Rose Lock - Chapter 56

“Man Yi ah, could I trouble you to tell Madam Gong that I need to take another three days off this month?”

Aunt Li, a logistics worker at Fenghai, saw her come downstairs, rubbed her hands together, and looked uneasy. She heard today that Madam Gong was in a bad mood, and someone went to find Madam Gong this morning over a small matter and was immediately scolded severely. If others hadn’t intervened, they might have been fired.

But her youngest son couldn’t be left unattended. He was sick, and her heart ached to hear him calling for his mother. However, if she lost this job, life would be even harder.

After much thought, she could only ask someone else to speak on her behalf.

Hua Manyi, who had just found the earring from the cleaning lady, pursed her lips in contemplation upon hearing this, “Aunt Li…”

She also didn’t really want to see Madam Gong right now, and she clearly felt her emotions were being affected by the other person, which was not a good thing.

“Man Yi, please tell her for me, okay? My youngest son is still sick at home. What if I upset Madam Gong and accidentally lose my job…” Aunt Li started to tear up as she spoke, and Hua Manyi had no choice but to agree.

Aunt Li thanked her profusely.

On the second-floor corridor, Hua Manyi stood in front of Madam Gong’s door, hesitating, raising her hand to knock, but stopping.

Dong dong dong

Finally, she chose to knock. With an inaudible “Come in” from inside, Hua Manyi pushed the door open and stepped in.

Inside the room, Madam Gong was sitting at the desk on the right, where a glass lamp was lit. Spread out on the desk were several account books of Fenghai from the past few months, and a small abacus. The beads moved up and down under Madam Gong’s slender hands, making a sound.

Gong Yan raised her eyes and glanced at the visitor. Seeing it was Hua Manyi, her face seemed to grow even colder, “What is it?”

Hua Manyi’s face paled slightly, emotions surging in her heart. After several moments of hesitation, she forced a stiff smile and spoke, “Madam Gong, Aunt Li said she wants to take another three days off. Her son—”

“Tell her to come and see me herself.”

Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted. Hua Manyi looked embarrassed, “Oh, alright.”

“Anything else?” Gong Yan frowned slightly and looked up again when she didn’t hear the door close.

Hua Manyi: “I’ve hired an English teacher to teach me from 3 to 5 o’clock in the afternoon these days. I might not be at Fenghai from 3 to 5.”

“Suit yourself.” Gong Yan continued to look at her account books, her left hand manipulating the abacus, without raising her head.

“Then Madam Gong, I’ll be going back now.”

Hua Manyi wore a faint, unsmiling curve on her lips and turned to leave.

“Man or woman.” Suddenly, Madam Gong’s question came from behind. Hua Manyi paused, then realized, “She is a female lawyer.”

“Lawyer?” Gong Yan instantly stopped moving the abacus, her expression not very pleasant, “Who is it?”

“Lu Nian,” Hua Manyi didn’t turn around, just replied indifferently, not thinking much about the persistent questioning.

However, on the desktop, not only did the abacus stop moving, but the sound of flipping the account books also ceased abruptly.

“Madam Gong, I’ll go call Aunt Li up.” Hua Manyi didn’t want to stay for another moment, feeling only torment, even though she tried hard to maintain a calm appearance.

“Stop.” Gong Yan called out to her, staring at the slim and graceful figure outlined by her qipao, “Where are you having the lessons?”

Hua Manyi lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, her hand on the doorknob, “It should be at Lu Nian’s house, it’s not far.”

Having said that, she opened the door, “I’m leaving now, Madam Gong.”

“Hua Manyi!”

Just then, the sound of the door closing cut off the woman’s voice inside. Hua Manyi turned and went downstairs to find Aunt Li.

Gong Yan looked at the account books on the desk, her eyes chilling. Forget it, what does it matter to her, Gong Yan?

The next day, Hua Manyi left as arranged. She had originally planned to wear a more mature qipao, but then thought about it—she was going to be a student, not a singer. So, she decisively changed into a plain blouse and skirt, her hair was not styled in a seductive wave but loosely draped down her back. She borrowed a few pens from Xiaoxiao and stepped out in a pair of small, thick-heeled shoes.

The rickshaw stopped in front of a small white apartment. Before Hua Manyi got out, she saw Lu Nian standing at the door, dressed formally in a vest, lace shirt, trousers, and stiff ankle boots, looking capable and well-balanced.

Seeing Hua Manyi step down, she came forward, extended her hand to help her, being thoughtful and courteous, “Come, let’s go inside.”

Hua Manyi quickly glanced at the two-story white apartment, which incorporated Western style, making it fashionable and exquisite. The side of the living room had huge lattice floor-to-ceiling windows, from which one could see every corner of the yard.

“Okay.”

Inside, Lu Nian brought a plate of fruit, “Would you like some fruit?”

