She moved into his home when she was eight, and stayed for ten years.
He was eighteen years older than her. He shielded her from every storm and never crossed the line. She called him Uncle, and he made himself into a steadfast, proper refuge for her.
On her eighteenth birthday, in front of a table full of people, she told him, "I like you. Not the way a child likes an elder."
He stayed silent all night. The next day, he left her with just one sentence: "You should go live your own life."
She left and spent several years becoming someone who could stand beside him as an equal.
When they met again, the whole city was saying that Mr. Chen, who had never shown an interest in women, had fallen in love for the first time in his life, and fallen hard.
Later, he waited outside her art exhibition all night, just to say:
"I haven't waited all these years for you to call me Uncle. I've waited for you to stand in front of me."
She rose onto her toes. "Well, I'm standing right here now. Will you have me?"
"I will. You'll be the only one I ever choose."
