Chapter 14 contradicts Elias's understanding...
Wynne's eyes were just the right amount of moisture, with a hint of pleading and embarrassment, which made her dark pupils appear even brighter.
The moisture blurred the ambition in her eyes, and she seemed afraid to look him in the eye for too long, her voice becoming even softer.
This posture perfectly portrays a young girl who is caught in a sweet yet slightly forbidden romance, and is filled with anxiety for fear of being found out by her partner's elders.
Elias's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, followed by a word of advice to the young woman: "Wynne, if his family objects to your relationship, as a lady, it would be better to just dump him."
Elias van der Berg sat in his high-backed chair, elegantly raised his glass, and took a sip.
Yuan Ning gritted her teeth and sent the text message anyway, since Elias didn't seem like the type to tattle.
"No, boss, you're mistaken. I don't care at all whether the other person's family objects to us or not. We're just... on a date. It doesn't mean anything."
Elias seemed unable to understand.
"You mean you don't intend to marry him?"
Yuan Ning was somewhat surprised and quickly waved her hand, "This is nothing!"
Elias put down his wine glass, leaned forward slightly, and for the first time, genuine confusion appeared in his icy blue eyes, as if he had heard some language that contradicted his understanding.
Not long ago, he had spoken to the Winthrop family, asking them to discipline their son who was still in college, and, incidentally, to prepare land to be allocated to the woman's family if necessary.
"Boss, what era are we living in? Dating... it's just dating. Who would consider a date as a future marriage partner? Besides, I haven't even kissed him yet."
Yuan Ning came to New City during her middle school years. She carried all the casualness and openness of the younger generation. She didn't quite understand Elias, but after the words came out, she realized that she had misspoke and quickly covered her mouth.
Elias's confusion gradually dissipated, replaced by an incredulous shock, and cracks reappeared on his usually serious and composed face.
“Ms. Wynne Meng,” he called her by her full name, “do you think that the Winthrop bloodline is fit for such frivolous social activities?”
Yuan Ning froze: "Mr. Elias van der Berg, I think you're being too old-fashioned. This is a very normal thing among young people."
Yuan Ning finally understood why Jasper didn't want his family to know he was dating her. If his family was full of people like Elias, it was indeed better not to know.
“You mean,” he repeated clearly and slowly, as if confirming a difficult concept, “that even if you had something like kissing him, you wouldn’t marry him?”
"Yes, Mr. Elias van der Berg."
Elias stared at her silently for a few seconds, then slowly leaned back, moving closer to the high-backed chair, his posture regaining its usual elegance and sense of control.
“I understand,” he said curtly, his tone becoming businesslike. “Then, Miss Wynne, please remember, when you’re enjoying this modern ‘culture,’ don’t involve names like Winthrop.”
Yuan Ning could feel that her boss was getting further and further away from her. He leaned back in his high-backed chair and lifted himself up to look down at her.
His statement, based on his upbringing, can be summarized as simply "We are not the same kind of people," and with this brief statement, he has already accomplished a kind of class division.
The phone on the table rang twice. Elias answered it with one hand, put down the receiver, and gave her one last look.
"Your friend has arrived, you can leave now."
Yuan Ning was surprised that Jasper arrived so quickly. This was great. Although she had once been captivated by Elias's handsome appearance and gentlemanly demeanor, she simply couldn't bear to spend too much time with this old man.
Goodbye, boss.
Yuan Ning said this almost impatiently. The medicine she had just taken seemed to have taken full effect, and she looked very light and cheerful.
As she walked out of there, she looked like a little bird finally released from its cage, her slender back beaming with joy.
Elias did not move; he remained seated in the high-backed chair, like a king left behind in an old era.
He remained silent for a long time, and then, as if drawn by some invisible force, he slowly stood up and walked to the huge arched window.
He saw Wynne float out the door like a light feather.
Jasper Winthrop was standing there waiting for her.
Jasper's smile was shy, as if he was flattered by Wynne's invitation.
He maintained a gentlemanly distance from her, asking, "Wynne, where would you like to sit today? But you should know that you asked me out too late; some restaurants may already be fully booked."
To his surprise, Wynne actually hooked her arm around his and took his hand.
