Rose Hotel 5

Su Man put away the letters and, after a moment’s thought, asked, “You’ve been following Kang Fu all this time. Is it possible he has lost his memory?”

The mirror provided the answer: “No.”

“Can you not communicate with me directly?” Su Man had always been curious about this.

Lin Hui remained silent for a long time before the words appeared on the mirror: “Mute.”

Lin Hui was a mute.

Su Man was about to ask more, but suddenly, there was a frantic knocking at the door.

Lin Hui vanished in an instant. Apart from the bed that had been rummaged through, there was no sign of anything unusual in the room.

When she opened the door, it was the landlady.

“Young lady, am I disturbing you?” The woman was holding a bowl of food. “I was afraid you hadn’t eaten yet, so I made some home-cooked food myself. Would you like to try some?”

Su Man did not refuse and invited her in to sit for a while, but the landlady declined. “I’m busy, I won’t sit.”

As she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered the real reason for her visit and slapped her forehead. “Look at me, I was so focused on the food that I nearly forgot the main thing. About the job you asked me for earlier…”

She paused. “Nannan didn’t say no, but she didn’t say yes either. I don’t know what she’s thinking, but I just wanted to tell you that if it doesn’t work out, don’t be too heartbroken.”

Su Man offered a few words of comfort. She had only made the request offhand and hadn't expected the landlady to take it to heart.

After seeing the landlady off, she hoped to speak with Lin Hui again, but the woman seemed to have vanished from the room, leaving behind total silence.

Near dusk, as Su Man went downstairs, she caught a glimpse of the landlady arguing with a woman with long hair. The woman was dressed in professional attire, looking as if she had just returned from work.

“Nannan, that young girl is really pitiful; she doesn’t have a job…”

As she drew closer, Su Man realized the matter concerned her. That woman must be the landlady’s daughter.

Embarrassed, she stepped forward to intervene. “I’m sorry to bother you both.”

She looked primarily at Nannan. “I’m truly sorry. I’ve already found a job online, so please don’t argue on my account.”

Nannan was not an unreasonable person. At least, after hearing Su Man’s words, her expression softened. “It’s not that I don’t want to help, but my own job isn’t very stable. In fact, I won’t hide it from you—I’ve resigned. I’m unemployed too.”

Hearing this, the landlady staggered, unable to bear the news. “How can that be?”

But she quickly recovered, her eyes filled with concern. “Nannan, are you alright? It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a job. This hotel will be yours one day. Even if it doesn’t make a fortune, it can still support you.”

Nannan clearly didn't want to hear this. Her tone remained sharp. “I’m going to sell this hotel when the time comes! I don’t want your place!”

With that, Nannan dragged her suitcase upstairs.

The landlady lamented, beating her chest. “Nannan won’t forgive me. She must be so angry with me.”

Su Man hadn’t expected to encounter such a situation. She paused for a second and, considering the landlady had been kind to her, said, “Landlady, the way young people think is likely different from yours. Don’t take it too much to heart. If you’re worried, I can go and talk to her for you. After all, this started because of me.”

The landlady hesitated, but perhaps due to her deep concern for her child, she nodded. “Please, talk to her properly. Nannan is a sensitive girl; it’s easy for her to get stuck in a dead end.”

Su Man went upstairs and found Nannan’s suitcase in front of a room door, but the room was still locked. She thought of the rooftop. Although the hotel only had two floors, it had a spacious terrace.

Following the stairs up, she found Nannan leaning against the railing, watching the night view. Her long hair danced in the night breeze, and the smoke from her cigarette drifted away with the wind.

Hearing movement, Nannan turned around, saw Su Man, and stubbed out her cigarette.

“Why did you come up here?” Nannan asked, surprised. “Do you want to see the night view? This isn’t the best time for it.”

Su Man shook her head. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Talk about what?” Nannan wasn’t hard to approach. “My name is Su Yunye.”

“Su Man.” Su Man shook the hand she extended.

“Are you here to lecture me? To tell me I’m wrong and shouldn’t treat my mother that way?” Su Yunye leaned back against the railing, acting as if she were drunk, though she hadn't touched a drop.

“Although I promised your mother I would, I’m not here to lecture you. Adults make mistakes, too—sometimes they just refuse to admit them.” Su Man leaned against the railing as well. “You’re an adult; you have your own judgment. I don’t know you well enough to be in a position to lecture you.”

“Oh?” Su Yunye drew out the word, her voice sounding like a laugh. “You’re quite interesting. You’re a bit to my taste.”

Imperceptibly, Su Yunye’s attitude toward Su Man shifted, becoming warmer and more intimate.

They sat in silence for a moment before Su Man broke the calm.

“Why are you named Su Yunye? Is it the rainy night I’m thinking of?”

Su Yunye was resistant to this question and didn’t answer right away.

Su Man didn’t rush her. “Let me tell you a little secret about myself. I’m actually an orphan. I didn’t used to be called Su Man; my foster parents gave me that name.”

“Really?” Su Yunye’s eyes widened. “Our experiences are actually the same! I’m an orphan, too. Do you know why I’m called Su Yunye? It’s because the night my mother found me, it was a rainy night!”

Because of the secret Su Man shared, Su Yunye opened up completely and began to tell her own story.

Su Man listened with a smile. Everything was going as she had anticipated; sharing secrets truly made people grow closer.

“Su Man, are you listening? Am I boring you? I’m sorry, it’s just that I’ve never met someone with such a similar background before…”

Su Man shook her head to indicate it was fine. She then mentioned, as if in passing, “Your mother has always cherished a toy of yours from when you were little. She’s always thinking of you; she must be very happy that you’ve returned.”

“You said she kept my toy?” Su Yunye’s eyes lit up instantly. “What kind of toy is it?”

“A hexagram pendant.”

“A hexagram?” Su Yunye repeated, her smile freezing as if she were trying to recall something, but she quickly put on a flawless smile again. “Is it really a hexagram?”

Su Man feigned surprise and asked, “Wasn’t that your toy?”