Red Bean Lives in the Republic of China - Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Yu Chongyi paid the rickshaw driver and went upstairs with his sister.

As soon as they entered the house, Mrs. Yu came to greet them. “Have you had fun?”

Yu Hongdou smiled and said, “Yes! Not only did I enjoy a delicious meal, but I also got to hear Bai Fengfei singing.”

Thinking of what happened at the birthday party, she subconsciously didn’t want to talk more about it. “Mom, I have to go to school tomorrow morning; I’m going to sleep first,” she said while walking into her room.

Mrs. Yu observed her daughter’s expression and felt that her daughter was a little shyer than usual. She exchanged glances with her son, and as soon as her daughter entered the room, she closed the door and asked her son. “How was it? When you went to the He family just now, did you see Hongdou getting close to any young man?”

Long before going to the He family, Yu Chongyi had received his mother’s instructions. As soon as his sister came out, he looked behind her from a distance. However, his sister was only with Gu Yun and a few other female classmates, and there was no young man around her.

He shook his head and said, “I didn’t see any. Mom, are you overthinking it? In the past few days, my sister has been running around with us all day to find Yuqi. How could she have the opportunity to meet any young men?”

Upon hearing that, Mrs. Yu was startled, as if a shadow had passed through her mind. She quickly seized on this and continued, “These past few days, Hongdou has gone out to look for Yuqi. Since Mr. He and Inspector Wang are helping us find someone, I think Hongdou is either with you or with the two of them.”

Yu Chongyi said, “Yes, Mr. He and Inspector Wang are both decent people. Sometimes when I go to arrest people and have no time to send Hongdou back, I ask them to help take care of Hongdou. Mr. He is well-educated and never nags. He has sent Hongdou back many times.”

Mrs. Yu sat on the sofa in confusion. She had seen He Yunqin before. He was both knowledgeable and handsome. ‘Hongdou has been acting strangely these past two days. Could it be that it is related to him?’

At this time, there were knocks on the door downstairs. It seemed that there were many people coming. In addition to the knocking on the door, there was also unbridled laughter.

Because it was late at night, the noise was amplified several times, and every sound was piercing and frightening.

Yu Chongyi was taken aback as he glanced at his mother, quickly putting on the coat he had just removed and saying, “I’ll head downstairs to check it out.”

A little later, he came back with a few colleagues. He looked confused.

One of the people, a tall and sturdy man in his early forties, entered the room, studied the surroundings, and then addressed Mrs. Yu. “Are you Chongyi’s mother?”

Yu Chongyi moved closer to his mother and quietly informed her. “This is Director Bai.”

Mrs. Yu managed to hide her surprise and forced a smile, replying, “Oh, it’s Director Bai? I have no idea. I almost overlooked such an esteemed guest! Chongyi is always thankful for your support, and I’ve been wanting to find a chance to express my gratitude. Please, don’t just stand there. Everyone, take a seat. Mrs. Zhou, please bring tea for our honoured guest.”

Bai Haili settled comfortably on the sofa and smiled, saying, “Mrs. Yu, no need to fuss. I just happened to be passing by and thought of visiting my capable subordinate who lives nearby. You look quite young, and I didn’t expect you to have raised Chongyi so well.”

“Director Bai, you’re too generous. Chongyi has made some strides at the police station over the past few years, but it’s all thanks to your excellent guidance,” Mrs. Yu said with a smile.

Bai Haili opened a cigar box, took out a cigar, and casually said, “Mrs. Yu, you’re being too humble. Chongyi is a loyal one, which surely ties back to his upbringing. Besides Chongyi, I heard you have a daughter? With a mother like you, I bet Miss Yu is just as impressive.” As he spoke, he placed the cigar in his mouth while casually scanning the room. “Hey, Chongyi, where’s your sister? Why isn’t she home?”

“My sister has to go to school tomorrow, so she has gone to bed now,” Yu Chongyi replied with a frown.

Bai Haili chuckled and replied, “School’s great, really great. I’m a bit of a rough guy, but I have a lot of respect for scholars. Just the other day, I was sipping tea at the Fuhua Lane Coffee House, and I think I spotted a female student. She was attractive and articulate. It was clear she had read a tonne of books. Is she your sister? I’m a gentleman, you know. The last time I asked your sister to join me at Dawanguo, she didn’t seem too thrilled. I feel like there’s been a misunderstanding, and I’ve been wanting to apologise to her face-to-face for a while now.”

Mrs. Yu’s eyelids flickered. In her younger days, she accompanied her husband in business and encountered all sorts of people. She often heard her son mention Director Bai. She was aware that this man was quite the bully in the International Settlement, often pushing around those beneath him. Given his influential background, she always advised her son to be patient.

Who would have guessed that this guy would show up uninvited tonight, and after just a few words, he would start bringing up Yu Hongdou? He probably noticed that the Yu family lacked power and felt free to act in a shocking manner. From his attitude, it seemed like he wouldn’t back down even if he couldn’t meet Yu Hongdou tonight. Having gone through the war with her husband in her youth and losing him in middle age, she had long since come to terms with many things, but her two children were her everything.

She replied coolly, “Director Bai, while our Yu family may be small, we still understand some manners. It’s completely unreasonable to expect our daughter to get up in the middle of the night to meet a man from another family.”

