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"Well, I'll be taking my leave, Aunt Martha," Adrian stood up and gave a polite bow.
"It's a shame, you just got here yesterday," although Aunt Martha sighed, she didn't say much more, "Do visit us often when you have time, Ed. Victor hardly ever comes home these years."
Victor was Anderson and Martha's only son, four years older than Adrian. After graduating from Yale University, he started his own business and now owned a medium-sized company. Though it wasn't far from New York, in Boston, he rarely found time to come home. As for the reason, it was clear from his preference to have his mother move over instead of visiting home. Given Anderson's rigidity and stubbornness, even his relationship with his brother wasn't great, let alone with his son, proving the saying "no enmity, no father and son."
"I will, Aunt. I'll make sure to visit Victor too when I have the chance," Adrian hinted. Although they were family, there were some things he couldn't change, much less considering the crux of the matter...
"I hope the next time I see you, you aren't like this," Anderson came out from the inner room, still wearing that unappealing expression until his wife's glare softened his tone, "Do your best, Ed, focus on your goals."
"Thank you, Uncle Anderson. I understand." Adrian nodded and left his uncle and aunt's luxurious apartment.
Aunt Martha was right, but Uncle Anderson had grown accustomed to wielding absolute authority at home. So, even if he spoke pleasant words, they still sounded harsh. Wandering on the streets of Manhattan, Adrian thought this over. He pulled his trench coat tighter. In September, New York was considerably cooler than Los Angeles.
For now, I'll just come by regularly to maintain the connection. As for Victor... Well, we rarely see each other, and I'll just mention it when we do. Ultimately, it's up to them to resolve. Having made up his mind, Adrian began to explore Manhattan. In the past life, he hadn't even left his country, let alone been to New York. Although he had been before in this life, it was all now a memory. Touring Times Square and Fifth Avenue while matching those places with his memories was quite interesting.
Without realizing it, Adrian reached the mouth of the Hudson River. Looking at the distant Statue of Liberty gave him a surreal feeling. Ever since he woke up in February, he had been busy. Although his life was orderly, he rarely had such a thorough relaxation. Perhaps it was because he had just completed his first step.
Adrian gently shook his head, remembering a bench not far behind him. He took a few steps back, intending to sit down. Unexpectedly, just as he was about to settle on the bench, a voice abruptly scolded him, "Hey! Who told you to sit?"
This sudden voice startled Adrian. He turned to find someone already sitting on the bench. It was a young girl, around fifteen or sixteen, wearing a light gray jacket over a pink T-shirt. Her long, shiny blonde hair and well-proportioned features made her quite a beauty.
"Sorry, may I sit here?" Adrian asked after glancing at the bags and some peculiar items on the bench. The girl seemed to want to refuse, and he added, "I doubt you need the whole bench?"
The girl gave him a few glances with a mix of wariness and disdain and then silently threw her belongings into her bag. Her action seemed like she was venting, and she finally moved to one side with her bag hugged tightly.
Adrian shook his head with an amused smile. After sitting down, he didn't say anything more. Yet, despite the pleasant view of the Hudson River, the earlier interaction had dulled the experience. After resting for a few minutes, Adrian decided to leave. Before getting up, he instinctively glanced at the girl on the other side and was taken aback.
The beautiful girl looked dejectedly into the distance, one hand clutching her bag while the other rubbed her knee gently. Her somber demeanor suggested she had lost something important.
"Is something on your mind?" Adrian heard himself asking.
The girl looked slightly surprised and turned to study Adrian with an odd expression, then mocked with disdain, "What does it matter to you?"
"Well… alright, sorry." Adrian spread his hands, acknowledging his abruptness. Just as he was about to get up and leave, he heard her scoff, "What do you know, anyway!"
This girl… Adrian frowned and turned back, "What do you think I don't know? Your pain, your setbacks? God, everyone has their own pain and setbacks. Does that mean everyone vents their dissatisfaction at those who kindly try to remind them? Or do you have a persecution complex, assuming everyone who speaks to you has ill intentions?"
