"Hey, Miss Foreigner, what brings you calling today?"

"Fatty, I need you to come to America. There's something very important we need to discuss."

Fatty couldn't quite keep up with Zoe's pace, not understanding for a moment. "Hey, hey, hold on. Can't you just say it over the phone? Besides the boxing matches, I have classes now. I don't have time to go."

(Since returning from the Himalayas, Fatty had enrolled in night school to improve his cultural literacy—following in Han Yu's footsteps. He trained and fought matches during the day and went to class at night.)

"It's not clear over the phone. I've already sent a car to pick you up, and your plane ticket is booked. Just go with them." Zoe didn't forget to mention Han Yu. "Han Yu is already on her way. If you leave now and don't miss your flight, you might even be on the same plane."

As soon as Fatty heard that Han Yu was going too, his attitude changed immediately. The "I'm too busy" act turned into "At your command." Needless to say, he was happier than if he'd eaten honey.

In the past six months, Fatty had been relentlessly pursuing Han Yu, constantly caring for her. But he was too embarrassed to break through that layer of window paper. He was thinking of getting his adult bachelor's degree before opening his mouth, so he wouldn't be too disliked. And Han Yu was focused on her studies, so their relationship was more like friends in an ambiguous phase.

Fatty hadn't expected Zoe, who was far away in America, to call him after half a year. He wondered what was so urgent. Surely she wasn't inviting him and Han Yu to America for a vacation.

But Zoe wasn't that kind of person. Fatty was just thinking about it.

Having packed his things, Fatty came downstairs from his house and found a black van waiting for him.

In the early 2000s, Beijing's Third Ring Road wasn't as congested as it is now. It only took Fatty an hour to get to the airport. There were people at the airport specifically to receive Fatty. Fatty thought, "Why are they making such a big deal out of this? I'm not that important."

Fatty found Han Yu in the crowd at a glance. The last time they had met was two months ago. Fatty was passing by Han Yu's school on his way to a boxing match in Tianjin, and they had a simple meal near her school.

The two of them could chat casually on the phone (mainly Fatty talking), but as soon as they met, they became mute. Han Yu was actually fine; she didn't talk much normally. It was mainly Fatty, who was awkwardly unsure what to say, digging out a three-bedroom apartment with his toes on the ground.

A lady responsible for receiving them said to them, "Mr. Shi, Ms. Han, your boarding passes have been obtained for you. You can wait to board now."

After Fatty and Han Yu passed through security, the people who had been receiving them left the airport. Once there was no one else around, Fatty slowly mustered up the courage to speak to Han Yu. "How have you been lately?"

Han Yu said, "It's been smooth."

…

The atmosphere was a bit awkward, so Fatty found another topic. "Did Zoe tell you what we're going to do in America this time?"

Han Yu shook her head. "No, she just said I'd know when I got there."

Fatty complained helplessly, "Why do you trust that foreign broad so much... woman?"

Fatty almost slipped up, but luckily he reacted quickly and corrected himself.

Han Yu smiled and said, "Zoe has made such a big sacrifice for us. Isn't she worth trusting? If it were you, after walking through the gates of hell, would you still be willing to return to the Z organization and wade through this muddy water?"

Fatty felt a little ashamed when he heard this. Han Yu was right; he was too insensitive. So he sighed and said, "Little Yu, you see things so clearly!"

Zoe had booked Fatty and Han Yu the best of the best first-class seats. The comfort was impeccable. After a simple dinner on the plane, the two chatted about this and that. The plane was very quiet, and the two, who had been busy all day, soon fell asleep.

Fatty and Han Yu arrived in America the next afternoon.

Zoe personally picked them up at the airport. After not seeing each other for half a year, Zoe felt different than before. She had become much calmer. The carefree and cleverness of the past had been worn away. He didn't know what she had experienced in the Z organization in the past six months.

After leaving the airport, a stretched Lincoln was parked horizontally in front of the three of them. Zoe greeted them, "Get in the car."

Fatty had only seen stretched Lincolns in movies before. This was the first time he had sat in such a high-end car, and he couldn't help but be curious, looking around.

Fatty asked Zoe, "This car is very expensive, right?"

Zoe smiled and said, "It's not much. It's a company car."

The driver who drove Zoe was an American who spoke fluent American-accented Mandarin. He picked up Zoe's words, "This is our company's best car. The boss is receiving the two guests with the highest standards."

Zoe quickly interrupted him and said embarrassedly, "Oh yeah, I forgot to introduce you. This is my business partner, Richard Curtis. He's my college classmate. His Chinese name is Li Decha."

Fatty laughed directly when he heard this name. "Richard and Li Decha, either way you say it is right."

"My name is Shi Chuan, they all call me Fatty. You can also call me Fatty. Call me whatever you want." Fatty's words made Li Decha laugh.

"Bingo!"

Li Decha and Fatty seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding between men and quickly became acquainted.

Han Yu, on the other hand, didn't care much about these things. She directly asked Zoe, "You're calling us to America so urgently this time, is it still because of the Mountains of Madness matter?"

Zoe didn't expect Han Yu to cut to the point so quickly. She sighed and nodded.