Not long after the train started moving, Meng Xiaotian had already covered his face with his jacket and fallen fast asleep.
The ticket inspector moved from the rear carriage to this one, checking tickets one by one. Yin Guo took the phone from Meng Xiaotian’s hand, found the electronic ticket for the inspector to scan, and then tucked the phone back into her cousin’s palm.
She sat up straight.
Lin Yiyang happened to reply to her WeChat message at that moment.
Lin: *You’re welcome.*
Four words, very brief. He hadn’t accepted the transfer either.
Yin Guo didn't share Meng Xiaotian’s naturally familiar temperament. She stared at her phone for a long while before setting it aside, thinking resignedly that she would just deal with it when they met. Before long, the train pulled into a small station. Only a few travelers were waiting on the platform outside. Yin Guo looked around the carriage; there hadn't been many people to begin with, and after two more got off at this stop, there were fewer than ten people left in the entire car.
It seemed like a safe time to use the restroom. She nudged her cousin awake. "I'm going to the bathroom."
Meng Xiaotian gave a muddled grunt of agreement.
Yin Guo slung her own bag over her shoulder and pulled Meng Xiaotian’s backpack down, stuffing it under his legs.
Two minutes after Yin Guo left, a Chinese man walked through from the rear carriage. It was the man with glasses from that night.
He had just boarded.
Because Meng Xiaotian’s face was covered by his jacket, the man didn't recognize him. He walked right past, following the prompts on his phone. After crossing two carriages, he spotted Lin Yiyang’s duffel bag.
Looking toward the window, he saw the man himself.
The Black woman who had been sitting next to Lin Yiyang had just gotten off with her child, leaving the seat beside him empty.
"Glad I caught you," Wu Wei said, nudging Lin Yiyang to move toward the window so he could take the aisle seat. He unzipped his heavy winter coat and panted, "I was afraid I wouldn't catch up to you."
Lin Yiyang knew exactly why he was here, so he didn't say a word.
Wu Wei said, "Everyone is about to arrive, and you just run off? What’s that about?"
Lin Yiyang pulled the collar of his sweatshirt up, masking most of his face, trying to avoid the chatterbox.
Wu Wei tried to tug at his clothes.
With his eyes closed and his head resting against the window pane, Lin Yiyang said in a low voice, "I treated those kids to drinks the other night and spent all my money. I couldn't afford a train ticket."
"I'll pay," Wu Wei said, pulling out his wallet and prying it open to show him. "Look, see how much is left? We'll spend it together. To the end, brother."
After Wu Wei shook him a dozen more times, Lin Yiyang sat up helplessly and glanced at Wu Wei’s wallet.
Two paupers, both in the same boat.
***
The train arrived in Washington, D.C., before nightfall.
The city had also been shut down for two days due to the blizzard, with schools and offices only returning to normal yesterday.
From the moment he stepped off the train, Meng Xiaotian had been looking for the burger chain Lin Yiyang had mentioned. By the time they reached the exit, he finally saw the eye-catching sign right next to a Starbucks. Since they’d found it, Yin Guo naturally had to fulfill her cousin’s wish and go buy some food. She calculated the time and saw it wasn't an issue, so she led Meng Xiaotian into the burger shop.
A short while later, Wu Wei was tugging on the strap of Lin Yiyang’s sports bag, pulling him along. "Quick, we have to catch the bus."
Lin Yiyang was dragged forward.
Wu Wei didn't have enough money left for train tickets, so he had spent the entire ride searching for a way to buy two discounted bus tickets. For the past hour, he had been buzzing in Lin Yiyang’s ear, droning on about how he’d spent his last cent on these bus tickets. He claimed that if Lin Yiyang didn't go back to New York with him, he was no brother at all—that he was heartless, cold-blooded, and ungrateful...
Lin Yiyang had listened to a solid hour of these dramatic accusations.
Having known him for years, he knew that Wu Wei possessed all the qualities of a persistent shadow. He was incredibly resilient; you couldn't scare him off or curse him away. If he wanted you to do something, he would make sure it happened. There was no escaping today; he was definitely going back to New York.
Hungry, Lin Yiyang came to a halt and scanned his surroundings, spotting the burger shop.
He considered whether he should grab something to eat first.
Never mind. He’d look for something on the way to the bus station—maybe he could find a slice of pizza. If he was lucky, he might find a place selling them for a dollar a slice.
"Is there anything to eat in the bag?" he asked.
"Yes, of course."
Wu Wei opened his backpack and rummaged around for a long time before producing a third of a chocolate bar and stuffing it into Lin Yiyang’s hand.
The chocolate was wrapped in tinfoil, crumpled and twisted into a ball.
He unwrapped the foil and took a bite. If it hadn't been given to him by Wu Wei, he truly wouldn't have been able to stomach it. He crumpled the foil back into a ball, tossed it into a trash can, and followed Wu Wei out of the station.
Two minutes later.
In front of the burger shop, Meng Xiaotian walked out biting into a burger while Yin Guo looked down at her phone to book a ride.
"What should we treat him to? Have you eaten anything good in D.C.?" Meng Xiaotian asked.
"It’s all pretty average," Yin Guo said. "This isn't exactly a city famous for its cuisine. If you want good food, New York has much more to offer."
Since he didn't get a clear answer, Meng Xiaotian pulled out his phone and decided to ask for Lin Yiyang’s opinion.
Since they were planning to treat him to dinner anyway, it was better to let him choose.
"Oh no."
"What is it?"
Meng Xiaotian showed Yin Guo the chat log.
