⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!! ⚠️
This post contains a detailed spoiler for a date that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~
The sunset is held by white clouds, slightly warming up the living room. On a rare free afternoon, Lucien and I began a long-overdue cleaning.
Lucien: MC, guess what I found.
I followed his voice and turned around. Lucien held a pile of yellowing books while leaning in front of the bookshelf.
Lucien: This should be your movie review assignment back in the college, right?
“Run in the name of love”. The title’s big words caught my eye and gently set off the memories deep in my mind.
- (T/N) From the review title, it’s possible that the movie MC reviewed is “Children of Heaven”, an Iranian family drama film written and directed by Majid Majidi.
Lucien: Sorry, but I couldn’t resist sneaking a read because the title was so intriguing.
MC: Pfft, the poor writing back then made the great Professor Lucien laugh!
Lucien: How come. I feel that, whether it is the interpretation of the theme or the analysis of the characters, the analysis of this student at that time was unique.
Lucien: It makes one can’t help but wonder, what she was like at that time?
He said, handing me a metal box with a hint of a smile leaking between his lips.
The stained metal was like a key to the past, and I instantly remembered how I used to love collecting things in that box.
I took it with embarrassment and narrowed my eyes at Lucien.
MC: I have the feeling that Professor Lucien wants to “execute” me in public!
Lucien: I just want to know more about your past that I wasn’t a part of.
Lucien: Can’t I?
His tone was full of grievances that I couldn’t resist. I compromised at once and pulled him to sit at the desk.
Inside the metal box quietly lay past test papers, internship documents, and, …a hard drive.
I manually connected the drive to the computer, and the ” MC ” logo popped up on the screen.
Looking at the densely packed files, I thought about it and clicked on the ” Memories ” folder.
Countless splendid images spread out, depicting my youthful time as the years change.
Lucien: It seems that we have found something very important.
The people around me were filled with happiness, and I couldn’t help but smile as I clicked on those past photos.
MC: …This seems to be my birthday in the second year of college, and my roommate bought a cake for me!
MC: And this one, it’s my first time as a director. …
Lucien always watched quietly, his eyes sometimes falling to the screen, and occasionally watching me.
That is, until a shaky video showed up, and I squinted to something that I vaguely identify as a vast ocean view.
???: MC, the camera is ready to go!
Following the sound, a figure in green entered the screen, sitting on a high platform made of stone bricks, smiling at the camera.
My vague memories gradually became clear when I looked at the high white-ivory platform and steep cliffs.
MC: This place… I think it was the summer of my sophomore year. I went to a nearby island with my friends.
Suddenly I remembered something and quickly pressed the pause button.
Lucien: What’s wrong?
MC: Uh…
My mind quickly searched for an excuse, but Lucien gently flicked my forehead.
Lucien: I may have to be skeptical about what you are going to say next.
Lucien: After all, the look on your face already tells me…
Lucien: [imitating mc’s distressed tone] “If you see this video, you will definitely laugh at me.”
He imitated my tone and seemed to say it in distress.
MC: …Haha, you could tell?
Lucien: Of course. So I’m even more curious, what cute and silly things did MC do in the past?
Saying that, Lucien naturally wrapped me in his arm, holding the back of the mouse softly with his other hand.
Before I could stop him, he gently pressed the play button. At the same time, I curled up and squeezed my eyes shut.
“This place is so beautiful! In the future, I will definitely bring the person that I like here!!”
The familiar voice came at once, I buried my head deeper, and a very soft laugh fell on my ears.
MC: …see, you’re still laughing at me!
Lucien: I was thinking, luckily I didn’t miss such an important scene.
Lucien: A brave little girl not only has bright hope for the future. But also made a beautiful promise to the person she will meet in the future.
Lucien: I think it’s very endearing and romantic.
The gentle tone soothed my blush, and I peeked at the screen. My heart couldn’t help but surge along with the waves in the video.
I raised my head and looked at Lucien.
MC: Lucien, let’s go here together.
Lucien: Okay.
He didn’t hesitate, as if he had been waiting for this invitation that belonged to him.
The dull boat whistle came from the dock. Lucien and I got off the boat alongside the crowd with our luggage. The waves reflected the bright sun and surged onto the rocks. There are many tourists as far as the eye can see.
MC: I remember when this place wasn’t a tourist attraction. I can’t imagine that it has changed so much now.