Hua Manyi shook her head.

Lu Nian had no choice but to place it on the other end of the mahogany round table. She took a few books from the bookshelf, “These are some basic English textbooks, take a look first. And this one is a workbook mainly for exercises.”

Hua Manyi felt the heavy weight, trying hard to maintain enthusiasm for learning.

“I’ll teach you some grammar now…” Lu Nian sat down next to her, opened her textbook to a certain page, and Hua Manyi stiffened her neck, sitting upright and listening attentively.

Meanwhile, at a detached villa next to the winery, Gong Yan looked at Gong Shulan, who had arrived early today by boat from Nancheng, and examined her legs, “What did the doctor say about your legs?”

Gong Shulan stood beside Gong Yan, “Sister, I can walk now. The doctor said as long as I persist with exercise, I will recover eventually.”

“Then why are you here?” Gong Yan lit a cigarette, her expression lazy, and picked up a glass of wine from the transparent glass tea table to consider it.

“I came this time because I discovered that Huo Suqiu is not dead at all.” Gong Shulan stared intently at the woman on the sofa, “Sister, you said Jiang Yin she—”

“Shulan, you owe her too much in this life.” Gong Yan wasn’t very interested in her discovery, calmly stating this sentence.

“But I want to compensate her.” Gong Shulan recalled those past days and only then realized how beastly she had been.

“Compensate for what? The person is already buried. Your best compensation now is to use the rest of your life for repentance.” Gong Yan mocked mercilessly. She hadn’t thought her younger sister was excessively wrong before, after all, they seemed like harmonious sisters on the surface, confiding in each other. But who knew that behind her back, she had tormented Jiang Yin into an unrecognizable state.

“Tomorrow I’ll have someone book a boat ticket. Go back to Nancheng.” Gong Yan planned to call for Uncle Fu.

Gong Shulan, however, was resistant, “Why are you insisting on me going back? If Jiang Yin really died, my coming to Haicheng wouldn’t hurt anyone. Besides, I’m only here to investigate why Huo Suqiu didn’t die.”

“Gong Shulan, did you get hysteria after your legs healed?”

“…”

Gong Shulan was momentarily speechless, “Anyway, I’m not going back for the time being.” At least not until she investigates why Huo Suqiu did not die.

“Whatever you want.”

Gong Shulan began preparing her investigation. She had collected a lot of information this time, “I want to find the lawyer Lu Nian. Sister, do you have her number?”

“What do you need her number for?” Gong Yan’s brows involuntarily furrowed upon hearing the name again. Didn’t Hua Manyi say yesterday that she was going to that woman Lu Nian’s house to learn English?

Gong Shulan told her all the information she had investigated.

Huo Suqiu and Lu Nian were classmates and old friends. When something happened to Huo Suqiu, Lu Nian definitely couldn’t have been unaware. Now that the Huo family was shattered, those Huo family relatives and servants were untraceable, and even if they were traced, the information obtained wouldn’t be very useful.

Only Lu Nian was one of the biggest clues.

After listening, Gong Yan roughly understood what she intended to do. Starting with Lu Nian might indeed be a breakthrough point.

“Ask Uncle Fu, he’ll tell you.” Gong Yan continued drinking.

Soon, Gong Shulan came up from downstairs and walked to the rotary phone, holding a piece of paper, seemingly having gotten Lu Nian’s number.

She dialed the last digit, waiting for the other party to answer. Before the call was answered, someone silently stood behind her, and the receiver was snatched away. She was surprised, “Sister?”

“I’ll do it. If Huo Suqiu’s not being dead has anything to do with Lu Nian, what’s the difference between you calling and tipping her off?” Gong Yan signaled her to stand aside with her eyes and shifted her position.

Gong Shulan thought this made sense and stood to the side, leaning in to listen.

The phone was picked up shortly.

“Hello?” A soft, familiar voice entered her ear. Gong Yan belatedly remembered Hua Manyi mentioning learning English yesterday. She glanced up at the wall clock—4 o’clock in the afternoon. This timing was quite a coincidence.

“Hello?” Hua Manyi stood by the phone, not hearing a voice from the other end. She was about to call Lu Nian when Madam Gong’s voice sounded the next second.

“I’m looking for Lu Nian.” A cold sentence that made Hua Manyi freeze, her fingertips gripping the brass receiver, “Okay.”

Putting down the receiver, Hua Manyi was about to go out and find her when Lu Nian just returned from outside with a telegram, “Lu Nian, a call came in, they said they were looking for you.”

Lu Nian came over with the telegram, “Who called?”

Hua Manyi was about to speak, but she recalled that cold voice and how it clearly hadn’t recognized who she was. Why should Hua Manyi eagerly put herself forward for a cold reception?

“I’m not sure.” Hua Manyi pretended not to know, “I’ll go back to studying over there.”

