Chapter 73 – Pigeon Eggs

The plane left a long white contrail as it sliced through the blue sky.

United States, Los Angeles.

“Cheers!” The glasses filled with champagne clinked together. Blond-haired, blue-eyed men and women danced under the flickering neon lights. The streets were bustling with traffic, and skyscrapers stood tall and closely packed. This city had a passion that rivaled New York’s.

After Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng got off the plane, they checked into the local Beverly Hills Hotel. A regular suite here cost six hundred dollars per night, roughly four thousand yuan. It was a place where money burned quickly.

Beverly Hills was known as “the world’s most prestigious residential area.” Here, the rich from around the globe and Hollywood stars gathered, making it revered as a holy site for the film industry. The commercial streets were prosperous and upscale, ranking among the world’s most expensive shopping centers.

At night, Shen Fubai happily dragged Jiang Heng to go on a shopping spree on Rodeo Drive. This was a shopper’s paradise, and since they were there, how could they not buy anything?

Every store on Rodeo Drive was lavishly decorated, filled with luxurious jewelry and clothing that adorned the entire street. People passing by were all well-dressed and elegant, their appearances bright and attractive. Anyone picked at random would belong to the upper echelons of society.

There were also many tourists coming and going. Some marveled at the exquisite goods, then hesitated when faced with the high prices.

Here was a famous saying: “Don’t ask about the price when buying something. Asking means you can’t afford it.”

Would Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng be afraid?

No.

It was time to experience the joy of being wealthy.

Upon seeing the bustling commercial street, Shen Fubai rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Do we have enough money?”

Jiang Heng held a stack of cards between his fingers. “Enough to buy the whole street.”

Shen Fubai shouted, “Charge ahead!!!” And then he disappeared into an upscale shop.

This necklace looked good; buy it.

This piece of clothing was fashionable; buy it.

These shoes were comfortable; buy them.

This bracelet came in a series with different colors, and it was hard to choose? Then don’t choose, just buy them all.

This watch looked nice, but trying it on wasn’t allowed, so the size was unknown? No problem, buy them all.

Buy! Buy with all your might! Buy everything!

Shen Fubai swept through the street from start to finish with an air of extravagance. Jiang Heng swiped the card and carried the bags without batting an eye.

They weren’t tired at all; they were extremely happy.

What mattered wasn’t the joy of shopping, but the freedom of indulging with someone you liked.

What was the point of having so much by oneself? Those were just lifeless objects. But if these things were bought together with a loved one, they would be imbued with a different meaning. Excessive spending, ostentatiousness, wastefulness? No, no, this was a rare moment of indulgence. One let loose, while the other unconditionally spoiled him.

“How much have we spent?” Shen Fubai asked. “Did we max out the card?”

Jiang Heng said, “Not much, only thirty thousand.”

The unit was ten thousand, in US dollars.

Shen Fubai helped carry some items. “Should I pay you back? I’ve been a little crazy tonight.” He said this with a smile, which showed that this craziness made him very happy.

Jiang Heng looked at his radiant smile and curved his lips. “No need. You can also give me gifts, but you never need to repay me.”

Gift-giving between them was great, doubling the happiness. There was no need for repayment. With their relationship, there was no need to be so clear-cut.

“Love you! A!” Shen Fubai leaned up and kissed Jiang Heng on the face.

The streets were crowded with people. Abroad, people were passionate and open. Public displays of affection between couples weren’t uncommon, and acceptance of same-sex relationships was even broader here. Nobody gave them strange looks; instead, some passed by with blessings, while others whistled and catcalled.

When Shen Fubai heard the whistle, he released Jiang Heng like a thief caught in the act. The whistling white man hugged his girlfriend and laughed, shouting “shy boy” at them. Shen Fubai loudly responded, “You can also try it with your girlfriend, it feels terrific!”

The passersby let out friendly laughter.

That white man was teasing Shen Fubai for being a shy boy, and Shen Fubai replied, “You can also try it with your girlfriend, it feels great.”

This response didn’t fit the image of a reserved and introverted Eastern beauty, but it felt unexpectedly good. The tall white man waved at them and then indeed kissed his girlfriend deeply right there on the street.

“A passionate city, with passionate people,” Shen Fubai turned to look at Jiang Heng. “Isn’t that right?”

Jiang Heng walked slowly with him down Rodeo Drive. “Yes.”

After this episode, they attracted the attention of passersby. In fact, whether it was their extravagant spending or their outstanding appearances, they had already caught the interest of many.

Here were tourists from around the world. Some were of Southeast Asian descent, some from the Middle East, some might be African, or perhaps African-American, and the most common were white-skinned, blond-haired Europeans.

Among the few Asians, Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai stood out in appearance.

This was Los Angeles, home to the famous Hollywood Universal Studios. Perhaps a passerby could be a well-known movie star. The streets were never short of beautiful people.

But Shen Fubai still stunned.

Taking advantage of the fact that they weren’t recognized much abroad, neither Shen Fubai nor Jiang Heng wore any disguises. This caused many to turn their heads, marveling at the beauty of this visitor from the East.

Asian features were flat, and to foreigners, they often seemed indistinguishable and lacked uniqueness. Just as Asians usually couldn’t tell apart European and American faces. This facial recognition ability was innate, creating unique aesthetics in different countries.

But some beauties were universally recognized.

Even if aesthetics varied slightly, people understood that these two young men with Asian faces were exceptionally handsome. One was a handsome guy, and the other… simply reached their aesthetic peak.

