Rose Lock - Chapter 50

Floating and sinking in a dream, coupled with a hangover, Hua Manyi’s head was throbbing painfully. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the dazzling white ceiling above her.

She rubbed her temples. As she lifted a hand, two slender, delicate arms came into view. Her mind went blank for a moment. Pulling back the thin quilt, the soft, pale skin made her blush instantly, and she quickly covered herself up again.

She never had a habit of sleeping nude, so this…

Hua Manyi shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the room’s elegant and grand furnishings, and her mind registered that this wasn’t her room; this was Gong Ma’s room. So, what happened to her last night…

Hua Manyi tried hard to recall the events of last night, but no matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn’t remember. Getting up, she opened the quilt to check. She was completely intact, without a single mark on her body. On the nearby sofa was a wine-red slip nightgown, a regular item in her wardrobe.

The wall clock read 12 o’clock. Hua Manyi put on the nightgown and looked around; the room was quiet, and she was alone.

Outside the door was the dance hall, and everyone was busy with their own affairs. Hua Manyi’s expression was grave. She wanted to figure out what exactly she had done last night. As she left the room, she bumped right into Fang Yu.

“Manyi, you’re awake? Want to go eat?”

Hua Manyi shook her head, not having much appetite, “I’ll wash up and then go eat later.”

Fang Yu: “Then I’ll go get busy. You get some good rest.”

Seeing the person about to leave, Hua Manyi hesitated for a second, but still called out to stop her, “Wait a moment, Sister Fang.”

Fang Yu turned back, “What is it?”

“Last night… did Gong Ma come back?” Hua Manyi smoothed back a strand of hair, pretending to ask casually.

“Probably not. I was one of the last ones to return to my room last night, and I didn’t see Gong Ma come back.” Fang Yu recalled and answered, “Why do you ask?”

“Nothing, I just asked casually.”

Hua Manyi brushed her off and retreated in a state of embarrassment to her own room. She closed the door, leaned her back against it, and deeply closed her eyes. The sliver of a romantic notion she still harbored instantly vanished without a trace.

Her room was adjacent to Gong Ma’s, with the same structure. For a period, she didn’t know what possessed her to imitate that woman in everything, from dressing and styling to her actions and manners. Even minute details like the room’s furnishings were almost the same.

There was an ashtray on her bedside table, but she never bought cigarettes to smoke; for the most part, it just collected dust.

She admitted she had selfish desires, but doing something like getting undressed in the middle of the night and running to sleep in someone else’s bed… she found the thought ridiculous, even though the wish she made on her birthday yesterday was not unlike this situation.

But Gong Ma definitely did not return last night, so how could anything have happened between them? Besides, how long had it been since Jiang Yin died? How could someone like Gong Ma betray Jiang Yin?

…

Inside the police station, the atmosphere was tense.

“Song Shichang, everything must be based on evidence. Don’t just open your mouth and slander.” Gong Yan sat in a corner by the tea table, letting out a cold laugh.

Early this morning, Butler Fu called to say that something major had happened. A customer who drank at Fushou Restaurant—which had always sourced its wine from her Luhe Winery—died last night after drinking. Coincidentally, this customer was a foreigner named Steven, with whom Song Shichang was about to finalize a collaboration. Now, all fingers pointed to the wine sold by Gong Yan as being problematic.

The police had been biased towards foreigners for a long time, but a business partner of Song Shichang died during a business deal with the foreigner, and the person suspected was actually Gong Yan.

How absurd.

Song Shichang frowned, “I’m not slandering you, Madam Gong. Then why did Steven have a problem after drinking, while I had no issues?”

With that, Song Shichang turned and offered his condolences to Steven’s wife, who looked sorrowful, “Madam Steven, I, Song, and Mr. Steven were good friends, with many years of camaraderie. How could I possibly harm Steven?”

The only explanation, then, was that the wine had a problem. Madam Steven understood the implication of his words and looked at Gong Yan with resentment. Speaking in broken Chinese, she said, “I don’t care. Chief Zhao, you must give me an explanation today and give us justice.”

Chief Zhao and Song Shichang exchanged a look. He appeared troubled but was, in fact, challenging Gong Yan, “Madam Gong, what do you say to this?”

