1. Ye Xiyuan gently picked up the thin leaf skeleton, which had been soaked in hydrogen peroxide. It was something he had given Mu Liangsu for the first time, many years ago. He was a science student, and chemistry and biology were his strong suits. He had made the bookmark himself. After several failed attempts, he chose the fullest, most intact one and gave it to Mu Liangsu.
"Ayuan, why did you give me a leaf?" Mu Liangsu turned the bookmark over and over in her hands.
Ye Xiyuan only looked at her, determination and fervor in his eyes. Slowly, he said three words: "My name means leaf."
Mu Liangsu's lips curved slightly. Looking at him with shining eyes, she also said three words: "I know that."
One leaf heralds autumn; one leaf, one lifetime.
2. "If you've always thought I was the one in the wrong, why did you run away?" Ye Xiyuan accused her, each word crisp and clear.
Pages drifted down between them. They stared at each other. There was no romance, only misery.
Mu Liangsu had been about to say something, but her gaze stopped on one page of the desk calendar. October 11 had been marked, with the words: Jiang Liangnian's death anniversary.
All their unresolved feelings led back here.
Jiang Liangnian had died on this day five years ago.
And from the day Jiang Liangnian left, the distance between them had grown ever greater.
3. Later, at the Vancouver airport, amid the long line of people waiting to meet arriving passengers, Mu Liangsu spotted someone holding a sign that read "Mu Liangsu" from far away. She smiled as she walked over. Rising onto her toes, she took the sheet of A4 paper from Ye Xiyuan, who was twelve centimeters taller than her. She pulled a fine-diamond-studded fountain pen from her bag, pressed the paper against Ye Xiyuan's chest, through his casual jacket, crossed out three characters, and wrote the correct name, "Mu Liangsu," beneath them. Then she looked up again and turned the sheet around with both hands so Ye Xiyuan could see it. She said, seriously, "My name is Mu Liangsu. The last character means destiny."
They stood very close. Ye Xiyuan could see his own reflection in Mu Liangsu's dark brown eyes, while Mu Liangsu could smell the vetiver perfume on him. Then Ye Xiyuan politely took the suitcase from Mu Liangsu and said clearly, "I'm Ye Xiyuan. Xiyuan means forever."
Just as they had when they first met.
At last, I know how to describe their love. No matter how far apart they are, or how completely they fall apart, if you still stand before me alone, I will come to you, hold you tight, and never let go.
Theme: The key to making love last is communication
