The Story Of Gossip Girl Chapter 5

The next evening at 7:30 PM, Tang Jianan showered and finished changing his clothes. He drove towards Yin Hua Street to pick up his date.

Yin Hua Street had many famous designer clothes for wholesale. Not only were they cheap and of good quality, there were many different styles which allowed for its products to also be sold to the surrounding ten or so cities as well. The people living in its own citizens also liked to shop here. The Bai Ma Apartments that Feng Ping lived in was located at the end of Yin Hua Street and considered to be quite a distance away from the city center. The houses on that block were built early on so they were quite old. According to her hourly fee of four hundred dollars, she could definitely live in a better location.

Whenever Tang Jianan thinks of “hourly fee” these two words, he would have mixed feelings. On one hand he thought she was shameless, and on the other hand her frank shamelessness didn't affect her cuteness, it aroused a hunter's curiosity.

There was quite a bit of traffic in the evening so he arrived late at around 8:10 PM. Looking out of the window, he saw Feng Ping standing on the curb. She was wearing a white trench coat and black boots, her two long legs were both straight and slender. Her posture was unexpectedly straight and slim, looking very graceful and energetic.

His heart couldn't help but jolt.

Ah! Just with this these qualities, these looks, and this body, whether it's being a model or being an actress, she would definitely become a super star, why would she choose this path? Ey. But speaking of it, the entertainment circle seems to be quite similar to this? Ey.

Tang Jianan sighed twice and drove up to Feng Ping.

He took off his sungla.s.ses and pressed a b.u.t.ton to lower the windows. Feng Ping smiled and looked down towards him, “Mr. Tang, you're late by twenty minutes so you've already lost eighty dollars.”

Tang Jianan laughed and looked up at her, “Get in.”

Hm, such a familiar att.i.tude, so commanding.

Feng Ping was slightly startled, a smile unconsciously forming on her face. Originally she thought that he would continue to act like a gentleman. Clearly he was already impatient, yet he still wanted to continue being graceful. Looks like he still had a good upbringing, but how could it beat being straightforward?

She smiled as she walked over to open the door, “Mr. Tang…”

Tang Jianan immediately cut her off, “Don't be such a stranger, call me Ah'Nan.”

Hearing this Feng Ping turned her head to meet his deep eyes, her heat skipping a beat. What now? Is he going to abandon his persona as a lofty prince and go with the route of being gentle and kind?

“Feng xiaojie” Tang Jianan asked as he drove, “Why don't any of your neighbors know that you live here?”

Feng Ping raised her eyebrows and answered his question with one of her own, “How do you know my neighbors don't know me?”

Tang Jianan was caught so suddenly he became a little awkward and could only come clean, “I came here before to find you.”

Carrying a smile on her face, Feng Ping calmly replied, “Oh, when?”

Tang Jianan vaguely spoke, “Um, a while back…”

Tilting her head, Feng Ping thought about it and then seriously said, “Perhaps it's because I usually have such a low profile. It looks like I should invite the neighbors over for tea…”

Hearing this, Tang Jianan became silent.

Low-profile? No matter what, he was the one who was supposed to say these two words, how did she say it first?

He couldn't help but give a dry laugh, “Feng xiaojie is such a jokester.”

Smiling, Feng Ping saw that the route he was taking wasn't quite right and asked, “Where are we going? Chengyang Villa?”

Chengyang Villa was a high-end entertainment paradise located in the countryside of the southern area near a lakefront. It's beautiful scenery was known throughout the surrounding cities, and they had three famous French chefs in charge of food. The people going through there were usually the wealthy and the famous, clearly the owner was rolling in dough.

Tang Jianan nodded, “Smart.”

Feng Ping sighed and rubbed her hand against her chest, “Even if my stomach doesn't protest, I'm afraid that I will fall asleep at the table…”

Tang Jianan laughed, “No way. What did you do yesterday for you to be so tired?”

Feng Ping softly outlined, “I didn't really do much, just went to a banquet and helped two friends pick out some clothes.” However that banquet was in England, and those two friends had unique ident.i.ties.

Tang Jianan suddenly thought of something and raised his eyebrow,s “Eryang once said that you were a genius at designing clothes. Did you never think about starting your own brand?”

Feng Ping laughed, “It's just a hobby. If I were to turn it into a business, it would be too annoying.”

Tang Jianan brought up this topic hoping for her to say something along the lines of her needing money so that he can continue with next line in the script, such as ‘I can give you money'. If she was interested, then their relationship could get closer and besides, it's not like he was lacing money. Plus, if Eryang evaluated her correctly, then this wouldn't be a bad investment.

In the end, she actually thought it would be annoying. This excuse was really too creative.

But he didn't give up and laughed, “Wasting away your talents is a sin.”

Feng Ping didn't agree and with her eyes halfway closed, she softly replied, “To me, not wasting it is a sin.”

Hearing this, Tang Jianan was startled and didn't know how to continue the conversation. Thinking further, this sentence had some kind of deeper meaning to it.

