Hints at GL - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Deep down, Zhong Ning desperately wanted to grab that waiter and blurt out the truth. But on second thought, while she at least had leverage over Theo, she knew absolutely nothing about the waiter before her. Revealing everything in such an uncertain situation might invite unforeseen danger.

Su Yuan’s pretense of having the wrong shop wasn’t without reason. Though it felt like a missed opportunity, Zhong Ning only gave him one last look before leaving the bar.

But… besides this, what else could they do?

This question weighed on Zhong Ning’s mind until she was seated in the Arbutus restaurant by the window.

Su Yuan watched her, her fingertips touching the stem of her wine glass. “What are you thinking about?” Her thin lips moved, a cryptic smile surfacing. “This is the first time I’ve invited you to dinner; your spacing out like this is making me doubt myself.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Zhong Ning felt apologetic but didn’t know how to voice her current state of mind.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have someone look into him,” Su Yuan said solemnly, as if she understood exactly what Zhong Ning feared. “It’s just a matter of hiring a private investigator. You haven’t been in the UK for long; leave these things to me.”

“Shaw… once I have the basic profile ready, you can email Theo to see if he recognizes him. If we really find anything suspicious, it won’t be too late to go back to the bar.”

Zhong Ning watched the street outside the floor-to-ceiling window gradually darken, but her heart refused to settle. “I’m sorry, I still feel a bit afraid…”

She knew Su Yuan could handle the arrangements, but she couldn’t help a bitter smile. “I mean… if it didn’t feel real before, the moment I saw him just now, I realized… this thing is right in front of us. Do you know that feeling?”

Su Yuan looked at her directly. “But you didn’t see yourself dying, did you?”

Zhong Ning was momentarily speechless.

“In that case, there’s nothing to fear.” Like a mist, a slight flicker crossed Su Yuan’s eyes, yet it was devoid of any readable emotion. “If it really comes to that, I will save you.”

It was a heart-stirring joke of a sentence—Su Yuan saying she would save her… but how could she?

That baseless vow warmed Zhong Ning’s heart. She couldn’t help but laugh, and her anxiety lessened slightly. “Hearing you say that, it makes it sound like you have superpowers or something.”

At those words, the wine glass that had just touched Su Yuan’s thin lips paused.

Her slender eyes swept lightly across Zhong Ning’s face. Su Yuan replied in a low voice, “Mhm. If I said I did, would you believe me?”

What kind of joke is she playing now?

Zhong Ning looked at her in surprise, unsure how to respond. “You… you’re saying you…”

After a long pause, an indistinguishable emotion flashed through Su Yuan’s eyes. She smiled. “How could that be possible.”

Just then, an exquisitely plated appetizer was served.

“Cheers.”

Su Yuan offered an elegant thanks and gestured to Zhong Ning. “Stop thinking about those things for now. Try this d’Hazelnuts; I really love the aroma.”

Zhong Ning sighed lightly. She was right—this was her first time at a Michelin-starred restaurant; wasn’t forgetting those troubles more important than anything?

She tried to take a whiff, and the fragrance seeped into her lungs, making her mood feel a bit lighter. “Mhm…” A shallow smile slid across her lips. “I feel like I’ve turned into a squirrel.”

Su Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle at her description.

Turbot, Williams pear… Zhong Ning stared at the delicate arrangement for a moment and suddenly noticed something. Come to think of it… this restaurant served British cuisine.

Zhong Ning thought for a moment and looked up to ask, “I’ve heard many people think British food isn’t very good… ah, I didn’t mean it like that,” she quickly explained, remembering Su Yuan worked for the BBC. “I mean, this restaurant seems quite nice.”

Her flustered manner made the corners of Su Yuan’s mouth curve. “It’s fine. It isn’t good.”

“The only British food I’m willing to eat more than a few times are a few Michelin-standard restaurants in London and the fish and chips in Whitby.” Su Yuan glanced at her, delicately cutting a piece of silver mullet. “Arbutus is only one star, it seems. If you like it, next time I’ll take you to the Ledbury.”

In a moment like this, should she accept with a beaming smile or politely decline?

Zhong Ning kept a faint smile on her face, but her heart was racing.

While she was hesitating, she accidentally overheard a discussion from several men in suits at the neighboring table. One of them said slowly, “My financial advisor wants me to withdraw the £8 million I invested in Myanmar; I’m considering it.” The person beside him asked casually, “What about that hotel group? I mean Corus…”

Gradually, the conversation became indistinct.

8 million…

Zhong Ning couldn’t help but glance at Su Yuan. She saw those exquisite features slightly lowered, dining with constant elegance as if there were nothing to be surprised about at all.

“What is it?”

Su Yuan stopped and looked up at her.

Zhong Ning averted her eyes bashfully and replied tactfully, “Nothing… I just suddenly felt that, in many ways, we don’t have much in common.”