Butler Fu whispered into Gong Yan’s ear, “Madam, Lawyer Zhou has arrived.”

Gong Yan nodded, indicating she knew. “I still stand by what I said: word of mouth is not enough.” (or “I still maintain the same stance: baseless accusations are not proof.”)

“But that bottle of wine was smashed on the floor, making it impossible to collect evidence,” Chief Zhao spread his hands.

“Doesn’t that just prove that there is no evidence to show our wine is problematic?” A figure appeared at the police station entrance. Grey trousers and waistcoat, leather boots, a tall, upright figure. Slightly wavy hair partially covered her forehead. She had rosy lips and white teeth, and her gaze was sharp.

Once everyone saw clearly, they realized who the person was.

“This is our Lawyer Zhou, Chief Zhao, Madam Steven. Our lawyer will answer any questions you have.” Butler Fu’s frustrated expression instantly relaxed. This Lawyer Zhou was one of Haicheng’s top lawyers, with a silver tongue that could out-talk eight people, and he had never lost a case.

“I am not Lawyer Zhou. I am his junior apprentice, and he had a sudden engagement so he asked me to come over and handle this. My name is Lu Nian, you can call me Lawyer Lu.” Lu Nian slightly nodded, neither arrogant nor servile.

Gong Yan frowned as she looked at this woman. Before she could speak, Lu Nian took the initiative, extending her hand, “Madam Gong, long time no see. How have you been?”

“…Very well.”

After shaking her hand, Gong Yan quietly looked at Butler Fu, who wiped the sweat from his forehead, “Madam, I am willing to trust Lawyer Zhou’s judgment.”

Gong Yan: “…”

Chief Zhao looked relieved upon seeing that the person was a woman. She was just an obscure woman; what kind of lawsuit could she possibly win? Thinking this, he couldn’t help but be contemptuous, “Lawyer Lu, that’s not how it works. If there’s no evidence to prove the wine is the problem, then there’s also no way to prove the wine is not the problem, right?”

“Mr. Song, when you were doing business with Mr. Steven, did you engage in any alcohol-forcing behavior?” Lu Nian ignored Chief Zhao and looked directly at Song Shichang.

Song Shichang, like Chief Zhao, did not take the female lawyer seriously. “How can you do business without drinking? This time it was an invitation from me, the old man, and Steven hadn’t tried the wine I ordered. I just thought he should try it. Who knew Steven would never wake up after drinking it?”

Lu Nian: “So, that is to say, Mr. Song did engage in alcohol-forcing behavior?”

The air was quiet for a moment. Song Shichang frowned. Did this person not understand, or what? She was being obstinate, forcing him to spell it out.

“Mr. Song only needs to answer yes or no.” Lu Nian remained persistent.

Song Shichang took a puff of his cigar and looked at Gong Yan. “Madam Gong, in decades of doing business, I’ve never seen such a new-fangled foreign thing. In the past, we had legal advisors write the lawsuits, but today we have a lawyer handling the case. You’ve opened my eyes today, but alas, your lawyer doesn’t seem to understand human language very well. In my opinion, it would be more reliable to hire a legal advisor or aide.”

Song Shichang suddenly smiled, looking at the people around him. Chief Zhao and his subordinates chuckled softly.

Gong Yan ignored him, and Song Shichang wasn’t annoyed either.

Lu Nian asked again. This time, the surrounding people’s whispers grew louder, filled with sarcasm and suppressed laughter.

Song Shichang raised an eyebrow and spoke with a tone of condescension, “Yes.”

“According to our country’s latest legal provisions, if a bystander engaged in behavior such as urging or forcing the deceased to drink alcohol, and an accident subsequently occurred, the other relevant personnel should generally bear corresponding responsibility. In other words, Mr. Song, Steven’s death is inextricably linked to you.”

Song Shichang’s face darkened. “How is that related to me? At most, I merely urged him to drink.”

Lu Nian continued with sharp rhetoric, “Secondly, Mr. Song and Mr. Steven were doing business, which means Mr. Song and the deceased had a vested interest relationship, providing a direct motive for the crime. Madam Gong, however, has an alibi for the night of the incident, has no vested interest relationship with Madam Steven, and thus, no motive for the crime.”

Song Shichang could no longer smoke his cigar. “What nonsense are you talking about?!”