He was talking about Shen Fubai.

His beauty fulfilled all foreigner’s fantasies about Eastern elves.

Shen Fubai even overheard three young foreign girls conversing in English.

Girl A: “Do you think he’s from which country? Japan? He must be Japanese, he’s so cute.”

Girl B: “Japanese aren’t that tall. I guess he’s Korean, Korean flower boys are super numerous.”

Girl C: “But he has double eyelids.”

Although they were whispering, their voices weren’t low, and Shen Fubai wasn’t deaf, nor did he not understand English.

Shen Fubai lived abroad for a long time during his childhood, and English was like a native language to him. Jiang Heng, the high achiever, also had fluent spoken English, and communication wasn’t a problem. They didn’t need a translator at all.

Shen Fubai seriously asked Jiang Heng, “Why do movies from China, Japan, and South Korea exist, but China never gets a name?”

Jiang Heng pondered for a moment. “Perhaps cultural export isn’t extensive enough. Japan has anime, South Korea has entertainment, and China has…”

Shen Fubai glanced at a trash bin marked “DEA.” “We have Made in China.” That export was very strong.

Those three girls continued their discussion.

Girl A: “Who do you think is prettier, him or Xavier?”

Girl B: “Xavier.”

Girl C: “Xavier.”

Girl A crossed her arms and looked at them.

The two girls exchanged glances, shrugged their shoulders, and one said, “Okay, I admit that Japanese guy is very cute, but Xavier is every beautiful girl’s dream lover.”

“It’s a Korean guy,” the other girl corrected.

“Isn’t Xavier a little angel?” the previous girl asked.

“…” The other girl was caught in her own argument. “Fine, you’re right.”

They almost fought over whether Shen Fubai was Japanese or Korean, but on the issue of Xavier, they reached a unanimous consensus.

“Who is Xavier?” Shen Fubai was curious.

“I don’t know, probably a local American celebrity, sounds popular, but hasn’t gained much international fame yet,” Jiang Heng said. “Fubai, you don’t need to speak English to me.”

He noticed that Shen Fubai’s English accent was very pure, not like something taught in books, but more like living in such a linguistic environment.

Before sixteen-year-old Shen Fubai.

Jiang Heng suddenly became curious.

Those girls had already walked far away, but they could still faintly hear excited voices.

“I heard Xavier recently came to Los Angeles, at Universal Studios, do we have a chance to run into him?”

“If I did, I’d definitely faint on the spot…”

Shen Fubai guessed roughly, “Xavier is very popular in America, maybe equivalent to me in the domestic scene.”

Top domestic stream, average internationally, that was probably the meaning. This was normal, after all, international celebrities could be counted on one hand, mostly elderly veterans who won awards left and right. Younger generations were still too inexperienced.

“Why are you paying so much attention to him?” Jiang Heng wasn’t pleased that a third person’s name appeared during their intimate moment.

Pouting, Shen Fubai said, “I’m not convinced, is he cuter than me, prettier than me?”

Shen Fubai had a peculiar self-confidence that he was the best baby in the world. In front of Jiang Heng, his mentality was only three years old.

Jiang Heng coaxed the three-year-old baby. “No. They’re Americans, of course they prefer their local idols. Aren’t you also number one domestically?”

People favored their own children. Jiang Heng was the same, favoring his own baby.

Shen Fubai wasn’t really concerned. When he saw the next jewelry store, he threw that matter to the back of his mind.

“What beautiful rings,” Shen Fubai admired a pair of matching rings in the display case.

The ring was a massive pigeon egg, adorned with nine diamonds forming the pattern of the Arabic numeral “9.”

Rich Jiang said, “If you like it, buy it.”

“No! I want to learn to be a virtuous man,” Shen Fubai declared solemnly. “I already indulged once, this kind of wasteful thing shouldn’t be done again.”

The saleswoman could tell from the bags they were carrying that they were valuable customers, so she was very attentive. “Would you like to buy this pair of rings? This is the store’s latest model and a limited edition, exclusively designed by our designer, and there’s only one set in the world.”

Shen Fubai said, “No.” He had already bought many things today, and the craziest shopping period had passed. Calmed down, there was no need for him to buy more jewelry. Usually, brands sent him more than he could ever use.

Appreciation was one thing, but Shen Fubai didn’t plan to buy anything else today. If he did, he’d cut off his own hands; if he did, he’d be a dog.

The saleswoman wasn’t willing to let go of this big sale and continued to promote dutifully. “The diamonds on top come from South Africa, and they weigh a full nine carats.”

Shen Fubai glanced at the price tag, $1,274,011.

Nine million yuan. More valuable than everything they bought tonight combined.

Shen Fubai pulled Jiang Heng back discreetly. “No, thank you.”

Nine million, possible, but unnecessary.

Nine million could buy six hundred thousand cups of milk tea, four hundred fifty thousand cakes, nine hundred thousand boxes of cookies, and three million six hundred thousand bags of chips.

Why would he buy two pigeon eggs? It was meaningless.

Just as they were about to step out the door, the saleswoman made a desperate final effort. “The person wearing this pair of rings will receive God’s blessing and can be together forever!”

In fact, these words were just routine. She said this to every couple that came to pick out rings. She had already given up hope for this sale.

The desperate saleswoman felt a gust of wind brush past her. The young man about to leave pulled the other man back.

Shen Fubai said, “Heng Heng, buy it!!!”