Jasper's palms trembled slightly, and he hesitated to touch her completely: "Wynne, won't this offend you?"
Yuan Ning deliberately took his hand, holding Jasper Winthrop's hand: "No, but you, could you?"
Jasper smiled shyly: "No, I won't."
"Hmph, I thought you were like those old fogies, just holding hands and that's nothing, right?"
Jasper nodded, trying to hide the disappointment in his eyes: "Yeah."
He couldn't tell her that his family already knew he was dating an Asian girl, though he didn't know how they found out—maybe it was Uncle Elias who told them—but... his family was seriously considering a dowry for him, perhaps offering 33 hectares of land in British territory from the Winthrop family.
Elias stood silently before the arched window, like a cold sculpture. The distance and the glass isolated him from sound, but he could read lips and body language.
He watched the boy and girl downstairs holding hands, disappearing happily and playfully at the end of the road. He slowly loosened his fingers from the window frame, turned around, and the dim light in the study illuminated his expressionless profile.
He didn't go straight back to his bedroom, but instead went up to the small living room on the second floor. Theodora was sitting there, reading a book of poetry by the light of a floor lamp.
Elias sat down on the sofa opposite his mother, his posture still impeccable, but a cold, oppressive atmosphere emanated from him.
As usual, the maid Dorota quietly brought him a cup of chamomile tea to help him sleep before bed and gently placed it on the small round table beside him. The coaster was made of exquisite Venetian glass, and Dorota deliberately positioned the cup with the stem facing Elias at a 45-degree angle to him, which he was accustomed to.
However, Elias's gaze lingered on the cup for a moment.
"Dorotha." His voice wasn't loud, but it made the maid stop in her tracks immediately.
"gentlemen?"
Dorotha's gaze followed Elias to the teacup, where several chamomile flowers floated in the water, but one of them had a broken petal.
"I'm so sorry, sir, I'll replace it for you right away."
Elias nodded, and Dorotha then quietly withdrew.
Theodora looked up from the poetry book, her gaze gentle yet all-knowing: "It seems tonight's work hasn't gone well, Elias."
Elias did not answer his mother's question; his attention was drawn to another detail. He reached out and used his fingertips to move a perfectly aligned silver ashtray on the coffee table in front of him about a centimeter to the left, aligning it perfectly with the edge of the table.
"Mother, do you think that some of the principles we adhere to are outdated in this day and age?"
Theodora gracefully turned a page and smiled. "Civilizations endure, Elias, not because they are ancient, but because they are effective. They keep us separate from lower beings."
Theodora, a philanthropist, speaks cruelly, and the "lower beings" she refers to naturally include a segment of the population.
“You have always been a child I am very proud of. Some of our families, which have been friends for generations, no longer raise their offspring in the way that is truly aristocratic. Now you are the most gentlemanly man on the entire East Coast of the United States, Elias.”
Elias remained silent for a moment.
“I understand.” He stood up. “Goodnight, Mother.”
Yuan Ning held Jasper's hand and walked to the end of the avenue until the brownstone mansion was out of sight, then she let go of Jasper's hand.
Jasper seemed relieved and withdrew his hand: "Wynne, where are we going?"
"Sorry, Jasper, I can't go on a date with you."
Before listening to Elias's words, Yuan Ning might have been able to play around with Jasper without any burden, but after that, Yuan Ning couldn't be without burden. Either she had to give Jasper a formal status, or she couldn't keep stringing him along anymore.
"Why? Wynne, you don't need to give me an answer right away. Just call me when you need my help."
She slightly raised her chin, her gaze sweeping over the neighborhood that symbolized the elite: "Jasper, you should learn from your Uncle Elias and stop wallowing in your own depravity." She sighed, patted Jasper on the shoulder, and decided to stop leading the little boy astray.
Jasper looked in that direction, somewhat incredulous: "Him? He's a notorious old fogey. I really don't know how someone like him can survive on Wall Street."
"Really?" She tilted her head, the streetlight casting a soft shadow on her face, her pupils dark and resolute.
"Yes, I'm different from him."
"Can we kiss?"
"What?" Jasper's face turned as red as if it were burning.
"Kiss me right here, under the streetlights, how romantic!"
Yuan Ning thought to herself that if Jasper was willing to kiss her, it would be best if Elias saw it, to make him furious.
