Hints at GL - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

12:00 PM, Library (Ry).

At a round table near the floor-to-ceiling windows sat two beautifully made-up women. One was slowly chewing a slice of pizza, speaking occasionally, while the other wore Gucci sunglasses, shielding herself from the piercing sunlight outside while staring at her companion in disbelief.

“So, you’re telling me that last night you didn’t go out to hook up with some tall, rich, handsome guy, but instead brought back a ‘White, Rich, and Beautiful’ (Bai Fu Mei)?” The dining environment was quiet, making Jing Yang’s crisp voice sound a bit abrupt.

Zhong Ning gave her a helpless look and defended herself in a low voice, “How many times do I have to say it? It wasn’t me trying to hook up with her, it was clearly her…”

Before she could finish, a slender finger stopped in front of her face, making a ‘pause’ gesture. “Fine, don’t explain that part,” Jing Yang paused, her red lips curling into a smile. “What does her family do?”

“…”

Zhong Ning blinked and gently set down her knife and fork. “I’m not entirely sure about that, but Barry mentioned it when he drove me back. It seems Su Yuan’s family is quite wealthy… they have at least seven properties in London.”

Jing Yang’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “All in places like this?!”

Zhong Ning had already moved past the shock phase and looked at her calmly. “Why is a rich second-gen like you surprised? Your family could afford a villa here too.”

The brown sunglasses hid Jing Yang’s expression, but her resentment was clear in her tone. “Don’t give me that. My family could afford two at the most.”

Zhong Ning reached out and took off the sunglasses, exposing Jing Yang’s meticulously applied makeup to the sunlight. “…” To be honest, Jing Yang’s face was very suitable for being an on-camera host, but she herself wasn’t interested. “You outsiders don’t understand the ecosystem of domestic TV stations at all. Those with talent and background have all gone behind the scenes. Why should I exhaust myself in front of the camera?”

Jing Yang furrowed her brows slightly, seemingly annoyed at having her sunglasses removed, and started grumbling. “So I just don’t get it. A BBC, good family background, beautiful, and smart… why on earth did she take an interest in you?”

Zhong Ning looked at her with a face full of black lines. “Jing Yang, what are you trying to say?”

After her unfiltered comment, Jing Yang didn’t forget to keep gossiping. “She asked for your number, but has she contacted you since?”

Zhong Ning answered reluctantly, “No, she just sent a text telling me to add her on Kik.”

Her bright eyes suddenly lit up, and Jing Yang reached out her hand. “Come on…”

After teasing her so much, she still had the nerve to ask to see the Kik. Zhong Ning handed over the phone unhappily, feeling that she was truly too good-tempered. “Here. That’s the username.”

To her surprise, Jing Yang cried out in astonishment after just one glance. “How is this possible? Anna—is that the name? She actually has a mutual friend with me?”

Zhong Ning rolled her eyes. “The mutual friend is me.”

Jing Yang quickly swiped through the page, shaking her head constantly. “No, no, it’s not you.” She looked up at Zhong Ning, seemingly unable to comprehend the situation, and said softly:

“It’s my sister…”

“Your sister?”

Zhong Ning froze for a few seconds before suddenly remembering. “You mentioned before that your sister was transferred back to the domestic branch from London. Was she also at UBS before?”

Jing Yang didn’t look up, letting out an unconscious “Mm.” “Alright, I see now. They really were colleagues.” She paused, keeping the screen on Anna’s profile. “Look, didn’t you say she was an Associate? My sister was one too, but she entered UBS earlier than Anna. There’s a chance my sister even mentored her, though I’m not sure if they were in the same group.”

“The world is too small,” Jing Yang lamented.

“So your sister is that impressive…” This time it was Zhong Ning’s turn to marvel. She was about to express regret over the sister moving back to the domestic market, but Jing Yang spoke in a cheerful tone. “But she said she’s not used to life back home and is being transferred back to London immediately.”

Jing Yang pursed her red lips. “In just a few days. I’m so happy.”

After a while, she started muttering again, “But back to your business, let me ‘stalk’ her for a round first.” Jing Yang lowered her head again, her meticulously manicured fingertip sliding slowly across the screen, shaking her head the whole time.

“Oh, her family even has a villa on the Isle of Wight.”

“If this yacht isn’t hers, it must belong to one of the other rich girls in the group… their figures are all pretty good.”

“Wow, she even went to the hot air balloon festival in Bristol. I really want to go to that.”

