Hints at GL - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

UBS

In her VP office, Jing Han was meticulously reviewing the sent materials when a window suddenly popped up in the bottom right corner—it seemed to be a report from the newly hired analyst.

Jing Han frowned as she read for a while, then typed a line to the other party: “Come to my office for a moment.” She paused, unconsciously glancing toward Ruan Mu’s office next door, the irritability between her brows deepening. “By the way, tell Machal to come with you.”

After a short while.

There was a soft knock on the door, and Machal entered with a brown-haired girl who had full lips. “Suet?”

Jing Han looked up at the two of them, fixing her gaze on the girl’s visibly nervous face. The girl was likely quite apprehensive; being called to the VP’s office immediately after submitting a report was rarely a good sign.

Jing Han offered her a shallow smile and tapped her fingers on the desk. “You previously interned at McKinsey, right?”

Among the new batch of analysts, this British girl who had graduated from Imperial College had academic and social practice backgrounds that were quite impressive. Seeing her nod, Jing Han continued, “I’ve looked over what you wrote. From the logical structure to the data analysis, it’s quite good.”

The brown-haired girl breathed a sigh of relief. “…Thank you for the compliment.”

The turning point started now. Jing Han maintained a gentle smile. “However, your analysis report is too heavily biased toward a problem diagnosis. We aren’t doing strategic consulting for Royal Mail. Can you understand that?”

The girl nodded tentatively. “Understood. I will revise it.”

Jing Han nodded. “Mhm, that’s all. In the future, give it to Machal first once you’re done; don’t send it directly to me.” She tidied the materials and gestured to her. “Also, I’ve already submitted your evaluation to HR. They’ll be contacting you soon to discuss the promotion procedures.”

Having heard the final words she wanted to hear, the girl left the room with a look of joy.

Machal watched her close the door and sat directly on the sofa. “I also think she has great potential. These days, finding an analyst who can actually share my burdens isn’t easy.”

Jing Han looked at him and said flatly, “Any kind of analyst can share your burdens; it depends on how you use them.”

Machal nodded thoughtfully. “True, the VP is right to teach me.” He paused. “By the way, why did you call me here? To ask about the model’s progress?”

Jing Han hadn’t intended to ask about work, but since he mentioned it, she asked symbolically, “How is the cash flow analysis coming along?”

Machal spread his hands. “Finishing by Friday shouldn’t be a problem. We’ll start building the model next week.”

“Mhm, just keep an eye on the schedule,” Jing Han nodded, again unconsciously glancing sideways. “Machal, go next door and tell Ruan Mu that there’s a meeting at Royal Mail tomorrow.”

Machal frowned at her. This request had been occurring with high frequency over the last few days.

Lately, Ruan Mu had also been constantly asking him to bring messages to Jing Han. At first, he hadn’t thought much of it, but as it happened more often, he started feeling something was off. Their offices were right next to each other; even if someone’s computer broke, they could just walk over and say something. Was it necessary to specifically call him in to pass a message?

This was clearly… a fight.

Machal stared at her, thinking this couldn’t continue. “By the way, do you want me to find IT to fix your computer?” He pretended to be completely clueless. “Oh, sorry, I thought you weren’t able to log into the internal chat software these past few days.”

His words plunged Jing Han into silence.

Since their argument that day, Ruan Mu hadn’t taken the initiative to speak a single word. If there was work-related communication that was absolutely necessary, she would even find someone to pass the message on her behalf.

When they ran into each other in the lobby this morning, Jing Han saw Ruan Mu and wanted to say good morning. Who knew that the woman, holding a cup of coffee, would avert her gaze the moment it met Jing Han’s? Even in the cramped space of the same elevator, Ruan Mu hadn’t looked at her once.

Of course, Jing Han didn’t think it would be better if Ruan Mu were looking at her playfully like before, but this couldn’t go on forever. Did they want to get work done or not?

“Forget it, you don’t have to go.”

Jing Han rubbed her temples. “Go back to work. I’ll go find her.”

When Jing Han pushed open the door to Ruan Mu’s office, the latter was smiling and talking on the phone. “Mhm, it’s fine, keep asking.”

Ruan Mu seemed to see her but continued talking indifferently. “Of course I’ve tested everyone… That’s right, I really can’t find anything out. I’ve checked the surroundings too. Anna, do you have some reason to be worried about me?”

She paused, then added patiently, “Honey, naturally I can’t do it… Of course he can. It’s fine, you can just give the phone to him directly; no need to go through me.”

Jing Han didn’t understand what Ruan Mu was discussing with Su Yuan. Although she was surprised they were still in contact, she waited patiently until the call ended.

For the first time in days, the two looked each other in the eye.

