Beijing-Hong Kong Rosemary

Chapter 2 The Kind of Beauty That's Out of Reach
As night deepened, huge waves rose from the stern of the ship.

Shen Guining dragged her tired body back to her room and took a nap.

I was plagued by nightmares all night and had very poor sleep quality. When I woke up the next morning, I still had faint dark circles under my eyes.

She woke up, got up, washed, tidied herself up, changed her clothes, and went out for breakfast.

This yacht is privately owned by the Zhou family. Yesterday was the birthday of the eldest son of the Zhou family, who was in charge of the family business, and he invited friends to a banquet here.

Shen Guining didn't know this young master at all. She had only met him a few times and had no interaction with him. Originally, it wasn't her turn to come. It was her uncle and aunt who insisted that she accompany her cousin to attend.

She knew that attending the banquet was just a pretext; their real intention was to get her to spend more time with Zhou Shilin.

As I walked down the hallway, my phone rang in my bag.

As Shen Guining bent down to rummage through her belongings, her bracelet accidentally snagged on a charm on her bag, causing the chain to break and pearls to scatter all over the floor.

She couldn't help but sigh; when you're down on your luck, nothing seems to go right.

Her phone was still ringing. As she answered the call, she squatted down and picked up the pearls from the ground.

A clear voice came from the receiver, and Zhu Sixuan asked, "Ningbao, what are you doing?"

Shen Guining composed herself and said, "Let's go have breakfast."

"Haven't you had breakfast yet at this hour?"

"Yeah, I overslept."

Zhu Sixuan, having nothing better to do, asked gossipy, "How was your time on the yacht? Did you run into any handsome guys?"

Shen Guining tossed the eleven pearls she had picked up into her bag. One rolled to the doorway not far away. She took a few steps forward and replied, "No handsome guys, but I do have some unlucky guys..."

Before he could finish speaking, the door in front of him suddenly opened.

The yacht rocked slightly, and the bead rolled into the room through the crack in the door.

A pair of spotless black handmade leather shoes came into view, above which were crisp suit trousers, the fabric of which was fine and without a single wrinkle.

Shen Guining was startled, and her phone fell to the carpet with a dull thud.

She instinctively looked up, only to be caught off guard by a pair of deep brown eyes, unfathomable and profound.

The man was very tall, probably 1.9 meters, with handsome features and a well-defined face that exuded a faint sense of coldness, keeping people at a distance.

He didn't speak, but scrutinized the person in front of him with his gaze, exuding a sense of oppression.

Shen Guining panicked and hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry, sir, I was just picking up the bracelet."

The man remained silent, indifferently averting his gaze and walking past her as if no one else was there.

The door then closed.

Shen Guining: "..."

Her pearls are still inside!

Although it was just one pearl, that tiny Australian white pearl cost five thousand Hong Kong dollars, and it pained her to part with it!

The phone, still lying on the ground, hadn't been disconnected. Not knowing what was going on, Zhu Sixuan raised her voice and asked, "Hello? Ningbao, are you listening?"

Shen Guining quickly picked up her phone. "I'm here."

"What happened?"

"My bracelet broke, and I was just picking up the beads."

Skipping over this little episode, Zhu Sixuan returned to the previous topic, "Really didn't meet any handsome guys? Are your standards too high?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Guining automatically recalled that refined and otherworldly face from just moments before.

"I met her," she said truthfully, then added two more words: "Very beautiful."

He's just too aloof, never saying a word.

Zhu Sixuan perked up immediately, "How beautiful is she? Even you say she's beautiful, I'm really curious!"

Shen Guining thought for a moment, then found himself at a loss for words, "The kind of beauty that's out of my reach."
-
There was a buffet restaurant on the second floor, and since Shen Guining arrived late, it wasn't crowded. She grabbed a few slices of toast and a glass of milk from the counter and found a seat by the window.

The sea breeze blew in, carrying a faint, salty smell.

