The restaurant was tucked away at the top floor of a high-rise, accessible only through the private club. It was just after 5 p.m., and with the place being members-only, there were few guests around.
Cheng Yi liked the ambiance here. The tranquil Zen-inspired decor, bathed in soft, warm lighting, made it easy to relax. If not for the rows of skyscrapers looming behind the bamboo blinds, it would be easy to forget they were in the heart of the bustling CBD.
"I asked Zhiyuan to join us a bit later. Hope you don't mind," Xie Yufan said casually. "He needs to eat on schedule,you know how strict he is about that."
Eating on time—that was a rule Cheng Yi had set for him when he first suffered from a stomach ache. Now, she merely lowered her head and stayed quiet.
"It's been so long. No need to be strangers anymore."
"Yeah, of course."
Xie Yufan was always good at steering a conversation. With effortless charm, he guided the conversation from the restaurant's interior design to current trends in decor, then somehow wove it into discussions of timber supply, before landing smoothly on this year's export outlook. Despite the disparate topics, the transitions were so natural they barely registered. Lawyers do have a gift, she thought—sharp minds, broad knowledge, and the ability to connect anything.
Cheng Yi found herself laughing several times. Had he always been this witty? She couldn't quite remember.
Someone kindly refilled his water glass, subtly signaling that he should take a break, and handed him the menu.
"You're here?"
"Yeah, let's order. We're all starving."
As soon as Fang Zhiyuan sat down, he began flipping through the menu. He hadn't gone through many pages before he called the waiter over.
"One stir-fried beef hor fun, one sweet and sour ribs with corn soup, and your house special steak with an espresso. Let's also get a pot of hot fruit tea and three bowls of red bean soup for dessert. And please bring everything as soon as it's ready. Okay with that?"
Cheng Yi glanced at Xie Yufan, who hadn't even opened his menu. Perhaps it was the understanding that comes with being partners. She nodded in agreement, after all, it was polite to go with the host's choices.
She was still uneasy about the translation work from earlier, worried it might not have met expectations.
"Does the contract... need any more revisions?"
"No response from the client yet; I'll follow up later."
In truth, the translation was excellent, and the client was very pleased.
At this point, Xie Yufan shifted the conversation from casual small talk to something more serious.
"Yi, where have you been all these years? We were really worried about you."
The anxiety Cheng Yi had been suppressing suddenly surged, as if the ground beneath her had given way. Fortunately, she had been asked this question before and had prepared a careful answer.
"I've been working out of town. Just got back recently."
"Where exactly?"
"My last job was in Hong Kong."
"We couldn't get any information on you. We even filed a missing person report. Why didn't you reach out to us?"
Cheng Yi's heart raced with anxiety. She felt herself shifting from her earlier composed responses to now feeling unsure of how to handle the situation. After all, she was facing two lawyers! At the same time, she sensed a pair of intense eyes boring into her from across the table, making her feel like a suspect under interrogation.
Thankfully, the waiter arrived with their food, giving her a moment to catch her breath and collect her thoughts.
"Work was hectic over there... I'm sorry."
Even to her own ears, it sounded like a flimsy excuse. Xie Yufan looked at her in silence for a moment, as if he understood something and knew it was time to stop pressing.
"Let's eat. It'll get cold."
With that, the conversation ended. Cheng Yi looked at the sweet and sour ribs and corn soup in front of her—dishes she had always loved.
The conversation moved on to lighter subjects.
Xie Yufan began talking about a client who came to them every few years for a divorce, only to send out wedding invitations soon after. The client would jokingly boast, "I've had more divorces, and yet neither of you has even gotten a girlfriend!" To which Xie Yufan would always reply,"We can afford the legal fees, just not the alimony."
Fang Zhiyuan, with a slight smile, quietly commented, "That's not a marriage based on love."
Fang Zhiyuan had a knack for steering even the most cheerful moments toward uncomfortable territory. Knowing this all too well, Xie Yufan deftly shifted the topic again, afraid that one more word might leave Cheng Yi, who was still nervously holding her chopsticks, feeling even more overwhelmed.
"Yi, I'll drive you home later."
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The blue Audi, despite its excellent acceleration, could only crawl along in the stop-and-go traffic of rush hour.
