Fu Sheng did not answer her question imdiately.
For a mont, he simply sat there quietly, his gaze lowered slightly as though thinking carefully about his answer.
Then he finally spoke.
"After the war ended," he said slowly, "my father and I were rewarded for our military achievents."
Wei ilan listened quietly.
Fu Sheng leaned back slightly in his chair.
"We were given a title," he continued. "That was how I beca a general."
His voice remained calm, without pride or excitent.
As though the title itself no longer held much aning to him.
Wei ilan watched him carefully.
Fu Sheng let out a quiet breath before continuing.
"After that, we left Wu Village completely," he said. "Two years ago, my parents finally began pressuring to get married."
A faint smile appeared briefly on his lips.
"At first, I refused every proposal they brought."
Wei ilan lowered her eyes slightly.
Then Fu Sheng continued quietly,
"But eventually, they ntioned the Su family."
His gaze shifted slightly, as though the mory had beco clearer in his mind.
"I heard many things about the miss of the Su family before eting her," he said. "Most of them were unpleasant."
Wei ilan looked at him quietly.
Fu Sheng gave a faint laugh.
"They said she was difficult, arrogant, spoiled, and impossible to deal with."
Wei ilan’s lips curved slightly.
"And what did you think after eting her?" she asked softly.
Fu Sheng beca quiet for a brief mont.
Then slowly—
A faint warmth finally appeared in his expression for the first ti that night.
"At first glance," he said quietly, "I fell."
Wei ilan froze slightly.
Fu Sheng’s gaze lowered briefly, and his voice softened without him realizing it.
"She was nothing like the rumors."
A faint smile appeared on his lips again.
"She looked at directly from the very beginning," he said. "Not because of my title. Not because of my family."
His fingers rested loosely against the table now, far more relaxed than before.
"She looked at like a person."
Wei ilan remained silent.
Fu Sheng continued quietly,
"She is clever. Too clever sotis."
A small breath of amusent escaped him.
"And troubleso."
Wei ilan noticed it imdiately.
The way his expression softened whenever he spoke about Su Long.
The way the heaviness in his eyes eased without him noticing.
Fu Sheng leaned back slightly.
"At first, I thought the marriage would simply be an arrangent," he admitted. "Sothing done out of responsibility."
His gaze lowered slightly again.
"But sowhere along the way..."
He paused briefly.
"...it stopped feeling that way."
The room fell silent.
Wei ilan looked at him quietly for several monts before finally lowering her gaze.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
This ti—
There was genuine relief in it.
"You love her," she said softly.
Fu Sheng beca still for a mont.
Then slowly—
He smiled faintly.
"Yes," he admitted quietly.
"I do."
Fu Sheng remained quiet for a mont after admitting it.
The lantern beside them flickered softly, casting a warm glow across his face.
Then he let out a faint breath and continued speaking.
"At the beginning..." he said slowly, "things between us were not good."
Wei ilan listened quietly without interrupting.
Fu Sheng lowered his gaze slightly.
"Because of so misunderstandings, she despised ," he admitted. "She did not hide it either."
A faint smile appeared briefly on his lips, though it carried more helplessness than amusent.
"There were tis when she could barely stand being near ."
Wei ilan looked at him carefully.
"But even then," Fu Sheng continued quietly, "I never stopped believing that one day she would look at differently."
His voice remained calm, but there was sincerity in every word now.
"I thought that if I stayed patient... if I treated her well enough... eventually she would see that I truly ant no harm."
The room beca quiet again.
Fu Sheng leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression softer now than it had been all night.
"Then one day," he said quietly, "she suddenly changed."
Wei ilan’s brows lifted faintly.
Fu Sheng gave a quiet laugh.
"To this day, I still do not fully understand it," he admitted. "It happened so suddenly."
His gaze lowered briefly, and sothing warm appeared in his eyes.
"But I did not care."
The answer ca imdiately.
Without hesitation.
Fu Sheng’s fingers rested lightly against the table as he continued.
"I did not care why she changed," he said softly. "I only cared that she finally stopped looking at with hatred."
Wei ilan remained silent as she watched him.
Fu Sheng smiled faintly to himself.
"She began speaking to differently," he said. "She trusted more. She stayed beside willingly."
A quiet breath escaped him.
"And little by little... the house stopped feeling empty."
The room fell silent again.
Then Fu Sheng added quietly,
"For the first ti in years... I started feeling like I had finally returned ho."
Wei ilan lowered her gaze slowly after hearing that.
There was sadness in her expression now.
But no bitterness.
