Chapter 4-10
10
They spent the rest of the weekend shopping for New Year's goods and decorating the house. First, they went to the supermarket to buy fish, meat, vegetables, and various snacks. Then, they found couplets, the character "福" (fortune), and red lanterns in a Chinese-owned grocery store. After tidying up, the small apartment was filled with a strong festive atmosphere and looked very cozy.
On Monday morning, He Yajun went to work as usual. Qiao Ruo woke up naturally, made herself breakfast, and was eating while watching an American drama when she received a video call from Qiao Min. Afraid that she would be discovered to be suspicious if she answered the call in the living room, she ran to the bedroom, lay back on the bed, and pretended to be still asleep.
Since arriving in the United States, Qiao Ruo has called her mother every two days for a brief chat to reassure her parents. As for Qiao Min, Qiao Ruo only sent her a message to let her know she arrived safely on the day of her arrival, and hasn't contacted her since. Since she's calling today, it must be something important, so Qiao Ruo naturally has to answer.
"Qiaoqiao, is everything alright in America?"
"fine."
"You should have seen He Yajun by now, right?"
Qiao Ruo nodded: "I saw him."
"I won't ask too many questions about the specifics. You can contact me anytime you want to talk to me." Qiao Min paused for a moment and continued, "I'm here today to tell you that I've already told my parents about my divorce."
"What were Mom and Dad's reactions?"
"When they first heard me tell this story, they couldn't believe it. My mother even cried, while my father was relatively calmer. I told them the real reason, and although they knew that He Qingyang was at fault and it wasn't me, they still couldn't quite accept it. My mother even tried to persuade me to win He Qingyang back. My father, to my surprise, called me today, the day of the Lunar New Year, and asked me to come home for New Year's Eve dinner. He also comforted me, telling me not to feel unbalanced or unable to get over this because of He Qingyang, and to just focus on raising Xin Xin well in the future."
Qiao Min turned her phone camera around: "Look, I'm in your room right now."
Qiao Ruo breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
"Qiaoqiao, thank you. If you hadn't spoken up for me in front of Dad, he wouldn't have forgiven me so quickly. I can't believe he would actually comfort me."
“Dad stopped blaming you a long time ago. I was just a stepping stone for him to get off.”
Qiao Min smiled: "Anyway, I've put one worry on my mind, and this year wasn't so bad. I hope you have good news too."
"good."
"I'm going to the living room now. Say hello to Mom, Dad, and Xin Xin."
Qiao Wei remained as taciturn as ever, only smiling briefly at the camera before ignoring Qiao Ruo. Xin Xin and Xu Mingyu, on the other hand, chatted with Qiao Ruo on their phones for several minutes.
After the video call ended, Qiao Ru lay there in a daze for a while before getting up to go to the living room to continue eating breakfast.
Not long after, her phone rang again. Qiao Ruo thought it was Qiao Min who had forgotten to tell her something, but when she checked WeChat, she saw that it was Zhu Yi calling.
She couldn't guess the purpose of Zhu Yi's call, but she knew it must be related to He Yajun. On Saturday night, He Yajun called Zhu Yi, and Qiao Ruo later learned that Zhu Yi hadn't even asked why, immediately agreeing to keep it a secret. Thinking of the girl's straightforwardness, she decided to treat her politely.
Zhu Yi's tone was very friendly and cordial: "Qiao Ruo, my cousin has to work today and can't keep me company. I'm so bored by myself. Ya Jun, you must be bored too, right? Why don't I come over and find you, and we can go shopping together?"
Qiao Ruo wasn't interested in shopping. After thinking for a moment, she honestly said, "I went to Philadelphia the day before yesterday and went to the supermarket yesterday. I walked for a long time, and my feet and legs still haven't recovered."
“Don’t refuse me,” Zhu Yi laughed. “Before I came to New York, Ya Jun’s father gave me his address. If you find it inconvenient to go out, I can come directly to your place.”
Qiao Ruo couldn't tell whether her words were a provocation or a simple joke: "If you really want to see me, let's find a coffee shop to sit in."
"Let's go get some coffee then. I'll check which coffee shop has good coffee and send you the address on WeChat later."
Qiao Ruo put away her phone and finished her breakfast. Zhu Yi had already picked a restaurant called Caffe Reggio and sent it to her. She opened the map and saw that the restaurant was in Lower Manhattan. It would take more than forty minutes to get there by subway, requiring one transfer. The journey would be a combination of walking and subway travel.
