Red Bean Lives in the Republic of China - Chapter 32.2

Chapter 32.2

Yu Hongdou felt a wave of surprise when she heard that. ‘Chen Baidie is definitely a big star. Her expressions shifted quicker than anyone else’s.’

For a long time, there was no sound from outside. After a bit, she suddenly remembered that she was still in He Yunqin’s embrace. Startled, she tried to pull away. As she moved, a slight pain shot through her scalp. She was so anxious that she didn’t have time to process it.

The heavy curtains were pulled back, allowing a beam of light from the garden to flood through the glass and into the room.

In that light, she noticed He Yunqin gazing down at her. Under the dim light, she couldn’t read the expressions on his face. However, she could see a small star in his eyes. His eyes were a bit darker and brighter than usual.

Even though there was some distance between them, they felt very close. The silence was so profound that they could nearly hear each other’s breaths. She watched him for a moment and noticed he was quietly observing her too. Suddenly, her heart started racing.

Just as she was about to say something, he took her hand and led her out. “We shouldn’t linger here too long, let’s head out.”

As they walked outside, no one was there. Suddenly, a servant emerged from the small living room, gave a discreet nod to He Yunqin, and then hurried away.

Yu Hongdou stared at He Yunqin with surprise. ‘No wonder he appeared so composed despite knowing his father was having an affair, and he didn’t seem shocked at all by what his father and Chen Baidie discussed. It looks like he was aware of this situation long before and has made preparations for it.’

Meanwhile, He Yunqin seemed a bit lost in thought. He felt the softness he felt a few minutes ago was still lingering on his body. Even though he hadn’t actually consumed the cup of “aphrodisiac” the servant gave him, he felt a strange restlessness in his body for no apparent reason.

Noticing her gaze on him, he steadied himself and said, “I need to get some information from Chen Baidie. This is really important. Even if I ask her directly, she might not share it. I suspect she came here tonight without an invitation mainly to see my father, so I took some steps to prepare. I didn’t expect you to walk in at this moment. I recognised you as I got closer. If my father finds out you ran into him and Chen Baidie, it could cause trouble for you, so I had to find a way to hide you.” 

“It’s dark in here, how did you know it was me?” Yu Hondgou muttered, feeling a bit shy.

He Yunqin looked at her for a while, then deliberately changed the subject and asked, “Why did you go to the bridge room instead of going to the garden to watch the play?”

“The servant who just brought you the drink seemed a bit suspicious. He clearly had skills, yet he intentionally messed up twice. The first time was after you had your drink, and the second time, he spilt it on your sister-in-law’s clothes. The more I thought about it, the more I felt something was off, so I thought about using the bathroom to stroll around the bridge room. If I ran into you, I’d give you a heads-up. But to my surprise, both rooms were silent, and I realised you weren’t even playing cards. Since I was already there, I figured I’d change in the bathroom and then go look for Gu Yun and the others. But when I stepped into the other room, I found out it was another bridge room. Just as I was about to leave, you pulled me back,”  Yu Hongdou explained. 

He Yunqin: “…”

‘What was he trying to find out from Chen Baidie? He should have been aware of the romantic scandal ages ago. The reason his father suspected Chen Baidie was likely because He Yunqin had sent someone with proof. So, there must be something else about Chen Baidie that has He Yunqin on edge. No wonder he went all out searching for this woman a few days back.’

Then Yu Hongdou recalled how Mrs. He was hosting guests in the small living room earlier. ‘It seems she probably has no clue about her husband’s connection with Chen Baidie; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so nonchalant upon hearing that Chen Baidie was coming. He Yunqin acted calm in front of his mom, but who would have guessed he’d turn around and deal with a hidden cancer outside the He family for his mother without making a scene? To put his mom at ease, he was worried about even bringing it up.’

As they got near the small living room door, she suddenly remembered Duan Mingyi. ‘Her clothes were soaked, and it didn’t seem like she had figured out the servants’ trick.’ 

Realising Duan Mingyi was not there, Yu Hongdou was about to ask where Duan Mingyi was from He Yunqin, she saw a pearl-coloured celluloid clip in the front pocket of his shirt. She figured it must have come off her head when she pulled away from him earlier.

Looking around and seeing no one, she quickly reached for it. 

Just then, He Zhujun, who was searching for Yu Hongdou in the house. She dragged older sister He Lanzhi back to the small living room from the garden. Suddenly, she glanced out the door into the corridor and spotted Yu Hongdou standing in front of her second brother, who was about to reach for something. 

Her brother had his eyebrows lowered, looking at Yu Hongdou without any intention of stepping back. She noticed that the looks on their faces were subtly different from how they usually were.

End of chapter 32

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