"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 76

When was the last time she was here? Standing on the steps, Shen Jinrong suddenly felt a sense of distraction. Standing here, she felt as if she was seeing her past self through the pale turquoise water of the fountain. At that time, under the glare of the bright sun, amidst the bustling crowd, she had been jostled to the front, looking up at Neptune, the Sea God, whose head was held high.

The Trevi Fountain.

The twenty-one-year-old Shen Jinrong stood before the water, silently reciting these three words in her heart. How could it possibly be so effective? She lowered her eyes, seeing that the shallow basin floor was already covered with a layer of coins. She wrapped her coat tighter, noticed the Papal Tiara at the top, and heard a person beside her quietly murmuring in English: “Heaven, Hell, Earth.”

Meeting Shen Jinrong’s gaze, the person smiled and remained quietly standing there.

Shen Jinrong felt her bandaged left wrist through her clothes, thinking, If God truly existed, why would He allow people to suffer so much?

She remembered the conversation of the people next to her when she sat on the steps eating ice cream—at the Trevi Fountain, you could make three wishes. The first wish must be to return to this Eternal City again. When making the wish, you must turn your back to the fountain, toss a coin over your left shoulder with your right hand, and your dream can come true if you turn back to see the coin fall into the water.

Shen Jinrong didn’t believe it.

But when a person is in despair, even if they don’t believe in gods or Buddhas, they still want to find some kind of spiritual anchor, regardless of whether it’s real or not. She felt the coin in her pocket—the change she’d received after buying ice cream—and thought, Should I join them and make a wish too?

That was… late March, she supposed, a little over three months before her twenty-second birthday. The afternoon sun was blazing, its light stinging her eyes, making it difficult to keep them open. She had traveled far from home with her backpack, wanting to escape her father’s coercion and avoid Tan Ning’s concerned gaze. She wanted to flee, to run, to swing a knife and sever all ties with the past.

When the twenty-one-year-old Shen Jinrong stood with her backpack at the empty subway entrance, staring at the pitch-black hole beside her and listening to the rumbling sound of the approaching train, she had considered jumping countless times. But she couldn’t. The thought of her grandmother and Tan Ning’s watchful eyes made her shoulders feel heavy.

Why must things be this way? Shen Jinrong didn’t know. She thought that such an experience was enough, and she would never have such dark thoughts again. The Shen Jinrong before twenty-one was dead, her soul lost. Was what remained merely an empty shell or a brand new self? She didn’t know.

“You can make a wish too.” The man standing next to her smiled. “What if it comes true?”

What if it comes true.

Shen Jinrong took the coin from her pocket and smiled at the man.

She turned her back to the fountain. Her gaze was not on the bustling crowd in front of her but was cast toward the ancient church diagonally ahead, the white marble shining brilliantly in the reddish sunlight.

She clenched the coin in her hand, closed her eyes, and began to wish.

“I wish to be able to return to this Eternal City again.”

“I wish to break free from all bondage.”

“I wish…”

“I wish I can find the person I love.”

After silently reciting these words, she opened her eyes, tossed the coin backward over her left shoulder. Then, she turned around, just in time to see her coin fall into the water.

“Your dreams will come true,” the man beside her said with a smile.

Shen Jinrong quietly whispered, “Thank you.”

Dreams come true? Shen Jinrong didn’t believe it at all. Her final wish was merely thrown in to make up the number. She understood in her heart that she would likely never have a person she loved in this lifetime. These wishes were nothing more than fantasies that would never materialize.

As if sensing Shen Jinrong’s disbelief, the man quietly added, “May God bless you.”

Shen Jinrong offered him a smile and turned to leave.

Eight years later, Shen Jinrong stood on these steps once more. She stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Yan He, looking down at the Trevi Fountain. Through a thin veil of mist, she seemed to see the busy, bustling crowd, the blazing sun of that day, and—that expressionless young self with a backpack.

She slowly closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her hand, hanging at her side, was gently held by Yan He, and a concerned voice rang in her ear: “Are you okay?”

Shen Jinrong’s fingertips were cold. Yan He grasped her fingertips, and the slightly chilling temperature made Yan He’s heart ache a little.

Older Sister, did you think of someone?

Yan He pretended not to notice anything and asked her, “Shall we go down and take a look?”

“Okay.”

Shen Jinrong turned and smiled at her. This smile held apology, confusion, and even a hint of resignation.

Yan He felt her heart tighten. As they walked down together, she asked as if it were a casual thought, “When was the last time Older Sister came here?”

Shen Jinrong said, “Eight years ago.”

Eight years.

Did Older Sister know Tan Ning eight years ago?

Eight years was too long, Yan He thought. Time flew by quickly, never pausing for anyone’s will. She had appeared too late and missed too much.

Yan He didn’t continue to ask. Shen Jinrong noticed her silence but said nothing either. What was there to say? Should she tell her what wishes she had made the last time? Or tell her that she had just been discharged from the hospital the last time she came to the fountain?

The past cannot be retrieved. Some things do not need to be brought up again; even the occasional memory of them can cause a heartache.

