Rose Lock - Chapter 57.2

The next morning, Hua Manyi was awakened by the cold. She had kicked the quilt onto the floor, exposing her smooth skin to the air, waking up in the coolness of the morning.

Her head was still somewhat heavy. The feeling after a hangover was all too familiar. Perhaps because she had crossed the threshold of eighteen, certain physical desires occasionally surfaced in her mind. A few days ago, she had even dreamt of her absurd escapades with Mother Gong. Last night, she even dreamt that Mother Gong had a terrible temper and tormented her, leaving her uncomfortable all night.

Hua Manyi shook off those fanciful thoughts, got up to wash, and changed her clothes before going downstairs.

As soon as she descended, Xiaoxiao came to tell her, “Sister Manyi, a woman named Gong Shulan invited you to a coffee shop for coffee at noon.”

“Gong Shulan?” Hua Manyi was familiar with the name, hearing she was Mother Gong’s younger sister. “What does she want with me?”

Xiaoxiao shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Hua Manyi felt puzzled. She had no interaction with Gong Shulan, so why would she ask her out for coffee?

At noon, Hua Manyi arrived at the coffee shop and went to Gong Shulan’s table according to the number given.

“Miss Hua Manyi, I wonder if you still remember me.” Gong Shulan ordered two black coffees.

Hua Manyi smiled. “Of course I remember. Mother Gong’s sister. We met at Mother Gong’s house last time and even had a Western meal together.”

She had even helped her cut the steak.

“Since you remember me, I won’t beat around the bush,” Gong Shulan decided to speak frankly. “I have a small request. I wonder if Miss Manyi would be willing to help.”

“What is it?” Hua Manyi wasn’t foolish. She wanted to hear the details before considering if it was worth helping.

Gong Shulan: “I want you to investigate the matter of Huo Suqiu while you are learning English at Lu Nian’s house.”

Hua Manyi: “Huo Suqiu? Didn’t she die?”

It happened on the same day as Jiang Yin’s incident.

Gong Shulan: “She’s not dead.”

Gong Shulan explained Huo Suqiu’s relationship with Lu Nian. “Miss Manyi, if you can find out Huo Suqiu’s whereabouts in this investigation, I, Gong Shulan, will certainly reward you handsomely.”

Hua Manyi hesitated. Gong Shulan noticed her hesitation. “What? You are unwilling to work for me?”

“Miss Shulan, may I ask why you are so determined to know Huo Suqiu’s whereabouts?” Hua Manyi took a sip of coffee. “Did she have a feud with you?”

Gong Shulan’s face darkened. “You don’t need to know that, Miss Hua Manyi. I hope we can cooperate happily.”

“What if I refuse?” She wasn’t close to Gong Shulan, but Lu Nian was her life-saver, and her brother even helped her find connections. Otherwise, she wouldn’t even know where her parents’ bodies were buried now.

The moment Gong Shulan asked her to act as a spy to investigate Lu Nian, the scale in her heart had already tipped towards Lu Nian.

“Lu Nian is my friend. I must decline to do this for you.” Hua Manyi called the waiter, planning to pay and leave.

“Miss Hua Manyi, you need to be clear about your position. You are a singer in my sister’s dance hall. If my sister hadn’t taken you in, you would probably still be wandering the streets, or worse.” Gong Shulan’s gaze was condescending, and her expression was arrogant.

Hua Manyi picked up her handbag. “Then please have Mother Gong tell me. My indenture is with Mother Gong, and only she can command me. Miss Shulan, please excuse me.”

“Stop right there, Miss Hua Manyi, you like my sister, don’t you?”

The person who had stood up paused at these words. Gong Shulan smirked. “Do you know how I found out?”

“Your style of action, mannerisms, and even your dressing are all mimicking my sister’s appearance.” To the point that once, she almost mistook Hua Manyi’s back for that woman, Gong Yan.

“What does that prove? I merely want to become a person like Mother Gong.” Hua Manyi’s eyes darted away for a moment, then she retorted.

“But, you forgot one thing. As long as my sister appears, your eyes will unconsciously fall on her. Moreover… that’s not a look of admiration, but one of affection, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hua Manyi’s heart was momentarily in turmoil.

Gong Shulan calmly threw out another temptation strong enough to stop her feet. “What if I said I could make my sister fall in love with you, and be devoted to you?”

How is that possible…

Hua Manyi instinctively denied it. How could that woman fall in love with her? That singer, Jiang Yin, was already the person she liked. On that rainy night, she personally saw her kissing Jiang Yin, and in the days she wasn’t part of, Jiang Yin’s shadow was always around Mother Gong.

How could she be qualified to compete with a dead person, and even if she did, she wouldn’t win.

