Rose Lock - Chapter 70

The wine glass in her hand stopped mid-air. Gong Yan took in her appearance completely, her expression darkening slightly. Realizing after a moment that this was the living room and someone could come up at any time, she strode towards her.

But before she could get close, the woman who had originally seemed resolute suddenly retreated in fear, a flash of terror crossing her small face. This single, sudden action ignited Gong Yan’s fury without warning. She stepped forward and forced her straight back against the pear wood table behind her, next to which sat an exquisite bronze hand-cranked telephone.

Hua Manyi’s lower back hit the hard edge of the table. Her hands gripped Gong Yan’s shoulders tightly, both anxious and frightened. Her elbow knocked over the solid base of the telephone, nearly sending the receiver tumbling. Aching, she instinctively wanted to rub the spot, but before she could, a series of heart-racing gasps involuntarily escaped her lips.

“Gong Ma…” Hua Manyi looked up at her blankly. She could feel the icy coldness of the other woman’s fingers. Her face instantly flushed crimson, the color spreading to her earlobes. A wave of humiliation swept over her entire body. Hua Manyi immediately pressed her lips together, averted her gaze, and fiercely endured it. Her eyes quickly filled with tears, which silently streamed down.

“What? Feeling wronged? If you feel wronged, then go back. Don’t even think about getting your bond of indenture.” Gong Yan stared at her coldly, mercilessly mocking her pretense.

Hua Manyi’s expression changed slightly, and cold sweat beaded on her skin. She quickly grabbed Gong Yan’s hand, stopping her from leaving, and blurted out, “No! You can’t!”

She had come this far; she couldn’t allow her efforts to be in vain, or everything she had endured would become a joke.

A tremor spread throughout her body. Hua Manyi tightly clutched Gong Yan’s arm, her legs below seeming to lose strength, making it difficult for her to stand steady.

“Gong Yan…” She called her name directly, enduringly looking into her cold, deep eyes, which clearly reflected her own distraught and wanton appearance. The thought that countless days and nights she had been like this beneath her made a deep sorrow surge within Hua Manyi. An unspeakable emotion churned violently in her heart, causing her wrenching pain.

“Did you… always touch me like this before?” This was the first time she had done this with her while completely sober.

Gong Yan pursed her red lips, a mocking retort falling from them, “What? Do you want to revisit it, or do you want me to help you recall?”

Hearing the harsh, stinging words, Hua Manyi suddenly fell silent, looking down, not wanting to continue the conversation. However, Gong Yan intended to press the topic.

Gong Yan sneered and continued, “Which part do you want to recall? The bathroom? The office desk? Or the car? Or perhaps beneath the stage where you sing?”

With every location mentioned, Hua Manyi’s eyes widened. She simply couldn’t believe this woman had actually taken her to do those things in these places. “You… how could you…”

She couldn’t even find the words to describe the rest, shaking with anger, only managing to utter “crazy” and “pervert” to express her fury.

Later, she didn’t know which word provoked Gong Yan, but Hua Manyi experienced the unbearable feeling of thwarted desire for the first time, repeatedly rising and falling in waves. Yet, her pride would not allow her to lower her head and beg this despicable woman.

“Madam, Miss Wanyi’s wound has been treated…” Before Fu Bo’s voice could fully trail off, the voice of Lin Wanyi came from the staircase landing, “Gong Ma, Miss Shulan said she won’t be coming back tonight. She just called…”

Both their footsteps simultaneously headed upstairs. Hua Manyi’s heart instantly leaped to her throat in terror. The staircase was only a few steps away. If the two of them came up, they would definitely see what she and Gong Yan were doing!

“They can’t… let them come up…” Hua Manyi wanted to push the person away, but when her eyes met Gong Yan’s cold, threatening gaze, she dared not move rashly, fearing Gong Yan would use it as an excuse to renege on giving her the bond of indenture.

“Gong Ma…” Hua Manyi was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan. She clutched her shoulder, nearly in tears, “Please… don’t let them come up.”

Gong Yan’s thin lips tightened. Seeing Hua Manyi on the verge of tears, a complex emotion flashed in her eyes. She turned and said indifferently, “Fu Bo, Wanyi, go prepare tonight’s dinner. Hua Manyi and I still have things to discuss. Don’t let anyone disturb us.”

Fu Bo downstairs was momentarily stunned, but without much suspicion, he turned and went downstairs to instruct people to prepare dinner. Only Lin Wanyi descended two steps, then paused. She looked up the stairs, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, but she thought she heard faint, hurried gasps. Feeling uneasy, she gently held the railing and crept up two more steps.

“Gong Ma? Are you alright?” Lin Wanyi slowly moved upward, her confusion growing, until a stern reprimand came from around the stair landing, “Lin Wanyi! If you don’t listen to me, pack your things and go back to your Lin family today!”

Lin Wanyi was scolded head-on and immediately dared not continue going up. She meekly said, “Gong Ma… Wanyi didn’t mean to. Wanyi will go down now…”

She said the words, but her body couldn’t help leaning forward, trying to catch a glimpse of something. That panting sound was simply too strange. The next instant, Lin Wanyi’s eyes widened. She clapped a hand over her mouth before a scream could escape. She saw two long, pale legs wrapped around Gong Yan’s waist, the rounded arches of the feet tensed and trembling in the air.

