Red Bean Lives in the Republic of China - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

When Lu Jingheng came out from the police station, servants from the Lu family circled him.

“Master, you have suffered these days.”

Lu Jingheng shrugged off the coat the servant draped over him and made his way to the car with a black face.

Because of Chen Jinsheng, he was stuck at the police station all night, and the more he thought about that, the more he became furious. In his frustration, he felt like smashing his brand-new car right there.

He had never been one to take losses lightly, and the first person he wanted to confront was Bai Haili. Unfortunately, Bai Haili had a good relationship with his father, so Lu Jingheng thought to let it go this time. Still, he thought of taking revenge when an opportunity came.

Leaning against the car, he pondered the events of the previous night. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching from behind. Turning around, he spotted a lackey cop who worked for Bai Haili striding towards him.

The man addressed him with respect, saying, “We’ve wronged Young Master Lu. Our director will visit your house tonight to offer a formal apology.”

“Apologise?” Lu Jingheng scoffed, “Mr Bai is a man of high standing; don’t even bring up the idea of an apology. We’re just regular folks, and we don’t deserve that.”

The policeman smiled and said, “Master Lu has been wrongly accused, so he should be angry. Director Bai also knows that he did not do it properly. It’s not that he wants to defend himself, but upon closer examination, there are indeed some misunderstandings about the incident the night before. If someone had not had solid evidence and insisted that there was something wrong with Master Lu’s villa and car, Director Bai would not have been deceived by that person in his eagerness to solve the case.”

Lu Jingheng wasn’t in the mood to hear their nonsense. But when he heard the policeman’s words, he remembered something. Chen Jinsheng had warned him about a car tailing him. If he remembered correctly, that person was definitely He Yunqin.

‘Could it be that my arrest that night had something to do with He Yunqin?’

Lu Jingheng was thinking about He Yunqin, but the policeman was trying to shift the blame onto Yu Chongyi. “Officer Yu who dealt with the case was careless and only listened to one side of the story. He found a bloody shirt in the villa and jumped to the conclusion that Young Master Lu was the killer. He kept insisting that saving lives was the priority and pressured Director Bai to arrest Young Master Lu. Director Bai, eager to help, ended up getting tricked by Officer Yu. If you look into this matter, you can’t really blame Director Bai; it’s Officer Yu’s fault for being too hasty.”

How could Lu Jingheng take a minor cop seriously? His mind was still stuck on that night. He and He Yunqin had been at odds for ages. Three months ago, He Yunqin had a scandal with Duan Mingyi, and he thought Lu Jingheng was the one spreading rumours. And it nearly killed Lu Jingheng.

What made him even angrier was knowing that He Yunqin was behind it all, yet he couldn’t find any proof against him, leaving him unable to confront He Yunqin directly.

He couldn’t swallow his anger, so he made a big scene on the hospital bed and asked his father to go to the He family to vent his anger to him.

The old man just said that He Yunqin was always polite and would never do such a thing. The blame was on him because he was hanging around outside all day and offended many people. Who knew who he would fall into this time?

The old man also said that as a father, he had long wanted to teach his prodigal son a lesson, and since someone was venting his anger for him, there was no need for him to do it.

Lu Jingheng knew that his father was unwilling to go to the He family because Mr Lu had several important businesses related to the He family. If he had some conflicts with that powerful family, it would backfire on him. Therefore, Mr Lu just has a small talk with He Mengmei.

Several months had passed since the incident occurred, but Lu Jingheng still couldn’t let it go.

Moreover, Lu Jingheng knew that He Yunqin still believed that he was the one who spread the scandal. 

‘That is why He Yunqin is causing me trouble whenever he gets a chance.’

It was Chen Jinsheng who reminded him that He Yunqin was following him.

‘I see… It seems that the reason why I was wrongly accused of being a murderer was definitely due to He Yunqin’s instigation. You ba*tard!’

With the new hatred and the old grudge, he felt like he had swallowed a handful of chilli peppers. He felt a burning sensation from his throat to his chest.

