Chapter 48 Lively and quiet moments playfully clash, so cute and endearing…

Before I finished my coffee, the other teammates arrived one after another.

Last to enter was Arthor, a Sports Illustrated reporter, accompanied by his tall girlfriend, Tina.

After everyone introduced themselves, Arthur looked at Liang Siyu and said, "Ned, how about a two-person speed race? The loser has to do forty push-ups."

He was the old friend who challenged him to a race on Facebook.

"It's too hot, shall we not go into the water?" Liang Siyu looked at the team leader Nathon, whom he had already spoken to beforehand.

He casually placed his right hand on Ada's shoulder and glanced at her almost imperceptibly.

Everyone laughed good-naturedly. The weather was fine for them, but it was definitely a bit of an adjustment for Californians new to New York.

They've already had a round of laughter over their decaf oat latte.

Nathan, who knew a little about the situation, smiled and pulled Arthur over: "Yes, I forgot to make an appointment."

He blinked, leaned close to his friend's ear, and whispered, "There are girls around, be polite."

Arthur was still a little hesitant, but Tina was already excited, her eyes sparkling, and she went over to talk to Ada.

It's not so obvious in the photos, but up close, she looks like a kitten that has wandered into a giant dog cafe—she's so adorable.

Arthur rubbed his forehead. How could he forget? Tina adored little sisters like that. He muttered, "Fine."

But the others cheered, "One-on-one, one-on-one, bring the ergometer!"

Liang Siyu smiled wryly. He knew it; it was the first time he had brought his girlfriend, and everyone wanted to tease him.

Matt came to the rescue: "Ergometers are so boring, just play around with them."

“Matt, how about a finger balance contest?” Arthur raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you two compete in this. Back then, you two were evenly matched.”

Matt shook his head helplessly. Arthur, that guy, loves to attack indiscriminately when he gets anxious, and now he's clearly trying to drag him down with him.

A group of people moved to an open space in the training field and asked a familiar coach for two old wooden oars.

The so-called finger balance is to place a wooden paddle on one finger and keep it balanced without it falling.

Xu Aida stared wide-eyed. A twelve-foot wooden oar, twice their height and weighing four kilograms, was something they could balance on their fingers without it falling. How was that even possible?

Captain Nathan explained to her with a smile, "Training is too boring, so this is a little game we often play."

Arthur suddenly regretted it. This game was practically giving Ned a free pass. Wasn't he supposed to be playing a trick on him? How did things turn out like this in a moment of impulsiveness? It was all Matt's fault for meddling.

The two men in the arena remained calm. They picked up the wooden oars and adjusted them slightly. Soon, they each used two fingers to lift the oars, which only wobbled slightly and remained firmly in their hands.

"How about we stretch our legs a bit?" Matt suggested.

Staying still is easier for both of them; to speed things up, they need to increase the difficulty.

Liang Siyu nodded and took a few steps forward, with Matt following. The wooden paddles on their fingers wobbled slightly, but eventually settled steadily at their fingertips.

People cheered, and their scene attracted the attention of others.

Liang Siyu stared at the wooden paddle and asked loudly, "Matt, want to make it a little more difficult?"

He almost spun around in place. At first, the wooden paddle rippled slightly, but eventually it solidified.

Matt's lips tightened slightly. Being able to walk in a straight line is already a skill, but spinning in place? When did he learn that move? Back in high school, Ned definitely couldn't do that.

Matt opted for a larger radius, which would make it easier to maintain balance, but after turning more than half a circle, the paddle still began to shake violently.

The moment he fell, he quickly grabbed it with his left hand, eliciting a burst of good-natured laughter.

After their nostalgic trip to the Sharp boathouse, everyone headed to a barbecue restaurant near the park.

Matt was still a bit hung up on the previous failure. "Ned, tell us, how many rats have you butchered in the last two years? How did your fine control become so strong?"

Liang Siyu shook his head with a smile: "I think you've regressed, haven't you? The rotations are too tiring?"

Matt is a surgeon, and both of them were able to win this finger balance game because they both have excellent proprioception and coordination.

