Gentle Ripples

The day Shang Li first met Ying Qian, he heard she was different from other people. They said she had suffered a serious illness as a child and was not quite in her right mind.

Yet the young girl had bright, lovely features, more beautiful than the scenery of late spring. She seemed no different from anyone else.

"Never mind. You and I are both poor souls stranded at this manor. From now on, you can call me Big Brother."

Ying Qian grew very close to him. Big Brother, Big Brother: those words became a lifelong responsibility and a shackle.

A hundred days later, Ying Qian opened her eyes and saw a man beside the table, his expression cool and composed as he focused on brewing tea. She retreated again and again. "Who are you?"

Shang Li's hand, reaching out in midair, froze. In his shock, all he could see was the utter wariness and fear in her eyes.

Because of a family upheaval, Ying Qian developed a mental illness that was difficult to cure. Every hundred days, she would forget everything, including the people closest to her.

When she lost her memory, she was wary of everyone, yet she could never resist the warm hand resting on the crown of her head. At that moment, her heart would always soften.

The bamboo slips she treasured were messages she had left for her new self:

Bamboo Slip One: If you open your eyes and find a man beside you, he is your Big Brother.

Bamboo Slip Two: He has a red mole on the tip of his nose. Don't mistake him for anyone else. Remember this well.

Bamboo Slip Three: Big Brother is gentle, but he doesn't like leaving the manor. Don't go off to play.

Another hundred days later, Ying Qian finished reading the notes she had left herself. The man was not far away, looking relaxed as he pursed his lips at her. "Finished? Come over and have some sweet soup."

"Five years, nineteen times forgetting. This time, she has forgotten me completely."

Beneath the ripples on the lake of his heart, a turbulent swell refused to settle.

Theme: Love can overcome anything.