Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Don't Look Back (4)

Song Qi agreed to Yu Manyi that day, but then he rarely appeared.

She wasn’t in a hurry, since Song Huazhang would come to pick her up for the villa every weekend. The two women practiced horseback riding and shooting, and she became so skilled that she could hit the target with a ten-ring shot with just a flick of her hand. The horses she rode got taller and more agile as time went on. However, Song Qi’s horse still wouldn’t let her try it. Song Huazhang said that the better the horse, the more temperamental it would be; once it recognized its owner, it was hard to change that.

Yu Manyi did want a horse that would only recognize her, but how could she bring that up? She inquired about the prices of purebred horses and realized that her manuscript fees were nothing compared to them—people should try to reduce material desires. The hard-earned money of the working class was truly powerless against such things.

After her inquiry, Yu Manyi calmed down and simply rode the smaller horse. She didn’t dare to ride too recklessly, as if the horse got hurt, she couldn’t afford to pay for it.

As autumn approached, Yu Manyi went to a relatively secluded theater to find Song Qi.

As the Department of Labor’s inspections grew stricter, their propaganda activities became more and more intense. Shanghai’s theater culture was flourishing, with many students and young workers being theater fans. So, the battleground had shifted to the stage.

The play wasn’t bad, but the budget was tight, and even the sound equipment had been donated by Mr. Xu from the electrical company. The lighting and stage machinery kept malfunctioning. There was truly a shortage of talent and a need to cover up, so Song Qi, a graduate of Jiaotong University in mechanical engineering, was called in to help repair the equipment.

It had been a long time since the two of them had eaten together. She had finally managed to schedule a date, but then he was called away. Yu Manyi, of course, was unwilling. She stubbornly went to the theater that Song Qi didn’t want her to go to, and there she met many of Song Qi’s colleagues who were rehearsing the play.

Once she arrived, Song Qi could only introduce her, "This is Yu Manyi from the Commercial Press."

It sounded impressive. Having a big company attached to your name really made a difference. What pleased her even more was that several people, both young and old, came over to greet her after hearing her name.

"Yu Manyi?" Someone hurried over to shake her hand. "Are you Miss Yu who helped finalize the last batch of the silk factories? I’ve heard so much about you!"

A pair of warm, firm hands shook hers, and Yu Manyi tried her best to remain graceful, swallowing her annoyance at Song Qi’s sudden change of plans. Song Qi had already been called backstage to fix the machinery. She found a spot to sit under the empty stage and swayed her legs as she watched their rehearsal.

The actors on stage were clearly not professionals, just like Song Qi wasn’t a professional at fixing machines. They held scripts, performing their lines, with accents all over the place. But Yu Manyi found what they were performing quite interesting. She was even surprised at how easily she understood it.They were indeed an impressive group. They took the things that Song Qi had printed in the back of the newspaper, the things that troubled him because the readers wouldn't read them, and turned them into a play—this made it much easier for everyone to understand.

Their lighting equipment was also very simple. Yu Manyi saw someone squatting under the stage, soaking a piece of iron sheet in a bucket of salt water, with electric wires connected behind it. By rotating the sheet, they created a dimming and brightening effect for the theater’s lights.

Yu Manyi used to think that the necessary condition for doing things was money, like the Commercial Press, where money seemed to be everywhere. Now, it seemed that money was good to have, but it wasn’t the most important thing. There were indeed some things in this world that were more crucial than money, more difficult to destroy than copper coins.

When the rehearsal was nearing its end, loud, high-pitched music came from backstage, so it seemed that Song Qi had fixed the sound equipment. When Yu Manyi was about to go backstage to find him, suddenly, someone sat down beside her.

She turned her head and was surprised to see the man who had once dined with Song Qi and the others at the western restaurant, the one wearing a hat, sitting next to her.

How should she treat Song Qi’s superior? Yu Manyi blinked at him and said with proper demeanor, "Hello, Chief."

