Although this was Ryan's second time in the Big Apple, the world's largest metropolis still felt like a strange city to him. Yet after spending an entire month in a small town in northern Canada, this unfamiliar city brought him a rare sense of warmth.
Home Alone had wrapped up its exterior shoots in Canada and moved to New York. Here, Ryan didn't have many filming duties and had a bit more free time. Even so, he couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated.
The reason was simple—just a few days before they arrived in New York, the crew of Sleepless in Seattle, which had been filming here, had moved to Seattle. His plan to reunite with Nicole fell through. Ever since she had visited his set more than half a month ago, they hadn't seen each other again.
Luckily, there was still one friend his age in this city.
"To Long Island," Ryan said to the assistant driver assigned to him by the production team.
Dear Nat, I wonder what you're doing right now? Have you grown taller again? Standing in front of Natalie's house, Ryan rang the doorbell, his mind conjuring up the image of the frail girl who looked like she could be blown over by a gust of wind.
"Mrs. Sherrie, hello?" Ryan greeted the middle-aged woman politely when she opened the door. He had grown quite a bit, and Mrs. Sherrie looked at him with some hesitation. It took a moment before she uncertainly asked, "Are you… Ryan?"
"Yes," Ryan replied with a bright smile. "Is Nat home?"
"She is." Mrs. Sherrie quickly welcomed him into the house. "No wonder Nat's been muttering lately, 'Why hasn't that guy come yet?' So you're the one coming to New York!"
"Nat, hurry down! Ryan is here!" Mrs. Sherrie called upstairs.
Amid the sound of rushing footsteps, Natalie came dashing down from upstairs, her ponytail swaying behind her. But when she saw the boy, she stopped, clasped her hands behind her back, lifted her little chin, and said, "Ryan Jenkins, you're getting more childish!"
"Hi, Nat. Is this how you welcome a friend?" Ryan retorted without backing down.
Natalie gave a small humph and walked down the stairs with her hands still behind her back, circling around him once, then remarked, "Ryan, don't you think playing Kevin in Home Alone is way too childish?"
"That's called childlike innocence, okay?" Ryan immediately countered.
"Oh God, this is the so-called 'super genius' the media keeps talking about? Hasn't even graduated from kindergarten!" Natalie's words were clearly laced with sarcasm.
"But I've gotten straight A's. I'm the top student at St. John's Elementary School." Ryan's nose practically pointed to the ceiling in pride.
"Really? Then take a look at what the newspapers say—never listens in class, barely interacts with classmates, and in just one semester got Nicole called to the principal's office five times." Natalie listed off his misdeeds.
"Really? I don't remember that." Ryan denied flatly. "When has the New York Post ever been reliable?"
"But you can't deny it's the truth."
Although she knew her daughter would always get into heated arguments with Ryan on the phone, Mrs. Sherrie didn't expect that after nearly a year apart, they would immediately start bickering the moment they met. She had to step in, "Nat, and Ryan, could you two pause for a second?"
"Sorry, Mrs. Sherrie." Ryan scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"Okay, Mom." Natalie grabbed his arm. "So we don't disturb you, we'll go to my room."
"I'll prepare some snacks and drinks for you two."
Ryan once read somewhere that if a girl is willing to show you her bedroom, it means she has accepted you and considers you a good friend.
"These are all your photos from when you were learning dance and acting?" Ryan looked at the black-and-white and color photos on the wall—all of adorable little Natalie. He thought if he got his hands on one and auctioned it on eBay twenty years later, it would totally blow up.
"Yep, I started learning dance when I was four!" Natalie slightly lifted her chin, striking a proud pose.
Then she pointed to a photo taken at an awards ceremony and said with pride, "This was when I won a Hebrew debate contest. FYI, Ryan, besides English, I can also speak Hebrew and French!"
"Really? That's impressive, Nat." Ryan looked surprised, then immediately switched to a smug tone, "Actually, I also know two foreign languages—French and the hardest one of all: Chinese!"
"To drink and sing, what is life but fleeting? Like the morning dew, the days are full of suffering. Let us be bold, for worries linger long. What can ease sorrow? Only Du Kang… The mountain never tires of height, nor the sea of depth. The Duke of Zhou welcomed the worthy, and the world returned to him!" Ryan sang one of Cao Mengde's poems in a dramatic, lyrical voice, clearly just trying to show off.
"Ryan Jenkins!"
Natalie, hearing this strange yet beautiful language, gritted her pearly teeth, looking like she might pounce and bite this smug boy at any moment.
