Chapter 4-8
8
On Saturday morning, He Yajun drove Qiao Ruo to the University of Pennsylvania. They left home at eight o'clock in the morning and didn't arrive in Philadelphia until nearly eleven o'clock.
Philadelphia was slightly warmer than New York, but the air was still cold. Fortunately, it didn't snow or rain that day, and although the sky wasn't blue, it was bright, allowing them to wander around more freely.
The University of Pennsylvania is an old and prestigious university, founded by the renowned Benjamin Franklin. It boasts exceptional academic strength, consistently ranking among the top universities in the world, particularly its Wharton School of Business, which enjoys an extremely high reputation and has produced many globally famous business figures, such as Warren Buffett, the former world's richest man and investment guru. Qiao Ruo, upon learning that He Yajun had received an offer from Penn during her senior year of high school, went to an internet cafe and quickly researched the university's basic information.
Now, standing in this school that she once only dreamed of, she felt a strong sense of unreality.
"Ya-Jun, when you decided to come to the United States to study at university, was it because you wanted to make your own way in the world, or because you couldn't stand my sister and your father's relationship?"
"Maybe a little bit of both, I'm not really sure." He deliberately walked slowly to match her wearing high heels. "Actually, after I came to the United States, there was a period of time when I regretted it. That was during the time when I was chatting with you on QQ."
She was quite surprised: "Why? Could it be..."
“No daydreaming, no narcissism,” he said, his smile fading as he flicked her nose with his finger, feigning seriousness. “I admit you are a charming woman, but back then, my regret about going abroad wasn’t because I wanted to go back to China to find you.”
She chuckled and touched her nose: "I didn't think that way."
"It's probably because of loneliness. I left my old classmates and friends and came to a strange country. After the initial novelty wore off, I slowly realized that when I wanted to chat with familiar people, I could never keep up with them. By the time they replied to me, I was either busy studying or had lost interest in chatting."
She recalled how she felt when she first arrived in Guangzhou, and somewhat understood his loneliness.
"So, I'm very grateful that you were there for me during that time. Every time I sent you something, you always replied right away."
Thinking back to the ending of that "acquaintance," she couldn't help but sigh: "You told me to get lost and deleted me. I thought you wanted to kill me."
"Well... that's not what I meant." He suddenly became hesitant. "Maybe I mistyped something? I accidentally deleted you..."
"Hmph, I'm not stupid," she said, too lazy to argue. "Seeing how well you're taking care of me now, I've decided to generously forgive you and not cause you any trouble."
He smiled and put his arm around her shoulder: "I'm so lucky to have such a generous girlfriend like you."
"So you'd better cherish me and never lose me, because once you lose me, you'll never find me again," she warned, glaring at him.
"You can rest assured, I won't do such a stupid thing."
The two strolled around the campus, chatting as they went. He Yajun patiently introduced the university to Qiao Ruo, just like he had done at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that day. He spoke eloquently, and Qiao Ruo tried her best to reconstruct his life there in her mind based on his description. A sense of satisfaction slowly filled her heart, as if she had also participated in his life.
In the afternoon, they visited Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence, symbolizing the United States' liberation from British colonial rule and its acquisition of freedom and autonomy, was signed. The two-story building with white windows and red walls was simple yet solemn, topped with a white spire. While waiting in line to go inside, He Yajun whispered to Qiao Ruo, "The Liberty Bell we just saw, displayed in the glass room, used to hang on top of that spire."
Qiao listened with a smile, and then he continued, "When many people mention the 'free' cities of America, the first city that comes to mind is often New York, but in my opinion, Philadelphia is more deserving of the title of 'free'."
"Is it because of the Declaration of Independence?"
"Its history is part of the reason, but for me personally, I spent four years of university life here. It was a relatively pure period of time. I went from being confused to finally deciding what I wanted to do. During this process, my friends and teachers gave me a lot of very good advice, some of which was even completely opposite. But what is precious is that when I told them what I decided to do, everyone supported me. Although my decision went against the ideas of some people, I did not hesitate and was still able to firmly believe that my choice was right."