Since arriving in the United States, she had never gone out alone, so she adjusted her mood and decided to treat this meeting with Zhu Yi as an opportunity to practice her spoken English.
The long-awaited sunshine returned to New York that day. Despite the pleasant weather, Qiao Ruo convinced herself to muster the confidence to test whether she could handle the city of New York on her own. However, when she actually stepped out of her apartment and stood on the street, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Using her phone and road signs, she found the nearest subway station and only dared to relax slightly after successfully boarding the train.
The subway was crowded, mostly with foreign faces. Occasionally, she would see a few people with black hair and yellow skin, but they were all expressionless and didn't say a word. She couldn't tell if they were her compatriots.
Unlike subways in China, the announcements on the New York subway are very quiet and are made by humans, so Qiao Ruo couldn't hear them at all. Fortunately, there were electronic screens for her to refer to, so she wouldn't get her location wrong.
She followed the map on her phone to get off the subway, then asked someone who looked like a staff member for directions, and it took her quite a while to transfer to another subway line. By the time she walked out of the subway station, it was already 10:30.
Fortunately, the café recommended by Zhu Yi wasn't far from the subway station, only a five-minute walk, and it was easy to find because of its eye-catching green facade. Besides Caffe Reggio, the name also included "Original Cappino," so it seems their specialty is cappuccino.
As Qiao Ruo entered, the aroma of coffee wafted through the air, a pleasant surprise. However, the shop was much smaller than she had imagined, with small tables and quite a few customers, making it feel a bit cramped.
Unlike the green facade, the interior walls are mostly a dark but intense brick red, with only a small patch of green. Looking around, the walls are covered with European-style paintings of various sizes, old-fashioned clocks, small sculptures, and other antique objects. The overall layout of the store gives people a sense of antiquity, yet it is very artistic.
Zhu Yi sat at a small table by the window and waved to Qiao Ruo, who smiled and walked over to sit down.
"Did you take a taxi here?" Zhu Yi asked.
The store was warm, and Qiao Ruo took off her down jacket before answering, "I came by subway."
Zhu Yi nodded and called the waiter over: "I asked my cousin, and he recommended this shop to me. He said it's a century-old shop. Although it's small, the coffee is very good, especially the cappuccino, but I still prefer the latte."
She ordered a latte and a tiramisu, while Qiao Ruo only ordered a cappuccino.
After the waiter stepped back, Zhu Yi leaned forward, rested her hands on the table, and supported her chin with the backs of her hands, smiling as she said to Qiao Ruo, "Up close, your nose and mouth look a lot like your sister's."
Qiao Ruo's smile froze. She opened her mouth, but only managed a bitter laugh.
“Looks like I wasn’t mistaken,” Zhu Yi calmly withdrew her hand and resumed her original sitting posture. “I’m not surprised that Ya Jun is in a relationship, but what I didn’t expect was that you and his father’s wife… no, to be precise, his father’s ex-wife are sisters. How could he choose to be with you?”
How did you know?
“Your sister and Uncle He visited my house before to wish my father a Happy New Year. I was there too, and they mentioned you during their conversation.” Zhu Yi took a moment to say “Thanks” to the waiter who brought the coffee and dessert, then continued explaining to Qiao Ruo, “I had completely forgotten about you, but when I heard your name the night before last, it felt a little familiar. Ya Jun, who usually doesn’t answer my calls, surprisingly contacted me and begged me not to tell anyone else about you two, which made me suspicious. Yesterday, I had my cousin inquire about you with Qiu Zhiming and learned that you went to university in Guangzhou. Considering that you and Ya Jun were high school classmates, I figured it must be true. Your reaction just now confirmed my suspicions.”
Qiao Ruo took a sip of hot coffee and calmed herself down: "You didn't come to me today just to prove your guess, did you?"
"You don't think I'm planning to tell Uncle He about this and force you to break up with Ya Jun so I can take advantage of the situation and steal Ya Jun away, do you?" Zhu Yi's eyes looked very aggressive, but her tone was very gentle.
Qiao Ruo remained calm and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're trying to do."
“I just… I don’t really know what I want to do either. I just don’t quite understand Ya Jun’s choice,” Zhu Yi’s voice was tinged with confusion and melancholy. “Uncle He has always hoped that Ya Jun and I could develop a relationship. Obviously, either Ya Jun is secretly dating you behind Uncle He’s back, or Uncle He knows but doesn’t approve of you two. Either way, it means that your relationship is unlikely to be approved by Uncle He, or even Ya Jun’s mother. So I’m very curious, how could someone like him, who is rather self-centered and loves freedom, be with you? Could it be… that he doesn’t know your identity?”
