The Girlfriend Arrives

John Kennedy Airport, New York.

Shen Qi successfully picked up Zhou Yu'an.

"Another year has passed in the blink of an eye, Lao Zhou." Shen Qi and Zhou Yu'an hugged.

"Old Shen, you're perfectly fine in America. Looks like your attempt to show off failed."

What do you mean?

"If you try to show off successfully, you'll definitely get beaten to death or maimed."

"I wasn't beaten to death or maimed in the country, was I?"

"America is too dangerous; don't compare it to China."

"You still came despite the danger?"

"I never pretend to be cool, so I'm safer than you."

Old friends met and chatted as they walked.

Zhou Yu'an got into Shen Qi's car, Shen Qi started the car and drove towards Princeton.

The two chatted non-stop the whole way, saying almost everything they had to say in their lives.

More than an hour later, the two arrived at Palmer Square on Nassau Street in Princeton.

"We're here. This is Nassau Street, the main thoroughfare of Princeton." Shen Qi parked the car next to Palmer Square, letting Zhou Yu'an get a feel for Princeton's cityscape.

"Are we here already?" Zhou Yu'an said, looking around through the car window. "Why is there no one on the main road? Nassau Street, this main road can't compare to Wudaokou in Haidian."

"Princeton is structured like a school and a town; half the population studies and does academic work at the school, while the other half retires in the town, so there are hardly any people on the streets," Shen Qi explained, before starting the car again and driving into the campus.

The graduate student accommodations are located at the very back of Princeton University, so Zhou Yu'an had the opportunity to learn about Princeton University from beginning to end, with Shen Qi as her guide.

Princeton's campus features mostly Greek Revival, Gothic, and Academic Gothic buildings, scattered among lawns and trees, creating a tranquil environment that contrasts sharply with the hustle and bustle of New York City.

"Tigers, so many tigers." In the blink of an eye, Zhou Yu'an saw seven or eight tigers, bronze tiger statues.

"The orange and black tiger is Princeton's mascot, so there are tiger statues everywhere on campus. When Princeton's sports teams get into fights, the cheerleaders chant 'Go-Tiger! Go-Tiger!'—very energetic. But unfortunately, Princeton's football team often gets beaten up; football is the most popular sport here." Shen Qi was a competent tour guide.

"I hate rugby, it's such a rough sport. By the way, does anyone play ping pong?" Zhou Yu'an asked.

Shen Qi shook his head. "I've never even seen a ping-pong table before."

"I've done some research, and Princeton is indeed named after a Prince Town." Zhou Yu'an was quickly captivated by the beautiful and tranquil environment of Prince Town.

Shen Qi nodded. "That's right, Princeton used to be called Prince-Town. The name comes in honor of the Prince of Orange, also known as the Prince Orange, who was the ruler of the Dutch House of Orange-Nassau."

"Princeton was originally a Dutch colony. The people of Princeton believed that the Prince Orange liked orange, so orange became the representative color of Princeton. This news spread from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, until it reached Europe, and all the people of the Netherlands knew that the Prince Orange liked orange. Thus, orange became the representative color of the Netherlands."

"Even now, the first team uniform of all Dutch sports teams is orange. The history of the 'Oranje' originates from the Prince Orange and Princeton," Shen Qi said.

Zhou Yu'an, a fan of the Dutch national football team, exclaimed, "Really? The colors of my Dutch National Football Team's jerseys came about like that?"

The car continued deeper into the campus. Shen Qi held the steering wheel with one hand and pointed out the window with the other. "This is Jones Hall. There's an East Asian Library inside. Hu Shih once served as the librarian here."

"This Jefferson Hall- style building is Whig Hall, and it serves as a student activity center. The Whig Party was the precursor to the Republican Party, yet New Jersey is now a Democratic Party stronghold."

As they passed a tall building, Shen Qi slowed down. "This building is the tallest at Princeton University, it stands above everything else. It's the Mathematics Department building, which the Chinese call the Fine Hall. Fan is the same Fan who was involved in 'Fine's Great Algebra.' Mr. Fine was once the Mathematics Department at Princeton University. Under Mr. Fan's management, Princeton surpassed Göttingen to become the new Math Capital."

"Fine Hall, a sacred place, let me pay my respects." Zhou Yu'an clasped his hands together and bowed towards the Mathematics Department building.

The car drove through a stone archway, and Shen Qi stopped the car. "We're here. This is the graduate student dormitory. Zhou Yu'an, you'll stay here, and I'll stay here too. The crew of 'A Beautiful Mind' filmed scenes here; the accommodations are quite nice."

"Shen Qi, help me move these suitcases. I have too much luggage." Zhou Yu'an got out of the car, opened the trunk, and struggled to move the large suitcases.

"Weakling, you have to move it yourself. When you come to America, you have to learn to be independent. Don't rely on me for everything. When I first came to America, I took a long-distance bus all by myself to Princeton. I handled everything by myself. Who picked me up? Who helped me with my luggage? Nobody did. I had to rely on myself." Shen Qi recalled the events of yesterday. It really wasn't easy.

"I have no relatives or friends in America. If I can't rely on you, who else can I rely on, Boss Shen Qi!" Zhou Yu'an squatted on the ground and banged on the tire, looking very aggrieved.

"You weakling, I hope you can leave America alive in a few years." Shen Qi, with his immense strength, lifted Zhou Yu'an's suitcase and walked towards the dormitory building.

Zhou Yu'an's family was not as well-off as Shen Qi's; he lived in a two-person dormitory room.

After settling Zhou Yu'an into her accommodation, Shen Qi showed Zhou Yu'an around Princeton.

The Christmas holidays passed quickly, and in January, the spring semester began. Zhou Yu'an started his first semester of graduate studies, while Shen Qi continued his doctoral studies.

A few days later, Shen Qi received a WeChat message from Ou Ye: "I'm at Chinese Capital Airport, about to take off."

Shen Qi: "OK, see you in New York!"

Excited, Shen Qi couldn't sleep all night. The next morning, he drove to Kennedy Airport in New York again to pick up his girlfriend.

Ou Ye ultimately did not get into Princeton University, but fortunately, she was admitted to the graduate program of Columbia University, one of the eight Ivy League schools, where she will pursue a master's degree in the Mathematics Department and strive to get into Princeton University for her doctoral studies.

Columbia University is in New York, and even though it's in New York, Shen Qi still had to pick up Ou Ye, as the airport is quite a distance from Columbia.

Based on the estimated landing time of Ou Ye's international flight, Shen Qi arrived at the arrival hall of Kennedy Airport an hour early.

After waiting and waiting, each second felt like an eternity, but Shen Qi finally got to see his girlfriend.

A slender and familiar figure emerged from the gate, her long, black hair flowing freely, her eyes filled with anticipation. It was none other than Ou Ye.

"Little Yezi!" Shen Qi shouted, skipping and hopping towards Ou Ye, wildly opening his arms to give his girlfriend the warmest hug.

Suddenly, a burly man emerged from the crowd behind Ou Ye. His face was ashen, his eyes sharp, and he effortlessly dragged a large box with one hand.

The cool, burly man carried a huge military travel bag on his back and wore military leather boots, looking powerful, imposing, and majestic.

"Holy crap... Old Ou is here too!" Shen Qi jumped up and down, nearly falling over.