Chapter 51

That morning, Xiang Feiran slowly walked back to 96th Street West.

He clearly remembered crossing diagonally through Central Park from bottom to top, walking under the cold, damp sky that had just rained. At 5:20 a.m., the sky was dimly lit with a tranquil, painterly blue tinged with deep black. As he walked, he passed by patrolling police officers and empty sightseeing carriages, the clatter of iron hooves echoing on the asphalt.

Twelve morning joggers passed by him, and the frosted grass on the North Meadow crunched underfoot.

At 5:43 a.m., the first rays of sunlight pierced through the layers of dense glass buildings from the east, breaking through the dull clouds and reflecting golden light on the frozen pond to the west.

Xiang Feiran stopped, lifting his gaze to the rich golden hue that filled his entire view. The golden light outlined the city’s silhouette and streets, as well as his sleepless face. His eyes, which had been shielded from the city’s bustling scenes for three years, were now adorned with the vibrant golden glow.

His pupils reflected the visage of New York, quietly and attentively observing every detail: the roaring traffic near the streets, the blinking traffic lights, the blaring horns, and the urgent 911 sirens… New York, New York.

Xiang Feiran’s thoughts wandered far, and at the moment he regained his senses, he paused slightly, smiling to himself, and exhaled a cloud of white mist in the morning light.

He started jogging, increasing his speed. Over the railing, across the street.

His damp black hair was dried by the rising sun, fluttering back in the running wind, revealing his youthful, handsome forehead and eyes.

Simon and his girlfriend were already up, one preparing breakfast while the other leaned against the door, chatting with her boyfriend while applying eyebrow makeup.

When they heard Xiang Feiran pushing the door open from outside, both looked up at the clock in unison.

“Six in the morning, you just came back from outside?”

Xiang Feiran, with a clear smile on his face, greeted them with a “morning.”

Simon glanced at the eggs in the pan, his eyes moving up and down, scrutinizing Xiang Feiran. “Did you go out in the middle of the night last night?”

“Yes.”

“And now you’re back?”

“Yes.”

“Did you sleep?”

“Yes, for forty minutes.”

He had slept on Shang Mingbao’s couch. After they finished their tasks, he had initially only planned to hold her for a bit longer before leaving, but exhaustion soon overcame his will, and they both fell asleep within two minutes. Later, it was Sophie’s nagging that woke him up.

After answering, Xiang Feiran told Simon before entering the bedroom, “Make my steak medium rare, thanks.”

Simon and his girlfriend exchanged glances for a while, then Simon gave a thumbs-up, “He’s crazy. He answers everything I ask.”

When Xiang Feiran came out dressed and with his backpack organized, the medium-rare egg he requested lay golden on a plate, accompanied by two slices of golden toast. The golden sunlight streamed through the window, casting a diagonal grid of light on the dining table.

Everything was golden.

Xiang Feiran took out his phone, captured the scene that appeared every morning, and shared it with the still-sleeping Shang Mingbao.

Simon, arms crossed, looked back and forth at him for a while, his gaze almost burning a hole in his face.

Xiang Feiran asked, “What?”

“You’re so accommodating now, it’s like if I asked for your bank card password, you’d give it to me.”

“200802, but there’s no money in it.”

Simon: “…”

“By the way, today is the day I met someone I like for the first time.”

Simon’s forehead twitched: “Who asked you that!”

Xiang Feiran picked up his fork, sprinkled black pepper and sea salt on his fried egg, and calmly said, “You can continue asking me what I did yesterday.”

Simon asked, “What did you do yesterday?”

Xiang Feiran leaned in slightly, “It’s none of your business.”

Simon was stunned and turned to his girlfriend, “He’s crazy. Is he joking with me?”

His girlfriend laughed, “Haven’t you figured it out? Xiang Bo is in a relationship, or has had a major breakthrough in his relationship, so he’s in a great mood. The whole world seems to revolve around him, and even the sun rises for him.”

Xiang Feiran smiled, nodding at her, “Tracy, ten points.”

Simon’s girlfriend gave a formulaic smile, “Although you’re very handsome, I should remind you that my name is Tina. Tracy was the previous one.”

“…”

After breakfast, Simon drove his girlfriend to the nearby subway station, while Xiang Feiran methodically took out his lightweight carbon fiber road bike.

