⚠️ 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~
MC: Wow, there are pure green lilies!
MC: The marigold really looks good when photographed from this angle.
I shuttled through the flowers, holding the lens to record the flowers in all their forms.
Recently, a large botanical garden has been opened in Loveland City, which is said to have introduced many rare plants and fossil species.
Lucien’s research institute had cooperated with this botanical garden, so he invited me to join him for an afternoon tour.
Unexpectedly, as soon as we went out, Lucien received a message from the institute, so I went ahead to the botanical garden to wait for him.
The hands on the huge wooden clock reached just past noon after I had taken almost all the floral photography. The sun was scorching hot, making my throat a little dry.
I walked towards the long line of tour buses in the park and decided to get a ride to the dining area to get a cold drink to quench my thirst.
While waiting in line, I received a message from Lucien.
Lucien: I’m already doing the finishing work, I’ll be there soon, how about MC?
I hurriedly typed in the input box.
MC: The scenery is beautiful, but the weather is also very hot, so I plan to go to the dining area to rest~
Before Lucien could reply, the shuttle bus came first.
The crowd swarmed forward, and there were only two seats left on the bus when I and a girl behind me lined up.
I was about to get in the car when I saw a boy running over panting.
He walked past me and took the hand of the girl beside me.
Boy: Xiao Wen, it’s my fault for not being on time for the date, please don’t be angry…
Girl: You said you reserved time for me for our anniversary, but you still chose to work? I see you don’t have me in mind at all.
Boy: I…
Between the two standoffs, the bus was delayed from moving, whispered complaints were heard, and the driver honked the car horn impatiently.
I thought about it and voluntarily stepped back.
MC: You guys sit down first, I’ll just wait for the next one.
Without waiting for them to refuse, I ” magnanimously ” waved my hand at them and watched the little white bus disappear from view.
Five minutes later, I regretted it.
MC: Why is this bus going in the opposite direction?
I didn’t expect the next tour bus to take me directly back to the entrance of the park, and in the aftermath, I saw a coffee shop surrounded by daffodils.
MC: Well, a coffee shop is also a beverage shop…
I was too lazy to run around again, so I just went into the store to get the menu, then sat down at the table and carefully selected the photos I was going to send to Lucien.
MC: This one is good, this one is also very good, um this one is not good, it’s overexposed…
I was choosing with relish when a hand suddenly appeared in front of me, holding a cup of coffee.
Lucien was sitting across from me, the sunlight casting a light shadow on his face
He met my gaze, and there was a light in his eyes.
MC: Lucien, what are you doing here?
Lucien: With that being said, MC is not in the dining area either.
Lucien and I looked at each other for a moment, then tugged our lips together in unison.
Lucien: It seems that this should be a beautiful accident.
Lucien: I missed you, so I finished my work ahead of schedule to see you.
He said it frankly and unabashedly.
Lucien: Looks like I came at the right time.
Lucien took the camera I handed over and looked through the results I had taken in the morning.
MC: How about a little evaluation?
Lucien: Mmm, it’s so vivid that you can smell the aroma of these flowers across the screen.
Lucien: But I’m more concerned about you, you’ve taken so many photos, it seems that you’ve been to a lot of places. Are you tired?
MC: The tiredness is fine, it is mainly the heat.
MC: But now, with the iced coffee delivered to my door, I feel instantly charged up!
I smiled and shook the iced coffee in my hand, and the corners of Lucien’s lips curled up in response.
MC: What about you? What brings you to this coffee shop?
Lucien: I thought you might be thirsty, so I was planning to buy two cups of coffee before calling you.
Lucien: However, as soon as I took out my phone, I saw you.
At that moment, Lucien’s cell phone suddenly vibrated.
Lucien: Hello.
Lucien: …The report has been sent to the assistant. Thank you, no need to be so polite. Goodbye.
MC: Is there something on the project side?
Lucien: Well, the collaborative project with this botanical garden has recently yielded some results.
Lucien: We found a new batch of plants that are good for Alzheimer’s disease patients, so the person in charge just called to congratulate.
Lucien took the guidebook from me and flipped through it.
Lucien: Where would you like to go first? Tulip fields, lithophyte fields, or… flower market?
