The Golden Cane and the Wild Rose - Chapter 27.1

Chapter 27.1

Zheng Hangyi drove Yun Ran to her doorstep. He didn’t even get out of the car to drink water. After watching Yun Ran go inside, he drove away.

Yun Ran closed the door and crouched by it, not moving for a long time.

Her nostrils were filled with the faint scent of roses.

Zheng Hangyi drove back to Jiang Musheng’s house. As he drove up the hill, he found Jiang Musheng still sitting in his car, waiting right where he had left him.

“Musheng, you…”

He was at a loss for words and temporarily stopped his own car as well.

Jiang Musheng asked, “Did A’ran go back to Kowloon Walled City?”

“Yes. Why didn’t you go back and rest first?”

“Cecilia should still be at the house.”

“Is that so? Our Governor’s daughter is quite persistent. I’m sure she’s also concerned about Miss Yun’s whereabouts. She’s going to be so pleased when she finds out.”

Jiang Musheng said, “She’ll be happy for a moment, but not forever.”

“Musheng, are you serious about Miss Yun this time?”

“When have I ever not been serious?”

Zheng Hangyi licked his dry lips. He had nothing more to say.

“I’m so thirsty. Drive back quickly, I need a drink. I’ll spend the night at your place tonight.”

The two of them switched back to their own cars and drove back to the villa.

Cecilia was indeed still there, and Xueyu was fighting off sleepiness, waiting for news about Yun Ran.

“Brother, didn’t you bring sister-in-law back?”

“A’ran is still angry. She’ll stay at home for a few days.”

“Oh.” Xueyu looked a little unhappy.

“Go to bed if you’re tired,” Jiang Musheng urged. Xueyu nodded and went upstairs.

Zheng Hangyi poured himself a glass of water, glanced at the victorious look on Cecilia’s face, and then looked at Jiang Musheng.

“Musheng, I’m tired too. Which room am I sleeping in?”

“Have the maid show you. Don’t sleep in A’ran’s room by mistake. Remember to shower before you sleep.”

“Got it.” Zheng Hangyi gave Jiang Musheng a look that said “good luck to you” and turned around. The Filipino maid, who had been waiting nearby, lowered her head and said, “Mr. Zheng, I’ll show you to the guest room.”

After Zheng Hangyi went upstairs, Cecilia walked over to Jiang Musheng.

Jiang Musheng sat down on the sofa, and she sat down beside him.

She asked happily, “Musheng, so you haven’t been sleeping in the same bed as Miss Yun these past few days?”

Jiang Musheng nodded. “I am, after all, a traditional Chinese man. The Chinese tradition is to share a bed after marriage, which shows respect and love for one’s wife.”

After hearing his explanation, the happiness on Cecilia’s face instantly vanished. “Musheng, actually, I also…”

“Cecilia, what you do is your freedom. I have no right to interfere. Besides, I’ve already made it clear that I can’t love you in this life.”

“Why?” Cecilia asked, unwilling to give up.

“I don’t know why.”

“Musheng, you haven’t tried. How do you know you won’t love me? Maybe I can make you happier than Yun Ran can.”

Cecilia lunged forward, trying to kiss Jiang Musheng.

Jiang Musheng got up to avoid her, and Cecilia missed, kissing the edge of the sofa instead.

“I’m only asking for a little bit of happiness from you, and I’m not even asking you to be responsible. Won’t you even give me that?” Cecilia was on the verge of a breakdown.

Jiang Musheng looked at her calmly. “Cecilia, we’ve known each other for so long. I think you should know that I’m not a casual person when it comes to relationships.”

“Of course, I know. But I’d rather you were a casual person right now, the more casual the better!”

Jiang Musheng was silent, standing a distance away from Cecilia, guarding against her lunging at him again.

Cecilia suddenly laughed.

“Musheng, you say you’re not a casual person, but you are. The fact that you’re with Yun Ran is proof enough of how casual you are!”

“Unless there’s some reason I don’t know about.”

Jiang Musheng seemed to recall something, a faint smile appearing on his face, but he still didn’t say anything.

Cecilia continued, “Musheng, I advise you to give up on Yun Ran as soon as possible. The fact that she left you so easily today shows that she doesn’t love you enough. In this world, no one will love you more than I do.”

“Cecilia, why do you love me?”

“Because… because…” Cecilia paused, and she herself was confused.

“I don’t know. The first time I saw you, I knew I fell for you. In your Chinese way of speaking, it’s called…”

“Love at first sight.”

“Yes, exactly, love at first sight.” Cecilia felt as if she had found a strong theory to support herself and thought that this would surely make Jiang Musheng believe how much she loved him.

But Jiang Musheng shook his head at her. “Cecilia, you don’t understand me at all.”

“I’ve been trying hard to understand you, Musheng. If you give me more opportunities, I’ll understand you better than anyone.”

“It’s getting late, Cecilia. Go home.”

Jiang Musheng said, “The Governor will be worried about you.”

Cecilia was in disbelief that even with Yun Ran gone, she still had no chance.

Her lips trembled uncontrollably. She wanted to say something more, but Jiang Musheng was like an airtight wall that she couldn’t penetrate.