"You feel like..." Qiao Ruo racked her brains trying to find the right adjective to describe his meaning, but found that she couldn't find such a word at all, so she had to give up and put it another way, "Finally able to fly into the sky, and no matter where you fly, you are not afraid, because you know that even if you accidentally fall down, you still have the courage to fly again?"
He Yajun raised her eyebrows and looked at her in surprise: "Although your description is a bit rustic, I think it's very accurate."
She chuckled awkwardly, "There's nothing I can do, my Chinese grades are terrible, and my essays are even worse."
"And you? Why did you decide to go to university in Guangzhou?"
“There are three main reasons,” Qiao Ruo followed He Yajun and took two more steps forward. “I don’t like the cold, especially the biting cold of winter. Guangzhou’s winters aren’t cold, which suits my temperature requirements. Also, Guangzhou is a big city that’s very developed in all aspects. Staying in Guangzhou would be good for my future development. And another thing is that because of my sister and your father, I realized that you could never like me. Feeling disheartened, I just wanted to go somewhere far away from home.”
He pursed his lips, a hint of smugness in his expression: "I never imagined that a third of the reason was because of me."
"Uh... if you insist on thinking that way, then it's not impossible."
"Then next time I go back to China, will you take me to visit your university?"
She paused, meeting his gaze, which held emotions she couldn't decipher.
"You mean, you also want to know about my past?" she asked uncertainly.
He stroked his chin and nodded rather reluctantly: "If you insist on thinking that way, then it's not impossible."
"..." She looked up at the sky speechlessly.
He held her hand tightly on his arm, this time with a sincere attitude: "Yes, Qiao Ruo, I also want to know more about you."
She couldn't help but laugh, and nuzzled his shoulder with her head: "I wish you all the best and hope you won't be disappointed."
After visiting Independence Hall, they didn't go to any other attractions. On the way back to Brooklyn, He Yajun received a call from Hong Yantao, asking if he had time to get together that evening, and mentioning two other unfamiliar names.
He Yajun glanced at Qiao Ruo, but before she could speak, Hong Yantao guessed what she was worried about and quickly said, "The New Year is the day after tomorrow, and Mengqi and I are going back to China tomorrow. We can take this opportunity to meet again tonight. I told those two guys that you probably wouldn't be able to find the time, and Zhiming was quite disappointed. I think this is a rare opportunity, and we don't know when we'll get together again. Why don't you ask Qiao Ruo if she'd like to come?"
He Yajun mouthed to Qiao Ruo, "Are you going?"
Qiao Ruo also mouthed, "Go."
He Yajun reached out and ruffled her hair, then said to Hong Yantao, "Qiao Ruo and I came to Philadelphia today and are on our way back now. I'm driving, so send me the address and we'll go there tonight."
"Don't drive here yourself, you've been drinking."
He Yajun hung up the phone and said to Qiao Ruo, "There's something I need to tell you."
"?"
“I told Hong Yantao about my father and your sister.”
She was surprised.
"I thought he might have some good ideas, but he... was just too shocked to do anything else and even scolded me."
Why would I curse at you?
He thinks that I'm hurting you by being with you but not planning to marry you.
Qiao Ruo was a little touched, but also a little heartbroken: "There's nothing we can do about it. You've given me everything you could, and I'm very content."
He remained silent for a moment, then asked her in a low voice, "So... do you still want to marry me?"
Her heart skipped a beat, not understanding why he had suddenly brought up a topic he should have avoided. She steadied herself and smiled faintly, "It would be too fake of me to say there's nothing at all. Ya Jun, of course I want to marry you, but more than marrying you, I hope we can go the distance. The current situation is clearly in the best interest of both of us. Actually, thinking about it carefully, marriage doesn't seem that important. I've never been married, but I've talked about marriage with people before. In the end, while it didn't lead to bitter enmity, it still ended badly… So, dating without marriage, this purer approach might have more advantages."