Neither of them poke and it slowly became silent in the car. With the silence came an unsettling feeling. Feng Ping seemed to truly be tired and didn't move as she laid against the seat. Tang Jianan was feeling bored and turned on the radio to listen to the news.

Shengying was a significant city in Asia as a city centered around business and finance. Numerous wealthy families lived here, and amongst the top ten richest families listed in Forbes Asia, three of them lived in Shengying, showing how important this city was. A place where rich people were plenty also meant that gossip were plenty too. For example, tonight on the radio, the main character being discussed was Tang Jianan's father, Tang Zhan.

The female host said that a reporter discovered he brought his female a.s.sistant along to eat together, and they were acting very intimately. Afterwards, the reporter summarized what happened in j.a.pan earlier this past year between them, and then gossiped about the probability of his female a.s.sistant being able to marry into a wealthy family. Going off of Tang Zhan's ever-changing heart, they explained that the female a.s.sistant needed to put in a lot of hard work.

Of course, this could also be a result of the bias of the female host since no one could compare to Tang Zhan's charms. He's maintained it for the last thirty years, and eighteen years ago, there was a reporter that asked a princess from England's royal family who her ideal man was and she answered, ‘Asia's Tang Zhan'.

Tang Zhan was fifty this year, and it could be said that he was a multi-billionaire. Strictly speaking, he was actually the second generation of a rich-family, but because his father pa.s.sed away early, he took up the reins of the family business at nineteen years-old and was known as the youngest CEO at the time. Even though Beicheng had internal movements and some of the older board members made some dumb moves, in the end they were all beaten down by Tang Zhan. He was definitely a young genius.

His marriage was a result of a business alliance. He married electronics tyc.o.o.n Song Yan's daughter, Song Ziqi. Her body had always been fragile and she was often sick. After eight years of marriage she pa.s.sed away leaving behind two sons, elder son Jinyun and second son Jianan. At that time Tang Zhan was twenty-nine and up to this day, he still has not remarried. But during these past twenty years, he had non-stop scandals and was once revealed to have had three illegtimate sons in England. He even personally confirmed this truth. The old Madam Tang once publicly announced that she would recognize these grandchildren but no one knows if it really happened or not.

Listening to this news, Tang Jianan's face changed and his originally bright eyes dimmed, his black pupils shrinking.

Feng Ping immediately felt that the atmosphere wasn't right, but she maintained a calm facade.

Tang Jianan switched a station, but it was still gossip and this time, the main character was him and the other party was movie queen Xia Yao. The subject was her new project.

Hearing this, he hurried switched to another station again, and Feng Ping couldn't help but let out a laugh.

Tang Jianan usually didn't care about this, but now he felt a little apprehensive. Speaking of it, he only had a couple of meals with Xia Yao and the newspapers went wild with their imagination as they guessed at the relationship between them. Her manager gave ambiguous answers that were meant to mislead people, causing the matter to become even bigger, and they even brought up the matter about that evening dress. Please! When had he ever been stingy towards women? However, to be able to add another mark to his colorful history could be said to be an honor for many men, so he was very happy to follow this flow.

But since the situation became like this, hearing his own scandals while riding with a beauty in a car, one should do their best to avoid such situations.

As such, he purposefully put on a disdainful expression, “These reporters are getting more and more ridiculous. It's as if they're not afraid of chaos happening. Even something as small as a sesame seed can also be blown up into something big, such nonsense…”

Feng Ping laughe, “Hehe! You also know that these reporters are writing nonsense.”

Tang Jianan didn't speak.

Feng Ping also didn't press any further, she had no interest in the personal affairs of other people.

It became silent once again.

At this time, Tang Jianan spoke up, asking, “Where is Feng xiaojie from?”

“Wuming.”

“How long have you been in Shengying?”

“Almost half a year.”

“Are you used to it yet?”

“Hehe, even if I were to be in a refugee camp, I would get used it.” She laughed and paused before continuing, “I came here before four years ago, so it can be counted as retracing my steps…”

Tang Jianan was surprised, “Oh? Then why did you leave?”

Feng Ping laughed, “There's so many versions of these. There's a fallen angel version, failing to find love version, hot-blooded youth version, and a shattered dreams version, which one do you want to hear?”

Tang Jianan laughed, “Feng xiaojie sure is a jokester.”

Feng Ping smiled, “You're not very creative. I've never used the same phrase twice to compliment someone.”

Tang Jianan laughed even louder, “This sure sounds familiar. My gugu never wears the same clothing twice.”

Feng Ping smiled and as calmly as ever, replied, “Is that so? I was the same until I realized that it was quite wasteful. It's fine to wear pretty clothes more than once.”

Tang Jianan was silent but he couldn't help turning his head to glance at her.

