Once home, Grace Li set her bag down, poured herself a glass of water, and sat on the couch. As she sat, she brushed against the wound on her knee, wincing in pain.
She stretched her legs out to avoid putting pressure on the wound. Both knees were scraped, and the doctor had disinfected them and applied ointment. They were slowly starting to scab over.
As she reflected on the events of that morning, it still felt surreal.
Just then, her phone rang, and Ryan sent a video in the group chat.
Grace Li opened it, and to her surprise, it was a video of herself performing CPR on the girl that morning.
Grace Li: ...
Ryan: "Boss, boss, is that you? Is it you?"
Olivia: "Ryan, you've been with the boss for four years, and you still don't know? It's clearly her."
Grace Li: "Where did you get this video?"
Olivia: "It's all over the trending news!! Boss, check it out!"
Michael Garcia: "Wow! It's really you!"
Ryan: "So many people are talking about it! Boss, you're famous now! You should register an account and get verified as the trending person. Your followers are gonna skyrocket!"
Grace Li: "I'm not exactly looking to become a social media influencer right now."
Ryan: "It's not about free time, boss! So many people are doing it. You'll make money from ads and stuff when you get more followers."
Grace Li: "No thanks."
Olivia: "Ryan, shut up. The boss isn't like that."
Michael Garcia: "Boss, you're amazing! I didn't know you knew CPR!"
Olivia: "Yeah, seriously, boss, you're incredible. A doctor even said that if you hadn't kept doing CPR, that girl wouldn't have made it."
Grace Li: "I only know a little. Honestly, I was scared out of my mind while doing it."
Ryan: "Hahaha! But hey, at least the girl's okay. I bet you're gonna get the New York Hero Award this year."
Just as Grace Li was about to reply, her phone rang again—this time, it was a video call from Aiden Thompson.
Grace Li answered, leaning back on the couch, legs stretched out, and half-holding her phone.
On the screen, Aiden Thompson's handsome face appeared, the background showing he was in a car. "Good afternoon, Mr. Thompson."
Aiden Thompson's first question was, "Did you go hiking this morning?"
"Yeah, why?"
"My sister just sent me a video of you."
Thinking of the video Ryan sent, Grace Li figured Vera Thompson had probably seen it too since it was trending. She felt embarrassed seeing herself in that state. "Was I looking pretty bad?"
"Not at all. You're always beautiful, Grace Li."
"Flattery will get you everywhere."
"So, who did you go hiking with this morning?" Aiden Thompson asked.
Grace Li noticed the look on his face, as if he already knew. "Guess?"
"My parents."
Grace Li couldn't help but laugh. "How did you know?"
"I saw them in the video crowd for a second," he said, recognizing his parents even in the briefest glimpse.
Grace Li confessed, "Yeah, it was with them."
Aiden Thompson was a little surprised and somewhat amused. He had always been opposed to his parents getting involved, yet here they were, going hiking with his girlfriend. It felt a bit strange.
"So, you're going to tell me what happened exactly?" he asked.
Grace Li explained, "About five days ago, I got a call from your dad. He said he and your mom were coming to New York for a trip and asked me to show them around, but didn't want me to tell you. So, I took them around. Yesterday afternoon, I took them to Central Park to see the cherry blossoms, and this morning, I took them hiking up Inwood Hill."
"What did they say to you?" Aiden Thompson asked.
Grace Li smiled, "They said a lot, but surprisingly, they didn't say anything about me and you splitting up."
Aiden Thompson chuckled. "Really?"
"Of course." Grace Li nodded. "But I think they weren't too happy with my answer to one question."
"What question?"
"Your mom asked what my plans were if I married you." Grace Li looked at Aiden on the screen. "She probably expected me to say I'd support your career and become a housewife. But I told her I'd still pursue my own career and follow my own dreams."
"That's a perfect answer, Grace Li. You can always be yourself, and I'll always support you."
Grace Li's eyes welled up a little. "Maybe your parents will never accept me."
Aiden Thompson said, "Doesn't matter."
Grace Li smiled at him on the screen. "Then what does matter?"
"What matters is that I'll always be myself, and you'll always be yourself. We're together because we need each other, not because we're sacrificing ourselves for the other."
Hearing him say that made Grace Li's heart swell. At that moment, she understood why she could keep going despite his parents' disapproval. Because someone like Aiden Thompson was a once-in-a-lifetime find.
"And by the way," Aiden Thompson said with a slight smile, "You were amazing today. You saved a life."
"I was terrified, it was my first time doing CPR on someone."
"But you did great."
Grace Li smiled as something crossed her mind. "You know why I learned CPR?"
"Hmm?"
"Because I heard your dad was coming, and I was worried I might accidentally trigger a heart attack from him. So, I asked Dr. Zhao to teach me first aid techniques, especially CPR. Turns out, I really needed it."
Aiden Thompson laughed. "Guess it was meant to be."
Grace Li smiled. "I'm glad I learned."
"Oh, and by the way, I bet you've never shown off your cooking skills in front of your parents, huh?" Grace Li suddenly asked.
"Nope, never had the chance."
Grace Li said seriously, "Well, you can always create an opportunity."
Aiden Thompson stared at her, not saying anything. Grace Li blinked. "What's up? Something on your mind?"
Aiden Thompson looked at her, dead serious. "I just noticed, after meeting with them, you seem…"
"Seem what?"
"Seem like you're kind of on their side."
Grace Li laughed. "Really? I just noticed that your mom didn't know you could cook, and she seemed interested in trying your food."
Seeing Grace Li so relaxed, Aiden Thompson guessed the meeting had gone pretty smoothly. "Then I'll pick a time and cook for them."
"Sounds good."
"Grace."
"Yeah?"
"I've been doing something over the last couple of days."
"What's that?"
"I can't tell you yet," Aiden Thompson said with a grin. "But when it's all set, I'll take you to see it. It'll be a surprise."
Grace Li's curiosity piqued. "You sure know how to keep someone guessing. I'm dying to know."
"Shouldn't be too long."
"Well, I'll be looking forward to it."