The wind was sharp in Country C that week—cutting through coats, digging into collars. Leng Shiyan stood once again at the gates of the Mo residence, his third visit in five days.
He knew she was there.
He'd known from the very beginning that Lu Jingyan had left Country F, but it wasn't until Li Zeyan quietly mentioned the explosive fallout between Yumo and Xuanmo that he realized just *how* deep the wounds ran.
Apparently, after Yumo admitted to Jingyan what had sparked everything, the siblings had clashed in a storm of guilt, blame, and shattered loyalty.
Shiyan had missed it all.
And now… he couldn't sit still any longer.
The door opened slightly, and the housekeeper gave him a tired look. "Sir, she's not seeing anyone today."
"I understand," Shiyan replied calmly. "But I'll wait."
"Mr. Leng…" the woman hesitated, almost sympathetic now. "She said no visitors."
"I'll wait," he repeated, stepping back from the door with stubborn grace.
---
By the fourth rejection, even the housekeeper's tone softened. "You're not going to stop, are you?"
"No."
She sighed. "I'll tell her you came again."
It wasn't until the sixth visit—a cool, still afternoon—that he received word: *She'll meet you. But not here. One hour. Jiuyuan Tea Studio.*
---
The tearoom was quiet, scented with osmanthus and old wood.
Lu Jingyan was already seated by the window when he arrived, back straight, chin slightly lifted. She looked every bit the fallen heiress turned steel—forged not from gold but grit.
Shiyan approached carefully. "Thank you… for agreeing."
"Speak quickly," she replied without pleasantries.
He sat opposite her, folding his hands together. "I won't take your time for granted. I knew you left after everything with Xuanmo. I just didn't know what happened between them until recently."
Her gaze flickered.
"When I found out about the fight between him and Yumo… what really led to all of this—I couldn't stay quiet."
Her voice was flat. "You're not here to defend them, are you?"
"No," he said firmly. "I'm here because no one ever should've stayed silent to begin with. You were hurt by people you trusted. That matters."
Jingyan didn't respond.
Shiyan continued, slower now. "I don't know how to fix it. I wasn't part of the choices they made. But I still carry the name that hurt you. And I want to take responsibility for that."
Jingyan finally spoke, her tone calm but sharp. "It wasn't just one mistake, Shiyan. It was a chain of choices. I became collateral damage in someone else's pride."
He nodded. "I know. And if I could go back and stop it, I would. But I can't. So I'm asking… not for forgiveness. Just a chance to say I'm sorry. Face to face."
The tension in her shoulders didn't ease, but her eyes softened by a fraction. "I turned you away so many times."
"And I would've kept coming," he said simply. "You were always kinder to us than we deserved."
A beat.
Then she looked away, hands resting on her teacup. "I can't say I forgive the Leng family. Not yet. Maybe never. But… I don't hate you, Shiyan."
He breathed out quietly. "That's enough."
Another silence stretched between them. Not tense, not warm—just tired.
"I've been trying to start over," she said after a pause. "But the past doesn't leave you that easily."
"I'm not here to make it disappear," he replied. "Only to say that if you ever need help—not as a Leng, but as someone who still respects you—you can call me."
She didn't smile, but her voice softened. "We'll see."
And for now, that was all he needed.