Hints at GL - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

UBS

The day to discuss the work plan soon arrived. Ruan Mu and Jing Han sat in the conference room, waiting for another VP to arrive.

Perhaps because it was her first formal meeting, Jing Han had specifically dressed in a formal shirt and a short skirt. Her smooth long hair was meticulously tucked behind her ears, giving her an air of “abstinence” and cool professionalism. Ruan Mu leaned back in the soft chair opposite her, staring at her fixedly.

Just as Jing Han was finally losing her patience under the gaze, a brown-haired British woman pushed the door open and entered.

The woman appeared to be in her early thirties, with sharp facial features and a sexy, tall build. Her lips curled into a slight smile. “Sorry, I’m late.” Her deep gaze swept across the room, visibly intensifying when it landed on Jing Han.

“Oh, you must be Suet,” she said, bypassing Ruan Mu entirely to walk up to Jing Han and extend her hand. “I heard you just transferred from Mainland China. You can call me Ruth. Looking forward to a great collaboration.”

Jing Han stood up, offering a polite, shallow smile. “Looking forward to working with you.”

Ruan Mu remained leaned back against her chair, her narrow eyes darting between the two of them, slowly squinting. After a long moment, her expression turned slightly displeased. “Since everyone is here, let’s discuss the work plan first.”

“Alright,” Ruth finally released Jing Han’s hand, smiled at Ruan Mu, and walked to her seat to set down her folder. “Oh, could one of you dim the lights? I need to use the projector.”

As Ruth spoke, she plugged the cable into her laptop. “Okay, I’m primarily responsible for this project,” Jing Han walked to the wall and pressed a button; the lights gradually dimmed. “So…”

Before Ruth could finish, Jing Han pointed to the blank screen. “Sorry, you haven’t switched the display interface.”

“Oh, sorry, let me see,” Ruth frowned and tapped a few keys on her laptop, but it didn’t seem to work.

“Let me,” Jing Han walked slowly to her side, her slender fingertips tapping the keyboard. Ruth was standing very close to Jing Han, so close that a mere lift of an arm would cause them to touch.

But Jing Han seemed unaware of this, nor did she notice the gaze fixed on her profile. She remained focused on the screen. “…Wait a moment, let me check if there’s an issue with the cable.”

Jing Han leaned over to re-plug the cable, and it finally worked. “Mhm, there we go.”

“Thanks,” Ruth said, her deep eyes staring straight at her.

Even with three VPs, a hierarchy had to be established. Ruth had more seniority than both of them, so it was only natural for her to be in charge of coordination. Discussions between VPs didn’t require redundant pleasantries.

Ruth scanned the room and spoke immediately. “We’ll discuss the schedule and personnel assignments last—those are minor details. Let’s talk about the project framework first.”

“The first part is valuation and financial modeling. This is the Royal Mail’s first IPO. Because of the unique background, it’s difficult to select a benchmark. I suggest focusing on the DCF model, supplemented by benchmarking. I trust neither of you will have any objections to this…”

Like most investment banking employees, Ruth became significantly more serious and professional once the work discussion began. Ruan Mu also focused on the issues at hand, only occasionally glancing at Jing Han during the gaps in conversation.

Perhaps because this was her first case since transferring back, Jing Han appeared even more earnest than usual. For some reason, this made Ruan Mu feel slightly uncomfortable.

“I’ve organized the company’s business management lines and financial accounting system for us to discuss. Let’s confirm the overall framework of the model first. I’ve handed the benchmarking to Machal and the analysts to start, but we still need to grasp some key indicators. We’ll discuss them one by one.”

Ruth had been very experienced even before jumping ship to UBS, and this was to be the last case she handled as a VP. Soon, she would be promoted to Director.

After a long hour, she symbolically asked for their final opinions. Ruan Mu shook her head and smiled. “No problem. It’s perfect.”

Jing Han’s answer was much more rigorous. “None for now. However, specific issues might arise once the model is running. We can discuss those then.”

Ruth looked at her and nodded.

“By the way,” Ruth said as they began tidying their materials. She glanced at her wrist and suggested, “It’s almost teatime. Why don’t we go grab a cup of coffee together?” She was clearly inviting both, but her gaze lingered excessively on Jing Han.

Ruan Mu didn’t speak, merely squinting at the two of them with a curl of her lips.

“No, thank you,” Jing Han shook her head slightly, forever serious about her private time. “I still have some materials to look over,” she answered flatly.

Ruth looked at her but didn’t push further. “Okay, next time then.”

17:00

It was almost time to get off work. Ruan Mu stared at her computer screen. An open window showed Jing Han’s profile picture, and below it was the message she had just sent: “Can I take you to dinner today?”

Jing Han hadn’t replied for a long time.

