America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

Is that her?

Liz pointed to the other side of the road, where a well-dressed girl was also waiting for the traffic light.

"It looks a bit like..."

As Li Qun spoke, he glanced at Peter and noticed that Peter's attention was on Mary Jane; he probably hadn't even heard what he and Liz were saying.

The green light came on, and the girl with exquisite makeup crossed the road, heading straight for Li Qun and his group, stopping in front of them.

“Gwen?” Li Qun asked tentatively.

"It's me. Don't you recognize me?"

Gwen's voice was a little sweet and coquettish, the kind of voice she used when she was with other girls. Li Qun and Peter rarely heard Gwen use that voice with them, which made them both instinctively shudder.

"The dress is beautiful," Li Qun complimented.

"Thank you."

“She’s also very beautiful,” Li Qun added.

Gwen blushed.

"ticket."

Peter handed the theater tickets to Gwen, and even Peter was shocked by Gwen's formal attire, which made her look like a goddess descended from heaven.

"What are your seat numbers?"

Liz asked, and several people gave their seat numbers.

Liz and Mary Jane were on the same ship, and Peter and the other two were together.

Peter and Liz both wanted to rearrange the seating, while Gwen, Liqun, and Mary Jane didn't care who they sat next to.

“Does anyone want to trade with me?” Liz asked, holding up her vote.

“Liz, don’t you want to sit with me?” Mary Jane asked.

"Do not……"

"Let's leave it to God to decide? Shall we draw lots?" Li Qun noticed the atmosphere was getting awkward, and Peter and Liz hesitated to speak.

“That’s for the best,” Gwen said.

Mary Jane and Gwen handed their votes to Li Qun, and then Peter and Liz followed suit, handing their votes to Li Qun as well.

"Now I'll shuffle the order."

"Isn't it interesting to come up with unexpected combinations?"

Li Qun held half of the five theater tickets in his hand and had the three girls draw lots first. They couldn't look at their seats immediately after drawing the tickets; they had to wait until Peter finished his two-choice draw before all five of them could see the results together.

"This is something I didn't expect..."

“Oh, Lyon, we’re seated together.” Mary Jane smiled at Li Qun, looking at her seat number.

“Peter…”

Li Qun looked at Peter, whose smile was somewhat stiff.

Peter was flanked by Liz and Gwen.

"Shall we try again?"

Liz's smile also seemed a little stiff.

"How many minutes until it starts?" Gwen asked.

"Only five minutes left." Li Qun glanced at his watch.

"That's fine then."

Gwen walked into the theater with her ticket, ready to have it checked and enter.

"This is fine too."

Mary Jane followed closely behind Gwen, and casually grabbed Li Qun's wrist, leading him into the theater.

"Let's go in too."

Liz grabbed Peter's wrist and followed him into the theater.

The five people found seats and sat down.

“If there’s a next time, you can give me the job of buying tickets,” Liz whispered seriously in Peter’s ear.

“If there is a next time, I will,” Peter replied seriously.

Peter received special treatment from Liz's father when buying the tickets; their three tickets were in the first row, while Liz's own two internal tickets were in the second row—all the best seats for enjoying the play.

Li Qun and Mary Jane sat in the middle of the second row, while Liz, Peter, and Gwen sat on the left side of the first row.

As the theater lights dimmed, the three people in the first row all glanced back at Li Qun and Mary Jane in the second row.

Li Qun felt that the three people in the first row were mainly looking at him.

“Mary Jane, I messed up. I shouldn’t have suggested drawing lots…”

Peter really wanted to sit with you.

Li Qun whispered in Mary Jane's ear.

"It's fine."

“I can sense that Gwen and Liz are also quite interested in switching places with me.”

“We can switch seats again during halftime,” Mary Jane replied softly, tilting her head.

"You and Peter switch places."

"It can be done like this too." Li Qun suddenly realized.

It was Li Qun and Peter's first time seeing a play on Broadway, and they had no idea there was an intermission.

The play lasts two and a half hours, with a fifteen-minute intermission in between.

It's really inappropriate for audiences to have to hold their pee while watching a play.

Chapter 6 Sandstorm Characteristics

When the actor recited his last line, time on the stage stopped, creating a static scene.

The stage lights went out, and the huge curtain slowly closed, signaling the official end of tonight's performance.

As the theater lights came on again, the curtain opened once more, and the actors appeared on stage one by one, bowing to the audience in gratitude, which was met with thunderous applause.

Peter clapped his hands vigorously, glancing furtively at Mary Jane, who was also clapping beside him.

That night, Peter's emotions were just as turbulent as the theatrical performance on stage. He never expected that he would be able to switch seats with Li Qun halfway through the night and sit next to Mary Jane.

After the theater performance ended, the five people gathered outside the theater, surrounded by the sounds of other people.

"Liqun, did you and Mary Jane plan this in advance?" Peter had been holding this question in for an hour, and Liz and Gwen had the same question.

“No, absolutely not.” Li Qun waved his hand.

“Isn’t this better?” Mary Jane asked with a smile.

“It’s really good,” Liz said, her hand subtly taking Li Qun’s arm, but Li Qun quietly pulled his arm away.

"It was a great night. Was the performance wonderful?"

Liz's father, Adrian, stood silently beside Liz, unnoticed by anyone until he spoke.

"That was fantastic!"

"It was my first time seeing a play, and I will never forget that night."

Li Qun grasped Adrian's hand, appearing very excited.

"Me too."

After Li Qun let go of his hand, Peter shook hands with Adrian, who was all smiles.

"A new friend? Aren't you going to introduce me?"

Adrian looked at Gwen Stacy, whose image had been completely transformed, and asked the others.

“She’s Gwen Stacy, the classmate I tutored with during finals. She’s just wearing makeup, her hair is styled, and she’s wearing a dress. Don’t you recognize her, Dad?” Liz retorted to Adrian.

"Oh!! It's you!"

Adrian extended his hand to shake Gwen's, his eyes full of admiration.

"Interested in studying acting? You'll become one of Broadway's brightest new stars," Adrian asked Gwen with a smile.

"Thank you, I never even thought about becoming an actor."

Adrian gave his hand a light shake and then let go.

"It's very late, is someone coming to pick you up and take you home?" Adrian asked with concern.

“My uncle is coming to pick me up, Mary Jane, do you want a ride?” Peter asked Mary Jane.

“Peter, Mary Jane is with me tonight. I need to have a private conversation with her.” Liz reached out and took Mary Jane’s arm.

“My dad’s car, he’s here.”

Gwen pointed to the road, and George's Ford Explorer stopped. The door opened quickly, and George in the driver's seat waved to a few people on the side of the road.

"Good evening." George smiled and exchanged a glance with Liz's father, Adrian.

"Goodbye."

Gwen got into the car, the door closed quickly, and George drove off swiftly.

“I should go now, Peter. Please give my regards to Uncle Ben and Aunt May for me.”

"Okay, goodbye."

Li Qun waved and turned to walk into the Manhattan night.

He didn't bother his father or uncle to pick him up; he was able to go home by himself at 9:30 pm.

The subway and buses haven't stopped running yet, but he has to hurry.