“So? Are you preparing to reject me?” Su Yuan looked at her, her thin brows arching slightly.

“No,” Zhong Ning’s face turned red. So I have to give an answer now? “I haven’t made up my mind yet. These past few days… I haven’t had time to think about that question.”

She thought for a moment and suddenly looked up to ask, “By the way, are there very few people who would refuse you?”

Hearing her words, Su Yuan smiled. “Why do you think that?”

Zhong Ning gazed into those smiling eyes. After holding it in for a long while, all she had were sweet words she couldn’t bring herself to say. “…Are you inducing me to praise you?” She bit her lip, determined not to fall for this person’s trap.

“Not really. I just thought I might hear some sweet talk,” Su Yuan’s smile deepened, her thin lips curving. “It’s true that I haven’t been rejected very often.”

Just as Zhong Ning thought their topic was about to return to square one, she heard a woman’s voice from behind them, neither loud nor soft: “Anna?” Was she calling… Su Yuan?

The faint smile on Su Yuan’s face clearly confirmed this.

Zhong Ning turned to look. A tall woman was walking toward them. She wore a tight-fitting short skirt and held only a small handbag. Her skin was tanned, and while her features weren’t as perfect as Ruan Mu’s, she had a unique charm.

Wait, that face is so familiar…

Zhong Ning looked at her and thought for a while. This person… seemed to be the woman who had tagged Su Yuan on Facebook—the one in the photo hugging Su Yuan from behind. A sudden wave of bitterness washed over Zhong Ning.

The woman looked very much of Chinese descent. Su Yuan had mentioned her before; was her name Olivia?

Olivia came over and sat directly next to Su Yuan, even intimately taking her arm, as if she didn’t see Zhong Ning at all.

Su Yuan clearly didn’t mind. She smiled and asked the woman, “Why are you here today?”

“I was on my way to Fabric, saw you inside, and came to say hi.” Olivia’s crimson lips curved slightly as she leaned almost entirely against Su Yuan. “You haven’t asked me out in so long. Want to come along?”

Su Yuan smiled. “No, I’m on a date.”

She finally shifted her gaze to Zhong Ning, starting to introduce her: “Let me introduce you, Olivia is…” Before she could finish, Olivia narrowed her eyes and sized Zhong Ning up, her tone a bit sour. “You’ve started dating?”

Su Yuan looked at her and laughed. “Why? Am I not allowed to date?”

Olivia ignored her, instead looking at Zhong Ning with deep meaning. “What do you think our relationship is?”

Zhong Ning was stunned. Is this woman trying to provoke me?

She felt a surge of discomfort as well. Her gaze swept over the hand hooked around Su Yuan, and she forced her lips into an arch. “Whatever your relationship was in the past, right now you’re probably just friends.”

In her memory, Zhong Ning felt it had been a long time since she had been so rude.

But what she thought was a confident statement sounded different to Olivia. The woman laughed outright. “Friends?” She stood up with a smile, not forgetting to brush her hand over Su Yuan’s shoulder. “Anna, I’ll be going now. You’d better explain things more clearly to this little kid.”

Olivia left hurriedly, as if she had only come for those few lines.

Zhong Ning kept her eyes on Su Yuan, her face gradually turning rigid. “Who exactly is she?”

Su Yuan’s eyes flickered away. She lowered her gaze and took a sip of wine. After a long while, she spoke softly. “We were involved for a while, but then I got together with Ruan Mu.”

She paused. “After the breakup, we should be considered… Friends with Benefits.”

Zhong Ning was speechless.

FWB? Su Yuan… actually had a “friends with benefits” partner?

When she asked herself this question, she suddenly felt ridiculous. Yes, just a few FWBs—what a minor thing that was in London. Why should she be so shocked? But why, at this moment, did she feel so miserable?

After a long time, Zhong Ning finally spoke with difficulty. “So, after you kissed me for the first time, did you go to see her?”

The reality was unbearable. Zhong Ning felt increasingly caught between laughter and tears. “So after that, you were also in the restroom with Ruan Mu…”

Her eyes couldn’t help but redden. She looked at Su Yuan, that gentle face having never made her feel this much pain before.

Su Yuan watched her and sighed. “Zhong Ning, it’s not what you think. I haven’t asked her out in a long time.” She paused and added, “As for Ruan Mu, I’m sorry… I just don’t know how to refuse her.”

If the previous reason was within the realm of the acceptable, this sentence completely set Zhong Ning off. How could Su Yuan even say such a thing?

“Fine. It’s because you don’t know how to refuse.”

Zhong Ning hadn’t heard anything so ridiculous in a long time. She laughed bitterly. “I don’t even want to ask how many ‘friends’ like that you have. This is really pointless.”

“The only thing I’m certain of right now is that I’m not open enough to accept this, and I don’t want to become another Olivia…” she paused, seeing Su Yuan’s brows knit slightly, but she said the words anyway. “I’m sorry. Let’s not date after all.”