiyi doesn’t have a performance tomorrow, why do you say she’s busy?”

Hua Manyi also looked over curiously, and Gong Yan suddenly choked up. Fu Bo suddenly entered from outside and said, “Madam, Miss Jiang Yin called and said she can agree to be your female companion tomorrow night.”

Hua Manyi lowered her gaze.

“How enviable,” Ian genuinely exclaimed, “Madam Gong has already found a female companion, while I, as one of the hosts, am still without one.”

Gong Yan sensed the hidden meaning in her words, “It’s not difficult for Ms. Ian to find a female companion. There are so many high society ladies; surely Ms. Ian knows many. Why bother looking for a companion here?”

“But I just want Yiyi. Why won’t Madam Gong agree?” Ian’s eyes suddenly sharpened, “Besides, if Yiyi were my female companion, it would bring prestige to her, to me, and even to Madam Gong.”

Dancers and high society balls were originally unrelated, but if someone introduced her, it would undoubtedly be a good thing for the dancer, earning her more respect in the eyes of the world, not to mention intangible assets like status.

Gong Yan finally understood the hidden motive of this woman. What a clever tactic to sow discord! The pressure dropped, and her red lips curled into a cold sneer, “She’s unwilling.”

“I’m willing.”

“Yiyi?” Ian was the most surprised, her lips uncontrollably turning up, forming a stark contrast with Gong Yan beside her. Ian happily hugged Hua Manyi, “I knew Yiyi wouldn’t refuse my request.”

With that, she smugly glanced at Gong Yan from the corner of her eye.

“Hua Manyi.” Gong Yan’s red lips pressed into a chill, her cigarette unsmoked.

“Gong Ma, can’t I have my own activities?” Hua Manyi looked into her cold, deep phoenix eyes, her accusation a mix of grievance and struggle, as she questioned her word by word, “Or do I, Hua Manyi, only deserve to be your dancer and not be a female companion for others?”

Gong Yan was stunned, suddenly feeling like something was out of control, “Manyi, I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Then what do you mean?” Hua Manyi tilted her head, her gaze falling on Gong Yan’s slender waist wrapped in a luxurious cheongsam, her fingertips growing cold, “I’m not scheduled tomorrow night. Why do you think I wouldn’t want to go?”

The neon lights behind them flickered, and in the shadow, Gong Yan tightly pursed her lower lip, “It was inconsiderate of me. I didn’t consider your feelings.”

“Then thank you, Gong Ma, for your acceptance.” An inexplicable disappointment came over Hua Manyi. She picked up the glass of red wine in front of her and downed it in one go.

Fu Bo looked at the strange atmosphere among the three, checked his watch, and kindly reminded them, “Madam, Boris is still waiting for your contract.”

They were supposed to be dealing with a foreign businessman named Boris today, but some clauses had been temporarily modified, requiring the contract and documents to be completely redone. Since she didn’t have her seal with her, they had to return to retrieve it.

“Excuse me.” Gong Yan took a deep look at the two of them, then turned and went upstairs.

The small corner regained its quietness. Ian murmured, “Boris… that name sounds familiar. Yiyi, don’t drink anymore, drinking harms your body.”

Seeing Hua Manyi still drinking, Ian couldn’t help but stop her, “Are you hungry? Shall we go out for some late-night snack? What do you want to eat? It’s on me—”

“Roast duck!”

“…”

At this time, Yue Lai Hotel had no private rooms left, so they had to dine at a window seat on the second floor.

Yue Lai Hotel’s Chen’s Roast Duck was considered an absolute specialty in Sea City, perfect in color, aroma, and taste. A bite brought saliva to the lips, completely non-greasy, the heat expertly controlled. For decades, no one had been able to steal the chef’s precise mastery of the roasting fire.

The price was also terribly expensive. One roast duck cost 10 silver dollars, which an ordinary wage earner would have to save for several months to afford.

The roast duck was served, sliced neatly piece by piece. Ian propped her chin up, a faint smile in the corner of her eyes, watching the girl who maintained her graceful demeanor even while eating, “Is it delicious?”

“Mm.” Hua Manyi composedly ate a piece of meat, instantly pulling her back to past memories. Every time she came home from school, her mother would always have someone buy Chen’s Roast Duck. After eating it frequently, she was often criticized for liking something so greasy, so unlike a proper young lady.

She was different from Yuan Nai, who was gentle and refined and liked to eat lotus seed paste cakes. As for her, whenever there was a gathering, she would always order a serving of roast duck. She would listen to her classmates chat about various things, and by the end of the gathering, the plate of roast duck would be mostly eaten. Although she couldn’t avoid the occasional slight from her classmates, who would merely grumble about her fondness for this kind of food, suggesting that even if she liked it, she should restrain herself in public and maintain a ladylike appearance.

“Ian, would you like to try some?” Hua Manyi simply wanted to alleviate the slightly intense gaze from the other woman. Who knew…

“Sure, are you going to feed me, Yiyi?” Ian raised an eyebrow and leaned slightly forward, waiting to be fed.

“…”

Hua Manyi’s grip on her chopsticks paused, but she couldn’t very well refuse, as she was the one who offered for Ian to taste, and Ian was the one who paid for the meal.

It wouldn’t be right to refuse on any count.

