Chapter 26.2 - Red Bean 红豆
He Suye stood up and walked over to her, seriously asking, “Would you like to meet my friends? I want to introduce you to them.”
Shen Xifan smiled, “So, even in this school, you have classmates? He Suye, you really are a ‘true friend from afar’!”
“I have a high school friend in the College of Agriculture, commonly known as the Dairy Cow College. Two university classmates in the Weill Cornell Medical College, and one in the Veterinary College. They are all very impressive people.”
She nodded seriously, then mischievously replied, “The meat and dairy in the campus dining hall must all be supplied by the Dairy Cow College. I should go pay my respects to these strong people!”
The night in Ithaca was even quieter, with only a few people in the vast campus. The colleges were isolated from each other, and the streetlights added a bit of life. Shen Xifan walked ahead of him, hopping along, humming a song.
He Suye watched her with sweet feelings in his heart. Her long hair fluttered in the wind, and the fragrance seemed to wrap around him in all directions, a kind of unreal beauty. It was so wonderful, it was worth his careful keeping.
He softly called her name, and Shen Xifan turned around and slowed her pace. He saw He Suye standing in the shadow of the streetlight, his posture still strong, with that gentle, smiling face, but somehow, it felt unreal, like a dream, with everything around them sparkling in the air.
This encounter felt like a dream, so perfect it brought tears to her eyes.
She broke into a radiant smile, the light shining straight into his heart. Their eyes met, and the atmosphere between them subtly shifted.
Suddenly, something shiny slid from in front of her — it was a scarf clip. Shen Xifan bent down to pick it up, but a gust of wind blew by, and the scarf fluttered up from her neck. As she reached out to grab it, the scarf quickly flew to He Suye’s face, and she immediately burst into laughter.
She ran in front of him to get the scarf back, but he held it tightly, not letting go. She suddenly felt the familiar, refreshing scent of He Suye linger near her forehead, with a feather-like touch brushing against the corner of her eye.
The next moment, warm fingers grazed her lips, and his eyes were filled with intense affection. The sudden kiss struck like a storm, catching her off guard. The sweetness and smoothness of the kiss intertwined with their tongues, and her mind went blank. She simply closed her eyes obediently, as if everything was perfectly natural.
She forgot to think, and didn’t want to think. Instinctively, she just wanted to hold him tighter, tighter still.
But there was one thought that distracted her—He Suye really was a quiet man.
But who could blame her, she loved him.
She had once read a post that said if a man took his girlfriend to meet people from his circle, it meant he was publicly acknowledging their relationship, and it was also a great affirmation of her.
However, when she actually met his friends, she was shocked. The group was sitting around playing cards, and a Mahjong game was heatedly underway. Even more surprisingly, there were Americans present, occasionally shouting, “Dealer! Pure hand! Full win!”
One man was throwing cards down, looking just like the description in a Lu Xun novel about “discarding four big coins.” When he saw He Suye, he became especially excited, “Little He, come over here! My luck today is terrible, help me turn it around!”
The others laughed, “No! Play your own cards, no helpers!”
He Suye quietly whispered to her, “This is my roommate, a really good guy.”
Someone with sharp eyes immediately spotted Shen Xifan and whistled, “Beautiful girl! Little He, is this your wife?”
She was immediately amused, feeling a sense of familiarity seeing so many Chinese people in a foreign land. Most of them were easygoing, much like Li Jie and Qiu Tian’s group. She couldn’t help but respond, “Not yet, I haven’t been confirmed yet!”
He Suye looked at her with indulgence, “I always thought you were studying something like social management, not hotel management!”
Shen Xifan smiled mischievously, “You’re funny, sometimes!”
Immediately, someone shouted, “Little He, that’s so unfair! If I had a girlfriend like that, I’d marry her and hide her at home already. You’re leaving her here and running off to study at Penn, not fair!”
He Suye was at a loss for words, so he could only reply, “I want to, but I don’t know if she’ll agree.”
The crowd started teasing, “Beautiful girl, Little He just proposed in his own way. Are you considering it?”
Shen Xifan, embarrassed, turned her face away, and someone immediately chimed in, “Silence means agreement! We’re all witnesses here, and we’ll definitely expect a wedding drink!”
Her eyes sought help from He Suye, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he just smiled, holding her hand, and began introducing his friends. “These two are from the Weill Cornell Medical College, university classmates, Ben and Chris.” After a round of introductions, he paused, then added, “I forgot to mention, my girlfriend, Shen Xifan, is currently studying MMH. I hope everyone will take good care of her!”
Laughter erupted in the room, and someone immediately assured, “We’re all from the same hometown, so if you need anything, just ask. If you need help with buying things or moving a fridge or a sofa, we’ll definitely be there for you, don’t be shy!”
More laughter followed. “Old Song, last time you couldn’t even be bothered to carry a box of juice upstairs, how come you’re so diligent this time?”
The man quickly responded, “She’s Little He’s wife, how could I not be more attentive? I’m counting on him to help me turn my luck around with this game today!”
They played cards until late into the night and only prepared to leave after a long session. The group sent them off with a great deal of enthusiasm, walking a long way. The two of them walked side by side at the end of the group, and Shen Xifan curiously asked, “He Suye, I’ve noticed you seem to be good at everything, even at playing cards.”
He smiled. “The best gamblers are mathematicians. My math skills are pretty good, so I’m more than capable of playing with them, but if I were up against professionals, that would be a different story.”
Shen Xifan pouted. “I can’t do that, probably won’t be able to learn it either. My hobby is ‘sleeping until I wake up naturally, and counting money until my hand cramps.’ When I was younger, I also studied art and calligraphy, but now I’ve mostly forgotten it all.”
“My grandfather loves calligraphy. He often practices at home. Maybe I can take you to meet him next time?”
“Please don’t make me embarrass myself. My handwriting is really ugly!”
“Actually, I was talking about something else.” He Suye hesitated for a moment, then added, “The thing they were talking about tonight.”
Shen Xifan paused, then quickly realized what he meant. However, she still pretended to be clueless and chuckled, “What are you talking about? Be more clear. How can I know if you don’t tell me?”
He was caught off guard by the question, unsure of how to respond. Usually calm and composed, he now felt a bit flustered. After a brief pause, he took a deep breath and said, “I’m talking about marriage. Have you thought about it?”
