Silent Promise

The uninvited guest's tiny ripples didn't even reach the tranquil heart of the "time" lake before quietly dissipating. Days continued to flow forward at their inherent, slow, and steady pace. The summer heat gradually intensified, but thanks to the thick walls and proper ventilation, the shop maintained a pleasant coolness.

Su Man's appearance was like a pebble accidentally thrown into the bottom of a lake. It did not change the calm of the lake, but it seemed to make certain deep-seated emotions more clearly visible in silence.

That evening, the afterglow of the setting sun painted the sky a warm orange-red. Lin Zhiyi finished her work, closed her laptop, and stretched her stiff neck. She looked up at Lu Shixu behind the workbench; he was intently examining the case of an old pocket watch that had just been cleaned, his expression focused on the light.

Golden light streamed through the windowpane, outlining his slender figure and casting a small shadow beneath his long eyelashes. It also gave the gleaming brass watch in his hand a soft glow. The scene was serene and beautiful, like a frozen old photograph.

Lin Zhiyi's heart stirred slightly, an indescribable, overflowing emotion filling her chest. It was contentment, peace, and an impulse to freeze this moment into eternity. She gently picked up her phone, which was lying to the side, put it on silent, and pressed the shutter button on the warm light and shadow.

The slight "click" sound was almost inaudible, but it still startled Lu Shixu, who was immersed in his work.

He looked up at her, his expression slightly questioning.

Lin Zhiyi shook her phone a little embarrassedly, a hint of embarrassment on her face: "I just thought... the lighting was really good." She walked over and handed him the photo on the screen.

In the photo, he is turned to the side, his eyes lowered, his fingertips lightly tracing the watch case. He is enveloped in the warm glow of the setting sun, his expression one of pure focus and peace after letting down his guard. The background consists of silent clocks, blurred into a shadow full of the texture of time.

Lu Shixu stared at himself in the photo, slightly taken aback. He rarely saw himself at work, and he never imagined that he would look so... serene in someone else's lens.

"Was the filming bad?" Lin Zhiyi asked nervously when he remained silent.

Lu Shixu shook his head, handed the phone back to her, and looked back at the pocket watch in his hand. His tone was calm but carried a hint of gentleness: "It's rare... to see myself like this."

Lin Zhiyi gripped her phone, looking at the photo on the screen, and said softly, "I really like you like this. Quiet, focused, as if the whole world can't disturb you." She paused, her voice becoming even softer, yet incredibly clear, "I also really like... myself, who has the privilege of seeing you like this."

These words, like a feather, gently landed on Lu Shixu's heart, yet they rippled outwards in layers of waves. His hands, busy repairing the clock, paused slightly. He looked up and gazed deeply into her eyes.

Her eyes were clear and bright, reflecting the afterglow of the setting sun and his reflection, filled with undisguised cherishing and love.

He didn't speak. Some emotions are too profound for words to bear.

He simply gazed at her silently for a long time, then, very slowly, put down his pocket watch and tools. He walked around the workbench and stood before her.

The store was quiet, with only the regular ticking of the clock and the gradually clearing sound of each other's breathing.

He reached out, not to take her phone, nor to hug her, but gently took her free hand. His palm was slightly cool, yet carried a firm strength.

He led her to the window, which was bathed in the last and most intense light of the day.

Then he turned around and stood facing her, still holding her hand. The setting sun cast long shadows of the two of them, making them intertwine closely.

He looked down at her, and her eyes, which were always clear and bright, now seemed to be filled with the warmth and depth of a summer sunset.

“Zhiyi,” he said, his voice lower and hoarser than usual, but every word was clear and struck her heart, “My time may not be as precise as others’, always moving forward.”

His gaze locked onto hers, filled with complete honesty.

"Sometimes it's fast, sometimes it's slow, and sometimes... it even stops without warning."

Lin Zhiyi held her breath, looked back at him, her heart beating steadily and powerfully in her chest.

“But,” he tightened his grip on her hand slightly, as if to convey some kind of vow through this gesture, “as long as it’s still beating, as long as it can still be calibrated,”

He paused, each word sounding carefully considered and carrying immense weight.

"Every mark on it exists just for you."

There were no flowery words, no vows of eternal love. He simply used the most familiar method—"time"—as a metaphor to make a unique promise that belonged only to them.

Lin Zhiyi's eyes instantly welled up with tears. Looking at the slender and earnest man before her, at the warm, starry sea in his eyes that shone for her, she felt her heart filled with an immense, almost sacred happiness.

She gripped his hand tightly in return, nodded vigorously, her voice choked with emotion yet radiant with a smile:

"good."

As the sun sank below the distant horizon, its last rays of golden light lingered on their shoulders.

The room was filled with the ticking of bells, like countless witnesses, playing a solemn yet gentle hymn to this silent yet weighty promise.