He was focused on driving and didn't respond to her immediately. She couldn't see his eyes clearly, but guessed that he might be questioning himself because of Hong Yantao's reprimand.
"Yajun, no matter what others say, in my heart you are a very good person. You haven't hurt me, and I believe you won't hurt me in the future. Let's stop thinking about marriage and live happily ever after, okay?"
He didn't turn to look at her until the car stopped at a red light. By then, they were far from Philadelphia, and the sky was not as bright as it had been in the morning. Looking out the car window, there was a narrow and unfamiliar road. The lights were already on in a few small shops, and almost every shop had a dilapidated car parked in front of it. The scene was quiet, but also oppressive.
Her heart began to race under his direct gaze, fearing that he might consider breaking up with her because of Hong Yantao's blame. Just as she was about to say something, she saw his lips twitch, a smile spreading from his lips to his eyes, and he said clearly, "I'll listen to you."
The once gloomy and lifeless background outside the window regained its brilliance because of his smile, and she couldn't help but smile back, feeling at peace.
The journey back seemed to have shortened considerably. Instead of going directly to the dinner party, they returned to He Yajun's apartment first.
After resting briefly in the living room, Qiao Ruo went to the bathroom to wash her face. Considering that she was going to meet He Yajun's friend, she specially applied a face mask before putting on makeup. After applying makeup, the effect was surprisingly good.
She loosened her hair, letting it fall naturally. She secured the right side of her hair behind her ear with a crystal hair clip shaped like a camellia. When she returned to the living room, she clearly saw He Yajun sitting on the sofa and her eyes lit up.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, putting down his phone, taking her hands in his, pulling her close, staring into her eyes for several seconds, and saying, “I can’t even imagine how jealous my friends will be when they see you tonight.”
She blushed and said, "Fine, praise me if you want, but don't go overboard."
He had her sit on his lap and gazed closely into her eyes: "I'm not exaggerating, I'm telling the truth. I especially love your eyes, they're really beautiful."
She was overjoyed, but not wanting to show her happiness too obviously, she widened her eyes and deliberately shook her head, saying, "Is it still beautiful like this?"
His eyes remained unwavering as he smiled and nodded, "Beautiful."
She could no longer contain her laughter and lifted his chin with her index finger, saying in a doting tone, "Baby, you're doomed. You've been completely conquered by me and can no longer escape my grasp."
He narrowed his eyes and said, "If you keep tempting me like this, I'll smudge all your makeup."
She quickly withdrew her hand from his face and covered her mouth: "Don't kiss me."
He released her hand, gesturing for her to stand up, and said casually, "One kiss isn't enough. I can let you go now, but after the dinner, I won't be so lenient."
Her face flushed even more, and she thought that she should restrain her boldness in the future and never tease him again.
The gathering was held at a French-style pub called Maison Premiere. Once inside, Qiao Ruo immediately spotted Hong Yantao and Hong Mengqi sitting on a sofa in the corner by the window, with two unfamiliar men sitting next to them.
The two unfamiliar men stood up very warmly to greet and hug He Yajun. He Yajun was also very happy and introduced Qiao Ruo to the two men: "This is my girlfriend, Qiao Ruo."
He pointed to the taller man: "This is our university alumnus, a year ahead of me, Nie Chuan." He then pointed to another shorter man: "This is our university classmate, Qiu Zhijie, whose hometown is Guangzhou."
Qiao Ruo greeted the two men separately, and He Yajun helped her take off her down jacket and led her to sit down.
There was already a lot of food on the table, including cake, pasta, toast, beef, and other vegetables and meats that Qiao Ruo couldn't name, as well as wine.
