Yue Yue stayed still as Zhi An came closer to her. He gently laid her down the bed and looked at her eyes. She didn't resist but she touched his face with gentleness. Both of them looked deep into each other's eyes. He gently kissed her forehead and both of them pressed their lips against each other.
"Zhi An." Yue Yue whispered, "I've liked you for a long time. I guess our promise is broken now."
"Then, let it be broken." He replied.
Both of them continued on throughout the night and they slept together soundly into the next morning.
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Yue Yue was awoken by the sound of the alarm and she checked the time.
Oh, 7:30, she thought. Today was a break so she lied in bed for a longer time.
Zhi An opened his eyes and looked at the girl whom he loved, "Morning." He smiled.
"Morning." She looked at him and she felt a bit shy. She couldn't believe she slept with such a handsome commander. She remembered the way he kissed and caressed her, it made her feel excited.
"What were you thinking about?" He asked her in curiosity.
"Last night... the thing we did..." She replied in a quiet voice.
"Looks like you wanted more." He teased.
Yue Yue threw him a pillow and got up, "Pretend I didn't say anything, I'm getting up." He smiled at her and got up as well. She wore her sleeping robe while washing herself up since Zhi An had an extra toothbrush. She brought extra lotions with her so she didn't have to go back to her room.
While she finished up changing, Zhi An embraced her from behind.
"That was the best night I ever had. The first night I didn't have any nightmares. You are my medicine." He said and Yue Yue was feeling a bit upset, "So... I am just a medicine for you..."
Zhi An chuckled and said, "You're my girlfriend now. I can show you off to my mom after we go visit her after breakfast. That way she won't be too worried." Yue Yue turned to him and embraced him, "Zhi An, no matter what happens, I will always be on your side."
"I know."
__________
Zhi An drove to the hospital using the company's car, it has been a long time since he drove around Shanghai. Yue Yue sat beside him and fixed her make up. She wanted to look more presentable.
He reached her left hand with his right hand and held it tightly as he drove closer to the hospital. Yue Yue held his hand tightly, "I'm here with you. Don't worry." He was feeling a bit uneasy after parking the car.
Yue Yue held his hand firmly and said, "Let's go." He nodded and held on to her hand tightly. After going in to the hospital, they signed in and the nurse told them the room number. When they reached his mom's room, Zhi An was hesitating to open the door. Yue Yue took her hand and gently touched his, "Let's open it together. Okay?"
Zhi An's mother was looking very frail, after doing multiple chemo and surgery. She looked very different from the photo.
"Mom, it's me. Your son. I'm Zhi An." He carefully walked towards his mom. His mom looked a bit confused and said, "My son?" He nodded and carefully took her hand, "It's me, your son. Do you remember me?" His mom shook her head and said, "Who are you?"
Yue Yue walked towards them and held her hand, "Auntie, this is your son. You haven't seen him for a long time, right? He is right in front of you. He came to see you. Do you remember him?" His mom shook her head, "I don't have a son. Who are you?"
Few moments later, the doctor and a nurse opened the door.
"May I know who you are?" The doctor asked and Yue Yue answered, "He's her son." The doctor checked her file and nodded, "Your mother has Alzheimer's but it's on and off and late stage ovarian cancer. It's quite serious. You have to prepare yourself." Just then, another man entered, "Doctor, how's my wife?"
"Your wife is not doing so well. The treatments are not working. We'll try other methods but you might have to prepare for worst case scenario." The doctor told them and he left the room to check on other patients. The man standing beside Zhi An's mom looked at them and asked, "Who are you guys? I haven't seen you before."
Yue Yue told him, "He's her biological son. I'm his girlfriend. And may I ask who you are?" The man walked to them and introduced himself, "I'm her husband, Jiang Hai. I don't remember her saying that she had a biological son. We do have a young son though."
When the door opened again, a young child came in and yelled, "Mommy, daddy! Look what we brought!" The child came in with his grandparents bringing flowers and fruits. Jiang Hai hugged his child and said, "Go and say hi to mommy."
"Mommy, I got 100% in school today. Are you happy." The child looked excited and Zhi An's mother looked at the child smiling, "I'm very happy, Xiao Chen. Can you sing a song to mommy?" The child agreed happily and sang one of Zhi An's favorite childhood lullabies.
He went outside because he wasn't able to take it in anymore. Yue Yue followed after him.
"Zhi An! Wait! Where are you going?"
After looking around for several minutes, she found him crying in a small corner. She slowly approached him and called out his name.
"Zhi An, it's me. I'm sorry." She embraced him and let him cry it all out. It was a difficult moment for him, Yue Yue cried, too.
"Zhi An, I'm right here."
Even though his mom had forgotten about him, one fact that can't be changed is that she still remembered his favorite lullaby, Sakura (A Popular Japanese folk song). Yue Yue also liked the song. She sang it countless times back in school so she started to sing to him hoping that he will feel a bit better soon.
"Sakura, sakura... blossoms waving everywhere.
Clouds of glory fill the sky. Mist of beauty in the air, lovely colors floating by.
Sakura, Sakura, Let all come singing.
Sakura, Sakura, Blossoms waving in the breeze. Yoshina, the cherry land, Tatsuta, the maple trees, Karasaki, pine tree grand,
Sakura, Sakura, let all come singing."
After a while, Zhi An started to calm down and he stopped crying. He wiped away his tears and said, "Never knew you could sing... this was my mom's favorite song so she sang it to me everyday until we got separated. This was also my favorite childhood lullaby. I almost forgot the tune but thanks to you I remembered it."
Yue Yue smiled and said, "I can sing it to you everyday. My voice isn't too bad for a doctor." Zhi An smiled and hugged her, "Thank you for staying beside me. At least I got to see my mom and knowing she's been taken care of. I'm glad."
Yue Yue nodded and hugged him back.