Chapter 3: Mr. Ling Likes Fan Shuang Shuang
If anybody had passed by, they would’ve definitely thought Mr. Ling had forced Mrs. Ling to sign this marriage contract.
But the reality was just the opposite. Xia Lin had chased after Ling Yi Zhou to sign this contract.
That day, on the first day Xia Lin tried to see Ling Yi Zhou, she criticized herself: impulsive, impulsive, impulsive.
But other than going by impulse, she couldn’t come up with another plan.
In the true center of Gangdong, there was the Gangdong Tower. To use the city to name the tower was something only Ling Yi Zhou could do.
It was storming that day. Xia Lin was soaked, as she begged security, “Sir, I really have to see your Mr. Ling for an important matter.”
Security looked her up and down once. “What matter can you have with him? Let me tell you, as a young lady, you need to stop constantly plotting to marry into fame and fortune. Sir wouldn’t care for a plain Jane like you.”
Xia Lin choked. “I’m not here to seduce him. I have other matters. It’s really very important to me.”
“Other matters?” The security guard took her measure again. Just in case, he asked, “Does Sir know you?”
Xia Lin smoothed back the wet bangs on her forehead. “He doesn’t.”
“If he doesn’t, then what matter can you have?” The security guard didn’t say any more and shoved her aside. “Don’t block the way. Go do whatever you’re supposed to be doing.”
But an hour later, the security guard came out to look. He saw she was actually still crouched in a corner, hugging herself and shivering.
“What are you still doing here? Mr. Ling is about to come down. If he sees you screaming and shouting here, that’ll be the end for me.” He slapped his thigh, turned to signal several other security guards to drag her away.
“Really? Did you say he’s coming down? Hey, what are you doing…” She didn’t even finish being happily surprised before being thrown out into the rain by two security guards.
Just then, several cars drove towards the main entrance. A man with a tall and wide silhouette headed out from the tower, walking securely towards the car under his assistant’s big umbrella.
The rain made Xia Lin vision blurry. She couldn’t really tell if this was Ling Yi Zhou or not. She rushed up without thinking. “Mr. Ling, wait! Don’t leave yet!”
But Ling Yi Zhou didn’t hear. He had already gotten in the car. Xia Lin hurried. When the assistant was about the close the door, she grabbed the car handle with all her might.
That was how she finally entered Ling Yi Zhou’s gaze, deep, clear, and even a bit compassionate. Xia Lin was gladdened. She thought maybe this Mr. Ling wasn’t as difficult to approach as the rumors claimed.
She blurted, “Mr. Ling, I’ve waited 21 years for you.”
That sentence made Ling Yi Zhou speechless with astonishment. The assistant, too. Everybody was speechless. In fact, the security guard from earlier was the first to react.
The security guard muttered, “And she claimed she wasn’t here to seduce Sir. ‘Waited 21 years’… Bullshit. So saccharine I’ve lost my appetite for dinner…”
Ling Yi Zhou stopped staring. “This young lady must be so soaked from the rain that she’s not mentally well. Wen Li, don’t bother to stay with me. Take her to the hospital.” So saying, he closed the car door himself. Xia Lin couldn’t stop him at all.
Seeing the car about to leave, she chased after it a few steps. “You’re the one who’s mentally unwell! No, that is… Oh, right, hospital. Mr. Ling, please come to the hospital with me.”
Unfortunately, she didn’t catch the car. Instead, the car splashed water all over her shoes.
Xia Lin turned to look. An assistant with an aura as chilling as a ghost was staring at her. “Miss, please come with to the hospital.”
On the way, Xia Lin kept trying to start a conversation with Wen Li.
“Mr. Wen, where is Mr. Ling going?”
“Mr. Wen, will Mr. Ling come to Gangdong Tower tomorrow?”
“Mr. Wen, you… Your last name is very unusual.”
…
Through it all, Wen Li didn’t say a single word to her, no matter what she said or asked. Xia Lin was losing all hope with his unresponsiveness.
The second day, Xia Lin went to the Gangdong Tower, but it was pointless. Ling Yi Zhou wasn’t there.
