The moonlight over Big Bear Mountain was beautiful, and the breeze was gentle.
The red leaves blanketing the mountain rustled softly in the breeze. Falling asleep to that sound would surely bring sweet dreams.
The two tents were connected front to back and pressed tightly together. It was already late at night, time to sleep.
Lin Yuan lay in the outer tent. Though the lights were out and he could see nothing, his hearing seemed sharper in the darkness.
Liu Yifei lay in the inner tent, several meters away from him, yet her breathing sounded as clear as if it were right beside his ear.
It was only ordinary breathing, yet it sounded pleasant to him, like a soft breeze brushing across his heart.
He had been exhausted after a full day, yet Lin Yuan simply could not fall asleep.
Was she asleep? Should he ask?
"Lin Yuan, are you asleep?" Before Lin Yuan could decide whether to speak, the Celestial Fairy's voice came from the darkness.
"Not yet," Lin Yuan answered.
"Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for? I had a lot of fun today too."
"Thank you for everything in the past. Thank you for appearing by my side."
Lin Yuan knew she was grateful for how he had looked after her over the past few years.
In 1997, she had come to New York from China with her mother.
When she had first arrived, she knew no one and could not speak the language.
As her classmate, Lin Yuan had done his best to help her overcome the language barrier out of fellow countrymen's solidarity, gradually helping her fit into local life.
It was not much of a favor, really. Their relationship had become what it was mostly because they got along well.
"It was nothing. Compared with hanging out with those Black guys, I definitely preferred being with you."
"Haha, but those guys weren't easy to get along with. How did you become so familiar with them?"
"At first, they did not pay much attention to me either. So I treated them to food. Once they ate my food, they softened up, and we became familiar." Lin Yuan concluded, "If you can't win their hearts, buy their bodies first."
What kind of ridiculous metaphor was that! Liu Yifei's ears reddened slightly.
"Ew~ That metaphor reeks of men," the Celestial Fairy said disdainfully.
"Nowadays, people advocate equality between men and women. It's not as if only men can buy the bodies of the opposite sex. You women have that freedom too," Lin Yuan teased.
It was not too much for him to make such jokes. American youths matured early, after all. Tasting forbidden fruit was hardly a big deal.
And Liu Yifei was more mature and more opinionated than others her age.
"I've always had a thought. Perhaps feminism is a conspiracy created by you men, making it easier for you to hunt women," Liu Tianxian replied.
"Oh? How so?" Lin Yuan asked curiously.
"You encourage women to free their minds and free their bodies, to indulge themselves and enjoy life. Everyone is happy. That lowers women's guard. Doesn't feminism make it easier for men to satisfy their intentions?" Liu Yifei said.
Lin Yuan thought about it and had to admit that she made sense. "True, but that only benefits the stronger men. Men lacking competitiveness would instead prefer to bind women with tradition, ensuring they at least got a share of one woman."
"Then do you encourage women to free themselves?" Even in the darkness, he could hear the smile in her voice.
The little girl was digging a trap for me!
If I said yes, she would immediately mock me as a scumbag exploiting feminism to take advantage of women.
If I said no, she could also call me selfish and conservative, a bad man who objectified women.
Women were naturally skilled at playing hard to get and tugging back and forth. Men who only knew how to throw straight balls did not deserve sympathy when they died.
"Whether men or women, no one should think about taking advantage of the other. Fairness and mutual benefit will always be the foundation of healthy relationships." Lin Yuan refused to take the bait and carefully sidestepped the trap she had set.
"Fairness and mutual benefit? Many people think that if a fair outcome harms me, why would I want that fairness?" The Celestial Fairy's view was as sharp as ever. "I'm rather pessimistic about human nature. I even think most people are like that. How should I get along with them?"
Though Liu Yifei possessed both beauty and talent, her life could not have been filled with nothing but gentle spring breezes. Women were naturally jealous, and she must have faced plenty of hostility from her own sex.
