Chapter 4-4
4
The next day, Qiao Ruo woke up first, took out her phone to check the time, and it was already past nine o'clock.
Turning to look at He Yajun, she saw him still sleeping peacefully with his eyes closed. She couldn't help but reach out and touch his face, gently tracing his forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, and chin with her fingers.
He was truly handsome, the most handsome man she had ever met. She didn't know if she was idealizing him, but over the years, only his face could make her blush and her heart race.
He looked very well-behaved when he was asleep, which made her very happy because his sleeping posture was relaxed, and his brows and eyes were also relaxed, showing no trace of worry.
She stared at him quietly for several seconds before gently lifting the covers and getting out of bed.
She went to the bathroom, took a quick shower, and after washing up, she had nothing to do, so she opened the refrigerator to prepare something to eat.
There wasn't much in the refrigerator; there was some meat, but not many vegetables. However, she unexpectedly found a bag of frozen dumplings.
She was about to boil water when she suddenly heard He Yajun calling her. She ran into the bedroom and saw that the curtains were all drawn open. He Yajun was standing by the window, pointing outside: "Qiao Ruo, look, it's snowing."
Qiao Ruo exclaimed and ran to the window: "It's so beautiful! It hasn't snowed in my hometown yet this year."
In just one night, the roadsides were covered with thick snow. The buildings, near and far, had white roofs and red brick walls. Unidentified trees covered in snow stood tall, and large snowflakes continued to fall, creating a vast, overwhelming scene.
“It’s already snowed several times in New York.” He smiled and hugged her. “Enjoy the view, I’m going to wash up and make something to eat.”
"Let me make them. I see you still have dumplings here."
He didn't argue with her: "Okay, then thank you for your trouble."
Considering that they would be having lunch with Hong Yantao and Hong Mengqi, they didn't eat much at this meal.
After finishing breakfast, Qiao Ruo pulled He Yajun to the bedroom, opened her suitcase, and pulled out a square cardboard box from the bottom: "Yajun, I wasn't here for your birthday, so I never had a chance to give it to you."
He Yajun took it, opened the box and saw that it contained a black sweater, which turned out to be from a brand he often wore.
She explained with a grin, "When you were asleep at the hotel, I specifically looked at the brand of the sweater you were wearing and bought this one. You can't say you don't like it."
He smiled and said, "I really like this birthday present, thank you."
He took off his shirt, unfolded his sweater, and was about to put it on when she stopped him: "It's not washed yet. Wash it before you try it on. I was originally planning to wash it before bringing it over, but if my parents see it being washed at home, they'll definitely ask a lot of questions."
“It’s okay, I can’t wait.” He put on his sweater, straightened his clothes, turned around in front of her, and commented, “Good taste, you’re a good match for me.”
Qiao Ruo tapped his nose with her fingertip: "You're not only an egomaniac, but also a narcissist."
He laughed and hugged her tightly: "I can't help it, you've spoiled me."
She wrapped her arms around his waist, enjoying the warmth of his embrace. After a while, she looked up at him and said, "Ya Jun, I love your hugs. Can you hold me like this forever?"
He fell silent for a moment. She realized she had overstepped her bounds. Perhaps it was the tenderness in his eyes that had stirred her desires these past two days that had led her to ask him for a promise. She suppressed the inappropriate thoughts in her heart and stuck out her tongue: "Look how silly I am. Who would hold someone like that without eating or drinking?"
She braced herself against his shoulders, trying to pull away, but he suddenly tightened his grip, holding her even closer: "Hmm, it does seem a little silly."
She pretended to be angry, pinched his ear, and said with dissatisfaction, "Hmph, how can you talk like that? You should be refuting me and praising my intelligence."
“But sometimes fools are lucky.” His expression was unusually sincere, as if he were announcing something very serious and important. “Believe me, your life from now on will definitely be very happy.”
"Does my happiness have anything to do with you?" she asked herself.
"Okay, I'll consider it a favor and forgive you." She said magnanimously, then tugged at his sweater, "Take it off, you can only wear it after you've washed it."
They had just finished getting ready to leave when they received a call from Hong Yantao, who told them that he and Hong Mengqi were already in a taxi heading to the steakhouse.
He Yajun turned on speakerphone and asked, "Mengqi... are you alright now?"
