Manhattan Reborn 1978

Upstate New York, Yonkers.

evening.

Giovanni drove the car, slowed down, and slowly passed through a neon-lit street.

David, who was lying on his back in the back seat, tilted his head and looked out the window~

On the street, from time to time, there will be a few street girls dressed in "fashionable" clothes.

Some of them held cigarettes between their fingertips and had happy smiles on their faces. They were telling the "sisters" around them some interesting things, which made the audience laugh.

Some of them were wearing very thin clothes in the howling cold wind of winter night. They could only curl up their upper bodies as much as they could, wandering close to the wall and out of the wind, constantly looking for the first "business" on the street tonight. .

Some of them seemed to have heavy makeup on their faces, a "professional" smile on their lips, and they waved "hard" to the passing pedestrians and vehicles, hoping that someone would really notice her. .

This street is not very long~

But David saw many familiar and unfamiliar fantastic lights and shadows on this street.

By the time the car passed through the Bronx, it was about to exit Hamlin and enter Manhattan.

David patted Giovanni's seat with his hand and asked, "Do you know... Professor and Mrs. Nash's new home?"

"Um...you mean the new home they moved to in Queens?"

"Ok!"

Giovanni took off the accelerator, slowed down the car, thought for a while, and shook his head.

"I heard Mike Bai mention that address when chatting in DA company, but I didn't remember it..."

"Oh~"

"Then let's find a phone booth and ask."

"I just want to tell my family that we will go back later."

Giovanni glanced at the rearview mirror and felt that David was in a "bad" mood at the moment. He shrugged and said, "ok~"

"I'm going to find the phone!"

(Professor John Nash, appearing in Chapter 129, from the movie "A Beautiful Mind", played by Russell Crowe.)

. . .

The Queen.

David and Giovanni knocked on the door of a house.

Professor John Nash came to open the door, wearing a plaid shirt and maroon sweater. He looked at David outside the door in surprise and smiled.

"Uh... welcome~David!"

"Thank you!"

David smiled and stepped forward, hugged Professor Nash tightly, took two bottles of wine from Giovanni's hand, and joked.

"I brought two bottles of good wine!"

"We must have a good drink this time~"

"Okay~"

Professor Nash held back his laughter and let David and David into the living room. He walked towards the kitchen and said happily.

"Alicia invited friends for dinner tonight. The children went back to grandpa's house with us for the holidays a few days ago, so they stayed there for now."

"I am the only one left in the family now..."

"Alicia made her favorite mayonnaise sandwich for me this morning."

"So I just cooked some fried fish tonight..."

"You must not have had dinner either, right?"

"I know there's a takeout restaurant nearby..."

"No need~"

David smiled and took the wine glass, winked at Giovanni, and said jokingly: "You saw it~ The professor's home is just like yours."

“It’s not that difficult to try making dinner yourself!”

"Haha~" Giovanni took the initiative to take the corkscrew from Professor Nash's hand, shook his head and muttered.

"You are the boss... everything you say is right!"

"Hahaha~"

David looked at his "unconvinced" look, smiled and took Professor Nash's arm: "We just came here after eating on the way..."

"Don't be busy yet~ Let's talk first."

"..OK!"

Professor Nash put the wine glass in his hand on the table, sat relaxedly on the single sofa, and asked David.

"Alicia said you're very busy these days?"

"The project research and development center has come up with several very good patents, but she didn't even have time to contact you ~ Please come and take a look!"

"Oh?"

David took the red wine bottle from Giovanni's hand, poured some for the three of them, and said with a smile: "Yeah~"

"Qiong was busy with engagement matters in the past few days, and then..."

"got engaged?"

Professor Nash blinked in surprise and asked: "Who are you engaged to?"

"Um...it's Lilith!"

"Have you seen her?"

"..." Professor Nash saw that the smile on David's face suddenly faded a lot, and he realized that he seemed to have asked a stupid question.

He raised his hand to stroke his glasses, picked up the wine glass, and said with a smile: "Last weekend, Martin came to New York from Princeton University for business and stayed here temporarily for one night."

"Alicia also came back very late that day, and the two of us sat... here, like we are now, with a glass of wine and two people, chatting for a long time~"

"He said that President Guy Luther promoted him again despite all objections at the school board meeting."