Limited by the stair railing, she could only see the legs below the knees and vaguely make out Gong Ma’s profile, but that was enough to utterly shock her and fill her with bitterness and grievance.

Upstairs, Hua Manyi sat weakly on the chair beside the telephone table, watching Gong Yan step away from her and walk to the nearby bar to pour herself a glass of wine. Hua Manyi quickly snatched up the clothes on the floor and put them on one by one: the dudou (bodice), the xiekū (undergarments)… and finally the qipao (cheongsam). She could feel Gong Yan’s gaze on her the entire time.

Hua Manyi had no choice but to turn her back to dress. She thought that she had finally endured it. She would immediately get the bond of indenture. Then… then she would no longer be restricted by this woman, nor would she have to cater to her moods.

With this thought, Hua Manyi let out a sigh of relief. As she buttoned up the qipao, she turned around, “You can return the bond of indenture to me now.”

Gong Yan expertly lit a cigarette, sipped the wine with her red lips, savoring the fragrant aftertaste. Hearing her words, her face instantly fell, “It’s in the second drawer in the bedroom. Go get it yourself.”

Hua Manyi didn’t hesitate and went straight to the bedroom to search. “The second drawer…”

The second drawer of the desk wasn’t hard to find. Hua Manyi walked around the desk to the drawer, opened it, and found some neatly stacked documents. She quickly sifted through them and found her bond of indenture. After confirming it was the correct document, she prepared to push the drawer back, when her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a small, exquisite square box.

On an impulse, she picked it up and slowly opened it. What greeted her eyes was a ring with uniquely crafted artistry. Although it wasn’t as luxurious and dazzling as a Western diamond ring, the entire style was imbued with Eastern significance and sentiment, making it appear gracious and gentle.

Hua Manyi only glanced at it before putting it back. She got up, ready to leave, but just as she reached the door, Gong Yan’s familiar voice drifted in from outside.

“Mr. Sun, I hear you want to poach someone from me? … Even if the bond of indenture is in her hands, what of it? My person, Gong Yan’s person, is absolutely not going to dance in any other dance hall… Tell you what, Mr. Sun, just do me a favor. Yes, there’s no need for Mr. Sun to trouble himself with Hua Manyi’s matters…”

Gong Yan had just hung up the phone when she looked up and saw the furious Hua Manyi rushing toward her, her face filled with disbelief.

“What lunatic thing are you saying!” Hua Manyi instantly exploded, her face pale, trembling all over as she rushed over. “On what grounds do you interfere with my affairs?! On what grounds!”

On what grounds did she forbid her from singing and dancing at the Paramount Ballroom?!

Hua Manyi stood before her. She hadn’t felt much grievance while seeking pleasure beneath her just moments ago, but the moment she heard that Gong Yan had so easily cut off all her escape routes, a crushing sense of injustice spread from her entire body, threatening to drown her. This powerlessness, this feeling of being utterly at someone’s mercy, was like a huge stone pressing on her chest, suffocating her. Hua Manyi opened her mouth, her voice mournful, “…You lied to me?”

She had been played like a monkey, made to lose control and offer herself for the so-called bond of indenture. In reality, in Gong Yan’s eyes, the existence of that paper made no difference to her control over her.

Only she, Hua Manyi, was foolish enough to believe she could truly escape her grip and restart her own life.

Gong Yan was unconcerned by her distress. Her red lips curved slightly, her eyes cold, “What did I lie to you about? You wanted the bond of indenture, and didn’t I give it to you?”

“But you told Mr. Sun to refuse me entry into the Paramount Ballroom—” Hua Manyi yelled at her, her eyes bloodshot. She clearly knew that she needed this job, yet she deliberately cut off her escape route.

Tear. Hua Manyi ripped the bond of indenture into pieces right in front of Gong Yan, sobbing as she tore, forcing an ugly smile. She stared fixedly at her, “Gong Yan, there has never been a moment when I, Hua Manyi, hated a person so much. You are absolutely disgusting!”

Gong Yan’s expression subtly shifted. The cigarette was held between her fingers, unmoving for a long time. Her red lips were tightly pressed. At this moment, she was reflecting on whether she had done something wrong. Seeing the person before her about to leave, panic surged in her heart, and she instinctively reached out to grab her, “Hua Manyi…”

“Don’t touch me!” Hua Manyi instinctively threw the person off with force, but she didn’t expect the heel of her high-heeled shoe to suddenly snap. She fell backward towards the staircase without warning. Amidst her own scream, she heard someone shouting her name. Immediately afterward, she felt her back embraced, and they tumbled down the stairs together.

During the fall, Hua Manyi, in a daze, felt a violent impact to her head. A fierce pain radiated from the back of her skull; her scalp felt as though it were being torn apart. Countless fragmented memories flashed across her mind.

“It hurts…” she weakly gasped out the word “hurts.” The next second, she fell into endless darkness.

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