美国 N 市郊区
夜幕降临，现代化的城市笼罩在冬日的灰蒙蒙雾气中。寒风呼啸，夹带着点点冰雹。街上的行人紧紧裹住外套，匆匆走过时避免与他人目光接触。
笔直的道路尽头，有一条与之成直角的高速公路，将这里一分为二，一边是略显混乱的老城区，一边是宁静高档的别墅区。不过，道路并没有就此结束，它深入高速公路之下，继续延伸，成为一条狭窄、光线昏暗的隧道。
隧道外的地面凹凸不平，几根铁柱子挡住汽车，柱子锈迹斑斑，几名衣衫褴褛的流浪汉靠在柱子上，吃着好心陌生人递来的面包。
林小婉坐在隧道口，烟熏眼眸深邃，目光呆滞地望着天空，手指无意识地拨弄着怀里的吉他弦，像是要把它们掰断。她身边的青年男子，面容俊美，颧骨高耸，鼻梁挺拔，画着朋克妆。他看了一眼她的手指，将手中的香烟递给她。
林小婉睫毛轻轻颤动了一下，随后自然地接过香烟，深深吸了一口，吐出了一缕烟雾。
“天气预报说本周可能会下大雪，”那名男子看着隧道内闪烁的灯光，语气冷漠地说道。
“嗯。”林小婉夹着烟，心不在焉的回答。
男人停顿了一下，又说：“你想去我家住吗？外面会很冷。”
林小婉冷笑，笑容里带着一丝嘲讽，“那又怎么样？睡你来付房租？我已经厌烦这种安排了。”
男人微微皱眉，没说话，隧道里走进了两道身影，一高一矮，矮个子朝林小婉跑来，用英文喊着她的名字：“Kitty！”
林小婉将烟递还给男人，站起身，拍了拍手，问两位新人：“拿了什么？”
个子较矮的那位是白人女孩，头发染成黑色，嘴唇上戴着耳环，她把一些杂货倒在毯子上。“超市挤满了人。我们只买到了打折的鸡胸肉和一些快过期的面包，”她耸耸肩。
林小婉把食物分给同伴们，自己留了最少的一份，白人女孩把剩下的钱递给她，林小婉随手扔进了包里。
高个子、看上去很疲惫的白人男孩问道：“我们不在的时候有谁经过吗？”
林小婉：“是啊，但是没人停下来听我唱歌，更没人给我钱。”
“天气越来越冷，我们挣的钱越来越少。很快我们要么饿死，要么冻死，”他抱怨道。
女孩踢了他一脚。“嘿，派恩，别再抱怨了！我们又没抱怨过，所以要勇敢一点，不然就滚回你父母那儿去！”
派恩沉默了，继续啃着鸡胸肉。
林小婉靠在递烟的男人身上，懒洋洋地说：“你不用担心我。”她没有理会众人对她情绪低落的担忧。
一辆黑色跑车停在隧道附近，打断了这帮朋克的谈话。从车里走出来一位身着剪裁合身的黑色西装的帅气男子。他肩宽腰细，身材健美，散发着迷人的魅力。林小婉目光犀利地扫了他一眼，评估道：他需要一点驯服。
Before she could act, a leggy blonde exited the car, threw herself into the man’s arms, and sobbed, “Please, Yang, I don’t want to break up. Tell me what I did wrong, and I’ll change!”
The man’s magnetic voice matched his refined appearance. “It’s not your fault. I just can’t make myself love you. Staying together will only hurt us both.”
He handed her an elegant box, apologizing sincerely. The blonde brightened as she opened it to reveal a Patek Philippe watch. After a graceful exit, the man leaned on his car, looking toward the tunnel.
Lin Xiaowan seized the opportunity, sauntering over and greeting him in English. “Looking to cross the tunnel to the villa side?”
He hesitated, surprised by the punk girl’s melodic voice. After a brief exchange, she playfully insisted he tell her his name, but when he introduced himself as “Chen Xin,” she teasingly refused to share hers, promising to reveal it if he passed by again tomorrow.
As Chen Xin drove away, Lin Xiaowan returned to her friends, ignoring their teasing as she plotted her next move.
After choosing to take a detour, Chen Xin indeed returned to his newly purchased villa in the United States half an hour later. The villa, designed in a European architectural style, stands up to three stories high, covering an area of over 400 square meters. Surrounded by greenery and flowers, it features a sizable swimming pool and lawn, making it one of the most expensive villas in the area.