Before parting, Simon, concerned for his safety, said, “You didn’t sleep all night. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Xiang Feiran adjusted his mask under his chin, secured his cold-weather gloves, and replied, “Don’t worry, I’m currently the most unwilling person in the world to die.”

Arriving at the office, his brain was still in an overexcited state.

Today, his coding speed was incredibly smooth, with no interruptions and higher efficiency than usual. As for the extra time saved, Xiang Feiran used it to… check his phone.

He asked Shang Mingbao if she had gotten up.

He asked if Shang Mingbao was sleepy in class.

He asked if Shang Mingbao had been bullied.

Shang Mingbao replied:

【Just got up, brushing my teeth】

【Having breakfast】

【Stuck in traffic!】

【Ah, I’m going to be late】

【Whew, made it (miracle)】

A live-text update. After the live update, she realized: 【Aren’t you busy this morning?】

Xiang Feiran replied: 【Very free】

Shang Mingbao, fighting off drowsiness, managed to stay awake through the break and immediately received a call from Xiang Feiran.

It seemed he had timed it to coincide with her class break.

Lin Xi observed him all morning and noticed he usually drank two cups of coffee daily but had only had one today.

He talked more than usual.

And also, his demeanor was much more pleasant.

For the full screen of comments on Lin Xi’s draft:

“What is this?”

“Think twice before you write.”

“?”

“……”

“Dream talk?”

“Don’t write papers in your dreams.”

Amidst these sweat-inducing comments, he even questioned if they were written by him. Furrowing his brows, he asked, “Was I this harsh in the previous draft?”

Lin Xi: “……”

Shaking her head like a rattle drum: “Not harsh, not harsh, not harsh… it was very gentle!”

After he patiently summarized the issues in her second draft, Lin Xi couldn’t help but ask, “Xiang Bo, did something good happen last night?”

She remembered that he had looked very bad before leaving last night and seemed unsettled the whole night.

Xiang Feiran pushed the notebook back to her and nodded: “Yes.”

He lifted his gaze, the corner of his mouth curving up: “Indeed.”

Lin Xi was momentarily stunned.

Xiang Feiran was not someone who smiled often, at least not in the whole major research group. He wasn’t the type to be strictly serious but simply didn’t show much expression. There were many in the group who were more serious than he was, but none had the absent-minded demeanor that Xiang Feiran had when he was quiet.

Compared to those who seemed always ready to put out fires, Xiang Feiran was as relaxed as if he were listening to the rain.

Lin Xi could see his pride, which was revealed in those moments of absent-mindedness—

There was nothing here worth his full attention.

Of course, considering how high he once stood, reaching the pinnacle of the world at sixteen.

Lin Xi still kept his photo from when he won the gold medal at the Olympiad. Without a doubt, he was striking in that photo, with bright eyes and a determined smile, as if he was bound to succeed.

Xiang Feiran used to be someone she admired from a distance through clippings, and she never imagined that one day she would have the chance to work with him after crossing mountains and seas.

But Lin Xi had never seen him smile as he did in that newspaper photo. Most of the time, he was very quiet, living simply and straightforwardly, not needing the warmth of human interactions, socializing, or chatting like ordinary people.

Weeks later, Lin Xi met the person who made Xiang Feiran smile.

She had an intuition, so it wasn’t very surprising when she saw them; she just greeted simply: “Hi, Xiang Bo has a meetup, I’m here to pick you up.”

Shang Mingbao politely stood at the office door: “Am I not supposed to go in?”

Lin Xi smiled: “No.”

She led her in, asked her to wait at Xiang Feiran’s desk, and introduced: “This is Xiang Bo’s desk and computer. Please wait here; he will be back soon.”

There were a few other people in the office, but they were speaking in Chinese, so no one else joined.

Since a new important paper had been accepted, Xiang Feiran, as usual, treated everyone. The research group knew he had a partner, and since it was Friday, they suggested bringing Shang Mingbao along.

Aside from Simon, Shang Mingbao had not met anyone else in his social circle.

She had been taken to their band’s practice room once or twice.

The practice room was far away, in Brooklyn, because the rent was cheaper there, yet it had a rich artistic and cultural life. When she heard she would go to Brooklyn, Sophie looked as if she might faint. For Sophie, the Upper East Side was level one in safety, with decreasing safety levels as you moved outward from the Upper East Side. Beyond the Manhattan radius, a red alert would sound. Brooklyn was a bright red, Queens was crimson—meaning absolutely off-limits.

