Picking the Golden Romance

Singapore

After lunch, Nina insisted on taking Rachel to take a good look at the side building of the Golden Villa—unsurprisingly, the side building also has a very strong atmosphere of Baroque architecture, just like Rachel felt earlier.Nina is also proud to show her her rose garden and the recently installed Canova statues (thanks to Rachel's temporary relief from gold).

When Rachel finally finished her visit to this luxurious villa, Pei Lin suggested that the two of them go back to the hotel to have afternoon tea and have a rest, because Rachel's jet lag has not yet reversed.

"The restaurant you live in has great meals, and super delicious Nyonya cakes."

"But I'm still full," Rachel objected.

"You have to get used to the Singaporean food itinerary. We eat five meals a day - breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper."

"Oh my god, I'm definitely going to gain weight here!"

"No, this is the benefit of the hot weather—everything you eat will evaporate into sweat!"

"You're probably right—I don't know how you guys live in such a hot place," Rachel said. "I want some tea. Let's sit somewhere cooler."

They found an open-air cafe that overlooked the swimming pool and happened to be air-conditioned to enjoy the shade.The waiters in uniform neatly brought trays of refreshments, pastries and Nyonya dishes to the table.

"Hmm... you should try this kueh." Pei Lin said, picking up a dessert made of sticky rice and rice milk and putting it on Rachel's plate.Rachel took a bite, the slightly sweet custard sauce and the fragrant white rice were surprisingly smooth.She looked around the country-style garden. Most of the seats were occupied, and many tourists lay on the tables and slept soundly in the evening sun.

"I still can't believe Colin's family owns this restaurant." Rachel took another bite of Kueh.

"Don't doubt it, Rachel. They also own a lot of assets around the world besides hotels, like commercial properties, banks, mining companies, and many, many more."

"I mean, Colin makes me feel very humble, and we went to the outdoor market for supper!"

"It's nothing weird. Everyone here likes to go to the food court. Remember, this is Asia, and first impressions can be deceiving. You know how most Asians make their money, rich people Even more so. There are a lot of very wealthy people here trying to keep a low profile, and a lot of the time, you don’t even know you’re standing next to a billionaire.”

"Don't get me wrong, but your family seems to enjoy being rich."

"My grandpa started out as a bricklayer when he first came here from China. He started from scratch and instilled in us the same 'work hard, play hard' mindset as he did. But come on, our family is not on the same level as the Qiu family. Qiu The family is a wealthy family, and their family always sits firmly on the top of "Forbes" magazine's "Asia's Rich List", and you know that is just the tip of the iceberg among these rich families. "Forbes" only reports on them There is information from the pipeline, and these Asian rich people are always very secretive about their total assets. The richest families are definitely billions more than Forbes estimates."

A piercing electronic melody sounded.

"What's that sound?" Rachel starts before realizing belatedly that it's the ringtone of her new cell phone in Singapore—it's Nick. "Hi, hello!" She answered the phone with a smile on her face.

"You too! Are you happy after spending an afternoon with your friends?"

"Of course, we're going back to the restaurant to eat now, what are you doing?"

"I was standing over Colin looking at him in just a pair of underwear."

"What did you say?"

Nick laughed. "I'm at Colin's right now. The evening dress has just arrived and I'm asking the tailor to make the final adjustments."

"Oh, and where's your dress? Is it a powder blue wrinkled gown?"

"You've got a good idea - the whole thing is actually rhinestone gilt trim. Hey, I almost forgot to tell you, my grandma hosts family dinners at her place every Friday night, and I know you're still jet-lagged , but would you like to come?"

"Oh wow! Going to your grandma's for dinner?"

Pei Lin turned her head towards Rachel.

"Who else will be there?" Rachel asked.

"Probably just a bunch of relatives. Most of my family members are not in the country, but Astrid will go."

Rachel hesitated: "Uh, what do you think? Do you want me to participate? Or do you want to spend time with your family first?"

"I'd like you to come, but only if you really want to—I know I'm in a hurry to ask."

Rachel looked at Pei Lin while thinking, is she really ready to meet his family?

"Promise him!" Pei Lin encouraged earnestly from the side.

"Okay, when are we going to get there?"

"It's fine to arrive at 07:30. But there's a situation right now... I'm at Colin's home in Sentosa Cove. The roads in the urban area will be very congested on Friday evening, so I'll meet you at the destination for comparison. Convenient. Can you take a taxi to my grandma's house? I'll give you the address, and I'll wait for you in front of my grandma's house."

"Take a taxi?"

Pei Lin shook her head and gestured with her mouth: "I'll take you there."

"Okay, give me the address," Rachel said.

"Tethyr Manor."

"Tethel Manor." She wrote on the note she took out from her bag, "That's it? What's the date?"

"There is no number. When you arrive, look for the two white pillars, and tell the driver that you have driven through the Tethel Manor, which is behind the botanical garden. Call me if you can't find it."

"Okay, see you in an hour."

As soon as Rachel hung up the phone, Pei Lin immediately took the note from Rachel. "Let's see where his grandma lives," she looked up the address carefully, "no number, this Tethel Manor must be an apartment building. Hmm... I thought I knew every apartment in Singapore, but I Never heard the name Tethel Avenue, I thought it must be on the West Bank."

"Nick says it's behind the Arboretum."

"Really? That's close. My driver can find his way anyway. We have more important things to do now—what are you going to wear?"

"Oh my god! I have absolutely no idea what to wear!"

"You don't want to dress too formally and you want to impress them, right? Will Colin and Araminta be there tonight?"

"Probably not, he said only his family."

"Well, wish I knew more about Nick's family."

"You Singaporeans are really fun, asking around about other people's affairs!"

