Taoist priest goes to America

The two continued walking along the alley, and Fineria began to talk casually about the urban literature she had read in college.

She had been secretly collecting photocopies of old New York travelogues since high school and had always wanted to write an essay about Brooklyn, but she never got around to it.

She had never said these words to anyone. In her parents' eyes, work was the most important thing, and their daughter's interests were irrelevant to them.

In front of someone like Harrington, discussing literature will only elicit a blank stare and a response like, "Then write me some love letters."

But Ang Lee listened, walking on her left, occasionally responding softly, or asking her who a certain author was or how to spell a certain book title.

He asked very seriously, so seriously that Fineria felt that this person really remembered every word she said.

The Girl Next Door Cookie Shop is tucked away in a row of brownstone buildings along the street. Its pale yellow exterior walls paired with dark blue-green wooden window frames make it look like a set straight out of a Wes Anderson movie.

They went inside, ordered two cups of hot cocoa and a small cream cookie, and sat by the wooden window facing the street. Occasionally, one or two people jogging by would pass by outside, their footsteps clearly audible in the quiet neighborhood.

Fineria held the warm ceramic cup in both hands, her expression completely different from before she set off.

The redness from the wine faded considerably, replaced by a relaxed, almost languid tranquility.

"Actually, I don't dislike inheriting the family business." She suddenly spoke, her gaze falling on the window, as if she were confiding in Li An.

"What I hate is that they've chosen everything for me—university, major, friends, future husband, everything. I'm like a pre-ordered product; they just need to wait for the right moment to sign for me."

She took a sip of hot cocoa, leaving a ring of white milk foam on her upper lip, but she didn't wipe it off.

"When I was a freshman, I thought about secretly changing my major from business management to literature."

"I filled out the application form. On the day before I was to submit it, my mom called and said she wasn't feeling well and was worried about me being alone. She started crying as she spoke."

Fineria put down the cup, her fingers slowly circling the rim. "Later I found out that she had nothing to do that day; she just saw my application to change my major that I had left on the table."

Ang Lee listened quietly without interrupting her.

"I stopped thinking about it from that day on. Anyway, it didn't matter to me what I studied."

She gave a wry smile. "After graduation, I'll go back to Manhattan, take over the family business, and then marry a man they deem a good match. Harrington, or the next Harrington, what difference does it make?"

Fineria stuffed the remaining half of the cream cookie into her mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it. Then she suddenly looked up and stared straight at Ang Lee.

"But you're different." Her tone suddenly became serious. "From the first time I saw you, I felt that you were different."

Fineria paused, considered her words carefully, but ultimately spoke.

"You're the first person who has truly made me feel..." She took a deep breath and lowered her voice, "that I am an independent and authentic person."

"How about we really elope? Like Jack and Lucy on the Titanic."

Fineria's expression was serious and determined, with a kind of resolve that had been suppressed for a long time and finally found an outlet. She had bet all her chips on one hand, and that hand was Ang Lee.

Another jogger passed by outside the window, their sneakers making rhythmic sounds on the cobblestones before quickly disappearing into the distance. Inside the café, only the rustling of the cashier wiping cups behind the counter and the breathing of two people remained.

Ang Lee looked into Fineria's eyes; her gaze was clear and open.

But Ang Lee was inwardly amused and annoyed.

This guy felt like he was "alive" for the first time in twenty-six years, full of a little girl's sincerity and impulsiveness.

But sister, are you going to run away like this?

If you run away, what will I eat?

You just sat there, so arrogantly and ignorantly, and said the words "elope" to me.

Come on.

Ang Lee knew exactly what was going on; this wasn't love, at least not the kind of true love she had imagined.

This is the story of a girl whose life has been planned out for her by her parents. One night, she meets a stranger who is unlike any of the men in her social circle.

This stranger would listen to her talk about her travelogues in New York and her Brooklyn essays that she had never written, and he would pull her to jump off the balcony.

Fineria's heart underwent a chemical reaction amidst this unprecedented tenderness, creating a delusion that she mistook for love.

To put it bluntly, Fineria simply saw a handsome man who matched her sexual fetishes, and she had just been suppressing them for twenty-six years.

This person just happens to be Ang Lee, not because he is anything special, but simply because he appeared in the right place at the right time and did a series of the right things.

If someone else did these things, the results would be the same.

Do you really think they're Jack and Lucy? It's scary how easily romance novels can get to your head.

Ang Lee was frustrated with him, thinking, "He's different? How is he different?"

Harrington's gang is after your beauty; they see you as a trophy to be conquered, a decorative vase worthy of their family name.

I'm after your status and money.

Fineria's family has a vast business empire in New York, ranging from dock logistics to high-end real estate, from art auctions to managing political and business relationships. This family has been rooted in New York for three generations, and their deep-rooted foundation is unmatched by those nouveau riche.

As the only daughter, Fineria will inherit a portion of the family's power in the future. Even though her parents still treat her as someone who needs to be arranged for her, the right to inherit is inescapable.

Ang Lee knew from the beginning that gaining Fineria's trust was only the first step, and there was still a long way to go.

Am I different? That's because you just haven't noticed.

Listening attentively as you talk about writers and poets I've never read before, I wonder how much interest I have in your intellectual world?

Ang Lee adjusted his mindset; despite his inner turmoil, the matter still needed to be addressed.

Fineria was now sitting in front of him, her emotions pushed to a fragile breaking point by the romance of the entire night.

If he handles it well, she will trust him even more and regard him as the person who understands her best in the world. If he handles it poorly, she will feel rejected, her self-esteem will be hurt, and all the goodwill she has accumulated will be wiped out.

He can't let her elope? What a joke! He went to so much trouble to get close to her, not to run away with her, but to keep her in her position.

If she really eloped with a tenant, where would her family's reputation be? The first thing her parents would do would be to sever ties and freeze assets. At that point, Fineria would no longer be the rich heiress who held the family's resources; she would just be an ordinary woman.

Ang Lee didn't want an ordinary woman; he needed Lofe Brown Finneria, the landlady who stood at the top of New York's high society and held the right to inherit the family business.

"Phinelia," he said, setting down his cup in a gentle voice, as if soothing a frightened kitten, "listen to me."