Chen Xin parked his car in the garage and had just entered the foyer when a servant approached him, speaking fluent Chinese: “Sir, your wine has arrived from home and has been placed in the cellar.”
Chen Xin raised his eyebrows slightly—a habitual gesture when he was excited. He quickly headed towards the wine cellar, remembering to ask the servant beside him, “None of them were damaged, right?”
“No, all are intact.”
Pushing open the wine cellar door, Chen Xin saw another servant standing in front of shelves filled with various expensive wines, carefully wiping the bottles with a cloth. Upon seeing Chen Xin, the servant politely bowed. Chen Xin nodded and said, “You may go; I’ll handle things here.”
After the two servants left, Chen Xin carefully took down the bottle of red wine placed in the center of the shelf. Treating it like a cherished pet, he gently wiped it clean, wanting to caress the slightly yellowed lettering aged by time, but couldn’t bring himself to do so. In the end, he gently placed the bottle back.
He immersed himself in the wine cellar for a while until a phone call brought his thoughts back.
Seeing the name “Ye Chen” on the screen, Chen Xin smiled helplessly before answering. As expected, he immediately heard Ye Chen’s stormy roar: “Chen Xin, what are you thinking? Such a beautiful blonde, and you’re not satisfied?”
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Leaning against the wall, Chen Xin explained, “It’s not that I’m dissatisfied…”
“Then what? Do you think she’s a gold digger? Let me tell you, who doesn’t like money these days? Don’t be limited by narrow-minded thoughts, thinking they like us just because we’re rich. So what if they like my money? It’s a sign of my capability! I enjoy spending money on girls! So you—”
“Calm down. Can you let me finish before sharing your theories?” Chen Xin interrupted helplessly.
Reluctantly, Ye Chen said, “Fine, go ahead. I’ve introduced you to at least ten prospects, from domestic to international. Let’s see what excuse you have this time.”
Chen Xin chuckled, “It’s not that the girl isn’t good; I really tried, but I just don’t feel anything for her. Whether we’re having dinner or watching a movie together, it feels as plain as drinking water—there’s no… no spark, you know?”
“I! Don’t! Get it! A 34D bust, such fair long legs, looking like a Barbie doll, and you’re not moved? I really don’t know what kind of girl would move you,” Ye Chen retorted helplessly. “Alright, Chen Xin, I won’t introduce any more girls to you. I’m just torturing myself here! Tell Auntie not to call me about this anymore; I want to keep such good resources for myself!”
Chen Xin quickly replied, “Yes, yes, it’s my fault. I’ll call my mom in a bit.”
Only then did Ye Chen’s mood improve. He changed the subject, “By the way, have you settled into your new place? Just a heads up, the locals here can be quite cunning. Seeing that we have money, they might take us for suckers. Don’t let yourself get scammed.”
Chen Xin rubbed his temples, “…Too late, I’ve already been scammed.”
“What? What happened?”
Chen Xin briefly explained the pedestrian tunnel incident to his good buddy. After hearing it, Ye Chen was furious and cursed, “Sh*t! These guys think they can bully us just because they’re locals? I have a friend who knows the developer of your villa. I’ll meet that guy someday and teach him a lesson!”
“Forget it; it’s not a big deal. It just means I have to drive an extra half hour after work every day,” Chen Xin consoled. “I mainly chose this place for its nice environment.”
“Chen Xin, can’t you stop being such a saint?” Ye Chen said helplessly. “Can’t you learn from me and be a bit more vengeful?”
Chen Xin suppressed a laugh and said, “That’s called complementary personalities. If I were as vengeful as you, we would’ve ended up in the hospital from fighting dozens of times by now.”
“True, haha,” Ye Chen replied. “Speaking of which, maybe that blonde girl really isn’t right for you. She’s so gentle; you should find someone who can keep you in check.”
“Sigh, let’s not rush into finding a partner…”
“Yeah, right. Tell that to Auntie, or she’ll keep calling me.”
“Alright, alright, I get it,” Chen Xin said as he turned to leave the wine cellar. “By the way, when are you coming to N City?”
“In about half a month. The branch office in L City is a mess because of financial issues,” Ye Chen replied. “Once I’m there, let’s have a good get-together with our buddies in the States!”
“No problem.”
After hanging up, Chen Xin had dinner alone and then went to his study to work.
A month ago, following his father’s instructions, he came to the family’s branch company in the United States to serve as president. The Chen family’s business mainly involves the production and sales of computer components. In recent years, business has been good, and the company has been expanding, but they’ve hit some bottlenecks in the U.S. Since Chen Xin is the most capable in the family, he came over to help.
