During this time, Wan Donglin had been staying here every day. She had grown accustomed to his presence, even to the ambiguous lounge chair—a penchant akin to a swing set—just as she would coquettishly whine, "Brother Donglin, I want some BBQ skewers..." The aroma of grilled lamb chops still seemed to linger in the room. She couldn’t sleep, so she got up and sat alone on the lounge chair. Bathed in the soft moonlight and under the lonely stars, she finally realized the source of that peculiar sensation. It was because of the ring on her hand—I’ve been wearing this ring all along, forgetting to return it to Wan Donglin. When he left, he had only taken the red rose and hadn’t concerned himself with the ring on her hand. At that time, I was so sad that I forgot to take it off and give it back to him. After a moment, she took it off. The gem was even more dazzling under the moonlight. Its beautiful color was too captivating. So she put it back on.

There were only two days left. The farewells had been said, the gatherings had been held, and affairs at the shop were thoroughly organized. With nothing to do, I feel so restless and unsure of what I should even be doing. Li Zhen called. She didn’t want to keep the appointment, but when Li Zhen’s mother called, she felt she had to answer.

「At the agreed-upon location, mother and son were already waiting.」

Yan Xixi apologized, "I’m sorry, I’m late."

Li’s mother said politely, "We came a little early. Look, it’s still over ten minutes before our appointment."

Li Zhen said with a grin, "Mrs. Yang is always very punctual." Mrs. Yang was Li Zhen’s mother. He continued, "Xixi, you can just call her Mrs. Yang from now on."

Yan Xixi thought, I like this title. It’s neither ambiguous nor intimate, and sounds very casual.

She said courteously, "Hello, Mrs. Yang."

Mrs. Yang smiled. "We didn’t ask what you like to eat, so we just ordered a few dishes. I hope they’re to your liking."

Yan Xixi looked at the eight exquisite dishes. Clearly, Mrs. Yang has put a lot of thought into this.

"Mrs. Yang, you’re too kind," Yan Xixi said.

"It’s just a friendly gathering, Xixi, don’t be so polite. Let’s eat. Actually, Li Zhen’s father wanted to come too. However, I was worried it might make you uncomfortable since you don’t know him well, so I told him not to come."

Yan Xixi laughed. Mrs. Yang is indeed considerate.

Li Zhen just smiled, seldom speaking, and busied himself with helping the two of them, pouring tea and fetching things.

"Xixi, are you going to Boston the day after tomorrow?" Mrs. Yang asked.

Yan Xixi nodded.

"Will anyone be accompanying you?"

She replied readily, "I’ll be fine going alone."

Li Zhen was overjoyed. "I’m planning to go to the United States too! How about this, Xixi, let’s go together..."

Yan Xixi was momentarily speechless.

Li Zhen continued, "Didn’t I tell you before? I’ve always wanted to visit Yellowstone Park. For this, I even worked part-time in my spare time and saved up a few thousand British Pounds specifically to spend during this summer vacation. As it turned out, after coming back for the summer, I earned a bit more money working part-time here in the country. So, it’s perfect, I can go on the trip now!"

Yan Xixi hesitated slightly.

Observing her expression, Mrs. Yang laughed. "What a coincidence! Li Zhen has told us many times that he wants to visit the United States. He even invited his father and me, but we’ve already been there several times for work, so we didn’t want to go again. Anyway, you two are classmates, so it would be good for you to have company and look out for each other on the way."

Yan Xixi found herself at a loss for how to refuse.

She thought, Deep down, I don’t want to travel with Li Zhen at all. He might claim to have no ulterior motive, but isn’t it obvious to everyone?