"You!" The girl's face flushed red. Maybe because she had been repressing it for too long, she suddenly screamed, "Do you know how long I've been striving in this damned place?! Do you know what it feels like to glimpse hope only to fall into The Abyss due to an accident?! I've been practicing ballet since childhood, for many years. I've been to Europe, to Italy, and when I finally made it into that damned Ballet Troupe in New York, I injured my knee and can never take the stage again! What do you know?"
Her emotional outburst brought tears to her eyes; realizing this, she angrily turned her head away.
"Feel better now? Speaking out can help," Adrian smiled and waited a few seconds before continuing, "Do you know what I was like two years ago?"
"Who cares what you were like two years ago," the girl retorted with some spite.
Adrian chuckled silently and sat there without saying anything, waiting. After a while, the girl finally turned back, her eyes studying him curiously, "So, two years ago, what were you like?"
"Well…" Adrian pondered, "Describing myself as wasting my days would be pretty accurate."
The girl frowned but said nothing, while Adrian's gaze moved toward the distant Statue of Liberty, "Back then, I was idling around every day, doing nothing, caring about nothing. I followed my whims, doing whatever I fancied. In fact, I started this way in high school, and by the time I graduated from college, while my best friend took over his father's company, I carried on the same way. My parents talked to me many times, but I never listened, until two years ago… when I couldn't hear their nagging anymore."
A long pause followed.
"I kept idling around. Even though my parents changed their will, they left me a part, yet I squandered far more than before. I never went home unless I was utterly drunk. Neither Godfather nor my best friend could get through to me. I saw myself as a waste, born to be this way, and figured that I might just waste away one day… But… I don't know what happened. Suddenly, in February of this year… I woke up, yes, suddenly awakened, grasping many things in an instant. I realized I could achieve something, that I wasn't a waste. I approached my best friend, started planning step-by-step, and set my own goals. In merely seven months, I established my own company. Although it's still small and weak, I knew I was destined for success! I knew I'd stand atop the world, overlooking those who once mocked me, those who thought I was nothing but a waste!"
He exhaled a long breath, feeling a sense of satisfaction spreading from his chest after venting. Unconsciously, he expanded his chest. Then he glanced at the girl, who was now staring blankly at him. After a few moments, she asked, "Were you also… venting?"
"Sort of." Adrian shrugged, "Let me ask you, girl, do you have any skills besides ballet?"
"Well…" The girl thought for a moment, "I've done some modeling, and maybe I could act…"
"Oh, hell, why must you revolve around those?" Adrian said, waving his hand, "Don't tell me you can't do anything else. I spent the first twenty years of my life indulging myself and lacked any management experience, yet I still became the owner of a small company, even though I still need help. If you don't know something, learn it. Are you not smart? Do you think you are any less intelligent than others? Come on, if you can earn your role through diligent ballet practice, why can't you do the same in other fields? You can totally apply to a professional college, become an assistant, work as a journalist, be an analyst, and step by step, carve out your path! What matters is whether you dare to, not whether you can!"
As he concluded his forceful gesture, the girl, who had been intently listening, was jolted awake. They both fell silent, with Adrian gazing at the Hudson River, taking deep breaths. Meanwhile, the girl gazed at him.
After a long pause, the girl finally spoke, "Honestly, your speech wasn't bad."
"Thanks, how do you think it compares to Martin Luther King's famous 'I Have a Dream'?"
"Much better than 'I Have a Dream.'"
"Really?"
"Indeed, because you have a dream."
They exchanged looks for a moment, then the girl burst into laughter, quickly followed by Adrian's hearty laughs, catching the attention of passersby around.
"Thank you, sir, you're a good person," the girl said, standing up and exhaling deeply. Her face was slightly flushed as she looked at Adrian, sincerity in her eyes, "You will achieve your goals."
"You too." Adrian smiled, nodding.
"Goodbye." The girl waved and slung her bag over her shoulder, hopping away into the distance.
She was quite adorable. Adrian watched the girl's retreating figure, then raised an eyebrow. What did she just say? I'm a good person? Why did that sound a bit odd?
He shook his head, then suddenly realized something, slapping his thigh, "Damn it! I forgot to ask her name and get her number!"
(Well, aren't you all sharp, care to guess who this character might be?)
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