The man, who originally had a stern and cold face, couldn't help but break into a smile upon hearing her address him like that. Yu Manyi was at a loss for what to do, but fortunately, Song Qi soon came over when he heard the laughter. When he saw Yu Manyi sitting with the man, his expression turned a little tense.

The man noticed that Song Qi seemed a bit awkward and raised his hand to signal that it was fine.

"Watching the play?" he asked Yu Manyi.

"Mm."

"You seem very engrossed. Did you enjoy it?"

"Considering the limited conditions, it was already very good."

"Indeed, limited conditions," the Chief nodded, biting his pipe and asking, "What do you think is limited?"Yu Manyi had no idea. She was a complete outsider when it came to theater, and all she could do was find some industry-related things to comment on.

"The scenery on the background wall is a bit rough."

"Indeed, it was borrowed from a photography studio," the Chief said. "It's getting harder and harder to find printing shops these days. Sigh."

Yu Manyi nodded, pretending to be profound and understanding. Song Qi, with his arms crossed, stood nearby watching her, both worried and amused. The Chief stopped talking, and Yu Manyi looked at Song Qi, then at him, and suddenly spoke up:

"Chief, how about I draw a few pictures for you?"

Song Qi didn’t see that coming, and the Chief was also surprised, lifting his head. But only Yu Manyi remained very serious and continued, "I’ll draw a few pictures for you, and you let Song Qi rest for two days. He..."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Song Qi, unable to hold himself back, immediately stepped forward, "I’m not tired, I’m fine, Yu Manyi, let’s go eat."

The Chief started laughing again, this time a very gentle laugh, his eagle-like eyes full of kindness as he looked at the younger generation.

"I heard your manuscript fees are quite high," the Chief said, seemingly knowing a bit about her. She shook off Song Qi, who was constantly bothering her, and explained, "If I ask, I definitely won’t charge any money..."

"Alright, don’t keep dragging him around," the man laughed, glancing at Song Qi. "Okay, he really has a lot on his plate lately. I'll let him take a day off, and in exchange, you’ll paint a background picture for us, how does that sound?"

"Okay!" Yu Manyi was overjoyed.

The two of them finally left the theater side by side, and Song Qi was clearly still shaken. He reminded her, "You should come to these places less in the future, and interact less with my colleagues. The inspections are getting stricter and stricter. I really..."

"I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong," Yu Manyi said, very confused. "You’re all just trying to make life better for the workers. Why does the Ministry of Industry keep investigating you? Just like that scarred fish, who kept pestering you."

It would be fine if nothing was found, but if they discovered even the smallest trace... Yu Manyi remembered the whip marks on his back and furrowed her brows."If you had told the servants at the Yu family that they deserved higher wages, or said that the long-term workers' indentures were unreasonable when the Yu family’s house wasn’t on fire, would the Yu family have treated you kindly? This Shanghai Bund is just a Yu family compound without a courtyard or roof."

Yu Manyi nodded, understanding vaguely.

It was just getting dark, and she could finally sit down with Song Qi for a proper meal. As she ate, she thought about what Song Qi had said earlier, and suddenly realized that agreeing to paint the background for them was also dangerous.

"Song Qi," Yu Manyi suddenly said, "How about you get me a gun?"

Why was she always so sudden? Song Qi’s heart, which had just calmed down from the earlier rush of emotions when she was getting close to the Chief, now started racing again because of her request for a gun.

Song Qi pressed his hand to his chest, feeling like every day with her was too much of a thrill.

"What do you need a gun for?"

"To save my life in a crisis," Yu Manyi said, her expression so matter-of-fact that it made Song Qi seem overly cautious. "What if they find out my painting isn’t just a simple piece of work and try to arrest me? Then I’ll just shoot it out with them."

Song Qi: ...

Maybe he shouldn’t have taken her to the shooting range.

"I’ve been hitting bullseyes lately, all tens..." Yu Manyi continued.

