A black Chevrolet Suburban full-size SUV parked on the edge of the wide asphalt road.

Li Biqing jumped out of the vehicle with a sports bag in hand and dazedly looked around at the dense forests and gra.s.sy slopes. "…Which park is this?"

Leo slammed the door, then walked over to his side. "Portland State University. The entire campus is somewhat an open park. The language training cla.s.s I contacted for you is located on campus. It's only a half an hour drive from our apartment, and the bus pa.s.ses through the area, so it should be very convenient going to school."

The staff member the language school sent over to welcome the incoming freshmen was already standing at the gate. It was a brown-haired Caucasian male around the age of forty with an athletic build; he was quite the large man. After chatting with Leo for a while, he enthusiastically grasped Li Biqing hands and vigorously shook them. With broken and tuneless Chinese, he incessantly enquired about the boy's well-being; his overbearing cordiality when welcoming the other was extreme to the max.

After a few sentences, Li Biqing politely withdrew his hands with some difficulty, then he turned around and tentatively glanced at Leo.

Leo patted him on the shoulder in rea.s.surance. "Mr. Wayne will be leading you inside. I'll pick you up in the afternoon. Tomorrow, you'll start taking the bus, okay?"

"Okay." Li Biqing softly whispered. When Leo turned on his heels to leave, he reached out and clutched his sleeve, then he immediately released his hold, looking as if he had something to say but hesitating in the end. He was the spitting image of a nervous young boy who had been thrown into a boarding school by his parents.

This subconscious action, which revealed his dependency, gave rise to an inexplicable pleasure within the depths of Leo's heart. His voice was very affectionate as he encouraged, "Go on. Relax, and be yourself."

Li Biqing directed a radiant smile towards him; it was as if the bright moonlight broke through the dark midnight clouds.

Wayne, who stood at the side, watched the entire scene with surprise in his eyes. Once the Chevrolet SUV drove away, he smiled at Li Biqing in understanding, "You have a very good boyfriend."

Li Biqing flushed in embarra.s.sment and awkwardly corrected, "No, he's my girlfriend's younger brother."

Wayne was far more embarra.s.sed, and he kept apologizing along the way.

The day's cla.s.s finally came to an end. Li Biqing declined Wayne's offer to send him to the gates and, instead, roamed around the campus by himself. He didn’t want to call Leo ahead of time, and besides, Forest Park also bordered the campus of Portland State University, and the natural scenery was absolutely stunning, intoxicating anyone who laid eyes on it.

He s.h.i.+fted the bag on his arm and leisurely strolled around the soft, rolling lawns sprinkled with fallen leaves. The sunlight penetrated through the verdant treetops of the surrounding oak trees and red birch trees, gently s.h.i.+ning down upon his body. The summer breeze carried the faint scent of fresh flowers…the fragrance of roses, Li Biqing concluded after inhaling deeply. j.a.panese Roses, Chinese Roses, Rambler Roses, although they all belonged to the same rose family, they each had their subtle difference in scents. Countless rose petals scattered in the light breeze, mixing with the sun's warm rays, their scent lingering in the air, drifting with the wind. It was such a tempting fragrance.

The "City of Roses1" truly deserved its name, he thought as he promenaded.

"Hey!" A clear voice suddenly shouted from behind him. Li Biqing didn't look back though. Many people were coming and going from the campus. It didn't matter who that voice was calling for; in any case, it wasn't like the person was calling for him.

The figure dashed ahead a few steps, caught up to him, and then blocked the front. Li Biqing could no longer turn a blind eye under this situation, so he stopped and looked up the person who obstructed his path.

It was a casually-dressed young man in his early twenties; he appeared to be a university student. He had beautiful, dark curly hair, and his skin color was brown; he was clearly of Latino descent. His slender eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes were sharp, his lips were rather thin, and his cheeks were fairly sunken which made his high cheekbones protrude even more. Only the bridge of his nose was set straight and tall, impeccable. He didn't have outstanding facial features, but when he curled the corners of his thin lips into a grin, he had this dazzling wild and unrestrained charm that captivated people.

