I will guard my time.
As night deepened, the sounds of the city outside the window gradually subsided, leaving only the occasional passing car, like ripples breaking the surface of still water, quickly returning to calm. Inside the "Time Sequence" store, only the ancient clocks continued their tireless chanting of the poem of time. Their ticking was no longer background noise at this moment, but became a yardstick for measuring waiting and guarding.
Lin Zhiyi didn't turn on the light, afraid that the bright light would disturb Lu Shixu's already fragile sleep. She simply stood quietly by the bedside, relying on the faint glow of a small nightlight shining through the doorway of the cubicle from the work desk.
Following Chen Xu's instructions, she would gently check Lu Shixu's forehead temperature every so often to confirm that his breathing was still steady and long. She dipped a cotton swab in warm water and carefully moistened his slightly chapped lips. Her movements were so gentle as if she were afraid of disturbing the dust, and all her attention was focused on this small space, on this person whose breathing was long and deep, as if he were trapped in a long dream.
Time lost its usual meaning; it was no longer measured in hours and minutes, but in his increasingly steady breathing and the gradual smoothing of the wrinkle between his brows.
After an unknown amount of time, it was nearly midnight, and all was quiet. Suddenly, Lu Shixu's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Lin Zhiyi immediately held her breath and leaned forward slightly.
He seemed to be struggling to float upwards from an extremely deep and weary seabed, his eyelids heavy as he opened a crack. His gaze was initially unfocused and empty, heavy with sleepiness and a lingering sense of unease, wandering aimlessly in the dim light for a few moments before finally, slowly and laboriously, focusing on the blurry silhouette beside the bed.
"...Understand?"
His voice was extremely hoarse and weak, as if it had been sanded, carrying the dryness and uncertainty of someone just emerging from a long sleep. He seemed to want to move, but found his body too heavy to obey him.
"I'm here," Lin Zhiyi replied immediately, her voice extremely soft, like a feather brushing the surface of water. She leaned down so he could see her more clearly, but didn't rush to help him. "How are you feeling? Would you like some water?"
Lu Shixu didn't answer immediately. He just looked at her, the confusion in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a deep, almost overwhelming weariness, and... a clear, undisguised embarrassment. He remembered. He remembered the helplessness of repeatedly falling asleep uncontrollably, he remembered Chen Xu's arrival and handling of the situation, and he remembered how he was sent back here.
He closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing laboriously, as if trying to hide himself back in the safe darkness.
Lin Zhiyi understood his silence. She didn't press him, nor did she show any pity or anxiety. She simply turned around, poured a small half-cup of warm water from the thermos she had prepared beside her, then sat back down on the edge of the bed. With one hand, she gently supported the back of his neck, helping him lift his head slightly, while with the other hand, she carefully brought the rim of the cup to his lips.
"Slow down, take a sip." Her movements were steady and natural, without the slightest hesitation or disdain.
Lu Shixu obediently sipped the warm water slowly. The cool liquid slid down his parched throat, bringing a real sense of comfort. It also made him more clearly aware of his current weakness and what she was doing.
After finishing her water, Lin Zhiyi gently put down the cup and wiped the water droplets from the corner of his lips with her fingertips. Her fingertips carried the warmth of life.
Lu Shixu lay back down, avoiding her gaze and looking at the dim ceiling, his voice low and hoarse, almost broken: "...I'm sorry."
These three words again. They are filled with a sense of powerlessness and self-loathing.
Lin Zhiyi's heart ached slightly. She didn't respond to the apology, as if she hadn't heard it. She simply reached out and took his still somewhat cold hand back into her warm palm, gently cradling it.
Then, seeing his gaze forced back, she spoke in a calm yet firm tone, as if stating a fact, her voice exceptionally clear in the quiet night:
“Time sequence, do you remember? You once said that repairing clocks is like ‘negotiating’ with them, helping them ‘compromise’ with the flow of time, so that they can continue in another way.”
Lu Shixu was stunned, seemingly not understanding why she brought this up at this moment.
“Now,” Lin Zhiyi met his gaze gently yet persistently, “our ‘negotiation’ and ‘compromise’ have begun. Your time sometimes ‘goes on strike,’ which is the ‘time zone’ my time needs to enter, the ‘rules’ I need to learn and adapt to.”
She tightened her grip on his hand slightly, the strength not great, but with an undeniable support.
"So, don't feel sorry. It's like the gears of a clock needing occasional oiling, or the balance spring needing regular calibration. It's part of your body, something we need to face and maintain together in our daily lives." She paused, each word clearly imprinted in the silent air, "Before, you were the one guarding these still moments. Now, I'll be the one guarding the time you slack off."
These words contained no trace of sorrow, no deliberate sentimentality. They were so calm, so matter-of-fact, as if stating a truth as natural as sunrise and sunset. They completely dispelled that "burden," incorporating his illness into the order of their shared life, an order that required their joint effort.
Lu Shixu gazed at her for a long time. In the dim light, he could see the clear and firm light in her eyes, like the most constant star in the night sky. The frozen barrier in his heart, the one called "fear becoming a burden," was completely broken down and melted by this gentle yet powerful force at this moment.
A surge of hot tears welled up in his eyes, stinging unbearably. He hurriedly turned his face away, trying to hide the vulnerability that threatened to spill over.
But Lin Zhiyi saw it. She didn't say anything, she just waited quietly.
After a long while, he turned back. The redness in his eyes had not completely faded, but his eyes were clearer and brighter than ever before. He took her hand in his, his grip filled with a tender, nascent love.
“…Okay.” He replied in a hoarse voice, a single word that weighed a ton.
This one word represents acceptance, commitment, and complete trust and entrustment after all armor has been laid down.
Outside the window, the moonlight was cold and clear.
Inside the window, hands clasped tightly, time flows slowly towards the hopeful dawn under silent protection.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