To Sophie, the idea of Xiang Feiran taking Shang Mingbao to Brooklyn for a date sounded as shocking as a notorious figure in Tsim Sha Tsui taking her daughter to a karaoke bar.

At Sophie’s strong insistence, Shang Mingbao had to take two bodyguards with her, keeping them at a distance.

No one had ever told her Brooklyn could be so much fun.

Her exploration of Brooklyn was gradual; she first went to Williamsburg, which had countless bars and cafes, full of musicians, artists, writers, and various cultural practitioners.

Later, they waited for sunset at Brooklyn Bridge Park or took walks in Green-Wood Cemetery. The hills made up of forest and graves offered a relaxation different from Central Park. That day, Xiang Feiran brought back a leaf specimen for the apartment doorman, which Shang Mingbao had personally selected.

The band’s practice room was very messy, with black wires tangled everywhere, ready to trip anyone who wasn’t careful, except for a clear area around the drum set as if it had its own barrier.

Watching Xiang Feiran pretend to be mute for a long time was quite a struggle to suppress laughter. Xiang Feiran was also struggling; it used to be easy, but now he had to restrain his natural instinct to speak romantically to Shang Mingbao.

When Shang Mingbao first arrived, the other members teased her, saying: “Don’t be fooled by Felix’s serious appearance; he actually welcomes everyone. We’ve seen more than ten girls like you in the past six months.”

Xiang Feiran maintained a serious expression throughout, not pleased but not refuting either.

When Shang Mingbao feigned disappointment and said, “Oh, really? So you’re like that…” he glanced at her with a meaningful and cold eyebrow raise.

He then confronted her in the designated smoking stairwell.

“Helping outsiders mock me? Huh?” He pinched her earlobe with the two fingers holding the cigarette.

Shang Mingbao laughed so hard she was almost out of breath, trying to escape, but he held her tight in his embrace. As she kissed him, she melted, their tangled breaths and her whispered “I won’t do it again next time” echoed in the enclosed stairwell.

The cymbals for the drum kit that Xiang Feiran used were originally from the previous drummer of the band, until Shang Mingbao gifted him a set crafted by a retired Turkish master, engraved with his name.

When he received this belated Christmas gift, his face showed little emotion, but his movements were very careful, as if he were holding not metal, but a fragile vinyl record.

After putting the gift away, he drank water and casually asked, “What did you give him?”

Shang Mingbao took a while to realize who “him” referred to, eventually thinking it might be Zhong Ping.

“Hmm…” Shang Mingbao thought hard, her eyes shifting as she was about to list a few items when Xiang Feiran interrupted, “Don’t say it. It’s not important.”

Shang Mingbao looked at him seriously: “This is something I bought with my own money. Those were bought with a trust fund. They’re not the same.”

She was amazed that she could buy such an expensive gift with her own earnings. The sense of satisfaction from personally earning money to give him a gift was overwhelming and touching, a feeling she had never experienced before.

Ah, the five-fingered peach.

Shang Mingbao jumped into his arms and tilted her face up to hug him. “Are you jealous?”

Xiang Feiran denied firmly, “No.”

“You’re definitely jealous.”

“Absolutely not.”

“You are jealous.”

“……”

Shang Mingbao triumphantly raised her eyes and said with a playful shake of her head, “It turns out that Brother Feiran’s reflexes are so slow. You didn’t get it when you saw the PDF, and only understood it half a month later.”

Xiang Feiran pressed her against the window sill, his hands on the window ledge, dropping the pretense: “What else did you do with him?”

He went over everything she had done with others.

One day during class, Shang Mingbao had a sudden idea to list everything she and Xiang Feiran had done together.

So many pages.

In just three months, why was the list already so long?

When they broke up, where would she find someone to cover all these memories one by one?

It would be a long, long time.

Since it was the first time meeting Xiang Feiran’s colleagues, Shang Mingbao dressed more conservatively and maturely today. It was spring, but the snow in New York kept falling, and the temperature had not risen. Shang Mingbao wore a light but warm brown coat and had changed her straight-across bangs to a center parting, with slightly longer hair.

Lin Xi poured her a glass of water and asked if she wanted some candy.