MC: Where have you not been before? After all, with your work you should’ve been here before…
Lucien: Don’t worry, plant samples are usually collected by interns, and this is my first time here.
Lucien: So, you can choose according to your preference.
I took Lucien’s hand and winked at him.
MC: In that case, why don’t we just walk around and see where the crowds will take us?
The sun was shining, the shade was casting reflections on us, and the coffee in our hands brought a light refreshing sweetness. We walked along the crowd and came to the flower market.
Colorful bouquets filled the shelves, and people chose commemorative bouquets, getting ready to carry the fragrance home.
At that moment, a voice called out to us.
Boy: Professor Lucien, I can’t believe you’re here too!
MC: …Eh?
I was surprised to see that the person in front of me was the boy I met on the shuttle bus not long ago! He had some surprises too when he looked at me and Lucien.
A moment later the boy showed a look of realization.
Boy: I didn’t expect the kind person at noon to be the rumored teacher’s wife… Hello, I am an intern at Professor Lucien’s institute, you can call me Kai!
- (the boy called MC 師母(shīmǔ) which term of respect for teacher’s wife)
Lucien raised an eyebrow, and I briefly explained what happened at noon.
MC: I was trying to take a tour bus to the dining area when I met him and his girlfriend.
Akai scratched his head a little embarrassedly.
Kai: We were arguing at that time, and my girlfriend took the initiative to give me the seat…
MC: Haha, it turns out that the next tour bus is going in the opposite direction, I accidentally rode back to the park gate, which is how I met you~
After listening to our description, Lucien showed a thoughtful expression, and Kai added hastily.
Kai: Sorry, Professor Lucien. I was in a bit of a hurry today, so as soon as I finished working late, I didn’t have time to greet you and left.
Lucien: It doesn’t matter, the project is at its final stage, and the intern’s work is already relatively small.
MC: So, are you and your girlfriend reconciled now? Today seems to be a very important day for both of you.
Kai: Unfortunately, I was a bit tongue-tied and felt she was still a bit unhappy, so I thought I’d come over and buy a bouquet of flowers.
Kai: Although I have been to the Botanical Garden many times before, I don’t know anything about flowers. Professor Lucien, Teacher’s wife, can you help me choose a bouquet of flowers?
MC: If it’s an apology, yellow roses and forget-me-nots representing apologies are quite good, but…
Thinking that I was not familiar with this Kai, and that it might be offensive to make abrupt suggestions, I stopped the conversation in time.
Lucien met my eyes, smiled knowingly, and looked at Kai.
Lucien: …In this case, what’s needed is not just an apology and a bouquet, but also communication.
The boy stared blankly at Lucien, then realized something, thanked us repeatedly and trotted off.
I smiled and nudged Lucien’s arm with a knowing wink.
MC: Hey, we spoke heart-to-heart! I couldn’t tell that Professor Lucien is quite concerned about the interns.
Lucien: I just think that our dating time is precious and shouldn’t be taken up too long by unrelated people.
He said it so seriously that I couldn’t help but laugh. I took his hand and led him to the stall.
MC: Then we have to hurry up and continue dating. After staying here for a long time, I feel like my sense of smell is about to lose.
Lucien: Are there any flowers you want? We can buy a few more bouquets and put them in different vases.
I shook my head, and Lucien’s gaze showed more than a hint of surprise and disbelief.
MC: After all, you usually send me flowers all the time. Compared with those flowers, there seems to be nothing special about the flowers here.
Lucien: Are they so special…?
(yes silly, the flowers you send are more special than any other flowers)
Lucien pondered for a moment, then smiled.
Lucien: There is no shortage of special flowers and trees in the botanical garden, and the collaborative partner has recommended two places to me before. Why don’t we go and have a look?
MC: Is this the first special place?
I looked up at the “Fossil Museum” plaque as we passed the popular scenic area.
The ancient fossils in the museum are placed in transparent display cases, and spotlights hit the mottled surface littered with traces, creating a projection of the past.
MC: Fossilized eggs, fossilized polymers, fossilized wood… So wood is also a kind of fossil?
Lucien: Well, when we collaborated before, the person in charge once mentioned its other name as Petrified wood.
MC: So they are trees from a long, long time ago?