I squeezed his hand tightly and snickered twice.
MC: Lucien, have you noticed that we have a very close affinity with the “islands” recently?
MC: Both the ”wedding” and the last place where you came to pay the “ransom” were on different islands.
- ((A reference to witness date and devotion date))
Lucien: On the contrary, I feel that you and I are more destined to be together.
Lucien: No matter where I am, you are always by my side.
MC: Professor Lucien’s love talk is getting more and more “unexpected”~
Lucien: [chuckle] I’m just being honest.
He smiled, looked at the directional sign standing aside, took my hand, and walked forward.
Soon we arrived at the booked homestay. After checking in, I dragged my suitcase and walked straight into the bedroom to change my clothes. Afterwards, I smiled and came to Lucien.
MC: Lucien, look at me now.
He looked up from the book, and there was a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Lucien: This seems to be the same dress as the one in your video. I didn’t expect you to keep it after all these years.
I looked down at the aqua green dress with ruffles and turned around with a smile.
MC: Originally, I just had the idea of looking for it, but after rummaging through a few wardrobes, I really found it!
MC: So I decided to perfectly restore myself to who I was~
I couldn’t help showing my skirt in excitement as I said that.
MC: So, doesn’t it feel the same at first glance as back then?
Lucien got up and came toward me, his eyes slowly drifting across my face.
Lucien: It seems to be not quite the same if you look closely.
Looking at him carefully, I couldn’t help but think “badly”.
MC: Oh? So what do you think is different?
Lucien smiled for a moment.
Lucien: MC, is this an attempt to test me?
MC: Is Professor Lucien worried that he will not be able to overcome the test?
Lucien: Not really, but I might have to get a little closer to name some of the subtle differences.
He leaned down, his tickling breath brushing the tip of my nose at some point.
His fingertips moved from my cheeks to my eyebrows as if tracing, gently rubbing them.
Lucien: Your eyes seem to be different. You may be more youthful in the past, and what came through is the curiosity and fresh approach to things.
Lucien: Although you still remain curious now, your eyes have more steadiness, and things do not easily sway you.
I turned my eyes and continued to “make things difficult” for Lucien.
MC: So you think I’m not as lively and lovable as I used to be?
Lucien: How come it’s even more difficult?
Lucien sighed sorrowfully, and his face was full of “distress”. But soon, he retreated and kissed me on the forehead.
Lucien: If I do this, will you forgive me for my carelessness in wording?
MC: That’s not enough.
Lucien: So what do you think I should do?
I thought about it and pulled Lucien to the full body mirror. I took the rubber band off my hand and put it into his palm.
MC: You will be punished with tying a high ponytail for me to perfectly recreate my hairstyle back then.
MC: If you can’t remember the hairstyle precisely, I can reluctantly show you that video again.
Lucien: If I say I remember clearly, can you forgive me a little earlier?
MC: Hum, it depends on how you perform next.
Lucien smiled as he walked up behind me and gently tied my hair. His fingers tangled in my hair and inadvertently stirred up an itch.
I tried to calm my heartbeat and focus on myself in the mirror. When I looked at the ponytail slightly higher than the top of my head, I felt a subtle strangeness in my heart.
…I seem to be different from the past?
But the dress on my body is neither loose nor tight, and my body shape doesn’t seem to have changed. Is it really the eyes, just like what Lucien said?
I blinked and stared at my face for a long time. The next second, Lucien in the mirror leaned down and pressed himself to my ear.
Lucien: [softly] Fool, don’t frown.
As if he had already seen through my mind, Lucien reached out and stroked my head.
Lucien: Change doesn’t necessarily mean bad. I rather think it’s good to be different.
Lucien: Because it’s all MC.
Lucien: It is these changes that make up each stage of you.
After tidying up everything, I took Lucien’s hand and lost my way on the way to the most beautiful scenery.
Fortunately, the island is very small, and we strolled under the shadows of the fine trees. People come and go in the narrow alley, and I can’t help but press close to the people around me.
MC: There are too many people here… I remember when I was here, it was mostly local islanders.
MC: And there are dirt roads everywhere, so you always fall over when you drag your suitcase. But now, it has become a commercial street.
Lucien: Very often, change means opportunity.
Lucien: Even if the scenery is beautiful, if the road never gets fixed, it will be replaced by other attractions with easier access.
Lucien looked around and said, as usual.
???: Hurry, there are still a few more popular stores to visit!