As He Yajun was studying the menu, Qiu Zhijie said to Qiao Ruo with a beaming smile, "Yajun just mentioned to you that I'm from Guangzhou. Are you from Guangzhou too?"
Qiao Ruo also laughed: "My family is not from Guangzhou. Ya Jun and I are from the same place, but I went to university in Guangzhou."
Which university?
Qiao Ruo told Qiu Zhijie about the school's name and her major, and Qiu Zhijie nodded: "It's very famous in our area. Studying medicine is not easy."
"It's quite tough, but it's fulfilling enough. You can't even slack off if you want to. In other words, you can't even find time to die if you want to."
Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this. Hong Yantao took a sip of his drink and said, "Those who study finance have just as tough lives."
He Yajun joked, "That's because your IQ isn't high enough; it needs improvement."
Hong Yantao snorted coldly: "Yes, yes, I'm not as smart as you, Young Master He, to become a leader at such a young age."
Qiu Zhiming winked at He Yajun: "You're not as lucky as me, finding such a beautiful girlfriend."
Hong Yantao lost his composure: "Hey, Lao Qiu, you can't be so hurtful."
Hong Yantao nudged Nie Chuan's arm, who had been smiling silently: "Did you hear that? He's not just mocking me, a lonely person."
Nie Chuan shrugged and gave him a helpless look: "Sorry, I'm not alone anymore."
"..." Hong Yantao became even more agitated, tilting his head back and taking a big gulp of wine. "Fine, you are all outstanding and successful people."
Hong Mengqi couldn't stand it anymore: "You can't bully my brother like this!"
Qiu Zhiming laughed and raised his glass to clink with Hong Yantao's: "Yantao, you have such a wonderful sister, you are the happiest among us."
Hong Yantao looked at Hong Mengqi with affection and nodded to Qiu Zhiming: "You finally told a truth that I can listen to."
Qiao Ruo sat quietly next to He Yajun, listening attentively to their jokes. Inadvertently, she turned her head and her forehead accidentally touched He Yajun's mouth. Afraid of being seen by others and making a fool of herself, she quickly stepped back.
He Yajun narrowed his eyes, disapproving of her hasty reaction to avoid him, but spoke in a gentle voice: "What would you like to drink?"
“I…” She was about to say forget it, but after looking around at the other people sitting on the sofa, she was somewhat infected by their lively conversation and drinking atmosphere. “Ya Jun, you order for me, the kind with a low alcohol content.”
Vermouth is the specialty of this restaurant. It was He Yajun's first time here. After listening to Qiu Zhiming and Nie Chuan's recommendations, he ordered a vermouth cocktail called Colada for Qiao Ruo and another one with a higher alcohol content for himself.
“This restaurant also has a garden restaurant, but it’s not open this season. It’s only open from April to November every year. The environment and ambiance are quite nice. You can bring Qiao Ruo here to experience it next time.” Qiu Zhiming was the talkative type. After He Yajun ordered the drinks, he suddenly remembered something and said, “Oh, right, I almost forgot to tell you. A fellow villager of mine, whose parents live in the same neighborhood as my parents, just graduated from NYU this year. He just texted me, and I told him I was having drinks. He said he’d come over to hang out later. I hope you don’t mind.”
Everyone welcomed her, of course. When no one was paying attention to her, Qiao Ruo leaned close to He Yajun's ear and whispered, "Yajun, I really enjoy being with your friends. It feels great not to have to sneak around."
He Yajun held her hand: "As long as you're happy."
The fellow villager Qiu Zhiming mentioned arrived more than half an hour later, but he wasn't alone; he was accompanied by a pretty girl with long hair and medium height.
The girl froze as soon as she sat down. Qiao Ruo clearly saw that after scanning the room, her gaze fixed on He Yajun. He Yajun was also taken aback, but he quickly regained his composure, released Qiao Ruo's hand, and smiled at the girl: "Zhu Yi, hello."
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