"You know, this country is one big village—everyone is connected. Besides, you have to admit, things are more interesting now that we know he's Colin's best friend. Anyway, you have to tonight Amazing audience!"

"Well... I don't know, I don't want to give them the wrong impression, as if they think I'm difficult to serve."

"Rachel, trust me, no one will ever say you're difficult. I remember seeing this shirt you're wearing now—from college, right? Show me your other clothes. It's It's the first time you're meeting his family, so we're really going to have to plan it out."

"Pei Lin, you will make me feel a lot of pressure! I think his family should be easy to get along with, and he won't care what I wear."

After several outfit changes under Palin's supervision, Rachel settled on the one she had decided on at first—a dark brown sleeveless nylon shirt dress with an elegant sheath belt of the same material and low-heeled sandals; On top are the silver braided bracelets she's worn several times, plus her only expensive jewellery, Mikimoto pearl earrings, a gift from her mother when she was completing her Ph.D.

"You look a bit like Katharine Hepburn on a trip—" Palin said, "elegant and formal, but not too exaggerated."

"Is the hair tied up or down?" Rachel asked.

"Don't tie it up, it looks more sexy this way." Pei Lin replied, "Okay, let's go, or we will be late."

The car and the two quickly meandered along the leafy road behind the botanical garden, looking for Tethel Avenue along the way.The driver said he had traveled that road before, but can't seem to find it now.

"The road is not shown on the GPS, which is really strange." Pei Lin said, "The roads in this area are very complicated, and this area is one of the few communities with narrow alleys."

This neighborhood struck Rachel as incredible, because it was the first time she had seen so many big old houses built on endless lawns. "Most of the road names in this place sound quite British, Nabia Road, Guluni Road, Gallep Road..." Rachel said.

"Officials from the British colonial period used to live here - this place is not exactly a residential area, most of the houses belong to the government. Many of them are embassies, like the huge gray building with pillars in front of the door - that It's the Russian embassy. Nick's grandma must be living in the government apartment complex, so I never heard of it."

The speed of the car suddenly slowed down, turned left at a fork in the road, and drove into another narrow alley.

"This is Tethel Avenue, so you should be there just by crossing this road," Pei Lin said.On the side of the road, thick and big tree branches like pythons stretched out, covering the road surface covered with layers of dense ferns.This plant grows in primeval forests and once spread throughout Singapore.

Suddenly, the road began to turn to the right, and two white hexagonal columns immediately came into view, with a light gray low iron gate in between.A rusty door sign on the side of the road, almost hidden by lush foliage, reads "Tethyr Manor".

"I've never walked this road in my life. It's strange to have an apartment here." Pei Lin could only say one sentence, "What should I do now? Are you going to call Nick?"

Just as Rachel was about to speak, an Indian guard appeared in front of her.He wore a crisp olive-green uniform, a heavy turban around his head, and a beard that gave him a serious look.Pei Lin's driver drove the car forward slowly, and lowered the window when the other party stepped forward.

The guard looked into the car and asked in standard English, "Is this Miss Rachel Zhu?"

"I am." Rachel waved from the backseat.

"Welcome, Miss Zhu." The guard said with a smile, "Go along this road and keep to the right." After he told the driver how to go, he walked back and opened the door to signal them to go forward.

"Oh my God! Do you know who that man was?" Pei Lin's Malay driver turned his head and showed awe.

"Who?" Pei Lin asked.

"He is a Gurkha soldier! They are the bravest soldiers in the world. I used to see them in Brunei. The Sultan of Brunei only hires Gurkha soldiers as his personal guard. This Gurkha soldier is in What the hell is it doing here?"

The car continued to drive forward, driving up a slightly raised hill, with densely manicured hedges on both sides.Then the car turned a slight corner and they saw another gate.This time it was a steel gate adjoining a modern guardhouse building.As the gate opened silently to both sides, Rachel saw two other Gurkha soldiers looking out from the window of the guardhouse.

A long driveway, paved with asphalt, appeared ahead.The car drove across the road, pressing on the loose gray pebbles, making a "click, click" sound.A palm-lined avenue emerged behind the lawn, bisecting the undulating grass.There were some thirty palm trees planted on either side of the drive, neatly arranged in two rows.Who knows who has installed rectangular lampshades under each palm tree, and the candles inside have already been lit, like brightly lit sentries leading the way ahead.

As the car drove down the driveway, Rachel marveled at the bright lampshades and the manicured lawn that surrounded it. "What manor is this?" she asked Pei Lin.

"I do not know."

"Is this a housing complex? It looks like we're driving into a Club Med resort."

"I'm not sure either. I didn't know there was such a place in Singapore. It feels like we're not even in Singapore." Pei Lin expressed surprise.The sight before her reminded her of stately country estates she had visited in England, such as Chatsworth House or Blenheim Palace.

After the car turned the last corner, Rachel gasped suddenly and grabbed Pei Lin's arm - a brightly lit mansion appeared in the distance.The closer the car drives, the more real the grandeur of the mansion becomes.This is not a house, but a palace.The driveway ahead was full of cars, almost every car was big and imported from Europe - Mercedes, Jaguar, Citroen, Rolls Royce... most of them had diplomatic badges and flags.A group of drivers strolled in the back of the car, smoking cigarettes.Standing at the gate, wearing a white nylon jacket and wide trousers, with tousled hair on his head, the man with his hands in his pockets worriedly was Nick.

"I feel like I'm dreaming. It's not real." Pei Lin was stunned.

"Oh, Pei Lin, who are these people?" Rachel asked nervously.

This was the first time in Pei Lin's life that she was speechless.She stared hard at Rachel suddenly, and then said very softly, "I don't know who these people are, but I can tell you one thing—these people have more money than God."