69. Old classmates
"Lingling? It's really you!" the man called out her name in surprise. Lingling was momentarily dazed, her mind rapidly searching for past encounters with this man. She finally pinpointed their university days, and blurted out, "Mugun?" As soon as the nickname uttered, she felt she had slipped up. At such a prestigious gathering, with this man wearing a custom-made velvet suit, she was still calling him by his college nickname. It was truly inconsiderate. The other man, sensing her regret, smiled kindly and said, "It's okay, no one here understands Chinese." But Ling Ling still added a sincere apology: "I'm sorry, Lin Kun. I never expected to meet you here, let alone someone like you." Lin Kun stepped closer and said, "Yeah, I didn't expect that either. When you first came in, I thought you looked like my former goddess. But then I realized you were so much prettier than you were in college, so for a moment I didn't recognize you." Knowing his usual glib tone, Ling Ling smiled sideways and said, "You seem to be doing well now. If you were to talk about a goddess, the only thing that comes to mind is the Statue of Liberty on the platinum coin." The two old classmates reminisced and chatted. Only after Adrian and his daughter finished dancing did they say their reluctant goodbyes. Before leaving, Lin Kun whispered to her, "Wait for me after the cocktail party. We can get together again." "Wouldn't that be too late?" Ling Ling hadn't told Yu Chuanbei yet, fearing he'd worry. "No, the old folks at this party can't make it through the night. They'll be gone in less than half an hour." Lin Kun still wore that sly smile from college, and Ling Ling felt quite attuned to him. Sure enough, just as New York's nightlife was just beginning, the party ended early. After saying goodbye to Adrian and his daughter, Ling Ling went to a nearby bar with Lin Kun, who was waiting at the door. As they entered, Lin Kun asked, "You said you work for an advertising agency in China. Are you in New York looking for clients?" Ling Ling waved her hand and smiled, "No, no, I'm just here on vacation with my boyfriend." Hearing the word "boyfriend" from her, Lin Kun sighed with regret, "Ah, what a shame! You already have a boyfriend. Doesn't that mean our destiny is over?" "No, no, no, our destiny never even existed," Ling Ling taunted him. Lin Kun feigned disappointment as he slumped his shoulders, then nudged her waist, inviting her to sit. "What does your boyfriend do?" "He works at Eivor, doing data analysis."
"Lingling? It's really you!" The man called her name in surprise.
Ling Ling was dazed for a moment, searching her mind for past interactions with this man. She finally pinpointed their university days and blurted out, "A wooden stick?"
As soon as she uttered the nickname, she felt she had slipped up. At a cocktail party filled with so many high-profile people, with this man wearing a custom-made velvet suit, she was still calling him by his college nickname. It was truly inconsiderate.
The other party saw her regret, smiled kindly and said, "It's okay, no one here understands Chinese."
But Ling Ling still added a sincere apology: "I'm sorry, Lin Kun, I didn't expect to meet you here, and I didn't expect to meet you like this."
Lin Kun walked closer to her and said, "Yeah, I didn't expect that either. When you first came in, I thought you looked like you, and I thought it was my former goddess who had appeared. But then I also thought you were much prettier than when you were in college, and for a moment I didn't dare to recognize you."
Ling Ling knew that he always had this smooth-talking tone, so she smiled and said to him with a squinting eye: "It seems that you are doing well now. When it comes to goddesses, the only one that comes to your mind is probably the Statue of Liberty on the platinum coin."
The two old classmates were reminiscing and chatting like this.
It was not until Adrian and his daughter finished dancing that they said goodbye with reluctance.
Before leaving, Lin Kun whispered to her to change places: "Wait for me after the cocktail party, we can get together again."
"Isn't that too late?" Ling Ling hasn't told Yu Chuanbei yet, fearing that he would worry.
"No, the old folks at this party can't stay up all night. They will leave in less than half an hour." Lin Kun still had the cunning smile he had in college, and Ling Ling felt very cordial.
As expected, the cocktail party ended early when New York's nightlife was just beginning.
After saying goodbye to Adrian and his daughter, Ling Ling went to a nearby bar with Lin Kun who was waiting at the door.
After they entered, Lin Kun asked her, "You just said you work for an advertising company in China. So, are you here in New York to develop clients?"
Ling Ling waved her hands and said with a smile: "No, no, I'm just here on vacation with my boyfriend."
When Lin Kun heard the word "boyfriend" from her mouth, he couldn't help but say with regret: "Ah, what a pity, you already have a boyfriend, so our fate will end again."
"No, no, no, our destiny has never come." Ling Ling mocked him.
Lin Kun pretended to slump his shoulders in disappointment, then pushed her waist and asked her to sit down.
"What does your boyfriend do?"
"He's at Eivor, doing data analysis." Ling Ling suddenly remembered that she needed to update Yu Chuanbei on her latest situation, so she took out her phone. "I have to tell him right away that you and I are going out. He also said he would pick me up in the evening."
Lin Kun saw her open a chat with her boyfriend and directly share the bar's location. He suppressed his signature smile and shook his head calmly at the bartender who was waiting for his next instruction.
After sending the message, Ling Ling put away her phone and continued chatting with him, "What about you? What are you doing now? Why are you so successful?"