Sitting in the seat, her head was turned towards the window. The outline of her features were like a painting, causing her nose to look even more delicate and the color of her skin even more fair. She actually dared to say this without her face turning red, without any hint of shame, he was ready to bow down before that att.i.tude of hers. If she were to live in the neighborhood of Qinghe with all its mansions, he would definitely think that she was born with a golden spoon. Actually, her actions and att.i.tudes are quite fitting…it's just that there's something not quite right.

Thinking about it, he truthfully replied, “Feng xiaojie, you're a very hard person to understand.”

Feng Ping turned her head to look at him, “Why do you say that?”

Tang Jianan shook his head, “I don't know, it's just an intuition.”

Feng Ping laughed in her heat and purposefully elongated her words, “Then you should be more cautious, it's not just for show…”

Tang Jianan understood what she was trying to say and shook his head, “No no, usually when I see a pretty woman, I'll take a couple more glances at her and that's why I'm alright with getting close to them. However, I understand them quite well, yet you're an exception.”

“You have no interest in me, right?”

His words had a hidden meaning in them: You really don't want to hit on me?

Feng Ping was so close to laughing but still held it in and very seriously replied, “Someone like you is the ideal man of countless girls, but in the end it's just a daydream for them. For those who actually have interest in you, only a small number of them would be able to meet you, allowing them to take the first step out of their daydreams…”

“Then which type are you?” Tang Jianan took advantage of when she paused to bring the topic back around. He can't let her stray too far.

“Me? Hehe…” Feng Ping laughed, “I'm the type that doesn't like to daydream. Pretty much anything I want I can get, except for love.”

Tang Jianan was already used to her nonsense and was suspicious that her worldly views were different from everyone else's. However, since he already thickened his skin to ask this question, his self-esteem would take a hit if he didn't receive a clear answer. He heard her continue, “Some people look as if they have a lot of choices, but it's different in reality.”

“You're brushing me off—” Tang Jianan childishly argued.

“Let's put it this way Ah'Nan, ” This was the first time she called his name, so she wasn't used to it and coughed lightly before she continued, “You come from a rich family, and you're young and talented. Coupled with your good looks, you can pretty much get any woman you want. But if you were to choose someone to marry, can you pick one?”

“I haven't thought about this, but I'm sure it won't be difficult. It's just—, are you possibly dating with marriage in mind?”

Feng Ping saw that he purposely twisted her words and smiled good-naturedly, “That's right, I'm only having this meal with you because I have marriage in mind, you should be careful…”

Not waiting for her to finish, Tang Jianan laughed, “How weird, how did we end up on this topic?”

Feng Ping couldn't help but stare at him. Clearly he was the one who kept going back to this subject, yet he actually had the gall to ask her. What a severe case of amnesia.

As the two continued to converse, the plaque for Chengyang Villa soon appeared. Tang Jianan drove into a designated spot within the villa and an employee soon appeared to lead them in.

They didn't mention the conversation they had in the car, and after eating they spent some more time at the villa before going home.

Of course, Tang Jianan didn't actually pay her. No matter what he would not be able to do such a thing. Some time later, a courier brought her an expensive brooch, causing Feng Ping to smile.

In the following time period they conversed a couple of times over the phone. Later when Feng Ping wanted to see him, she could only do so through the newspapers. During the next two months, he was involved in many things, almost appearing every other day in the newspapers. The content was full of nonsense, and people sympathized with Xia Yao while some others criticized Tang Zhan for letting his son run wild.

Feng Ping didn't know at first because she really didn't pay attention to the entertainment world, and had no idea that the times Tang Jianan appeared in the spotlight would be so many. She became curious and decided to just collect all the gossip about him.

One day, Yi Eryang suddenly came to her to ask her for help and saw a pile of weekly newspapers in her living room.

He began to yell exaggeratedly, “No way Feng Ping, are you actually interested in Ah'Nan?”

Feng Ping was currently holding a pot of boiling water to brew tea and carelessly laughed, “If you also get on the newspapers every day, I'll also be interested in you.”

Yi Eryang loudly laughed, “Ah'Nan would definitely not be able to easily gain anything from you…”

Feng Ping laughed and put her head down to continue brewing the tea, not replying.

He took this opportunity to observe her apartment. Although it wasn't very large, there were two rooms and a living room. The kitchen and living room looked to be quite small but everything was clean and tastefully decorated. Although the furniture was spa.r.s.e, it looked high-end, which meant that she was someone who valued quality. Ah, there's even the rich smell of the hot orange tea.

Yi Eryang took a hold of the tea and smelled it, “How weird, I used to think that you were quite mysterious…”

“What about now?”

“Now you're even more mysterious, not like an ordinary person.”

Feng Ping laughed, “Your intuition is correct. Actually, I'm from an aristocratic family, my ancestors are also closely related to England's royal family.”

This time Yi Eryang laughed, “You're so funny.”

Finishing the tea in his hand, he stood up to bid farewell, “I have to go back. There's still a pile of things for me to do at the office, tomorrow…”

Feng Ping nodded, “I'll be there on time tomorrow.”

Yi Eryang thanked her again and left.