Hints at GL - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Her smooth legs were perched in high heels, and a thin short skirt was covered only by a trench coat. Zhong Ning tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. With a slightly chilled hand, she pulled her phone from her pocket and re-read the text message she had just received.

“Where are we meeting tonight?” she had asked.

“Are you staying at Bankside House?” the other party had replied, confirming her address instead of answering.

“Yes…”

“Okay, I’ll come pick you up.”

The screen displayed 18:30; the time for her appointment with Su Yuan arrived in the blink of an eye. Zhong Ning checked her makeup once more. Strictly speaking, this was the first time Su Yuan had formally asked her out, and she suddenly felt a strange, inexplicable sense of trepidation.

Jing Yang, upon learning about this, had been nagging her all day.

“Is shisha a drug? How could you even ask that? I’m dying…” Jing Yang leaned against the sofa, peeking at her phone and reading the words aloud while suppressing laughter. “‘You are so cute.’ See that? The rich-and-pretty girl is tactfully praising you for being adorable…”

Jing Yang laughed so hard he bent over. He stood up and pulled Zhong Ning toward him. “Hahaha, I can’t take it. Quick, let me see you… I’m telling you, this makeup won’t do. Let me help you…” But he couldn’t hold it in for long and burst out again, “Pfft, looking at you makes me want to laugh so much. Your Anna is so cute.”

The final result was that after being fussed over by Jing Yang all afternoon and given a “clubbing look,” Zhong Ning finally complained in exasperation, “I never said I was going to do anything with her. You’re trying way too hard.” She redid everything herself, washing away the previous traces.

This… should be fine now, right?

Zhong Ning let out a long sigh.

At that moment, a sleek black Aston Martin pulled up to the curb. The window rolled down, and a woman wearing sunglasses looked down at her. Although it wasn’t perfectly clear, she could still recognize Su Yuan’s exquisite silhouette.

“Get in,” she said.

Standing before the beautiful sports car, Zhong Ning finally remembered Su Yuan’s wealth and the gap between them. But no matter what, she couldn’t exactly turn around and walk away now. She steadied her nerves and finally sat inside, feeling apprehensive.

A scent of fragrance wafted over—pleasant, but not overpowering.

Su Yuan took off her sunglasses to look at her, the corners of her lips curling slightly. “You look quite nervous.”

Zhong Ning tried her best to steady her heart and forced a smile. “The car is very beautiful.”

Su Yuan’s eyes, filled with mirth, looked over. She was never stingy with kind words. “You are very beautiful today, too.”

Zhong Ning’s face flushed. She asked somewhat bashfully, “Um… where exactly are we going?”

Su Yuan put her sunglasses into her bag and glanced at her. “My house. Want to go?”

Zhong Ning gasped. She must be joking.

Su Yuan looked at her directly and smiled faintly. “I’m not joking.”

Just as Zhong Ning’s heart began to waver, wondering if this was moving too fast and unsure how to speak up, Su Yuan started the car. After driving for a while, she suddenly laughed.

“They said they wanted to have a home party this weekend. Since my place is more convenient, we’re having some drinks at my house tonight.”

The breath Zhong Ning had been holding in her throat finally escaped. Could Su Yuan not finish her sentences all at once?

“Did you just breathe a sigh of relief?” There happened to be a pedestrian crossing ahead, so Su Yuan stopped the car and looked at her. “Are you very afraid that if I asked you out alone, I would do something to you?”

Zhong Ning pursed her lips and denied it. “I wasn’t afraid…” She propped her arm against the wide window frame, trying to change the subject. “So, is it with your friends tonight?”

Su Yuan nodded and restarted the car. “Sort of.”

Zhong Ning suddenly remembered the photos on Facebook and couldn’t help but ask, “Will that girl from Instagram be there?”

Su Yuan frowned. “Who do you mean?”

Zhong Ning spoke sourly, “The one hugging you from behind… the one telling the whole world she’s your girlfriend.”

Hearing her description, Su Yuan couldn’t help but laugh. “Olivia isn’t my girlfriend; she’s just a friend.” At this point, Su Yuan gave her a deep look. “Are you jealous?”

Zhong Ning’s face turned red as she looked away. “Who’s jealous?”

Su Yuan explained while checking the rearview mirror, “Tonight’s party was actually organized by former colleagues to welcome Suet back…” After saying this, she naturally knit her brows slightly.

Welcome… Jing Han?

This name clearly brought a greater impact. Zhong Ning couldn’t help but steal a glance at her; she could clearly feel the other woman’s mood dampen slightly following that sentence.

Come to think of it, Su Yuan’s makeup seemed a bit different today.

She studied her carefully… Hmm, did Su Yuan change her lipstick?

“What’s wrong?” Su Yuan noticed her gaze and asked casually.

Zhong Ning looked ahead unnaturally. “Nothing. Is it really appropriate to bring me today?”

Su Yuan replied nonchalantly, “It doesn’t matter. They’re all bringing partners…”

What does she mean by that… Zhong Ning couldn’t help but let her thoughts wander. For an internal UBS gathering, logically, if Su Yuan wanted to bring someone, there would be countless people she could call. Yet, she had invited her.