"Old classmates, it's been a long time since we last met. All you have left is a chat, right?" He pushed a glass of sweet wine to her.
Ling Ling picked up the wine glass and took a sip. It tasted like a soft drink. "So you want to reply to me. You are the 'Tao', right?"
"Haha, no, no, how dare I mess around with a goddess. But yeah, I'm indeed the client of your boyfriend's company. I'm working at AGS now, and this year, several major projects for the group have been assigned to Eivor. Your boyfriend's name is—"
"Yu Chuanbei."
"Oh, he came to our project as a consulting team leader before and did some early docking. We met twice."
"Really? Then please take care of me in the future." Ling Ling raised her glass to toast him generously.
Lin Kun smiled awkwardly.
Yu Chuanbei replied to Ling Ling's message. She picked up her phone and saw, "Yu Chuanbei said he would pick me up here in about half an hour."
"Haha, are you still in the honeymoon phase? You're already chasing me after seeing me for so long."
"Yes, so you should know that the reason I'm here with you at this moment is because of the deep friendship between us old classmates." Ling Ling spoke to him without any hesitation.
They continued chatting for a while before Yu Chuanbei arrived at the door of the bar.
When the two men met, there was bound to be some business compliments and social small talk. Ling Ling quickly let them shake hands and say goodbye, and they left with laughter.
Lin Kun wanted to go back to the club to get a car and take them back to the hotel, but Ling Ling politely declined. Ling Ling told him to go first.
Yu Chuanbei and Ling Ling walked hand in hand on the way back to the hotel, like an old couple digesting their food after a meal.
"Lin Kun was so attentive just now, and you rejected him so decisively," said Yu Chuanbei.
"I don't want you to be in this situation with him because of me."
"What situation?"
"Isn't their company your client? You have already been socializing with your boss all day today, so why bother to spend your energy dealing with him tonight? Besides, he and I met unexpectedly, and you were not prepared. I know Lin Kun too well, he is definitely a shrewd person. If you and him get along well tonight, it will be too tiring; if you don't get along well, it will be unnecessary." Ling Ling helped him analyze rationally.
Yu Chuanbei embraced her with relief and said, "Oh, I've really found a treasure. It would be a shame if I didn't marry her quickly. If we get married, you won't have to worry about me spending money on you. It will all be considered our joint property. What do you think?"
"There's no morning meeting to discuss important life matters today." Ling Ling waved her hand casually to push away his arms that were around her.
Yu Chuanbei pouted, pretending to be aggrieved, but there was nothing he could do about her. After strolling for a while, he continued, "Deng Dalun is in New York these days, and I have to help him with his family party tomorrow. I might be busy and won't have much time to spend with you."
"No problem, go do your thing. Lin Kungang also made an appointment with me. He said it was my first time here, so he wanted to show me around for a few days and let me see a different New York."
*~*~*~*~*~*~
These two days, Lin Kun took Ling Ling on an in-depth tour of New York.
Before, Yu Chuanbei took her to tourist check-in spots like the Empire State Building, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or Broadway, but Lin Kun took her to dirty subway passages, niche art cinemas, and outdoor museums.
Lin Kun also talked about his college days, when he, Ling Ling, Hao Shengnan, and Long Jia were in a free-fighting club. Ling Ling had initially thought it was a past event he didn't want to talk about.
At that time, it was obvious to everyone that Lin Kun had forced his way into the club to pursue Ling Ling. Ling Ling clearly had no interest in him, but he kept getting stronger and stronger. She couldn't say anything, so she could only ignore him. Long Jia, on the other hand, had always disliked him; the nickname "Wooden Stick" was actually given to him by Long Jia. He particularly disliked his servile socializing, so he tolerated it for a year. Until one day, when the venue was empty at night, he forced a hug from Ling Ling. Long Jia discovered him and kicked him out.
Unexpectedly, Lin Kun didn't hold a grudge against her now, and even treated it as a joke. Ling Ling couldn't help but think that now that this man has money, his ambitions will really become bigger.
In the evening, Lin Kun invited Ling Ling to the boxing gym to practice boxing, saying that he wanted to relive the passion of the past. Ling Ling decisively agreed.
Ling Ling had been practicing boxing with Hao Shengnan for years, and she had some basic skills, so she could match a few moves with Lin Kun. She didn't mind the occasional physical contact, such as pushing the waist or touching the chest, as it was inevitable.
Lin Kun's final punch landed on Ling Ling's head, seemingly heavy, but Ling Ling, not a squeamish woman, didn't take it seriously. Lin Kun apologized and suggested ending the fight. Ling Ling prepared to go to the locker room to shower and change. Before leaving, Lin Kun handed her a bottle of mineral water and unscrewed the cap for her.
Ling Ling took it gratefully but only took a sip. "I really need to go to the bathroom now. I'll drink more later. I'm really thirsty. Thank you!"
She took the water and ran into the women's locker room.
After using the restroom and showering, she went to her locker to change her clothes. Just as she was about to pick up the bottle of mineral water to drink, Yu Chuanbei called. Her hand slipped and the bottle fell to the ground. There was no time to save it, so the water was all gone, leaving her thirsty.
While combing her hair in front of the mirror in her locker, she put Yu Chuanbei's phone on speakerphone.
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