Rose Lock - Chapter 67

A knock came from outside the door, and Hua Manyi awoke as if from a dream. She quickly hung up the phone and got up to open the door.

Unexpectedly, the person outside the door was Kou Qian’er. She looked lonely and dejected, yet she forced a difficult smile when she saw Hua Manyi.

“What’s wrong?” Hua Manyi frowned.

Kou Qian’er feigned a relaxed air and said, “I’m leaving, Sister Manyi.”

Hua Manyi: “Why are you leaving? Will Mother Gong let you go?”

Kou Qian’er replied, “I don’t want to stay here anymore. As for Mother Gong… she will let me go.”

“Then I wish you a smooth journey.” Hua Manyi couldn’t say she disliked Kou Qian’er, but she wasn’t fond of her either. Perhaps in her eyes, Kou Qian’er was still a romantic rival.

It wasn’t for nothing that ever since Kou Qian’er stepped into Fenghai, she had frequently shown goodwill towards her, sometimes even treating her better than she treated Mother Gong, which led Hua Manyi to suspect several times that she was currying favor or had ulterior motives.

“About that, you and Mother Gong…” Kou Qian’er had to bring her thoughts back to the heartbreaking scenes of last night. Her chest throbbed with pain, but she suppressed the agony, raised her beautiful eyebrows and starry eyes, and fixed her gaze on Hua Manyi, restraining her affection. “You must be happy together in the future.”

The moment the words fell, Hua Manyi felt as if her secret had been exposed. She awkwardly averted her gaze and mocked herself, “What could she and I possibly have?”

Kou Qian’er noticed her evasiveness, smiled, and said, “I saw everything last night, Sister Manyi, you don’t have to deny it… Also, remember to close your door at night.”

“Saw what? Close what door?” Hua Manyi frowned, confused by her words.

The people of the Fenghai Dance Hall were bustling back and forth, some wiping tables, others sweeping the floor. Aqiang was arranging his liquor rack. Xiaoxiao had just seen Kou Qian’er off and returned, looking lost.

Only Hua Manyi stood by the railing on the second floor, her ears ringing, her mind echoing with that sentence—You and Mother Gong were, were kissing and cuddling in bed…

How could she be… kissing and cuddling in bed with Mother Gong?!

The street lights came on, illuminating the noisy street. A dark Ford car stopped at the entrance, and a woman stepped out—a woman of captivating beauty and style. Her luxurious dark cheongsam outlined her figure, long legs in high heels, and a white shawl draped over her shoulders, revealing glimpses of her snow-white skin. Her face looked lazy and content, and her red lips were cold and stunning. It was hard to tell from her appearance that this was a 30-year-old woman.

“Go down. Let Fang Yu cover for Yiyi tonight.” Her red lips parted slightly. She turned and headed towards the tea table in the corner.

In the center of the dance hall, ordinary dancers were performing. Although their singing had character, it was ultimately not as breathtaking as Hua Manyi’s voice.

“But, Sister Manyi said no one should bother her tonight…” Xiaoxiao followed behind, struggling to explain, “Otherwise, she’ll scold me to death tomorrow, Mother Gong.”

“My words still count. Go down,” the woman’s tone sharpened. Xiaoxiao flinched, stopped in her tracks, and reluctantly agreed.

In the flickering light, a few bottles of red wine were piled on the table, emitting a rich aroma. The silhouette under the light revealed a hint of mystery.

When the person was drunk, Gong Yan frowned, walked over, pulled the person into her arms, and took the stemmed glass from the fair fingers. “Stop drinking.”

The person in her arms paused for a moment in a trance, but on closer inspection, was still on the brink of being drunk, soft and boneless, clinging like a vine.

Supported by Gong Yan, Hua Manyi followed her into her room and collapsed onto the soft bedding. The high heels on her feet were removed by a pair of hands and placed neatly by the bed; her legs were lifted and placed at the end of the bed.

Just then, the phone rang. Gong Yan glanced at the woman on the bed, walked to the telephone stand, and answered the call. “Lu Nian? Why are you calling so late? Yiyi is asleep. Whatever it is, let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

Hua Manyi listened to the familiar voice coming from not far away, catching every word. Up until this point, she still felt nothing was wrong with what the woman was doing; at most, it was just concern.

But the next moment, her heart clenched again.

Gong Yan said on the other end, “I’m in her room. What does that have to do with you? Lu Nian, you are no longer her teacher. You don’t need to worry about this.”

She had never heard her speak in this tone before… Hua Manyi felt something was slightly odd. The phone was hung up, and the sound of high heels approached. Hua Manyi quickly relaxed her body, pretending to be drunk, but the high heels suddenly changed direction halfway, gradually fading away towards the door. It seemed as if Gong Yan remembered something she hadn’t dealt with and hurried off to take care of it.

The night grew colder again. Hua Manyi lay on the bed for about a quarter of an hour. The room was so quiet that she could hear her own breathing. In her mind, Kou Qian’er’s words still echoed repeatedly. She really couldn’t think of a reason why Kou Qian’er would lie to her.

She sat up from the bed and glanced at the woman in the mirror. The flush of wine hadn’t faded yet, but she knew she was sober; that little bit of wine wasn’t enough to knock her out.

A tall, slender figure flashed past the corridor. Gong Yan lifted her head from her desk and asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s me… Mmh, Hua Manyi…”

Gong Yan put down her pen and walked to the door, opening it only to find the tipsy woman falling into her arms, as expected. “Why did you come over?”

“Mmh… I missed you.” A spoiled tone slipped out of her mouth. Hua Manyi was shocked and surprised by her own familiar tone and demeanor. She instinctively tightened her grip around the woman’s waist.

“But I have things to deal with tonight. Can you go back to bed and sleep, please?” Gong Yan rested her chin on the crown of Hua Manyi’s head, holding her, a faint smile on her red lips. “Be a good girl.”

Hua Manyi was helped to the bed and covered with a thin blanket. Not far away, Gong Yan was working at her desk with a serious expression. As Hua Manyi watched, there was a momentary feeling that she had seen this scene many times before.

“Mother Gong…”

Hua Manyi realized what she had uttered only after the two words left her mouth, and she quickly shut up. How could she call out such a seductive and flirtatious name?

Just as she was confused and bewildered, a dark shadow fell over her. The woman from the desk had come to the bedside at some point, leaned down, lifted her chin, and her red lips pressed down… Besides that, there was the warmth of another body pressing against hers, fingers intertwined.

“Yiyi… open up…” The alluring words in the night were like a string of flames, teasing the heart, burning hot against her ear. Gong Yan easily stripped the woman on the bed. Under the light, her skin was like congealed cream, her lips cherry red, and her beautiful eyes were full of captivating glances.

Just as a finger explored the hot and wet warmth, a cold voice came abruptly from above her head, “About how many times have we done this?”

Gong Yan paused, having a moment of doubt, but Hua Manyi’s face was flushed, so she didn’t think too much of it. “I can’t remember. I want to hear you say those words, Yiyi, okay?”

“What words?” The woman on the bed countered, deliberately feigning ignorance.

Gong Yan frowned, somewhat displeased that she was brushing her off like this, but the next second, she keenly noticed that something was amiss. Hua Manyi never spoke in this tone on a normal day, unless she was extremely angry.

“Yiyi, you…”

A cold laugh mixed with strong emotions struck her directly. Gong Yan met Hua Manyi’s instantly tear-filled eyes, and her whole body froze, not knowing where to put her hands.

“Mother Gong, have you ever considered if I were sober right now?”

“…”

Hua Manyi burst into tears. “You pervert! Don’t touch me!”

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