Hints at GL - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When the door opened, a blend of wood scent and the aroma of thick soup wafted to her nose.

Zhong Ning looked around with curiosity at the long hallway leading from the foyer. At the far end was a spiral staircase, with doors to the left and right—a structure remarkably similar to the villa the school had originally rented.

Barry led her to the living room on the left. Upon entering, she saw his parents approaching with wide smiles.

“You’ve grown so beautiful. I probably saw you when you were little, but I have no memory of it now.” Although his speech still carried a Cantonese accent, Uncle Huang’s Mandarin was clearly better than his son’s.

“I remember Uncle and Auntie from a banquet once.” Zhong Ning shook her head obediently, smiling as she brought up the past.

“As soon as Zhong Nan said you were coming to the UK to study, I kept telling him to have you over as a guest.” Mrs. Huang walked over from the kitchen, warmly leading her to the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the vast living room. “Sit first, the meal will be ready soon.”

“No problem at all.” Their warmth sent a wave of comfort through Zhong Ning’s heart.

“Hey, turn on the TV for a bit,” Mrs. Huang suddenly interrupted their chat. Mr. Huang knowingly turned on the television, tuned it to the BBC, and turned on the English subtitles.

“Do you watch TV often since coming to the UK?”

“Mm… not really. We rarely watch it; we prefer going out more.”

Zhong Ning chatted with him sporadically, but her attention was gradually drawn to a talk show on the screen. A male host with deep features stood before the camera, introducing the program in a pure British accent.

“The Power of Human,” Zhong Ning murmured the title of the show. It was a documentary about human supernatural powers. Was the BBC making this kind of program now?

“What’s wrong?” Barry noticed she was a bit distracted.

“…” Zhong Ning’s heart skipped a beat, feeling as though she had been seen through in an instant. Feeling a bit guilty, she raised a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. “Nothing.”

Barry didn’t press the matter. He seemed to remember something and looked around. “Where’s Anna?”

“Playing upstairs with your sister. Let’s eat first before calling them,” Mrs. Huang answered while chopping vegetables.

“Anna?” Zhong Ning heard an unfamiliar name.

Mr. Huang explained, “It’s fine, it’s just our neighbor, Anna. Her parents live in the southern suburbs, but she lives here alone, so I asked her to join us for dinner.” He suddenly remembered something and looked at Barry. “Wait, is Anna at the same school as Zhong Ning?”

“Yeah,” Barry nodded. “I think she’s in the Financial Mathematics Master’s program at LSE. Same year as you, in the Business School.”

“Anna… is she British?” Zhong Ning was startled. Same business school, yet this was her first time hearing the name.

Barry shook his head. “Anna’s Chinese name is Su Yuan. She’s a Hong Kong-descended BBC, grew up in London. You’ll meet her in a bit. She’s quite impressive.”

“…” Zhong Ning nodded, feeling inexplicably nervous.

“Barry, call your sister Fiona and Anna down to eat,” Mrs. Huang added the last bit of water to the pot. The soup that had been simmering all day was finally ready to be served. Following his mother’s instructions, Barry stood up again. “Okay.”

Before long, the sound of cheerful footsteps and laughter came from the wooden staircase.

“Fiona is my youngest daughter. Every time Anna comes over, she insists on playing with her. Very clingy,” Mr. Huang mentioned his youngest daughter, a smile naturally appearing at the corners of his mouth. Zhong Ning stood up with him, smiling in agreement. “She’s just a child.”

Like a gust of wind, a small girl rushed into the arms of the person next to Zhong Ning, babbling “Wow—” incoherently. “Greet our guest,” Mr. Huang instructed, his tone clearly full of doting.

Fiona raised her youthful face, suddenly standing up straight with a serious expression, and greeted Zhong Ning in a soft, childish voice, “Hi, there.” Zhong Ning’s heart melted at the sweet, soft voice, and she couldn’t help but reach out to pat her head.

Just as she leaned over, she suddenly heard a voice from beside her.

“Isn’t she lovely?”

An elegant, crisp, and standard British accent—one that matched perfectly with the woman in her dream. Zhong Ning felt her body tremble; her fingertips, which had just extended a few inches, froze in mid-air, completely forgetting what she had intended to do.

She steadied her mind, about to smile and reply, “Very lovely.”

But the moment she looked up, she locked eyes with a pair of beautiful, light-colored eyes. Su Yuan was looking at her with a beaming smile. Along with another polite greeting, she extended her hand toward her. “Hi, I’m Anna.”

In that moment when their gazes met, Zhong Ning felt her cheeks flush crimson.