Shang Mingbao felt a bit embarrassed and said, “When you asked me last time, we weren’t in a relationship yet. I didn’t mean to lie to you.”

Lin Xi recalled and smiled, “It’s okay if there was some concealment. There was no obligation.”

She tentatively asked, “So, are you two dating based on… that principle?”

The principle referred to is anti-marriage ideology.

Shang Mingbao nodded.

Lin Xi seemed surprised, thought for a while, and then smiled with understanding: “Actually… when Xiang Bo went public, we all thought his anti-marriage stance was just an excuse to avoid pursuit. It turns out it wasn’t.”

“He’s not the kind of person who flaunts his principles. Since he said it, he means it.”

Lin Xi looked at Shang Mingbao with curiosity. She was four years older, prided herself on being more mature and wise, but at this moment, she smiled and lowered her face: “You’re right. You really understand him.”

When Xiang Feiran returned, they all went to the reserved restaurant.

Lin Xi was usually in charge of ordering. She remembered everyone’s tastes and allergies, and for Shang Mingbao, she ordered a seafood platter and a salad.

Lin Xi didn’t pay much attention until she saw Shang Mingbao placing the shrimp from the platter over to Xiang Feiran’s side.

Shang Mingbao loved seafood but disliked shrimp. Not that she hated it, but she had loved it too much as a child and had grown out of the taste.

The seafood platter had bamboo shrimp, and the salad had rose shrimp—both expensive. Since it was Xiang Feiran treating, nothing could be wasted, so he could eat it all.

Lin Xi watched Xiang Feiran closely, gripping her knife and fork tightly.

She couldn’t remind Shang Mingbao of his shrimp allergy in public; it was neither the right time nor her place. But… would he eat it without changing his expression and then look for antihistamines later?

Fortunately, she always had some in her bag.

Seeing Xiang Feiran push the shrimp to the side, Lin Xi breathed a sigh of relief but felt an inexplicable sense of daze.

Shang Mingbao noticed his action and softly asked, “You don’t like shrimp either?”

“I’m allergic.”

Since it was in Chinese and others couldn’t understand, Xiang Feiran didn’t lower his voice.

Shang Mingbao widened her eyes and blinked: “How did I not know?”

Xiang Feiran looked down at her: “Now you know.”

Shang Mingbao felt embarrassed and whispered, “Then give it back to me. I’ll eat it…”

Xiang Feiran smiled and said, “I’ll peel it for you.”

In front of their group, he went to wash his hands, then sat back down and, while chatting about work with colleagues, slowly peeled shrimp for Shang Mingbao.

The PhD students and associate professors were not only older than Shang Mingbao but also older than Xiang Feiran, like elders.

Thinking about the serious and meticulous academic crowd watching this scene, Shang Mingbao’s face inevitably flushed, but she had to keep her composure.
Xiang Feiran remained calm and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Why are you blushing?”

Shang Mingbao shook her head.

“Want to eat it yourself? I can’t feed you,” he said, his tone more like a negotiation.

“Who asked you to feed me!” Shang Mingbao’s throat was dry.

Xiang Feiran chuckled and wiped his fingers clean with a napkin.

During the meal, they talked about many things. After arranging the research group work for the next month upon returning to China, he also casually announced that he had already secured a postdoctoral position at Harvard. After defending his doctoral thesis here, he would spend two years in Boston.

The news was sudden but not unexpected—

It was an unspoken consensus that he would move on to greater things, just sooner than anticipated.

Since it was double good news, it naturally led to drinks after dinner.

Lin Xi followed behind, gradually falling to the end of the group.

She had just found the opportunity to joke with Xiang Feiran, saying, “I thought you would eat those shrimp.”

Xiang Feiran turned off the faucet and took out a hand towel. Upon hearing the question, he frowned, his smile softening with the kind of warmth that had only appeared in the past two months. “How could I?”

“Because you don’t seem like the kind of person who would cause trouble for others.”

Lin Xi remembered his easygoing nature when ordering food. If not for her attentiveness, he would never mention his allergies to anyone, merely avoiding them subtly. Since then, she had kept antihistamines in her bag, just in case.

Xiang Feiran waited for Shang Mingbao to come out of the restroom and smiled at Lin Xi’s comment.

“But she’s not just anyone.”

He glanced back, saying it with such natural ease.