The afternoon sun was soft and golden. Outside a café in the Moonriver Creative Park, two women with starkly different auras sat by the window.
Shen Zhirou wore a champagne-colored trench coat. Her long hair flowed over her shoulders, her makeup was flawless—exuding the same elegant grace as always.
Xu Zhiyi, on the other hand, was dressed in understated simplicity. An ivory blouse tucked into pale gray tailored trousers—clean, sharp, and equally commanding in presence.
She casually stirred her coffee while scrolling through her phone, her tone indifferent:
"You came to see me. What for?"
Shen Zhirou stared at her, emotions surging in her eyes, though her lips held a faint, practiced smile.
"I just… have a few things I wanted to ask you in person."
"Oh?" Xu Zhiyi looked up, her gaze clear as spring water.
Shen Zhirou spoke slowly:
"You've won."
"He regrets it now. Everything you wanted to see—hasn't it all come true?"
Xu Zhiyi paused for a moment, then gave a faint, almost amused smile:
"You think regret is what I wanted?"
Shen Zhirou gritted her teeth:
"Didn't you love him all along? You waited for him for five years. You risked your life for him—"
"Yes. I used to love him." Her voice remained calm."But the man I loved wasn't the Lu Yancheng you're talking about."
Shen Zhirou froze.
"I loved the version of him in my imagination," Xu Zhiyi continued, her gaze lowered, fingers gently tapping the rim of her cup."Someone I thought was gentle, responsible—someone who cared whether I lived or died."
"And what was the truth?"
She looked up, and her voice turned sharp:
"When I was hospitalized from a miscarriage, he was drinking wine with you."
"When his mother reduced me to tears, he stayed locked in the study, taking calls."
"When I tried to ask him, 'Can we talk?', he didn't even look up—just said, 'You're being unreasonable.'"
"And now you tell me he 'regrets it'?" She let out a quiet laugh."So what?"
Shen Zhirou's expression flickered, anger and unease flashing across her face:
"He's changed. He's not the same person anymore—"
"Exactly." Xu Zhiyi nodded."But neither am I."
She set her coffee cup down, eyes cold and unwavering:
"I'm not satisfied."
"Because the things he regrets? They're not just five years too late—"
"They're not even worth turning back for."
Shen Zhirou could no longer hold her graceful composure. Her face shifted between pale and flushed.
"What do you want, exactly?" she practically hissed."How far are you trying to push him?"
Xu Zhiyi curled her lips into a gentle smile, but her voice remained composed:
"I'm not trying to push him anywhere."
"I've simply decided not to waste another second on a man like him."
She stood, offered a polite nod, and added:
"Thank you for bringing me his regret—but I'm really quite busy now."
As Xu Zhiyi walked out of the café, her skirt swayed with each step, her back straight and proud.
In that moment, Shen Zhirou suddenly realized—
The timid little woman who once whispered "hello" in the Lu family's garden was gone.
The Xu Zhiyi standing before her now was a warrior on the battlefield—radiant, unshakable.
No longer a pawn anyone could control.