Epilogue 2 — Loving in Boston (1)
Love is like weeds after the rain. Because of the arrival of so sort of critical mont, it begins to grow and spread madly.
He Zhi Zhou had not thought that his heart would hold a girl in it. She had charged into it in a way that was utterly beyond expectation and caught him off guard. This had ended a dream that had been filled with fantasy. The dream dissipated, but she stayed behind.
Shen Xi would be flying over here during the sumr break and staying for a period of ti. He Zhi Zhou began making the preparations to welco his girlfriend. He did not plan on playing the role of an upright gentleman, and hence, this ti he had not readied a separate room. However, he did need to prepare a computer desk for Shen Xi—this was the request she gave over the phone. When he was too busy and did not have ti to keep her company, she could kill so alone ti that way.
When she said this, he had felt that Shen Xi was truly so wonderful. She had her willful side, but she also had her considerate side.
On the way back, He Zhi Zhou passed an old woman selling flowers, and from that elderly woman whose head was completely silver, he bought a bunch of fresh lavender flowers.
On this street that was not lively enough, waves of fragrance followed the breeze and pervaded through the slightly-cool air. The flower basket teed with freshly-cut lavenders, and those little purple-blue blossoms still held droplets of dew on them that glimred in the bright sunshine.
Because of this large, five-dollar bouquet of lavenders, He Zhi Zhou spent another one hundred Arican dollars to buy a pretty flower vase. Finally, that white vase holding lavender flowers in it was placed on the computer desk that he had prepared for Shen Xi.
The entire room teed with a delicate fragrance.
Shen Xi should like it, He Zhi Zhou thought.
In the end, however, Shen Xi got the flight ti wrong. It was not until three days later that she, towing a big suitcase behind her, stood at the door of his apartnt, beaming as she asked him, “Excuse , does my boyfriend live here?”
At last, he got to see her. Leaning against the doorway, He Zhi Zhou gazed at her for so ti before directly reaching out his arms and enfolding them around the girl in front of him. He gave an inward sigh. It seed he had forgotten to buy fresh, new flowers to replace those lavenders that were almost withered.
A man’s romantic side. And a man’s forgetfulness!
Even though the lavender flowers were no longer fresh, Shen Xi still liked them. She had always been soone who would throw her support behind people’s efforts, much less this was sothing He Zhi Zhou had specifically prepared for her.
He Zhi Zhou had rented an apartnt suite, which had one large bedroom and one study. Inside the clean, tidy room, there was even a row of large bookshelves, and on the shelves were all different types of professional and technical books. There was already a large desk inside the study, and across from it was the little desk that he had specially readied for her, with the beautiful vase and the lovely lavender flowers inside it. Mm-hmm… The two desks faced each other, coming together to make a pair.
“This was specially prepared just for ?” Shen Xi asked directly.
With his hands in his pants pockets, He Zhi Zhou answered with a light “mm-hmm.”
Shen Xi began looking around this Boston apartnt that was He Zhi Zhou’s. Except for the vase of lavenders, everthing was very masculine, and there were very few things inside. The sofa, television, and liquor cabinet in the living room had all been purchased and provided by the landlord. The decorating style was very North Arican, simple and in good taste.
Sitting on the soft sofa, Shen Xi looked up at He Zhi Zhou.
He Zhi Zhou was also gazing at his girlfriend on the sofa, the look in his eyes bright and tender and containing a light smile and sense of doting.
It had been too long since they had last seen each other, and even a few simple gazes felt like such happy, wonderful things. It seed that words were already unnecessary.
Shen Xi had planned a lot of things to do. On the plane, she had even prepared many “reunion after a long separation” words and had also drawn up a lot of touring plans and strategies, with her boyfriend being the guide… However, she suddenly was unable to speak. A flush slowly crawled into her cheeks. Tucked within those feelings of missing him were also hints of bashfulness, although she clearly was so happy she was beside herself.
Maybe, sotis, happiness needs a bit of ti to be digested.
Shen Xi ran her hand through her hair, then did not try to put on any airs of over-politeness as she said, “I’ve travelled across the sea to co see you. I don’t even get a beverage or anything?”
Beverage? It seed he really had forgotten to get Shen Xi’s favourite fruit juice ahead of ti. He Zhi Zhou mused, he should buy a juicer. Right now, his place only had coffee, alcohol, and water.
Shen Xi chose water.
Walking over to the fridge, He Zhi Zhou pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to his girlfriend. Before he passed it over to her, out of habit, he twisted open the cap. This was a habit that had developed after they started dating. It seed the temporary separation had not really changed many things.
Shen Xi’s eyes unexpectedly grew red. The feeling of having a boyfriend by her side was so nice.
Very easily detecting this subtle change in her emotions, He Zhi Zhou bent down and gazed into her reddened eyes. Seeing a trace of adorable redness in those glistening, lucid eyes, he asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Shen Xi took advantage of this opportunity to stretch out her arms and close them around He Zhi Zhou.
He Zhi Zhou set his hands on her shoulders. The sunshine outside stealthily slipped in through the sheer curtains, ever so noiselessly.
