Northeast Queens, New York—Douglas Manor, a quiet, picturesque neighborhood surrounded on three sides by water.
This had long been the territory of "old money," but in recent years, "new money" families had begun moving in as well.
It was dinnertime, and one by one, lights flicked on inside the houses, dotting the peaceful night with warmth.
Outside a small, all-white villa, Luke sat under a tree, waiting for Yuffie.
It had been more than ten days since their Bear Mountain Park trip. Afterward, Luke had been swamped with work and hadn't seen her again.
Phone calls helped, but face-to-face meetings were irreplaceable.
In just two days, Luke would join the cast of Jurassic Park III, which meant another stretch apart.
That's why he had insisted on meeting her tonight.
He gazed at the white villa—her home.
From a second-floor window, a woman was watching outside.
Luke knew it was Yuffie's mother, but the shade of the tree hid him from her line of sight.
Right under her mother's nose, he was about to whisk away her well-behaved daughter for a secret date.
The thought gave him the giddy thrill of a thief.
This kind of sneaky meeting was ridiculously exciting.
But no—don't push your luck. Timing wasn't right.
After ten minutes or so, Yuffie finally slipped out.
She walked past her mother's line of sight and straight toward him.
She wore a pale pink trench coat—elegant, neat, yet still youthful and cute.
Pink really was the perfect color for a girl her age.
Even without a moon, the night felt beautiful to Luke.
"Yuffie, long time no see," he greeted with a smile.
"That again? If you really meant it, we wouldn't let so much time pass between seeing each other."
"We're both busy. Forcing meetings just for the sake of it doesn't make us closer. We don't need that," Luke said earnestly.
And it was true—his schedule had been packed, and her schoolwork was heavy.
According to her mother's plan, she had to finish her studies by the end of next year and then return to Wutai for the Central Academy of Drama's entrance exam.
That meant that since arriving in the U.S. in 1997, she had just over four years to not only master the language but also complete the equivalent of three years of middle school plus four years of high school coursework.
Luke knew her future self would follow exactly this path.
In 2001, she would return to Wutai, shoot Romance in the Rain during the summer before college, then dive straight into her next project, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, after enrolling.
She, too, was someone racing against time—just like him.
That's why they couldn't meet every day.
But Luke didn't mind. In fact, it made every meeting more precious.
"You've gotten a lot smoother with your words lately," Yuffie said.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Let's go. I have to be back before ten." She didn't answer, just walked ahead.
He caught up, walking side by side.
At six feet tall, with her about 5'6", they looked perfectly matched. Add in their striking looks, and they made quite the scene.
People couldn't help turning their heads.
But to Luke, the only view worth looking at was her.
He studied her expression—she didn't seem upset.
Just as he was about to relax, she spoke:
"I saw Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It was really good. Congrats—the first step in your acting career is a success."
Luke froze. Of all things, why bring up that movie? Especially the love scene… He carefully replied,
"With so many big stars in it, my role was small. Most viewers probably don't even remember me."
"But your scenes stood out!"
"Really?" He sensed a trap.
"Yes—especially the passionate one. But it's fine. You're an actor. That's part of the job. You don't think I'd get jealous, do you?" she said, smiling naturally.
No trace of anger.
She turned and walked ahead.
Luke followed, watching her graceful figure.
He should've felt relieved, but instead, he felt a pang of disappointment.
She wasn't jealous at all—and somehow that stung.
Catching himself, he scolded himself silently. Wasn't understanding and maturity a good thing? Why did he want her to be jealous?
Just then, she stopped.
He stopped too. "What's wrong?"
"She's really pretty."
"Just average," he said quickly. No way he was dumb enough to praise Zhang Ziyu's looks in front of her.
"I didn't even say who I meant."
"…"
Damn it—walked right into that one.
He braced himself for the next classic question: So who's prettier, her or me?
Instead, she said, "You've gotten smoother with words lately. More women must like you now, huh?"
So that was the setup for earlier! She'd planted the trap from the start.
And now she was circling back.
"No other women. Lately I've only been around big, burly guys on set," Luke denied immediately.
She didn't respond. They just stood quietly for a while.
Then she said softly, "I'm a little mad."
"You should be."
"No—I'm mad at myself. I promised I'd be understanding, that I wouldn't get mad at you. But I still couldn't help it."
She pouted, looking adorably aggrieved.
Luke's heart melted.
That gentle, dignified kind of jealousy—did women like this really exist?
What kind of sci-fi was this? Forget The Three-Body Problem—this was next-level.
Finally, she said, "Anyway, this is your fault. Let me hit you a few times, and I'll be fine."
"Go ahead. As hard as you want," he offered.
With his strength, a few hits would feel like nothing.
But instead of hitting him, she walked in the opposite direction—toward the long shadow cast by the streetlight.
She stopped at the shadow's head and stomped down hard.
Thump! Thump! The sound echoed.
Not satisfied, she jumped and stomped again.
Only then did she smile happily. "Okay, I feel better now. I can't bring myself to really hit you, so this is the next best thing!"
Seeing him watch her, she teased, "What's that look? You're not mad, are you?"
Luke just shook his head, eyes full of affection.
She walked a few steps until their shadows overlapped.
Then she reached out her hand—so that in their shadows, it looked like they were hugging.
Her eyes curved into crescents. "There—comforted you. No more being mad, okay?"
Watching her standing there in the glow of the streetlight, Luke felt his heart completely melt.
How could someone be this specifically, ridiculously adorable?