“He knows.” Qiao Ruo took another sip of coffee; the smooth and rich taste suited her taste perfectly.
"Okay, then there's probably only one explanation: he loves you. Only when you truly love someone would you be willing to be with her even when you know there are many obstacles ahead."
Hearing from her rival that He Yajun loved her, Qiao Ruo didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Do you think I'm not worthy of his love?"
“No, not at all. I’m not that arrogant or unreasonable.” Zhu Yi stirred her coffee absentmindedly. “I had a good impression of Ya Jun the moment I saw his picture, and unsurprisingly, I fell for him immediately when I met him. This trip to the US, to get to know New York, was just a pretext. Actually, I wanted to see him, to spend the New Year with him, and to try and win him over. But he wouldn’t reply to my WeChat messages or answer my calls, so I had to ask Uncle He to pick me up at the airport, but he refused. I considered all sorts of possibilities, but I never imagined that he was already with you.”
Qiao Ruo listened quietly, unconsciously letting down her guard against the girl.
"Although I still want to be with him, I have basic morals and will not bother him while he has a girlfriend."
The girl's straightforwardness and clarity touched Qiao Ruo, but also made her somewhat sad.
Zhu Yi looked up, noticed her gaze, and raised her eyebrows in surprise: "Hey, don't look at me like that. I have morals, but I'm not a saint. I still hope you two break up."
Qiao Ruo smiled: "Then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."
"That's not necessarily true. Uncle He is not someone to be trifled with. He's probably even more stubborn than my father. And people who can make a lot of money in business are all shrewd and resourceful. There aren't many kind souls among them. If he knew that his son was with his sister-in-law, he might go crazy."
This should have been an obstacle that made Qiao Ruo anxious, but when Zhu Yi said it, she wasn't afraid at all.
“I believe in myself, and I believe in Ya Jun. As for his father…” She hesitated for a moment, but decided to state her opinion directly, “He has to bear the consequences of his own mistakes. It would be too selfish of him to make Ya Jun and me pay for his mistakes.”
Zhu Yi stared at her, then scooped up a large spoonful of tiramisu and put it in her mouth. After eating it, she said somewhat reluctantly, "I think I know why Ya Jun is with you now."
"Why?"
Zhu Yi ate her dessert with relish, speaking clearly, "Don't ask me, go ask Ya Jun, his answer is what you want."
Qiao Ruo turned to look out the window. Sunlight streamed through the glass, soft yet strangely powerful. The girl sitting opposite her was engrossed in her food, her face no longer showing any signs of heartbreak—at least, Qiao Ruo couldn't tell.
She couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of life, and of course, the wonders of love.
Zhu Yi finished her dessert, wiped her mouth with a tissue, and said calmly, "Okay, although we're unlikely to contact each other again in the future, I still want to say: It was nice meeting you. This time I really mean it."
Qiao Ruo couldn't help but chuckle: "I'm also very happy to meet you, Zhu Yi. I'm being sincere this time too."
"Before I leave, there are two more things I want to say."
"Okay, go ahead."
“I won’t be applying to schools in New York. Please tell Ya Jun for me that I don’t need to worry about him bothering me.” Zhu Yi paused for a moment. “I was planning to meet him to say goodbye. After all, we’ve known each other for a while, and it’s fate. Saying goodbye properly in person would make my long journey here worthwhile. But judging from his attitude towards me, he definitely won’t see me. But it’s okay, you can pass on the message for me, it’s the same thing.”
Qiao Ruo found herself developing a crush on this "love rival": "Okay, I'll pass it on."
"The second thing is something I need to tell you." Zhu Yi took a slow sip of coffee, as if keeping someone in suspense, before slowly speaking again, "I spoke with Uncle He on the phone last time, and he said he'd be coming to New York soon to talk to Ya Jun. I guess the conversation will be about persuading Ya Jun to try being with me. Before I came to see you today, I called him and told him I have other plans and don't intend to consider Ya Jun anymore. Although he didn't say anything, I felt he was very angry with Ya Jun, but I couldn't explain too much. I don't know if he'll come to New York again, but you'd better be prepared."
"Thank you."
"You don't seem worried at all."
"This is indeed not good news, but what is coming will eventually come. Instead of worrying, we should think about how to deal with it."