Lucien: Over a long period of time, minerals gradually replaced the fibrous structure in the trees, forming what is now known as wood fossils.
MC: It must have taken a long time to turn wood into stone.
I leaned over to look at the nameplates next to each fossil, each with a long string of numbers on the year.
MC: This is a fossil wood from 80 million years ago—there is also another one from 200 million years ago!
Through the transparent cabinet walls, Lucien and I met these small tree trunks in a dislocated time and space.
One end of the showcase is the present, and the other end is the ancient period before human beings were born. Thinking of this, my heart could not help but feel solemn.
Lucien read my mind, and then slowed down to follow my pace.
A few moments later, we were coincidentally drawn to a particular display case and stopped in our tracks.
It is a Cretaceous wood fossil, its shape is well preserved, and there is a butterfly-shaped imprint on the trunk.
Under the warm yellow light, it seemed that a butterfly was resting quietly on the branch.
MC: So beautiful…
I couldn’t help but lean down and get a closer look at this particular fossilized wood.
Lucien: You look so absorbed, what’s on your mind?
MC: I’m imagining what this butterfly looked like tens of millions of years ago.
MC: In the Cretaceous period, there were many dinosaurs on the earth. This little butterfly might have stopped on top of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Hearing my words, Lucien smiled and continued to follow my imagination about the past.
Lucien: At that time, the large and massive land was covered by shallow seas, so this little butterfly should be a traveler with strong flying ability.
I nodded thoughtfully. As if I saw the flow of time going backward, the wings of the butterfly on the fossil flickered and fluttered.
MC: The little butterfly flew over thousands of mountains and rivers, and finally chose this one tree among the thousands of trees.
MC: If the butterfly hadn’t chosen this tree at the beginning, we wouldn’t have seen it. It’s quite romantic to think about it.
Lucien: There are many things that would keep us from seeing the butterfly, If the tree it chooses doesn’t survive the long months, we won’t be able to meet it either.
MC: Then for us, this encounter is even more wonderful, and it reminds me of the butterfly effect.
MC: If this ancient butterfly had made a different choice at the beginning, it might’ve made the whole world different.
MC: And then we won’t meet it in the botanical garden like we are now.
Lucien: Each butterfly can indeed influence the world in terms of geography, species, or even entire ecosystems.
Lucien: So, before meeting us, this butterfly and the trees it inhabits have precisely bypassed hundreds of millions of other possibilities.
MC: In that case, our choice is also important. After all, we are the ones who chose this pavilion~
I nudged the little butterfly’s wings across the air and raised the corners of my mouth.
MC: It seems that our encounter is a kind of fate.
Lucien saw me standing still for a long time and came over to squeeze my hand.
Lucien: You seem to like this fossil?
I nodded and took out my camera.
MC: I would be sad to part with it, however our time is limited. Wait a minute, I’ll take a few photos and we’ll leave for the next stop~
While shooting, I saw Lucien call someone and a crew member came over a while later.
Lucien and the man were standing a short distance away talking about something, and I vaguely heard a sentence or two.
Lucien: What was said this morning, is it still valid? I’ve changed my mind.
Staff Member: Sure, you go ahead.
By the time the photos were taken, Lucien’s conversation was over. He came over and naturally took my hand.
MC: Is there something going on at work?
Lucien: Yes, but it’s been solved.
MC: I’ve also already said goodbye to the little butterfly, didn’t you say there’s another special place? Let’s take a look~
Lucien chuckled softly as the breeze lifted his hair from his forehead.
Lucien: Okay, so let’s go now.
Deep in the forest, the Metasequoia trees stand quietly and towering, like recluse hermits.
Lucien and I crossed the winding wooden bridge road, and the road ahead was laid out like a picture scroll.
MC: I just read the sign saying it’s called “Lost Wonderland”. It fits quite well.
MC: Just like the name, this place is beautiful and magical, but why there are not many tourists coming?
Lucien: The area is relatively isolated, tourists tend to go to popular scenic spots where it is easier to take photographs.
MC: It’s a pity, but as residents here, the metasequoia trees might be happy with the peace.
MC: By the way, I see that other parks have some complex projects, is there any additional performances here?
Lucien: There is indeed a fountain in the center of the Metasequoia Forest, but you need to be lucky if you want to see it.