She hadn't slept well last night and didn't have much of an appetite. She picked up a piece of toast and put it in her mouth, chewing absentmindedly.

Three girls were chatting and drinking coffee at another window seat. Their voices were neither too loud nor too soft, but just loud enough for Shen Guining to hear.

"Who was that man who got off the helicopter last night? He seems to be someone important."

"It is Qu Yanci, the head of the Qu family. He was born into a top-tier wealthy family in Beijing. He took over the family business at a young age. He is decisive and ruthless, and everyone keeps their distance from him."

"I've heard of the Qu family. Their power and status are even greater than the Zhou family's. Their business empire spans the globe, and their wealth is astonishing. They are not comparable to ordinary wealthy families."

"I wonder what this Mr. Qu looks like, whether he's as handsome as Young Master Zhou..."

Shen Guining recalled the figure from last night, which inexplicably overlapped with the man she had just seen. The aura was similar, both noble and refined, but she was unsure if it was the same person.

“Gui Ning”.

Suddenly someone called her name.

Shen Guining looked up at the sound and saw Shen Yue walking towards her.

Her high heels clicked on the ground, and she carried the latest Chanel handbag, wearing a white Chanel-style suit dress, looking very elegant and ladylike.

Shen Yue and Shen Guining have two different styles. The former has a sweet appearance, is gentle and elegant, and fits the image of a well-bred lady, while the latter is beautiful in a flamboyant way, bright and charming.

In terms of beauty, Shen Yue is no match for Shen Guining, but when it comes to who is more favored by the elders, it has to be Shen Yue.

There is a stereotype that women who are too beautiful are restless, and most people prefer girls who are well-educated, reasonable, and quiet.

"Cousin," Shen Guining called out.

Shen Yue sat down opposite her, placed her bag on her lap, rested her hands on the edge of the table, and smiled, saying, "Why are you only having breakfast now?"

"I got up late," Shen Guining asked. "Have you eaten?"

"I'm on a diet, so I won't eat. I'll just have a coffee." Shen Yue waved to the waiter and ordered an iced Americano.

Shen Guining was surprised, "You're on a diet?"

Shen Yue nodded gently, "I'm going to a banquet next week. The dress I ordered is too small, so I need to lose some weight."

As the eldest daughter of the Shen family, she often had to attend social events and maintain a certain image.

Shen Guining disliked those kinds of occasions, where a group of people wore fake smiles and exchanged polite greetings, which she found very boring.

After chatting for a while, Shen Yue got down to business: "The Second Young Master has organized a gathering tonight and invited us to join in the fun."

Shen Guining paused in her grip on the cup, then declined, saying, "I caught a cold yesterday and I'm not feeling well..."

"Just consider it a formality, give them face," Shen Yue advised kindly. "Offending the Zhou family will cause big trouble. Gui Ning, you know that the Shen family has a project that still needs the Zhou family's help."

Shen Guining pursed her lips and remained silent for a long while before finally giving in and agreeing, "Mm."

Shen Yue smiled with relief, "Then go back to your room and get some rest later. Don't forget to see you at seven o'clock tonight."

Shen Guining nodded.

Halfway through her coffee, Shen Yue received a phone call and left.

Shen Guining had no appetite, but didn't want to waste food, so she forced herself to finish the toast on her plate.

Saying that I wasn't feeling well wasn't entirely an excuse; I had been in the cold wind for too long last night and my head still hurts a bit.

The first thing she did upon returning to her room was to find her jewelry box and carefully put the broken pearl inside.

She really liked this bracelet; she fell in love with it at first sight when she bought it. It fit her wrist perfectly, but unfortunately, one of the beads is now missing.

She was torn about whether or not to go and get it back.

Recalling that aloof and cold face, I felt a little hesitant.

PS: Shen Guining × Qu Yanci
Because it's a character with multiple pronunciations, I'll mark it.


(End of this chapter)