An Angelic B*tch's Climb Up the Social Ladder - Chapter 14
Chap 14- Treating Him to a Meal
“Mr. Jiang, do you also admire Mr. Marian’s paintings?”
In the open-air café at the back of the gallery, Jiang Ting sat at a white table with a cup of coffee, casually watching the crowds outside.
His hands rested on his crossed legs and a watch was exposed from the cuff of his shirt.
Zhinan beside him, stole a glance, only to see the (watch’s)dial’s color a night sky blue– deep as night.
When Jiang Ting heard her question, he didn’t reply and asked instead, “What about you? What brought you here?”
He turned to look directly at her, “Marian’s not famous, so it didn’t pique me that young ladies would like him.”
Zhinan’s heart skipped a beat at this statement. She hadn’t felt much emotion from the man’s words, but perhaps because he’s a seasoned veteran of society, his glance carried a faint judgment (sizing up), as if he could see through her deception.
“I had no knowledge of him previously until I sat in the wrong classroom the other day when I went to Min University for classes.”
She smiled awkwardly, “and then overheard the professor from the art department, mentioning that the Shengyi Art Gallery’s exhibition of the Belgian painter Marion’s paintings would be held over the weekend and interested students could check it out.”
The art professor and those words were, obviously, all made up in a panic. Zhinan’s nails were digging into the flesh on her palm, but her cheeks blushed crimson red from the impudence in her words.
“It’s the weekend and it was happening just as I’m off work, so I took a bus here.”She said, “Never thought I’d bump into you here.”
Jiang Ting’s line of sight moved up from the corner of her mouth, her jade white skin had tinges of red– crimson in the midst of snow made her tiny facial hairs on her cheek visible.
One look and he knew she was an infant who’s just entered society, her transparent thoughts were just lacking neon light letters plastered directly on her forehead– telling the world what she thought.
Somehow, his gaze fell slightly over her right ear lobe.
After a few seconds, he averted his gaze and said, “Do you often go to universities to listen in(to classes)?”
“Mhm, I go as soon as I have time available.” Zhinan nodded, “Like Min University, ShiFan and YanChing, I bet I’ll know the schools like the back of my hand if I went a few more times.”
“But YU has tighter security. So I often have to ask students to take me inside.”
[T/N: YanChing will have an abbreviation of YU when necessary]
Jiang Ting listened to her latter sentence, which carried a bit of her feeling discouraged, and changed the subject, “What have you learned?”
The girl looked at him a little surprised, as if curious he’d asked, but still answered.
“Mostly classes from the finance department, as it interests me the most. If I can’t really make it on time, I’ll hang out in other department’s classes– like art appreciation or an introduction to modern culture.”
“I hope I don’t get too behind on the class,” Zhinan lamented, “When I have enough money, I will definitely continue to take the National University Entrance Examination and try to get acceptance into YU.”
This was an innocent and yet ridiculous remark.
The first time Jiang Ting heard her mention it in the car, he thought she was dreaming, and his opinion hasn’t changed the slightest even now.
A splash of sunlight bounced into the girl’s eyes full of longing making it seem as if shimmering with stars.
Jiang Ting’s lips were slightly upturned, but not much of a smile.
“Want to enter YU?”
“Hmm.”
“You probably haven’t learned of Beijing’s policy; all of the high schools won’t admit external students, and you’re still wasting your time here?”
Maybe because his words were a little harsh, the girl looked at him and murmured, “I know… ”
She seemed a little reserved when she looked up– almost half of the stars have fallen as if he had awakened her from the daydream.
“Everyone else is studying hard to get into higher education in the time you spend working,” Jiang Ting said with no holds barred, ” the gap is getting bigger and bigger that it’d be foolish to even dream of catching up.”
“You feel proud that you’re working and studying at the same time? Let me tell you this behaviour is just like putting the cart before the horse.”
Poking his nose into someone else’s business has not happened since Jiang Ting left school.
But either the girl’s naïveté left him speechless, or the desire in her eyes struck one of his nerves; Jiang Ting couldn’t help having compassion for her.
“It’s about figuring out what you want.”
His tone was still one that’s considered polite; the girl’s head lowered a little each time he struck her with a series of comments.
Her head was lowered to the point he could only see the back of it, as she bit her lips in silence.
Jiang Ting after a brief glance at her he turned to the window. The evening light showered his side profile, as the man looked at the sparse crowd in the square, seeming to be in a rather good mood.
“Thank you, Mr. Jiang.”
Jiang Ting looked over at her. By the time she looked back up, the dark clouds that loomed over her had disappeared and only gratefulness remained in the tea-colored pupil as if filled with light.
“No one ever said that to me. They just told me ‘you could’ or ‘you couldn’t’.”
“You woke me up, thank you.”
The man didn’t answer, and his gaze fell on the slight uplift of her eye corner.
Her eyelashes fanned as she blinked, like a fluttering butterfly. The rose-coloured evening lighting from outside the window melted into her dreamy eyes.
“But I should still work at the hotel, save up enough money before I go home for the college entrance exam.”
Zhinan wanted to say she understood time is precious and one should pursue their dream as soon as possible, but not everyone is entitled to talk about dreams.
Tang Yanan’s acting dream, had him and the Tang Family’s Pharmaceutical Machinery to back her– but she has nothing.
Lin Zhinan knew that she should not be weak at this time. To be able to get a little advice from him was progress in their relationship beyond her imagination. Building the Great Wall did not take one day. She can’t possibly ask Jiang Ting straight up to open the back door to YU for her.
Thus, she sighed and muttered under her breath.
“Otherwise if I return home now, I might not even be able to go to school.” She said, “My mom(and the others) would marry me off to a stranger for money or…. ”
Halfway through her mutter, a growl sounded from her stomach, as if it felt it wasn’t enough, it growled again, one that resounded around the corner.
Jiang Ting’s finger that was tapping on the glass paused and he glanced at her little abdomen. As he looked up, the girl’s ears were a burning red.
Her face had been buried into the coffee cup. He couldn’t see her expression clearly, but the glowing red that crept from her cheeks made it not tough to guess.
If the cup was replaced with a water tank, he bet she would have jumped in.
Unaware to him, a smile crept onto his lips.
“Erm….” Zhinan looked up; teeth marks could be seen on her lips that were well bitten. She had an expression filled with embarrassment.
“I ate a little early for lunch.”
I didn’t eat at all. Having thick skin was Lin Zhinan’s forte. Since this incident has occurred, she might as well use it to her advantage.
“Mr. Jiang, are you hungry?” Lin Zhinan smiled embarrassedly, “You didn’t accept the 10k last time, so could I treat you to a meal?”
The person before him was like a flower blooming before his eyes, he stared for two seconds and said, “Sure.”
