Lingbo

Literary version:

Her heart holds hidden orchids, her face is serene as a ruler’s.

When I was six, I saw him for the first time. He stepped over a floor strewn with shards of porcelain and poured me a cup of tea.

The young boy had fine, gentle features. Holding out the tea, he motioned for me to drink.

He said, “From now on, this is your home.”

When I was sixteen, I threatened to take my own life until A Ye let me leave. I was gone for eight years, settling in Jiangnan and hearing news of his marriage and children. It always felt like something from another lifetime.

When I was twenty-four, I met him again. That day, a fine rain misted Jiangnan. I danced onstage, performing Lingbo, the dance I had loved most as a girl.

He watched me from the second floor. His features were steadier and more composed than before. Every detail of the elegant young nobleman matched the man in my heart.

Comedic version:

Shen Wan (puzzled): Nalan Chengde! Why have you brought so many soldiers here?

Nalan (calmly): To seal off the epidemic zone.

Shen Wan (confused): But they’re all soldiers who fight on the battlefield.

Nalan (as if it were obvious): In case you can’t get out, they’ll be responsible for making sure everyone here dies with us. Of course they need to be tough.

Shen Wan (speechless): Why are you so ruthless? Besides, it’s just me. Where did “us” come from?

Nalan: With me here, and you with me, that makes “us.”