Chapter 49

At around 19:30 in the evening, the night sky was dotted with stars. At the Lemonade Restaurant on Barrington Avenue in Brentwood East, Ye Wei and Lily had agreed to meet here.

When Ye Wei arrived on his bicycle, he saw from a distance that Lily was already there. She was sitting at the farthest outdoor table from the entrance, the only customer among the empty tables, lost in thought as she gazed at the distant stars, looking somewhat lonely.

"Hey, Lily." Ye Wei called out, parked his bicycle, and walked over. "Why aren't you waiting inside?"

Lily looked up and immediately smiled. "Good evening, jerk."

"I knew you'd treat me like this, the first words after a long time apart!" Ye Wei sat down opposite her and ordered a cup of watermelon juice from the approaching waitress. Lily already had a cup of pear juice, and next to it was a beautifully wrapped blue gift box.

This was clearly a gift for him. He reached out to take it. "Wow, thanks, what is it?" He had asked her on the phone, but she wanted to keep it a mystery.

"Wait!" Lily playfully swatted his hand away. Was this jerk only interested in the gift? They hadn't even exchanged a few words yet.

"Sorry, I'm the type who wants to destroy a gift box as soon as I see it." Ye Wei shrugged, placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and stared at her intently.

It had been four days since they last saw each other, and Lily still looked as clear and beautiful as ever. She wore a white and black Chanel jacket and jeans, with her long, dark brown hair cascading down her shoulders. Her long, arched eyebrows gave her a strong, spirited look, and her eyes were bright and lively.

Lily was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and they both slowly smiled again. A sense of warmth and connection filled their hearts.

After a while, when the waitress brought the watermelon juice, Ye Wei took a sip and asked, "Did you have a good holiday?"

"It was okay." Lily nodded, seeming quite happy. "My dad was very caring, we talked a lot. And Nicholas, he's grown so much, more mature. And Aurelia, we went shopping together, bought a lot of things, and our relationship improved... We used to be close, but after Nicholas was born, we drifted apart a bit. But now... I can't keep making up stories..." She suddenly lowered her head and sighed, "A terrible holiday, really terrible."

Ye Wei had noticed her low mood from the start. He smiled. "Good thing you're not good at making up stories or telling them, or I'd have no charm left. Just football isn't enough."

"Arrogant jerk." Lily's smile was still faint. "Say more jerk things, make me laugh, and I'll feel better..."

"I don't think so, Lily. Did you and Aurelia really get along well before?" Ye Wei asked seriously, without joking.

"Yes, it's true. We played together, attended my dad's events..." Lily seemed to be reminiscing about those brief days. "I think at that time, she really wanted to be a good stepmother, but after Nicholas was born, things changed..."

Ye Wei leaned back in his chair, thinking for a moment. "After my sister was born, my parents also changed. It seemed like everything that used to belong to me suddenly belonged to her. At first, I was angry and upset, but soon I understood. She was so young, and it was natural for my parents to pay more attention to her. They neglected me because they thought... I had grown up, I had responsibilities. In fact, I was a big brother."

Lily listened quietly, understanding his point. Responsibility? The knot in her heart gradually loosened...

"I think at times like this, we should just let it be." Ye Wei looked into her eyes. "Change your perspective, and maybe everything will be different. I don't know the specifics of your holiday, but is it possible for you to actively join them? The center of the family has changed, and we all have to accept it."

"You're right... I should care more about Nicholas..." Lily was enlightened, recalling her holiday. She had been so angry, but how much had she really cared about them? "Wei, I'll try to do better in the future. I hope it will bring positive changes."

Sometimes having such serious conversations with him was really good.

Feeling much more at ease, her smile became brighter.

"I was just rambling. If you gained something from it, it means the truth was already in your heart. People often dislike self-reflection and prefer to be comforted by others. You know, this is still just rambling." Ye Wei said.

"Alright, how about you? How was your holiday?" Lily picked up her pear juice, sipped through the straw, and kept her eyes on him.

"Much better, a magical holiday!" Ye Wei laughed and shared his experiences of the past few days, of course, excluding the Costco part. "So, most of the preliminary preparations are done, and the rest is mostly writing work. I'm not worried at all."

"Great." Lily praised him but noticed something else. "So, you spent the whole day with Anna Sophia-Robert today?"

"Not the whole day, I'm sitting here now." Ye Wei spread his hands and pointed to himself. Seeing her frown, he chuckled, "Yes, Anna thinks it was a date. I don't know, maybe? Scold me, I'm a playboy, hahaha!"

Lily glared at him. "Who cares, I said you can do whatever you want. We're just dating..."

"OK, do I still get a gift?"

"Jerk." She lightly stomped her foot and pushed the gift box to him. "Here, you can have it. I can't find anyone else to give it to."

"Wow." Ye Wei laughed and took the gift, tearing off the blue wrapping paper without hesitation. "What could it be? I'm so excited, I love jewelry, the more expensive, the better..."