Song Qi had heard about this from Song Huazhang, but still, he rejected her request, saying, "No."

"Why not?"

"Do you think a gun is just a toy? You can’t just pick it up whenever you want. What if it goes off accidentally?""Misfires happen because of poor quality. You wouldn’t get me one of better quality?"

... So now it’s his fault for not handling things well?

There was no room for negotiation on this matter. Song Qi firmly disagreed and refused to let her take the background painting to the theater until she had finished it. Yu Manyi, upset with him, ignored his advice and sent the background painting to the theater herself.

It was the second time, and the people in this small theater had already gotten to know Yu Manyi. They replaced the old simple props with her newly painted background, and both the people on stage and in the audience were full of praise.

Song Qi, angry, sat in the audience openly smoking, no longer trying to hide from her.

Yu Manyi didn’t care. She had already integrated into this new warm family. The people in the theater introduced her to everyone, and by the end of the night, a new person came out from backstage. When the two met face to face, Yu Manyi was shocked—what a coincidence, it was Director He!

Outside of the literacy class in Shaoxing and the Yu family compound, the only two people she knew were Teacher Su and Director He, the one who had once helped her. Now, both of them had joined the same team, and Shaoxing was truly a stronghold for them, where the sparks had started to spread.

This became the icebreaker between her and Song Qi. After chatting with Director He, she went to call Song Qi, who was sitting in the audience, to the backstage, saying she had an old acquaintance to catch up with.

Yu Manyi had met Director He twice. Once, he came to the literacy class to ask Mr. Meng to add materials requested by the authorities to the textbook. The second time was when she stood up for You Xiaoqing, and Song Qi, in order to help her, had urgently brought Director He from the county town to the Yu family compound.

Other than those two times, Song Qi had met with him far more often than Yu Manyi had.

Director He wasn’t nervous seeing Yu Manyi and Song Qi together. According to him, everyone present knew his previous history, and after various negotiations, he had finally arrived at the right place, doing things he no longer felt conflicted about, and had returned to the Shanghai Bund, the place he had longed for. As for meeting an old friend in a foreign land, it made him sentimental, his mind flashing back to the past, like the death of yesterday.

Yu Manyi didn’t know what he meant by "various negotiations." She only knew that he was no longer called Director He but "Old He." She could also tell that while Song Qi was smiling when talking to him, his eyes weren’t exactly friendly.

The big leader wasn’t present today. It was said that he had gone to another province and wouldn’t be back for a week. Song Qi didn’t say anything else and took Yu Manyi out of the theater, then asked her if she wanted to go horseback riding.

"It’s so far," Yu Manyi said in surprise. "Song Huazhang isn’t going today.""I'll drive you," Song Qi suddenly stopped arguing with her, looking a bit tired and just wanting to be with her. "I'll go with you to the villa, not bring my aunt. Besides, this is your rest day that you got for me... I should be with you."

Fortunately, they left early today. Song Qi went to Song Huazhang to get the car and then drove with Yu Manyi to the suburbs, heading for the racetrack. They finally arrived around three in the afternoon.

Today, the racetrack was slightly different.

On the way, Song Qi asked Yu Manyi to go to the backseat and change into her riding clothes. He allowed her to use both hands and feet to climb back into the passenger seat. By the time she jumped out of the car, she was already in her stylish riding attire.

Song Qi didn’t change himself. After parking the car, he led her forward, all the way to the stable. While walking, he stayed ahead of her, his body blocking Yu Manyi’s view. She didn’t see the horse until they almost reached the door. The tall black racehorse, standing outside the stable, was as tall as Song Qi's horse.

"Oh my god!" Yu Manyi couldn't help but exclaim.

The beauty of the horse was more direct than the people around it. This black horse had a shiny coat, long and strong limbs, smooth mane, and its shoulder height far surpassed the short horse Yu Manyi had ridden before. When they walked over, the horse stood proudly, staring at the two strangers with fierce eyes.

