Tears, like a burst dam, gushed out, blurring Lin Wanwan's vision.
She covered her mouth, her body trembling violently from the extreme emotional shock, and she could no longer stand.
She slowly, very slowly, squatted down.
Beside that creaking rocking chair, beside the vegetable garden that had witnessed countless ordinary afternoons of their lives, this woman, who was already surrounded by children and grandchildren and revered by the world as the "Goddess Empress Dowager," burst into tears like a lost child who had finally found her way home, without any warning.
The cry was suppressed in her throat, only faint, barely suppressed sobs escaped from between her fingers, carrying immense grievances and unparalleled happiness.
She cried.
For that heart-fluttering GIF that reappeared before my eyes after decades.
For that "old friend" she thought had long since disappeared, but who turned out had always been there.
Also for that... foolish man who loved her his whole life.
Before today, she always thought that the golden finger disappeared because she no longer needed it.
After her "cold war" with Xiao Che, she learned to stop relying on that "cheat code," to observe with her own eyes, to feel with her own heart, and to communicate with the "artificial voice pack" they had built together. She believed that her growth allowed this "assistant" tool to complete its historical mission and thus retire successfully.
Later, when it occasionally appeared like an "Easter egg," she simply regarded it as a small surprise in life, a harmless embellishment to their happy moments.
She even secretly rejoiced that it had considerately retreated just as she learned to "love in a new way."
Until this moment.
Until they both reached the end of their lives, their hair turned white and they were nearing the end of their lives.
Until he fell into a deep sleep right in front of her, completely unguarded.
It's back.
It returned to her in such a firm, clear, and unquestionable way.
She finally, completely, had an epiphany.
—It never truly "disappeared".
It's not some kind of "Easter egg".
It's just protecting her in a different way.
When she learned how to love, it quietly retreated, no longer disturbing her, leaving all the space for her and his genuine interaction.
And now, as they approach the end of their lives, when words and actions have become less important, it has returned.
It returned not to "assist." By this point, they no longer needed any assistance from each other.
It returned to "bear witness"!
It returned to witness a miracle that transcended life and death for her!
Lin Wanwan raised her teary eyes and looked again at the huge, pink, bubbling "Heartbeat.gif".
At this moment, the golden touch that had accompanied her throughout her life seemed to become a mirror of time, clearly reflecting for her a man's lifelong love.
It witnessed—
On that night filled with manipulation and scheming, how did he go from initially trembling with fear to developing a subtle curiosity about something interesting because of a piece of candied fruit?
It witnessed—
During that perilous royal hunt, how did he feel the heartbreak and lingering fear that exploded above his head the moment she shielded him from a poisoned arrow? And how, while healing her wounds in the tent, did he first experience the flutter of first love?
It witnessed—
On that bloody night of the palace coup, how did he transform into the God of War amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood? And how, after the dust settled, under the watchful eyes of everyone, did he promise her the kingdom as his dowry, with a huge and unwavering heartbeat above his head?
It witnessed—
In the countless ordinary days and nights that followed, how did he transform from an arrogant emperor with the GIF of "Wife, save me!" into a clumsy new dad with the GIF of "I'm going to be a father! I'm so happy I could fly!", and then into a governing partner with the GIF of "Wife, this old man is right, I'll remember this!"...
It witnessed his journey from initial exploitation to later attraction, and finally, deep love.
It witnessed him, from a prickly boy, being melted and changed by her step by step, and finally becoming a husband who was willing to let down all his defenses for her, and even willing to learn how to express his love for her.
It witnessed that his "heart flutter" for her never stopped, no matter how much time passed or how his appearance aged.
From black hair to white hair.
From birth to... death.
It turns out, you loved me your whole life.
Lin Wanwan's heart was completely filled with this final and most romantic truth.
At this moment, all language seems so pale and powerless.
She simply squatted there, covering her mouth, letting tears of happiness flow freely.
After an unknown amount of time, the old man sleeping in the rocking chair seemed to feel her trembling even in his sleep.
His hand, the one covered in age spots and deep wrinkles, moved slightly under the thick wool blanket.
Then, relying on muscle memory that had accompanied him throughout his life, that hand, under the blanket, groped and moved, and finally, with unparalleled precision, grasped her equally cold and wrinkled hand resting on the armrest of the rocking chair.
He did not wake up.
His breathing remained steady and long.
This was just a subconscious, comforting gesture from someone in their sleep.
However, the moment he took her hand—
Lin Wanwan clearly saw that the huge "Heartbeat.gif" above his head suddenly flashed!
Immediately afterwards, as if injected with new energy, that emoji popped up with a huge pink bubble... bigger than all the previous bubbles!
The bubble, with a gurgling sound, rose from the emoji, its arc of completeness and happiness carrying it slowly towards the sky dyed red by the setting sun.
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