46. Facetime
Yao Ling and her family flew from Hong Kong to Milan, transited in Doha, and it took nearly twenty hours to land at Malpensa Airport.
The plane landed in Milan at 10:00 AM. The temperature outside was freezing, several times colder than in Hong Kong. Yao Ling got off the plane, wrapped herself in a scarf, went through customs, picked up her checked luggage, and took her parents to the airport's holiday parking lot to pick up the car.
The car had been parked for a month, and she hadn't driven it for a whole month. She felt a little uncomfortable even getting behind the wheel. Fortunately, she got on the road smoothly. She turned on the heater, took off her scarf, and replaced it with sunglasses to block out the sun. She drove north from Malpensa to Como without any problems.
She lowered the window a bit and put on Joan Thiela's "Le Vacanze" on the radio. The song was called "The Holidays," and it sang about a nomadic life, dancing on the seabed and watching the sky through the porthole. Her vacation was over, and only after listening to this Italian ditty and driving onto the road did she feel truly back in Europe.
After leaving Milan, the car drove around Lake Como for a while. Shen Yu asked her if she wanted to stay in Como to rest for a day or return to Milan immediately. She didn't want to be too tired, so she planned to stay in Como for a day or two before returning to her apartment in Milan.
Yao Ling returned home and parked her car in the garage, letting her parents go in first. She got out, pressed the garage door button, and as the door slowly closed, she went upstairs and sent a message to Deng Shilang.
He had sent her a few messages ten hours ago, asking her to rest well, eat more, and reply after she had cleaned up. She glanced at the screen, set her iPhone back to Milan time, and set the world clock.
Yao Ling once added a number of time zones due to work demands. Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, and Milan all had the same time, while London was an hour ahead. Unexpectedly, this time around, she'd find herself in an international relationship, adding Hong Kong to the mix. She'd calculate the time difference for her boyfriend and guess what he was doing.
It was 7 p.m. in Hong Kong, and the time difference with Milan was still seven hours in winter time. Deng Shilang received the message and quickly told her that he was working overtime at home and expected it to be several hours before he finished.
Yao Ling didn't interrupt, agreeing to talk after she was done. She went to her room to unpack, and when she was almost done, her parents called her over to help replace the carpet and weed the flowerbed. By the end, everyone was too tired to even feel like cooking, so they ordered pizza from a nearby small shop.
Yao Ling wasn't very hungry, so she ate one piece, took a shower, and went back to her room to rest.
Her room was nestled against the water, its square window offering a lake view. On a normal day, the lake looked like rough waves, while on a clear day, it became a soft, flowing line. Throughout the year, mist and sunlight alternated, like an Italian painting. Next to the square window hung an oil painting, a gift from an artist friend, depicting a voluptuous nude and sunflowers. On the bedside table stood a lamp with a brass gauze shade, which, when lit, reflected light onto the wall.
Perhaps because it was arranged by Chen Yu, the whole environment is very elegant and beautiful. If it were her apartment in Milan, it would be more simple and practical.
After Deng Shilang finished his work, he took a shower before calling her on Facetime. From the screen, he saw her lying on the bed with her legs crossed, with a bright square window behind her.
He cleverly noticed that the lake view was so large and close to Milan, so it was most likely Como, so he said, "That's Lake Como outside."
Yao Ling hummed, "My parents' home is in Como."
Deng Shilang understood and began to remember her life in Italy. She had rarely mentioned her family before, even in high school, so much so that he only discovered her parents' long-standing preparations after she immigrated. Now they were starting over, slowly filling in the gaps of those years, which would take time.
He hoped that she would not treat him as an outsider, "If you have anything to say, tell me."
"What about you?" she asked.
"I will tell you whatever you want to know." Deng Shilang was very frank.
Yao Ling held up her cheek with one hand, her chin facing the screen, her eyes moving towards the square window, and said, "But sometimes I don't want to bring it up, or I feel it's unnecessary."
He remained silent, always thinking she was passive and that she needed him to be more proactive before she would open up. He accepted this, but he insisted that it wasn't like that year, when she didn't treat him as a boyfriend and handled everything on her own. Fortunately, things had changed a little now; at least she was willing to tell him her true feelings.
There was a breeze outside, and the lake water rippled a little.
Yao Ling turned her gaze back to the screen. He was sitting at his desk, his hair slightly damp. He was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt with a logo, looking fresh and must have smelled good. She casually moved closer to the screen to take a closer look, feeling the urge to hug him.
Deng Shilang noticed she was looking at him and couldn't help but put his finger on the screen, as if he was touching her face so close to him, and asked, "When are you going back to Milan?"
"Maybe tomorrow, I'll start checking my work emails." She felt his fingers caressing her cheek and asked with concern, "Are you tired now?"
"It's okay, I'm just tired of not seeing you." Deng Shilang stared at her face, her eyes, her lips.
If you do the math, it was exactly twenty-four hours before they met. And with work and the time difference, they might not have much time to contact each other.
After chatting for almost half an hour, Deng Shilang, thinking she must be tired from the long journey, said goodnight to her. However, several minutes passed and he still hadn't hung up, as if he was waiting for something.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, knowing he was trying to appease her because she didn't like him to hang up first. However, she didn't end the video immediately. Instead, she pressed her lips to the camera, very lightly, making the screen redden and then gray.
He chuckled, put two fingers together on his lips, then pressed the screen and exchanged with her, allowing her to see the dimple on his left cheek.
This was their first facetime call, and there was a sense of ceremony at the end.