"Enjoy your last days of leisure!" Matt's tone was tinged with envy and resentment. "Once the rotation and matchmaking begin, you'll be exhausted, and even dating will be difficult!"

Liang Siyu looked at his girlfriend, about to explain and tell her not to listen to Matt's nonsense.

But Xu Aida was chatting enthusiastically with Tina, not even sparing him a glance.

Matt laughed so hard he almost fell over, then looked at Arthur, who was staring blankly at him, and raised his voice to ask, "Tina, what are you two talking about? It sounds interesting."

“Oh, the launch of Apple Music has put a lot of pressure on us, but Ada is optimistic about us, and I’m so happy.”

Tina is a product manager at Spotify, a unicorn in the music market with tens of millions of subscribers, but it is not yet profitable and is currently facing attacks from Apple. Everyone is watching and waiting.

"Ada, do you know any inside information?" Nathan immediately joined the conversation, having already learned from their earlier chat that Ada was a second-generation rich kid.

After graduating from university, he went to work for a VC (venture capital) firm. "We were actually a little worried about Spotify's financial pressure. Music copyright fees are too expensive, while Apple has no budget pressure at all."

"Actually, there's no inside information." Xu Aida shrugged. Apple is too big, and her father isn't in the music business department either.

"However, I think Apple Music lacks a social DNA. They may not realize for years that Discover Weekly is their most core asset."

She noticed Nathan's slightly disappointed look and added, "Look at Netflix, algorithms help companies better decide what price to pay for copyright assets."

She knew the outcome before working backwards to deduce the process, and this business knowledge was something she only acquired when she started her own business in her previous life.

Nathan's expression immediately changed. From this angle, he hadn't realized that he was using algorithmic recommendations more as a means to attract consumers, rather than considering the deeper logic behind asset purchases.

"But in the music market, top assets are very attractive, and the general public does not want to pay a monthly subscription fee and not be able to listen to the songs of superstars."

He remains skeptical about whether long-tail music assets can truly attract users.

Xu Aida smiled and looked at Tina: "I don't know your internal data, but the long-tail sales of Amazon books are very considerable."

Tina straightened up: "The music market is similar. We don't need to buy all the copyrights. What we need to do is discover the next trend and push it to the forefront before others realize it. Just like Netflix's House of Cards."

Xu Aida looked at Nathan: "Just like you angel investors, you discover unicorns earlier."

Liang Siyu unconsciously wrapped his arms around her waist, and her eyes shone like morning stars.

"Ladies, brilliant!" Nathan slapped his thigh, raised his glass to them, and exclaimed, "To you all!"

That evening, they chatted about everything under the sun, including their own lives. Sometimes they argued heatedly because of differing opinions, and other times they laughed out loud when they recalled embarrassing moments from high school.

As they walked toward the parking lot, Xu Aida yawned slightly and leaned on Liang Siyu's arm: "Tonight was quite interesting."

"Isn't it more fun than burying yourself in writing algorithms?" He slowed his pace, letting her lean against him. "How about we go for a stroll in Xicun tomorrow?"

West Village is very close to Manhattan, but it has an artistic and retro feel, with a lazy European town vibe.

"Hmph, writing algorithms can be fun too, a different kind of fun, don't you understand?" She pinched his arm hard.

He certainly understood, but he didn't dwell on the topic. Instead, he continued to tease her: "Did you only drink and not eat tonight? Why do you seem even weaker?"

"That's a non-alcoholic cocktail!" Xu Aida said indignantly.

“I’m drinking this with you too.” He ruffled her hair.

"What do you mean by 'accompany me'? You don't even drink normally!" That cunning brat.

They got in the car and continued talking about these small, trivial topics, heading home with the river breeze and the lights of New Jersey in the background.

The next morning, Liang Siyu ran home from her morning run in Central Park and ran into Cohen at the door.

He doesn't often go for a morning run, but recently he's felt that the indoor rowing machine is a bit oppressive, and he longs for sunshine and greenery.

