Chapter 18 Knowing

Chapter 18: Knowing

Mou Wen's feet couldn't stop running.

She was desperate to see Xie Chong, not wanting to be a single second late. She sprinted out of the complex, flew across the footbridge, not even pausing to take in the night, just rushing straight to him.

He stood there, in the same spot they'd met last time.

Late September nights already had a cool breeze, rustling the hem of his black trench coat and messing up his hair. He stood up straight, waiting for her, eyes fixed ahead. Passersby were just blurs in the crowd; only he was crystal clear.

The "pretty boy" turned heads, but he didn't even notice.

Mou Wen stood on the bridge, waving at him happily: "Mr. Xie!"

Xie Chong looked up and saw her standing up there, the glittering night behind her. He waved back, motioning for her to come down fast.

Mou Wen ran to him, the hem of her coat chasing after her. When she came to a stop, it "stopped" too.

"The gift is so pretty! Who painted the lacquer art on that box?" Mou Wen asked, smiling.

"I painted it," Xie Chong said. "A few random strokes from me and it's a masterpiece."

"And the writing? Who did that?"

"Why would I need someone to write that? Isn't it something anyone with hands can do?" Xie Chong said smugly.

"Those things must be pretty pricey, right? How much did they cost?" Mou Wen wanted to get a sense of the price so she could pay him back someday.

"That whole pile? Two hundred." Xie Chong was totally BSing.

Mou Wen obviously didn't buy it. She scoffed and asked Xie Chong what he wanted to eat, insisting that today was on her.

"So how do we count this meal? Does a plate of fried rice count as one meal? What if we get something else too?" Xie Chong teased, wanting to see how much cash this little Pixiu was willing to shell out today.

"Today in the back alley, no matter what you eat, it's all one meal. As long as you can eat it, I can cover it." Mou Wen pointed at herself. "City girl Mou Wen, with a little extra cash now."

"Then I'll take you up on that."

They headed to the back alley, one after the other.

Xie Chong wanted to try stuff he'd almost never eaten. Fried stinky tofu—he took one bite and nearly threw up, it was rank and foul; big lamb skewers—he complained the meat was low quality; a small bowl of hot and sour noodles—he said the noodles looked like plastic... Mou Wen said, "Just don't eat it, you don't even like it, but you keep stuffing it in your mouth to avoid wasting it. You take a bite of stinky tofu and gag every time—why do this to yourself? Why not just give it to me?"

"How about we go to my place and cook?" Xie Chong's eyes were all watery, his lashes wet from the tears his gagging had brought on, looking all "delicate."

"Go to your place to cook? That still counts as the meal." Mou Wen said. "You're the one who wanted to come to the back alley, and you picked every single thing yourself..."

"Fine, this meal counts." Xie Chong said. He really couldn't eat anymore, so he ended up buying an old-school popsicle.

The popsicle was actually pretty good, cutting through the grease, and he felt a little better.

The two of them strolled along the street to walk off their meal. Mou Wen asked Xie Chong about Jingdezhen, wanting to hear his "business playbook," which she figured must be as fun as her design work.

"You really want to hear it that bad?" Xie Chong asked.

"Yes."

"Then I'll tell you."

Xie Chong had a batch of goods made in Jingdezhen, planning to sell them to the US. That shady businessman, Chen, caught wind of it and wanted to cut in. He found a factory that had a personal connection to his dad, and as luck would have it, that factory had already signed a production contract with Xie Chong. This delayed Xie Chong's production, but the factory was willing to pay the breach penalty per the contract.

Once the goods were made, they had to be shipped out of Jingdezhen. Xie Chong pulled a little legit, legal move, holding his own goods up for a few days. If the other guy wanted to ship by sea, his original plan would be screwed. Meanwhile, Xie Chong's goods, though they shipped a few days late, went through without a hitch.

Mou Wen listened closely and asked, "What was this legit and legal trick?"

Xie Chong smiled smugly: "Tit for tat. He jacked my factory, so I outbid him and jacked his freight. Freight in that area has been tight for the past couple of years—he had to book trucks way ahead of time. I grabbed them all, and he couldn't find a single truck at the last minute."

Mou Wen's eyes went wide: "You can do that?"

"Mm-hmm," Xie Chong said. "Business is war. But even though I call that guy Chen the sly businessman, he's got some backbone—pretty willing to take a loss like a sport. I offered to ship his goods for him, but only under my name. He wouldn't do it. He said he'd rather toss them all into the Huangpu River than let me."

Xie Chong cracked up laughing after he said that.

Mou Wen thought the guy was pretty funny too and laughed along.

She realized Xie Chong's work was nothing like she'd imagined.

She'd originally pictured his work as more glamorous—like sitting in a big office, casually calling the shots, having a secretary or assistant handle the details. But she didn't expect Xie Chong to do everything himself, even having to outmaneuver people.