"You have a good attitude towards life, so I wish you good luck." Zhu Yi picked up the down jacket hanging to the side and put it on. As she zipped it up, she said with a half-smile, "If you can't handle it and break up because of it, and I haven't forgotten Ya Jun by then, I will still come after him."
Qiao Ruo also gave a half-smile: "Don't worry, I won't pass this message on to Ya Jun."
After paying the bill, the two left without saying goodbye and went their separate ways in opposite directions.
As Qiao Ruo entered the subway station, a thought struck her. He Yajun's workplace was also in Xiacheng District, so it shouldn't be far from here. She suddenly felt a strong urge to go and visit. She opened the map on her phone to check the route, when several WeChat messages came in at once. When she opened them, they were all New Year's greetings, and she realized that the old year in China had just ended.
She replied to each one. In addition to the usual few people from previous years, there were two more this year: Qiao Min and Hong Mengqi.
Qiao Min's message was simple: Qiao Qiao, Happy New Year, may all your wishes come true!
Hong Mengqi's message was much longer: "Sister Qiao Ruo, my brother told me today that I've grown up a lot. I'm not as willful as I used to be, and I've become more reasonable. I no longer only think about myself when I speak and act; I understand how to put myself in other people's shoes and consider their feelings. He said he's very pleased to see my maturity. He also said that I only started to change after we talked in the car last time. He came to ask me, quite gossipy, what you said to me—of course, I didn't tell him anything; I'm a very trustworthy person… Oh dear, I've rambled on for so long; you must be getting impatient reading this, haha… Actually, what I wanted to say was, thank you, and I hope you have good health and success in both love and career in the new year!"
Qiao Ruo couldn't help but smile: Thank you, Mengqi. I also wish you a Happy New Year. Please give my regards to your brother, father, and mother.
The moment the WeChat message was sent, Hong Mengqi called. She answered, "Hello, Mengqi."
“I have some good news to tell you.” Hong Mengqi’s tone was very excited. “I successfully wrote my first song today. I asked my brother to accompany me, and I sang it at home tonight. Everyone said it was great. Next time you come over, I’ll sing it for you too.”
Qiao Ruo was genuinely happy for her: "Congratulations, Meng Qi."
"Not only that, when I was sending you a WeChat message just now, I had a new idea, and I plan to start writing a song in a little while."
"With such a great start, we'll be able to hear your album very soon."
“My brother said the same thing tonight, so it seems like this is reliable,” Hong Mengqi said in a light voice. “I’ll write it right away.”
Qiao Ruo ended the call and continued checking the route. Her phone rang again; this time it was a voice call from He Yajun.
"What are you doing?"
Qiao Ruo wanted to surprise him, so she didn't tell him the truth: "I'm watching TV at home."
"Oh, what are you looking at?" For some reason, she felt that he was trying not to laugh.
"You know, Friends."
Did you practice your spoken English properly today?
"I practiced." She chuckled to herself; not only did she practice, but she also got to experience it in real combat.
"Good girl." His laughter finally reached her ears. After a brief silence, his voice rang out again, but she couldn't hear any laughter in it. She only heard him say calmly, "Qiao Ruo, you lied to me."
"..." She was stunned, then suddenly realized, "You're home?"
Instead of answering, he asked, "Where did you go?"
"I'm in Manhattan, on my way to see you."
"...You're quite capable, daring to go out alone." His tone softened somewhat.
"I miss you." These four words came out of her mouth without warning.
He clearly enjoyed the coquettishness: "I forgive you because you're so sensible."
"oh."
"Let me tell you about the afternoon's plans." The wind in the subway station was cold, but the voice that reached her ears was as warm as the spring sunshine. "The weather is nice today. We'll go to Central Park first, and then to the Brooklyn Bridge to watch the sunset. I've also made reservations for the restaurant tonight."
A surge of joy welled up inside her: "I'm very happy with your arrangements, but don't you have work this afternoon?"
"Work is important, but spending the New Year with you is even more important."
"good."
"Do you want to wait for me here, or go to Central Park by yourself?"
"I'm at the subway station near Washington Square now, and I'd like to try taking the subway there myself."
"Alright, I should let you go out and practice properly. Which line are you planning to take?"
"Line A, please."
"Then get off at 72nd Street and wait for me there. Call me immediately if anything happens." Before hanging up, he added, "Qiao Ruo, I only took leave to come back early because I missed you."
"Yes! I know."
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