“Dude, you’re so boring.” Cohen was still wearing yesterday’s clothes, which were slightly wrinkled. “Danny took me to a speakeasy last night, and it was awesome.”

Liang Siyu walked home with him side by side: "Looks like you're a New York expert now."

“New York girls are very charming,” Cohen grinned, “both free-spirited and beautiful.”

"That's because you haven't experienced their sharp tongues yet," Liang Siyu shook his head slightly.

He happened to witness CC and Ed arguing once. CC spoke rapidly and sarcastically, making the shrewd Ed turn pale.

“Fine, fine, your California Sweetheart is the best,” Cohen retorted.

When Ada gets sharp, she's clearly one person who's worth both of them, but this guy is just love-struck and his filter is too thick.

Liang Siyu gently pushed him. Ada was also difficult to deal with; lately, she hadn't given him a moment's peace of mind.

The two playfully bickered as they returned home from the garden level.

Cohen looked at the figure in the garden and rubbed his eyes: "What time is it? Did I see wrong?" He didn't drink much yesterday.

Liang Siyu was also a little surprised. He had wanted to ask her to go for a walk when he got up, but seeing that she was sleeping soundly and knowing that she always liked to sleep in on Sundays, he didn't disturb her.

The two of them walked over quietly. Xu Aida, wearing headphones and with his eyes closed, sat cross-legged on the outdoor sofa.

While Liang Siyu was still observing, Cohen slapped her on the shoulder: "MORNING!"

Xu Aida was startled and shrank her neck, opened her eyes and jumped up. Cohen had already slipped behind Liang Siyu.

"Don't be angry!" he rushed up the stairs. "It was just a friendly greeting."

"Alright, alright." Liang Siyu could only hug his girlfriend and gently pat her back as he watched this farce unfold. "Were you scared? Why did you suddenly get up so early?"

Even through his broad shoulders, Xu Aida couldn't see where the troublemaker had gone. She was furious: "You ruined my perfect morning!"

The review paper mentioned that sunlight and meditation help soothe an over-vigilant nervous system, which is why she came to the garden to meditate early in the morning.

Liang Siyu's heart skipped a beat. He took off her right earphone and put it on. A gentle guiding voice came from inside, "Please scan your body again from head to toe..."

"Shall we go together?" He pressed himself against her, resting his chin on the top of her head.

He had attended several lectures where many neurosurgeons mentioned that they would conduct mindfulness training before surgery, which helps reduce anxiety.

Why didn't he think of that? He really should try it with her.

"Who wants to come with you?" She stretched out her arm to snatch back the earphones and pushed him hard. "You're covered in sweat, go take a shower."

Unfortunately, even after pushing him away, she still felt the atmosphere was off and couldn't calm down anymore.

Forget it, she simply went to her study, opened Google Scholar, and continued her research.

She read a review paper a couple of days ago, and today she wants to find a suitable book.

Generally, books will contain more detailed case descriptions and may even provide comparisons of multiple cases.

By referring to these cases, she can also assess whether her somatization symptoms are clearly related to CPTSD, whether they are common, and whether they are severe.

It cannot be too difficult or too far removed from the past; many outdated theories are merely ideas and lack empirical support.

The author must be a renowned scholar in the field and must also have clinical experience—Ned said that there is a big gap between medical practice and pure theory.

Found it! It's a book that was just published last year, which meets her requirements, and the reviews are very good.

She actually preferred the experience of reading academic books in print, but that would be too easy for Ned to spot.

She hesitated for a moment, then placed an order in Apple's bookstore. A few seconds later, the download was complete. On the quiet light blue cover, an abstract little figure swayed.

She took a deep breath, her fingers lightly touching the pages, and the book slowly unfolded.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Special Reminder:

The effectiveness of mindfulness for CPTSD. Some studies suggest that mindfulness is effective for CPTSD, but other scholars point out that individuals with CPTSD have physical trauma memories, and mindfulness activities such as body scans may actually make them feel nauseous, uncomfortable, or even trigger trauma and dissociation.

To reiterate, if you encounter any related problems, please seek professional help.