“Stop calling her Chihiro; call her Sen.”
“You must remember your name; you cannot forget who you are.”
“Things that happened in the past can never be forgotten; you just can’t recall them for now.”
The movie’s plot continued to unfold. Haku, KamajΔ«, Yubaba, No-Face, and Zeniba all made their dramatic entrances. Although Zhao Ran knew what would happen next, he couldn’t help but be captivated.
When Chihiro, riding on Haku’s back, finally remembered her past, Zhao Ran felt his stepmother trembling slightly. He looked up at her and saw that her face was already covered in tears.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Zhao Ran quickly handed her a tissue, comforting her softly while gently patting her delicate hand.
“It’s nothing, really. It’s just so moving. I never thought an animated film could affect me like this,” she replied, taking the tissue and dabbing her tears away.
“Haku is so wonderful. He was always silently protecting Chihiro,” Zhou Yun said with a soft smile.
“I can only accompany you this far. From here, you must go on alone. Remember, keep moving forward and don’t look back.”
“Will we meet again?”
“Absolutely. We will definitely meet again.”
Seemingly overwhelmed with emotion, his stepmother rested her head against Zhao Ran’s. He quietly breathed in the faint, intimate scent of her body, his arm pressed against the softness of her breasts, not wanting to pull away even for a moment.
As Chihiro walked through the tunnel and returned to her parents, the movie came to an end. Zhou Yun quickly composed herself, taking out a mirror from her purse to check her appearance and wipe away any remaining traces of tears. “I’m getting older, and I can’t handle movies like this anymore. I’m embarrassed to have cried like that in front of you,” she said self-consciously.
Zhao Ran shook his head. “Not at all. This movie is designed to make people cry. If I’d known it would bring you to tears, we might as well have gone next door to watch Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf instead.”
Zhou Yun laughed. “You’re too old to be watching Pleasant Goat. Where’s your ambition?”
Zhao Ran wrapped his arm around her waist and smiled. “I’m just glad to see you smiling. Come on, let’s head home.”
She swayed her hips slightly, as if to shake him off, but when he didn’t let go, perhaps still feeling emotionally vulnerable, she allowed him to keep his arm around her as they walked out of the theater.
“Alright, let me go now. You’re a grown manβwhy are you still holding onto your stepmom like a child?”
She tugged at his hand, but Zhao Ran only tightened his grip. “I just want to make sure you’re really okay,” he insisted.
Zhou Yun smiled. “You’re so thoughtful, Xiao Ran. Really, I’m fine. The movie’s been over for a while, and I’m not a child.”
Reluctantly, Zhao Ran released her, but then took her hand, intertwining their fingers. “Mom, I will protect you, just like Haku protected Chihiro.”
She paused for a moment, then laughed. “Silly child, you think you know everything. Protecting me? I bet when I’m old, you’ll just dump your dad and me in a nursing home and say, ‘Don’t bother me, you old fools.’ Ha!”
Though she said it jokingly, Zhao Ran stopped walking and turned to her with complete seriousness. He took both her hands in his, then pulled her into an embrace. “That will never happen. I want to protect you for the rest of my life. I only want to spend my life with you.”