"People are rotten!" Xie Chong said. "You know who's the easiest to push around in business?"

"Who?" Mou Wen asked.

"People like you are the easiest to push around," Xie Chong said. "In other words, the person I used to be was the easiest to push around. We all want to make money, and we're super respectful to anyone who can help us make it. Sometimes, we ignore things that make us uncomfortable, thinking, 'Screw it, as long as the money's in hand, that's all that matters.'"

"Isn't that right?"

"No. First, money that costs you something is already devalued. You get what I'm saying? If you swallow your pride for a deal today, even if you make the money, you'll feel a little bitter, and that messes with your head. And the other side? They figure out you'll take the crap, so they keep piling it on... That kind of money is devalued—it sets off a chain reaction."

Xie Chong waved his hand: "Forget it, let's not talk about this." He gave Mou Wen a thumbs up. "You're impressive. You gave up such a big deal just like that."

"What else could I do? That man was so disgusting," Mou Wen said. "How dangerous would it be to decorate his house?"

Xie Chong smiled at that.

Mou Wen was a very smart person. After the incident with that shady guy, if she wanted a client, she would first "investigate" their background. She kept her guard up around those mysterious male clients who refused to reveal their true information.

The two of them walked along the street. They rarely had such leisurely nights. It was a late September night in Beijing, eleven or twelve degrees Celsius, with a gentle breeze, and they wandered into the Renmin University track field.

There were many people walking and jogging on the track, and a few sitting in small groups on the bleachers chatting.

"Have you watched Friends?" Mou Wen asked Xie Chong. "I mean... that café near the east gate looks just like Central Perk. I went there once with my roommate and loved it."

"Why don't you go now?"

"Because it's about to close at this hour," Mou Wen said.

"So where else do you guys usually hang out?" Xie Chong said. "Any other places around here to sit?"

"Bi Feng Tang, Carving Time... we go to those occasionally. It feels like being back in our student days."

"So you like Friends?" Xie Chong asked.

"Who doesn't like Friends!" Mou Wen put her hands on her hips and imitated Phoebe singing "Smelly Cat": "Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you..."

She couldn't help but laugh as she sang, remembering the times in school when her roommates would imitate scenes from Friends together. Xie Chong widened his eyes in Joey's manner and said, "Oh my god!"

"You've watched it!" Mou Wen pointed at him. "I knew you had!"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you look a lot like Joey, you're both 'pretty boys,' both a little goofy, and you..."

Mou Wen wanted to say they were both big goofballs, but Xie Chong was already glaring at her. She didn't dare say another word and looked away.

Someone ran up from behind and almost bumped into Mou Wen. Xie Chong reached out an arm to block, then slid it across her back to steer her to the innermost lane. As the night deepened, the track grew quieter. They walked up to the bleachers and sat down, leaving a seat between them.

Mou Wen took out her earphones and handed Xie Chong one earbud. The cord wasn't long enough, so Xie Chong moved over a seat.

Mou Wen played him a song.

Music flowed softly through the earbuds:

I see trees of green, red roses too

I see them bloom for me and you

~~

Life is so magical. He had been listening to this same song for years.

He often sat by the window on quiet nights, with the breeze blowing, listening to this song. If he was lucky enough to see a bird flap its wings into the sky, pairing with the music, he would definitely say, "What a wonderful world."

"Play it again," he said when the song ended.

"You like it too?" Mou Wen asked in surprise. "This is the first time I've met anyone who likes this song."

"Maybe you just haven't met enough people," Xie Chong teased her. "Well, now you've got me."

Mou Wen took out her phone and played it again.

Her phone was already pretty old. Technology was moving so fast, with phones upgrading constantly, yet her 5300 still looked brand new. When the song ended, Xie Chong watched her wrap up the earphone cord: the white cord wrapped neatly around the phone before she put it in her canvas bag.

Yeah, she carried a heavy backpack to work, with an even heavier laptop inside. People like her, who did "drawing," needed computers like that; regular ones couldn't run their software.

On nights like this, she'd just grab a canvas tote when heading out, with some essentials inside.

She'd slowly drop her phone into the canvas bag.

Mou Wen noticed Xie Chong watching her and asked, "What is it?"

"Mou Wen, I don't have a lot of friends," Xie Chong said. "What about you? You got many friends?"

"Me?" Mou Wen counted on her fingers. "Not too many. In high school, she was always studying and didn't have time to make friends before the college entrance exam; in college, she got along well with her classmates, but after graduation, some went to grad school and some worked. Only four classmates came to Beijing, and she wasn't close to two of them. At work, she mostly dealt with clients; Xiao Gu was a good friend, and so was Chu Ling.