Her words were harsh, but Director Bai was still considering making Yu Hongdou his second wife, and he didn’t want to create tension with his future mother-in-law, so he softened his tone and said, “Mrs. Yu, what you said is a bit too much. The reason I came to see you at this late hour is simply that I thought Chongyi had done a great job these past few days, so I wanted to check on him and have a chat. Since it’s inconvenient for you, I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Yu Chongyi clenched his fists in secret. Suddenly he pulled something from his chest, walked over, and handed it to Bai Haili, saying, “Director Bai, this is my resignation letter. I feel inadequate in my qualifications, and I often struggle with cases. I’ve been planning to switch careers for a while now, and I hope you can approve it.”

With this, other police officers were taken aback. They all stared at Yu Chongyi in unison.

The atmosphere felt thick, and even Mrs. Yu was taken aback.

Yu Chongyi fixed his gaze on Director Bai with determination, clearly indicating this was no joke.

Bai Haili stood there silently, taking several puffs of his cigar before slowly turning his head.

Yu Chongyi immediately sensed two uneasy stares from above him, but he had reached his limit and stood firm against the overwhelming pressure, showing no signs of flinching or backing down.

Bai Hai looked at Yu Chongyi for a while, then suddenly smiled with an ambiguous meaning and said, “Yu Chongyi, I was planning to discuss some things with you in the living room tomorrow. Since you did this, let’s just make it clear tonight. Where is your study? Let’s go in and talk.”

The two of them went to the study room.

Mrs. Yu stayed in the living room for half an hour. When she thought of Director Bai’s tone just now, she felt her heart pounding. Time passed very slowly. She had no intention of entertaining her son’s colleagues, nor did she dare to go back to her room to sleep.

After the door was finally opened, Director Bai came out first. Seeing Mrs. Yu bounce up from the sofa like a spring, he smiled very happily and said, “I’ll give your son one night to think about it. I’ll come back tomorrow morning. From now on, I’ll personally pick up Miss Yu to school.”

Mrs. Yu looked into the study in doubt and saw her son standing in the room with a green face. He seemed to be in a trance and had not moved for a long time.

After waiting for those people to leave, she hurried in and asked anxiously, “What happened?”

Yu Chongyi felt completely frozen and was unable to say a word.

Meanwhile, Bai Haili was basking in the spotlight. If he truly wanted to take someone down, he had plenty of ruthless tactics at his disposal, whether it meant setting someone up or shifting the blame. Plus, he had solid proof in his possession. Even if he didn’t become a cop, he wouldn’t be able to escape prison time.

This situation involved Yu Hongdou, and Yu Chongyi was determined to find a solution. After a moment of contemplation, he made an effort to steady himself. “We can’t let Bai Haili pull the strings. Inspector Wang and his team have a lot of strategies. Let’s go talk to him right away.”

He headed downstairs and knocked on Tailor Peng’s door, wearing an apologetic expression. He borrowed a phone to call Wang Peter’s apartment. However, after dialling multiple times, no one picked up.

He lingered by the phone for a bit, deep in thought. Even if he went to Wang Peter’s place, he’d likely come up empty. Just as he was about to leave feeling let down, he suddenly thought of He Yunqin. As a policeman, he had the contact numbers of all the affluent families in his area, including the He Mansion.

But it was getting late, and calling the He Mansion might not be the best idea at this hour. Still, considering He Yunqin’s personality, he gathered his courage and dialled the number.

Luckily, this time a servant picked up the phone. “He Mansion, who are you looking for?”

***

He Yunqin headed back to his room to take a shower. After he finished it, he put on his pyjamas when a servant knocked on the door.

“Second Young Master, the master and the madam are waiting in the room. The eldest young master and his mistress are also there.”

He Yunqin realised this was likely about the traitor who had sneaked into the house at night. Even though he had just dealt with the servant and uncovered the mastermind, his father probably had more to discuss since it involved the He family’s reputation. He had no choice but to change his clothes and step out.

He reached there and knocked on the door. Once inside, he looked up and saw his parents there. His eldest brother had a grim expression and was standing silently next to his father’s desk. His sister-in-law was half leaning on the sofa’s armrest, as if she had just come out of a deep sleep, with tear stains on her cheeks.

He shut the door and said with a serious tone, “Father, mother, brother, sister-in-law.”

He Mengmei scoffed and replied, “Ever since someone spread that rumour three months ago, this issue has been brought up repeatedly. If these people succeed tonight, won’t our He family be the joke of all Shanghai? Second brother, your mother and I have been urging you to get married for ages, but you keep insisting you don’t have anyone special and keep stalling on finding a girlfriend. Even if you are honest, people will still have their doubts–“

He Ningzheng looked up coolly at He Yunqin.

He Yunqin was about to respond when there was a knock on the door. “Second Young Master, there’s a phone call.”

‘It’s so late; who could it be?” He Yunqin called out through the door. “Who is it?”

The servant replied, “The man said his last name is Yu.”

Mrs. He was taken aback. “The last name is Yu?”

He Yunqin paused for a moment, then opened the door and stepped out. “I’ll head downstairs first.”

End of chapter 34

Have a nice day!