Chapter 4 Her Dior
Yuan Ning silently paid the room fee for the cheap hotel and accepted the cubicle in Williamsburg that the real estate agent had provided for her.
She rummaged through her wallet, calculating her expenses, but in the end, her secret joy overcame her shame. Thanks to the man named Elias who paid for her meal, she was able to prepay four weeks' rent. Taking the keys, she pulled the suitcase that now contained all her belongings and disappeared back into the cold wind of early winter in New York City.
It took her some effort to get on the subway from Midtown Manhattan to Williamsburg.
What's disheartening is that she has to be extremely frugal even with such small transportation expenses.
Before going up, she changed out of her mink coat and velvet skirt, wearing an outfit that her classmates would never recognize.
As Yuan Ning passed by beggars, eccentric homeless people, and overly enthusiastic flirts, she realized that in this place, she also needed to protect herself from being robbed.
She learned to appear disheveled on certain occasions, and then switch back to glamorous at a certain dividing line.
The subway journey from Manhattan to Williamsburg gradually transformed her vision from one of suits and ties to one of vibrant colors and a cacophony of noise.
The air was filled with cheap perfume, beer, and a certain street vibe.
A young woman in ripped jeans and brightly dyed hair chatted and laughed loudly. She gripped the handrail tightly, her fingertips icy cold. The carriage window reflected her pale face and dark eyes, like a classical portrait forcibly framed in a plastic picture frame.
Following the vague address given by the agent, she exited the subway on a street adorned with neon lights and graffiti.
The streetlights were dim, and music spilled from under the door of an unknown bar. She found the red-brick apartment building.
In the following period, she locked herself in her room as much as possible, opened iBook, improved her resume, and showcased her talent and inspiration to the fullest.
She carefully selected vocabulary, considering words and grammar.
In the past, she wouldn't have paid so much attention to grammar. Inspired by that gentleman, well, now that she knew how those "nobles" spoke, she could only try her best to imitate them and perhaps win the favor of the client who commissioned the project.
Her roommates were clearly two "rock musicians".
The loud noise and the insecurity brought on by the paper-thin walls caused her stomach to clench.
She didn't forget that she had only eaten one chicory salad all day.
Perhaps she could grab a calorie-bursting dirty hot dog for $1.99 from around the corner and fill her stomach; cheap and filling food is everywhere on this street.
But she suppressed the thought the moment it occurred to her.
“Yuan Ning, you’re not suffering. You’re just maintaining your figure. You’re only going through this ordeal of starving yourself just to fit into a size 4 Chanel dress. For Chanel, it’s all worth it.”
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and continued to immerse herself in the cool blue light emanating from the iBook screen.
She kept revising until late at night, until she pressed the "enter" key with her middle finger, and sent her resume and thoughts to Professor Miller's email address. Then she called her mother.
Qiao Yiya was a slender woman with fair skin. Yuan Ning inherited her slenderness and fair skin, as well as the pitiful and fragile feeling she conveyed when she spoke.
A woman who can maintain the illusion of a "perfect family" for more than 20 years and enjoy it must possess extremely high emotional insight and life wisdom.
But Yuan Ning was still very worried about her mother. Qiao Yiya had relied on men her whole life, and of course, Meng Qianyue had always taken good care of her. That's why Yuan Ning was even more worried about her mother's situation.
The call was connected.
"Nini?" At this time, in the southern part of China, it should be a bright and sunny winter afternoon.
"Mom, it's me." Yuan Ning's voice was a little hoarse. She cleared her throat, trying to make her tone sound cheerful. "Have you had lunch?"
"I ate, just a little something. What about you? Why are you still up so late?"
My mother's voice was still fragile and proud, seemingly untouched by life's hardships, but... it's a terrible thing for a woman to remain naive when she shouldn't be.
"It's nothing, I just did some research and I'm going to sleep soon." Yuan Ning paused, her gaze sweeping across the oppressive cubicle before finally settling on the hazy night outside the window.
"Don't worry about things at home. Your father is just temporarily in a difficult situation. Everything will be fine in a while."
"Mother!"
Yuan Ning didn't know what expectations her mother still had for her father, but some things were wrong from the very beginning, and even Yuan Ning's birth was a mistake.
“He can’t just abandon us, Nini. Mom can’t afford your studies in New York City on her own. Why don’t you come back and see your father?”
Qiao Yiya may have been hoping that her daughter would remind her "husband" of his responsibility towards the "family".
“Our family has always been very warm. Your father must have encountered some difficulties that forced him to abandon us first.”
"Mom! Stop daydreaming!"
Just three days ago, Yuan Ning learned from that blonde woman that she had an older half-brother and two older sisters!
This completely overturned Yuan Ning's understanding of family. She didn't even know what she meant to her father, who had always doted on her.
Looking at the empty bank card balance, Yuan Ning was perfectly clear-headed; she, Meng Yuan Ning, meant nothing.
“Nini, Mommy isn’t just fantasizing, but Mommy can only fantasize. If he really stops caring about us, how are we supposed to live?”
Yuan Ning heard sobbing coming from the phone receiver. If she were the father, she definitely wouldn't be able to bear her mother like this.
Yuan Ning wasn't worried about her mother's livelihood. She had a place to live and relatives and friends in China, and even if things didn't go well, she could easily find a job to support herself.