Lucien: Originally, the performance frequency of the metasequoia fountain was once a day, but then the park invested its resources in popular scenic spots, and the place was changed to operate irregularly.
Lucien tilted his head and smiled, winking at me.
Lucien: But with MC, I believe our luck will be good.
We walked along the path until Lucien and I unwittingly came to the metasequoia fountain and did not hear the sound of running water.
Lucien: It seems that the Metasequoia Fountain did not wake up today.
Lucien smiled, but I could see a hint of loss in his eyes.
- (aww, it’s sweet how MC too can notice his little changes:”)
MC: It doesn’t matter. Now we can see that the fountain must be very beautiful when it is open.
MC: Moreover, being able to watch the sunset together in a metasequoia forest is attractive in itself.
I pulled Lucien over to sit by the fountain, closed our eyes and enjoyed a moment of peace and quiet.
After a while, a white light flashed in front of my eyes. I opened my eyes in bewilderment and found that the lights of the fountain suddenly lit up.
Amidst the changing lights, countless jets of clear water gushed out from the fountain, flowing over the metasequoia wood trough and being shaped into various splashes.
MC: The fountain is suddenly open!
Lucien’s eyes flickered with the same look of confusion, when a familiar voice came from afar.
Boy: Happy Anniversary, how do you like this surprise?
Following the sound, there was Kai and his girlfriend standing in front of the fountain!
MC: They seem to have reconciled!
MC: No wonder the fountain suddenly opened, did the advice we gave him come in handy?
Lucien squeezed my palm with a smile.
Lucien: It seems that unknowingly, we also seem to be the initiators of the butterfly effect.
My heart fluttered, and some vague idea flashed through my mind.
Lucien: [confused] What are you thinking?
MC: I was thinking that if we hadn’t helped them back then, maybe we wouldn’t have seen the fountain open now.
MC: After all, with the butterfly effect, it always seems that life itself is dominated by coincidence.
Lucien: I do think that the present situation is an inevitable outcome.
MC: Why?
Lucien looked at me with a smile.
Lucien: [chuckles] After all, there are too many shadows of you in my life after you stopped by.
Lucien: So when subconsciously chasing your footsteps, I often encounter you who are coming towards me as well.
The quiet and beautiful fountain is pouring down, I smiled and stand on tiptoe to hug Lucien, only to be gently picked up by him.
My vision spun with my body, and among the ever-changing scenery, Lucien was the only one who was always in the center of my sight.
In the midst of all the splendor, I saw Lucien wink slyly at me.
Lucien: MC, now close your eyes and give me your hand.
I was a little confused, but did as he said.
Then came an unfamiliar weight in my hand, which felt like firm and cold stone.
Lucien: Do you want to guess what it is?
I caressed the object tentatively, and the strange and unique pattern let an incredible image took shape in my mind.
MC: …Is it the butterfly fossil from this afternoon?!
I opened my eyes and the familiar butterfly wood fossil was lying quietly in my hand.
Lucien smiled softly and put me down, his eyes were filled with streams of colorful light.
MC: You… How did you get it! This is supposed to be an exhibit, right?
Lucien: In the morning, the botanical garden team wanted to give me a souvenir, which I originally refused.
Lucien: But just now, seeing the way a certain little girl lingered, I suddenly found something I wanted.
I gently rubbed the butterfly pattern on the fossil and quietly said hello in my heart to the little butterfly from the distant past.
Lucien’s warm hands cradled my face and I looked up to meet his eyes.
In this moment, it was as if I saw that the tacit understanding and butterfly effect hidden between Lucien and me are actually some kind of fate.
Lucien: No matter how many possibilities and how many butterfly effects there are, I think we will have each other in our choices.
The shadow of the tree swayed, and a butterfly flew over and stopped on the fossil wood, which overlapped with the ancient butterfly imprint.
- I always love the concept of love as a choice! I’m glad the writer is able to present it so beautifully MC and Lucien style. Fate might be the one that leads to their inevitable encounter, but it’s their own decision to love each other. Fate and destiny won’t matter much if they don’t choose each other. When they decided to work on communication, trust, intimacy and emotional security, they’re choosing love. Neither of them is perfect, but they accept and love each other as they are and I think that’s what I love about them :”.