Chapter 98 I Want Us to Be Together (Xu Chen and A Lan)

Xu Chen has been in Philadelphia for a long time, half a semester in a flash. Due to various reasons, he changed his contact method and could only contact Lin Shuliang and his mother.

Usually he was bored, so he walked around. Every time he saw a nice place, he would take a photo and send it to Lin Shuliang, with a message: I'll bring you here when I have time.

He really hoped that Lin Shuliang would come, but he also knew that she would not come because she had a better boy by her side.

His life in the United States was simple: attending classes, staying in the dormitory, having fun on weekends, and going to nearby bars.

He often goes to this bar because the Chinese girl singing there looks very much like Lin Shuliang. He doesn't go up to her to say hello, but just sits there and listens quietly.

Sometimes when I see her singing for too long, I’ll order a drink to soothe her throat and send it to her.

Several times, the girl came to him and asked him in Chinese, "Are you Chinese?" She was very sure.

"Yes." Xu Chen smiled, "You sing very well."

"Thank you." She ordered a glass of wine and gave it to Xu Chen. "You can't always treat me."

He did not refuse and took it with a smile.

The girl sat next to him, moving closer to him intentionally or unintentionally, "What's your name?"

"Xu Chen, what about you?"

"Cui Tong." Her head was already resting on Xu Chen's shoulder.

He stood up without leaving a trace and said, "It's getting late. If I go back later, the dormitory will be closed. I'm leaving now."

From then on, he never went to that bar again.

On the way, he took a picture of the street scene and sent it to Lin Shuliang: Beautiful, isn't it? Here, I met someone who looks a lot like you, but I know in my heart that there will never be another you.

He was very quiet, very different from before. Sometimes he would go out to eat with people in the dormitory, but he was not as crazy as before.

At first, he felt very regretful for coming to such a strange city. He thought that by being so far away from Lin Shuliang, he would slowly forget her. Unexpectedly, the more he wanted to forget, the deeper it would become.

But as time went by, he seemed to really just treat Lin Shuliang as a friend with whom he could share. Lin Shuliang would occasionally complain about Shen Xinghe, saying that he was jealous.

They had already degenerated into friends before they became lovers.

It’s just that Xu Chen himself didn’t realize it.

…

Lin Shuliang was practicing dancing when a strange number interrupted her music. She wanted to hang up, but out of politeness, she still answered it.

"Who?"

"Shuliang? I'm Alan."

"!" Lin Shuliang wiped the sweat off with the sweat towel and looked at the phone number displayed on the screen, "Alan! Why are you calling me?"

"I have something to talk to you about. I'm at the entrance of Qianhui Supermarket at your school. Is it convenient for you to come over?"

"It's convenient, I'll be right there." She quickly changed her clothes and threw the key to Xiaoxue: "Remember to lock the door."

Xiaoxue looked puzzled. The last time she acted like this was when Shen Xinghe moved to the new campus. She wondered who was doing this this time.

Lin Shuliang ran out of breath. When she saw A-Lan was there, she was at a loss for words and did not forget to tidy up her clothes. "A-Lan, why are you here?"

"It's very unforgiving of me to come to you. I hope I don't bother you."

"No, no, let's go to the leisure street over there. There's a shop that serves good snacks. Let's sit down and talk." As she spoke, she had already walked ahead to lead the way.

She practiced dancing for a long time, and because she had a big competition, it was almost afternoon and she hadn't eaten yet. She ate with gusto, but A-Lan didn't seem to want to eat much and only ate a little casually.

"Not to your taste?" she asked.

Ah Lan shook his head. "It's not very delicious, really. I just... can't really eat it."

She just remembered that Ah Lan had said that he had something to do. "By the way, who are you looking for?"

"I want to ask Xu Chen, you must know his contact information, right?" A Lan gripped the edge of the table, leaned forward unconsciously, and looked at Lin Shuliang expectantly.

Looking at her performance, Lin Shuliang roughly understood why she wanted to contact Xu Chen.

"Yes, I'll send it to you, to the number you just sent." She forwarded it, "Okay."

Ah Lan took a look at the string of numbers and said, "Thank you, Shuliang. I had to go to Shen Xinghe to get your phone number. Now I finally got what I wanted."

She smiled and nodded, then drank some water. "You... like Xu Chen?"

"Yes, I like him. I later found out that he went to the United States. I applied for an exchange quota as soon as the school started this year, but I didn't make it in the last semester. I didn't find out where he went until the second half of the semester. Now, I want to find him. Where is he in the United States?"

"He's in Philadelphia." Lin Shuliang said, "Have you decided?"

"Well, I only know that he is in the United States, but I don't know where he is in the United States. I chose to exchange just to see if I can be a little closer to him." A Lan is a woman who dares to love and hate. When she said this, she was not shy, but full of hope.

Lin Shuliang admired her courage for going to a foreign country alone for a person, but she still wanted to remind her: "You have to think carefully about whether the funds and your spoken English can support you to go to the United States."

"I have no problem with all of this. My parents are divorced and they both have their own families. They both feel they owe me. They are both senior executives in their companies and they're eager for me to work hard so that I can use more of their money, as if this would make them feel less indebted to me." She smiled bitterly, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry to tell you this." She narrowed her eyes and lowered her head to eat the snack in front of her.