The problem is that, just like her, Yuan Ning cannot be fed on a $1.99 high-calorie hot dog, and Qiao Yiya is not a woman who can be fed on simple meals and pure cotton clothes.
She can't stop her facial skincare routine, nor can she stop eating bird's nest every day. Jewelry and bags can be bought again, but if she stops her skincare routine, her social class will drop completely.
Every inch of a woman's skin, every wrinkle, tells a story of her past experiences, which cannot be concealed no matter what.
Qiao Yiya shouldn't have such a difficult experience, and Yuan Ning doesn't want her to either.
In other words, Yuan Ning couldn't let her mother truly experience poverty.
"Fortunately, Dad had previously deposited tens of thousands of yuan into Mom's beauty salon account, which the lawyer cannot recover."
Qiao Yiya spoke while sobbing.
Yuan Ning interrupted her: "Mom, I'm not coming back. I'm staying here."
"Mom doesn't want to see you living in poverty, my dear daughter."
“I can earn my own money, Mom. I not only want to live up to our previous standard of living, but I want to live even better than before. Mom, don’t count on Dad anymore, he’s no longer of any use to us.”
Her mother wanted her to go back so that she could see her father again and try to get some more resources or property from him.
Honestly, Yuan Ning has only ever received pretty dresses and bags from her father since she was little; she has never asked for them.
"We should stop having any illusions about Dad. Mom, I want to change my surname sometime. I don't care about the $500 a month living expenses that the Meng family gives me."
“Nini, if you change your surname, you will have absolutely no connection with them. Nini, my daughter and I have nothing in this world.”
Yuan Ning had no choice but to forgive her mother for doing things that were immoral for so long, because Qiao Yiya was such a weak woman. Although she was weak, she also had to be a woman who lived a life of luxury.
Even if she has nothing, she must be a woman who lives a life of luxury.
"It's okay, Mom. I will give it to you, and to yourself, and to myself. Mom, please take good care of your hands and face. The opportunity will come sooner or later."
Over the weekend, Yuan Ning bought groceries for the following week from a discount supermarket in Williamsburg. The items included oatmeal, eggs, pasta, fruit, and some discounted vegetables.
She doesn't want to go hungry anymore, but she wants to make sure she's eating healthy food.
In fact, the "slums" sell many cheap and large-volume boxed meals, but Yuan Ning would never touch those foods. Even if she was extremely hungry, she would not imitate those poor and obese people on the street and swallow hot dogs and fried chicken mixed with sauce.
On Sunday evening, Eleanor called to invite Yuan Ning to a small party she was hosting in Soho.
Eleanor was their classmate at Parsons and used to be a member of their group, but ever since Eleanor got a new rich boyfriend, Emily and the others haven't been inviting her to hang out much.
After all, the lifestyle of young girls is different from that of "ladies of leisure".
“Wynne, honey, don’t tell me you have to study on Sunday night. The party tonight is in a villa provided by the brand, and some celebrities from my boyfriend’s circle are coming. The only good friend I can think of who can support me is you, please, please.”
Eleanor's tone was so sweet that Yuan Ning could easily imagine the kind of tone she used to persuade her boyfriend to deposit $200,000 in her Chanel account.
“That sounds great, Eleanor.” Yuan Ning made her voice sound just the right amount of excited. “Send me the address, I’ll get ready and come over.”
No upper-class girl can resist the allure of a party, and Yuan Ning is certain that Emily and her friends won't even get tickets to Eleanor's party.
If Yuan Ning didn't want to go, that would be a miracle!
"Great! Wynne, remember to wear Dior or Chanel! You can't go wrong!"
"Okay."
After hanging up the phone, Yuan Ning took a deep breath. Looking at her simple cubicle, she suddenly fell silent, her mind racing as she calculated the cost of this trip.
A perfectly presentable outfit, transportation costs to and from SoHo, and any unavoidable minimum expenses that may arise at the party...
Yuan Ning still has a Dior suit designed by Galliano. The fabric is a cream-colored blend of virgin wool and silk, which shimmers with a soft, pearly luster under the light, but appears exceptionally understated and elegant in everyday light.
The top is cinched at the waist, and below it is a knee-length pencil skirt that forms an elegant yet restrained curve when walking.
The coat's lining uses Galliano's signature printed silk, featuring a pattern of dark red, twisted roses that reveals its inner wildness only in a fleeting glimpse when the coat is removed.
Wearing this outfit requires the wearer to always keep their back straight and maintain a reserved yet arrogant posture. Yuan Ning wore a close-fitting silk slip dress underneath, with the black lace trim of a push-up bra peeking out from the edges.
Wearing high heels, red lipstick, and long eyelashes, Yuan Ning wrapped herself in a thick gray coat and stepped onto the subway.
When she appeared alone at the door of the townhouse in SoHo, two handsome waiters opened the glass door for her, and Eleanor ran towards her like a happy little bird, grabbing her hand: "Great, Wynne! You've finally come!"
Yuan Ning calmly removed her gloves, and a waiter took off her coat. Eleanor looked towards the door and said, "Darling, I asked someone to reserve a parking space for you. Where did you park your car? It's not easy to find a parking space on this street."
“Eleanor, that BMW is a beautiful little piece of junk! It’s always having all sorts of problems, I’ve already sent it to be repaired.”
A note from the author:
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