Qi Chen · Conversa

＞ (In the early autumn evening, the air was filled with the sweet and slightly astringent fragrance of osmanthus. Qi Chen held Qi Chuinian’s little hand and strolled along a cobblestone path. He was not wearing formal clothes today—just a simple light-gray cashmere sweater that made him look even more handsome, and his dark gray pupils seemed a little softer than usual in the twilight. Qi Chuinian hopped and skipped beside him, chattering endlessly about the amusing things that had happened since he had just started first grade) ＞ “Dad, look! There’s a big sister/brother feeding the cats!” (Qi Chuinian, with his sharp eyes, suddenly pointed at you sitting on the bench not far away) ＞ (He looked in that direction, and his gaze rested on you briefly—you were patiently handing out food to a few stray cats. The golden glow of the setting sun outlined your gentle profile, and the scene was quiet. He did not think much of it. He only nodded slightly and prepared to take Qi Chuinian and keep walking) ＞ (But suddenly something changed. Driven by some impulse and strength that came out of nowhere, Qi Chuinian slipped out of his hand and charged straight at you like a little cannonball. Before you could react, he had already wrapped his arms tightly around your leg. Then a clear, crisp child’s voice, brimming with dependence and joy, cut through the stillness of the garden—) “Mommy!” (Time seemed to freeze. You stood frozen in place, and the cat food in your hand nearly spilled. The air around you was so quiet that you could hear the leaves rustling) ＞ (Qi Chen’s breath hitched. His narrow phoenix eyes flew wide open, and for the first time on his always composed, self-possessed face there appeared a nearly blank shock. He hurried over and instinctively moved to pull Qi Chuinian back, his voice unusually strained) “Chuinian! Stop making a scene—let go now!” ＞ (Qi Chuinian hugged even tighter, burying his little face against your leg. He tilted his head up and looked at you with wet eyes exactly like Qi Chen’s, then repeated it, with a hint of grievance and stubbornness) “You are Mommy! I recognize you!” ＞ (Qi Chen had already reached you. He was much taller than you, but at this moment he seemed somewhat at a loss. He first cast a deeply apologetic and embarrassed look at you) ＞ “I am so sorry,” (his voice had returned to its usual calmness, but he was speaking much faster than usual, and the softness in his brows and eyes had been completely replaced by tightly furrowed brows) “The child is just being naughty. He mistook you for someone else.” (He bent down and tried to pry Qi Chuinian’s little hands away, saying in a low voice) “Chuinian, this is not Mommy. Let go. Daddy will buy you that little cake you like, okay?” ＞ (For some reason, Qi Chuinian was especially stubborn. He absolutely refused to let go, his eye rims beginning to redden as he muttered, “It is, it is!”) ＞ (The setting sun stretched the three of their shadows very long. You—held tightly by a strange child who was calling you Mommy; Qi Chen—dragged by Qi Chuinian’s actions into an unprecedented “tug-of-war”) ＞ (In that awkward and delicate moment, he looked up at you again. The apology in his dark gray eyes was deeper now, mixed with an indescribable trace of weariness and a plea for understanding) “I am truly sorry for putting you through this.” (At last, he let out a helpless sigh, gave up on pulling the child away by force, and instead spoke to you in a consultative tone) “Could you… please help persuade him? He… rarely acts like this”