Many years later, when the famous architect Qiao Xinsheng saw an old face full of lonely wrinkles and a haggard hunched figure in the mirror in the apartment, his thoughts went back to the day of his forty-seventh birthday. On that distant afternoon, he drove back from the construction site of the opera house, parked the car, and climbed a few flights of stairs nimbly to return home. A large cluster of purple-red roses was inserted in the shiny glass vase on the dining table, with thick stamens blooming, exuding a sweet fragrance. He didn't see these flowers when he went out early this morning.

He glanced at it now, in a good mood, thinking: "What kind of rose is this? Never seen it before..." But flowers are always beautiful, as long as you don't see them wither and grow old. He remembered that today was his forty-seventh birthday, and he didn't feel sad, instead he felt younger than in the past. A few years later, when the opera house by the sea is completed, there is no doubt that it will become a landmark of the city. It is his most proud work and will make his name in history. He took off his coat and threw it aside, and sat in the off-white armchair with a low base in the living room.

Every time he comes home, he always likes to sit here for a while.Once a person sinks in, he is reluctant to get up. He leaned back on the back of the chair, stretched his neck to look into the studio, and shouted: "Ning En, I'm back!" There was no answer in the studio. He thought to himself: "She might have gone out." He turned his head back, and stretched his long legs comfortably on the glass coffee table in front of him. At this moment, he saw a letter on the coffee table. The letter aroused his interest. He leaned forward and picked up the letter. There were not enough stamps on the envelope, and it was written in Xiuli's familiar handwriting:

"Here you are, I have loved you all my life" He was slightly surprised, and quickly thought maybe it was a birthday card, but, shouldn't she have written "I will love you forever" instead of "I have loved you forever"? He weighed the letter. It was heavy, not like a birthday card. Curiously, he opened the letter, which was about thirty pages long.He recognized her handwriting. He has lost many love letters written to him by women, and he usually just glances at them and throws them aside.He never needed these souvenirs. However, this time, he grinned at the corner of his mouth and read it seriously.

His gaze was startled, and he looked towards the studio again.There was no sound, only the twilight of the sun streaming on the wooden floor through the dangling curtains. He had no choice but to look back and continue reading the letter in his hand. That girl is me. Not the me now, nor the me who has been by your side these two years, but the me twenty-two years ago. You must not recognize me as that girl, do you? Because, after twenty-two years, I didn't grow old. Don't be surprised, I'm about to tell you all about it. I can finally tell this story to you. You know I never want to lie to you.

My soul will be naked before you. This time, his eyes turned uneasily to the bedroom, where there was no sound. He changed his posture and read the letter.