“Alright.”

On the wine estate villa side, Gong Shulan looked at Gong Yan’s not-so-good expression, bewildered, “Did you hear anything?”

Gong Yan’s red lips were pressed into a line of coldness, “Nothing.”

Gong Shulan nodded thoughtfully.

Hua Manyi looked at the books on the table. Strings of English letters entered her eyes and then disappeared from her mind. She sighed heavily in her heart.

“Yiyi, that sound is not pronounced like this. Your tongue shouldn’t curl up.” Lu Nian corrected her pronunciation with a smile.

Hua Manyi was flushed and self-conscious, quickly changing the subject, “Who called just now? Was it urgent? How about we stop studying here for today?”

Lu Nian looked at the clock on the wall. Only an hour had passed, “…”

“It was Madam Gong who called. She asked me to send her a copy of the documentation regarding Song Shichang’s defamation against her previously.”

“Defamation?” Hua Manyi seized on this word and pressed, “What defamation?”

Lu Nian originally didn’t want to go into too much detail, but since Hua Manyi insisted on asking, she had no choice but to inform her of the matter. This incident was not some unspeakable secret.

“I see. I didn’t expect Lu Nian to be so formidable, with such eloquence.”

“You flatter me.”

The black Ford car drove from one end of the street to the other. Gong Shulan sat beside Gong Yan. The two had been traveling for half an hour since leaving the winery.

“Don’t you need to look after Fenghai today?” Gong Shulan had originally intended to meet Lu Nian herself, but who knew that Gong Yan suddenly tagged along just before departure.

“Are you telling me how to do my job?” Gong Yan tightened her jaw, exhaling a puff of smoke, “Since I told her I wanted the documents, it’s better than you showing up unannounced.”

“Are you in a bad mood?” Gong Shulan thought for a moment. Since morning, her older sister had mocked her no less than ten times. The frequency was so high that it made her concerned enough to show some sisterly care and consideration.

Gong Yan: “…”

Uncle Fu, driving in front, wanted to say something but held back. Finally, when he looked into the rearview mirror, his eyes met Gong Yan’s, and he sheepishly kept silent.

Soon, they arrived in front of a white two-story apartment. The two got out of the car and were led into the courtyard by a servant.

The servant said, “This way, ladies.”

Gong Yan and Gong Shulan walked one after the other through the lushly planted courtyard. The grand and uniquely designed apartment gradually came into view.

In the living room, Hua Manyi was struggling to pronounce a sound, “Is it like this? How exactly?”

Lu Nian shook her head, “Don’t curl your tongue. Use your throat to produce the sound.”

“I can’t… Lu Nian, I might not be cut out for learning English.” Hua Manyi felt like she was back in the painful junior high English class.

She couldn’t learn it.

“Open your mouth.” Lu Nian understood her frustration, so she had to comfort her and gently encourage her.

Hua Manyi obediently opened her mouth. Before she could react, a finger reached in and pressed down on her tongue. The coolness of the fingertip radiated from her tongue surface.

She froze.

Lu Nian, however, was unfazed, “Now try to say it once.”

Hua Manyi looked at Lu Nian’s delicate face and opened her mouth, “World.”

“Miss, Madam Gong is here to see you.” The servant’s sudden announcement drew the attention of the two at the table.

Hua Manyi still had the half-inch of white finger in her mouth, staring blankly as that figure, under the servant’s direction, stood before her. Several sets of eyes fell upon her face: mocking, indifferent, angry, and Lu Nian’s look of composed yet slightly embarrassed realization.

Especially when her eyes met Madam Gong’s, it felt as though something in her heart had been struck, and a chaotic emotion swirled within her.

She quickly let go of the finger, but unexpectedly, a silver thread of saliva linked them as they parted. Hua Manyi hurriedly lowered her head to wipe her lips, an intense embarrassment almost overwhelming her.

How was she supposed to explain this situation?

“Did I interrupt you?” Gong Shulan spoke first, her gaze shifting between the people, “Perhaps we came at an inappropriate time.”

Lu Nian stood up, her position perfectly shielding Hua Manyi’s awkwardness without being obvious, “Don’t joke. Yiyi and I were just having an English lesson. She couldn’t pronounce the sound correctly, and that was the only method I could think of. There’s no other meaning.”

“Lu Nian, I’m going back now.” Hua Manyi stood up with her head down.

“I’ll take you back.” Lu Nian sensed something was wrong with the situation, but couldn’t quite figure it out. She instinctively wanted to comfort Hua Manyi.

“No need, I have things to attend to.” Hua Manyi calmly refused her kind offer. When she passed Gong Yan, she paused, softly called out “Madam Gong,” and then left.

“Then see you tomorrow.” Lu Nian reminded her from behind.

Hua Manyi hurriedly nodded.

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