Initially, he planned to stay for just two or three months, but upon arrival, he discovered significant issues in the branch. Additionally, he identified several other promising areas for development, so he decided to buy a house and settle down temporarily.
He has always preferred to work meticulously rather than rushing, striving for perfection in everything. Naturally, he chose the best house, brought over the fine wines he’d collected over nearly ten years in China, and, of course, his three adopted stray dogs.
At this moment, Chen Xin was working at his computer, while the three dogs of various colors lay obediently on the soft mats beside him, watching their owner with big eyes.
At 10:30, Chen Xin finished his work on time. He took out some dog treats from the drawer and waved to his pets in the corner. The three dogs immediately wagged their tails and rushed over, placing their paws on his legs to eat from his hand.
With his other hand, he swiped through his tablet, intending to watch a light-hearted movie after work. Somehow, he randomly clicked on a music video on a streaming site.
It was an unconventional song with a haunting melody. In the video, the female lead singer, sporting heavy smoky makeup, hoarsely screamed into the camera. Her eyes seemed to convey immense sorrow and anger, yet also a sense of exhaustion.
Chen Xin immediately thought of the girl he had seen at the tunnel entrance that evening, recalling that she hadn’t told him her name. He wasn’t particularly fond of her heavy makeup but found her clear voice unforgettable. He wondered if he should go find her the next day and ask for her name.
But the thought quickly passed. Chen Xin calmed down and felt he was being foolish.
He shook his head with a smile, patted his pets’ heads, and went to bed alone.
For the next three days, Chen Xin avoided taking the tunnel route home, opting to drive the long way instead. But on Friday night, an issue arose.
The highway was heavily congested, stretching for hundreds of meters.
Chen Xin was relatively fortunate; leaving the office late, he was at the end of the traffic jam. A kind police officer tapped on his window, “Sir, I suggest you turn around. This jam will last at least two hours.”
Chen Xin smiled politely, “Thank you. I didn’t expect it to be this bad.”
The officer shrugged, “Well, Christmas is the day after tomorrow.”
陈新意识到这和家乡的新年很像。但他能把车开到哪里去呢？这条公路是回家的唯一道路，他没有车。
陈欣笑着解释道：“我没零钱了，再说了，我相信你的表现，值这么多钱。”
“哼，你还真是会说话啊。”林小婉抱着吉他站了起来，“不过你这么大方，我也不能吝啬，让我唱一首我最拿手的歌给你听吧！”
此话一出，旁边的围观者纷纷欢呼起来，似乎很想听林小婉唱歌。
林小婉得意一笑，回头看了一眼乐队成员，贝斯手派恩和键盘手玛姬已经蓄势待发，鼓手冷青却冷冷地靠在墙上，一动不动。
小婉走过去踢了他一脚，“你做啥梦啊？开始伴奏！我最拿手的歌！你听见了吗？”
冷青看了她一眼，又冷冷的看了一眼身后，不情愿的敲着鼓的陈心。
玛吉和派恩立刻加入进来，歌曲的旋律在隧道入口处回荡。
曲子一响起，陈新就感觉到不对劲，但阻止已经晚了，眼前的女孩娇媚地把手搭在他的肩上，用迷人的嗓音唱起了那首经典老歌——
麦当娜的《宛如处女》。
陈欣笑着解释道：“我没零钱，再说了，我相信你的表现，值这么多钱。”
“哼，你还真是会说话啊。”林小婉抱着吉他站了起来，“不过你这么大方，我也不吝啬，让我唱一首我最拿手的歌给你听吧！”
此话一出，旁边的围观者纷纷欢呼起来，似乎很想听林小婉唱歌。
林小婉得意一笑，回头看了一眼乐队成员，贝斯手派恩和键盘手玛姬已经蓄势待发，鼓手冷青却冷冷地靠在墙上，一动不动。
小婉走过去踢了他一脚，“你做啥梦？陪我唱！我最棒的歌！你没听到吗？”
冷青看了她一眼，又冷冷的看了一眼身后，不情愿的敲着鼓的陈心。
玛吉和派恩立刻加入进来，歌曲的旋律在隧道入口处回荡。
曲子一响起，陈新就感觉到不对劲，但阻止已经晚了，眼前的女孩娇媚地把手搭在他的肩上，用迷人的嗓音唱起了那首经典老歌——
麦当娜的《宛如处女》。