Rose Lock - Chapter 55

“Yiyi…”

“Gong Ma…” Hua Manyi suddenly raised her head, staring intently at Gong Yan for a moment. In her eyes, there seemed to be accusation, dissatisfaction, and grievance: “How can it be ‘nothing’? ‘Nothing’ at all…”

She was still very thirsty. She didn’t get any relief from her thirst at all.

Gong Yan awoke from her passion, her gaze complicated as she looked at her. Then she moved her off her body, fastened the buttons of her Qipao, and got up to pour her water. Hua Manyi took the cup with both hands and sat obediently on the sofa with her legs curled up, drinking.

Her long hair was slightly messy, and her clothes were askew and uneven. Only the swan neck, faintly visible beneath her dark hair, was particularly alluring. The stubborn and enduring peach blossom eyes that she usually possessed were now slightly closed. A few strands of hair fell over her forehead, making her look as docile as a delicate girl next door.

Gong Yan’s gaze slowly moved down from Hua Manyi’s fair and lovely face. Her graceful figure was fully revealed by the curves of the Qipao, the apricot-pink front hem tilted to one side.

Hua Manyi was still delicately sipping the hot water. Just as she was about to finish, a shadow fell over her head. Immediately, a familiar scent came close, and she vaguely felt her Qipao being lifted. That hand began to bring her a different kind of pleasure.

With a crash, the water cup in her hand fell to the floor. Hua Manyi instinctively hugged her back, her toes trembling and curling up, not daring to relax for a moment.

“Gong Ma… Gong Ma…” she called out again and again, sounding satisfied, wronged, and yet yearning.

“I want to hear you say that sentence again, Yiyi.”

“Gong Ma, I’ve actually always admired you.” Hua Manyi drunkenly leaned her beautiful chin on the woman’s shoulder, turned her head slightly, and whispered her confession into her ear, “Always… always…”

“Gong Ma, am I your child?”

Gong Yan thought it was still about the stepmother and stepdaughter relationship, so she said no.

But who knew that the next second, the person would start crying, silently weeping. If Gong Yan hadn’t noticed that Hua Manyi, who was resting on her shoulder, hadn’t reacted for a long time—her body clearly couldn’t take it anymore, and usually, this woman would have begged for mercy by now, but currently, she hadn’t made a single plea, enduring silently and secretly shedding tears—Gong Yan would not have noticed.

Gong Yan finally sensed her emotional distress, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not your child, so someone else is your child, is that it?” Hua Manyi’s choking voice carried a hint of stubbornness, followed by a sudden realization and self-mockery, “No… others aren’t your child. Her age isn’t as young as mine… she’s your person, someone who can do these kinds of things, right?”

“Yiyi, who is that person? I have no one but you.” Gong Yan rubbed her cheek against hers.

“I don’t believe it…” Hua Manyi swayed as she grabbed the woman’s shoulders, using the leverage to push her away. “You are so much older than me, how could you not have done such a thing…”

That day, the songstress clearly asked her to help untie her necklace, and she even gave her flowers. Such a late hour… such an ambiguous and suggestive gesture…

She, a mere child, had to rely on a clumsy trick like a sprained ankle to trick her into coming back. Yet, that songstress could always call her away without any effort…

In the adult world of her and the songstress, she, a child, desperately tried to squeeze in. Later, when the songstress passed away, Hua Manyi successfully took her place and engaged in intimacy with her. Sometimes she would wonder if she was a substitute, but each time she would vehemently argue that Gong Ma’s affection for her was something the other sisters in Feng Hai didn’t have. Today, she even drove Song Yunrong away…

She just wanted to hear how Gong Yan felt about her, but why… why wouldn’t she admit that she was her “child,” her unique “child”?

“Why won’t you admit it?” Hua Manyi had a splitting headache, yet she stubbornly desired an answer. She didn’t notice that the intent of her two questions had changed. As the silence lengthened, a faint ache began to grip her heart. She took Gong Ma’s hand out, and a feeling of emptiness instantly enveloped her. She sat on the sofa, hugging her knees, silently weeping.

“What do you want me to admit?” Gong Yan frowned. “I, Gong Yan, will not admit to something I haven’t done.”

Gong Yan bent down, wanting to pull the person into her arms, but the next moment, the name “Ian” faintly emerged from Hua Manyi’s choked throat. Gong Yan’s hand froze in mid-air, her fingertips turning cold, and she let out a cold, mocking laugh.

“Hua Manyi, since you like Ian, why bother provoking me, Gong Yan!”

Hearing the sarcastic and angered voice, Hua Manyi looked up, watching the figure leave without looking back.

“Gong Ma…” she mumbled, feeling lost and helpless, like a little girl who had done something wrong, “Are you abandoning me?”

However, the figure still left without mercy.

The night was cold. Hua Manyi hugged herself tightly, belatedly realizing that perhaps… she didn’t have the right to be spoiled.

The next day at noon, Xiaoxiao brought a bowl of hangover soup upstairs and knocked on Hua Manyi’s door, “Sister Manyi, are you awake?”

“Yes, you can come in, Xiaoxiao.”

“Alright.” Xiaoxiao pushed the door open and saw the figure sitting at the dressing table. She placed the bowl on the table and leaned in to look, “Sister Manyi, what’s wrong with your eyes? They look like you’ve been crying.”

Hua Manyi looked at her haggard reflection in the mirror. She also felt as if she had been crying. A strong feeling of sadness had washed over her heart the moment she woke up an hour ago.

“Maybe I had a bad dream last night,” Hua Manyi forced an ugly smile and explained.

“Oh, I see.” Xiaoxiao nodded. Watching her dress for a while, she suddenly asked, “Is Sister Manyi going out?”

