After a long while, Lu Jingyan gathered his thoughts from his memories.
He gazed at the shimmering tears in Gu Qing’s eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed a myriad of surging emotions.
"Qing'er." His voice was low, as if he were afraid of shattering something precious. "I remember everything now."
"I remember you in every form," Lu Jingyan whispered, cupping her face and making her meet his gaze. "The way you looked in a white coat saving lives, the way you bit the end of your pen while painting, the way you’d play tricks on me first thing in the morning..."
His thumb wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes. "Qing'er, you never have to be afraid again. I will remember every version of you, and I will spend the rest of my life loving each one."
Gu Qing looked at her own reflection in his eyes and finally let her tears fall.
"Welcome back, Jingyan," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist and savoring this hard-won embrace. "This time, let us never forget the time we spent loving each other."
Lu Jingyan tightened his arms, pulling her into his chest.
The day of the full-month celebration drew near.
Lu Jingyan stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, watching workers in the courtyard busily decorating with pink and white balloons, his whiskey swirling gently in a crystal glass.
His phone buzzed at the right moment; it was a message from his mother with her flight information, followed by a voice note from his younger brother, Lu Jingming: "Brother, I…
Chapter 445