Jasper's heart was pounding in his chest, and he began to panic, stammering, "Wynne, I... I'm not ready yet."
Yuan Ning reluctantly took a step back, sighed, and decided to stop provoking Jasper.
“Look, Jasper, I can’t lead you astray anymore.”
She restored the polite yet distant distance between them: "Thank you for picking me up today. Although I don't know how to tell you, you really helped me a lot. If you ever have any difficult projects to handle in the future, just let me know."
Jasper's eyes held a mixture of embarrassment, disappointment, and a hint of offense: "Wynne, if you encounter any difficulties, feel free to come to me."
On Wednesday, Yuan Ning successfully received the $500 from the Meng family. If this $500 lasts for four more days, she will receive her salary from Elias and the magazine, and her food and clothing crisis will be completely resolved.
But fate was determined not to let this wicked illegitimate daughter have such an easy life. Rumors began to circulate on campus that Queen Wynne, a fashion management student at Parsons School of Management, had gone bankrupt and was now spending her nights dressed in rags, fighting with the poor for discounted food in a Williamsburg supermarket.
Wynne used to be known as the "Queen" on campus. She was very wealthy and fashionable, with an arrogant personality, a high chin, and an aura of looking down on everyone.
There are many girls on campus who are her followers, but the only friends who can sit at the same table with her are Emily, Amanda, and Stella. There used to be an Eleanor, but Eleanor married into a wealthy family, and Emily can't stand her showing off her Hermès bags at lunch every day.
“Everyone owns a Hermès bag, but to be so young and carry a Birkin, doesn’t it look old-fashioned? That’s something my grandma used to carry,” Emily said.
Eleanor found her sour and stopped playing with them.
The rumors intensified, and Yuan Ning could hear whispers as she walked around campus that day; they quickly became public gossip.
Several girls who used to be close to her began to look at her with inquisitive, even gloating, eyes.
At lunch, Emily, Amanda, and Stella all gave her meaningful looks.
“Wynne, have you heard that ridiculous rumor?” Emily asked casually, cutting the meat on her plate. “Someone actually said you were robbing discounted food in Williamsburg? That’s the most absurd joke I’ve heard all year.”
Amanda chimed in, "Exactly! Don't listen to those people's nonsense. It must have been spread by those Latina girls. They really should go see an eye doctor."
Stella didn't speak, but looked at Yuan Ning thoughtfully.
Yuan Ning tightened her grip on the fork for a moment, then gracefully lowered it.
“Williamsburg?” She chuckled softly, with a hint of disdain. “I don’t even know which direction that place is. It seems some people have too much free time.”
She picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth with a calm and unhurried gesture: "Perhaps I offended a girl by recently turning down a girl's offer to join me."
Emily and Amanda both seemed to believe it.
“Some people do need to write stories to satisfy their barren imaginations.”
Stella silently scanned Yuan Ning from head to toe, then suddenly spoke up: "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've seen you wearing the latest ready-to-wear from a brand. The sweater you're wearing now, doesn't it look like it was bought last year?"
An eerie silence fell over the dining table. Emily and Amanda stopped cutting the meat and, along with Stella, turned their gaze to scrutinize Yuan Ning.
Yuan Ning felt a cold sweat instantly break out on her back. She knew that if things continued like this, she would be exposed sooner or later.
But she maintained that haughty expression, as if she had heard something absurd.
“I’ve recently been researching how to create different looks with the simplest pieces to prepare for the next issue of V magazine. I’ve found some classic pieces that are worth wearing repeatedly.”
Amanda seemed convinced and nodded: "That's true. Wynne's taste has always been impeccable. I know you disdain wearing clothes covered in logos."
Emily's eyes darted around: "Wynne, your magazine has invited many celebrities, including our brand, to a cocktail party at a penthouse on the Upper East Side on Friday. You'll probably be there, right? Don't wear those old outfits to events like that; you'll just get laughed at."
“Especially when everyone suspects you’re bankrupt,” Stella added.
"Haha, this rumor is hilarious, Wynne. Wear your high-end jewelry on me that day and dazzle those poor girls." Amanda seemed impatient to see Queen Wynne get her comeuppance.
A note from the author:
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