Chapter 66

Chapter 66

The Rise to Fame (Part 3)

“Song Huazhang? I’ve heard much about her.”

In the principal’s office of Jiang Yu’s correspondence school, it was once again just Yu Manyi and Jiang Yu. They had both gotten used to the routine of looking at paintings and offering guidance every Saturday morning. When Yu Manyi knocked on the door, Jiang Yu paused her review of school documents and sat down on the sofa with her.

However, today, Yu Manyi didn’t just take out her coursework for the week, but also an invitation letter from Song Huazhang.

Song Huazhang had said that Jiang Yu’s “fame was widespread,” and Jiang Yu had responded with “I’ve long admired her name.” Yu Manyi sat on the sofa, watching as Jiang Yu opened the invitation letter, glanced at it, then placed it back on the tea table and asked Yu Manyi:

“How did she get you to pass on this invitation?”

“She’s my friend’s aunt,” Yu Manyi said. “When my friend took me to see her, she gave it to me.”

Jiang Yu smiled slightly: “Friend? I’ve never taken a ‘friend’ to meet my elders.”

Jiang Yu rarely inquired about Yu Manyi’s private matters, so this teasing left her feeling a little flustered. The invitation letter was picked up again and read for a moment, before it was passed back to Yu Manyi.

“It’s a banquet. Some colleagues in the publishing industry will be there. It’s a good opportunity to expand connections. I will attend the event.”

“Then I’ll ask my friend… to pass it along.”

Jiang Yu’s teasing made Yu Manyi feel awkward about using the word “friend” again. She lowered her head and then heard Jiang Yu speak again:

“Since you’re using your connection, then you should come with me.”

“Me?”“Who else is in this house?”

As soon as Jiang Yu finished speaking, someone outside the door called, “Principal Jiang.” Yu Manyi watched her stand up, and her gaze once again fell back on the tea table. To her surprise, the invitation letter had indeed turned into an entry ticket, fluttering lightly into her lap.

……

“Me?”

In the dormitory of the Translation Bureau, after Yu Manyi told You Hong about this, the jealousy that had long been absent appeared again on her face. Yu Manyi felt that You Hong was really quite transparent—every time she was jealous, it was written all over her face, like a simple villain whose emotions were too evident. How could she ever accomplish anything significant with that demeanor?

Yu Manyi struggled to balance her feelings. After all, anyone with eyes could see that her talent in painting was no match for You Hong’s, yet she always seemed to attract Jiang Yu’s favor. The last time it was the library access, and now she could attend Song Huazhang’s banquet with Jiang Yu.

The one organizing the gathering was Song Huazhang, and those attending, including Jiang Yu, were not people to be taken lightly. They were all trained by the Commercial Publishing House, and it was well understood that there were countless capable people in the world, and even more with connections. However, those who possessed both talent and connections were truly rare.

Human nature was so strange—people of the same level could feel like they weighed completely differently in one’s heart, just because they had met in person. Of course, all of this had to be built on real ability. A person who only talked big was always a joke wherever they went. As the saying goes, skill comes with practice. This golden rule applied universally.

“You’re angry again,” Yu Manyi said.

“I’m not.”

“Why do you think like that?” Yu Manyi coaxed gently. “Even if there are opportunities, I wouldn’t be able to handle them alone. I’ll definitely ask you to come with me. You Hong, ah…”

You Hong turned her face away from her.

“I swear,” Yu Manyi said, turning her face back, one hand holding her face and the other pointing toward the sky, “I will never make money behind your back!”You Hong couldn’t help but laugh with a “pfft.”

“I’m just a petty person,” she said, mocking herself. “Manyi, why are you so tolerant with me? Why do you always make me feel like you’ve known me for a long time?”

“There actually is such a person,” Yu Manyi casually said. “I met her when I was sixteen; she was my first good friend…”

“Good!” You Hong’s expression changed suddenly. “You actually treat me like someone else’s substitute! Who wants to be your second good friend!”

She suddenly sat up from the bed and left the dormitory without looking back. Yu Manyi was stunned, feeling inexplicably confused by You Hong’s sudden outburst. She could only helplessly stomp her foot. “Can’t you stop being so petty…”

Women are hard to understand, women are really hard to understand. First, You Xiaoqing, who was self-pitying because she went to the studio instead of attending classes with her, and now You Hong, who was sulking because of You Xiaoqing’s earlier situation. And Yu Manyi, as always, was clumsy at comforting women. She went to You Hong, saying, “That was just my older sister from before, and now you are also my good sister…”

“How many good sisters do you have? Pfft!”