Lu Nian: “Furthermore, the wine’s problem may not necessarily lie in its brewing. This can be proven by taking samples from the winery or from the same batch of wine, and chemical tests can be used to determine if it contains lethal substances.”

“What chemical tests?” This was the first time Chief Zhao had heard the term.

“Finally,” Lu Nian looked at Madam Steven, “If Madam Steven wants to find out the truth, a post-mortem examination can be performed on the body to determine the actual cause of death.”

Song Shichang couldn’t smile anymore; his face was gloomy. He had underestimated this female lawyer who had studied abroad; she had some skill.

Lu Nian looked straight at Song Shichang. “Mr. Song, our Madam Gong will hire professionals to thoroughly examine and present the chemical reports and even the autopsy report for evidence. Do you have anything else to say?”

“Of course, I do,” Song Shichang snorted.

Lu Nian: “Please speak.”

Song Shichang: “My words will all be communicated to you by my lawyer.”

Lu Nian: “…”

Butler Fu: “…”

Chief Zhao: “…”

Gong Yan sneered, “Song Shichang, your legal advisor must be extraordinary, right?”

Being forcefully called a “legal advisor” instead of a “lawyer” made Song Shichang’s face flush alternately blue and white.

As Gong Yan left the police station and got into her car, Butler Fu spoke up, seeking credit, “Madam, I was right, wasn’t I? Lawyer Zhou’s judgment is trustworthy. This Lawyer Lu Nian, although a woman, her ability is evident to all. Song Shichang probably won’t be able to escape easily after today’s performance.”

Butler Fu started the car, but receiving no response, he looked in the rearview mirror and cautiously asked, “Madam?”

“Back to the winery.”

It seemed the Madam wasn’t interested in discussing Lawyer Lu. Butler Fu reluctantly dropped the subject. “…Alright.”

In the master bedroom of the winery, Gong Yan took out a vintage box from the cabinet. Inside was a women’s white jade ring. The matching white jade archer’s ring that should have been in the other groove was currently on her own hand.

Closing the box, her red lips slightly curved. She went downstairs and got into the car.

“To Fenghai,” Gong Yan commanded, still maintaining her serious demeanor.

Butler Fu clearly felt the woman in the back seat was in a good mood, but he couldn’t figure out why she was happy. Could it be because Lawyer Lu had turned the tide at the police station and reversed the unfavorable situation?

The Ford car stopped at Fenghai. Butler Fu was about to ask if he should follow up on Lawyer Lu’s “chemical tests” when he heard Gong Yan say, “Book a table for me at Fushou Restaurant.”

“Ah? Okay, I understand.”

…

It was around five or six in the evening. The sunset glow enveloped Haicheng, casting a golden light on the signboard of Fenghai. Gong Yan walked into Fenghai and went up to the second floor. Before she could knock on Hua Manyi’s door,

Xiao Xiao came from the end of the corridor. “Gong Ma? Are you looking for Sister Manyi? She’s not in the room.”

“Where did she go?” Gong Yan didn’t think much of it. “How long until she returns?”

Xiao Xiao was carrying some empty gift boxes. “Sister Manyi said she was going to the back mountain to pay respects to her parents. I don’t know when she’ll be back, probably soon. Gong Ma, I can’t talk anymore, I need to put these gift boxes away.”

Xiao Xiao turned to go downstairs, but as she rounded the corner, she bumped into Hua Manyi returning. “Sister Manyi? You’re back? Oh, Gong Ma is looking for you.”

After delivering the message, Xiao Xiao went downstairs.

Gong Yan looked towards the source of the voice. Standing at the staircase entrance of the corridor was the woman who had intimately mingled with her last night. Perhaps it was her misconception, but the Hua Manyi in front of her seemed to have suddenly matured and become much more charming. She had shed her youthful shyness and naivety. The qipao she wore made her look beautiful and glamorous, her eyebrows and eyes gentle, and the shifting gaze inadvertently revealed a captivating and alluring look.

Perhaps experiencing that kind of event had caused her growth and transformation.

Gong Yan’s lazy eyes scanned Hua Manyi’s exquisite figure. She walked over, “I’ve booked a private room at Fushou Restaurant tonight. Shall we have dinner together?”

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