Chapter 6 Her Future Employer
After the party, Yuan Ning returned home with a full load of goodies.
Today, she not only reconnected with several of her old acquaintances, but also expanded her social circle, made some new friends, and left an excellent impression on Mrs. Stern, who had been of great help to her.
“Wynne, I bet more than half the men tonight are secretly asking about your name.” Eleanor affectionately linked arms with her and walked towards where her boyfriend Justin was. “Come on, I’ll take you to say hello to Justin.”
When they made their way through the crowd to the burgundy velvet sofa, Justin was the only one there. He was finishing the last of his whiskey, a cigarette between his fingers, and a clear look of disappointment on his face.
But in front of his girlfriend and her best friends, Justin quickly put away his disappointed expression and transformed into a successful businessman who was making waves in the industry.
"Honey, how did the business go today?" Eleanor released Yuan Ning's hand and eagerly threw herself into her boyfriend's arms.
Justin pulled Eleanor onto his lap, kissed his girlfriend's cheek, and reached out with the hand holding his cigarette to brush a strand of hair from her forehead: "Everything went well. How about you? Did you have fun today?"
Eleanor looked at Yuan Ning: "Of course I'm happy to have Wynne with me."
As she spoke, she added to her boyfriend, "This is the friend I told you about, my good friend Wynne, who is from China."
Yuan Ning exchanged brief greetings with Justin. She had no intention of befriending her friend's boyfriend, even though he was a rising star in the tech industry, several circles above her, and someone Yuan Ning rarely had the opportunity to meet these days.
“Mr. Thorne.” Yuan Ning nodded slightly.
“Just call me Justin.” He laughed heartily, his other arm still around Eleanor’s waist. “I’ll call a car to take you back.”
Eleanor looked at Yuan Ning: "Wynne, let's go together. We'll call a car to take you back to Park Avenue?"
Yuan Ning waved her hand, shook her phone, and the pendant jingled: "No need, I'm meeting a friend to have a drink in Xicun. He's waiting for me nearby." She pointed in the opposite direction.
Yuan Ning used "he" instead of "she" in this sentence because she was afraid that Eleanor wanted to go for a drink with her.
Upon hearing this, Eleanor's expression turned into a teasing smile: "I guess... it's Jasper? He's been pursuing you for a long time."
Yuan Ning lowered her head and smiled shyly, without giving a direct response.
Eleanor waved her hand: "Alright, have a great date then, we won't bother you anymore."
Early winter in New York was already quite cold. Yuan Ning, wrapped in a gray coat, walked alone towards the subway station, preparing to return to her shabby shared apartment. No one here knew she was wearing Dior, and the people at the party wouldn't know she was now on the subway.
For a moment, she took out her phone, really wanting to call Jasper and ask him out for a drink. If she had, her lies tonight wouldn't have made her look so pathetic.
But there were lies behind lies, and if Jasper was going to take her home, she had no reason to refuse.
Yuan Ning returned to her rented apartment alone. The moment she closed the door, everything from the party was completely shut out. In the poorly soundproofed apartment, the noise from her roommates mixed with the smell of cheap takeout all rushed in.
She carefully took off her suit, propped it up on a plastic hanger, and hung it in the innermost compartment of the makeshift wardrobe.
If she manages to get a new offer from Professor Miller, she will need to wear this Dior outfit to meet her client again.
Afterward, she changed into a pink flannel pajama set that seemed out of place in the space, and snuggled into the silk four-piece bedding set that she had painstakingly packed into her suitcase.
At this moment, she felt that she had finally calmed down a little.
My phone vibrated; it was a text message from Eleanor.
How was your date with Jasper? Are you home yet? I bet you're not spending the night with him.
Yuan Ning took a deep breath and gave a bitter smile that even she found ironic.
She replied quickly:
Just got home, I'm exhausted, I'll talk about this next time.
She put down her phone, opened her white iBook, and although she knew Professor Miller, who had just spent the weekend, wouldn't reply to her email, she still habitually checked her inbox for the latest news.
