Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
First, she went over to Room 304 of Plum Garden which was a place of courtship for the young bourgeois. With her exceptional sense of hearing, she detected waltz music being played by a live orchestra accompanied by the merry sound of laughter of the guests, and amidst that, she heard a ruckus caused by a man and woman.
“If you had listened to me earlier, you wouldn’t have to suffer so much now.” The man said with a frivolous tone.
“I’ll sue you! I’ll sue all of you!” The woman screamed out hysterically.
And yet, the men were cackling away.
There was even an arrogant voice that added, “Go ahead, sue us then.”
The voice of another man mocked her, “I wanna see how long this b*tch can remain undefiled.”
“Go away!”
“Get away from me! Don’t touch me! Don’t you dare touch me!”
The woman was screaming her lungs out as hot tears flowed down the sides of her face. Her screams were of despair, hatred, and rage.
Oh, she was being forced against her wishes.
The mask was still dripping with rainwater when Zhou Xufang removed it before tossing it into the trash can. She then wiped her face dry using the back of her hand as she walked over to the front of Room 304’s door. Reaching out and grasping the handle of the door, she twisted it gently.
“Creak!”
The door opened, revealing the smoke-filled interior of the room. The smell of alcohol was so heavy that it made one’s eyes water. A woman, whose clothes were almost ripped off her body, came into view. She was pressed down onto the floor by two men while another sat on top of her torso. He was a middle-aged man, slightly overweight, and wore rimless-glasses. His belt was unbuckled and a sticky white fluid could be seen splattered on his pants. Seeing that his pleasure session was being interrupted, he turned around to shoot a deadly glare from his round eyes.
“Who the hell let you in!?”
Zhou Xufang kicked the door wide open. “Your delivery order, sir.”
People walked past the open door rather frequently, and so, the man had no choice but to get up from his position. Hastily, he grabbed a coat to cover up the painting of shame Jackson Pollock-ed all over his pants. His expression was bitter and dark when he finally replied, “I didn’t order anything, f*ck off.”
The woman on the ground struggled to get up as one of the men tried to pin her down. Going berserk, she pushed and shoved for her life, biting into the man’s flesh before dashing for her freedom.
“Quick! Get her back here!” The man yelled.
Zhou Xufang, who stood by the door, was knocked aside as they clambered out of the room to recapture the escapee.
The woman was badly injured, with patches of bruises all over her body. She stumbled forward in a futile attempt to escape as the two men caught up to her effortlessly. Passerbys merely glanced at the woman indifferently without stopping to help or at the very least, offer to resolve the situation.
Why were they acting in such a manner? Was it because such incidents frequently happened here? Zhou Xufang was unable to understand the scene unfolding before her eyes. Stealthily, she yanked a button off her own shirt and pinching it tightly between her thumb and index finger, she sent the tiny makeshift projectile flying toward her intended target.
The man who was giving chase yelped in pain before his legs gave way under his weight. As he fell toward the ground, the man unconsciously grabbed his partner-in-crime and both men then collapsed into a pathetic heap on the floor, giving the woman the chance she needed to get out of Plum Garden.
Pulling the hood of her raincoat over her head, Zhou Xufang continued looking for the destination of her delivery order.
Behind her, she could hear the voice of a man yelling at someone else.
“Didn’t I tell you to lock the d*mn door!?”
“But sir, I definitely locked it!”
With a loud thud, the door lock fell out of the door, onto the floor.
“Why is it busted? How!?”
“That woman kicked it through, I think?”
“What sh*t have you been smoking tonight? Spare me such bullshit! Do you know how strong she would have to be able to destroy this contraption!?”
“Then how else was it broken?”
“Ugh, enough!” The man’s patience had run dry. “Go inform Director Chen of our situation.”
It wasn’t too long before Director Chen got the news.
Director Chen of Floating Hall was a voluptuous, yet graceful woman, well into her forties. Donning a lilac cheongsam, each step she took as she walked could only be described as balletic.
“Secretary Han.”
“Director Chen,” The person who wore a full-on Western-styled suit replied. His face appeared extremely gentle and refined too.
Director Chen moved closer and asked, “Is Chief Xiaoluo inside?”
“Yes.”
From the mercantile Luo family of the imperial capital, there was only one person who would be referred to as Chief Xiaoluo
Director Chen gently pushed open the door.
The room was dimly lit, but it was bright enough to reveal a lady lounging on her side on a wooden chair while drawing in a puff of smoke. She had paper-thin lips and single eyelids, features which made her seem detached from this world. With a lit cigarette between her fingers, she exhaled a cloud of white smoke that, for a brief moment, masked her face. As the smoke subsided, the corner of her lips curled slightly into a subtle, cold smile.
The eldest grandchild of the Luo family, Luo Qinghe. Apart from the leader of the Luo family, her grandfather, she was the one who commanded most authority. Her eyes were sharp and calculating, befitting of the woman who had a significant share in the prostitution market.
With bright red lips, she blew out a wisp of smoke. “Has the contract been signed?”
“It’s been signed,” Director Chen replied.
“What about the newcomer? Has she been obedient?”
“No, not really.” Director Chen replied with a smile. “She threatened to sue us too.”
“If that’s the case…” She paused to flick the butt of her cigarette, shaking off the excess ash. “…deal with the situation as per the old rules.”
