May 20, 2024

Shen Qingyi was woken by the alarm clock. She reached for her phone on the bedside table and then turned it off. Golden morning light streamed through the blinds and fell on her face. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the warmth. Early summer was fast approaching, and the days were getting longer and longer.

"Gu Wanlin, could you please replace the blinds in this room?" She opened her eyes and muttered a complaint, turning over to look for Gu Wanlin.

Gu Wanlin lay on her side with her back to the window, looking as if she had been awake for a while. Her eyes were clear, and the sunlight cast a golden halo around her figure, especially her slightly disheveled hair, which stood out brightly and gently in the light and shadow, some of the fluffy strands standing out. Seeing that Shen Qingyi was awake, she reached out and stroked her lover's cheek. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

Shen Qingyi thought it best not to change it. She liked watching it. "Of course I slept well, but how did you sleep?"

Gu Wanlin smiled and said, "That's fine. I just woke up not long ago, so you need to get up quickly, or it will be too late."

Shen Qingyi grumbled, "Gu Wanlin, do you know what day it is today?"

"Today is Monday, the day you have to go to the company for the weekly meeting at nine o'clock in the morning."

Shen Qingyi let out a scream, checked the time, sprang to her feet, leaned over and kissed Gu Wanlin's forehead, then helped her turn over. "You're right, I really don't have time." She then sprinted to the bathroom to wash up.

Gu Wanlin lay on the bed, watching her lover's figure flit between the room, dressing room, and bathroom like a gust of wind, his eyes filled with love, yet also tinged with a touch of loneliness.

This was the life she had always dreamed of, but she never imagined that when her dream came true, she would look like this.

Shen Qingyi quickly tidied up and came to the bedside to say goodbye. Gu Wanlin suppressed her sadness and tried to smile at her lover.

"I'm sorry, Nannan, I really don't have time. Just lie there quietly for a while longer. Sister Zhang will be here in fifteen minutes. Next time I'll wake up earlier to help you get up."

Shen Qingyi planted a kiss on Gu Wanlin's eyes, the kiss carrying a hint of sweet moisture amidst the chill, the scent of their usual mint and peach-flavored toothpaste.

Gu Wanlin retorted, "I haven't washed my face or brushed my teeth yet."

Shen Qingyi had already swept out the door like a whirlwind, leaving only his voice drifting into the bedroom, "Don't worry, I don't mind."

The room fell silent again. Gu Wanlin lay on the bed, watching her arms and legs tremble incessantly, waiting for the spasms to subside. It was just an ordinary double bed, without a proper headboard, and she was too lazy to bother sitting up and waiting for the caregiver. The two of them had only recently reaffirmed their relationship, and sleeping together was only a week or two old. The electric nursing bed in her own room was too cramped for two people, so she had been sleeping in Shen Qingyi's room these past few days. The custom-made electric double bed hadn't arrived yet; once it did, she wouldn't be in this predicament.

But speaking of which, did Shen Qingyi bring his laptop bag when he left in such a hurry?

Shen Qingyi brought it. As she sat down in the conference room with her laptop, she was pondering whether to cook a loving dinner at home that evening or take Gu Wanlin out on a date. Gu Wanlin had forgotten that today was May 20th, and she couldn't forget. But it was too early to think about it now; she'd better wait and see how Gu Wanlin felt before making a decision.

She opened the laptop, and a piece of paper floated out and landed at her feet.

She picked it up. She wasn't familiar with the handwriting, but she knew at a glance whose it was. The Latin letters were written in a rounded, large font, like a child learning to write. The curved parts were a bit crooked, as if the hand had trembled when writing.

Vivāmus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus,

Let's live together, let's love together, my Lesbia.

rumoresque senum severiorum

Those outdated criticisms

Omnes unius aestimemus assis!

Not worth a penny.

soles idere et redire possunt;

The sun sets but will rise again.

nobis, cum semel idit brevis lux,

When the brief moment of light for us disappears...

Nox est perpetua una dormienda.

[It will soon sink into eternal night]

da mi basia mille, deinde centum,

Give me a thousand kisses, and another hundred more.

dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,

[Add a thousand more kisses, add a hundred more]

deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum;

Another thousand, another hundred

dein, cum milia multa fecerimus,

Let's make it into millions and millions.

conturbabimus illa, ne sciiamus,

There are so many that even we ourselves can't count them all.

aut ne quis malus invidere possit,

[To avoid the narrow-minded and wicked]

cum tantum sciat esse basiorum.

[Feeling jealous after learning the number of kisses]

Sighing inwardly, Shen Qingyi thought to herself, "Gu Wanlin."

Others might not know, but she certainly did. Gu Wanlin would never be able to hold a regular pen with her fingers again, writing in her usual italic Italian style, or showing off her cursive writing skills. During rehabilitation, she had seen it done a few times; she still had to put an assistive device on the back of her hand, fix the pen to the device, and then move the pen with her wrist.

When exactly did you start preparing? How long have you been writing? Doesn't your wrist hurt?

"Sister Shen? Sister Shen?" The younger subordinate sitting next to Shen Qingyi was about to ask if Shen Qingyi had eaten yet, since she still had a piece of bread. But when she turned her head, she was shocked to see her direct supervisor holding a piece of paper, tears streaming down her face like beads.

But he looked clearly happy; his mouth was practically stretched to his ears.