Yuan Gun Gun felt Na Liu Ting Du’s hands touched her fuller breasts after giving birth to Na Liu Hao. She clenched her hands and cried. She turned her head to the side so Na Liu Ting Du wouldn’t see her tears.

  Na Liu Ting Du left kiss marks on Yuan Gun Gun’s neck.

  ‘Ling Ling,’ Na Liu Ting Du called.

  Yuan Gun Gun felt Na Liu Ting Du pull down her underwear for the first time, and more tears flowed down her cheeks.

  Na Liu Ting Du kissed Yuan Gun Gun’s lips, and tasted her salty tears. He turned on the light, and she covered her face.

  ‘I’m sorry big brother Du,’ Yuan Gun Gun said. ‘I’m scared.’


  Na Liu Ting Du pulled Yuan Gun Gun’s hands away from her face, and wiped her tears.

  ‘I know a husband and wife sleeping together is normal,’ Yuan Gun Gun said. ‘But I lost my memory. I’m scared.’


  ‘You don’t have to explain,’ Na Liu Ting Du said. ‘I understand. You can relax.’


  Na Liu Ting Du adjusted Yuan Gun Gun’s clothes and hugged her.

  A faint memory flashed past Yuan Gun Gun’s mind. She was sad she couldn’t hold onto that faint memory long enough to remember something about her past.

  ‘It’s my fault,’ Na Liu Ting Du said. ‘I shouldn’t have pressured you when you don’t want to. I’ll wait until you’re ready. I’m sorry for scaring you. Don’t cry.’


  ‘I’m just scared,’ Yuan Gun Gun said.

  ‘Ling Ling, I don’t want you to force yourself to do anything you don’t want to when you’re with me,’ Na Liu Ting Du said. ‘Do you understand I love you, and I’m willing to wait for you?’


  Yuan Gun Gun avoided looking at Na Liu Ting Du’s eyes. She felt guilty she couldn’t make herself want to sleep with him.

  ‘Ling Ling, I love you,’ Na Liu Ling Yan said.

  ‘I love big brother Du too,’ Yuan Gun Gun said.

  Na Liu Ting Du laughed at himself. He knew the way he and Yuan Gun Gun loved each other was different. She always loved him like a big brother. She lost her memory, but her subconscious didn’t forget Hao Yan Che and told her to protect her innocence.

  At the Hao Mansion, Hao Yan Che stared at the bathroom ceiling. Etched on the ceiling corner was the word DOVE. Yuan Gun Gun wrote DOVE under his shirt collars, on towels, on the corners of ceilings, he lost count of how many items she wrote DOVE on. For a year he thought about what Yuan Gun Gun wanted to tell him. Did Yuan Gun Gun wanted to tell him that she wanted to fly free like a dove? Or did she graffiti when she was upset with him every time he didn’t let her eat dessert like dove chocolate?

  Hao Yan Che got out of the bathtub, dried himself and dressed. What was he doing thinking about Yuan Gun Gun? Yuan Gun Gun left him for a year. Why couldn’t he forget Yuan Gun Gun?

  Hao Yan Che laid in bed. He closed his eyes, and told himself to forget Yuan Gun Gun.

  At the Long Mansion, Long Liu Bao was packing her belongings into a suitcase.

  ‘Long Liu Bao, I said you’re not allowed to go,’ Long Liu Bo said.

  ‘I don’t care,’ Long Liu Bao said. ‘It took me a long time to find one clue about where Gun Gun disappeared to. I’m going.’


  ‘How many times have I told you to stay out of Che and Gun Gun’s business?’ Long Liu Bo asked.

  ***