"Hey, I'm Reggie2." He briefly introduced himself, "Reggie Dunn."

Li Biqing faced this stranger, who took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him, and halfheartedly responded, "Hey."

The other part immediately started, rapidly spewing a few phrases. It was all too fast for Li Biqing to catch what the other was saying, so he just spread his palms wide, expressing that he couldn't understand the language.

Reggie was slightly taken aback, then he shrugged regretfully, "You're new? An IELP student?"

Li Biqing was actually able to understand this sentence. IELP was an Intensive English Language Program affiliated with Portland State University; it was basically similar to the language training cla.s.s he was attending, and so he briskly nodded his head.

Realizing that it was difficult for both parties to properly communicate with each other, Reggie concealed the disappointment in his eyes and affably bowed his head, bidding him goodbye.

But just at this time, Li Biqing's cell phone rang in his pocket. He whipped it out and immediately answered the call. Leo's voice instantly sounded from the other end, "You finished cla.s.s, right? I'm at the gates of the university."

"Mhm, I was walking around the campus. I'll leave right now, just wait a minute." He hung up the phone, and with a face glowing with happiness, he merrily said goodbye to the stranger whose name was the only thing he knew. In just a short period of time, his indifferent expression transformed into a lively smile filled with sheer joy; it was as stunning as waterlilies suddenly blossoming on a tranquil lake, utterly breathtaking. Reggie was a little unprepared to witness such a wonder; his parting footsteps faltered, indicating that he was now a bit reluctant to leave.

Li Biqing had no time to pay him any heed, and he hurried towards the direction of the school gate.

Ten minutes later, he saw that large, awe-inspiring Chevrolet Suburban.

The temperature today was very high, and although the evening was soon approaching, the temperature still hadn't decreased. Leo removed his suit and draped it over his arm, then tugged off his tie. The fine white b.u.t.ton-down s.h.i.+rt he wore clung to his glorious muscles; his slender legs appeared even longer in those sleek, black trousers. He wore a pair of sungla.s.ses, and nonchalantly leaned his body against the vehicle, his ankles casually crossing over each other. Without even moving or speaking, he had already captured everyone's attention, leaving them gaping in admiration.

The vicinity buzzed with faint noises and clicks, similar to the sound of a camera's shutter snapping with the flash of the light. Several girls cl.u.s.tered near the bench, huddling around their mobile phones, gossiping and giggling with each other in hushed whispers.

"They probably think you're a celebrity, but they're just too shy to actually come over and check. You should stand there for a while longer; there will definitely be some schoolgirls who come to hit on you." Li Biqing said to Leo.

Leo sternly replied, "Carelessly taking pictures without the consent of the involved party; they could well be suspected of infringing the privacy of another."

Li Biqing face was full of black lines. At the same time, he couldn't help but secretly express a deep veneration for Leo's future partner: This insensitive, unromantic guy was practically a walking U.S. Const.i.tution. The person who truly came to love him would, most likely, be a pa.s.sionate adherent of legal studies.

The moment he opened the door, Li Biqing subconsciously looked back and caught a glimpse of a rather familiar figure standing in the shade of the trees not too far away. He seemed to have seen him from somewhere before, but nothing came to mind when he tried recalling the person. He decided to ignore it when a name suddenly flashed into his mind: Reggie Dunn.

It was that Latino student who started a conversation with him back in the woods.

His cla.s.s probably ended and he's ready to go home; we just so happened to cross each other again at the school gate. Li Biqing thought, and he soon flung the chance encounter he had with that stranger to the back of his mind.

On the following day, Li Biqing specially woke up early and took the free bus to the state university in order to familiarize himself with the route and area. On the third morning, while he was enjoying the scenery outside the window, a young man who had just gotten on the bus brightened up after scanning the compartment. He dashed over to his seat and greeted, "Hey, remember me?"