This kind of thing is the most inconsolable. You can escape from anything, but you cannot escape the bondage of family and blood.

"It's okay, if you trust me, you can say whatever you want. I'm just worried about Xu Chen's stupid head... but I believe that your enthusiasm will definitely melt him!" She changed her tone and cheered for Ah Lan. She knew Xu Chen. Although he looked lazy, he actually longed for warmth in his heart.

But nothing is absolute, what if Xu Chen offends others? If this happened in China, no matter what, if Alan is unhappy, she can go shopping and drink with her little sisters and complain, which will make her feel better.

However, far away on the other side of the ocean, I have to bear all the joys and sorrows by myself.

After all, people who are too far away are not suitable to talk about pain.

Ah Lan nodded thoughtfully, "Shuliang, I know everything you said. But I am so young, and I am willing if my courage can earn him a lifetime memory of me.

In fact, I know that people, the ones you travel across mountains and rivers to meet, will not remember you at all, like me. They will only remember the ones they travel across mountains and rivers to meet, like you.

You don't have to make that expression. I know he likes you. He admitted it himself. I don't mind. If I mind, I won't come to see you. Shuliang, I really like being friends with you. It's not because of Xu Chen, but because you stood in front of me that day and helped me beat up the bad guys. That's why I decided to make friends with you."

She spoke sincerely, and Lin Shuliang also believed that the singer she liked would be a generous and graceful person.

When Alan left, he had a confident smile on his face and a courage that would never come back.

However, Lin Shuliang forgot to explain that Xu Chen no longer liked her, and she knew it very well.

…

The first thing A-Lan did when he arrived in the United States was to go to the university where Xu Chen was studying.

She found a coffee bar nearby. She didn't know how to face Xu Chen and was actually a little nervous.

As she was hesitating, she saw Xu Chen and a few others walking towards the coffee bar with smiles on their faces. Among the group were both men and women, all of them looking youthful.

They were mostly Chinese, and she could hear them all speaking standard Chinese.

She read the magazine upright, as if she was peeping, afraid of being discovered.

The boy walking next to Xu Chen saw A Lan acting sneaky and said, "Xu Chen, are you in love with you again? He keeps looking at you."

He looked over and saw a large magazine that completely blocked the person out. "You think too highly of me. Today's experiment finally produced results. I'll treat everyone to coffee, so let's not talk about anything else."

"Just coffee?"

"Then let's find a good Chinese restaurant and have a meal." Xu Chen "reluctantly" cut the meat.

Ah Lan was sitting diagonally opposite them and could hear their conversation. She was laughing in her heart. Xu Chen's voice was still so nice and he was also very handsome.

She lowered her head and didn't notice that the magazine hit the cup. Her hand moved and the cup fell to the ground with a clang.

Everyone looked over, including Xu Chen. She was extremely embarrassed and kept apologizing to the waiter who came to clean up. "Sorry, I'll pay for it, no matter how much it is."

When Xu Chen saw that it was her, he was surprised, then went to the front desk to take care of the matter. He also paid the bill and pulled A Lan out.

Outside, Ah Lan lowered his head to look at the tip of his shoes. "I... I'm not here by accident. I came here after asking Lin Shuliang about it. The reason I was hiding just now was because I hadn't figured out how to meet you."

She was frank, but at this time, facing Xu Chen, she always felt guilty. In fact, it was because she liked him that she felt she couldn't stand in front of him.

Xu Chen pulled a stool for her to sit on: "Why are you here?"

"I'm also here for an exchange at a nearby university, and I thought you were here too, so I came."

"Tell me the truth."

When she heard these emotionless words, tears started to flow down her cheeks: "What's the tone of your voice? Yes, I planned to come to you with all my heart, to a place where I can't even speak properly, and where there are people I don't know. Just to find you, the funny thing is, I planned to come in the first half of the year, but I didn't catch up, and then I knew you were here, and I asked the counselor before school started, and I managed to keep a place for the exchange. I told you the whole truth, are you satisfied?"

She cried so hard that her tears and snot were running, and she looked totally out of character.

Xu Chen took out a tissue from his pocket, wiped her clean, sat beside her, and soothed her emotions, "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"I'm not afraid of hardship. I want us to be together." A Lan said in a low voice.

She was the real-life version of Crossing the Ocean. No one was heartless. Hearing her words, Xu Chen's heart suddenly softened, just like frozen snow that was soaked in warm water, and the softest part began to collapse and melt.

Before Xu Chen could say anything, his friends called him, "Xu Chen, bring your girlfriend to have dinner together. They have already made a reservation."

Girlfriend? Ah Lan looked around and saw that she was the only girl next to Xu Chen.

Xu Chen smiled, "Don't look at them, they are talking about you, let's go and have dinner."

"Do you admit that I'm your girlfriend?"

"You came too suddenly. I don't know whether it was emotion or love. I have to figure it out to be worthy of you." Xu Chen was really thinking.

Ah Lan smiled, "I don't mind! If you feel moved and want to marry me, I will open my arms and wait for you."

As he spoke, he opened his arms.

Xu Chen threw the tissue to her and said, "Wipe your nose first, and then follow me."

As he said this, he helped her carry the bag.

Ah Lan followed behind him and laughed.

In fact, she didn't know that Xu Chen was also laughing. One in front and one behind, it was like love.

No, it's love.