"Wow, look at this—Jurassic Park, The Ryan Stories, and even Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets. These look like they've been read a bunch of times. Nat, turns out you're my book fan!" Ryan noticed the books on her desk and looked even more pleased.
"Hmph~"
Natalie gave a heavy snort, and in what seemed like an act of vengeance, said disdainfully, "Your books are just children's reading. No big deal. They're nothing compared to deep works like The Sixth Sense."
"Oh come on, Nat." Ryan waved a hand dismissively. "If all my works were as serious as The Sixth Sense, those tabloids wouldn't just say I'm weird—they'd already be calling me a freak."
Hearing this last comment from her friend, Natalie seemed touched. She set aside her pride and stubbornness and said seriously for the first time, "I'm sorry, Ryan. I shouldn't have brought that up. You're my best friend. When I read the things those tabloids wrote, I wanted to go tear down their editorial offices myself."
"It's okay, Nat." Ryan gently squeezed her hand. "You know I never care about those paparazzi. Even if they paint me as a strange, unruly, nonsensical, and wildly imaginative child, so what? Even God can't please everyone. What I care about is what the people who care about me think. The rest can all go to hell."
"Alright, Ryan. Even though we have lots of disagreements, as your best friend, I'll always have your back!" Natalie said firmly.
"Wow, I'm so moved I could cry." Ryan made an exaggerated face, which made Natalie roll her eyes and say through gritted teeth, "You know, Ryan? Sometimes I really want to bite you. You're seriously annoying."
"You can disagree with my opinion, but you should defend my right to say it—ah! Natalie Hershlag, you really did bite me! My wrist is breaking—let go! Are you a puppy or what?"
"Woof woof woof~" Natalie clearly had no intention of letting go.
"If you keep biting, I'll fight back!"
Ryan was never one to take a hit without returning it. He steeled himself and leaned down to bite Natalie's ear. But just then, Natalie happened to let go and tried to lift her head—and tragedy struck.
Thump~
Natalie's forehead smacked into Ryan's chin. The jolt of upper and lower teeth slamming together was definitely painful. Ryan couldn't help but wince and bare his teeth, and Natalie was also in pain, holding her forehead and complaining softly.
"Nat!"
"Ryan!"
As if they shared a telepathic link, the two looked at each other at the same time. When their eyes met, they couldn't help but burst into laughter. The entire world seemed infected by their joyful laughter.
"Nat, I'm really happy to be your friend."
"Me too, Ryan."
Just like that, the two of them chatted away the entire afternoon. Sometimes they'd burst out laughing over shared opinions, and other times they'd argue fiercely over minor disagreements. But one thing was clear—they had already become true friends.
Accepting an invitation from Natalie's family, Ryan stayed for dinner. As rumors and his own imagination had suggested, all the food was vegetarian: oatmeal porridge, vegan cheese bread, and a vegetable salad—not exactly to Ryan's taste.
In past letters, he had discussed this issue with Natalie several times. Yes, vegetarianism isn't a bad habit, but taken to an extreme, it doesn't have many benefits—especially for growing kids. Plant-based protein can't fully replace animal protein. Natalie's frailty in her previous life may very well have been linked to her strict vegetarian diet.
"Nat, if you have time, come visit the set." After finishing the not-so-appetizing dinner, Ryan chatted casually with Natalie's family.
"I still have school." Natalie glanced at her father. Though she looked tempted, she declined politely.
"Alright. It's getting late. I should head back to the set, or Director Columbus will start worrying." Ryan checked the time and got up to leave.
"Ryan, how long will you be in New York?" Natalie asked.
"Not too many days, probably." Ryan thought for a moment and said, "In a few days I'll be heading to Pennsylvania to visit a friend with Pat—he's my agent."
Ryan was indeed going to Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, to meet his investment agent, Mr. Scott. It would be both a vacation and a business discussion.
Back when Jurassic Park royalties came in, Ryan had handed them all over to Mr. Scott to manage. Besides buying a few long-term stocks, the agent had made other investments. Overall, there were losses and gains, but the profits far outweighed the losses.
The accountant managing Ryan's finances provided him and Nicole with monthly supervision reports. While Ryan was terrible at business, he had lived two lifetimes and could understand a basic financial statement. Overall, Mr. Scott's competence and professional integrity were beyond question.
It's just that Ryan always felt his name sounded familiar—as if he'd heard of such an investment expert in his previous life.