"This is..."

"My aunt lost to me in a bet over this purebred horse. It just arrived yesterday," Song Qi said, shielding his eyes from the sun as he looked at her. "She says you're incredibly talented, and your riding skills are now even better than mine... Can you ride it?"

"Would you let me ride?"

"I'm actually a little worried," Song Qi said. "It's too tall. I'm afraid it’ll throw you off. But I’ve heard you’ve been asking around about the prices of racehorses. The horses on the market are of mixed quality. If you end up buying a mule for a high price, it’d be better to just take this one..."

"Who would be stupid enough to buy a mule!" Yu Manyi was already running toward the black horse as she rebutted.

She ran across the grass field in her riding boots, with Song Qi following behind her. When Yu Manyi reached the horse, she stretched out her hand to touch its smooth coat, its back, and its flowing mane, feeling its flesh rise and fall with each breath beneath her palm, the coat storing the heat of the sun and the horse itself...Song Qi arrived as well.

"Are you going to get on directly?" he asked. "Or should I try it out first for you?"

"No, I'll try it myself!" Yu Manyi immediately said. "Your aunt said a good horse recognizes its master. If you try it first, what if it recognizes you?"

"What nonsense," Song Qi helplessly said. "In that case, it should have already recognized the groom who tamed it."

"Anyway, I’m going to be the first person to ride it in Shanghai," Yu Manyi said firmly.

The reins and saddle were ready. She placed her left foot in the stirrup, pulled herself up, and expertly swung onto the horse. Her posture was indeed practiced. The tall horse jolted violently as soon as it moved, and Yu Manyi initially let out a few startled cries, but then quickly became one with the horse.

Song Qi stood behind, letting out a slight sigh of relief.

It seemed like he was slowly getting used to letting her go... although even in his relief, there was still a mix of concern.

Yu Manyi urged the horse to run around the field, a thin layer of sweat forming on her face, then rode back to Song Qi’s side. The two of them, one high and one low, looked at each other. Yu Manyi smiled and said, "First time I get to look down on you like this."

"Come down, my high-and-mighty Miss Yu," Song Qi shook his head and smiled.

Not Miss Yu Er, but Miss Yu. Miss Yu Er was the second young lady of the Yu family, while Miss Yu was just Yu Manyi herself. She pulled the reins to stop the horse, slid down from its back, and landed straight into Song Qi's arms.

"Are you satisfied?" Song Qi asked. "Is this a good confession gift?"

"Ah..."

Yu Manyi only then reacted, her face covered in sweat, her eyes shining like crystals. After thinking for a moment, she wasn’t swept away by the happiness. "Isn’t this the thing your aunt lost to you? You're just borrowing it for a confession gift!""You really are difficult to deal with!" Song Qi grabbed her shoulder, reached out, and pinched her waist. "I see you don’t know how hard it is to get a horse like this. If I give it away, I’ll feel heartbroken! So, return the horse to me, and I’ll buy another one, so you won’t accuse me of 'borrowing flowers'!"

"No way! This horse is already mine!"

She acted spoiled and unreasonable, rolling around on him. He grabbed her by the back of her neck and took her back to the room they stayed in last time. They both took turns washing off the sweat from the horse field. Yu Manyi, wearing her pajamas, ran out and came up with a new idea: "I won’t complain about you 'borrowing flowers' with the horse, but you should get me a gun."

"What are you imagining? If you want a gun, return the horse," Song Qi said.

"No, I want both. Song Qi, Song Qi, Song Qi..."

She rolled around on him again, so much that his expression turned a little strange. He raised his hand and pushed her to one side. Yu Manyi’s plan failed, but she quickly came up with another idea and suddenly pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her bag.

She searched for a pen, and when Song Qi noticed, his expression turned curious. This curiosity quickly froze when he saw what Yu Manyi handed him. His face changed, crumbling, as he stared at the paper with helplessness.

