Chapter Nineteen: Farewell

Thank you, brothers, for your tips, your favorites, and your recommendations.

The two of them walked together for the entire afternoon—slowly ambling along, chatting at leisure, and thoroughly enjoying themselves. Qiu Fengyu felt very content; the company of such a girl to talk with, he thought, was a true benefit for both body and mind.

Alisa, too, was in high spirits. When they arrived at Qiu Fengyu’s place, they each took a quick rinse, then began to prepare dinner. Although there wasn’t much time, Qiu Fengyu still managed to put together a feast—a Chinese-style hotpot, the kind with a divided broth, both spicy and mild. Nothing is quite so irresistible.

At first, Qiu Fengyu assumed Alisa wouldn’t be able to handle spicy food, but to his surprise, she was extremely interested in the spicy side. Even as she broke out in a sweat, she kept dipping slices of meat into the fiery broth, exclaiming in delight after every bite.

Not long after they’d begun, Officer Corvin arrived, turning their meal into a party of three. Corvin, too, could handle spicy food, and had an impressive appetite.

Soon after, Britt also joined them. He couldn’t eat spicy food, so he stuck to the clear broth, yet his curiosity got the better of him and he tried a piece from the spicy side. Instantly, he broke into a sweat, gulped down a large glass of cola, and barely managed to recover.

Throughout dinner, Qiu Fengyu kept adding more ingredients to the pot. They ate until night had fallen, barely finding time to speak, their mouths too busy. Only when they finally set down their forks and chopsticks did the room quiet. More and more people in town had been eating with chopsticks these days, many having grown quite adept, all thanks to the noodle shop.

“I’ve never had hotpot this delicious before!” Alisa exclaimed. “Even in Los Angeles, at Chinese restaurants, it’s never tasted like this. If two million dollars was a joke before, now... now it seems quite fitting for your skills.”

“Would you actually pay two million? I could even give you a discount,” Qiu Fengyu replied, grinning.

Officer Corvin burst out laughing, then waved at Qiu Fengyu. “I’m off,” she said, departing with brisk efficiency, as if she had come solely for the meal.

“This is really good,” Britt said enthusiastically. “You should serve hotpot for dinner at your restaurant.”

“What, are you changing professions? Giving up cattle ranching?” Qiu Fengyu teased. “I’m short a dishwasher—want to apply?”

Britt laughed. “I’m out of here!” He didn’t bother arguing and left just as abruptly, showing no hesitation.

As soon as they were gone, Alisa grinned at Qiu Fengyu. “Do you think they both came just for the hotpot?”

“Were they here for noodles, then?” Qiu Fengyu chuckled, rising to tidy up.

Alisa chatted away as he cleaned, telling stories from her university days in Los Angeles. Qiu Fengyu was an attentive listener, always smiling, nodding occasionally, making Alisa feel delighted to talk to him. She thought he was a rare, wonderful audience.

When she finished, and Qiu Fengyu had put away the last dish, he said to her, “If you stay much longer, you’ll have to sleep here tonight.” He pointed meaningfully at his watch.

“And what if I want to talk a little longer?” Alisa shot him a playful look.

“All right, I’ll walk you home,” Qiu Fengyu conceded, unable to outwit her, feeling slightly flustered.

As they strolled through the night streets, Alisa was visibly excited, almost bouncing as she walked, sometimes turning to face Qiu Fengyu while clasping her hands behind her back, saying with a smile, “You’re different from other guys.”

“How so?”

“At least, after a few days together, most guys have only one thing on their minds. They’re only interested in getting me into bed—it’s like that’s their whole reason for hanging around…” Alisa smiled at Qiu Fengyu. “But you’re different. You’ve never even brought it up, and it makes me feel at ease.”

“You’re making fun of me,” Qiu Fengyu replied, embarrassed.

“I don’t think you’re a virgin—don’t be so quick to deny it. I can tell, you know… In fact, it seems like you’ve had more than one woman. So, how many girlfriends have you had?”

“If you admit it, then you’re the first,” Qiu Fengyu countered.

“You’re a terrible liar!” Alisa huffed, but with a smile.

Qiu Fengyu didn’t bother arguing, simply walking beside her in silence. Soon, they arrived at Alisa’s house. She stopped at the door to say goodbye.

“Do you like him?” asked a middle-aged man at her side.

“It’s hard to say. I just feel comfortable talking with him,” Alisa replied, turning to go inside.

