Next One Is a Babe

---

There was a basketball court nearby, and it was packed at this hour.

Ian and Cindy didn’t talk for a while. They didn’t have any topics in common after all. Sitting there in silence wasn’t awkward for them, but it wasn’t exactly comfortable either.

And so, Ian started talking. He asked about some private questions, like the home she grew up in. Since they were getting along well, Cindy thought she could answer that.

She gave him a smile. “I come from a village. My folks are misogynistic, so they only cared about my brother. Good thing I have a good relationship with my brother, so it was fine.” She looked up at the sky. “I used to have a nice life, but then something happened to the family. And so, I had to start supporting them. I’m the firstborn after all.”

At this point, she chuckled and looked at Ian. “Do you think I love money too much?”

Ian arched his eyebrow. “It’s not wrong to love money. Money is good. Nobody hates it. I certainly don’t.”

Cindy nodded. “Yeah. Money is great. Honestly, I think that all of my problems can be solved if I have enough money.” She paused for a moment and added, “Really, all my problems can be solved with money.”

Ian believed her. People kept saying money wasn’t everything, and that there were a lot of problems money couldn’t solve. However, most of the problems people faced were related to money. As long as they had enough of it, they could solve their problems.

Cindy went on, “I majored in fashion design. Lots of people said I’d become a famous designer, and I thought so too.” She then said sheepishly, “But after I graduated, I found out I’ll have to work my way up slowly, building up my resume and experience. The usual stuff, you know? I didn’t have the luxury of time because of my family’s situation. At that time, I heard becoming an assistant made money fast, so I interviewed for one.” As she spoke, she flexed her muscles at him. “Honestly, I’m grateful for my muscles. Hannah kept me around because I’m strong and I can hold a lot of things. Never thought I could manage to keep a job because of my brawn instead of my brains.”

Cindy laughed, thinking it was funny. However, Ian couldn’t bring himself to laugh as well. Even though Cindy made it sound like a funny story instead of a complaint, it still didn’t sit well with Ian. His early life wasn’t all that well either, so he could understand where she was coming from.

He said, “You know, I kinda envy you. I never even had the chance to attend university. Only managed to register for the entrance exam once I started making money on my own. You’re much luckier than I was.”