The Man in the Black Sweater - 1.1: Goodbye, New York

In December, even a breath in New York could freeze into ice in the air. Fog rose from the Hudson River, cutting off the east and west banks. Looking across, there was nothing but a white haze. Many of the trees in Central Park stood bare, as if they had purposely shed their clothes to welcome Christmas.

This season was Luo Xu’s favorite in New York. She leaned against the windowsill, gazing at the old street outside. Pigeons fluttered up beside her, and fallen leaves whirled around her.

“Casey, the person picking you up is here!” Monica rushed up the creaky old stairs with groceries in her arms, pushed open the door, and called out, panting heavily.

“Oh…” Luo Xu propped her chin in her hands and answered lazily.

Clutching her chest, Monica said, “I’ve never been so close to a luxury car in my life. I wonder how good the window tint is—do you think the person inside saw me…?”

After leaning there so long that her waist ached, Luo Xu finally got up, picked up her coat, and said, “I left the rent money on the table. Remember to pay it.”

Monica steadied herself against the table, then asked, “So, when will you be back?”

“Tang said just a month.” Luo Xu wrapped herself up and tied her scarf.

Monica smiled and stretched out her arms. “Congratulations, you finally get a chance to go back.”

Luo Xu smiled, hugged her, and replied, “It may not be for the brightest reason, but at least I don’t have to pay for the ticket.”

She had followed her mother across the ocean to New York when she was five years old. Counting it up, she hadn’t set foot in her homeland for nearly sixteen years.

“Good luck, come back soon,” Monica said, hugging her tightly.

Luo Xu hugged her back, gave her shoulder a playful pat, and said lightly, “Darling, see you next year.”

“See you next year.”

Dragging her suitcase, Luo Xu left. Monica leaned over the windowsill to watch her climb into the luxury car waiting downstairs. Passersby couldn’t hide their envy. The silver logo gleamed faintly as the car slid into traffic, disappearing gradually at the end of the street.

At Kennedy Airport, before boarding, Luo Xu slipped into a cubicle under the pretense of going to the restroom and called Tang Juan.

“Did you see my uncle yet?”

“No, we’re still waiting for him.” Luo Xu kept her voice low, covering the phone with her hand. She stressed again and again, “I only agreed to help you this once. If things fall apart later, I’m not cleaning up the mess.”

“I know, I know—your great kindness, I’ll never forget it.”

“When are you coming back?”

Tang Juan said, “It’ll take me another two months to finish here. For now, just help me deal with them—oh, especially my grandma. You absolutely have to make her believe that the baby in your belly is mine.”

“Your grandma… shouldn’t be too hard. But if your family finds out, won’t they throw me out? I don’t have anyone in China…” Luo Xu asked anxiously.

“Relax. If they kick you out, I’ll take responsibility. I’ll make sure you get back to New York safely to give birth.”

Leaning against the restroom wall with one hand, Luo Xu narrowed her long, slender eyes. “Let me warn you—if you don’t come back on time, my fee is going to accumulate by the day.”

“No problem!” The rich second generation waved it off generously.

Luo Xu nodded in satisfaction. “Clear accounts between brothers—only that way can we keep cooperating long term.”

The two of them were in cahoots, each with their own agenda.

“I already sent you my uncle’s photo. With your face blindness, make sure you look at it several times and memorize it!” Tang Juan reminded her.

“Got it…”

“I mean it—look at it more than once, really remember it,” Tang Juan nagged anxiously.

Bang bang bang—there was a knock at the door. Luo Xu quickly hung up.

An older woman stood outside the restroom, giving Luo Xu a few disapproving looks. Luo Xu quickly slipped out with a grin.

The man waiting for her outside the ladies’ restroom immediately said, “Mr. Pei has arrived. We can board now.”

Luo Xu nodded and followed him.

He led her through several turns before finally arriving at the basement level. A shuttle bus was waiting at the entrance, completely empty. Luo Xu and the man stepped on, and the bus started moving.

“Just the two of us?” Luo Xu glanced at the empty cabin, a little surprised.

The man gave her a brief look and nodded.

What was going on with this flight? Couldn’t they even sell tickets? Luo Xu muttered inwardly.

After about seven or eight minutes, the shuttle stopped. Getting off, Luo Xu was met with the sight of a private jet parked right in front of her.

At once, she had a sudden realization—so that’s how it was…

That brat Tang Juan had clearly lowballed her! Saying his parents were just ordinary salaried workers—yeah, right!

“Miss Luo, this way, please.” A tall bodyguard bowed and extended his arm.

Luo Xu’s heart gave a little jolt. “Alright, alright…”

Once on board, she walked further inside. The flight attendant greeted her with a smile and a precise thirty-degree bow. Hesitant, Luo Xu bent down awkwardly, unsure if that was the correct way to return the courtesy.

Inside the cabin, five or six men in suits were seated together, documents and pens in hand, as if in the middle of a meeting. A tall man sat on a sofa, the table in front of him covered with files. Everyone was following his lead. It seemed the meeting had only paused because of Luo Xu’s arrival.

Which one was Tang Juan’s uncle again? Luo Xu reached into her bag, planning to check her phone.

One man stood and asked, “Are you Miss Luo Xu?”

Luo Xu nodded, then asked uncertainly, “And you’re… Tang Juan’s uncle?”

The man paused for a moment before replying, “Not me. Mr. Pei is.”

Mr. Pei… Following his gaze, Luo Xu saw the man seated on the single sofa.

Though Luo Xu suffered from face blindness, when it came to identifying handsome men, her instincts were sharper than radar.

How to describe him? Well, when Tang Juan asked her for help, she had charged him a hefty fee. But if it had been this man in front of her… Luo Xu would have been willing to pay him instead.

Pei Yan had also noticed the woman stepping into the cabin. She wore simple jeans and a T-shirt, her complexion tanned to a healthy wheat shade, not quite Asian. Her eyes were the brightest thing about her—when she looked at you, it felt like all her electricity was focused right on you.

In short: smoking hot.