That’s how Yu Manyi ended up being scorned and missing out on Song Huazhang’s banquet. It was truly sad.

Fortunately, when she arrived at the front door of Song Huazhang’s villa, she had already forgotten about You Hong’s disdain. This was her first time attending such a grand banquet. The courtyard was filled with golden and glittering decorations, with lights reflecting everywhere. The weather had turned cooler, so Yu Manyi draped the snow blue coat over her qipao and, together with Jiang Yu, walked down from the small carriage that had picked them up. It was her second time stepping through Song Huazhang’s grand entrance.

It was her first time at a large-scale event, and while Yu Manyi didn’t show any nervousness on her face, she still felt somewhat overwhelmed. She handed her coat to a servant to hang up and, after walking a few steps with Jiang Yu, they were soon separated by the crowd. She could only grab a glass of wine and stand by a long table, eating some butterfly pastries in solitude.

Song Huazhang hadn’t told her that Song Qi would also be there, and neither had Song Qi. So, when the music in the dance hall began and someone suddenly grabbed her waist, she was inevitably startled.

“Can you dance?” Song Qi noticed her reflexive steps.

“There’s dancing at the amateur ballroom in the institute…”

“Did Mr. Jia teach you?” Song Qi suddenly brought up.“No,” Yu Manyi firmly denied, “I practiced with You Hong, but I don’t know the lady’s step.”

Sure enough, she stepped on Song Qi’s foot. And because her shoes had heels with a small contact area, the step was quite forceful.

“If you dance the lady’s step, I won’t step on you anymore,” Yu Manyi said.

“That’s ridiculous!” Song Qi didn’t back down on this matter.

The two of them had a heated battle, dancing a whole song in the lady’s step. They were both out of breath and covered in sweat. After the song ended, a waiter made his way through the crowd and leaned over to remind them, “Miss Yu, Ms. Song, and Principal Jiang would like you to come upstairs.”

“Am I the only one?” Yu Manyi asked, glancing at Song Qi.

“They didn’t mention Mr. Song.”

“But they didn’t say I can’t go up with him, right?”

The waiter hesitated, “Well, no…”

“Not mentioning him means they don’t need me,” Song Qi suddenly said, “You go up by yourself. My aunt and your teacher are looking for you, they won’t let you lose out.”

Yu Manyi nodded. She rationally agreed with Song Qi, but emotionally, she felt a little uncomfortable. From the large family compound in Shaoxing to now, sometimes with Song Qi, sometimes without. But even in those moments without him, the things she did often mirrored what Song Qi had done before, one step at a time deviating from the norm, tracing back to the ancient canal that led away from Shaoxing.

Yu Manyi looked at Song Qi. She didn’t know why, but for some reason, she couldn’t seem to take that step away.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Song Qi laughed, “Don’t you usually argue with me and just turn away?”

She was wearing the qipao she bought herself, with the hairpin and earrings she bought herself. Even the beaded handbag was hers. She had already distanced herself from Song Qi in every way. She didn’t owe him anything anymore. However, inside the handbag, she still carried a crumpled IOU—a promise from Song Qi, one that had remained unsettled for far too long.“You just wait here for me,” Yu Manyi said.

“Alright.” Song Qi nodded, his expression as nonchalant as usual.

“I’m serious,” Yu Manyi suddenly became very persistent, “You’re not allowed to go anywhere until I come back.”

Song Qi was a bit at a loss because of her determined attitude.

“Of course, I’ll stay here. Where else can I go? A useless person like me, naturally, wherever you are, I’ll be. Otherwise, why would I come to this banquet?”

What was he pretending to be? He always had to wear a different identity over his real self. First, he was a poor student, and now he was an engineer from a British company.

“Sweet-talking, not a word of sincerity.”

Yu Manyi deliberately said this to Song Qi before turning to walk away. Her figure was graceful, the qipao cinched at the waist to show off a beautiful curve, the fabric flowing down to her feet, moving with a swaying motion. As the waiter led her to the stairs that led to the second floor, she suddenly couldn’t help but turn back.

A smile rolled out from her throat. Song Qi, holding a glass of wine, stood in place, unable to move because of the promise he made to her. His body wobbled slightly, and he tilted his head back to look at the ceiling, indeed a picture of idleness and leisure.

Yu Manyi turned back around and, finally, under the guidance of the waiter, went upstairs.