Li Biqing raised his head, glanced at him, and smile politely, "Reggie Dunn."

The Latino boy hooked his thin lips and grinned; his dark eyes that rested under his fine, prominent eyebrows narrowed into slits, the corners curving upwards ever so slightly. "I know that you don't speak English very well." He enunciated slowly, retrieving a portable translation device from his book bag and pa.s.sing the mini-microphone to Li Biqing, "But we should be able to communicate with each other with this thing."

This guy is really…hospitable. Li Biqing couldn't help but chuckle, "For what reason do you insist on communicating with me?" The pleasant, mellow voice of the young male sounded through the machine. There weren't any signs of speech synthesis or artificial voices. This translation device seemed to be quite a high-end product.

"Because you're pleasing to my eyes." Reggie answered, extremely satisfied with the results of the translation device. "I've always wanted to find a language partner2 so that we could both learn each other’s language."

"Well, you never know. If we get along pretty well, maybe you'll be the first friend I make in the United States."

"Well, if we don't even try, how could we ever know?"

Once the bus arrived at its designated stop, Reggie tucked the translator into Li Biqing hands, "Keep this, I think this will be very useful for you." After saying that, he simply turned away and left, hopping down from the bus and swaggering off without a second thought.

Li Biqing held the translation device in his hand and slowly descended the steps of the bus; the other's figure was far away, hidden amongst the shadows of the forest. Confident, sharp, freely able to express himself without any qualms, somewhat unconventional, an oddball. This was the impression he had of the Latino boy's character. In all, the other seemed like an interesting fellow; perhaps he could really get along with him.

It was only natural that Li Biqing would often encounter Reggie on this large campus after that. Sometimes he was by himself, and other times, he was surrounded by a group of friends. As soon as he saw him, Reggie would always come up to him to have a chat, and the length of their chat was inversely proportional to the number of people surrounding them4. In less than a week, the two youngsters became more comfortable in each other's presence. Occasionally, they would cast aside the hand-held translator and attempt to communicate through their body language until they couldn't make heads or tails of what the other was trying to say, then they'd finally howl with laughter and give up.

"If you want to master a foreign language as soon as possible, you just have to open your mouth and speak. Don't be shy, I swear I won't ever laugh at your grammar and p.r.o.nunciation. You can also teach me Chinese, you know, and maybe in a few months, we'll be able to communicate without problems." Reggie encouraged him, fully intending to play his role as a language partner.

After a couple of days of intensive training, Reggie had to admit that Li Biqing was perhaps the most brilliant and diligent, and most talented student he'd ever met—his oral and listening comprehension skills were beyond astounding, and his memory was incredible. He just had to hear a word two or three times before he was able to a.s.similate it and properly apply it to daily conversations. The speed of his progression was enough to drive the majority of linguistic students to shame, making them bash their heads against the wall in disgrace.

During his stay there, Li Biqing visited nearly the entire campus of Portland State University. Often times, he would walk around the nearby Forest Park of Portland—to say this was a park wasn't entirely correct; it was better to say it was 5,000 acres of wild forests. At most, one could stroll along the outer trails of the area; it was nigh impossible for one to quickly pa.s.s through in a short amount of time.

One time, Wayne saw him venturing into Forest Park, and he good-naturedly pointed in a certain direction, "If you continue walking there for about half an hour, there's a small clearing surrounded by maple trees. You'd better not get too close to that place."

"Why not?" Li Biqing questioned with a puzzled expression.

Wayne's face was grave as he solemnly explained, "Five months ago, a murdered body was discovered there. The victim was a student who attended this state university. This incident was well-known back then; everyone was talking about it. The police had investigated it for a very long time, but even up 'til now, this case still hasn't been solved. Panic erupted on the campus for a while, but currently, it seems that everyone has forgotten about that incident. Although the crime scene has been cleaned up, I highly suggest that you do not recklessly approach the area, and I'm saying this for your own good."