Because she could see it clearly.
The man sitting in front of her had already given his heart to soone else completely.
Wei ilan lowered her gaze slightly, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"At least one of us managed to get a happy ending," she said softly.
Her voice was calm, but there was quiet sadness hidden beneath it.
Fu Sheng did not react imdiately to her words.
He simply looked at her quietly for a mont before speaking again.
"Your workers ntioned earlier that you are getting married," he said.
Wei ilan’s fingers paused slightly against the tea cup.
Fu Sheng’s expression remained calm, though his gaze had beco more serious now.
"I have only heard bad things about the man you are going to marry," he continued quietly.
The room beca still.
Wei ilan did not answer imdiately.
Fu Sheng watched her steadily.
"Are you being forced into it?" he finally asked.
Wei ilan let out a faint breath and leaned back slightly in her chair.
"No," she replied softly.
Fu Sheng frowned slightly.
Wei ilan gave a faint smile, though it did not reach her eyes.
"No one can really force anymore," she said quietly. "Not after everything that has happened."
The lantern flickered softly between them.
Fu Sheng remained silent.
Wei ilan lowered her gaze briefly before continuing.
"Bapo Li approached himself," she said. "At first, I refused him."
Fu Sheng’s expression darkened slightly at the ntion of the na.
Wei ilan noticed it imdiately.
"He did not react badly," she continued quietly. "At least not openly."
Her fingers tightened lightly against the cup again.
"But after that, strange things started happening."
Fu Sheng’s gaze sharpened.
"My suppliers suddenly stopped selling to ," she said. "People who owed money disappeared overnight."
Her faint smile returned again.
"Even custors beca afraid to enter the shop."
The aning behind her words was obvious.
Fu Sheng’s expression turned colder.
Wei ilan looked at him calmly.
"He never threatened directly," she said. "That is what makes people like him dangerous."
The room beca quiet again.
Then she continued softly,
"Eventually, he ca again and asked one more ti."
Fu Sheng stared at her.
"And this ti," Wei ilan said quietly, "I agreed."
Fu Sheng’s brows slowly frowned.
"You do not sound happy about it," he said.
Wei ilan let out a soft laugh.
"Happiness?" she repeated quietly.
She lowered her eyes.
"I stopped expecting that a long ti ago."
Fu Sheng remained silent.
Wei ilan looked toward the inner room again where her children were sleeping.
"My children need stability," she said softly. "And in this place, a woman alone with children cannot survive forever."
Her voice remained calm.
Too calm.
"As long as Bapo Li protects this shop and leaves my children alone..." she said quietly, "then I can tolerate the rest."
Fu Sheng’s jaw tightened slightly.
"You are treating marriage like a transaction," he said.
Wei ilan looked back at him steadily.
"And what do you think most marriages beco after enough suffering?" she asked softly.
Fu Sheng did not answer.
Because this ti—
He could not deny her words completely.
Wei ilan remained quiet after her last words.
The lantern between them flickered softly, and for a mont, neither of them spoke again.
Then she finally let out a faint breath and stood up slowly from her seat.
"It is late," she said quietly.
Her voice had returned to its usual calmness.
"You should go back now."
Fu Sheng looked at her for a mont before giving a small nod.
"Yes," he replied softly.
He stood up as well.
For a brief mont, the two of them simply faced each other in silence.
Years of mories stood between them.
Regret.
Pain.
Questions that would never truly have answers.
But strangely—
The bitterness that once existed between them no longer remained.
Fu Sheng lowered his gaze briefly before speaking again.
"If you ever need help," he said quietly, "co find ."
Wei ilan looked at him silently.
Fu Sheng’s expression remained calm.
"I an it," he continued. "No matter what happens with Bapo Li... if you truly need help, co to ."
Wei ilan’s fingers tightened slightly at her side.
Before she could respond, Fu Sheng spoke again.
"And..."
He paused briefly.
Then his voice softened slightly.
"If you finally gather the courage to see the boys..."
Wei ilan froze completely.
Fu Sheng looked at her steadily.
"...they are here," he said quietly. "Waiting."
The room beca unbearably silent.
Fu Sheng’s gaze remained calm.
"No one will stop you."
Wei ilan’s eyes trembled faintly.
But before she could say anything—
Fu Sheng had already turned away.
He walked toward the door without waiting for her reply.
The door opened quietly.
Cold night air entered the room once more.
Wei ilan stood where she was, unmoving, as she watched his figure disappear into the darkness outside.
Then the door slowly closed behind him.
And the room beca silent again.
User Comments
0 comments from readers