“Understood.”
After finishing her cigarette, Luo Qinghe got up from her seat and straightened out the professional’s suit she was wearing. After gulping down the remaining wine in her glass, she walked out of the room, her high heels clicking as she did so.
As soon as she swung the door open, she was greeted by a familiar face.
“Jiang Zhi.”
The other person glanced back at her for a second but then proceeded to ignore her for the rest of the time.
Luo Qinghe crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame. With a smile on her face, she asked, “Why are you ignoring people?”
Her facial features were far from perfect, and with that smile on her face, an overwhelming aura of arrogance soon enveloped the area.
Jiang Zhi opted not to reply to her question.
Xue Baoyi stopped in his tracks and poked back at the lady. “Miss Luo, you aren’t very sensible, are you? The reason Brother Zhi here is ignoring you is naturally due to the fact that you aren’t meeting his standards. Going by this, for you to explicitly ask him such a question, aren’t you indirectly admitting your inferiority?”
For him to say such a thing, he was practically begging for a fight.
Yet, Luo Qinghe paid him no heed, and instead, her gaze remained on Jiang Zhi. “Second Young Master, you’re shielding his shortcomings aren’t you?”
Xue Baoyi raised his leg so high that it blocked Luo Qinghe’s field of view. “What do you think about it?”
What did she think about it? With a half-genuine smile and an overconfident look in her eyes, she replied. “Well, I don’t think the rumors are false. The only thing that’s false here is your supposed harem of three thousand girls. After all, you only need Jiang Zhi in your heart, am I wrong?”
How dare she utter such words.
Xue Baoyi was so angry that his face became as red as a tomato. “Why yo-”
Slowing down his footsteps, Jiang Zhi interrupted his raging companion. “Why are you joining her bullsh*t ballet?” His ears were now bright red as he actively tried to suppress his unending coughing fit.
Xue Bingxue on the other hand was silently trying to soothe the struggling Jiang Zhi.
With a dissatisfied snort, Xue Baoyi rolled his eyes before leaving with Jiang Zhi.
Making a left turn, they entered a long veranda.
It was then that Xue Baoyi turned to ask Jiang Zhi. “Did you have any grievances with the Luo family in the past? Other than that possibility, I don’t see why you have taken up such a disliking to their family.” Searching through his memories, never once had Xue Baoyi witnessed Jiangzhi being talked about in a positive manner by the Luo family.
“You talk too much.” Jiang Zhi hastened his footsteps. “Don’t follow me, I’ll go home by myself.”
Immediately after saying that, Jiang Zhi left the uncle and nephew duo of the Xue family standing cluelessly in the veranda.
Ah Wan, clutching a chicken under his arm, trailed closely behind Jiang Zhi.
“Why’s he still angry?” asked Xue Baoyi as he scratched his head.
Xue Bingxue’s hair was soft and trimmed to a relatively short length. Underneath the ceiling light, the shadows between the individual strands of hair on his head seemed thin and wispy. Somehow, this made him seem gentle and harmless. “Have you forgotten?”
“Huh?”
Xue Baoyi’s face held a stunned expression.
Xue Bingxue looked around, and after making sure that no one else was nearby, he continued. “Jiang Zhi’s first love was the adopted son of the Luo family.”
Xue Baoyi knew a little about this matter as well but he just couldn’t wrap his head around one thing. “He hasn’t been around for so many years already, why’s Jiang Zhi still thinking about him? Also, they had only met each other a handful of times, not to mention the fact that the boy couldn’t even speak properly.”
Rumour had it that the boy had stunted mental growth.
This matter only got stranger. Yes, the Luo family did not have a male heir, and yes, adoption was a perfectly valid way to resolve that issue. However, why had they adopted a mute and mentally-retarded boy?
Despite this, the mute and mentally-retarded boy had remained in Jiang Zhi’s heart even though so many years had passed.
Xue Bingxue’s doll-like face turned dead-serious. “Never speak of this in front of Jiang Zhi.”
Even if he wanted to, how could he? The subject of the Luo family’s adopted son was taboo even to many of his peers.
“Why would I do that? I’m no idiot.”
Xue Baoyi hated talking about this matter. Instead, he exclaimed, “Ah, I’d like to ask this world, what is love?” After his philosophic exclamation, he dialed a number on his phone. “Come to the Floating Hall, Second Master is feeling quite lonely tonight.”
On the other side of the phone, the woman’s voice sounded extremely alluring.
Xue Bingxue was dumbfounded by his nasty nephew’s actions. “Why you!” His anger had reached its boiling point and yet, he couldn’t bring himself to actually vocalize his fury. After glaring angrily at Xue Baoyi for quite a while, he managed to squeeze two words out of his mouth. “Shameless man!”
The shameless Xue Baoyi grabbed his uncle by the collar and whispered, “Third Uncle, leave it to your beloved nephew to enlighten you tonight.”
The baby-faced Xue Bingxue pushed away his scoundrel nephew and immediately started calling for someone on his phone. “Second Brother, for the love of God, restrain your son. He’s been engaging in uncouth acts all day long! What son have you been raising!?”
Xue Baoyi, who had been ‘engaging in uncouth acts all day long’ remained silent.
“…”
This innocent and silly little candy of a man.