At that moment, a group of girls who looked like college students crossed in front of them and walked inside the boutique.
Seeing them smiling and picking up earrings to compare them in front of the mirror, my eyes couldn’t help but pause for a few seconds.
Lucien: Want to check it out?
I laughed and shook my head.
MC: If it were me in the past, I would have walked in and refused to come out.
MC: As of now…I prefer to enjoy walking hand in hand with you.
As soon as the words were said, my phone suddenly rang, and it was a call from the late company.
Thinking that it was related to the closing of the project, Lucien and I exchanged glances and answered the phone.
MC: Mr Chen, please go ahead.
Loud noises were coming from time to time in the vicinity, and I wanted to look for a place where there were fewer people. But first, I saw Lucien’s line of sight.
He curled his eyes at me in understanding and then walked towards the end of the quiet alley with my hand in his.
- (their tacit understanding 🥺*)*
There was only the sound of seagulls, and the temperature on my palm never left. When I was done, I put down my phone, which was slightly hot.
MC: I’m sorry, Lucien, for making you wait for a long time.
Lucien: Not at all. On the contrary, there is always an expectation in my heart, so every minute that passes has meaning before it comes.
The sound of waves crashing on the rocks came from not far away as if responding to his words.
I laughed along and took his hand towards the end of the island.
MC: So, Professor Lucien, keep up your expectations and come with me.
MC: Now I’m going to take my favourite person to see the most beautiful scenery!
We kept following the sound of the waves and finally came to the high platform at the cliff’s edge.
The sea becomes unobstructed here, and the waves beneath the cliffs swell with brilliant golden light, gulping back and forth with fine light-coloured sand.
Without realizing it, the scenery in front of me and the memories of the past gradually overlap.
MC: Lucien, isn’t it beautiful here?
The warm colour afterglow dyed into Lucien’s eyes and was also hidden in a whole sea.
Lucien: Mmmm. I can probably understand why you had such thoughts at that time.
Lucien: I think if it were me, I would also want you to come and see the scenery I like.
I held Lucien’s arm affectionately.
MC: Fortunately, only here has not changed much. The scenery you see now is the same as what I saw back then.
MC: There is a feeling of overlapping time~
Lucien: Looks like I need to thank you even more for that movie review assignment.
MC: Why do you suddenly say that?
Lucien: Because if I hadn’t spotted it in time, I probably would have missed this scenery.
Lucien:
Or if we find it later, at the rate of change of this island, when we come back, it may be different again.
Seeing his “serious” look, I couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
MC: To put it that way, I’d like to give you thanks too~
MC: If I find that video again when I become an old lady, I will have even less confidence to restore the past.
MC: Because then I won’t just be “steady”, but also become “peaceful”~
I squeezed Lucien’s palm, pretending to rummage through old accounts and bills, and he laughed softly.
Lucien: It’s all my fault. I didn’t expect you to still think about it.
MC: Hey, hey, I’m just kidding! But like you said, change is a fact.
MC: After coming here today, I found that in just a few years, the island has changed a lot, and so have I.
MC: Both the appearance and the mentality are already different compared to the first time I came here.
Lucien reached out and gently stroked the hair behind my ears.
Lucien: Everything is constantly changing.
Lucien: Some changes can be seen at a glance, but others are subtle.
Lucien: It’s really hard to find out without comparing it with the past.
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but point the camera in front of me at Lucien and pull the focus closer to observe.
MC: If you say so, you should also be the kind that quietly changes…
MC: I always feel that there is no difference between you now and the first time I saw you, but there are still many changes when I look closely.
I tilted my head and turned my eyes from the camera viewfinder to Lucien.
MC: For example, now Lucien won’t be able to resist coming closer to me~
MC: Like just now, the viewfinder was above your head, but now it’s almost covering your eyebrows.
MC: And whenever I joked with you, you would always lower your eyes before laughing with me.
MC: Hahaha, that’s what you’re doing now!
A soft laugh fell on my ears. Lucien smiled and lifted his eyes, nodding without denying it.
MC: And it’s not just the visible changes. I’ve noticed the invisible changes, too~
MC: For example, in front of me… you’re getting more and more greedy.
MC: Those little emotions that were hard to spot in the past are also more and more easily exposed in front of me.
I smiled and gazed at him as the waves in the distance cascaded into his deep eyes.