Compared to the first floor, the second floor was much quieter. Song Hua Zhang’s house was less like a place of residence and more like a social venue, with many private areas for conversations. As Yu Manyi walked down the hallway, she saw a few rooms where men and women were talking, and Song Hua Zhang and Jiang Yu were in the innermost room. Apart from them, there were a few middle-aged men and women scattered about, sitting in pairs, engaging in casual greetings and business talk.

Song Qi was right. When Song Hua Zhang and Jiang Yu came to find Yu Manyi, it wasn’t to put her at a disadvantage. Not only was she not at a disadvantage, but she was also benefiting greatly—

The man sitting opposite them was the owner of a printing factory. In the past, he only took printing jobs for publishing houses and newspapers, and also did some orders for tobacco companies. In the last couple of years, the business with calendars had grown immensely, and while he had a number of printing presses, he could only watch others get rich. Finally, he made up his mind recently to also order a set of calendar pictures and get his share of the profit.

However, it was said that switching industries was like crossing a mountain, and the printing factory was not familiar with this business. So, taking advantage of Song Hua Zhang’s banquet, he invited a few people from the publishing industry to help him out. The well-known Jiang Yu, who had once done well with calendars, was treated like a golden signboard for his venture.“Mr. Li, I’ve been running schools for many years, but when it comes to painting calendar pictures, my hands are a bit rusty,” Jiang Yu said, “What do you think about this?”

She placed her hand on Yu Manyi's shoulder and introduced her.

“Since you said that the professional studios for these calendar pictures are too expensive, and this time it’s just a small trial, I’ll assume you don’t want to invest too much in the manuscript fees,” she continued. “So, you can use my student instead.”

“Can we still use the title of Jiang Yu’s student when promoting it?” Mr. Li asked.

“Of course,” Jiang Yu replied.

“Good, then it’s settled,” Mr. Li waved his hand. “But what I want to paint is a full set of the twelve zodiac animals. Jiang Yu, your price is 500 per picture, so the whole set is quite expensive. I’m not sure about this student…”

Yu Manyi almost blurted out “50 is fine,” but was pinched on the neck by Jiang Yu. She immediately fell silent, hearing Jiang Yu say, “Twelve pictures will take time and effort. When I was at her level, I was charging around 100 per picture.”

This round figure made it easy for Yu Manyi to do the math, and she felt a surge of excitement at how easy it was!

Mr. Li showed hesitation. “But this is just a student. I was thinking maybe 800 for the whole set…”

Before Jiang Yu could speak, Yu Manyi immediately said, “I think that’s acceptable.”

She felt Jiang Yu lightly patting her neck from behind, a gesture full of dissatisfaction and a lack of foresight. Yu Manyi glanced sideways, thinking to herself, “Principal Jiang, you’ve never known hunger and yet you’re so impatient and urgent!”

She relaxed a little, and Jiang Yu stopped negotiating with Mr. Li for her, instead turning to speak with another publisher who specialized in art books about creating a picture book for the school. It was the first time Yu Manyi saw Jiang Yu outside of the school, and she was laughing and chatting easily, exchanging wine and cups. It seemed Jiang Yu still had a lot to teach her.

Mr. Li spoke with Yu Manyi for a few more minutes, then arranged the next meeting time, and turned to discuss other matters with Song Hua Zhang.Song Hua Zhang seemed to be organizing the event but not discussing any real business. Yu Manyi heard her smilingly ask Mr. Li, “If you’re interested in trying the calendar pictures, are you also eyeing the picture stories? I’ve heard this business has been doing well lately.”

“Don’t be too hasty,” Mr. Li replied. “Besides, I haven’t found the right approach.”

“There are opportunities everywhere,” Song Hua Zhang said. “This is truly a golden time for the publishing industry. The entire Suzhou River banks are filled with publishers like you, all making huge profits.”

The sound of clinking coins was everywhere as everyone, including Yu Manyi, was thinking about how to make their share. The invitation really did serve as a ticket. She quickly calculated the timeline Mr. Li had mentioned earlier—

Three months, twelve pictures, 800 yuan. She and You Hong would split the manuscript fee and artwork evenly, and it was more than enough time. At this moment, Yu Manyi’s math skills were impeccable. She no longer needed to calculate everything out meticulously on paper.

“Principal Jiang,” she said as she moved closer, “You should drink less. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

“No need, no need,” Jiang Yu glanced back at her. “It’s getting late. You can go back first. The driver will pick me up when the event is over.”

“But…”

“Go rest,” Jiang Yu said. “Twelve pictures in three months, you’ll need to work hard ahead.”

The twelve pictures would indeed require a lot of effort, but thankfully You Hong was there to help. Yu Manyi saw that Jiang Yu was busy talking to others and didn’t explain much, so she went downstairs on her own.