Without listening to the policeman, he got into the car and slammed the door shut. “Let’s go to Aurora!” He roared at the driver.

The driver was startled. “Master, what are you going to Aurora for?”

“To be He Yunqin’s bad luck!” Lu Jingheng said with a wicked grin. “This guy and I have always been at odds. We never clicked during our studies. After coming back to China, he has the nerve to blame me even though he is the one cheating with Duan Mingyi. To let off steam, he still tried to put me in jail. If I don’t deal with this, how can I, Lu Jingheng, show my face around Shanghai?” 

The driver, looking worried, replied, “Master, you know He Mengmei has a soft spot for his youngest son. If you really go to Zhendan to stir up trouble for He Yunqin, wouldn’t we be at a loss? What if it messes with the dock’s business? If the master finds out and he gets mad, the family rules will come crashing down on us.”

“I wouldn’t care if the old man beat me to a pulp.” 

“Young Master, you’re quite tall and strong, so the family rules don’t bother you. But what happens if the master gets angry and cuts off your food and clothing?” One of the servants asked.

Upon hearing that, Lu Jingheng took a moment to think. He was quite a famous wealthy young man in the city, known for his lavish lifestyle. Whenever he felt like it, he would splurge tens of thousands on women. But if his family cut him off from the money, how would he manage to enjoy himself?

Studying Lu Jingheng a bit, the servant suggested. “Young Master, if you’re looking to stir up trouble for He Yunqin, there are plenty of ways to do it without making a scene. Why create such a fuss and get yourself tangled up in it?”

Lu Jingheng squinted and inquired, “What clever ideas do you have in mind?”

The servant grinned and replied, “Remember when He Yunqin was rumoured to have had an affair with his eldest sister-in-law? A few months back, the He family went to great lengths to hush it up. They claimed publicly that their brotherhood was unaffected and it was merely a misunderstanding. But since the two brothers have different mothers, who really knew what went down? So why not use Mrs He’s birthday party in a few days to tarnish He Yunqin’s reputation again?”

Lu Jingheng pondered and said, “Are you talking about setting up He Yunqin and a woman?”

The servant said, “I am quite close to the servants of the He family. There are so many people at the birthday party. As long as we prepare in advance, it will be no problem to frame He Yunqin and his sister-in-law.”

Lu Jingheng showed hesitation. “Just find any young lady from a rich family; it doesn’t have to be Duan Mingyi.”

The servant shook his head and replied, “Everyone in Shanghai knows that He Yunqin has an affair with his eldest sister-in-law. If they frame him for another woman, firstly, it is not credible, and secondly, it will only add another scandal to He Yunqin. He is not married yet, so what if he has many women? Only by proving that he has an affair with his eldest sister-in-law again and again can we really sow discord between He Yunqin and his eldest brother. The He family’s huge fortune may not be divided fairly. If He Yunqin’s eldest brother completely hates his younger brother, why do we need to do anything? There will be people to deal with He Yunqin for us in the future.”

Lu Jingheng frowned and said, “But if this happens, Duan Mingyi’s reputation will be ruined.”

“This eldest young lady never treated the young master well before she got married and after she got married. Your affection for her is genuine, but what about her? The young master is going to do great things in the future, so why waste your time on such a woman? Think about it carefully. Think about the pain caused by that young lady. You must make He Yunqin suffer endless pain in the future to feel relieved.” The servant tried his best to convince Lu Jingheng to agree with his idea.

But Lu Jingheng didn’t agree with the man immediately. “We need to plan this carefully. He Yunqin is cunning and shrewd, and it is not easy to plot against him. Don’t try to plot against him and let him plot against you instead,” he said with a gloomy face.

***

When Yu Hongdou returned from university, she asked Mrs Zhou to prepare hot water to take a bath.

After stepping out of the bathroom, she headed to the bedroom, opened the wardrobe, and patiently tried on all the seasonal clothes one by one in front of the mirror.