The two walked down the steps. Yan He could hear Shen Jinrong’s footsteps amidst the rushing sound of the water. She pressed her lips together, looking as if she wanted to say something to Shen Jinrong, but swallowed the words back. She clearly saw the hesitation and sadness in Shen Jinrong’s eyes. When tainted with sorrow, those beautiful eyes became melancholic, as if all emotions were hidden in a deep pool. The pool surface rippled, and the emotions could no longer be completely concealed.

Then, Shen Jinrong lowered her eyes, masking the sadness within them. But that sorrow had clearly fallen into Yan He’s sight. She felt her breathing hitch, and her heart began to ache slightly.

Older Sister, why are you hesitating? Why are you sad? Did you remember something?

Shen Jinrong descended the steps slowly, her expression changing from hesitant to firm. As if sensing Yan He’s inner struggle, when she reached the lowest step and truly stood in the open area before the Trevi Fountain, she smiled softly, pursing her lips, and asked Yan He, “Is there something you want to ask?”

Yan He had many questions she wanted to ask—What wish did you make the last time you came? Why are you sad? Why are your hands so cold?

She was originally full of questions, but facing Shen Jinrong’s smiling eyes, Yan He suddenly thought, It doesn’t matter.

Nothing mattered anymore.

“No,” Yan He smiled. She merely said, “I was just wondering why your hands are so cold.”

“They’ve already been warmed up by you,” Shen Jinrong laughed. “You agonized for so long just to ask that?”

Yan He nodded. “This is more important.”

Shen Jinrong’s heart fluttered slightly, but the smile on her face remained gentle. “Maybe it’s because the morning is too cold.”

Yan He shrugged. “I’ll just warm them up for you.” She paused, then added, “I can keep doing this in the future, too.”

The future.

Shen Jinrong did not respond. She raised her eyes to look at Neptune, the Sea God, standing in the center. She watched him, standing on his chariot, looking down upon all creation, his right hand slightly extended forward, as if reaching out to grasp something.

Shen Jinrong suddenly asked, “What do you think love is?”

Yan He took her gaze off the statue and turned to look at her, but Shen Jinrong was only staring calmly at the four keys encircled by angels above.

Yan He wanted to say that love was clouds, wind, the pulmonary movement with every breath, the beat of a heart’s pulse, like a mighty river rushing endlessly, and yet like the gentle stream of water in the mountains.

But Yan He thought, She is love itself.

In the twenty-one years before she met Shen Jinrong, Yan He had often pondered what love was. She thought it might not be a necessary thing. Sometimes she saw it in young couples nestled intimately together, sometimes in the elderly, frail couples walking slowly, but rarely did she see it in her parents, who had been married for many years.

Later, after meeting Shen Jinrong, during every sleepless night when she tossed and turned due to longing, staring at the ceiling and the silvery-white moonlight leaking through the curtain gap, she gradually found her answer.

Her love was Shen Jinrong.

“Love…” A faint smile appeared on Yan He’s lips. “The answer is long.”

She only said two words, yet Shen Jinrong laughed. They exchanged smiles, as if the answer had already been given.

“Let’s make a wish,” Yan He took two coins from her pocket and handed one to Shen Jinrong.

Shen Jinrong took it, saying, “To make a wish, you must turn your back to the fountain and silently recite three wishes in your heart. The first must be to return to this Eternal City again.” She closed her palm, gripping the coin in her hand. The metal, which should have been icy cold, retained Yan He’s body temperature.

“Hold it in your right hand, toss it over your left shoulder, turn around to see the coin fall into the water, and the wish will come true.”

Yan He’s nose was a little red, perhaps from the wind. “Okay.”

They turned their backs to the Trevi Fountain. The rushing sound of water came from behind them, and moisture filled the surrounding air. The nearby streetlamp suddenly went out; all the lights dimmed, as if all other illumination immediately disappeared the moment the sun rose to light the earth.

Yan He looked up at the church diagonally ahead. A few pigeons were perched on top of the church, pacing back and forth on the white wall. The sky was a beautiful sapphire blue, with some white condensation trails left by passing airplanes, looking like the planes were dragging long white tails. The moon was no longer clearly visible.

This sky was always like this. For many years, it seemed to have remained unchanged, steadfast over the decades.

Yan He closed her eyes, silently reciting her wishes in her heart. Then, she tossed the coin.

She turned around and saw the coin fall into the water, stirring up only a tiny splash. After that, without even a ripple, the coin wobbled and sank to the bottom.

She looked at Shen Jinrong. Her older sister’s eyes were still closed, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

Older Sister, what wish did you make the first time you came here? Maybe she would never tell her. Maybe the wish she made before was related to Tan Ning, but that wasn’t overly important.

Then, Shen Jinrong tossed her coin and turned around to watch it sink to the bottom of the pool.

She smiled, a smile that was clean, clear, and full of innocence in her eyes. Yan He remembered the way she had smiled at her with cream dotted on her nose, and it felt as if her heart had been stolen and refused to return.

“I have returned to this Eternal City again,” she turned and smiled at Yan He. “With you.”