The days following their heart-to-heart at the café with Yilin were filled with a mix of hesitation and hope. Su Nian was caught between two worlds—the desire to hold onto what she had with Lu Cheng and the fear that she might be setting herself up for more heartache. Every glance, every word he spoke felt like a test, but neither of them had the answers. Not yet.
The evening after their conversation, Su Nian had stayed up late at her apartment, sketching furiously. The soft hum of her music filled the room, but her mind wandered. Every line she drew seemed to reflect her emotions—uncertain, delicate, and searching for meaning.
Her phone buzzed on the table, pulling her from her thoughts. It was a message from Lu Cheng.
"NianNian, can we meet tonight? I need to talk to you. Please."
Her heart did a slow flip in her chest. She had been waiting for him to reach out, but now that he had, she felt the weight of the decision pressing down on her. She didn't respond immediately, allowing herself a moment to breathe, to think. Was she ready to take the next step? To give him another chance?
She looked at her phone again. His words weren't urgent, but they were sincere. After a long breath, she typed back.
"I'll meet you. I'm still not sure, Cheng, but I'm willing to listen."
A sense of relief seemed to wash over her as she pressed send. No more running. No more hiding behind excuses. She needed to face whatever came next—whether it was a future together or a goodbye.
The Meeting
Su Nian arrived at their agreed-upon location—an upscale café that had become a quiet refuge for them in the past. It was a place where they had shared many intimate moments, but now, walking through the door, it felt different. The tension in her chest reminded her of all the unspoken things between them.
Lu Cheng was already sitting by the window, a cup of coffee in front of him. His gaze immediately lifted when he saw her, and for the briefest moment, his eyes softened with something that almost resembled relief. He stood as she approached, his expression still serious but warm.
"Thank you for coming," he said, his voice quiet. "I don't want to keep you waiting, but I really need to talk. About everything."
Su Nian nodded, sitting down across from him. She wasn't sure what to expect. Was he going to apologize again? Was he going to try and explain his past with Mei Ling again, hoping it would be enough to repair the damage?
He exhaled slowly, then met her gaze. "NianNian, I know I've made mistakes—more than I can count. I hurt you. And that's something I will never forgive myself for. But I also know that I don't want to lose you. I want to rebuild what we had. I know it won't happen overnight, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes."
She stared at him, her heart pulling in two different directions. His words were earnest, but her mind raced with questions—questions she wasn't sure she had answers to yet. "Cheng, I don't know how to rebuild that trust. It's not just about what happened with Mei Ling. It's everything. The lies, the secrets, the way you kept me in the dark."
He reached for her hand across the table, his touch light but steady. "I know. And I'm sorry. But I'm not asking for your forgiveness now. I'm asking for a chance. A real chance. To prove to you that I'm not the same person who hurt you. I want to show you, NianNian. I want to show you that I can be the man you need."
Su Nian looked down at their intertwined hands, her heart pounding in her chest. It was true—he had hurt her. But there was something in his eyes, something in his voice that made her want to believe him. Could she? Could she open her heart to him again, knowing all that had happened?
"I'm scared," she whispered, her voice breaking slightly. "I'm scared of getting hurt again. Of trusting you, and then having everything fall apart."
Lu Cheng's thumb brushed gently across the back of her hand, and his gaze softened. "I understand. I'm scared too. But I'm not going to give up, NianNian. Not now, not ever. I'll prove it to you, step by step. But you have to give me the chance. Will you?"
There it was—the question that would determine everything. Her heart trembled as she considered it. Could she? Could she really give him that chance?
Her answer came not in words, but in a slow, hesitant nod. "I'll try," she said softly. "But it's going to take time. I'm not sure when, or how, but I'll try."
In the following days, their relationship felt like a fragile vase—beautiful, but in danger of breaking with even the smallest misstep. Lu Cheng respected her space more than ever, though he continued to make small gestures to show he cared. He brought her lunch at the academy, offered to help with her designs, and even sent her little messages of encouragement.
Su Nian was still on edge, but she couldn't deny the effort he was putting in. It was something she hadn't expected, and it made her question her resolve. Was it enough?
As the weekend approached, Su Nian found herself at a crossroads. Her fashion showcase was just around the corner, and she had been pouring her heart into every stitch. It was the biggest opportunity of her young career, and she knew that she needed to be at her best. But it wasn't just the event that had her distracted—it was Lu Cheng. Their fragile truce was beginning to feel like a delicate dance, one she wasn't sure she knew how to perform.
That afternoon, while she was in the studio working on final adjustments, her phone buzzed with an incoming call. It was from Yilin.
"Hey, are you free tonight?" Yilin's voice was upbeat, but there was a hint of concern beneath her words. "I've got some news. It's about Lu Cheng."
Su Nian frowned, her fingers pausing mid-stitch. "What news? What's going on?"
Yilin sighed. "I don't want to worry you, but I've been hearing things from my sources. There are rumors going around that Lu Cheng's family isn't happy about you two being together. Apparently, his grandfather is trying to set him up with someone else—someone from one of the other top families. I don't know all the details, but it doesn't sound good."
Su Nian's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't help but feel a flash of panic. Was Lu Cheng truly ready to fight for her? Or was his family's pressure going to tear them apart before they even had a chance?
"Thanks for telling me, Yilin," Su Nian said quietly, her mind already racing with the possibilities. "I'll talk to him about it."
Later that evening, Lu Cheng called, his voice deep and calm, but there was a hint of urgency in his tone. "NianNian, I need to see you. There's something I haven't told you."
Su Nian's pulse quickened. She knew exactly what it was. And now, with the rumors from Yilin still fresh in her mind, she was afraid it might be the breaking point for everything.
"I'm listening," she said, her voice steady despite the storm of emotions brewing inside.
Lu Cheng hesitated for a moment before speaking. "My family… they're not happy about us. My grandfather wants me to marry someone else, someone from another family. But NianNian, I want you. I've chosen you."
Su Nian felt a wave of both relief and dread. "But what does that mean, Cheng? What do we do now?"
Lu Cheng's voice grew softer. "It means that I'm not going to let them control my life anymore. It means I'm going to fight for you—for us. But I need you to trust me. I need you to be strong, because it's not going to be easy."
Su Nian swallowed hard, the weight of his words settling over her. Was she ready for this