"Martin is now the vice president of Princeton University!"

"Hehe~"

David raised his eyebrows in surprise and said with a smile, "Wow~ Really!"

"He was promoted just a few months ago, right?"

"Um.."

Professor Nash smiled and clinked glasses with David, then raised his glass to Giovanni and said, "He has indeed just been promoted not long ago..."

"The new car + promotion you gave him made him feel like he had regained the energy of his youth..."

"Then...he got divorced last month!"

"what?"

"divorce?"

"Are these things... related in any way?"

"no~"

"His marriage...actually had a red light a long time ago~"

Professor Nash tilted his head in a "funny" way and said with a smile: "That night, he was sitting where you are now."

"I asked him: Two promotions in a row still don't make you happy?"

"He replied with a grimace: Divorce feels so bad! I would rather not get promoted..."

"I asked him again: You must have encountered something worse than divorce in your life, right?"

"You have to be open-minded about everything!"

"As a result, he said: The only thing worse than divorce in this life is marriage!"

"...Hahahaha~"

David put down the wine glass reluctantly, looked at Professor Nash and Giovanni with a big smile, and joked: "What about you? Do you think so too?"

"..." Professor Nash rolled his eyes upward, looked at the ceiling, curled his lips and shook his head.

"I didn't say anything! I didn't say anything!"

Giovanni also laughed and imitated Professor Nash, rolled his eyes crazily, and curled his lips: "I didn't say anything either!"

"You are... harming me!"

"Hahaha~" The three of them laughed.

. . .

After joking for a while.

David picked up the wine glass again and said to Professor Nash very sincerely: "Thank you!"

"I'm happy chatting with you!"

"Haha~" Professor Nash raised his glasses and clinked his glasses, imitating British humor and shrugged.

"When you reach my age, you will understand... happiness is the most important thing!"

"..Um!"

David nodded in agreement, drank the red wine in his glass, and changed the topic.

"Do you still want to go back to teach at Princeton University?"

"..I thought about it~"

Professor Nash took a sip of red wine, put down the glass, picked up a cigarette from the small table next to him, lit one, and said.

"Before we met, I had always thought about...the opportunity to contribute to the school~"

"Although I have never officially taught a whole class of students..."

"But I think I can definitely do this job!"

"Hehe~"

"But now, I think differently!"

"Because I have forgotten that what I have owed to my family over the years is far more than what I have owed to Princeton University!"

Professor Nash raised his head and blew out a cloud of smoke, and smiled at David: "That night, Martin was drunk and asked me while lying on the sofa..."

"What are you still afraid of?"

"I said: I've been scared... very scared!"

"For so many years, it was Alicia who took care of me and the children while working."

"Every time I lose control of my emotions, Alicia and the kids are by my side!"

"If it weren't for them... we wouldn't be able to sit here and chat~"

"The first thing I need to learn now... is to think more about myself and my family, clarify my own needs + take good care of myself, so that I can have more time and energy to help others..."

"Otherwise, my so-called dedication and contribution, my so-called self-realization, will only be a mirage without support~"

"so.."

"So, you must quit smoking!" David reached out and grabbed Professor Nash's cigarette, handed it to Giovanni, and said with a smile.

"Your body does not entirely belong to you~"

"It belongs to Alicia, too, and to your children!"

"They need you more!"

"Husband and father!"

"...Yes!" Professor Nash nodded and smiled with great emotion.

"This summer, when I celebrated my 50th birthday, I made a promise to Alicia and the children..."

"I will be by their side for the rest of my life!"

"Hahaha~"

David picked up the wine bottle, poured the wine for Professor Nash, and joked: "Life, this seemingly simple equation, is more difficult to solve than the Riemann Hypothesis, right?"

"That's right!"

"I don't know how many times higher it is!"

"Hahaha~" David and Professor Nash clinked glasses + laughed~

. . .

In the following time, David and Professor Nash talked about non-cooperative game theory, Nash equilibrium, the close relationship between mathematics and computer programming, and the many advantages that computers can bring to mathematicians in modern mathematics. Very helpful~

Included in Professor Nash’s bargaining theory, it can be roughly divided into: bargaining theory of cooperative games, and bargaining theory of non-cooperative games.

It can also be divided into: complete information bargaining theory and imperfect information bargaining theory according to different information structures.

