The next day came too quickly.
Lian Hua barely slept.
The card sat on her bedside table all night, its presence impossible to ignore.
He wants to meet you. Alone.
She had read it over and over.
As if the words might change.
But they didn't.
By morning—
Her decision was made.
"I'm going," she said quietly.
Chen Kai, standing near the counter, looked at her immediately.
"You're serious?"
She nodded.
"I can't avoid this."
He frowned slightly.
"You don't know what he wants."
"I can guess."
"And you still want to walk into it?"
Lian Hua took a small breath.
"If I'm going to stay in Zhen Wei's life… I have to face this."
Chen Kai studied her for a moment.
Then sighed.
"Then at least be careful."
She gave a small nod.
"I will."
The meeting place was not what she expected.
It wasn't his estate.
Not a crowded office.
It was a quiet, private tea house.
Elegant.
Traditional.
Calm.
But the calm felt deceptive.
Lian Hua stepped inside.
Her heart steady—but alert.
She was led to a private room.
And there—
He was already waiting.
Zhen Wei's father.
Seated calmly, as if this were just another ordinary meeting.
"Miss Lian Hua," he said.
His tone was polite.
Measured.
But it didn't feel warm.
"Thank you for coming."
Lian Hua stepped inside and bowed her head slightly.
"Thank you for inviting me."
He gestured to the seat across from him.
"Sit."
She did.
Tea had already been prepared.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
For a moment—
Neither of them spoke.
Then—
"I'll be direct," he said.
Lian Hua met his gaze.
"I expected that."
A faint hint of approval flickered in his eyes.
"You're aware of the situation," he continued.
"Yes."
"And yet… you chose to stay."
"I did."
He studied her carefully.
"Why?"
The question was simple.
But heavy.
Lian Hua didn't look away.
"Because I care about him."
A pause.
"That's not enough," he said.
She expected that.
"It's enough for me," she replied quietly.
Another silence.
Then—
He leaned slightly forward.
"Do you know what happens to people who stand in the way of powerful families?"
The air shifted.
Lian Hua's heart beat faster.
But she didn't move.
"I'm not standing in the way," she said calmly.
"You are," he replied.
Silence.
"For his future," he added.
Lian Hua lowered her gaze briefly.
"Then maybe his future isn't what you think it is."
That—
That made him pause.
Just slightly.
"You speak boldly," he said.
"I'm speaking honestly."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Honesty can be dangerous."
"I know."
The room felt tighter now.
More intense.
Then—
He said something that changed everything.
"There is an arrangement."
Lian Hua frowned slightly.
"What kind of arrangement?"
"A marriage."
Her breath caught.
"For Zhen Wei."
Silence.
The words hit harder than anything else.
"He was meant to marry into another family," he continued.
Lian Hua's hands tightened slightly in her lap.
"And now?" she asked quietly.
"Now," he said calmly,
"that future is being… disrupted."
Her chest tightened.
"By me," she said.
"Yes."
The answer was direct.
Cold.
Final.
Lian Hua looked down for a moment.
Because this—
This wasn't just pressure anymore.
This was reality.
A future that existed before she came into his life.
A future she was now standing against.
"You see the problem," he said.
She nodded slowly.
"…I do."
Another silence.
"So," he continued,
"what will you do about it?"
The question hung in the air.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
And for the first time—
Lian Hua didn't have an immediate answer.