Hua Manyi hummed in response, “I plan to go out for a change of scenery. I don’t want to stay in this room anymore.”

Since waking up this morning, she had been feeling suffocated and uncomfortable. She planned to go out for a walk to see if it would ease her discomfort. If it didn’t work, she would go see a doctor, hoping it wasn’t some hidden illness.

Hua Manyi had been sitting in a corner of the coffee shop for an hour. The coffee on the table hadn’t been touched since the waiter brought it. She just sat there quietly, staring blankly at the tabletop. Her mind was empty, yet that deep sorrowful emotion kept lingering around her, as if she had heard a very tragic story or watched a black-and-white movie that ended in tragedy.

The usually playful and spirited air around her was completely gone.

She felt like something had happened, but she had no evidence.

After Lu Nian finished discussing the details of a lawsuit with a friend and saw the person off, she turned back and saw Hua Manyi staring blankly in the corner.

“Yiyi?” she was surprised.

Hua Manyi was startled when someone called her name. She awoke from her daze and realized there were tears on her face. When she touched it, she realized her vision had been blurred because she was crying.

As the sound of footsteps got closer, Hua Manyi quickly wanted to wipe away her tears to avoid embarrassment, but someone was one step ahead and handed her a handkerchief.

She paused, then took it, “Thank you.”

Lu Nian sat next to her, “Did you encounter something sad?”

Hua Manyi was about to nod, but then shook her head.

“What does nodding and shaking your head mean?” Lu Nian was curious.

Hua Manyi stared at something in a daze, “I don’t know why I’m crying, I just feel very upset, even though nothing has happened.”

“Have you seen a doctor?”

“Yes, the doctor couldn’t figure out what was wrong either.”

Lu Nian pondered, “This can’t go on. How about you go out and clear your mind?”

Hua Manyi sighed, “It’s no use.”

“Then why not find something to do? Psychologically speaking, when a person is emotionally low, they can manage their emotions through work or other activities.”

Listening to this new perspective, Hua Manyi thought it made sense. “Will it work?”

“It’s worth a try.”

“What can I do then?” Hua Manyi fell into another worry. She had to sing on stage every now and then, and there didn’t seem to be anything else she needed to do.

“Painting, writing, further studies, etc. Do whatever you like.” Lu Nian smiled, “Is there anything you want to do?”

She wasn’t good at painting, and writing was something that used to give her headaches. As for further studies, she couldn’t leave Feng Hai.

“I don’t know. I can’t leave Feng Hai, so I can’t pursue further studies. I’m just a small songstress who can sing.” Her status was humble. In Hai City, to put it nicely, she was a popular singer, but in reality, most people considered a songstress a euphemism for a woman of the night. Otherwise, Song Yunrong wouldn’t have called her a prostitute.

“Actually, you secretly want to pursue further studies, don’t you? Further studies are good. They can enhance yourself and let you learn broader knowledge.” Lu Nian didn’t pay much attention to her identity as a songstress. She thought for a moment, “If you could go for further studies, at a women’s college or an overseas university, what subject would you choose? Psychology? Law? Medicine? Or English?”

Hua Manyi was stunned. To choose so quickly? She must be joking. She must be. She said if she could study further.

“…That would probably be English.” At least she had some basic foundation and could memorize a few sentences.

“If it’s just learning English, you don’t necessarily need to go for further studies. You can hire a professional English tutor to teach you.” Lu Nian looked at her, encouraging her further, “You are still young. You’ll be fluent in English very quickly.”

Perhaps it was because this woman was too persuasive, or for some other reason, Hua Manyi almost believed that she too could achieve academic success, “Really?”

“Really, trust me.” Lu Nian decided to reveal her identity as a lawyer, “You know I’m also a lawyer. I wouldn’t say things I’m not sure about.”

Hua Manyi: “So, should I hire a tutor now?”

“You have one right in front of you. Why bother hiring someone else?” Lu Nian chuckled, “However, I charge by the hour, Miss Hua Manyi.”

Lu Nian cleared her throat and suddenly changed her address. Hua Manyi stiffened, “Then… maybe forget it.”

“Yiyi, I’m not teasing you,” Lu Nian laughed softly, “I’m only free every day from 3 pm to 5 pm. I can teach you for two hours. As compensation, I’d like you to teach me how to sing, or simply sing a song for me every day. An absolutely free concert, I won’t lose out, right?”

Hua Manyi: “…”

When Gong Yan returned from the winery, Butler Fu stopped the car at the entrance of Feng Hai, but she didn’t get out for a long time. He glanced in the rearview mirror.

“Madam, how about we go back to the winery?”

As a servant of over ten years, Butler Fu’s ability to read people was essential. Since picking up the Madam this morning, he had clearly felt a low-pressure atmosphere. He didn’t dare to speak during the business talk. He had no idea what happened last night.

The car door suddenly opened. Butler Fu was stunned, watching his Madam get out of the car without a word and enter Feng Hai, not leaving him any instructions.

Hua Manyi was about to go downstairs to ask the cleaning lady in the ballroom if she had seen an earring she had lost last night. Although it wasn’t a valuable item, she liked it quite a bit.

Just as she was about to go down the corner of the stairs, her steps abruptly stopped. She saw Gong Ma walking up the wooden stairs. That uncomfortable feeling flashed through her mind.

“Gong Ma.” She quickly composed herself and forced a smile.

However, the other party only gave a cold ‘hmm’ in response to her greeting and walked past her.

Hua Manyi’s smile slowly faded. Emotions surged in and then awkwardly retreated. Her eyes dimmed, but she pretended as if nothing was wrong and continued down the stairs.

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