Jing Han took a breath and said in a low voice, “We’re going to Royal Mail for a meeting tomorrow. Remember to prepare.”

Ruan Mu kept her eyes on her, her expression remaining flat, offering no spoken response.

This was probably the first time since they had known each other that they’d had what could be called a real argument. For some reason, remembering Ruan Mu’s words from a few days ago made Jing Han feel particularly uncomfortable.

“If you’ve kissed them all, then I have nothing left to say.”

Those words reminded her of some memories she didn’t want to recall. Looking at Ruan Mu’s stoic demeanor, Jing Han finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Ruan Mu, how long are you going to keep this up?”

She knit her brows slightly. “Work is work, private matters are private. Are you a child?”

Ruan Mu smiled and finally deigned to speak. “It seems your patience is much worse than before. Have you noticed that yourself?”

Jing Han looked at her, the furrow between her brows deepening.

Of course, she had felt it too. But having that fact pointed out by Ruan Mu made her feel strangely put on the spot.

“I know about the meeting. I won’t let my moods affect things in front of the client, don’t worry.” As if satisfied with Jing Han’s reaction, Ruan Mu’s thin lips curled. “Do you have anything else that requires a response from me?”

Jing Han frowned at her. “No. I’m going back.” She ultimately shook her head.

After all that talking, they still hadn’t really made up.

They had experienced symbolic cold wars before, but they invariably failed to last. Perhaps back then Ruan Mu could see that Jing Han didn’t care at all, so tearing up the relationship didn’t matter.

But this time, the other woman seemed to have no fear. Was the irritation in her heart so obvious that it could be seen without mind-reading?

Jing Han couldn’t help but sigh lightly. In these three years, had she really changed that much?

Similar to the general work attitude across Europe, the overtime intensity at UBS London was manageable. But today, because of the meeting materials, even after the last analysts had left, Jing Han was still sitting in her office.

In the entire department, it seemed only her office and the one next door were still lit.

I’ll head back after finishing these, Jing Han rubbed her temples, deciding to go to the pantry to pour herself a cup of coffee. After nearly a month of a relaxed schedule, the sudden overtime was hard to adjust to.

Unexpectedly, just as she tore open a packet, Ruan Mu followed her in.

The two looked at each other, neither speaking.

Jing Han blew lightly on her coffee; it was still a bit hot. She knit her brows, clearly not wanting to stay in the same room as Ruan Mu, and prepared to leave with her cup.

But unexpectedly.

Before she could take more than a few steps, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. The coffee cup wobbled, nearly splashing onto her. “…Be careful.” A warm hand grabbed her wrist. “What’s wrong?” Ruan Mu stepped closer, familiarly wrapping an arm around that slender waist.

The concern in Ruan Mu’s eyes made her feel strange. “It’s nothing…” Jing Han steadied herself and tried to brush the other woman’s hand away. “I just didn’t eat dinner.”

Yet before she could finish, the touch on her waist tightened.

The cold scent of perfume drifted over her nose. Ruan Mu frowned at her. Has this woman been dieting to keep her figure again? She was already so thin. She felt a pang of sympathy as she touched Jing Han’s waist.

“Ruan Mu, you can let go now.”

Jing Han was frowning deeply.

Ruan Mu didn’t answer, merely staring at her, the emotion in her eyes gradually softening. She moved gently to press Jing Han against the table, and for once defying the other’s wishes, she leaned in and kissed those thin lips.

Later, Jing Han would wonder many times: why didn’t she push Ruan Mu away at that moment?

Was it because the days of cold treatment had suddenly turned into tenderness, or because she had lost her mind while reflecting? Jing Han couldn’t quite figure it out. But by the time she noticed, Ruan Mu had already ended the shallow kiss.

“…I know you don’t want to be with me.”

Ruan Mu’s gaze swept over the lips that had been stained a deep crimson, her eyes filled with unnamable thoughts. “Jing Han, I don’t want to be moody with you either…” She steadied her mind, trying to focus on explaining.

“But I really don’t know what’s wrong with you. Now you won’t even agree to a simple dinner. Have you considered my feelings?”

Jing Han looked at her, lowering her eyes with a disorganized heart. “Ruan Mu, don’t be like this…”

“I’m not forcing you to do anything,” Ruan Mu kept her eyes on her, her voice softening as much as possible. “Are you really unwilling to tell me what happened during those three years after you returned to China?”

Ruan Mu watched the person in her arms grow more silent. After a long while, she whispered, “Forget it.”

Ruan Mu finally let go and turned to leave.

“Ruan Mu,” Jing Han suddenly called out to her. Her thin lips moved. But after a long moment, she couldn’t say anything.

“It’s okay,” Ruan Mu smiled at her. “Go home early and rest. Don’t work too hard.”