Ruan Mu couldn’t help but look toward the left. Because that office had been vacant for a while, it wasn’t fitted with one-way glass, and Jing Han hadn’t lowered the blinds. She could easily see that elegant profile.

Just then, the phone on the desk vibrated. “A favor – Anna.” Ruan Mu frowned. The number of times Su Yuan had asked for her help lately seemed a bit excessive.

Just as she was about to pick up the phone to call back, Jing Han’s reply came: “No.”

Ruan Mu tilted her head to look at the other side and typed another line: “Ruth, 34 years old, jumped from Citi over a year ago, about to be promoted to Director. But her private life isn’t as successful; she just divorced her lawyer husband of six years. Do you want to guess the reason?”

Jing Han’s reply was brief: “Why are you telling me this?”

Ruan Mu stared at the text on the screen and curled her lips. “I thought you were interested in her.”

Jing Han frowned at the screen. Immediately, another message popped up: “If you don’t want to guess, I can tell you. Ruth divorced because she realized she likes women.”

“What does that have to do with me,” she replied succinctly.

On the other side, Ruan Mu took a deep breath. How can this woman be so lacking in self-awareness? Does she see nothing at all?

She couldn’t help but peek toward the other side again and was momentarily stunned. Talk about a lingering spirit… Ruth had somehow entered Jing Han’s office, and the two seemed to be chatting, even laughing.

Finally, Ruth left.

Jing Han saw her to the door. Just as she was about to close it, she saw Ruan Mu walking over slowly. “…What did she say to you?”

Seeing that Ruth hadn’t gone far, Jing Han knit her brows. “Can’t you lower your voice? Are you afraid she won’t hear you?” She truly didn’t know what was going on in Ruan Mu’s head. Did she need permission to speak to anyone?

“So what if she hears? Does she understand Chinese?” Ruan Mu locked the door and raised an eyebrow at her.

Looking at her, she clearly had no intention of letting it go. Jing Han sighed. “It was just work. You’re overthinking.” She didn’t know why she was explaining herself to Ruan Mu and rubbed her temples.

“I’m just here to tell you that she’s interested in you.” Ruan Mu stepped in front of Jing Han, her crimson lips pursed.

This didn’t surprise Jing Han too much, but she instinctively frowned and replied, “Can you not be like this? Acting like everyone you see is an enemy?”

Ruan Mu looked at her directly, laughing instead of getting angry. “The voice in her heart is loud enough to be heard throughout the building. Do you think I can’t hear it? Or do you think I’m lying to you?”

Jing Han sighed lightly. She didn’t know when Ruan Mu would finally understand. “Is that so? But so what?” She looked at Ruan Mu as calmly as possible, her tone cold. “Do you think I have to say yes to every person who pursues me?”

The implication of those words was deep. Ruan Mu’s usual smile gradually faded. She should have known. No matter how clearly she spoke, she wouldn’t see any sign of being moved. Because Jing Han’s eyes held no one. Who liked her or didn’t like her—what did it have to do with her?

Thinking of this, Ruan Mu suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.

By what right?

She had pursued her so openly and with so many hints. In the past, no matter how bad it was, she would have at least slept with the person by now. How had she never met someone like Jing Han?

“You’ve misunderstood,” the corner of those crimson lips curled slightly. Though Ruan Mu was smiling, her eyes clearly held displeasure. “I just hope that after all these years of refusing me, I don’t end up seeing you with another woman.”

She didn’t know why she was being so stubborn with Jing Han now, but the moment that clearly out-of-line sentence left her mouth, she saw the other woman’s eyes turn cold.

Jing Han brushed off her hand with moderate force, her tone becoming even more indifferent. “Ruan Mu, whether I stay single, or whether I want to be with a man or a woman, has absolutely nothing to do with you.”

Ruan Mu looked away, clearly and unusually angered. “…Yes, it has nothing to do with me.” She wanted to control herself, but for some reason, she couldn’t calm down after hearing that sentence.

She gave Jing Han a deep look and said one last thing: “You can accept anyone. If you’ve kissed them all, then I have nothing left to say.”

After a while, the blinds of the office next door were lowered, as if that could cut off their conversation.

This was the first time Jing Han had seen Ruan Mu truly angry.

What is wrong? It was as if this bickering made it seem like there really was something between them.

“If you’ve kissed them all, then I have nothing left to say…” Ruan Mu’s final words echoed in Jing Han’s ears. She closed her eyes in annoyance, but ultimately chose to walk back to her computer. There was a new message notification in the bottom right corner.

Right below where she had said “What does that have to do with me,” Ruan Mu had replied: “If the day ever comes where you give up your celibacy, it will definitely be when you are dating me.”

Jing Han rubbed her temples and closed the window in a state of agitation.