Rose Lock - Chapter 34

“Gong Shulan! Don’t go too far.” Jiang Yin pushed her away and stumbled, falling. Stubbornly, she shook herself and stood up, trying to leave the bathroom. As she passed the wheelchair, her wrist was grabbed, and a force yanked her back.

With a thud, she fell directly into the bathtub filled with hot water, her arm hitting the edge painfully, causing her to cry out in silence. But that wasn’t the end of it. Another body tumbled into the tub, landing on top of her, displacing a significant amount of water.

From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the empty wheelchair, and a surge of anger rose in her heart. Although Gong Shulan was afflicted with a leg ailment, Gong Ao had managed to hire an imperial physician in time for treatment. While her lower legs had no sensation and she couldn’t stand, everything above the knee was essentially normal.

Gong Shulan shed her light-colored trench coat. Although she looked somewhat dishevelled tumbling into the tub, it didn’t lessen the fury erupting on her face. She straddled Jiang Yin, and with a tearing sound, ripped the clothes completely off her body.

Her vigorous movements churned the water in the bathtub. Several times the water rose over her nose, and Jiang Yin struggled to lift her head, resting it on the edge of the tub. Her hair was completely soaked, plastered damply against her forehead, temples, and neck.

“Gong Shulan, are you crazy…”

No sooner had Jiang Yin spoken than her cheeks were forcefully cupped and lifted slightly. Her slender swan-like neck was forced to arch back under the pressure, unable to move, and her lips were sealed tightly, as if she was entangled with a mad dog.

“Ugh…” Jiang Yin wanted to push the lunatic away, but both of them were thoroughly soaked, and the woman was on top of her. As she pushed, she inevitably touched Gong Shulan’s softness. Gong Shulan had been in a wheelchair since she was ten, but thanks to her family’s substantial wealth and excellent treatment, her skin, figure, and appearance were flawless. If not for her leg ailment, the threshold of the Gong family’s door would have long been worn out by matchmakers.

“Jiang Yin, whether you admit it or not, you, Jiang Yin, have belonged to me, Gong Shulan, since childhood. You can’t escape. Don’t let me find you with anyone else again. I’ll only forgive you this once! Otherwise, Huo Suqiu will be the next Jiang Feng!”

The vicious voice sounded by her ear, and Jiang Yin trembled all over. She gripped Gong Shulan’s waist tightly. Her father’s name appearing in this woman’s mouth once again finally terrified her. Her mind became a chaotic mess. She looked up, shaking, into Gong Shulan’s sharp, cold eyes and said in despair, “Why… why won’t you let me go even like this…”

“Hold me tight.” Gong Shulan ignored her tearful plea and commanded icily. Jiang Yin’s eyes were blurred with tears, but she dared not disobey. She slowly wrapped her arms around the woman’s waist, feeling the dense, punishing bites spread across her body.

Night had fallen, and rain was pouring outside the window, occasionally mixed with flashes of lightning and claps of thunder, illuminating the two figures asleep on the large bed in the room. A wheelchair was parked beside the bed, its cold metal texture particularly chilling in the rainy night.

Jiang Yin hid under the covers, her eyes, red and swollen from crying all day, looking pitifully vulnerable. She had been staring out the window for a long time. She didn’t know since when, but whenever there was a rainy night with lightning and thunder, she would suffer from insomnia until dawn. Yet, she didn’t dare to turn over because behind her was the woman she had feared for over a decade. She was naked, just like herself, and just a few hours ago, had tormented, threatened, and coerced her like a mad dog.

“Little Sister Jiang Yin…”

The sudden call nearly scared the soul out of Jiang Yin. She clutched the corner of the quilt over her eyes and continuously shrank back until her sensitive lower back touched the fingers of the woman behind her. She instantly froze. She wanted to move forward, but that hand suddenly wrapped around her, holding her tightly. The gap against her back grew smaller and smaller until it vanished. The warmth that wasn’t hers spread over her, and even though they had done it countless times, she still felt uncomfortable whenever this happened.

“Little Sister Jiang Yin… don’t be afraid… there are no water ghosts in the lake, it was just the water grass wrapping around your feet…”

Jiang Yin stiffened all over. The woman was talking in her sleep, and the words sounded somewhat familiar. Water grass… water ghost… Jiang Yin struggled to turn over, but the movement caused Gong Shulan to hold her even tighter, face to face.

Water grass… water ghost…

She remembered only falling into the water once: when she was eight years old in winter and accidentally slipped into the icy, bone-chilling lake. The fear of that day was still vivid. At the time, she thought her foot was grabbed by a water ghost, and facing suffocation, she instinctively grabbed onto anything nearby to survive. In the end, Huo Suqiu pulled her out.

How would this woman know what happened that day?

How could she have absolutely no memory of a similar experience with this woman?

Jiang Yin looked up at the woman. Her eyes were tightly closed, her face still cold. Her thin lips were slightly pursed, as if those words were mere figments of her imagination.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her chest, and Jiang Yin cried out. Gong Shulan had awakened at some point. Her cold eyes were threaded with bloodshot veins, making her look particularly terrifying. Especially when she opened her eyes and saw her, a flicker of complexity crossed her gaze, too fast for Jiang Yin to grasp, and was immediately replaced by a look of aloof indifference.

A chill touched her skin, like the cold rain outside, pressing against her most intimate parts. Jiang Yin unconsciously tightened up, grabbing her hand and pleading, “Shulan, can we not do it… It hurts a little…”

“Would you be willing if it were Huo Suqiu?” The woman’s first words were stinging. Jiang Yin’s face turned pale. After yesterday, she probably understood that Huo Suqiu was a forbidden topic she couldn’t mention.