Mrs Yu went downstairs to call Pan Mansion. On the way back home, she bumped into her daughter’s classmates, Gu Yun and Mei Lizhen. Knowing they had come to go to the birthday party, Mrs Yu took them upstairs. “Hongdou is still getting ready. There’s no need for them to wait downstairs. Come on up and have a seat.”

The two girls followed her upstairs.

Mrs Yu opened the door to the living room and noticed her daughter’s door was closed. Confused, she pushed it open and found her daughter in just a thin white petticoat, bent over the bed picking out clothes.

Yu Hongdou tried on several outfits in a row but wasn’t happy with any of them.

With a helpless smile, Mrs Yu walked over to the bed, randomly picked a pink dress, and held it up in front of her daughter. “What about this one?”

“No!” Yu Hongdou shook her head. “The waist is too loose.” As she said this, she gestured to indicate.

Mrs Yu was more puzzled than ever. Her daughter had never been picky about food or clothes. She usually wore whatever was given to her. Even when she went out to play with her friends before, she would just grab something neat and nice-looking to wear.

“Gu Yun and the others have already arrived.” Mrs Yu took out a finished cheongsam from the closet and said, “Don’t delay too long. You haven’t worn this cheongsam since it was made. It’s perfect for you to wear to the banquet tonight.”

Yu Hongdou turned her head to gaze at the cheongsam. It was made from moon-white georgette and adorned with large, pale pink hosta flowers. The petals seemed to float on the fabric, creating a sensation of gentle, rippling waves.

This was a birthday gift from her mother last year. The fabric was incredibly pricey; just one cheongsam cost the family a whole month’s expenses.

The dress fit snugly, and since she had grown taller this year, it appeared even tighter. She had tried it on multiple times at home but always felt too shy to wear it out in public.

After some thought, she realised there was no better outfit than this, so she decided to put it on first. Looking at herself in the mirror, she noticed her chest seemed too prominent, her backside too pronounced, and the slit of the cheongsam was a bit too high, making her worry that her pale legs might show if she moved. No matter how she looked at it, she felt uneasy.

Mrs Yu’s gaze drifted over her daughter’s dark hair and fair neck. Sensing that her daughter was about to change her mind again, she quickly intervened, saying, “What’s going on with you tonight, sweetheart? Why are you taking it off again? You can’t change it again. Are you going to leave or not?”

Yu Hongdou felt a bit odd herself. She had been trying on clothes for over half an hour, searching for one that suited her taste. Worried that Gu Yun and the others might be kept waiting for too long, she decided to abandon the idea of changing outfits.

Once she slipped into her cheongsam, she grabbed a comb and tidied her hair. After checking herself out in the mirror from different angles, she turned to Mrs Yu with a smile and said, “Mom, I’m heading out.”

Mrs Yu, unable to hide her concerns, followed her and said, “Make sure to have your brother pick you up later tonight.”

Yu Hongdou nodded in agreement. When she stepped outside, Gu Yun and Mei Lizhen’s faces lit up.

They stood up and exclaimed. “Hongdou, you look stunning tonight!”

The three of them hailed a rickshaw and made their way to the He Mansion. As soon as they got out, a servant from the He family greeted them and led them inside.

Yu Hongdou presented the invitation to the servant, and the trio followed him up the steps. Everywhere they looked, there were beautiful women dressed in vibrant outfits and guests mingling all around. They strolled along the spacious porch for a bit but didn’t spot He Zhujun or He Yunqin, which left them feeling a tad let down. After walking a little further, they pretended to check their outfits and noticed that the cheongsam remained smooth and wrinkle-free from the ride. Just then, they heard someone calling out from behind. “Senior Sister Yu, Senior Sister Gu, Senior Sister Mei.”

He Zhujun smiled and walked closer, saying, “I was just about to go look for my second brother, but I didn’t expect you to come. There are too many people here; let’s go to the small living room to talk.”

End of chapter 30

Have a nice day!