She had no choice but to pick up a piece and place it in Ian’s mouth. After Ian finished eating, her expression was satisfied. Hua Manyi looked at her and felt that whatever she was about to say next would likely be something that would make her blush again.

“The food Yiyi selects is truly different; it’s delicious.”

It was exactly as she predicted. Hua Manyi could only smile and then quickly picked up the wine glass beside her, pretending to drink the red wine.

After finishing their late-night snack, the two strolled along the street. The light from the incandescent lamps spilled out from every home, shop, and foreign firm, covering the stone slabs of the street. On the curb, a few rickshaw pullers chatted while waiting for customers. The sounds of children calling out from the alleys, shouting about what they wanted to buy, made the atmosphere lively.

“Yiyi, would you want to travel?” Ian walked shoulder-to-shoulder with her, “To a nearby town or the next city, or perhaps to the other side of the ocean?”

“The other side of the ocean?” Hua Manyi questioned.

“Yes, like another country, the United Kingdom, or my hometown, Bohemia…”

Hua Manyi imagined the scene: perhaps there was a prosperous country on the other side of the vast ocean. But as soon as she thought about the language barrier there, she instantly dismissed the idea.

“I haven’t thought about it.” She shook her head.

Ahead was a patch of water. Ian instinctively took her hand, making her avoid it, “Be careful.”

“Okay.” Just as Hua Manyi was about to agree, and perhaps it was her bad luck, she stumbled slightly on her high heel, having seemingly stepped on a small pebble as she tried to step around the water.

“Yiyi, careful.”

Ian quickly caught her in her embrace, chuckling, “Are you alright?”

Hua Manyi blushed as she moved out of Ian’s chest. In her peripheral vision, she noticed that she had smeared lipstick on the foreign sister’s collarbone. Against the white top and short skirt, it was especially noticeable.

Ian, with her back to the street, suddenly felt the girl in front of her freeze for a moment. Puzzled, she looked back at the bustling street. There was nothing unusual besides the hurried pedestrians and a black sedan that had just driven past.

“Yiyi?” Ian called out to her.

Hua Manyi’s expression returned to normal, though her smile was a little forced, “I’m fine, Ian. Let’s keep walking.”

…

In front of a two-story Western-style house, a Ford car stopped at the gate, and a frail woman stepped out of the car.

“A’Yan, thank you for driving me back. Be careful on your way.” Jiang Yin had originally gone to the pharmacy to get medicine today. Who knew she would run into Gong Yan on the way and be given a ride.

“Do you want to come stay at my place for a couple of days?” Gong Yan frowned, looking at her thin frame.

“No need, I’m always troubling you.” Jiang Yin refused her kindness. Gong Yan did not press her further and drove away.

The small Western-style house was brightly lit. She had asked the cleaning auntie to come during the day and leave the lights on for her. Jiang Yin watched the car leave, then turned and walked back.

The moment she closed the door, the sound of a wheelchair rolling came from behind her. She closed her eyes with a sense of resignation, then reopened them, her expression back to normal.

“Shulan, I’m back.”

“Mm.” Gong Shulan pushed the wheelchair in front of her. “How come my sister happened to drive you back?”

Jiang Yin recounted the events exactly as they happened. The air fell silent for a few seconds. Gong Shulan stared intently at her, her thin lips turning cold, “Come here.”

Jiang Yin, suddenly afraid of her sister-in-law’s abrupt change in demeanor and coldness, slowly walked over. As soon as she got close, she was pulled into the woman’s arms and her shirt buttons were skillfully unfastened.

She knew today was the last day of her menstrual cycle and had deliberately avoided that place. But her entire body was too sensitive. Even just the touch on her chest almost made her cry out.

“Jiang Yin, when will you stop lying?!” Gong Shulan bit her, speaking through clenched teeth. She went out to get medicine tonight, but didn’t go to her usual pharmacy, switching instead to an unfamiliar one that was far away. Yet, not long after she got the medicine, she coincidentally ran into Gong Yan. She knew Gong Yan was very good to this woman, and Jiang Yin could easily find out her sister’s schedule with just a little inquiry.

Jiang Yin’s collarbone felt a sharp pain. She pushed against Gong Shulan’s shoulders with both hands, the uncontrollable sensation reaching her toes.

“I didn’t lie… Shulan, please believe me…”

“Do you think I will still believe you?” Gong Shulan looked at her, heavy ridicule covering her face, “Do you want her to protect you forever? Are you still hoping to use my sister to get rid of me?”

“I didn’t…” Jiang Yin felt like she was a puddle of water, almost melting in Gong Shulan’s hands.

“Aren’t people from your Jiang family the best at killing with a borrowed knife?”

Jiang Yin suddenly opened her tearful eyes. As if her deepest vulnerability had been touched, she glared fiercely in anger for the first time, “Gong Shulan! You can insult me, but you are not allowed to insult my parents! You are not qualified!”

With that, Jiang Yin pushed her hands away, got off the wheelchair, and stood before her, her clothes disheveled. Her pale and delicate face was unusually cold. She pointed to the memorial tablets displayed in the living room, “Apologize to my parents.”

“Jiang Yin, who do you think you are?” Gong Shulan looked at her ridiculous action with disdain.

Jiang Yin intensely detested her attitude. With tear stains still on her face, she bit her lip, buttoned up her shirt one by one, turned, and entered the room, slamming the door shut.

“…”

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