Cong Nianwei’s father was shocked. That short boy has a terrible explosive power in his body! It’s a pity that he is not as clever as other people. Forget it. Compared to him, Qin Guan is at least an ordinary person.

Qin Guan smiled and hugged Liu. "Even if I leave, you will still be my best friend. Not just any friend, my best friend."

"Really?"

"Of course!"

They disappeared at the other side of the security check. Their families returned home, leaving them there. Time never stopped for anyone.

Their fingers were locked. Cong Nianwei looked down through the window, watching the land below shrink inch by inch before turning into a beautiful map.

"Qin Guan?"

"Yes?"

"I’m starting to miss home."

"Me, too."

It was a choice of youth. They felt melancholy, but they did not regret it.

After tens of hours, the plane finally landed. Qin Guan picked up their luggage in relief. 

They had to find a familiar figure among the crowd in the arrival hall.

Cong Nianwei and Qin Guan pa.s.sed customs and saw a big poster of Qin Guan right away. On the poster, there were twisting Chinese characters reading "Handsome! Qin Guan!"

The two of them burst into laughter.

Actually, nothing could shock people in New York. n.o.body paid any special attention to John. Several fas.h.i.+onable girls just took some pictures of the strong young man. Both the guy on and behind the board were attractive.

"Hi, John!"

Qin Guan greeted John from afar. John couldn’t utter a word at the sight of him. "Hey, dude. Did you live a hard life in China?"

"Why? Thanks for picking me up from the airport. My girlfriend and I have no idea how to navigate the city."

Pointing to Qin Guan's clothes in an exaggerated way, John said bitterly, "Look at your clothes! I must have been messing about in China."

Qin Guan looked down, but saw nothing strange. My cheap white T-s.h.i.+rt, grey shorts and brown sandals are very comfortable. At least I’m not wearing three pairs of pants!

"You..."

John pointed at Qin Guan’s short hair, which seemed like the standard hairstyle of a prisoner.

Several months ago, he had seen Qin Guan's picture in a magazine. What had happened during that period?

When they got into John’s car, Qin Guan expressed his worry.

"It’s said that the campus environment is pretty good. It’s next to the Hudson River, north of Manhattan Central Park. I heard the Harlem District is dangerous though."

"Even the New York Police has declined to send forces to that area. I read about it in a textbook... It’s terrible."

"That’s why I’ve dressed like a poor guy. If I am at Stuart and Citizen, I won't see the light of the day till tomorrow."

John could see the worried expression in the girl’s eyes through the rearview mirror. He couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

This was what people called cultural shock.

John was laughing loudly, completely out of breath. A small truck pa.s.sed by. The driver looked at him anxiously, as if he was looking at an idiot. He tried to maintain a distance from their car.

 Where did most crazy men live? No idea, but there were a few in New York. The city was like a melting pot. Anything could happen there.

Looking at their confused expressions, John tried to explain, "I was not born in New York. I grew up in a small village. It took me one month to blend in here."

"Your concern is reasonable. Columbia University is located in the most dangerous part of town, but the surrounding district has high security."

"After all, it’s one of the top Ivy League Universities. It’s even more famous than New York University. Do you think people would want to see drugs, guns or gangs around it?"

"The residents there are mainly German. It’s quite safe. Besides, if you have to return to campus late at night, you can call the university staff to come pick you up. Of course, you have to be within a two-block radius."

"Wow!"

John held his tears back. In fact, the boy didn’t leave his residence zone often. He was an indoorsman. Work and sleep took up most of his time. He had only gone around Manhattan for Qin Guan.

The streets were getting busier. There were tall buildings and large mansions everywhere. Cong Nianwei and Qin Guan knew that they were getting close to their destination.

The college would open in late August. The first thing they would have to do was find an apartment in the unfamiliar city.

There was a small apartment in Queens, Manhattan, where John had lived for two years. It was a small room of about 30 square metres with an independent bathroom.

It was the best type of house for a young guy in that complicated district. Compared to the crazy prices in downtown New York, rent prices in Queens were much lower. 1,000 dollars a month was an alright price for John.

Of course, considering the distance from Qin Guan’s college and his possible job, John thought Qin Guan might be able to find something better if his wallet allowed it.