Lily was amused again. "You got it, it's jewelry, big jewelry!"

After tearing off the wrapping paper, Ye Wei saw the box inside, with a large logo, a yellow "Cooke" in a yellow circle. Cooke lens! He exclaimed, "Wow! Cooke lens... 35mm wide-angle lens! Cool!"

He immediately opened the box and took out the heavy lens, playing with it. The Cooke lens was one of the most famous products of the British lens manufacturer Taylor Hobson, a giant in the film lens industry. Its light sensitivity was excellent, and its color was typically British, neutral yet rich.

This lens was quite expensive, costing at least a thousand dollars. He looked at Lily and smiled. "This gift is heavy, thank you. It seems I'd make a good psychologist."

"Don't be silly, don't worry about the price." Lily chuckled, her eyes filled with anticipation. "Do you like it? I'm not sure if it's good, but I think you'll need it..."

"Are you kidding? This is amazing, of course I like it." Ye Wei held the lens with both hands, as if to say, "This is mine, no one can take it away." "I'll use it when I shoot a short film in a few days, to capture some British-style wide-angle shots."

He naturally understood her intentions. This was supporting his directorial dreams, no matter how crazy it seemed, she trusted him.

"I'll cherish it." He said seriously, feeling warm inside. "Many good movie scenes will be shot with it."

"That's great." Lily smiled happily. "I'm looking forward to it."

"I have a Thanksgiving gift for you too..." In comparison, Ye Wei's gift was much simpler, bought on Black Friday at Costco.

"Where is it?" Lily looked around excitedly but didn't see any gift he had brought.

"Ta-da!" Ye Wei took a small pink gift box from his pocket. Lily exclaimed, took it, and tore off the wrapping paper. Before opening the small box, she smiled. "Let me guess... some jewelry?" Ye Wei dramatically clutched his chest. "You can see through me, oh my God, I'm naked now!"

"Go to hell..." Lily laughed and opened the gift box. Inside was a silver lily brooch, exquisitely crafted. She exclaimed, "Wow, it's beautiful, I like it."

Ye Wei raised his eyebrows, embarrassed to say that this small item only cost $5, but she could probably tell. He smiled. "I don't know if it has a brand, I bought it at Costco. The crowd that day was driving me crazy."

"It's beautiful." Lily praised it again, picked up the brooch, and immediately pinned it to the left side of her jacket. This small gift made her happier than the sports car her father mentioned.

After she pinned it on, Ye Wei looked at her, moved by her appreciation and enjoying her beauty. "You look great, both of you."

"Thanks..." Lily looked at him, took a sip of her drink, her eyes sparkling, her voice softening. "Wei, I really want to say thank you, not just for this gift... I don't know, ha, what do I want to say? I just feel... knowing you isn't a bad thing."

"Oh, you once thought it was a bad thing?" Ye Wei looked disappointed and surprised.

"Yes." Lily nodded, thinking about something, and smiled. "I had a misunderstanding of you. On the Squid Action day, I was very rude! I have to say sorry, and thank you for not holding it against me. That's what I wanted to thank you for..."

"Don't be like that. I was also rude that day, but I don't feel sorry. Sometimes, true understanding starts from misunderstandings, like Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth."

Ye Wei looked at her, then at the night sky reflected in the glass window behind her, and sipped his watermelon juice contentedly.

Lily laughed out loud. "Please, you're not Mr. Darcy, you should be..." She bit her straw, thinking and drinking her juice. "Heathcliff! The kind of guy who, after becoming successful, goes crazy avenging his ex-girlfriend who looked down on him!"

"I've had a few ex-girlfriends, but I've never been dumped like Heathcliff..." Ye Wei scratched his head, trying to remember his ex-girlfriends, but their faces were blurry.

Suddenly, under the table, Lily's foot stretched out and kicked his calf. He yelped, "Why did you kick me?"

"Do I?" Lily rolled her eyes, a bit annoyed. Although they weren't in a romantic relationship, the atmosphere had been so good, why mention ex-girlfriends? How mean... Wait, did she bring it up first? Why, was it a test? No way... Her thoughts were in a mess...

"That was a long, long time ago. Ever since the girls around me thought football was a girly sport, I became lonely." Ye Wei looked at her, a strange expression on his face. "Didn't you have a crush in kindergarten or elementary school? A playmate?"

"Not telling you."

Ye Wei looked at her cute, seemingly angry face, shrugged, and said, "Actually, I wanted to say that there are people who help you understand yourself better. You didn't know you could be like that until you met someone. And, I like Heathcliff, he was just hurt too deeply."

"Yes... I agree..." Lily nodded, listening. She already had this feeling. Knowing him, she...

"So you say I'm Heathcliff, and you like Heathcliff, so you like me, right?"

"Can't you be serious for a bit longer!" Lily playfully kicked him again.

"Why did you kick me again?"

"Do I?"

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