That is: fixing yourself in a special negotiating position is very advantageous!

When either party believes that the other party will not make further concessions ~

The agreement is reached!

The reason why one party gives in is because he knows that the other party will not make any more concessions. .

Therefore, the key point of bargaining and negotiation is to make the other party believe that you will not give in again!

. . .

"Clang~clang~clang~"

The old-fashioned mechanical clock in Professor Nash’s house struck ten times~

David looked down at his watch feeling "still unfinished", stood up with a smile and said to Professor Nash.

"Today, it's too late~"

"I came back from Boston and haven't gone home yet..."

"When Alicia comes back, you must..."

"Click click click~"

At this moment, there was a sound of keys opening the door.

Alicia closed the door with a blush on her face, walked quickly to the living room, saw David, Giovanni, and Professor Nash, and said in a daze.

"you..?"

Without waiting for Professor Nash to explain, David strode up to Alicia, opened his arms and asked with a smile.

"I have been waiting all night for this hug!"

"...Haha~" Alicia glanced at her smiling husband, generously opened her arms and hugged David, patted his back gently with her hands, and said.

"How did you come?"

"Of course I miss you!"

David let go of Alicia and looked at her carefully. .There were a few strands of white hair beside her ears, and she smiled and said, "It's already very cold outside, isn't it?"

"Hmm~ The temperature has dropped again tonight, it's very cold!"

"Hahaha~"

David put his arm around Alicia's shoulders, brought her to Professor Nash, and joked: "Hey, she's completely cold. Only you can keep her warm!"

"Haha~" Professor Nash smiled with a red face, kissed his wife on the cheek, and explained a few words in a low voice.

Alicia's eyes looked back and forth between the two empty wine bottles, and she asked pretending to be angry: "Did you drink them all?"

"Um..." Professor Nash turned his head and looked to one side, and said nothing. .

David raised his hands to Alicia and explained with an apologetic smile: "We were chatting very happily and didn't pay attention to it... so we drank it all!"

"I still have a few bottles of really good wine at home. I'll definitely invite you to drink it next time."

"Haha~" Alicia shook her head, took a big step forward, raised her hand to touch David's heated cheek, and said with a smile in her eyes.

"Okay then, let's make an agreement?"

"Okay!" David smiled and winked at Professor Nash, shook his head proudly, and replied.

"Hahahaha~"

. . .

David and Giovanni, gone.

Professor Nash and his wife hugged each other and stood at the door of their home. They watched the car disappear completely before returning home.

Alicia smelled the strong smell of alcohol on her husband's body and asked, "What are you talking about? Are you so happy?"

Professor Nash smiled mysteriously: "This is a secret between men!"

"...Huh?!" Alicia deliberately kept a straight face, folded her arms, and looked at her husband quietly.

"Forehead.."

"that.."

Professor Nash raised his hand and gestured a few times, then pointed at the empty wine bottle, his mind racing rapidly. .

He suddenly slapped his forehead and said with a smile: "David invited us to go on vacation in Hawaii in a few days!"

"Hawaii? Vacation?"

"Didn't he... just get engaged?"

"Will you have time to vacation with us?"

Professor Nash spread his hands and replied: "He said... he has to write something very important~"

"He wants me to go to Hawaii with him and ask Professor Paul Samuelson for advice + discuss some issues."

"The winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics...Professor Paul Samuelson!?"

"Yes!"

"..." Alicia narrowed her eyes slightly, thought for a moment with shining eyes, and asked.

"What was he thinking?"

"Is it related to your game theory?"

"Correct!"

"The specific thing is..."

"No! You don't have to say it~"

"Let's go!"

"...?!" Professor Nash swallowed the words that were already on his lips and asked.

"What about the children?"

"together!"

Alicia took a half step forward, put her arms around her husband's neck, and smiled: "We haven't gone on vacation together for many years~"

"They will be very happy!"

"...Hmm!" Professor Nash took a deep breath, hugged his wife with both arms, and said in a very low voice.

"I'll go get them back tomorrow!"

"Hmm!" Alicia gently stroked her husband's cheek with her hand and asked with a smile.

"Now, I'm your date!?"

"Yes~"

Professor Nash’s memory was instantly opened by his wife’s words~

He suppressed a smile and replied, "I just learned some social etiquette that helps with interaction!"

