"Yes" – Lulu nods – "but we don't know if it was a regular program or some short program that anybody with money can get into. Anyway, she studied there for only one semester. She quit after falling in love with someone she met on campus."
"Sir William?" CC asks, still in disbelief. She can't believe that Little Fang was able to go to the same school as she did, even if it was just some short training program. Even worse, she quit Oxford!
"Yes," Lulu says. "But he was married at that time. Later, he divorced his wife after Little Fang's repeated and persistent requests."
"I guess the real purpose for Little Fang to get into Oxford was to nail down a rich man," I say.
"But I am still impressed by her wedding. The roses, the gown, and the castle. I wish I had her luck," Lulu says.
"Luck?" CC sneers. "Come on. When she was in China, Nick was the best man she could imagine having. After moving to England, she knew there were better men out there. Women like Little Fang spend all their time trying to get the best man in sight. Doesn't matter if he is available or not. She's a home-wrecker!"
70 Walk This Way!
CC, Lulu, and I have gathered at Flamingo. Our conversation topic still centers on Little Fang, who has just sent us shocking news, the announcement of her marriage to Sir William York. We all decide not to go to her wedding in order to show emotional support and camaraderie for CC. We are debating the finer points of marrying well or becoming a self-made success.
"Do you think women tend to admire women who marry power and money or self-made women?" I ask the others.
"Self-made women like Oprah Winfrey are my role models," says CC.
"I think people seem more interested in a woman who marries well. It shows how charming she is! A woman's power over men is more important than anything else. That's why Princess Diana attracted more media coverage than any other women of her time," Lulu contends.
"Do you admire Little Fang then?" CC asks.
"No, of course not. But her Cinderella story makes my life look boring," Lulu says.
"You've got a better package. But I guess you just can't do things like that," CC states.
"Do what?" Lulu asks.
"Always try to nail the most powerful and richest man in sight. Doesn't matter if he is taken or not."
"I can't do that, that's for sure. I don't click with men of power and money. I always fall in love with poor artists or struggling writers, dreamers who wear ponytails and beards and look cool, but don't have enough money to take me out for a nice dinner." Lulu is equally frustrated with herself and proud of her immunity to money and wealth.
"That's the difference between you and Little Fang. You've chosen to follow the flow of your emotions and submit to your real feelings. But Little Fang values power and money more than love," I say as I analyze their personality types.
"I guess that's why I'm still poor and single even though my folks have given me a beautiful face! What I need is a head full of ambitious plans." Lulu sighs and hits her head as if to wake up the dormant ambition inside.
"I'm no better than you are." CC softens her tone. "My parents wanted me to marry a rich kid like myself. I dated Nick, who didn't have money. I thought I was being rebellious and independent. I wanted to send a message to my Hong Kong parents that there is something in this world called love and it is more valuable than money. But Nick dumped me, just like that. Then I had to listen to my parents say those four words that no one wants to hear: 'I told you so.'"
"Niuniu, what about you?" CC asks.
"No. I can't leave a good man for a man of power and money. Nor can I move from one man to another. If I did things like that, I would feel guilty for the rest of my life," I say.
"Too bad you have a strong sense of guilt," Lulu says.
"It's not a strong sense of guilt. Niuniu, you have a great sense of values and ideals." CC speaks for me.
"We might be failures in love, but we are still better off than Beibei. Although we don't chase after men of power and money, at least we don't have to pay our lovers like Beibei does," Lulu comments.
CC defends Beibei. "But I think it shows that she is strong. I'd rather give out money to a lover than take money from a powerful man that I don't love."
The conversation whirls around like a tornado, as each girl jumps in with a comment about another.
As soon as Beibei's name is mentioned, she shows up. As usual, she is late.
"What have you guys been talking about?" Beibei asks, ordering a martini
"Little Fang," Lulu says.
"Ha!" Beibei laughs. "Why are you wasting your time and energy talking here? Why don't you go to a golf resort or fly first-class to some exotic place to enhance your chance of meeting your Sir William York? This place is for empowered women like me." Beibei has a sip of her fruit tea, winking at the hot-looking waiter.
"Don't tease us." Lulu pleads. "You said that because you're rich yourself."
Beibei answers, "Why envy Little Fang? I think you all miss the point completely. Women really don't need to have money. With the right look at the right time, and with just the right amount of leg or cleavage showing, a woman can have any man she wants! The rich, the mighty, and even that hot-looking waiter!"
After saying this, she gets up to go to the powder room, walking as provocatively as she can, and guess what, every man in the room turns to watch her.
71 The Veterinarian and the Poet
While Little Fang's wedding with Sir William York is taking place at Shanghai 's Grand Hyatt Hotel, Lulu, Beibei, CC, and I are seeing the new Gong Li movie Zhou Yus Train.
In the movie, Gong Li plays the title character, a tempestuous young painter who is torn between her two lovers. One is a poor, sensitive, quiet poet who works as a librarian to support himself and is played by Tony Leung Ka-fai. The other is an aggressive veterinarian filled with machismo.
We come away from the theater in love with the impressionistic cinema. After the movie, we go to a teahouse to play poker and talk about the movie.
As usual, Beibei, the boss in the clique, makes the first comment. "Tony Leung's performance was so brilliant! I fell in love with him ten years ago when I saw him in the French movie The Lover. He is as sexy as ever!"
Lulu says, "I read in the newspaper that in real life Gong Li prefers the poetic type of man to the machismo type. What about you guys? What type of men do you like better?"
I reply first. "I like the poet better. I also find this type of man attractive: gentle, sexy, a bit vulnerable, sensitive, smart, sometimes a bit melancholy. They have a tender side that, when mixed with passion, becomes quite combustible. They make you feel motherly and make your heart tremble and ache, and you feel on fire when they touch you." As I speak, I realize I'm talking about my feelings while I was with Len.
"Sounds like how I feel when I listen to Chopin," CC comments.
I nod. "Yes, exactly. I like Chopin. I've never liked men who never shut up. They're intimidating, and at the same time, they lack romance."
"But successful men are often assertive and talkative," Lulu cuts in.
"That's why I'm not up to finding men of power and money like Little Fang. I'm all for passion, like Zhou Yu, who travels on the rail of love," I say.
"I agree with Niuniu totally," CC jumps in. "I've found most men who have achieved a successful career and money are self-centered and hard to deal with. You have to put up with their bad temperament and their overwhelming characteristics. It's hard to feel like you are a partner in life with men like that. You always feel like they want you to walk behind them and not with them."
Lulu says, "Here in Asia, most of the women are docile and subservient. They don't mind if their men are selfish male chauvinists or much older than they are. As long as they bring wealth and material comfort into their lives, these women seem to be fine with the emotional alienation."