Her eyes slowly welled up, and tears streamed down silently, dropping onto the pillow. The hand clutching Gong Shulan slowly released its grip. Jiang Yin closed her eyes, resigned to her fate.

But the next moment, the woman lying beside her sat up, threw off the thin quilt, and moved to the foot of the bed. Jiang Yin didn’t understand what she was going to do until a warmth pressed against her. She quickly covered her mouth, her legs bending, her toes instinctively curling.

A swallowing sound reached her ears. Jiang Yin’s ears instantly turned crimson, and a blush spread from her collarbone to her entire earlobe.

After the spring rain, the guests at Fenghai gradually increased.

The rumors about her and Ian that day did not spread. Mr. Simon, Ian’s uncle, explained that it was a Bohemian custom—a form of etiquette—to express affection with a kiss when meeting someone they liked or admired, and asked them not to take offense.

Hua Manyi was eating in her room, and her tongue still hurt when it touched a grain of rice; it took several days to heal completely. Since that day, she hadn’t seen Ian again. She received her last letter a week later, saying that she was going back to Bohemia with her uncle and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, would probably never return to Haicheng. Finally, she asked if Hua Manyi could see her off at the dock.

On the East Pier, a ship’s whistle sounded mournfully, and the dock was bustling with people coming and going.

The sea breeze lightly stirred the wide-brimmed hat. The slender figure in a white coat and mid-length skirt stood on the deck, her sexy red lips slowly fading against the blue sky and sea.

“Ian, let’s go back. We’re getting ready to set sail.” Simon stood beside her, sighing. “She won’t come. You and she are not from the same world.”

Ian held her small red leather suitcase, a feeling of indescribable sadness in her heart. “Uncle, did I scare her?”

At the ball, she had clearly seen Hua Manyi’s panicked expression after being kissed by her, and the Madam Gong next to her had immediately accused her of seduction without asking for any explanation.

“Ian!”

Suddenly, a shout came from the dock entrance. Ian’s eyes lit up. She quickly searched and, seeing the familiar figure, hurriedly put down her small suitcase and descended the gangplank, moving against the flow of people. “Yiyi!”

Simon glanced at the small suitcase, shook his head helplessly, and bent down to pick it up.

Hua Manyi watched the person run toward her. She had a strange feeling, a kind of joy one feels when long-lost friends reunite.

She bore no hatred toward Ian. On the contrary, she felt grateful that such a person had appeared in her desolate and struggling life, learning Chinese for her, writing letters, and making her treats. Even though the subsequent affection spiraled out of control and became an obsession, she still couldn’t bring herself to hate a sister who was so devoted to her.

“Yiyi, I’m sorry. I went too far that day.” Ian stood before her. Only now did she realize that Haicheng was not as open as her home country, and some things were taboo. It was her lack of consideration that nearly got Hua Manyi into trouble.

“Ian, let bygones be bygones. I’m doing well now.” Hua Manyi glanced at the ship. White English letters were printed on the hull, clearly different from the usual seafaring vessels. It was likely her uncle’s ocean-going ship.

“You must take good care of yourself. You will find a woman you love in the future.” Hua Manyi smiled and hugged her. Ian knew this was a gentle refusal and didn’t insist further. She hugged her back tightly. “I hope so, but I don’t think there’s a second Hua Manyi in this world.”

And there would never be another person who made her heart flutter like this.

The two embraced for a long time. In an inconspicuous corner not far away, willow branches swayed in the wind, and a black Ford car was parked by the shore.

Fu Bo glanced at the rear-view mirror without changing his expression. The woman in the back seat was smoking and staring intently at the dock for a long time. Having just left the winery and settled down in Fenghai, she had seen Hua Manyi hire a rickshaw to leave. After some inquiries, she found out that Mr. Simon and his niece were scheduled to sail back and leave Haicheng today.

Miss Manyi’s purpose for going out was self-evident.

He immediately suggested, “Madam, a batch of wine from our Luhe Winery, which is being transported to Nancheng, is being loaded onto the ship today. Do you think we should go to the dock to inspect it?”

His Madam paused and said, “Very well.”

And so, this was the scene now. Fu Bo looked at the dock. The two bright figures had been hugging for at least a quarter of an hour. Suddenly, they walked hand-in-hand toward the edge of the dock and, without hesitation, boarded the deck.

Fu Bo was stunned. The ship was about to weigh anchor… were these two planning to elope?

“Raising an ungrateful wretch.” A sneer escaped the woman’s lips. Fu Bo opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, said nothing.

“Let’s go back.”

“Yes.”

Fang Yu slept in a little longer and had just instructed Xiaoxiao to bring her a bowl of congee. As she came down the stairs, she ran into Madam Gong returning from outside.

“Madam Gong.” She had just finished greeting her and was about to find a seat in the main hall. The seats below the stage were empty during the day, deserted. She preferred the convenience and didn’t bother going to the back kitchen.

“Fang Yu, have a drink with me.”

“Ah? Sure.”

Fang Yu had no choice but to accompany her. She took out two wine glasses and Madam Gong’s favorite red wine from the bar, pouring them calmly. “Speaking of which, it’s been a while since we drank together.”

In the past, when Madam Gong sought her out for a drink, it was usually because something was bothering her. This time was probably no exception.

“Manyi is probably about to wake up. Should we call her to join us for a drink?”

Gong Yan leaned against the back of the chair, crossed her legs, and lit a cigarette. Hearing that name, she sneered sarcastically, “Don’t mention that ungrateful wretch.”

Fang Yu: “…”

It seemed she had just run right into the line of fire.

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