Hong Yantao laughed and said, "It's nothing. She's been very calm since she arrived at the hotel last night. I don't know what Qiao Ruo talked to her about. I asked her, but she just wouldn't say."
He Yajun squeezed Qiao Ruo's hand in her palm and smiled, "Never mind, Yan Tao, it's best for us men to refrain from prying into women's secrets."
He hung up the phone and winked at Qiao Ruo: "Am I very conscientious?"
"Yes, honey, you're great." She gave him a thumbs up. "I'll buy you candy later."
"..." He chuckled, "You, it's a good thing you're not a man, otherwise with your beautiful eyes and your ability to make people happy, I don't know how many girls would be head over heels for you."
"Ah, then I'll pray that I'm born a man in my next life."
"Then forget about it. Life is still so long. You should think about how to make me fall in love with you in this lifetime."
When He Yajun drove Qiao Ruo to the steakhouse, Hong Yantao and Hong Mengqi had just gotten out of a taxi.
Hong Yantao was right; Hong Mengqi was indeed very calm, even a little cold, but Qiao Ruo no longer saw any hostility in her indifference.
Qiao Ruo waved to her and greeted her, "Meng Qi, good afternoon."
Hong Mengqi hesitated for a moment, then walked to Qiao Ruo's side, seemingly somewhat reluctant, but still responded, "Good afternoon, Qiao Ruo... Sister."
The other two men present stared at them in surprise. Qiao Ruo was also taken aback at first, then laughed and revealed a smug expression: "From now on, Meng Qi is my sister too. You'd better watch your words and actions."
Hong Mengqi twitched her lips, and seeing that Hong Yantao and He Yajun still looked like they'd seen a ghost in broad daylight, she immediately became impatient: "What are you looking at? I've always been very polite, okay?"
He Yajun stroked his chin with a half-smile: "Really? Then call me Brother Yajun and I'll believe you."
Hong Mengqi rolled her eyes at him: "No, I only have one older brother."
Hong Yantao patted He Yajun's shoulder reassuringly: "It's a pity, she won't listen to you now. Step aside."
The four of them chatted and laughed as they entered a steakhouse called Peter Luger, located in a red brick building that is said to have a history of over a hundred years and is very popular.
After entering the room, He Yajun helped Qiao Ruo brush off a few snowflakes that had fallen on her hair.
Hong Mengqi glanced at them only once before turning her head to talk to Hong Yantao.
It seemed this girl had already made up her mind to come out. Qiao Ruo thought happily to herself, finally able to put her arm around He Yajun's without any reservations in public.
He Yajun had booked a table many days in advance, but it wasn't by the window, so she couldn't see the snow scene outside. The restaurant was crowded, with almost no empty seats, but everyone was quite quiet, only talking in hushed tones, not noisy at all. Qiao Ruo, sitting next to He Yajun, really loved this feeling of being surrounded by strangers—a sense of security and tranquility.
Qiao Ruo leaned over to look at the menu with He Yajun, and sure enough, she found that she couldn't understand at least a third of the words.
In fact, she had been making time to study English over the years, and although her spoken English wasn't great, she thought her vocabulary was decent. However, once she went abroad, she realized just how bad her English really was.
In contrast, the other three people present had no language barriers and spoke fluent English, which she found quite enviable.
He Yajun thoughtfully translated the English into Chinese for her and asked her what flavor she wanted to eat. She couldn't give an answer: "Anything is fine with me, as long as it's not too spicy."
After ordering their food, they chatted about their upcoming itinerary. They had already planned to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the afternoon, and if they had time, take a walk in Central Park.
It was Qiao Ruo's first time here, and she didn't have a specific destination in mind. Everything here was new to her, and she wouldn't feel left out no matter where she went. Most importantly, she could be with He Yajun, so no matter which way the road ahead led, her happiness would remain the same.
“Mengqi and I won’t be traveling with you tomorrow,” Hong Yantao said. “We’re going to Los Angeles for a few days; it’s too cold in New York.”
"Go ahead, I can't go. I'm too busy lately, and I have to go to work the day after tomorrow." He Yajun shrugged.
“Qiao Ruo, since Ya Jun has to go to work, he definitely won’t have much time to spend with you. Why don’t you come with us to Los Angeles tomorrow?” Hong Yantao winked at Qiao Ruo.
Before Qiao Ruo could answer, He Yajun spoke first: "She's not going."
