The Plough

p>

She was frightened and even Shen Shiqi knew about it. 

However, he didn't take it seriously and thought the maid was just being malicious.
He wanted to fire her, but He You'an stopped him.

The bathroom window faced a small alley outside, secluded and uninhabited.
During the day, the maid often opened the window to ventilate the room.

’

 But who could climb up to the second floor? It was no challenge, which meant that the culprit was nowhere to be found.

Besides, it was just a dead cat, at most a scare.
Even if He You'an reported the case to the police station, they wouldn't have the manpower to investigate and solve it.

Not long after, He You'an received a letter.

It was also on the same imitation gold flower paper, with only a short poem written on it.

“I couldn't help but worry about your beauty, one day you will join the waste heap of time.
Since beauty and fragrance will leave you, watching others grow while you wither away.”

As He You'an softly recited these lines of poetry, she was already in the Sun and Moon Pavilion of Baofeng Building.

Sitting across from her were Ling Shu and Yue Dingtang.
As the west wind blew stronger in Shanghai, more and more Western restaurants sprouted up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
Within the concessions, there were also many Japanese restaurants, making this place suddenly feel like an exhibition of international cuisine, with a dazzling array of options that were hard to choose from.

However, the local old-timers still had a strong market presence.
After all, China's regional cuisines were already diverse enough, and only the Chinese knew how to cater to the tastes of their own people.
Baofeng Building has been open since the late Qing Dynasty, during the Guangxu reign, for only a few decades, but it has already gone through three generations of owners, passing down their culinary skills and earning a reputation.

The private rooms are arranged according to the “Thousand Character Classic,” with names like “Heaven and Earth,” “Universe and Chaos,” “Sun and Moon,” and “Stars and Constellations.” 

This “Sun and Moon Pavilion” is one of the four best private rooms in Baofeng Building, located right next to the “Stars and Constellations Pavilion.” 

The Eight Immortals table was made of yellow rosewood and looked a bit old, but it must have been polished daily without fail. 

The table corners and handles were shining brightly, while the walls and pillars nearby were recently painted and hung with landscape paintings by contemporary masters.

With a slender and fair wrist, He You'an wore a jade-colored and smooth jade bracelet.
As she gently turned her hand, the jade and marble tabletop made a crisp sound, as if adding a footnote to her narrative.

The melodious sound of the zither and the beauty in front of him made it a pleasant moment, if not for the threat of death involved.
She read intermittently, occasionally recalling some details, and then smiled shyly.

“This seems to be a foreign poem.
I don't know any foreign languages myself, so I had someone translate it.
I only remember the general meaning, but there shouldn't be much deviation.” 

Yue Dingtang took the paper she handed him.
It was a piece of imitation gold flower paper with beautiful English writing on it.
The font was elegant and flowing, truly magnificent.
There were only a few lines of English poetry, and the Chinese meaning was similar to what He You'an had just read.

Yue Dingtang slowly spoke, “The poem you just read should be a Chinese translation of Shakespeare's Sonnet.
Different translators have different habits and sentence structures, but the meaning is similar.”

’

He You'an asked, “The person who helped translate it said the same thing, but what does the poem actually mean?”

Yue Dingtang replied, “There is no special meaning.
Shakespeare wrote many poems like this throughout his life, either praising love or singing the beauty of things.
But if you connect it to the assassination incident later, it becomes a bit meaningful.” 

“Shortly after I received this letter, the premiere assassination incident occurred,” nodded He You'an.

At this point, Ling Shu also asked, “What about before you received the dead cat?”

He You'an replied, “After the assassination, the maid was inspired to remember that she had also received a bouquet of flowers with a few words written inside before we found the dead cat package on the bathroom windowsill.
At the time, she thought it was from a fan and couldn't read, so she didn't think much of it.
Because I often receive bouquets from fans, most of which have three or four lines of greeting cards, I can't open and read every single one.”

Ling Shu asked, “Since there were so many bouquets, why did she only remember this one?” 

He You'an said, “Because other movie fans usually send roses or lilies, but this bouquet is different.
It's a dried bouquet of camellias, which is why the maid thought someone had made a mistake or was playing a prank on me.”

It seemed like the camellia flowers had become a symbol of estrangement, especially when they were dried.

If a fan wanted to express their love for a movie star, they wouldn't send dried flowers.

“The first time, it was a dried bouquet of camellias and a card.
The second time, it was a sonnet, and then the incident at the premiere happened.”

“And now, it's a painting.
In the painting, you push open the door and all the flowers around you are withering.
You're worried about what's going to happen next.”

“’Poor servant girl, living only to die for you.’ Although I'm not very knowledgeable, I can still understand these two lines.”

He You'an gave a bitter smile.

It seemed like the dried camellias had become a sign of something ominous, and the gifts from the mysterious admirer were becoming increasingly disturbing. 

“I'm worried that someone close to me will suffer this time.”

“Who could it be that wants to play such tricks on me? No, he not only wants to play tricks on me, but also wants my life and the lives of those related to me!”

“Mr.
Yue, Mr.
Ling, to be honest with you, I'm very scared.”