"Wow~hahaha~"

"It sounds like you've really learned it, right?!"

"Can you please get me a glass of champagne?"

"I'll be waiting for you in the bedroom!"

When Professor Nash heard these familiar dialogues, he felt as if he had returned to more than 20 years ago. .

He lowered his head, looked into his wife's eyes with great affection, and said with a smile:

"Alicia, I...there is something I haven't told you yet~"

"..What?"

"The way you looked in that black dress that day was simply the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in the world."

"But that red decoration hanging behind it is so ugly..."

"I never dared to tell you..."

"...Hahahaha~" Alicia's eyes were filled with tears, and she laughed and kissed her husband.

The two hugged each other, and after a long time, they slowly let go of each other.

Professor Nash put his forehead on his wife's forehead and said feeling full of "power" all over his body.

"I'll get your champagne right now..."

"wait for me!"

"Okay~" Alicia smiled "forgettably"~

----

Manhattan.

42nd Street, above Wildfire Bar.

David returned home in a daze and saw Cui Yingying, who was wearing pajamas, sitting on the sofa in the living room chatting with Lilith, who was also wearing pajamas.

"Lilith?"

"You...?" David took off his coat and walked quickly to sit in front of the two of them, with a question mark on his face.

Cui Yingying stood up with a smile, walked to the kitchen, and said, "What would you like to drink?"

"Um...water, thank you!"

"Ok."

Lilith looked at Cui Yingying's silver, let out a relaxed breath, turned to David and said, "Our flight to Hawaii is scheduled for the morning of the day after tomorrow, is that okay?"

"..certainly!"

David looked at Lilith's smiling face and seemed to understand all his efforts today. .

He asked: "Is everything okay at home?"

"Ok!"

"Where's Laura?"

"She...won't come with us."

"What? Is she angry?"

"No~"

Lilith stood up and sat next to David, leaning on his shoulder and explained: "The family will hold a large-scale party during the New Year."

"Giles and Pine... can't go to Hawaii anymore~"

"Only Nariya would take the time to fly over and meet and chat with Deborah..."

"Oh~"

David nodded suddenly, looked at Cui Yingying in the kitchen, thought for a while and said.

"I just invited Professor Nash and his wife to go to Hawaii together."

"He can help me finish..."

Lilith reached out and covered David's mouth, looked directly into his eyes, and asked: "Can you... know how to swim?"

David blinked and shook his head.

"Then you go to the beach...what are you doing?"

David looked at Lilith with a "puzzled" face, shrugged, and said with a vague smile: "I can't swim, but I can drink!"

"drink?"

"That's right!"

"No matter whether the sea water is salty or fresh... I can drink it all one day!"

"Drink it all? Pacific?"

"Hahahaha~"

Lilith laughed and "got" into David's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck, laughing so hard that tears were about to come out.

Cui Yingying, who was holding a water glass in her hand, walked up to the two of them, put down the glass, and said with a smile: "Drink some water from home first to relieve the hangover."

"As for the Pacific Ocean...you'd better leave it a way to survive!"

"Hahahaha~" David put his hand on his forehead and laughed too.

Drink up the Pacific Ocean. .

This awesome guy is exaggerating a bit too much!

----

midnight.

Manhattan.

At the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 46th Street.

A middle-aged man who looked very ordinary walked up to a street girl wandering on the corner of the street and asked in a low voice.

"How many?"

The girl standing on the street sniffed, looked at the man with wandering eyes, and sneered: "80!"

"..too expensive!"

"Ha~"

"60 is mine, 20 is the room fee!"

"Is it too expensive?"

"You can try your luck over there~"

With that said, the street girl pointed to the northwest.

The middle-aged man tilted his head and glanced over there, pondered for a few seconds, and said, "Let's go~ I'll find a place."

"60!"

"Tsk~ OK."

"But it's too far...I won't go!"

"Not far, on 48th Street."

"Oh?"

The girl standing on the street glanced at 48th Street to the north, thought about it, and nodded helplessly.

"I hope it's warmer in there."

"..." The middle-aged man turned around silently and walked towards 48th Street first.

The street girl sniffed, hugged her arms tightly to her chest, stepped on red high heels, and followed quickly.