This interview lasted a full hour and a half, and a week later, the ratings broke the program’s historical record. It sparked widespread online discussions about modern perspectives on love.

Sixty years later, with the development of society and the economy, the distance between people has become more pronounced, divorce rates have risen, and arranged dating has become increasingly common. As a result, this unwavering love story struck a profound chord with countless netizens.

A week after the program aired, on the evening of the broadcast, Li Chen was at her home in Beijing, preparing to have dinner with her husband, when she received a call.

It was from Shu Xue, the show’s host, who contacted her not through the program team but via a personal call.
“Alright, 7 p.m. it is,” Li Chen replied.

An hour later, at a café in Zhongguancun, Li Chen arrived to find Shu Xue already there. Shu was without makeup, her hair casually tied back, her face marked by spots and wrinkles.

Li Chen hesitated, almost not recognizing her. Shu Xue, however, noticed her right away and waved, “Over here!”

Despite their age difference of about ten years, the two had previously worked together on a program and hit it off, so the atmosphere between them was relaxed.
“I think I’m about 11 years younger than you. Can I call you Sister Li?” Shu Xue asked.

Li Chen nodded with amusement. She had always been outgoing and loved making friends, very different from her mother or her late husband.
During the last interview, she had maintained a dignified and elegant demeanor for an hour and a half, but it left her feeling stiff.

“Of course, Xiao Shu.”

“Sister Li, the reason I asked you here today is because of something you said at the end of the last interview. You mentioned that while your mother deeply loved your father, the depth of your father’s love for her was indescribable. Since there wasn’t much time on the program, you seemed reluctant to elaborate, and it was only briefly mentioned. But I’ve been itching with curiosity ever since, so I had to reach out to you. It feels like reading a novel but not getting to the ending.”

Li Chen laughed heartily, “Xiao Shu, I didn’t expect you to still be so gossipy at your age.”

Shu Xue blinked innocently, “What does age have to do with it? Gossip is a human instinct!”

It was true. These days, societal expectations based on age had largely faded. On the streets of Beijing, it wasn’t uncommon to see elderly women in tank tops and short skirts or older men with headphones and sneakers heading to the gym.

Li Chen chuckled, revealing her pearly teeth, and decided not to keep her in suspense. “The reason I didn’t share much earlier is because some of these stories don’t exactly present my dad in the best light—”

“If there were an award for being a henpecked husband, my dad would’ve won another Nobel Prize,” Li Chen said with a wry smile.

Shu Xue burst out laughing, nearly spilling her coffee. “Henpecked? Really? Mr. Li?”

“Absolutely! My grandmother told me that when I was six years old and my dad won an award, my mom’s temper changed drastically, and she started bossing him around. But he willingly went along with it.”

“I remember one holiday when I was fifteen. The three of us went back to China to climb Huangshan. On the way down, my mom insisted on walking for exercise but got tired halfway through. My dad ended up carrying her down the mountain while she scolded him for not convincing her to take the cable car. I followed behind them, baffled. My dad just kept apologizing and coaxing her, completely unfazed.”

“And then there was another time when I was in first grade, and my mom was pregnant with my brother. She went out without checking the weather, got caught in the rain, and fell sick. My dad scolded her for being careless, but afterward, he knelt on a keyboard for three nights to apologize.”

Shu Xue choked on her coffee in disbelief. “Kneeling on a keyboard? No way!”

“Yes, it’s true. Every time he broke one, my mom would order a new one online without batting an eye.”

Li Chen slowed her pace, sipping her coffee. Her tone turned softer. “But if you ask how much my dad loved my mom, it wasn’t until after she passed away that I fully understood.”

“My mom passed three years before my dad. In her last month, he was constantly at her side, cheerful and talkative—more than I’d seen in years. After she passed, though, his love for her became even more apparent.”

“Despite his age and frailty, he started cooking again. Once, I saw him fry two eggs, place them on separate plates, and set them at the table. He then spoke to the empty chair beside him, saying, ‘Manman, it’s your favorite sunny-side-up egg today.’

“Another time, our housekeeper told me he was making Sichuan dishes my mom loved. He couldn’t find the remote for the range hood and ended up cooking through tears because of the chili fumes. Then, he’d sit at the table, carefully picking out the peppers and peppercorns from her empty plate as if she were still there.”

“There was one morning I knocked on his door. He opened it and told me to keep quiet because my mom was sleeping. I stood there frozen as he walked to the bed, gently patting the empty space, murmuring, ‘Manman, don’t worry, I’m here.’

“Once, during dinner, he casually asked my brother to take a few days off in spring to accompany him and mom to Jiangnan, saying she insisted on going. By the following spring, though, he was too ill to make the trip.”

Li Chen’s voice wavered as her eyes glistened with tears. “His mind was sharp with everyone else, but when it came to my mom… We all knew his illness had returned, but we never told him. Maybe he passed away happily, still thinking she was with him.”

…

No one knew that in the last month of his life, the old man had a moment of clarity. He fully realized that the love of his life had been gone for three years, and he was about to join her.

—The world is like the vast universe, and I, a tiny planet, have finally completed my evolution. To have lived in this world and loved you for a lifetime—what a blessing.

(END)