The man was her father, Charles, who followed her in. Her mother, Megan Blanchett, was sitting on the living room sofa, sipping milk tea.

“Is Kevin out partying again?” Alisa sat down, picked up the remote to turn on the TV, then got up to grab a cold drink. Taking a sip, she felt the fiery sensation in her stomach gradually ease, leaving her thoroughly refreshed.

“Have you decided?” Megan asked her daughter.

“Decided what? Oh, that. No, I’m not ready,” Alisa glanced at her mother. “Did Kevin tell you? Weren’t you the ones who tried to set us up to begin with?”

“What parent doesn’t want her daughter to enjoy a real romance at twenty-two?” Megan smiled, gazing at Alisa with warmth.

“I will, someday. I just haven’t met the right person yet,” Alisa said, leaning over to hug her mother.

After watching TV for a while, Alisa went upstairs to bed. In her room, she took out her phone and looked through the photos she’d taken with Qiu Fengyu that day. The sight of him in the pictures made her smile. She put her phone away, washed up, and went to sleep, ending the day in high spirits.

Qiu Fengyu had no idea what Alisa was thinking. After returning home, he went to bed quickly. The next day, remembering that Alisa might be leaving for Los Angeles, he took special care to bake some cakes. Seeing he still had two hours before noon, he decided to visit Alisa’s house.

It was, admittedly, rather forward of him to show up uninvited, without warning. As it happened, he arrived just as Alisa was about to get in the car. Her father, Charles, would be driving her straight to Los Angeles. The whole family had just stepped outside; a SUV was parked by the roadside at the edge of the front lawn.

“Hey, Qiu, I can’t believe you came! That’s wonderful—I was planning to have Charles swing by your shop so I could say goodbye. This is so great!” Alisa said, coming over to hug him, even planting a kiss on his cheek before letting go and shrugging. “I’m really touched.”

“Why do you always look so serious, even when you’re lying?” Qiu Fengyu chuckled.

Alisa burst out laughing, recognizing her own words echoed back at her.

“Hey, Qiu, good to see you. Thanks for coming to see her off,” Charles said, shaking his hand. Megan came over and gave him a hug as well.

Qiu Fengyu reached out to hug Kevin, but Kevin only shrugged and extended his hand, clearly unwilling to be so familiar. Qiu Fengyu didn’t mind, handing the cakes to Alisa, then watching her drive away. He was about to say farewell to Megan and head back to his shop.

“Wait, Qiu!” Megan called after him.

He turned to look at her.

“Do you like Alisa?” Megan smiled at him. “I’m sure you know she’s a simple, innocent girl. She’s not like other girls; she’s hardly had any great romances to remember…”

Qiu Fengyu nodded quickly. “Alisa is a wonderful girl.”

“If you date her, we won’t object, but… don’t force her to do anything she doesn’t want to,” Megan said earnestly.

“You mean, sleep with her?” Qiu Fengyu smiled. “Alisa and I are friends. She’ll have her own boyfriend.” With that, he turned and walked away.

Watching his retreating figure, Megan was taken aback. Was that a rejection of her daughter? She found it hard to believe. In her eyes, Alisa had a bright future—soon to graduate from a top university, destined for a respectable career—while Qiu Fengyu, despite his culinary talent, seemed content to remain in the small town.

“I think he’s right. Alisa will have her own boyfriend,” Kevin suddenly appeared and said to Megan. “She’ll soon forget everyone here in town. After all, Los Angeles is so much bigger than this place.”

Back at his shop, Qiu Fengyu found Megan rather amusing. But the truth was, Alisa really was a good girl, and he couldn’t bring himself to pursue her lightly. He didn’t love her, at least not yet; he just genuinely liked her and found her easy to befriend.

“What are you daydreaming about?” After the last bowl of noodles was served, Qiu Fengyu sat alone, lost in thought, until someone walked in.

“Chief Brick?” Qiu Fengyu was startled, leaping to his feet.

Chief Brick entered in full uniform, gave Qiu Fengyu a careful look, and said, “Be careful these days. Someone’s investigating the Russian mob—not the police, but a bunch of Russian thugs from San Diego.”

“What’s that got to do with me?” Qiu Fengyu played dumb.

“I know. Just consider this gossip,” Chief Brick said with a grin, then sauntered off.

Watching him go, Qiu Fengyu found the usually stern chief oddly endearing.