Li Biqing gratefully nodded his head and sincerely replied, "I understand. Thank you very much."

Wayne smiled in delight, "You're very welcome, as always. I have never seen a foreign exchange student who is lovelier than you."

Li Biqing slightly lowered his head in embarra.s.sment; his ears burned pink.

"A Chinese boy who is bashful and easily embarra.s.sed is, truly, too endearing! I have to go, otherwise I'm afraid that I won't be able to stop myself from biting you." Wayne heartily guffawed and walked away in very high spirits.

…was this s.e.xual hara.s.sment? Pretty sure it's considered that, right? But these Americans, they seem to have no shame; how could they just frankly state whatever's on their minds? Li Biqing felt that he should do as the Romans do and adapt to their manners of speaking.

"That's hara.s.sment! You can sue him for s.e.xual hara.s.sment." A figure stepped out from behind the tall oak tree and calmly announced.

"Forget about it. He's simply joking around, nothing more." Unconcerned, Li Biqing just waved his hand, and then he asked his new friend, "Don't you have after school?"

Reggie replied, "Today's club activities have been cancelled. Just go, I'll just walk around with you."

Side by side, the two men aimlessly wandered about in the woods; they didn't say a single word to each other. As they approached a shady, remote building covered by bushes and vines, Li Biqing suddenly paused and sniffed the air, "…do you smell that?"

"What?"

"It's a strange smell… I cannot describe it…" He fished out the portable translation device from his bag and elucidated in Chinese, "It's a peculiar scent, mixed with the fragrance of rose blossoms. It's really nauseating…"

Reggie also sniffed the air a few times, pursed his lips, and then agreed, "There does seem to be a weird smell…"

Fueled by his curiosity, he dragged Li Biqing towards the source of the odor. The two squatted at the foot of the high gra.s.s, then they brushed away the hanging branches, plucked at the hindering leaves, and crawled around the wall painted with the colors of the United States. It wasn’t long before they unexpectedly encountered a horrifyingly gruesome scene—

It was a naked corpse lying face down in a deep pool of blood. The pale, waxy body was riddled with scars and bruises, and there were fragments of something scattered all over its body. A closer look revealed those scatterings to be flower petals stained with blood. The dark purple blood had already coagulated, drying on the corpse, but that stain couldn't conceal every wound that marked the body. The person was torn apart, repeatedly hacked at with a deadly weapon by savage, merciless, and tragic means—a snapped-off branch, possibly a filthy block of firewood, was brutally inserted into the flesh, messily penetrating the body. At first glance, it looked like a ma.s.sive human parasite emerging from the corpse.

Li Biqing suddenly turned around. He braced one hand on the tree trunk behind him and tightly covered his mouth with his other hand.

At a complete loss, Reggie helplessly grasped his arm. He choked and took in deep, ragged breaths, continuously heaving and gasping for more air. After a long while, he let out a piercing shriek, "The phone! Give me the phone! Call 911 now!" He hastily fumbled around for his own cell phone, but he couldn't find it anywhere. In a moment of desperation, he impatiently searched Li Biqing's pockets and brusquely pulled out his mobile phone; his trembling fingers dialed the number.

With jumbled thoughts, they incoherently reported the encounter to the police, and immediately afterwards, the two people ran like h.e.l.l and fled from the scene.

Ten minutes later, the shrill sirens of the police cars resonated through the peaceful campus of Portland State University. The skies gradually turned gloomier, adding to the cold, ominous atmosphere. The dense, dark clouds shrouded the skies, bearing down from above, and accompanying them were the m.u.f.fled booms of thunder. On this summer afternoon, the heavy rain had poured down at last.

1Portland, Oregon is known as the "City of Roses". In other words, "Portland was worthy of being called 'the City of Roses.'"

2雷哲—Reg, but it was changed to Reggie.

3 This was written in English in the original. Technically, it would be 'tandem partner', but same difference really…

4The more people surrounded them, the less they would chat, and vice versa; less people, more chatting.