“Miss Shulan, Mother Gong is your sister. You should respect her.” After thinking it through, Hua Manyi regained her calm expression and left without looking back.

“Hua Manyi, you will regret this.” Gong Shulan watched the retreating figure, her face greatly darkened.

For several days in a row, Mother Gong was not seen at the Feng Hai Dance Hall. The people at Feng Hai simply assumed Mother Gong was busy with something.

Since learning some English at Lu Nian’s, Hua Manyi felt she had made great progress, at least her pronunciation was much better. It was around five in the afternoon when she left Lu Nian’s house. Soon after, it started to rain, forcing Hua Manyi to take shelter under the eaves of a small stall on the street.

Seeing someone selling candied hawthorns nearby, she remembered Xiaoxiao’s fondness for them, so she went up and bought a skewer to take back to Xiaoxiao.

However, the rain was getting heavier, and there was no telling when it would stop.

More and more people gathered to seek shelter: burly men, rickshaw pullers, and some gentlemen carrying briefcases.

Some men whistled and flirted when they saw her beauty, but Hua Manyi ignored them.

She was standing on the relatively outer steps when her arm was suddenly bumped. She nearly stumbled and fell into the rain, but fortunately, she quickly stabilized herself.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to.” A gentle female voice came, and Hua Manyi saw clearly who had bumped into her. It was a girl about her age, but her eyes made her stare for several seconds.

Jiang Yin…

The first reaction in her mind was Jiang Yin. Those eyes were too similar to hers—soft, gentle eyes that seemed fragile, with a naturally endearing quality.

“Are you alright?” The girl waved her hand in front of her.

Hua Manyi snapped back to reality, muttering, “…I’m, I’m fine.”

After getting a response, the girl ran into the rain, seemingly rushing to do something important, causing the people taking shelter to look over.

When the rain finally stopped, Hua Manyi hailed a rickshaw back to Feng Hai. Perhaps she caught a chill from the damp air and caught a cold. Xiaoxiao made her a bowl of ginger soup, which eased her throat. She then went back to bed for a while, sweating it out.

Around midnight, it suddenly became noisy outside. Hua Manyi, wearing a light silk nightgown, opened her door and saw Xiaoxiao coming up with a bowl of ginger soup.

Hua Manyi stopped her. “Xiaoxiao, I’ve had the ginger soup, and I’m feeling much better. You don’t need to boil more in the middle of the night.”

Xiaoxiao exclaimed, explaining, “Sister Manyi, this… this isn’t for you.”

Hua Manyi: “If it’s not for me, then who is it for? Who has a cold?”

“Sister Manyi, it’s for a young girl Mother Gong brought back.” Xiaoxiao answered truthfully. “I can’t talk now, I need to take it over.”

“Mother Gong brought back a girl?” Hua Manyi chewed on this sentence, feeling an unknown emotion. She followed Xiaoxiao’s retreating figure.

Xiaoxiao entered Mother Gong’s room. “Mother Gong, the ginger soup is here.”

“Give it to me.” Mother Gong’s voice came from inside. Hua Manyi sped up at the doorway. When she saw the girl on the bed, the girl with whom she had exchanged a fleeting glance earlier, Hua Manyi’s lips turned pale, as if she had stepped into another life.

“Xiaoxiao, who is this person?” Hua Manyi felt that her expression must be very strained at the moment.

Xiaoxiao came out with an empty bowl, meeting Hua Manyi who had also entered, and said, “I don’t know either, but Sister Manyi, Mother Gong saved you in the same way back then.”

“It’s getting late, Sister Manyi, let’s go back to sleep.” Xiaoxiao yawned.

Hua Manyi, however, returned to her room in a daze, the feeling of unease growing stronger in her heart.

The next day, the sisters at Feng Hai all heard the news that Mother Gong had saved a girl, and they all came to watch the excitement.

“Your name is Kou Qian’er? That’s a beautiful name.” Fang Yu and a few friends talked and laughed, looking at the recovered young girl.

The girl was gentle and weak, with a soft voice that made it hard to dislike her. Sometimes, she would look down shyly.

“Since Mother Gong has instructed me, I will take good care of you.” Fang Yu sized up Kou Qian’er. “You’ve studied dance, haven’t you? If you have a good foundation, you can suffer less.”

Kou Qian’er replied, “I haven’t practiced dance, but I can endure hardship.”

These words earned the appreciation of many of the sisters, and Sister Fang Yu also praised her. Hua Manyi watched them chatting from a distance, suddenly feeling somewhat out of place.

“Sister Manyi, do you want to go introduce yourself to the newcomer?” Xiaoxiao stood beside her. “I heard she signed an indenture with Mother Gong this morning, saying that Mother Gong is her savior, and she plans to stay and be a leading singer.”