Zhong Ning tilted her head to look at Su Yuan and suddenly remembered her main task. It should be time, right? “Um…”

Su Yuan didn’t seem to hear clearly. “Mhm? What did you say?”

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but Zhong Ning began to hesitate again. After thinking for a long time, she only managed to say, “By the way, the BBC has a program recently about superpowers. It’s quite good.”

“Is that so?” Su Yuan’s expression shifted slightly, but she merely gave a simple response.

Zhong Ning finally couldn’t resist asking the question, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest. “Do you believe in superpowers?”

Su Yuan fell silent for several seconds upon hearing this. Just as Zhong Ning began to feel regretful, her thin lips moved. “Mhm, I believe.”

Zhong Ning wanted to say more, but the car happened to stop next to a villa by the road. “We’re here,” Su Yuan said.

This place was very close to the subway station; one could even see the nearby UBS bank building.

They walked through a small garden in front of the house. As far as the eye could see, several baskets of hydrangeas hanging over the door were showing signs of wilting. Su Yuan leaned over to open the door for her, explaining, “I bought this villa when I was working at UBS, but I haven’t lived here much since I resigned last year.”

Just how many villas do you have…

Zhong Ning no longer cared much about these daily details of Su Yuan’s life. Instead, she was somewhat confused. “But this place is very close to the school. At least… closer than your current place.”

Su Yuan’s figure paused. She said in a low voice, “I don’t like it here anymore.”

As soon as she finished speaking, they happened to reach the entrance of the living room. Some people had already arrived—there were Asian faces, as well as blonde-haired, blue-eyed Eastern European faces. They greeted them warmly as soon as they saw them.

Among them, a brown-haired man licked a spoon and shouted to Su Yuan, “Hey Anna! Wow, you brought a new face. How about it? I made banana pie. Want to try this topping?”

Zhong Ning was startled by the commotion and stepped back, bumping right into Su Yuan’s arms.

Su Yuan put her arm around Zhong Ning’s waist and shook her head with a smile. “Machal, I’ll have a proper taste later.”

Machal shrugged and left tactfully. “Okay.”

Zhong Ning maintained a friendly smile. After looking around and greeting everyone, she suddenly lowered her voice to the person behind her. “You should have told me earlier. I would have gone to buy a bottle of wine… it’s so inappropriate to disturb everyone suddenly like this.”

Su Yuan looked down at her, seemingly finding her stiff demeanor very amusing. “This is my house. What’s inappropriate about it?” she comforted Zhong Ning with a smile. “Don’t overthink it. I dragged you here on short notice; you don’t need to prepare anything.”

At that moment, the sound of high heels came from the stairs outside. Zhong Ning turned around and saw a tall woman coming down from the second floor. She had a straight nose and soft contours. Her indifferent gaze landed lightly on the two of them, her thin lips pursed, carrying a natural sense of aloofness.

This person…

The tall, thin figure came to a stop in front of them. She bypassed Zhong Ning entirely, scanning Su Yuan up and down. A flicker of surprise seemed to flash through her eyes. “Long time no see, Anna.”

Su Yuan shook her hand and suddenly smiled charmingly. “I didn’t expect you to come back.”

The woman looked at her and said calmly, “Is that so? I think I still prefer London.”

Su Yuan looked at her, the corners of her lips curling. “I know. You shouldn’t have left in the first place.”

After the brief exchange, Zhong Ning immediately understood the other woman’s identity. So, she was Jing Han… After only a few sentences, Zhong Ning could clearly feel the palm resting on her waist go somewhat stiff. she increasingly felt that something must have happened between the two of them.

Just then, Jing Han turned her gaze toward her. “And this is?”

Su Yuan smiled. “Zhong Ning. You can also call her Shirley.”

Su Yuan didn’t provide much of an introduction. Jing Han gave an intentional or unintentional glance at the hand resting on Zhong Ning’s waist and said simply, “Nice to meet you.”

She had been mentally prepared beforehand, but Jing Han’s aura was clearly beyond her imagination. So when Su Yuan called the two of them to the balcony, Zhong Ning instinctively stood a bit further away from her.

Su Yuan didn’t notice her timidness. She took a Seven Stars cigarette from her case and lit it, pressing her ruby-red lips against it. She took a deep breath, and though it was unclear what she was thinking, her mood seemed a bit low.

Zhong Ning had never seen Su Yuan like this. Although she had seen photos of her smoking, this was the first time seeing it in person.

Jing Han looked at her, her brows slightly knit. “Did you call me over just to watch you smoke?” She reached out and pushed the large floor-to-ceiling window outward, allowing the smoke to drift away.

Su Yuan tilted her head, looking at her with eyes curved slightly in a smile.

Standing to the side, Zhong Ning suddenly felt like a complete outsider.

“Not really. I just wanted to catch up with you,” Su Yuan moved the cigarette away and suddenly laughed. “By the way, Zhong Ning is roommates with your sister.”