“And a bunch of photos from shows… her vibe actually matches yours quite well.”

After a long while, Jing Yang looked up, grabbed Zhong Ning’s hand, and gave her some earnest advice: “Darling, I’m not against you going ‘bent’ at all. Hurry up and sell yourself to this rich girl. You won’t lose out, seriously.”

Zhong Ning’s face turned red. “Who told you I want to be with her? You’re being ridiculous.”

“Keep being stubborn, I bet your heart is blooming with joy right now.” Seeing her “duplicity,” Jing Yang shook her head and put her sunglasses back on. “Alright, gossip ends here. Let me know if there’s any new progress.” She stood up and patted Zhong Ning’s shoulder. “Remember to come with me to the East Asian Society event tonight. Meet me at the door at 6:30.”

7:30 PM, Temple Bar.

The head of the East Asian Society was a friendly Korean girl with eye-catching deep-red curly hair. Likely because she had been studying in London since her undergraduate years, her accent was much more fluent and authentic than the others.

“Our society has exchange activities every week to help international students improve their language skills and integrate into local life. You should consider joining us,” she said while sticking a flag sticker on their clothes, not forgetting to hand over a brochure.

Zhong Ning and Jing Yang looked at each other and both chose to decline. “No thanks, we’d like to just experience it first.”

The lights in the bar were dim. Because there were so many participants, the sofas had been pushed to the walls, leaving an open space in the middle. Jing Yang pulled Zhong Ning toward the bar area, ordered a drink, and began chatting with a Japanese girl nearby.

“Is this your first time? See the flags on everyone’s left shoulders? There will be an hour where you can find people from countries you want to know and talk to them,” the Japanese girl, who wore glasses and looked very academic, shouted to them over the noise. “But most people probably want to find native English speakers…”

Before she could finish, the organizer picked up a megaphone and began explaining the rules. As predicted, for the first hour, non-native speakers could seek out native speakers to chat with. They were required to change partners every ten minutes.

It sounds like speed dating, Zhong Ning thought for some reason.

“Hey, this seems pretty fun,” Jing Yang got excited and pulled her into the crowd. Soon, a tall, thin mixed-race guy walked toward them. “Hi, how are you?” He spoke in fluent Mandarin.

They were surprised by his authentic pronunciation. The guy laughed and said, “There are quite a few people here whose Chinese is better than mine, but they’re all Chinese majors.” He introduced himself enthusiastically, “My mom is from Hong Kong and my dad is British. I grew up in Hong Kong, so my Chinese is decent.”

Zhong Ning’s eye twitched. She felt she was becoming sensitive to the word “Hong Kong” now.

Thinking of Su Yuan, Zhong Ning started to get conflicted again. That dream last night… when should she tell her? This matter instantly occupied her entire head. She began listening to Jing Yang’s conversation like a ghost again, using a faint smile to mask the fact that her mind was wandering.

As her gaze drifted, she suddenly noticed a figure in the crowd. From the back, they looked so familiar.

The person was wearing a form-fitting sleeveless top, a light-colored skirt, and stilettos. Her figure was slender and elegant, her thin arms crossed in front of her waist. Occasionally, she reached up to gently tuck her long hair behind her ear.

…How could it be Su Yuan?

Su Yuan turned her face slightly, and her curved eyes were about to glance over. Zhong Ning felt a bit panicked, but it was too late.

“…”

Su Yuan had already seen her, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Jing Yang…” Zhong Ning nervously pinched her companion’s arm, almost leaving a mark.

“Ow! What are you doing!” Jing Yang cried out in pain, followed Zhong Ning’s gaze, and froze. “…That’s her?”

“Sorry.”

The ten minutes were up. Su Yuan leaned over to apologize to the girl she was talking to, declined several people trying to stop her, and walked toward them.

But before she could speak, the mixed-race guy nearby called out happily, “Anna! You’re here.” It turned out the two of them knew each other.

Su Yuan smiled at him. “Long time no see. Do you mind if we swap?”

The guy shrugged and answered crisply, “Of course not.” He decided to buy a drink and do another round, but since he had enjoyed chatting with Jing Yang, he didn’t forget to ask her to add his Kik before leaving.

Finally, only the three of them were left.

The environment was still noisy, but Su Yuan kept her eyes on Zhong Ning, as if she could see something on her face.

“What a coincidence.” Her thin lips curled.

The gaze was too direct, and Jing Yang made a decision on the spot. “I’m going to find that handsome guy over there to chat with. Call me before we leave.”