“No, I don’t feel well. I’m going back to my room, Xiaoxiao.” Hua Manyi withdrew her gaze, looking listless.

“Are you not feeling well? Should I ask Mother Gong for leave for you tonight, so you don’t have to perform?”

Hua Manyi declined her kindness. “Xiaoxiao, no need. I’m not that delicate.”

In the evening, the door was suddenly knocked. Hua Manyi’s forehead throbbed. She hated being disturbed the most when she slept. Xiaoxiao knew her temper, and the other sisters also had a general idea.

“Who is it?” Hua Manyi got up to open the door.

Outside the door was the main character of the day, Kou Qian’er, currently holding a bowl of bone soup. Those eyes, so similar to Jiang Yin’s, looked at her gently, with genuine concern. “Sister Manyi, I heard you weren’t feeling well. I brought you a bowl of bone soup. I cooked it myself today. If you don’t mind, drink it while it’s hot.”

“What if I say I mind?” The words slipped out. Hua Manyi was stunned for a moment, then quickly recovered, looking at her with a lazy, condescending gaze, like a person in a high position seeing through her attempt to please.

“This…” Kou Qian’er obviously hadn’t expected such a response. “Then what do you like to drink, Sister Manyi? Qian’er will cook it for you.”

“No need. I don’t like receiving unexplained kindness from strangers.” Hua Manyi said bluntly, completely disregarding the feelings of a young girl.

Kou Qian’er’s face alternated between red and white, showing hints of grievance and distress, but she endured it, biting her lower lip. “Alright, then Qian’er won’t disturb Sister Manyi’s rest.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the response she got was Hua Manyi’s merciless closing of the door.

In the evening, Hua Manyi applied her makeup and put on a dark cheongsam, preparing to go down to sing. As she sang, her peripheral vision suddenly caught a familiar face in the corner. She froze for a moment.

Wasn’t that Kou Qian’er? Why was she watching her from below the stage? Had she learned to steal techniques so quickly?

However, on second thought, Hua Manyi gave a self-mocking smile. Wasn’t she the same back then? Watching the singing skills of the older sisters on stage and learning stage control.

There weren’t many guests tonight. Hua Manyi only had one bottle of wine before sending the person away. She stood up lazily, ready to go back to her room to rest, but unexpectedly, an uninvited guest was waiting at her door.

“Sister Manyi…”

“What is it?” Hua Manyi’s tone wasn’t very pleasant, even somewhat impatient.

Kou Qian’er was wearing tight-fitting dance clothes. Her figure was quite good, having everything in the right places. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and her expression was uneasy. “Sister Manyi… can men also enter our practice room?”

“What do you mean?” Hua Manyi frowned.

Kou Qian’er bit her lower lip, tears seemingly welling up in her eyes. “Sister Fang Yu had to go out just now, asking me to practice alone for a while. A man came in and touched my butt…”

“Who was it?” Hua Manyi suddenly sobered up, her tone unconsciously turning cold.

Kou Qian’er shook her head. “I don’t know, but I recognize him…”

That night, while there were still a few guests in the Feng Hai Dance Hall, a line of people suddenly gathered noisily. The few guests were half-drunk, unaware of what was happening.

Below the dance floor, a row of men stood in the front, including A Qiang, the bar manager, who stood there confused.

“Sister Manyi, why did you summon us?” A Qiang scratched his head. “All the brothers from Feng Hai are here. Is there something important you need us to do?”

However, Hua Manyi did not answer his question, instead signaling Kou Qian’er beside her to step forward. “Tell me, who is it.”

Xiaoxiao and Li Zhen gathered around, whispering, “What is Sister Manyi doing?”

Li Zhen shook her head. “How would I know? Could it be theft?”

Kou Qian’er had never experienced such a scene and was somewhat panicked, but under Hua Manyi’s cold gaze, she inexplicably gathered courage, looking at each man one by one.

Suddenly, Kou Qian’er pointed at a person and shouted, “It’s him!”

Before the words had even fully left her mouth, Kou Qian’er only saw a tall figure flash past her from behind. A clear voice came from above her head, “Someone, seize Guansheng and send him to the police station!”

“Huh?” Xiaoxiao was puzzled.

Instead, A Qiang and a few other lads instinctively carried out the order, flanking the man and holding him down.

“Let go of me! Why are you arresting me!” Guansheng struggled fiercely, glaring venomously at Hua Manyi and Kou Qian’er. “It was just a touch on this little tart’s butt, wasn’t it? You women who come here are just here to be harlots—”

The rest of the words were drowned out by several slapping sounds. Everyone was momentarily unsure whether to be angry at Guansheng’s words or shocked by Hua Manyi slapping him.

Only Kou Qian’er looked at the older sister in front of her with touching gratitude, tears welling up in her eyes. “Sister Manyi…”

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