Tian-Tian: *My sister and I arrived in D.C. too. Let’s grab dinner tonight, Brother Lin.*
Lin: *Have fun. I’ve headed back to New York.*
??
Yin Guo and Meng Xiaotian stared at each other for a full two seconds.
Yin Guo looked down at her Uber app; the car was almost there.
She felt helpless.
"Where to now?" Meng Xiaotian was completely at a loss.
"To the hotel," Yin Guo said, looking outside. The weather in D.C. was a bit better than in New York. "Since we’ve already booked it, we might as well have some fun."
Feeling frustrated, she couldn't help but give Meng Xiaotian a kick. "What a total waste."
Knowing he was in the wrong, Meng Xiaotian clasped his hands in a gesture of apology.
The two cousins looked at each other and couldn't help but burst out laughing. This really was a bizarre trip to Washington.
"I'll give you five minutes. Hurry up and take your photos," Yin Guo said, pointing around.
She knew well that first-time tourists loved taking pictures. She stepped aside to eat her burger, and by the time she finished and was looking for a trash can, her cousin had already finished his loop. "Let's go."
Yin Guo hummed in response. She realized the trash can was actually right behind her; she must have been blind for a moment. She crumpled the burger wrapper into a ball, tossed it in, and led her cousin out of the station.
Before leaving, Meng Xiaotian made sure to take a photo of the burger shop. As soon as they got into the car, he happily posted it to his Moments.
Yin Guo loved to contradict him out of habit, so she naturally left a rebuttal underneath.
Xiao Guo: *[Pouting face] He’s not even that handsome. You're deceiving the public.*
Zheng Yi replied to Xiao Guo: *Do you have a photo? I’ve been hearing your brother talk about him for two days, but I haven't seen him. I'm dying of curiosity.*
Tian-Tian replied to Zheng Yi: *I’m definitely not lying to you. If I were a girl, I’d definitely have a crush on him.*
Xiao Guo replied to Zheng Yi: *He’s just average. An ordinary guy. My brother is exaggerating.*
Tian-Tian replied to Xiao Guo: *Can you please be objective?*
Zheng Yi replied to Xiao Guo: *Yeah, be objective. No letting personal feelings get in the way.*
Xiao Guo replied to Tian-Tian: *Fine, I admit it, he’s not bad.*
Meng Xiaotian was sitting in the front seat. Seeing Yin Guo admit defeat, he turned around and gave her a wink.
Yin Guo made a face at him and pointed out the window, meaning: *Hurry up and take your pictures.*
Museums and municipal buildings began to appear regularly along the roadside. Their driver was a middle-aged white woman. Seeing Meng Xiaotian holding up his phone, she specifically slowed down and enthusiastically told him the name of each building. Noticing they didn't have suitcases, she guessed they weren't typical tourists and asked if they were here for school.
One thing led to another, and he started chatting with the driver. The conversation moved from architecture to universities in D.C. The first one the driver mentioned was Georgetown, unashamedly remarking on how expensive the tuition was and how the international students there were all wealthy.
"Did you hear that? What the driver said?" Meng Xiaotian whispered.
Yin Guo nodded. She remembered that in Zheng Yi’s first year here, between tuition, room and board, and things like skiing trips, she had indeed spent a fortune. However, that lady was used to spending lavishly, so she wasn't exactly a standard benchmark.
Yin Guo was thinking of Zheng Yi, but Meng Xiaotian was thinking of Lin Yiyang, reaching a conclusion: Brother Lin was a rich man.
After a twenty-minute drive, they were dropped off at their hotel.
As soon as she entered, she went to the front desk, anxious to confirm the room. She handed their passports and credit card to the staff, communicating the booking details and waiting for the check-in process to be handled.
Checking her Moments again, she saw a notification for a new reply.
She tapped it out of habit. It was under the photo of the burger—
Lin: *There’s a place called Old Ebbitt Grill near the White House. It’s pretty good. Give it a try.*
...
Oh no. She had completely forgotten that he could see Meng Xiaotian’s Moments.
Aside from Zheng Yi’s replies, he could see everything she and her cousin had said—every single word.
What a disaster.
It was essentially like discussing his looks right to his face. It was even more embarrassing than the night they had checked his ID.
She read her own comments several times, so mortified she didn't know what to do.
How could she have forgotten?
Meng Xiaotian saw her staring at the burger photo and belatedly noticed Lin Yiyang’s comment. He started laughing uncontrollably. "Good thing you told the truth in the end, otherwise it would be even worse."
Fuming, Yin Guo nudged Meng Xiaotian with her elbow.
The hotel receptionist finished the paperwork and placed the passports, key cards, and signing slip in front of Yin Guo.
Yin Guo picked up the pen, those comments still swirling in her head. As she signed her name, she was still thinking about them.
Should she delete them? But he’d already seen them. If she didn't delete them, they were just sitting there, an eyesore.
"How’s this restaurant? Have you been there?" her cousin asked.
Yin Guo was so preoccupied she didn't hear him.
Meng Xiaotian turned to ask the receptionist instead: Was the restaurant far? Was it worth going to?
Meng Xiaotian was tempted. "I'll look up the number. Should I book a table?"
"Let's go tomorrow. I don't feel like moving." Yin Guo was still immersed in the social media accident, her interest waning.
She returned the signed slip to the staff, took back the passports and credit card, and looked down at the room number on the key card.
Beside her, Meng Xiaotian seemed to be chatting with someone. As they stepped into the elevator, he suddenly smiled at her and said, "The hottie told me he feels bad for making us come all this way for nothing. This meal is on him."
***