It was a small piece of white paper, with two lines of old handwriting at the top:

"I, Song Qi, have repeatedly deceived Yu Manyi. Due to objective reasons, I am unable to swear an oath. Therefore, I am writing this IOU. Anyone who sees this IOU sees me."

Below that were crossed-out words from a previous debt:

"Another item of a handbag, to be redeemed when healed."

In the middle, there were two horizontal lines, and Yu Manyi had just filled in her fresh handwriting:

"One handgun, one box of bullets."

"You..." Song Qi was momentarily speechless, unable to come up with a rebuttal.Yu Manyi understood and realized she had finally found Song Qi's weak spot. This man, he was just too focused on his promises, too much of a person with a sense of duty—he couldn’t back out now!

He couldn't back out, but he could still get angry. Song Qi’s gaze lingered on the IOU for a long time. Eventually, he straightened his face and said unhappily, "You use something so important for asking for a gun?"

"Because the gun is important too," Yu Manyi immediately replied.

The gun was important, and it was hard to get. There were so many capable people around her, but the only ones who could really get a handgun were probably Song Huazhang and Song Qi—who asks an elder for a gun! She had no choice but to come to Song Qi.

Yu Manyi saw Song Qi as a toolbox—whatever you needed, you just ask, and after a few days, it would appear. The gun would surely be the same. And his expression made Yu Manyi certain that he could indeed get it for her.

He took the IOU with a stern face, crumpled it, and stuffed it into the wallet she gave him. It seemed like he had accepted the deal. Yu Manyi let out a sigh of relief and leaned closer to him, but he ruthlessly pushed her away.

"You already promised, why are you still angry?"

"I promised, but can’t I still get a little angry?"

He really wasn’t happy, and it was rare for him to act this way. He didn’t lie down next to Yu Manyi on the bed. Instead, he grabbed a book and went to the sofa to read. His face was dark, and he didn’t say a word.

Yu Manyi suddenly realized that her usual mood swings were somewhat hard to deal with and could leave her partner unsure of what to do. She sat on the bed and reflected for a moment, then moved closer to Song Qi and said:

"You get me a gun, and I won’t argue with you again."

"I don’t believe you," Song Qi replied, his eyes still fixed on the book, his voice cold.

"Really, really, you can feel my heart," Yu Manyi said without thinking, grabbing Song Qi’s hand and placing it on her chest. "If I were lying, my heartbeat would definitely speed up. But if you feel it, it’s really steady."

Is it because her heartbeat was steady? Yu Manyi didn’t know. But after Song Qi's hand was pulled over, he suddenly raised his eyes and started looking at her carefully."Ah, please, don’t be angry," Yu Manyi leaned over again, sat on his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You’ve already given away such an expensive horse, what’s a gun? If you’re so unhappy, then I... I..."

Yu Manyi leaned over and randomly kissed his face, finally following the previous understanding, and gently pressed her lips against his.

She felt that the sensation of sitting on him was different from before, but she couldn’t figure out why. Song Qi stared at her without saying a word. His hand reached under her shirt and began circling around her lower back.

She leaned into his shoulder, wondering how to make him stop being angry—yet, Song Qi’s breathing sounded more like he was still angry.

"You’re not still angry, right?" She coaxed him, her head hanging in the crook of his neck.

Song Qi turned his face, rubbing his chin against hers, his voice both burning and cold.

"Yes," he said, "I’m holding back a wicked fire, with nowhere to release it."

"Then let it out," Yu Manyi said in a pitiful tone, "You can scold me, just don’t keep it inside. You always bottle everything up... It’s all gonna explode."

She thought Song Qi would push her off his lap, but instead, he slid both hands down to her waist, lifting her up by her thighs. Yu Manyi had no choice but to tighten her arms around his neck to keep from falling.

She still thought that Song Qi was going to scold her—if he wanted to scold her, then let him, why was he standing up?

However, the next second, Yu Manyi realized that something was wrong.