Although Jiang Yu thought it was a small sum, 800 yuan was definitely not a small amount. It was a number Yu Manyi hadn’t dared to imagine just a few days ago, but now it had suddenly fallen into her lap. She was caught off guard, but her excitement was overwhelming, and she couldn’t wait to share this with Song Qi!

She was wearing such high heels but still quickly ran down the stairs, the wooden floor creaking under her steps—

What does “a ray of light through the dark willows” mean? This is what it means! What does “after hardship comes joy” mean? This is what it means! She had promised You Hong that she wouldn’t make money on her own, and this blessing came far too quickly!

Yu Manyi skipped a few steps, and when she looked up, she realized Song Qi was not where she had expected him to be. Her heart sank a little, but when her gaze shifted, she saw him walking back from the other side of the hall, adjusting the coat draped over his arm as he walked.Yu Manyi quickly walked over: "What did you go do?"

"My clothes got splashed with wine," Song Qi said helplessly. "Let me tell you, a girl struck up a conversation with me and deliberately spilled her wine on me..."

This was quite an unexpected turn of events. Yu Manyi let out a sigh of relief and ignored him.

"You're not worried that I was hit on?" Song Qi caught up with her.

"Let her hit on me," Yu Manyi said. "It's not like I got shot. I thought you suddenly had some urgent business. Let me see your clothes."

His suit jacket was light-colored, and there was a large, very noticeable red wine stain on it. Yu Manyi looked it over for a moment and then gave him some advice:

"If you leave the stain overnight, it will be hard to clean. There's a laundromat next to my dormitory. If you're willing to drop it off, you can just send it there on your way."

"Well, it's on the way, but if I get it washed, I’ll have to go home in my underwear."

"No need," Yu Manyi said again. "The clothes you left at my place last time, I haven't returned them yet. After you get the laundry, my dorm is just a few steps away, I’ll take them down to you."

Now he could drop off his clothes at the laundromat, and go to her dorm to pick up his other clothes. Today, that wine spill was definitely worth it. Jiang Yu and Song Hua Zhang were upstairs, so they didn’t disturb the elders. After getting Yu Manyi’s coat, they went out and called a waiting rickshaw to head toward the translation institute dormitory.

When they arrived, it was already quite dark. The two of them got into the rickshaw and began bickering again, laughing and sharing the news about making big money.

"Truly impressive, Miss Yu," Song Qi said. "I think you’ll be even more arrogant in the future."

Yu Manyi immediately took a coin out of her purse: "Indeed, take this to get your clothes washed. From now on, you’ll have to listen to my orders."

Song Qi refused: "I can't accept money given like this. I have my pride."The rickshaw arrived at the laundromat, where the light was dim, and there were still employees working inside. Song Qi got out of the rickshaw and entered the shop. Yu Manyi told the driver, "Please go a bit further, just another 50 meters and we'll be there."

The distance of fifty meters was subtle—it wasn’t far to walk, but it often came with a corner. This corner made it impossible to anticipate what would be seen next. Only when rounding the corner could one realize that things were not as expected.

The driver stopped, and Yu Manyi stood up in surprise, nearly tripping over the car frame in her haste. She tightly gripped her purse, her fingers white with tension, and quickly pushed past the colleagues from the translation institute who should have been inside, but were now standing outside in the yard.

Inside the building, there was a shrill, piercing scream, unbearable to the extreme, filled with terror.

"What’s going on?" Yu Manyi asked, grabbing a person. When the person turned around, she realized it was one of her colleagues, the one who had invited her for coffee.

Their dormitory was in a relatively elegant two-story building in this area. When night fell and the lights were turned on, the warm orange glow from the windows could be seen from the street.

However, the warmth of the building was gone now. The screams were so tragic that Yu Manyi could understand why no one dared to approach.

"Miss Yu," her colleague was obviously startled too, and in his panic, he even dropped his usual English, "What’s going on with your roommate, Yu Hong? Her relatives came, and they're trying to smash up the dormitory!"

... Yu Hong? What?!

Yu Manyi's face changed, and she immediately let go of her colleague, heading straight for the dorm. But as she took a step forward, a pile of luggage came crashing out of the door, along with many paints and torn-up paintings—everything from Yu Manyi’s dorm room.

The first one pushed out was Yuan Wan, who lived next door. She barely managed to steady herself before she yelled, "Do you have no law? This is Shanghai, Shanghai! In broad daylight... right in front of everyone, trying to take someone! I’m going to the police station to report you!"

