Not Letting Gwen Go Home

"Li, are you really the boss of a film and television company?"

Gwen asked curiously as they rode in the chauffeured car.

It was her first time riding in such a nice car, and she felt a little awkward.

The luxury car had not only a television but also a built-in refrigerator. When she opened it, she found expensive red wine inside.

But it was still early, and she didn't want to drink yet.

Li Chen smiled. "Of course. Why would I lie about that?"

"So what has your company made?"

Gwen asked curiously.

Li Chen replied, "We made 'Superman.' Do you read comics? We also produced 'Pirate King.'"

"What?"

Gwen was stunned. "I'm a loyal DC reader. What do you think?"

"I went to the theater with MJ to see Superman twice!"

"And I like Pirate King too. Re:Zero is just okay."

Li Chen smiled. Of course it was. Re:Zero wasn't aimed at girls like her; it was for otaku and high school students.

The way the male lead was written naturally made it easy for them to identify with him.

"This is unbelievable."

Gwen was thrilled. She hadn't expected her boyfriend to be so impressive.

But then she fell silent.

"What's wrong?"

Li Chen asked, putting an arm around her.

Gwen leaned against his chest and said glumly, "You're so impressive, but I'm just a college student."

"What's wrong with being a college student? College students are young and full of energy."

Li Chen smiled, then asked, "Gwen, what are you planning to do after you graduate?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'll do research."

Gwen hadn't thought about the future.

Li Chen said, "Come to Hollywood. Join my company and be my assistant."

Gwen thought about it for a moment.

If she did that, she could be with Li Chen every day.

But she hesitated. "That's not what I'm studying, though."

"Who works in a field that matches their major?"

Li Chen said immediately, "As long as you're willing to learn, that's enough."

"All right, then."

Gwen agreed. She would go work at Li Chen's company when the time came.

But that would have to wait a while.

Even if she wanted an internship, Gwen would have to wait until next year.

That made Gwen cherish the time they had now even more.

She soon regained her energy and showed Li Chen around New York.

As a financial city, New York didn't have many tourist attractions, but it did have plenty of distinctive buildings.

Like the Empire State Building, where a giant gorilla once fought off planes.

There was also the New York Knicks' home court, Madison Square Garden Arena, known as the place where miracles were born and considered the "mecca of basketball."

Unfortunately, New York hadn't won a championship in decades.

Even Gwen complained to him, wondering whether they would win a title in her lifetime.

Li Chen smiled. "Don't worry. In a little over a decade, the Knicks will win a championship."

What could he say? He'd seen Big Head's magical performance.

He had averaged 32.6 points per game in the finals, the highest scoring average by a point guard in NBA history.

It didn't compare to Jordan's... but there was only one God of Basketball.

"Really?"

As a longtime New Yorker, Gwen clearly didn't believe him.

After all, the Knicks were terrible right now.

The Knicks had had chances in the nineties, but unfortunately they hadn't seized them, and they'd been terrible ever since.

Gwen took him sightseeing, and Li Chen treated her to lavish meals.

There were many places Gwen had never eaten at because she couldn't afford them...

She ate to her heart's content today, and it made her like Li Chen even more.

What could she say? Who didn't like rich people?

Gwen wasn't a gold digger, but she still liked having a rich boyfriend.

Women were all drawn to strength, and in modern society, wealth was often one sign of it.

That evening, Li Chen and Gwen also went to Broadway, as if they had returned to the golden age.

An age when no one watched movies and Broadway theaters were the only entertainment.

Because almost everyone there besides them was elderly...

Li Chen watched for a while and soon lost interest. Gwen felt the same.

It was expensive and boring. They would have been better off watching a movie.

No wonder it had fallen out of favor.

This was Hollywood's golden age.

Although a bunch of old white men thought Hollywood's golden age had been in the last century, when those so-called "musicals" had run rampant.

Of course they thought that. They'd been young back then, and old people loved to reminisce about their youth, looking back through rose-colored glasses and thinking how wonderful it had been.

In reality, the times were moving forward.

Li Chen believed the early twenty-first century was Hollywood's true golden age.

With the spectacular arrival of Titanic, that great ship had smashed through the ice in every corner of the world, allowing Hollywood movies to sweep through unimpeded and breaking through cultural barriers and discrimination.

That was something films from other places couldn't do.

Nor could the golden age in those old white men's memories.

After the opera, Li Chen left with Gwen's hand in his.

"Come to my place?"

Li Chen couldn't help asking.

Gwen's hand was soft and warm in his, stirring something in Li Chen.

Gwen's body stiffened. Then she blushed and said, "George..."

"I'll talk to George."

Li Chen had sensed that it would be Gwen's first time.

After spending so long in Los Angeles, Li Chen had thought everyone in America was as open as the people there.

But perhaps that was because of Hollywood...

In fact, America had open-minded people and conservative people alike, and Gwen was relatively conservative.

Even so, facing Li Chen, Gwen nodded expectantly.

"Okay."

Li Chen called George at once.

George Stacy had made a point of coming home early to call Gwen back.

But instead of Gwen coming home, he got a call from her.

It's over.

George's heart ached. It was over. His daughter really had been led away.

"You're not coming home?"

"Don't be like that... All right, just don't let him take advantage of you, or I won't let him off."

"Damn it..."

George hung up, but he also knew his daughter was in college now, and he couldn't control so much of her life.

Gwen was rebellious, but she was already quite well-behaved.

As a police chief, he had seen too many girls who couldn't resist temptation, made mistakes at a young age, and regretted them for the rest of their lives.

Gwen, at least, was old enough to make her own decisions rather than be deceived.

Well, he hoped she hadn't been deceived.

The more he saw of that Li Chen kid, the less he seemed like a good man!

Who took a girl out for the first time and didn't let her come home?

George Stacy really wanted to take out his handgun, go find Li Chen, and bring Gwen home.

But in the end, he sighed and gave up.

One person's joy was another's sorrow. While George sighed, Li Chen took Gwen not to the Hellfire Club, but to the Aman Hotel.

It was the most luxurious hotel in New York, located near Fifth Avenue and steeped in a century of history. Even its most ordinary room started at four thousand dollars a night.

Before, Gwen wouldn't even have dared to imagine it.

Li Chen, meanwhile, had booked the presidential suite, and they walked in under the guidance of a butler assigned by the hotel.

Once inside, it was as if all the noise and bustle of New York had been shut out. Gwen felt as though she were dreaming.