Throughout the drive, Xie Yufan remained silent, seemingly focused on the road ahead. But Cheng Yi sensed that his mind was elsewhere, lost in thought, almost as if he had forgotten she was in the car with him. After about forty minutes, the car finally turned into her residential complex.
"This place hasn't changed a bit. I haven't been back to Z University in ages."
Was that an unintended confession? Was she explaining why, out of all the places in this vast city, she chose to live here?
"Yi, he lives nearby too. He's been waiting for you all this time."
There was a quiet helplessness in Xie Yufan's voice. He turned toward Cheng Yi and saw a flicker of panic in her eyes. Her fingers fumbled for the door handle even before the car had stopped, as if she were desperate to escape.
"That poor, foolish man... Just give him another chance."
Cheng Yi lowered her head, her hands trembling as she struggled to unfasten her seatbelt, Her voice was soft, but it carried the weight of finality.
"It's impossible, Yufan."
She opened the car door and, without a backward glance, quickly disappeared into the darkened stairwell.
Xie Yufan stepped out of the car and walked toward the black Mercedes parked behind them. The window rolled down, revealing Fang Zhiyuan's weary face, looking even more desolate under the dim streetlight. Xie Yufan leaned against the car window, speaking with a calm certainty.
"Zhiyuan, you have to remember, Yi has never wronged you."
"I know. I was the one who left first."
When Cheng Yi entered her apartment, she didn't turn on the lights. The darkness seemed to mirror her own heart, deep and lifeless.
She had no idea how much time had passed when her phone buzzed softly, the faint glow of a message breaking the darkness. She picked up her phone.
"It's Yufan. Let's stay in touch."
A moment later, another message from Yufan appeared.
"Back then, the four of us were always together. That was the happiest time of my life."
Today had been exhausting. Completely exhausting.
As the night grew still, she drifted into a restless sleep, dreaming of wandering through the darkness, searching for a way forward.
More than anything, she hoped for a light—just one beam of light—to lead her out of the shadows.
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To Cheng Yi's surprise, the one who contacted her most often was Xie Yufan.
Every few days, he would call to invite her out for a meal or just to chat. Their conversations were light and easy, but occasionally, he would gently probe into her current situation.
"Still doing freelance work? Never thought about going full-time? You'd earn much more."
To others, it might seem that living in a rental that could be reclaimed at any time was just a way to save money, implying financial struggles. After all, a woman working alone, living frugally—wouldn't it be normal for an old friend to offer a helping hand?
"I've been working non-stop for years. I just want to rest for a while, no rush."
"You did a great job with the last translation. Ever consider joining our firm?"
Was this the real reason behind his calls? Cheng Yi couldn't help but wonder.
"No need, really. I enjoy how things are now."
"Yi, think about it. There are some important documents I'd trust only with you."
Cheng Yi found herself at a loss for words, unsure how to decline.
"I'll think about it."
Her instincts told her not to test a lawyer's persistence too easily. The best way to decline was to find a full-time job immediately, and she thought of Ye Minglang.
She sent a message to Xie Yufan, telling him she had found a new job. Before she could get a reply from him, her phone rang. It was Fang Zhiyuan, his voice edged with anger.
"Yi, you didn't have to go find some random job just to reject us."
"That's not it."
She could hear his breath coming in angry bursts on the other end of the line. Her chest tightened instinctively, and she rushed to explain.
"I rejoined my old company. They've opened a new branch here and asked me back a while ago."
"Really? Is it tough work?"
"No, it's fine."
There was a pause, then Fang Zhiyuan spoke with a gravity that weighed on her.
"Yi, I'm doing better now. You don't have to live like this anymore. Even if you don't work, I can take care of you. We'll never have to scrape by like we did before. I really think—"
"I'm doing just fine."
To Fang Zhiyuan, it seemed like she was punishing him for abandoning her all those years ago, refusing to give him any chance to make amends.
To Cheng Yi, those frugal days held a quiet kind of happiness . But now, she was no longer the girl who only wanted to curl up in his arms and build her idea of happiness around someone else.
"Can't you... give me one more chance?"
Cheng Yi let out a bitter laugh, a wave of sorrow washing over her. She didn't want to hear his voice any longer, so she hung up the phone.
Another chance? How ridiculous.
Back then, did you ever give me one?
Cheng Yi slid to the floor, leaned against the wall, tears streaming down her face as she gazed out at the distant half-moon.