Chi Cheng didn't tell Suo Wei right away.
He had stared at the latest message from Wang Shuo for a full ten minutes, the same name that had hovered like a shadow over their recent peace. There was no anger in the words, just a request:
"Let's meet. One last time."
And strangely, Chi Cheng wasn't afraid anymore.
He sent back a simple reply: Tomorrow. After class.
Later that evening, as Suo Wei folded laundry in their bedroom, Chi Cheng finally said it.
"I'm going to meet Wang Shuo tomorrow."
Suo Wei's hands paused on a hoodie. "Okay," he said quietly, not looking up.
Chi Cheng walked over and gently took the fabric from his hands. "Come with me."
That made Suo Wei look up.
"You don't have to say anything," Chi Cheng added. "I just... want him to see. To know I'm done hiding what matters to me."
And so the next afternoon, they arrived together.
The café was tucked near the campus library, quiet and mostly empty. Wang Shuo was already there, dressed in muted grey, fingers tapping nervously against a ceramic cup. He glanced up when they walked in and visibly flinched when he saw Suo Wei standing beside Chi Cheng.
"You brought him," he muttered, eyes darting toward Suo Wei with a flicker of irritation.
Chi Cheng didn't bother sitting. He stood tall, his voice even.
"Yes," he said. "Because I'm not doing this behind closed doors anymore."
Wang Shuo's gaze shifted to Suo Wei, then back to Chi Cheng. "I thought maybe, maybe things between us could still be..."
"There is no 'us,'" Chi Cheng said calmly, but firmly. "There never really was. What we had...if you can even call it that—was built on me running away from my own feelings."
He reached over, lacing his fingers with Wu Suo Wei's.
Wang Shuo's face fell.
"I've moved on," Chi Cheng continued. "Not just from you. From that version of me that let guilt dictate everything. From the secrecy, the pretending."
"I didn't come here to fight you," Wang Shuo said bitterly. "But watching you choose him over..."
"It was never a competition," Chi Cheng said. "Because it's always been him."
Suo Wei didn't say much. He didn't need to.
Just standing there, hand in Chi Cheng's, was enough.
For once, Wang Shuo had no comeback. He stared at the two of them in silence, something hollow flickering across his expression before he nodded grudgingly and stood.
"I hope he doesn't disappoint you," he said.
"He won't," Chi Cheng answered. "But thanks."
Wang Shuo left without another word.
And when the door closed behind him, Chi Cheng let out a slow breath. Relief swept through him, deeper than he'd expected.
He turned to Suo Wei. "You okay?"
Suo Wei nodded softly. "You?"
Chi Cheng gave a small smile. "Better. Thanks for being here."
"I'll always be here," Suo Wei whispered.
They left the café hand-in-hand, sunlight warming their backs as they walked back toward campus. For the first time in a long time, Chi Cheng felt completely free.