Everyone appeared slightly awkward.
Zuko smiled and spoke with a deep voice while tightly holding Lina’s hand. “Of course, it’s not the same.
“All the younger cousins call me ‘Zuko’, so you should call me the same.” Zuko smirked, “As for ‘Z’, that’s an
exclusive title for our Pammy.”
As he said that, he looked at Lina with a touch of tenderness rarely seen on his rugged face.
The younger cousins exchanged smiles but remained silent. Desiree’s expression shifted slightly, and she managed
to force out a smile.
The terms of address were only different by three additional letters, but for Zuko, they meant worlds apart. “Z” was
only for Pammy and no one else.
Desiree’s eyes flashed with a hint of complexity, and she felt the need to save her image in front of so many
people. Half-jokingly, she said, “What Pammy? Hah! Isn’t her name Lina Jenner?”
“Desiree, what’s gotten into you?” Toph looked at her. “Don’t you know? Lina is Pammy! She’s the Pammy whom
Uncle Nicholas and Aunt Linda finally found!”
Desiree forced a smile.
How could she not know? Janine had told them this story like it was a legend along the way.
The story was about how destined people would end up together, no matter how they went around, and no one
could separate a destined couple. Even God supported Zuko in finding Pammy.
Desiree gripped her glass, and a shadow flickered in her eyes.
At the same time, she noticed that the darkness in Zuko’s eyes seemed even deeper than hers.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShe temporarily suppressed her thoughts and looked apologetically at Zuko and Lina. “I’m really sorry! I always
speak before thinking! Sis-in-law, Lina, you’re not angry, are you?”
Lina smiled.
“I’m just such a straightforward person. Please don’t take it to heart, Lina. And Zuko, don’t mind me too, okay?”
Desiree knocked her own head and laughed in a carefree manner. “I called you Z when we were younger, too! But
—”
“But that was when we were young,” Zuko interrupted her. “We’re all grown now. Things that need to be taken note
of should be taken note of. What do you think?”
“Mm, yeah!” Desiree quickly nodded. “You’re right!”
Zuko nodded with a gentle smile. His hand had never left Lina, and she stayed being embraced by him the entire
time.
–
After the welcoming banquet, Lina occasionally thought of Desiree.
Sometimes, Renee would also discuss with her. “How come Desiree seems to be good at everything? Basketball,
soccer, horse racing, gaming… It’s like she excels at everything!”
However, Renee could not muster any interest in all those things. She rested her head on the table with a hint of
complaint in her voice.
Lina asked her, “What’s wrong?”
Renee pouted and said in a low voice, “It’s that game Toph often plays. Desiree plays it too! But I… I don’t know
how to.”
Lina furrowed her brow and recalled something that had happened recently.
–
After the banquet, Desiree would occasionally invite her to hang out. She claimed she was unfamiliar with Centrolis
and wanted to hang out together as friends.
Lina had accompanied her twice to eat, and Desiree insisted on paying the bill each time. Her generous and
carefree attitude resembled that of a boy. Her most common phrase was: “I’m always straightforward and speak
without thinking. My mom always says I’m as careless as a boy.”
One time, Lina felt like her ears were going deaf from hearing the same thing too much. She smiled and said, “Not
all boys are like that. Zuko’s very thoughtful!”
Desiree was momentarily at a loss for words by Lina’s retort and soon found an excuse to stop shopping, claiming
to be tired.
Lina kept a polite distance from her all along, so when Desiree said she did not want to continue shopping, Lina just
waved her hand casually. They then went their separate ways.
–
However, Lina suddenly felt something was amiss after hearing Renee’s words. Desiree was clearly a girl, but her
interests were all things that boys liked. It was not that girls could not like those things, but it just seemed too
coincidental.
“Cuz, do you think I’ve misjudged her?” Renee looked at her with bright eyes. “Maybe Desiree’s just more
tomboyish. That’s why she likes basketball and soccer and is laidback about most things.”
“Do you think so?” Lina felt a bit puzzled.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
She did not want to speculate about others without reason, especially since the Harpers were close to the Bakers
and Janine had brought Desiree to Centrolis.
Lina patted Renee’s shoulder and smiled gently. “Let’s not worry about her for now. The opening ceremony of the
film studio project is in a few weeks, and many celebrities will be there. Have you prepared the proposal?”
Renee handed her a draft proposal with a smile.
The proposal was well-crafted, not only with Plan B but also with Plan C, D, E, and F, ready to deal with various
emergencies and contingencies.
“Lina, I’ve been looking at the financial reports recently, and I feel that the Thompson Group’s business is still too
reliant on Sol Entertainment. For a large conglomerate, being overly reliant on one business is detrimental to the
group’s development.”
“I’ve also considered this issue,” Lina said softly, “But even if we want to make changes, we need to take it step by
step. Some of the veterans on the board of directors have been with my father and worked their way up step by
step. They’re also seniors in Sol Entertainment, so we need to take their situation into account.”
“I understand,” Renee replied. “Anyway, we can’t rush this matter. We need to take it slowly.”
Just then, Lina’s phone vibrated, and she looked at it. It was a message from Desiree, inviting her to have dinner
together.
Lina was thinking about declining the invitation when Desiree called her.
“Lina, I’ve sent you the address. See you tonight. Don’t be late! Oh, by the way, bring Renee along, too. Let’s have
some fun tonight!”