“…Hm.”

It was the first time she had been nervous to the point of her face burning, and it was in front of a woman. Zhong Ning pursed her lips—what was this? She raised her hand, her fingertips hovering awkwardly in the other’s palm. Even after just a brief second of contact, that soft warmth pulled her right back into the dream.

Anna narrowed her eyes, repeatedly observing the flustered look in Zhong Ning’s gaze.

The “dream” contact didn’t last long.

Barry soon caught up. “Forgot to tell you, Anna’s Mandarin is even worse than mine. You probably have to communicate in English.” After saying this, he repeated it in Cantonese: “Anna, I told her your Mandarin is even crappier than mine.”

“Mm, no problem.”

Zhong Ning withdrew her hand with a feigned smile, but her unusual behavior was reflected in the other woman’s eyes. “That’s fine.” Su Yuan’s gaze swept lightly over Zhong Ning’s eyes, and she merely smiled.

Dinner finally began, and Zhong Ning was seated next to Su Yuan.

She couldn’t help but steal glances at her—the tasteful attire, the exquisite features… could it really be her? Zhong Ning became so lost in thought that she almost failed to look away when Su Yuan turned her head.

“…”

“Since Anna is here, let’s all speak English. Let me do the introductions first.”

Fortunately, Uncle Huang spoke up, drawing Su Yuan’s attention away. He pointed to Zhong Ning. “Zhong Ning is the daughter of an old friend of mine from home. Like you, she’s a postgraduate at LSE.” Then he pointed to Anna. “I gave you a brief introduction just now. Su Yuan’s parents are in business. She just resigned from the Investment Banking Division at UBS early this year to study for her Master’s. She should be a few years older than you.”

“UBS… Union Bank of Switzerland?”

They really weren’t lying. “That’s amazing.”

Barry nodded. “It is very impressive. Making Associate after 2 years as an Analyst is quite fast. If she stayed, she probably wouldn’t be far from VP. That’s why I always felt she didn’t really need to go back to school.”

Su Yuan elegantly wiped her lips and said with a slight smile, “Thank you for the compliment.” Having no intention of responding to Barry’s confusion, she suddenly turned her body toward Zhong Ning, her slender brows arching slightly. “Barry mentioned you’re studying Banking?”

Zhong Ning hadn’t expected to be addressed, so she nodded.

The corners of Su Yuan’s mouth curled. “Then we’ll have classes together next term.”

“Ah, really?” Zhong Ning looked at her slightly curved eyes, responding with some embarrassment, “Mm.” Su Yuan looked at her with an unidentifiable expression, her fingertips tapping lightly on the table.

“…”

What does she mean? Bringing this up suddenly… just to tell me we have classes together?

Zhong Ning’s face flushed. In an instant, the topic was diverted by the others.

Amidst the awkwardness, her heart began to race. What exactly was Su Yuan trying to hint at? Although she didn’t want to admit it, the woman in the dream clearly shared a very intimate relationship with her. Could she really be that person…?

“…”

Zhong Ning couldn’t help but take the opportunity while looking up to steal another glance at Su Yuan from the corner of her eye.

She no longer had much heart for answering Barry’s parents’ questions about whether she was used to the food or if she knew how to cook. Zhong Ning maintained a faint smile, glancing at Su Yuan from time to time while letting the conversation wash over her.

“…”

Suddenly, the other person seemed to sense something and glanced at her, seemingly by chance.

Their eyes met, and Zhong Ning felt her cheeks burn again. She masked it by jumping into someone else’s topic, regardless of whether it was abrupt. “But I haven’t really gone out to have fun much since coming to London. I’ll have a chance during Christmas.”

Unsure if she had successfully diverted the attention, Zhong Ning looked away shyly and unconsciously placed her glass on her left side. “I’ve been really looking forward to New Year’s, though. I heard there’s a New Year’s Eve fireworks show.”

“Yes, many performances. Hyde Park near Buckingham Palace has them too.”

“You young people like that stuff. Too many people; we don’t like to join the crowds.”

“The crowd is a bit thinner if you go over by the London Eye.”

“…”

Seeing them resume their conversation, Zhong Ning let out a long sigh of relief.

She habitually reached to her right side to pick up a glass, but just as she brought it to her lips, she caught Su Yuan watching her from the corner of her eye. What’s going on? Didn’t the topic change? Why is she looking at me again… Zhong Ning gripped the edge of the glass, feeling a thin film of sweat on her palms.

It felt like a long time passed, long enough for her thin lips to press against the rim.

Su Yuan spoke softly, “Sorry, that’s my glass.”