Chapter 18 Street Corner Cafe
Lu Huaichuan and I hadn’t even been apart for more than a month.
But when we met again at that street corner cafe, I almost couldn’t recognize him.
He looked much thinner, with dark circles under his eyes.
Wrapped in his trench coat, he looked hollow.
I ordered him a hot cocoa and added an extra pump of syrup.
Lu Huaichuan sat silently across from me, like he was weathering into a stone monument.
I asked him, "You asked me out just to catch the wind?"
Lu Huaichuan lowered his eyes, his fingers lightly hooking around the cup.
That was a small habit he had when he was nervous.
When he still didn’t speak, I could only take the initiative.
"The Lawyer’s Agreement—did you read it? If there’s no issue, sign it as soon as possible."
Lu Huaichuan probably didn’t expect me to bring that up first. He said, "I’m not short on money. You... don’t need to give me that."
I nodded. "That works too. Then I’ll have him draft an Agreement again. You can gift me that part of the renovation."
"But the equity still needs to be cut clearly."
Lu Huaichuan asked softly, "Do we have to separate it that cleanly?"
I asked back, "Wasn’t that what you wanted?"
"Part ways cleanly, no ties left."
Lu Huaichuan suddenly covered his eyes. "Zhou Chengting... if I say I regretted it, could you forgive me?"
"Was that why you spread that PDF?"
"Trying to dissect your feelings for me in front of the public?"
Lu Huaichuan’s face went paper-white. "You know?"
I smiled. "After all, we were lovers for seven years."
"But Huaichuan, you were with me for seven years and still didn’t know me well enough."
"Once I made a decision, I didn’t change it."
"So delete the Post, deactivate the Account, and end this farce."
Lu Huaichuan suddenly said, "Zhou Chengting, from when you sat down until now, you haven’t asked me how I’ve been lately."
I raised an eyebrow. "Isn’t it obvious?"
"Whether it’s regret or annoyance or being worn down by love—"
"That’s your business."
"If you still care even a little about how I see you, then don’t show up in my world again."
"Don’t disturb me anymore."
Lu Huaichuan’s tears fell soundlessly, drop by drop,
like rain falling.
With red eyes full of pleading, he looked at me and choked out, "Can’t you give me one more chance?"
I asked calmly, "Can you turn time back to the moment before I saw that Post?"
Lu Huaichuan finally covered his face and broke into loud sobs right there in the street corner cafe full of people coming and going.