At that moment, she seemed to be split into two people: one was a socialite who was witty and charming at parties and appreciated by celebrities and ladies in the fashion world; the other was a poor female student living in a cramped cubicle and even worrying about where she would get the money for her next meal.
Growing up in China, she was able to learn horseback riding, appreciate jewelry, and frequent upscale establishments. She believed herself to be a born heiress, until she turned twenty when she realized she was merely a product of an extramarital affair, and all the glamour was a mirage. This was a devastating blow to a proud and rebellious young woman.
These days, she hardly has any time to think about these things; whenever she does, she feels suffocated.
The computer screen emitted a cold light. Yuan Ning opened her email but received no reply.
She was somewhat disappointed, but it was also expected, as few people deal with work on weekends anyway.
At 7:30 a.m. on Monday, the entire trading floor occupied by Percival Capital awoke precisely on time, or rather, it never truly slept.
The open trading floor was brightly lit, and compared to that, the rising sun in Manhattan didn't seem so glaring.
On the huge screen wall, countless streams of colored data cascaded down like a waterfall, reflecting faces contorted with extreme focus or excitement.
With phones tucked between their shoulders and ears, traders worked tirelessly, the air thick with the smells of expensive cologne and leftover pizza.
Elias van der Berg stood at the heart of this chaos.
He was still wearing his impeccable charcoal gray three-piece suit, but he had loosened his tie and left his shirt collar casually open.
Unlike his subordinates, he didn't shout himself hoarse. Instead, he stood with one hand in his suit jacket belt on a slightly raised platform in the center of the trading hall, his eyes fixed on the real-time data of major global markets displayed on the screen.
"One-third of the crude oil positions were liquidated."
His instructions were clear and concise, and the traders immediately executed them. Some grabbed two phones to place orders simultaneously, while others frantically typed on their keyboards. The entire trading area echoed with the rapid tapping and shouts of confirmation.
At that moment, a stunning blonde woman with impeccable makeup, down to every single hair, wearing ten-centimeter high heels, held a glass of single malt whiskey and precisely handed it to Elias.
Elias's eyes gleamed with red and green light as he took the glass, offered no thanks, and sipped the amber liquid.
It wasn't until he finished a morning of highly focused work and was about to enjoy his lunch that he noticed a blonde woman in his office.
A sexy blonde woman was leaning against his desk, her red-nailed fingers lightly tracing the surface.
"Who let you in?" His voice was colder than the continuously falling green line on the electronic screen. Elias happened to have the means to make any stock price plummet.
The young woman stood up and gave a sweet smile: "Mr. Van der Berg, I am your new assistant Jennifer. Richard asked me to introduce myself to her."
She deliberately slowed her speech, her tone carrying a subtle implication. Elite men like them often enjoy flirting with their blonde assistants in their free time.
Elias simply pressed the speed dial button on the internal phone.
"Richard, come to my office immediately."
Less than thirty seconds later, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses strode in: "Boss, what can I do for you?"
“Explain.” Elias didn’t even look at him, his gaze returning to the screen.
Richard wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead. "Boss, this is a candidate recommended by the headhunter. I think her resume is excellent..."
"You have three seconds to get her out of my sight, or you and she will leave together."
"Yes, boss."
The woman's face turned deathly pale: "Mr. Van der Berg, I..."
Elias's blue eyes held no emotion, yet they sent chills down one's spine.
He kept staring at Richard until the man pushed the woman out of the office. The only sounds in the office were the low hum of the central air conditioning and the hurried tapping of the woman's high heels on the floor. At the same time, the telephone on the desk rang.
Before the vibrations from the ringing bell had fully dissipated, Elias's hand had already moved, swiftly and decisively.
"Hello."
A two-syllable word escaped his tightly pursed, hard lips, and at the same time, Richard had already led his men out and knocked on the door.
Elias didn't even change his posture; he simply looked away.