“I didn’t ask you.” Hong Yantao showed him no respect.
"So, do you want to go tomorrow?" He Yajun sounded like he was asking Qiao Ruo for her opinion, but his eyes held a confident and assured look.
Of course, Qiao Ruo wouldn't abandon him and run off to somewhere else. Her purpose in coming to America was to see him, not to see the scenery. Even if she wanted to see something, she had to do it with him.
She smiled at Hong Yantao and said, "You guys have fun, I won't go."
The food was served one after another, and Qiao Ruo couldn't help but feel a little discouraged when she heard them conversing fluently with the waiters in English.
"What's wrong?" He Yajun noticed her darkened eyes.
She rested her chin on her hand, looking troubled: "I'm wondering when my English will be as good as yours?"
Hong Mengqi, sitting opposite her, hesitated for a moment before speaking first: "Use it, use it in every situation where you can use it. I was very bad at English in high school. I took the TOEFL several times before I barely met the English score requirement of the university I wanted to go to. When I first came to the United States, I was like a mute. Later, I had no choice but to use it in class, for group projects, to go out and buy things. I had to use it everywhere, so I had to grit my teeth and speak. As a result, in less than half a year, I could speak fluently."
Hong Yantao smiled and nodded: "Qiao Ruo, the language environment is very important. If you come here more often in the future, you will be able to speak very well in no time."
He Yajun scoffed: "What you're saying is all empty talk. It's like a teacher encouraging a struggling student, saying that as long as they work hard, they can improve their grades. It's completely useless."
"You mean, I'm... a poor student?" Qiao Ruo asked uncertainly.
“…No,” He Yajun sat up straighter, “What I mean is, you don’t need to find someone else to practice with, just talk to me directly. You heard me speak English just now, and I speak it pretty well, right? Much better than those two. Starting tomorrow, no matter what we do, we will communicate in English. With me as your teacher, you will be able to master it in less than a month.”
Hong Yantao and Hong Mengqi rolled their eyes at him.
Qiao Ruo was also a little speechless, not knowing whether it was because of his confidence or because of the idea he proposed: "Forget it...forget it."
"Don't be shy, I'm a pretty good teacher. Do you know how Bai Qing, with her terrible grades back then, managed to score more than 30 points above the first-tier university cutoff?"
Qiao Ruo recalled that Bai Qing's grades were in the middle to upper range in high school. In her opinion, being in the middle to upper range in their key high school was already a pretty good result. How could it be bad?
"Because she works very hard," she said, stating the facts.
"It's half because of her hard work, and the other half because I tutor her," He Yajun said seriously, with a hint of pride in her voice.
Qiao Ruo was skeptical, but considering their childhood friendship and He Yajun's outstanding academic performance, she thought his conclusion wasn't unreasonable.
“Brother,” Hong Mengqi turned to Hong Yantao and said, “Is he showing off like a peacock?”
Hong Yantao suppressed a laugh: "It's obvious."
"This screen is a bit too big, it blocks too much light and is very unsightly. Should we pluck all its feathers?"
"Okay, I'll help you."
The brother and sister crossed their arms and looked at He Yajun together, their faces wearing fake smiles that seemed to be cut from the same mold.
Qiao Ruo covered her mouth and gasped, glancing at He Yajun, but he ignored their banter. He raised his long arm, put it on her shoulder, tilted his head toward her, and said with a smile, "It's settled then. Starting tomorrow, I'll help you practice your spoken English. Don't worry, I won't charge you tuition."
Qiao Ruo hadn't expected that her casual, non-complaint would lead things in this direction. She didn't want to take it seriously and decided to just consider it a joke he made out of boredom.
It has to be said that this steakhouse has really something to offer for surviving for over a hundred years. As Qiao Ru ate the classic dry-aged Porterhouse steak, she immediately understood why Hong Yantao had specifically requested to eat here even before arriving in New York.
The beef was tender and fragrant, and paired with the salad, it was even more appetizing. In addition to the steak, the bacon and burger were also delicious, and the portions were very large. By the time she ate the ice cream, she was so full she could hardly contain herself.
If there's anything to nitpick about, it's the price. With tax and tip, the meal cost nearly three thousand yuan. As He Yajun paid, Qiao Ruo's heart pounded, and she decided that no matter what, she would never come to this restaurant again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
