The divorce comeback system arrived right after I was born.

Dusk comes late in Boston.

The breeze along the Charles River carried the coolness of early summer, blowing past the red-brick buildings lining the streets.

Lin Wanwan walked out of the Berklee College of Music building, carrying a wooden guitar on her back.

Today she wore a loose light gray knit sweater, simple jeans and canvas shoes. Her shoulder-length short hair was a little messy from the wind, and she casually tucked it behind her ear.

Half an hour ago, her mentor, Mr. Smith, had just listened to the arrangement demo she submitted.

The usually stern white old man, unusually, took off his reading glasses, gave her a thumbs up, and said "Very good" three times.

Lin Wanwan simply bowed and thanked her.

I no longer have the urge to immediately call someone to brag about my good grades, which I used to feel when I got them.

She walked two blocks and pushed open the door of a bakery on the corner.

The shop was filled with the sweet aroma of butter and vanilla.

"I'd like a strawberry cupcake," Lin Wanwan said, pointing to the smallest one in the glass display case.

The shop assistant quickly packed it into a cardboard box and handed it to her.

Five dollars.

Lin Wanwan paid the money, carried the cardboard box out, and then turned into the 24-hour convenience store next door.

Behind the cashier was still Mary, the same plump white woman. Six months ago, when Lin Wanwan first moved in, the two had a fight over being overcharged when scanning the QR code, but they later became friends.

Lin Wanwan walked to the freezer, took two bottles of Corona beer, and placed them on the cashier's counter.

Mary raised an eyebrow at her.

"Not buying milk today?"

"It's my birthday today." Lin Wanwan took out some change.

Mary took the money and glanced at the calendar on the wall.

"Twenty years old? According to the laws here, you're still a year too young to buy alcohol."

Lin Wanwan didn't speak, she just looked at her quietly.

Mary shrugged, put the two bottles of beer into a plastic bag, and pushed it over.

"You're lucky, my daughter got her driver's license today, I'm in a good mood. Happy birthday, Oriental girl."

"Thanks."

Lin Wanwan, carrying a plastic bag and a cake, pushed open the door of the convenience store and walked into the gradually darkening Boston night.

Back at her Brownstone apartment in the Back Bay area, Lin Wanwan used her key to open the door.

The room was dark, quiet, and lonely.

She closed the door behind her, leaned the guitar against the corner of the wall, and changed into slippers.

A piano stands against the wall in the living room, and several sheets of sheet music covered with musical notes are scattered on the floor.

Lin Wanwan put the things she was holding on the island counter and turned to walk to the window.

There was a cactus on the windowsill.

The little thing that was originally in the 15-yuan basin was moved to a slightly larger white porcelain basin by her half a month ago.

For the past six months, Boston winters have been very cold, and the heating has often malfunctioned, but this cactus has managed to survive. Not only did it not die, it has also grown quite a bit, and its thorns have become harder and prickier.

Lin Wanwan picked up the white porcelain basin with both hands and moved it to the center of the dining table.

She pulled out a chair, sat down, and opened the cardboard box containing the cake.

A palm-sized cupcake topped with half a bright red strawberry.

Lin Wanwan looked at it for a while, then took out the two bottles of Corona from the plastic bag.

There was no bottle opener in the apartment.

She gripped the bottle neck, wedged the cap against the edge of the table, and slammed it down hard with her palm.

A soft "bang" sounded.

The bottle cap flew off and landed on the floor.

She did the same thing, breaking open the other bottle as well.

White beer foam overflowed from the glass bottle, and Lin Wanwan quickly went over and took a big gulp.

It's very cold and a little bitter.

This was the first time she had drunk alcohol in the past six months.

She pushed one of the beer bottles across the table, right in front of the cactus.

The main lights were not on inside; only a spotlight on the kitchen countertop was lit, making the room somewhat dim.

Lin Wanwan raised the wine bottle in her hand, stretched it forward, and gently touched the glass bottle opposite her.

It emits a crisp "ding".

"Happy birthday."

Lin Wanwan spoke softly.

She tilted her head back and gulped down two more big mouthfuls.

The bubbles churned in her stomach, causing her to let out a small burp.

She put down the wine bottle, picked up the small plastic knife on the table, aimed it at the cupcake, and cut it in half.

Cut it in half, along with the other half of the strawberry.

Lin Wanwan found a clean white porcelain plate, carefully moved half of the cake into it, and then pushed it in front of the cactus.

"Half for you, half for me."

She picked up her half and took a small bite.

The cream was sweet, and mixed with the bitterness of the beer in my mouth, the taste was a bit strange.

Lin Wanwan swallowed, rested her chin on her hand, and stared blankly at the cactus opposite her.

"It should be around 8 PM in China right now."

She was talking to herself.

"Your MossOS is so amazing, even our Berkeley professors are praising it in class. A valuation of 520 billion US dollars, Mr. Chen, do you need to bring ten bodyguards with you when you go out now?"

The cactus stood quietly in the white porcelain pot.

Lin Wanwan looked at the obvious ball on the other side and took another sip of wine.

"Have you gained a little weight?"

She paused for a moment, then lowered her voice.

"I take good care of myself."

In the past six months, she has learned to change light bulbs by herself, to fix heating pipes, to express her opinions loudly in a classroom full of white people, and to refuse unwanted advances in fluent English.

She was no longer the Lin Wanwan who would only hide behind Chen Zhi when she encountered trouble.

This time last year.

That bastard who forgot her birthday went to the flower market early in the morning and got six thousand red roses, turning the hotel suite into a sea of ​​flowers.

He even deliberately pricked his finger, held up his bleeding finger, and stood in front of her with the pot of cacti that cost fifteen yuan, pretending to be pitiful.

Lin Wanwan cried her eyes out, heartbroken.

Looking back now, I realize how many times that guy lied to her from childhood to adulthood.

Lin Wanwan picked up the wine bottle and bumped it against the bottle opposite her.

Happy birthday, Chen Zhi.

She tilted her head back and drank the remaining half bottle of beer in one gulp.

She drank too quickly and started coughing violently.

His eyes were red from coughing, and tears welled up in them.

She pulled out a tissue to wipe her mouth and placed the empty bottle on the table.

Happy 20th birthday, Lin Wanwan.

She said to herself.

The phone on the table suddenly vibrated, breaking the silence in the apartment.

Lin Wanwan picked up the phone, and Su Man's name was flashing on the screen.

She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and pressed the answer button.

"Sister Man."

"Happy birthday, Wanwan." Su Man's voice came from across the ocean, and the background noise seemed to be coming from a car.

"Thank you, Sister Man, for calling me so late."

"It's 8:30 PM in China right now." Su Man paused for a moment. "Are you alone in the apartment?"

"Yeah, I just finished eating cake."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Su Man sighed.

"Wanwan, the year-long promise is almost up in two months."

"I know," Lin Wanwan said calmly. "Sister Man, you can say whatever you want to say."

"Several record companies in China have contacted me with very generous offers. They listened to the demos you made at Berkeley and were very interested," Su Man said. "If you're willing, you can come back and make a comeback anytime. The market environment is much better now than it was six months ago."

"I haven't decided yet." Lin Wanwan looked at the cactus on the table. "I still have some courses to finish here."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Wanwan finished the last sip of her beer.

She threw the empty wine bottle into the trash can, picked up the wooden guitar leaning against the wall, and began to check the chords of her new song over and over again.

There was no hesitation, no confusion.