One of Jiang Musheng’s bodyguards bowed and said, ” Cecilia, I’ll drive you home. Please.”

“I brought my own driver. I don’t need you.” Cecilia left in tears.

Once in the car, she began to cry loudly, asking the British driver, “What is it about me that’s not as good as Yun Ran? Why won’t Musheng love me?”

The driver was too scared to speak.

“Drive.” With tears and snot running down her face, Cecilia took out a handkerchief and wiped her face haphazardly. When she couldn’t wipe it all away, she angrily threw it out the car window, where it was caught by the wind and swept down the cliff.

“My handkerchief!”

“My handkerchief!”

“The handkerchief Musheng gave me!”

Cecilia screamed, pushing open the car door and about to jump out. The driver slammed on the brakes and grabbed her.

“Cecilia, be careful! The handkerchief has been blown away by the wind and can’t be found.”

“Let Mr. Jiang give you an identical one.”

Cecilia got back into the car in a daze. “I’m afraid he won’t be willing to give me a handkerchief anymore.”

The peacock blue handkerchief had completely vanished into the dark depths of the cliff, leaving only the memory of it behind for Cecilia.

It was the first time she had seen Musheng.

Her father had hosted a dinner party for Hong Kong’s old money, and at first, she was very disdainful.

“They’re just rich Chinese people—sickly, spineless. They’re no match for our brave and heroic British officers. Why should I have to socialize with them?”

With her attitude of looking down on the Chinese, she spent the whole night playing around with the relatively handsome British officers under her father’s command.

At one point, they were playing an arm-wrestling game. One British officer used the strength of a bull, and his rough skin not only scraped her hand but almost crushed her bones.

Unwilling to lose face in front of everyone, she hid in an inconspicuous corner, gritting her teeth and enduring the pain, but tears still rolled down her face.

She hated losing face and was determined not to let anyone see her cry.

Someone happened to pass by and heard her faint sobs. Quietly, a peacock blue handkerchief was offered to her from behind. She hesitated and took it. The person didn’t try to take credit or linger. They just left and even stopped someone who was coming over.

“I have something to tell you. Let’s go over there.”

She used the peacock blue handkerchief to wipe her tears and secretly looked back, seeing Jiang Musheng’s clean back. It was tall and broad, hidden within a black and gold suit. Every part of him seemed just right.

He wasn’t like those bearded British officers whose muscles bulged to a degree she couldn’t appreciate.

When she had cried enough, she went back to her father’s side, and he introduced her to Jiang Musheng.

She saw Jiang Musheng’s face.

She had never liked Eastern faces, believing that the facial structure and features of Eastern people were too dull and lacked definition.

But Jiang Musheng’s face was like a combination of East and West.

His features were well-defined and three-dimensional, especially his eyes. They were extremely deep, and his dark pupils gleamed even when he wasn’t looking at anything in particular.

She thought they were even more beautiful than her own blue eyes, which she was so proud of.

Jiang Musheng introduced himself, and his voice was also to her liking: low, a little cold, but very polite. The Chinese way of saying it was that he had a good sense of propriety, neither fawning nor arrogant.

She thought all Chinese people at the dinner were like this, but after interacting with a few others, she was completely disappointed.

It turned out that Jiang Musheng was an anomaly among the Chinese in her eyes.

She went back to find Jiang Musheng and asked, “Hey, do you remember me?”

Jiang Musheng shook his head. She showed him his handkerchief, and he only said, “I remember now,” not making a big deal out of his gentlemanly gesture.

After that night, she became more and more dissatisfied with the British officers under her father’s command.

Her father noticed this and asked her seriously, “Have you fallen for Musheng?”

Cecilia was initially unwilling to admit it. She didn’t want to admit she had fallen for a Chinese man.

Her father said, “I think Musheng is great. If you don’t like him, I’ll introduce him to other British girls.”

Only then did Cecilia admit it.

“No, Dad, don’t. Musheng is mine!”

Her father did put a lot of effort into trying to get them together. There were many coincidences, many dinners, dances, and birthday parties, and she and Musheng had plenty of opportunities to meet and talk. Unfortunately, Musheng never showed any interest in her in a romantic way.

Because Musheng didn’t like her, she liked him even more and felt that he was different from those who were most interested in her status as the Governor’s daughter.

She was very optimistic. Musheng didn’t like her, but he didn’t like anyone else either. She felt that one day, Musheng would love her and fall for her.

One day, she learned another Chinese phrase: “日久生情” (love grows over time).

She became even more convinced that she could make Musheng fall in love with her over time.

However, a Yun Ran suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Cecilia was furious beyond measure. “Tell me, tell me, what can I do to stop Yun Ran from going back to Musheng?”

The driver helped Cecilia away from the edge of the cliff and said cautiously, “We can find a way to make Miss Yun fall into someone else’s arms.”

“Someone else’s arms?”

“After being with Musheng, how could she possibly fall for anyone else?”

The driver said, “That… it doesn’t have to be real. A misunderstanding would work too. Didn’t you have someone investigate Miss Yun before? She was very close to a male university student.”

“Gu Hongfei?”

“His name is Gu Hongfei.”

Cecilia had an idea. The last tear on her face was dried by the wind.

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