"Go ahead! Just go!" A strange woman's voice shouted from inside, mixed with a shrill scream that was clearly Yu Hong’s. "The contract has her fingerprint on it, five years, in black and white, we have every right to take what's ours!"

Yu Manyi’s mind went blank when she heard Yu Hong’s voice. As soon as Yu Hong was pushed out in disarray, she instinctively rushed forward, shielding her from the turmoil.

"What are you doing?!""Where did this filthy girl come from?" A burly man emerged from the house, followed by several men and women with vague features. "Get out of the way! This is our family's business. What right do outsiders have to interfere?"

"Yu Hong is my roommate!" Yu Manyi shouted, suddenly feeling a sense of helplessness. "Why are you smashing our things? You...!"

"Don’t lie! We didn’t touch anything, your stuff is untouched!" The man came over and pushed Yu Manyi. "You’re such a fool, you didn’t even ask about her background before living together? What good girl would live with someone like her?!"

"Slut!" A girl standing behind the man suddenly pointed at Yu Hong and screamed, "Your unworthy mother seduced my dad, then brought you to marry into the Yu family! You really think you're some young lady of the Yu family? Spending their money to study art, hiding here... My dad was killed by your mother and you’re living a good life!"

"He got sick, what does it have to do with me—" Yu Hong just started to speak when the man grabbed her hair and dragged her outside.

"You signed the contract to work at the yarn factory for five years, where do you think you're running off to? Who's going to pay back the funeral money for you running away? You—"

Suddenly, the man felt pain in his arm. He turned around and realized Yu Manyi had bitten him. After being yelled at earlier, she had been stunned, thinking that she was just a scared girl with so many people around. But when she regained her senses, her reaction was extremely intense, as if she had suddenly lost all control.

He shoved Yu Manyi off and sent her sprawling to the ground. But she quickly got up, shouting, "Let go of Sister You!"

Yu Manyi had never called Yu Hong "Sister You" before, and in her panic, Yu Hong barely had time to look up, only to see Yu Manyi’s eyes bloodshot.

"Let go of Sister You! You heartless, devouring dogs, I’ll kill all of you Yu family members—"

She was like a madwoman, lunging to bite him. He threw her off again, but she kept charging, relentlessly, until Yuan Wan, watching from the side, grew afraid and rushed over to stop her, worried that either Yu Manyi or the man might end up dead.

The group was also shocked by Yu Manyi's ferocity, quickly retreating and dragging Yu Hong away. Yu Manyi was thrown to the ground hard. When she raised her head, she saw them already forcefully pushing aside other colleagues who had tried to stop them, before getting into a large, black boxy car in the distance.

Does she still have any reason left? Yu Manyi didn’t know. All she felt was that her head was full of exploding blood, and the burning paper money from Shaoxing had finally reached Shanghai, but these bloodthirsty dogs couldn’t be burned away. Sister You was going to die again. Sister You was going to die again. She didn’t save her last time, and she still couldn’t save her this time! Why could she never save her!Someone hurriedly pushed through the crowd to help her up, holding her tightly in their arms, allowing her to cry uncontrollably. Yu Manyi cried so hard she could barely catch her breath, her whole body trembling like a sieve. She finally recognized the person who had come to her, and she urgently told them:

"Song Qi, they took Sister You again! They took her again, took her again, and they’re going to force her to death! She’s going to hang herself again, she’s going to die, I have to save her, save her, save her!"

"It’s okay, we can save her," Song Qi glanced at the car that had disappeared into the night, then turned back, trying to soften his tone as much as possible, to help her regain some composure. "I will save her with you, we can definitely save her, Manyi..."

He placed his hand on her shoulder and gently helped her out of his embrace. "You’re not the same Yu Manyi as before, right? You have many ways to handle this now, and so do I, right?"

"Yes... yes." Yu Manyi finally, little by little, began to calm her breathing.

She lifted her head to look at Song Qi, and when Song Qi saw her eyes, his heart couldn't help but tighten with pain. His Manyi’s eyes were red again, but this time not from tears. It was the calmest, most determined resolve.

"I’m not the same Yu Manyi anymore... I’m not."

She took a deep breath, no longer relying on Song Qi’s strength. Instead, she straightened up on her own. She looked around at the colleagues watching in the courtyard, knowing that no one could be relied on, and no one could help.

"I will definitely find a way to save Sister You," Yu Manyi said, her words deliberate, not directed at anyone else, not even Song Qi, but just to herself. "This time, she definitely won’t be forced to hang herself."