Mei & Luca
Shanghai × Rome
Seven Hours Apart, Never Once Silent
Mei is an art curator. Luca restores paintings. When they matched, both thought the overlap was almost too convenient.
"I was suspicious," Mei laughs. "Who is this man with the perfect job for my interests. I assumed his profile was fake."
She messaged him to test him — a specific question about a specific Caravaggio restoration technique. He answered correctly and then asked her a better question back.
They talked for six months before meeting. Seven hours of time difference. They made it work because neither of them wanted to stop talking.
Luca flew to Shanghai for their first meeting. Mei flew to Rome three months later and never quite left. They married in a small ceremony in Trastevere. The Caravaggio hangs in a church three streets away.