Twenty-one

  It's easy to get through the seats, she is worried about Ye Cang Ran, doesn't know where he is now and what he is doing, will he be waiting on their way home and suddenly jump in front of her parents? If that's really the case, it would definitely give her father a heart attack. She took a peek at her dad and mom, thinking to herself that today's tardiness wouldn't pass so easily.

  It was unexpected that her parents' expressions were calm and even happy. Her confusion was quickly answered. As they walked to the hotel entrance, Auntie said that her car could only seat Xiaoyu's father and mother, and also told Double not to get in the car, so Gaotian sent Xiaoyu back, and Double naturally followed them.

  She immediately understood what it meant and, unhappy as she was, unexpectedly saw that her father had acquiesced in the arrangement. She had no choice but to comply; after all, it was just a short walk and shouldn't be a big deal.

  Two people walked in silence for a long time, and he didn't bring up any topics that would make her feel uncomfortable. Instead, she had a good impression of him. She heard that he was a Ph.D. student, so why did he agree to this blind date? Probably also due to pressure from his family. The smaller the city, the more important human relationships become in life.

  He said out of the blue, "I've seen you before." Oh, she was surprised for the first time to take a good look at his face. His face looked delicate under the streetlight but slightly pale. He turned his head and asked, "Can I smoke?" She nodded.

  He took out a cigarette, lit it with a lighter, and held it between his long fingers, taking a deep drag before saying: "I'm just like you, forced by my family to come on this blind date. You probably don't like meeting a stranger like this either, right?"

  It was exactly what she had been thinking in her heart. She listened carefully to his next words: "I guess your family hasn't told you that I'm going to the United States in a month. My dad doesn't want me to find a foreign daughter-in-law in the future, so he's urging me to find a local girl and get married before I leave, and then take her with me. Doesn't it sound ridiculous?"

  She was shocked and it was indeed unexpected. He took in her reaction and continued, "Two days ago I went to Wucheng to meet a friend and came back on the same bus as you."

  As soon as she heard this, she immediately thought that he wouldn't have seen her losing composure that day. But what he said next made her hopes fall flat: "As soon as you got on the bus, I noticed that such a young girl had such deep sorrow on her face, and her eyes were empty, as if they would collapse at any moment. I was worried about you, so I kept observing you and saw you crying in the last row."

  Her face turned red as she turned her head away, not daring to look at him. The two of them ran far ahead, then turned back to wait for them. He flicked his cigarette ash and said, "At such a young age, only love can make you so heartbroken and tearful."

  "Don't say any more."

  He didn't say a word, just turned his head to look at her. The whole way was silent. Until they reached the bottom of her apartment building, he politely said: "I won't send you up, take care of yourself. I'm also young and can understand you. If you're willing, I can take you with me to America. If not, don't force it." These words weren't boastful, but she felt uncomfortable hearing them and coldly said: "Thank you for Mr. Gao's kindness, not all girls yearn for America. My horizons are limited and I'm more suited to staying put. Goodnight."

  After finishing, she called out to Shuangshuang to go upstairs. When she was on the upper floor, a text message came: "Moonlight, I'm lost under your building, come down." Ye Gongzi. Looking out from the window at the corner, she saw a tall and thin figure walking away. Almost without thinking, she turned around and went downstairs again.

  As soon as they reached the first floor, Ye Cang Ran pulled her into the corner of the stairs and kissed her deeply. They were both in a hurry, but she heard the sound of her parents opening the door on the third floor, so she had to let him pull her away again.