Chapter 10: Photograph

Miss Qin: It's almost time. Where are you?

Wu typed in a message, "Traffic held me back. I'm sorry. I need a few more minutes." 

Miss Qin: Okay. I'll be waiting.

It took a while for Wu to find Lijuan's location, but after an hour's drive, he found a tall gate as depicted by Lijuan, a beautiful fortress with more security gadgets than a military compound.

In a moment, a female security guard strode over with a hand held sensor probe device, on the other hand, her weapon was holstered and her face was serious.

The other security team members took his identification, ran background checks, and asked a few questions before they gave him a 'guest' label card. 

The driving speed was the first instruction to follow and breaking the order would not be easily covered up with money.

The futuristic real-estate wowed Wu. The buildings made of smoked glass and steel galloped up the clouds, each one joined to the next by a covered walkway. 

"Yanse avenue...Yanse Avenue… Yanse avenue" He repeated to himself as he drove along uniform sized buildings, but a few with unique designs and exterior decors. 

Once he found her street, he pulled over at the parking lot, and walked to B-grounds, a building he could see from his spot.

Wu was about to knock on the door when a pixilated iris showed up at the corner of the door. A synchronized voice came from the small speaker above him, and the installed device asked for his identity.

"What is your business here?"

"I'm Chang Wu and I'm here to see Miss Qin."

The pristine white twin doors leading to Lijuan's home opened, and she stood there with her hands behind her back, and a welcoming smile on her rosy face. 

"Welcome" She said, before she ran into his embrace.

"I missed you."

"Same here" He didn't want to let go, but she pulled away.

"I just started making lunch for you, but I have a few snacks if you're interested. Want to start with some orange juice?"

"Yeah sure" 

"Alright" She said before she walked to the fridge with light footsteps to pour him a glass. 

"Thank you." 

"You're welcome. I'm sure lunch will be ready soon. Forty minutes at least, so make yourself feel at home."

"Sure."

Lijuan differed from his first impression of her. Maybe she's somewhat relaxed and feels comfortable with him. That's what he thought. One thing he was sure of was that she was excited to see him. Probably because she felt lonely at home.

His eyes darted to every detail in the room, from the floor tiled in fine marble, the incomprehensible art on the wall to the growing houseplants in earthy terracottas by a corner.

"I'm bored" he said as he got up then moved to a small picture frame on a table "This is Lijuan. She looks a lot younger here…" he lifted the frame then moved to the kitchen.

Lijuan was too busy keeping the place in order for her to notice someone was behind her.

"Lijuan?" 

She shrieked, dropping the cup in her hand, then she whipped her head back to see Wu, who froze in shock. They both bent to pick the plastic cup but hit their forehead in the process.

"I'm sorry, Lijuan… I shouldn't have bothered you."

"N-no it's fine," she said rubbing the place that hurt "Is your forehead made of metal or rocks?"

"I should be asking you" the collision hurt him as much as it hurt her. 

"I hope you're okay. I can help give your head a massage." 

"No, don't worry. The pain will stop eventually." 

"If it still stings, you can leave the food for me to deal with." 

She shook her head "No, you're my guest. I want to treat you." 

"Using my words in your favour, I see" he stroked his chin smirking, and Lijuan flipped her hair.

"Did you need me for something?" 

"Oh, yeah! I saw this really cute photograph and I want to see more if you don't mind."

"Okay after lunch we'll look at more pictures together okay."

"So go back to your station and wait for me to call you." 

"No, I really want to help."

"And I said you don't have to," She pushed him out of the kitchen "Don't worry about anything, boyfriend." 

Wu sighed and went back to his seat, then waited until she stepped out with a tray and called his name.

"Wu! I hope you like Sichuan Pork." 

"I'll like everything and anything my girlfriend makes for me" 

Her mouth twitched as she fought back her smile and the laugh accompanying it. 

"This is astounding! Whose recipe do you use?" 