With her qualities, she had no need to care about others' opinions. She could carve out a smooth path for herself. What real harm could a few hostile stares possibly cause?
That was just how unreasonable an amazing life could be.
She was still young and retained a little confusion. Once she matured in a few years, she naturally would no longer be troubled by such things. Brother Lin Yuan decided to help her overcome it early.
"No matter how many times you turn around, your butt is still behind you. No matter what you do, there will always be people who find you unpleasant. Because to them, your very existence is a mistake," Lin Yuan said.
"Does an elephant need to care what mosquitoes think?" Lin Yuan continued. "An ordinary woman who has good looks is already living off Heaven's generosity. But you? You've been given an all-you-can-eat buffet in Heaven."
"Pfft..." Liu Yifei laughed. "Am I really that great?"
Lin Yuan immediately understood what she meant. So she liked hearing me praise her. Then why not say a few more words?
Sweet talk was free, after all. Liu Tianxian's personal cheerleader was on duty!
"I used to hear people say beauty and wisdom could go hand in hand. I understood the concept, but I had never seen it for myself—until I met you."
"You're the kind of woman that most men know at first glance they will never have a story with."
"Hahahaha... I'm not that great... You're so exaggerated... Haha..." There was that familiar laughter again.
Her laughter gradually faded, and then she tossed out another question. "Then are you one of most men?"
!!!
Alarms went off in Lin Yuan's mind, bells ringing wildly!
Was she playing this sort of impossible card again?
If he answered yes, he would seem cowardly, every bit the pathetic simp.
If he answered no, she would immediately criticize him: Was she not that great, or was he too arrogant?
Women were born experts at playing push and pull, and men who only knew how to throw straight balls truly deserved their fate.
"I'm one of the very few men who genuinely know how to appreciate you."
"Tch~ That sounds nice~" the Celestial Fairy said dismissively.
Lin Yuan's follow-up came right after. "Haven't my actions over the years proven it?"
Thinking of the past, Liu Yifei could not help feeling warmth in her heart, and her tone softened. "I'll give you credit for that..."
"Nothing less would be enough to show my respect for a goddess!"
"You called me... a goddess?" The voice coming from the darkness carried a trace of embarrassed irritation.
Liu Yifei's face was bright red in the darkness, though Lin Yuan could not see it.
But he quickly realized that calling high-quality girls goddesses was not yet a popular expression.
At present, it would only make people think of "the King of Xiang has feelings, but the goddess has none," or the "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River."
Both implied a man's admiration for a beautiful woman.
"In ancient times, women who were nothing but pretty faces could be called goddesses. What's strange about respectfully calling a modern woman of both beauty and talent a goddess?" Lin Yuan laughed it off and played dumb to muddle through.
"Don't call me that again. I can't bear that kind of overpraise..." Liu Yifei cooperatively let the matter drop as well.
The two of them tacitly stopped bringing it up.
When we were young, we liked pretending to understand things we did not, afraid others would think us ignorant.
When we grew up, we liked pretending not to understand things we did. Many things could not be made explicit before the time was right.
It was deep into the night, but the two only grew more eager to talk.
"You say modern cities are so crowded that the physical distance between people keeps shrinking, so why does the distance between their hearts keep growing?"
"Since people's hearts change so easily, is it still worth making the effort to build intimate relationships with others?"
"Why do women start liking gold and bright red once they get older?"
"Is it middle-aged people's preachy greasiness, or young people's lecherous shamelessness? Which is more disgusting?"
They talked about many things that night, from studies to life, from beliefs to ideals, feeling increasingly kindred in spirit.
As they talked, neither knew when they had each fallen asleep.
Before falling asleep, in his haze, a song echoed in Lin Yuan's mind again:
"The promise we made growing up together, so sincere, the past we could never finish talking about with you..."
This time, I could tell clearly. You would not be the love I missed!
Before you continue