“Miss you.” Her voice low, Shen Xi stated to him those feelings of missing him that had accumulated for so long already. There was a distance of 12,000 kilotres between them. What was the concept of distance? After having a long-distance relationship, she now truly had an understanding of it.
She missed him every day.
He Zhi Zhou gave an “mm.” In his heart, there was a voice that replied to these feelings that were so hard to endure of missing soone: he missed her, too.
Because of Shen Xi’s arrival, He Zhi Zhou deliberately went and requested a week off. Shen Xi would be staying in Boston for a month and had brought a full suitcase with her. Hanging the clothes that had been in her suitcase into the closet, she turned and asked, “Why do I have a feeling like we’re eloping?”
He Zhi Zhou coughed. With a glance at the pile of things in Shen Xi’s suitcase, he stated, “You can’t bring that many things when you’re eloping. You can’t run.”
Shen Xi had her own twisted and false logic that she forced upon people. “Eloping without any luggage isn’t called eloping. It’s called—streaking!”
Streaking? Only she would think of that! There was a slight tug at the corner of He Zhi Zhou’s lips. Taking Shen Xi’s hand, he led her out the door to go get sothing to eat.
After resting for a day, He Zhi Zhou took Shen Xi out the next day to stroll through the prestigious university.
Boston is a beautiful harbour city and within it are world-famous educational institutions. From this place ca forth eight Arican presidents, and many scientists who were Nobel laureates worked or studied here.
For her first stop, Shen Xi chose the school that He Zhi Zhou was doing his doctorate studies in—MIT, top in the world for science and engineering. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology was located in Boston, Massachusetts, separated from the Back Bay neighbourhood of Boston by the Charles River, while the AC Research Institute is situated right in between. He Zhi Zhou’s apartnt was also nearby.
When Shen Xi got there, even as the flunky student that she was, the whole culture of the place seed to seep into her. Blinking her eyes that were filled with a desire for knowledge, she took in the buildings and architecture surrounding her. She shared her thoughts with He Zhi Zhou. “Who knows? Maybe so random person who brushes shoulders with today is going to be the next great scientist.”
Holding her water bottle for her, He Zhi Zhou gave a low “mm” and went along with her words.
“But I don’t care,” Shen Xi added.
He Zhi Zhou’s lips were pressed together as he listened to her carry on with what she wanted to say.
“Because my future hubby is a scientist!”
He Zhi Zhou handed the water bottle to her. “Have a drink of water.”
It was a pink water bottle with a cartoon design. Taking a couple of sips, Shen Xi then handed it to He Zhi Zhou. He Zhi Zhou took it from her, had a sip, and put the cap back on. Shen Xi snuck a glance at him. He sure did not mind at all…
MIT’s campus consisted of green trees and white walls. Everywhere, there were students gathered in groups, and on the verdant lawn in front of a building with modern architecture, everyone who sat there had a youthful face. The campus pathways were lined with trees and foliage that cast shade down. Speckles of brilliant sunshine passed through the layers of green leaves and fell downwards. Flowers that Shen Xi could not state the na of were growing on the trees’ crowns. And then, she began listening to He Zhi Zhou as he gave her a popular science lesson.
Here in MIT, He Zhi Zhou ran into soone he knew, AC’s doctorate student, Albert. Albert excitedly and cheerfully greeted him, “Hi, friend. I’m right here.”
He Zhi Zhou brought Shen Xi over with him. Standing docilely by her boyfriend’s side, Shen Xi played the role of a lady. Her English had improved by leaps and bounds, and she basically could understand the dialogue between He Zhi Zhou and Albert.
But when He Zhi Zhou had said goodbye and sent Albert away, Shen Xi put on a pretense and asked He Zhi Zhou, “What were you guys talking about just now?”
There was a trace of suspicion in He Zhi Zhou’s eyes, and he gazed probingly at her. “You couldn’t understand?”
Shen Xi hurriedly nodded. “Uh-huh, uh-huh. Didn’t understand it.”
“Oh.” He Zhi Zhou gave a brief translation for her. “We just chatted about so simple work stuff.”
Liar! He was actually lying with his eyes wide open! The content of the conversation had plainly been this:
“He Zhi Zhou, you stupid Chinese man who let a hot girl bewitch you. You’re actually taking such a long vacation just for your girlfriend. Don’t you know that all your work has been arranged to go to ?!”
“How about this? In order to help you adjust to this work intensity, I’m planning on taking another week off.”
……
Shen Xi pulled He Zhi Zhou along with her to MIT’s most famous library. The beautiful building was set off against the background of a pure, azure sky, seeming almost like a work of art itself. On the large lawn outside, a handso man with long hair was playing an accordion and gently humming a tune of this foreign country. The scenery was charming, and the singing was lodious.
The man was not lacking listeners, and after he finished, many girls requested to take a photo with him. The man amiably agreed.
Shen Xi also wanted to step forward and take a photo.
One sentence from He Zhi Zhou, though, ended that idea. “You want to help you take a picture of you with another man?”
Humph. Such a petty man.
That evening when they were heading back, they passed a man dressed up as Mickey Mouse. He Zhi Zhou said to her, “Don’t you like Mickey Mouse? Want to take a picture?”
Shen Xi: “~~~（>_
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