"My gran's culinary school had a lot of easy to learn methods." 

"She did a good job. It's as if she's mastered the culinary field."

"She was also familiar with foreign dishes before she passed. She was a food judge for shows, and she'd appeared in many cooking shows including the ones on Lunar tv." 

"Seems like she lived a pretty decent life." 

"Yes, she did. Many adored my Grandma" Lijuan got up from her seat then moved to the spiral staircase ahead. She was going to get an old box she named time machine.

The attic was full of her treasures, antique furniture, old paintings from middle school, and a few comics and manga she loved, but there was something that was so dear to her. 

She picked up the box and made her way down from the dim space.

Wu was curious to know what exactly was inside that box, and so, he ate at a speed of light. He scooted to her side on the sofa, as she brought out a few pictures for her boyfriend to see.

"My time machine is just my memories. And I used to visit my recollections often before I bought this house and moved most of my things here a few years back. At the back of some photos I wrote my age." 

Wu picked up a random one. It was Lijuan beside a large tree, a gentle smile on the face as her hair tussled in the wind.

"That day, it was windy, and we had to take a picture, but it ended up like that. My mom didn't want it, but I liked it."

"It's beautiful," He flipped the picture and six was written behind it. "You were an adorable child, and nothing about you has changed."

He picked up another photograph and cooed, "Awwn, baby Lijuan." Holding her was her grandma, and her mother was beside.

She pointed at the women in the saffron like photo "My mom, and my grandma. My dad, not the one in jail, but the one that raised me, he's in another photo similar to this. I'm sure he took a picture with me on my first birthday. I'll look for it." 

"Oh, my days" Wu burst into laughter, and Lijuan raised a brow in confusion until she realised what he was looking at. 

"No!" Her eyes widened, and she tried to take it back from him.

"Now this is what I call a throw back" He chuckled, looking at the young girl with braces and hair like a cloud.

"I was upset that day"

"Yeah, it looks like you threw a tantrum and puberty didn't spare you." 

She crossed her arms "I can't wait to go to your house to see all the embarrassing pictures I can find." 

Wu's smile died faster than wisps of smoke dissipated after a candle flame has been snuffed out. Her words brought back a thought he hadn't realised for years. He had no pictures to show.

"Is there anything wrong?" 

He shook his head "No, of course not" He faked a smile, waving off what struck his mind seconds ago.

"This is when my brothers and i had a fun day at the beach, A funeral, Christmas party, me graduating from highschool, that was when I was in art school, slapping paint on some canvas and calling it art" Wu stopped looking at the photos for a while and switched his attention to the excited woman beside him. She was really caught up in the joy of recalling wonderful memories with someone she liked. Maybe she didn't do it very often, maybe she didn't have anyone close to show. 

She was happy. He was too. Being with her made him believe he could be loved, but a part of him felt guilty because he knew the truth.

"Wu?" She called "hey, Wu?" 

"I love you, Lijuan" 

Those words came out, and he shut his mouth after "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking well. I just...I'm sorry" 

Her eyes widened in an expression of stunned surprise, and her mouth was frozen in its place. 

She starred at the eyes she always thought were hazel, and a warm feeling melted through her. She searched her mind for something reasonable to say, but before her heart could speak in place of her mind, Wu got up, leaving her side, and and a chill made the little hairs on her body to raise. 

"I have to go. It's getting pretty late. We'll text. Good bye" He rushed his words because he didn't want to stay there after embarrassing himself like that. Once he looked at her one more time, it was as if every ounce of breath was taken from her lungs.

Her words were still stuck to her throat. She sat there confused, and unexplainably sad. She feared taking the risk of being broken all over again, to love again, fully knowing her own fragility, but there was no going back. This was the love she wanted from Hong, but it ended up being Wu who gave her a peace of mind and showed her what it meant to be treated right.

"This man...Wu...I think I've…"