According to their schedule, he would get up at 6 or 7 in the morning for a run or to the gym, and she would not fall asleep at that time, which was exactly 11 or 12 o'clock at night, so they could chat for a while. When it was her time to get up, he was doing his afternoon work, and she would say good morning to him and not disturb him.
Yao Ling does put herself first; she's not someone who's obsessed with relationships and doesn't see the need for constant chatting. He also maintains a sense of autonomy, knows how to manage his own affairs, and can clearly distinguish between business and personal matters. He needs space, and he gives it to each other.
Two days later, Yao Ling returned to Milan and opened her laptop to deal with a mountain of work emails. She had set an automatic reply about her vacation, but two business emails kept hounding her.
One was shot in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, near the Duomo, and the other was shot in a studio provided by Party B, near the Central Station.
After the selection, Yao Ling replied to them by email. The previous project was successfully negotiated and she received the model card for the photo shoot at the promenade. It turned out to be Wattina, whom she had photographed in Repulse Bay. The photo shoot in the studio was still under negotiation. She was waiting for the next step and put it aside for the time being.
A few days later, the agreed time for shooting at the corridor arrived. Yao Ling took the photography equipment to the destination and saw Watina as expected.
Vadina hadn't expected to meet her. When she learned she was a photographer, she gave her a pleasant hug and a kiss. "Rosalie, you went back to Milan and didn't stay in Hong Kong longer."
Yao Ling returned the favor and said, "I've just been back a few days, and the Autumn/Winter Fashion Week is coming up, so I have a lot of work to do."
"What about the friends who were with you in Repulse Bay? Are you still in touch?"
"He's my boyfriend now."
After hearing this, Vadina smiled beautifully and ambiguously. "That game is so powerful, it binds you together. But be careful, those who get together after playing this kind of game may not be interested. They may just be tempted by the physical contact."
Yao Ling smiled faintly, understanding what she meant, "It's not entirely due to this game."
Vadina understood that this was a long story, but one that needed no further explanation. She, on the other hand, naturally cut off contact, saying without regret, "I just didn't flirt with that man again."
Yao Ling thought for a long time and even forgot his name. "I don't remember his name. Although I follow him on Instagram, I rarely watch it."
"So, men are not important at all." There was an unrestrained smile in Vadina's eyes.
With that, they officially got to work. Having worked together once before, the shoot went incredibly smoothly, surprising both the lighting technician and the DIT. Afterward, Watina changed back into casual clothes and invited Yao Ling to a café near the promenade, concluding their day's schedule.
After returning home, Yao Ling received a text message from Deng Shilang.
[DC Hayden]: Just woke up, what have you done today.
【RosalieYL】：I went to the shoot, met Watina, and now I’m at home.
Deng Shilang smiled and sent her a facetime message.
Yao Ling turned on the heating in her apartment and slumped over on the sofa in her camisole, clutching her laptop, processing the photos she'd taken that day. When she answered the phone, she saw him shirtless in the bathroom, his hair disheveled from waking up, a toothbrush slicked with foam.
They were in perfect sync, using FaceTime to chat and doing their own things.
Deng Shilang finished washing up, hung up his toothbrush and towel, and picked up his phone. The screen flashed, and his face was very close. The next second, he appeared in the kitchen, making coffee and toasting bread.
He placed his phone on the kitchen table, picked up a cup of hot coffee, leaned against the island, and looked at the person on the screen. "Did the filming go well?"
"I've worked with her before, she's very efficient." Yao Ling moved her head from the notebook to the mobile phone screen.
Deng Shilang hummed, "A circle."
Yao Ling felt that he had experience and would understand the situation quickly, so there was no need to explain too much. She continued to work on her notebook, enlarging the photo and adjusting the blemishes.
Deng Shilang had to go to work on time, so as not to disturb her busy schedule, he let her hang up the phone.
Yao Ling left Hong Kong for a week. Due to work and time difference, they could only maintain such short contact, and occasionally had video sex for two days.
She rarely posts Instagram stories, only two a day at most, and then every other day. He wants to know her current situation, asks her to send him a quick selfie, and gives him the privileges a boyfriend deserves, but she still tells him very little.
If he hadn't been so busy recently, he would have flown a long distance to push her down on the bed and fuck her hard before asking her. However, now he could only follow Hong Kong's statutory holidays and wait until Christmas to have the chance to go to Italy.
After a busy day, Deng Shilang got off work, rubbed his nose tiredly, and waited for the elevator to come down. When the door opened, he saw Liang Litang.
Liang Litang was equally exhausted. He sat in the corner of the elevator, his suit hanging from his shoulders. He looked dejected when he saw the newcomer. "Sure enough, everyone's been working overtime lately."
"End of the year." Deng Shilang stepped into the elevator.
"What are your plans for the end of the year? Where are we going to spend Christmas and New Year's?" Liang Litang leaned his head against the elevator wall.
"Stay with Rosalie."
"I always feel that she doesn't need anyone's company and she ghosts me all the time. You two are so busy with work, seeing each other once or twice a year is already a lot, and now it's even troublesome to communicate, so I said no." Liang Litang said a lot of things in a row.
Deng Shilang didn't mind his words, and asked inquiringly, "So, what do you think?"
"No, just accompany me to Lu An's place to have some fun. Ever since she went back to Italy, you've been working overtime like crazy. You haven't been there for a long time. It's boring to death."
Deng Shilang looked back at him and thought he was funny. He hadn't been used to it since the first day Yao Ling left Hong Kong. He kept talking about it and was very embarrassed. He was neither optimistic about them nor concerned about them at the same time.
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