The moonlight on Bear Mountain was beautiful, and the wind was gentle.
The rustling of red leaves all over the mountain, stirred by the gentle breeze, promised a good dream if one fell asleep to it.
Two tents were pitched one behind the other, close together, and it was now late at night, time for sleep.
Lin Yuan lay in the outer tent; although the lights were off and he couldn't see anything, his hearing seemed to become sharper in the darkness.
Liu Yifei lay in the inner tent, several meters away from him, yet her breathing was as clear as if it were right by his ear.
It was just ordinary breathing, but to his ears, it sounded very pleasant, like a gentle breeze softly brushing against his heart.
Despite being exhausted after a day of busyness, Lin Yuan just couldn't fall asleep.
Is she asleep? Should I ask?
"Lin Yuan, are you asleep?" Before Lin Yuan could hesitate and speak, Liu Tianxian's voice came from the darkness.
"Not yet," Lin Yuan replied.
"Thank you."
"Thank me for what? I had a great time today too."
"Thank you for everything in the past, thank you for appearing by my side."
Lin Yuan knew she was thanking him for taking care of her over the past few years.
She came to New York from China with her mother in 1997.
When she first arrived, she was unfamiliar with the place and didn't speak the language.
As a classmate, Lin Yuan, out of fellow countryman sentiment, tried his best to help her overcome the language barrier and gradually integrate into local life.
Actually, this wasn't a huge favor; their current relationship was more due to their compatibility.
"It's nothing. Compared to hanging out with those black guys, I definitely prefer being with you."
"Haha, speaking of which, those guys are not easy to get along with. How did you get familiar with them?"
"At first, they didn't pay much attention to me. So I treated them to food, and after they ate my food, they became familiar," Lin Yuan concluded, "If you can't win their hearts, buy their bodies first."
What a terrible analogy! Liu Yifei's ears were a little red.
"Ew~ This analogy is full of a man's stench," Liu Tianxian expressed disdain.
"Now there's a push for gender equality. It's not just men who can buy the bodies of the opposite sex; you women also have that freedom," Lin Yuan teased.
His jokes weren't excessive; young Americans were precocious, and tasting forbidden fruit was no big deal.
And Liu Yifei was more mature and had more ideas than her peers.
"I've always had a thought that feminism might be a conspiracy created by you men to make it easier for you to conduct the hunt for women," Liu Tianxian replied.
"Oh? How so?" Lin Yuan expressed curiosity.
"Encouraging women to free their minds, free their bodies, and enjoy themselves to the fullest—everyone is happy. This way, women's guard is lowered. Doesn't feminism make it easier for men's desires to be satisfied?" Liu Yifei said.
Lin Yuan thought for a moment and had to admit that she made a lot of sense: "Indeed, but this only benefits the strong among men. Men who lack competitiveness, on the other hand, would rather use tradition to bind women, ensuring they at least get one member of the opposite sex."
"So, do you encourage women to free themselves?" Even in the darkness, her voice carried a hint of a smile.
This little girl is setting a trap for me!
If I say I support it, she'll immediately complain that I'm a scumbag who exploits feminism to take advantage.
If I say I oppose it, she can also say I'm selfish, conservative, and a bad person who objectifies women.
"Neither men nor women should think about taking advantage of the other. Fairness and reciprocity are always the foundation of healthy relationships." Lin Yuan wasn't falling for it and carefully bypassed the trap she set.
"Fairness and reciprocity? Many people think, if the result of fairness is unfavorable to me, then why do I want this fairness?" Liu Tianxian's view was as sharp as ever: "I am quite pessimistic about human nature, and I even think that most people are like this. How should one get along with them?"
Although Liu Yifei was talented and beautiful, her life couldn't possibly be all gentle spring breezes. Women are inherently envious, and she must have received a lot of hostility from her own gender.
Actually, with her conditions, she didn't need to care about others' opinions at all. She could completely forge her own path, and what substantial harm could a few hostile gazes cause?
An awesome life is just that unreasonable.
She was still young now, with a hint of confusion, but in a few years, when she matured, she would naturally no longer be puzzled by these things. Brother Lin Yuan decided to help her break free early.
"No matter how many times you turn around, your butt is still behind you. No matter what you do, someone will dislike you. Because for them, your existence is wrong," Lin Yuan said.
"But does an elephant need to care about the thoughts of a mosquito?" Lin Yuan continued, "Ordinary women who only possess beauty are already blessed by God, but you have definitely received a heavenly buffet."
"Pfft…" Liu Yifei laughed out loud: "Am I that good?"
Lin Yuan immediately understood her subtext. So, she likes to hear me praise her. Then I might as well say a few more words.
Saying a few nice words doesn't cost anything. Liu Tianxian's exclusive encourager is online!
"I used to hear people say beauty and wisdom go hand in hand, but I only had the concept, not the image, until I met you."
"You are the kind of woman that most men, at first glance, know they will never have a story with."
"Hahaha… How could I be that good… You're so exaggerated… Haha…" It was the familiar loud laughter again.
The laughter gradually stopped, and another question was thrown over: "Then do you belong to the majority of men?"
!!!
An alarm blared in Lin Yuan's mind, ringing loudly!
Playing this kind of card again, leaving one in a dilemma?
Answering yes would make him seem cowardly, revealing a servile, simp-like mentality.
Answering no would immediately draw criticism: Is it that I'm not that good? Or are you too arrogant?
Women are natural experts at playing hard to get and back-and-forth pulling; men who only play it straight truly die without injustice.
"I am one of the very few men who truly knows how to appreciate you."
"Tsk~ Easy to say~" Liu Tianxian expressed disdain.
Lin Yuan's follow-up came immediately: "Haven't my actions these past few years proven it?"
Recalling the past, Liu Yifei felt a warmth in her heart, and her tone softened: "Consider yourself thoughtful…"
"Anything less would not be enough to express my reverence for a goddess!"
"You called me… a goddess?" The voice from the darkness carried a hint of annoyance.
Liu Yifei's face was very red in the darkness, though Lin Yuan couldn't see it.
But he quickly realized that calling a high-quality girl a goddess wasn't a popular term yet.
Currently, it would only evoke associations with "Lord Xiang had intentions, but the goddess was heartless," or perhaps "Ode to the Luo River Goddess."
Both symbolize a man's admiration for a beautiful woman.
"In ancient times, women who were merely beautiful could be called goddesses. What's strange about respectfully calling a talented and beautiful contemporary woman a goddess?" Lin Yuan chuckled, feigning ignorance to gloss over it.
"Don't call me that again, I can't bear such excessive praise…" Liu Yifei also cooperated, letting the matter go.
The two of them, with great tacit agreement, stopped bringing it up.
When we were young, we liked to pretend to be knowledgeable when we were confused, afraid that others would think we didn't understand.
When we grew up, we liked to pretend to be confused when we were clear-headed. Many things couldn't be made clear until the time was right.
It was late into the night, but their enthusiasm for chatting grew even stronger.
"You say that the crowding in modern cities brings people physically closer, but why does the spiritual distance grow further?"
"If the human heart changes so easily, do we still need to bother building intimate relationships with others?"
"Why do women, as they get older, start to like gold and bright red?"
"Is it the preachiness of middle-aged people that's greasy? Or the lewd shamelessness of young people? Which is more disgusting?"
They talked a lot that night, from studies to life, from concepts to ideals, feeling more and more in tune with each other.
As they chatted, they didn't know when they each fell asleep.
Before falling asleep, in a daze, the song rang in Lin Yuan's mind again:
"The promise of growing up together, so sincere, endless past conversations with you…"
This time, I can tell, you won't be a love I missed!