“Elijas, Professor Miller from Parsons College sent me a few resumes. You should take a look, since you're the one choosing a dress consultant.”
When Theodora speaks, she pronounces each vowel with a full, rounded quality, and the consonants are clear but not overly sharp. Her voice has a polished, just-right huskiness. It's the kind of accent that makes standard Oxford English sound like a native speaker, yet naturally incorporates French sentence structures and German logic.
Elias naturally inherited his mother's education. From a distance, one could only see his elegant and noble silhouette. Only those who were close enough and allowed by him could feel the absolute confidence and cold pressure that perfectly blended noble blood, cultural refinement, and inner will to power.
“You can decide these things, Mother.”
“I mean, you should take a look, Elias.”
When Theodora spoke, her tone was always steady and restrained, with almost no major fluctuations, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.
This may be related to her long-term involvement in philanthropy, which for her is far more than mere charity; it is her way of participating in and influencing the world. She is particularly concerned with the preservation of the arts, wildlife conservation, and girls' education. In her view, upholding these is an inherent responsibility of someone of her background and status, and a manifestation of her power and influence.
"Okay, Mother, please send it to my email."
After finishing her morning classes, Yuan Ning learned from Professor Miller that her information had been sent to the client, and all she had to do was wait for news.
She also learned that Emily had successfully joined Givenchy and would work four hours a day at the store, earning a salary that was quite substantial for Yuan Ning at the moment.
Yuan Ning was very nervous. If she couldn't get this internship as a fashion consultant, she would face a lot of pressure.
At noon, the girls planned to have lunch at Balthazar restaurant, but fortunately Yuan Ning had set aside money for a chicory salad in advance.
Amanda had just hung up the phone, her face full of disappointment: "Balthazar restaurant is fully booked for lunch today."
“What a pity. How about we go to Nobu? It’s a bit pricey, but it’s okay to eat there once in a while,” Stella suggested.
Yuan Ning frowned slightly. Nobu Restaurant was a place she could no longer afford; she couldn't just go there and order a cup of coffee.
“Wynne.”
Yuan Ning turned around and saw Jasper standing behind her with a gentle smile.
“Jasper!” Emily was the first to exclaim in surprise.
Stella nudged her with her elbow: "Let's go first, Wynne, we won't bother you anymore."
Yuan Ning has been trying to hook up with Jasper for a while now, but it's all been on Jasper's own terms.
She once told Jasper frankly, "I don't know when I can give you a formal title, but sometimes I need you. Can you be there for me during those times?"
Jasper said he was willing.
Jasper is very famous at Parsons College. He is talented and well-mannered, and if the word "prince" weren't so outdated, he would be the kind of person who would be called a prince on campus.
He was tall and had a clean-cut demeanor. His dark brown hair shone with a warm glow in the sunlight, and he wore a perfectly friendly smile.
Jasper stood there and asked Yuan if she would like to have lunch with him.
“I booked two seats at Daniel’s, it would be a shame to have to eat alone.”
“Good heavens, Daniel! That restaurant needs to be booked months in advance!” Emily, who was still eavesdropping, exclaimed as Stella dragged her away.
Yuan Ning stood in front of Jasper, who considerately wrapped the LP cashmere scarf he had brought around her neck: "Does this feel offensive?"
Yuan Ning knew he was asking whether his act of wrapping the scarf around her was within her permitted scope.
If it were before, sorry, she wouldn't have been there, and she would have taken off his scarf and thrown it back. But now... a cashmere scarf worth three thousand US dollars, only a fool would throw it back.
Yuan Ning's neck was wrapped in soft cashmere, which felt extremely comfortable. Her dark eyes narrowed slightly, forming two lazy slits, creating a seemingly defenseless and almost coquettish expression that made people want to reach out and stroke her hair.
This was Yuan Ning deliberately showing a bit of flattery to Jasper, meaning that she would allow him to have more dates like this.
As this cheerful and graceful cat stepped into Daniel's restaurant, her future employer, Elias van der Berg, happened to look up.
A note from the author:
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