China Rich Girlfriend is the second book of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. It was published on June 16, 2015.
Synopsis[]
On the eve of her wedding to Nicholas Young, heir to one of the greatest fortunes in Asia, Rachel should be over the moon. She has a flawless Asscher-cut diamond from JAR, a wedding dress she loves more than anything found in the salons of Paris, and a fiancé willing to sacrifice his entire inheritance in order to marry her. But Rachel still mourns the fact that her birthfather, a man she never knew, won’t be able to walk her down the aisle. Until: a shocking revelation draws Rachel into a world of Shanghai splendor beyond anything she has ever imagined. Here we meet Carlton, a Ferrari-crashing bad boy known for Prince Harry-like antics; Colette, a celebrity girlfriend chased by fevered paparazzi; and the man Rachel has spent her entire life waiting to meet: her father. Meanwhile, Singapore’s It Girl, Astrid Leong, is shocked to discover that there is a downside to having a newly minted tech billionaire husband. A romp through Asia’s most exclusive clubs, auction houses, and estates, China Rich Girlfriend brings us into the elite circles of Mainland China, introducing a captivating cast of characters, and offering an inside glimpse at what it’s like to be gloriously, crazily, China-rich.[1]
Characters[]
- Rachel Young (née Chu): A New York University professor who is engaged to and later marries Nick Young. She is a Chinese-American economist raised by a single mother in a humble upbringing. She is revealed to be the daughter of a prominent wealthy man after recently discovering that her biological dad is a Chinese billionaire.
- Nick Young: Rachel's husband and a member of the Singapore elite.
- Kerry Chu: Rachel's mother who once had a romantic relationship with Bao Gaoliang.
- Eleanor Young (née Sung): Nick's mother who finally approves of Rachel after finding out that her father is a Chinese billionaire.
- Eddie Cheng: Nick's cousin who works in private banking, thanks to this he discovers Eleanor's secret account.
- Goh Peik Lin: Rachel's rich Singaporean best friend whose family owns a property development and construction company, Near West Organization.
- Bao Gaoling/Kao Wei: Carlton and Rachel's biological father who is a top Chinese politician and also a billionaire who owns a pharmaceutical company. Under his boyhood name, Kao Wei, he used to help Kerry whenever her awful husband got very angry in their apartment building and they eventually fell for each other. Kerry never told him they had a child together.
- Bao Shaoyen: Carlton's mother who has a hard time accepting Rachel, but later becomes a 2nd mother to her. She has a gift room that consists of more than one hundred Hermès bags.
- Carlton Bao: The 23-year-old English-educated son of Bao Shaoyen and Bao Gaoliang who lives a very wild and carefree lifestyle. He is Rachel's paternal half-brother who looks exactly like her.
- Colette Bing: A famous fashion blogger and the spoiled daughter of either the third or fifth (depending on who is doing the ranking) richest men in China. She is a control freak and is Carlton's on-again, off-again girlfriend.
- Mrs. Bing: Colette's germaphobic mother.
- Richie Yang: Son of a multi-billionaire father who's also one of the top richest men in China. He's one of Colette's suitors and also the one Colette's father wants her to marry.
- Jack Bing: Colette's multi-billionaire father who insists her on marrying Richie, due to their equal multi-billionaire status. He is later revealed to have an affair with Kitty, whom Colette is humiliated by.
- Roxanne Ma: Colette's personal assistant who's very loyal to her. She was Colette's 18th birthday present from her father. She is later revealed to have poisoned Rachel.
- Michael Teo: Astrid's newly minted billionaire husband whose start-up company brings a huge success, due to unknowingly bought by Charlie. His success makes him mean and terrible.
- Charlie Wu: Astrid's billionaire former fiancé who still loves her, despite being married to someone else.
- Astrid Teo (née Leong): Nick's fashionable cousin who is referred to as "the goddess" and is known for her impeccable fashion sense. She secretly still loves Charlie and the feeling deepens even more when Michael gets crueler due to his newfound success.
- Bernard Tai: Kitty's estranged billionaire husband who's been hiding in California due to a depression after a mix-up on his plastic surgery. He engages Giselle (his daughter with Kitty) in his strange activities and doesn't want Kitty involved in their lives, believing it's better she stays in Hong Kong. Bernard finds himself in a high-profile international custody battle for full custody of Giselle from Kitty.
- Kitty Tai (née Pong): Bernard's wife who is a former soap-star turned social climber. She has a daughter named Giselle whom she's worried about due to Bernard's strange raising and lack of having her involved in their family's life. With Corinna's help, she "kidnaps" their daughter and escapes to a lavish home in Singapore. Revealing herself as the lover of Jack Bing, Kitty sues Bernard for full custody of Giselle.
- Corinna Ko-Tung: A woman coming from a well-bred family who helps Kitty in her social-climbing agenda. Upon learning Bernard's intentions to cut Kitty out of Giselle's life, Corinna helps her "kidnap" her daughter and escape to a lavish home in Singapore.
- Carol Tai: A devout Christian who's also the wife of a corrupt billionaire, Tai Toh Lui. She is one of Eleanor's best friends. She has a granddaughter, Giselle, whom she reconnects with after Kitty returns to Singapore.