The third day, she went again. Ling Yi Zhou was there too, but just refused to see her. That security guard gave her a harder time, too.
“Sir, I really have an urgent matter. I have to talk with Mr. Ling. It’s life or death. Do you see how sincere my eyes are?” Xia Lin used both carrot and stick.
The security guard glanced at her. “I believed the sincerity in your eyes last time. And what happened? Didn’t you catch Mr. Ling to confess to him? Let me tell you, you’re done. Mr. Ling seems to really like Fan Shuang Shuang lately. Sir handpicked her to be the company’s spokesperson last time.”
“The Fan Shuang Shuang who just won the Golden Rabbit Award?” Xia Lin’s mouth was as wide as a duck egg. Immediately, she thought she focused on the wrong thing. “No, this has nothing to do with Fan Shuang Shuang. I’m really not here to confess to Mr. Ling.”
The security guard took one last look at her. Then he left, shaking his head. “Words from girls like you cannot be trusted.”
Xia Lin was so angry, she stomped her feet and turned in place a couple of times. But there was nothing to do. She patted her empty stomach. She went across the street to buy a hamburger, then came back to wait. But before she could take even one bite, someone reached over and took away her hamburger.
“Hey, you…” Xia Lin looked up and was startled. Wasn’t that the stonefaced assistant, Wen Li?
Wen Li still had no expressions and no warmth on his face. “Miss, eating this at the Gangdong Tower is bad for Ling Co’s reputation.” Then, he simply threw it in the garbage can on the side.
Damn you! Xia Lin watched her food fly away, and swore at Wen Li in her head. But she quickly schooled her expression. “But I’m hungry. If I don’t eat, I can’t keep waiting here. If I don’t keep waiting here, I won’t get a chance to see Mr. Ling. You threw away the food to fill my tummy, so…” So you should take me to see Mr. Ling.
Wen Li said through gritted teeth. “He’s very busy.”
“Then when is he not busy? I can wait on him any time.” She said it without thinking. Then she saw the look Wen Li was giving her, as if she was an escort. She cleared her throat. “Mr. Wen, please don’t misunderstand.”
“Sir will go to Qing Xian Pool tomorrow to swim.” Wen Li left her with this.
Xia Lin jumped for joy. That meant Mr. Ling would see her. She immediately felt the whole sky seemed brighter, and the birds chirping were unusually melodic.
The nest day, Xia Lin ate lunch and then headed to Qing Xian Pool way early. It was only when she got there that she learned the place was a specialty swimming pool built with Ling Co investment. Super expensive, and by invite only.
Xia Lin asked the receptionist, “Excuse me, has Mr. Ling arrived yet?”
That person glanced up at get. “Not yet.”
“Oh. Then I’ll… wait for him.” Xia Lin pointed to the long sofa in the lobby.
The receptionist didn’t say anything. Xia Lin felt that they were truly much nicer than the people at the Gangdong Tower.
After waiting about ten minutes, she noticed movement near the entrance. Then several sets of footsteps were getting closer. Xia Lin rushed to stand up, to approach. As expected, it was Ling Yi Zhou.
She gave Wen Li a meaningful look for passing this information to her yesterday. She wasn’t going to let Ling Yi Zhou get away this time, no matter what. She blocked his way. “Mr. Ling, last time I went to the hospital, the doctor said…”
“Whatever you have to say, say it in a bit.” Ling Yi Zhou interrupted her. He bent down slightly, and stared at her until she froze in her spot. Then he walked around her to go inside.
Translator’s notes:
Xia Lin actually gets called “little bok choy” rather than plain Jane. The meaning is similar. A little bok choy is the opposite of someone/something with meat (curves) on them. It also implies a certain naivety/immaturity.
Wen Li gets called “zombie” rather than stonefaced. But Chinese zombies don’t rot. They’re stuck. I considered translating it as “Botox face”, but that didn’t have the right tone. Urban dictionary also suggested “Dutch face” but I don’t know if that’s a widely used enough term to make sense here.
Also, I’m using my phone to do a lot of the translations. So apologies for #damnyouautocorrect mistakes.