Lucien: If this is the analogy, then MC is also constantly changing in my eyes.
His voice was soft and gentle, but the waves behind him didn’t drown it out.
Lucien: For example, the person you are today is not quite the same as the person you were yesterday.
Lucien: It may be because yesterday you were working late and looked tired…, but today you’re in great shape.
Lucien: And you in this second aren’t the same as you in the last second.
Lucien: Even I can influence your changes.
MC: Influence?
He smiled, lifted his finger and gently tapped the end of my eye.
Lucien: When I smile at you, your eyes curl up with me, [whisper] just like this-
At the end of my eyes, the fingertips gently rubbed and drew an upward curve.
Lucien: And when I touch your hand, your fingertips unconsciously tighten around mine, [softly] just like this…
His fingertips slipped into my palm and clasped tightly.
Lucien: These are the changes that I have observed.
Lucien: There may be good and bad in this, but it is a necessary process.
Lucien: So you are different from your past self, so what?
Lucien: I think we should go ahead and accept them with open arms.
Once again, there is a low sound from the dock, the distant ferries leave with their wake, and the path continues to be crowded.
Looking at the eyes that always reflected mine, I gently cupped his cheeks.
MC: Then I may interpret Professor Lucien’s words as a small promise.
MC: Whether I become more steady or some other way in the future, you will accept it with open arms, won’t you?
Lucien smiled lightly and raised his hand to pinch the tip of my nose.
Lucien: Of course.
Lucien: I cherish every minute and every second of the different you.
The fine waves – surged down to the cliff and slowly fell back to the bottom of my heart. It stirs up a soft itch and provokes the unseen thought.
The next second, I reached out and untied my ponytail, my hair flowing up in the wind. Then I took Lucien’s hand and let him lean closer to me.
MC: The promise that was made in the past here is now fulfilled.
MC: Not only did I bring someone I like here, but he also told me that he would like me all the way.
MC: So it seems that I have achieved much more than a promise.
The sea breeze became fierce and blew the flowering branches around it, creaking them.
Lucien looked at me and gently squeezed my fingers.
Lucien: At the moment, you seem to have changed again.
MC: Let’s see… Am I getting braver?
Lucien: [chuckle] Almost, but not quite.
Lucien: You seem to have become more fond of yourself, and more fond of…
Lucien didn’t finish, but as the waves hit the cliff again, a softness fell on my forehead.
It seems deeper than the sea.
Call Section – [情绪讯息]- Emotional Communication
//I usually don’t translate calls, but this one call is just so good so–
Lucien: MC, I saw your reading card in my Moments
Lucien: Congratulations on finished reading another book in your busy schedule.
MC: Thank you~ I didn’t expect the congratulations to come so quickly just after I posted it!
MC: However, reading this book requires a lot of energy. After reading it, I don’t have much mood to work today…
Lucien: Maybe you can talk to me and let me share some of my “energy” with you.
MC: Well…. This book is about a couple in love who have gone through the “seven-year itch” and have burned out on each other.
- (T/N)”Seven years itch” is the notion that after seven years of marriage (or a long relationship), people start to get unhappy with their partner.
MC: I can’t help but be a little confused. Is this really the only way to a relationship?
Lucien: This is indeed something to think about. After all, the seven-year itch is not a new word.
Lucien: But since the problem exists, there will be a solution.
Lucien: MC, can you start by telling me what caused the main characters in the book to become burned out?
MC: Let’s see…. For example, having something on your mind but refusing to say it? It makes the other party constantly guessing and keep on trying…
Lucien: Why does it sound like it’s secretly nudging me?
MC: Haha, is that so?
MC: Then could it be that you have a guilty conscience that makes you feel this way?
Lucien: In front of you, it seems that I rarely feel guilty and… I think I will tell you my feelings more often now.
Lucien: It may not be as direct, but I am always communicating my emotions to you in my own way.
Lucien: Just like this phone call right now, there are actually some messages hidden in it.
MC: Eh?
Lucien: I saw your posting and sharing because I always look at your Moments and wait for your latest updates.
Lucien: So, I took the opportunity to congratulate you on the topic.
Lucien: However, all these words are just another way for me to express that I miss you very much.
MC: Professor Lucien’s love talk is really well-reasoned~
Lucien: So in our world, you don’t have to worry about the seven-year itch.
Lucien: Because no matter how much time has passed, I believe that we will always care about each other.