That's it.

"I don't have a lot of friends either," Mou Wen said. "Too bad. I'm such a great person, but I never have time to make friends."

"Are we friends, Mou Wen?" Xie Chong looked at her seriously, wanting to hear her answer. There was a time when he was sure she liked him, admired him, but she never reached out to him on her own.

They had a falling out, he went to Jingdezhen, and then she went silent. Xie Chong then wondered if he had misread that look.

Mou Wen didn't answer right away.

She was a bad liar.

She so wanted to say, "You're not my friend; you're the person I like." But she felt that if she said that, Xie Chong would get up and leave.

He was truly someone who hated complications. At least that's what Mou Wen believed.

"Of course you are!" Mou Wen said with forced lightness. "I consider you my best friend! You know, I don't have many friends in Beijing. I really enjoy spending time with you, Mr. Xie."

"Xie Chong," he corrected her. "Xie Chong. Have you ever seen anyone call their friend 'Mr.' or 'Miss'?"

Mou Wen smiled, and this time she could slow down and say his name: "Xie Chong."

"Xie Chong."

"Xie Chong."

"Finally got it right!" Mou Wen stood up, turned to him, and said, "How about a race?"

"A race in what?"

"Running!" Mou Wen said. "Do you dare?"

"How far?" Xie Chong asked.

"Three kilometers!" Mou Wen said. She threw out three kilometers as if a hundred meters, five hundred meters, or eight hundred meters didn't count as running. Xie Chong pursed his lips. He had trained in middle-distance running in junior high and had placed in city competitions. He stopped professional training due to sports injuries, but his foundation remained.

Xie Chong wasn't one to brag, but finding someone on this track who could outrun him would be tough. He decided to show Mou Wen what he was made of.

"Tell you what, I'll give you a 20-second head start," Xie Chong said. "Don't say I'm bullying you. Also, a race needs stakes, or it's no fun."

"What's the stake?" Mou Wen asked.

"200 yuan," Xie Chong said. "Any more, and you'd start to feel the pinch."

"Fine." Mou Wen hung her canvas bag on the horizontal bar and took off her jacket, placing it there too. Seeing she was serious, Xie Chong didn't hold back either. He took off his trench coat and laid it next to Mou Wen's jacket. Underneath, he wore a high-quality dark T-shirt that showed off his build: neither too thin nor too bulky, just the right balance of health and vigor.

Mou Wen walked over, covered his trench coat with her jacket, and said to him, "Hiding it for you. Your coat is too expensive; it'd be a shame to lose it."

Xie Chong glanced at her, then turned his head toward the track. "Let's go."

He let Mou Wen run first, and she didn't hesitate, springing off instantly. The moment Xie Chong saw Mou Wen's first step, he regretted it: Batu Lu's running form was beautiful and professional. Those 20 seconds would be tough to make up.

So he counted to 19 seconds and chased after her.

Xie Chong hadn't felt this competitive rush in years.

The school track was different from roads or stadiums; he felt freedom as he sprinted. His "friend" Mou Wen was like a long-legged antelope, joyfully bounding along.

Xie Chong kept chasing her.

Chasing her was no easy feat. She was a formidable opponent, strong and swift, her legs churning in the night, overtaking one person after another.

Xie Chong kept chasing her.

Chasing her was no easy feat. She seemed to return to familiar pastures, running with abandon under a sky full of stars, caring about no one.

Her hair came loose, and she didn't bother with it. Mou Wen was so happy, loving to run so much, as if she could leave everything behind if she ran fast enough.

Including Xie Chong.

But Xie Chong was not to be underestimated.

Mou Wen noticed he was steadily keeping pace behind her. She glanced back and saw that every step he took bore the mark of training, rivaling the long-distance runners on the school team.

My goodness.

No wonder he wanted to give me a twenty-second head start! That crafty old fox!

Mou Wen's competitive fire burned even hotter, and she pushed herself harder. Xie Chong sped up to keep pace right behind her, and with the last hundred meters to go, he drew up alongside her.

He didn't want to win or lose—he just felt good running like this. The old baggage and bad feelings bottled up inside him seeped out of every pore with each stride, like a chronic illness suddenly cured, leaving him feeling light and free.

Neither of them spoke.

They'd take turns glancing up at the sky—on a night like this, with the city all lit up, the stars were hidden. They could hear each other's breathing clearly, their breaths almost in sync.

They ran all the way to the finish line, exchanged a glance, and then burst into laughter simultaneously. Their hair was a mess, like they'd just wrestled a sheep.

Like she always did with her roommates after a run, Mou Wen went over and gave a quick, gentle hug to celebrate sticking it out.

This time, she hopped in front of Xie Chong, wrapped her arms around his, and gave him a light hug.

Xie Chong froze in place.