The space between them felt smaller now.
Not because the world had changed—
But because she had taken that one step forward.
And sometimes—
That was all it took to change everything.
Lian Hua stood in front of Zhen Wei, her heart still unsteady… but no longer running.
"I don't know what will happen," she said softly.
Zhen Wei didn't interrupt.
"I don't know if I'll be strong enough all the time."
His gaze stayed on her.
"I don't know if I'll regret this."
A pause.
"But I know one thing."
Her voice steadied.
"I don't want to walk away again."
Silence.
Because that—
That was her answer.
Not perfect.
Not certain.
But real.
Zhen Wei exhaled slowly.
For the first time in a while—
Something in his expression softened completely.
"Then don't," he said.
Simple.
Direct.
Just like him.
Lian Hua looked at him.
"…okay."
The word was quiet.
But it carried more weight than anything else she had said before.
And just like that—
She chose again.
Not because it was easy.
But because she couldn't ignore what she felt.
Zhen Wei stepped closer.
This time—
He didn't hesitate.
His hand reached for hers.
And when she didn't pull away—
He held it.
Firm.
Certain.
As if reminding both of them—
They were still here.
A few steps away—
Chen Kai watched.
And this time—
He understood.
He exhaled quietly.
Then turned.
And walked away.
Without saying anything.
Because he didn't need to.
Back between them—
The silence wasn't heavy anymore.
Just… real.
"We're not going back to how things were," Lian Hua said.
Zhen Wei nodded.
"We move forward."
"Together?"
He looked at her.
"Yes."
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Lian Hua felt her heart settle.
Not completely calm.
But no longer breaking.
Because this time—
She wasn't choosing out of fear.
She was choosing despite it.
And that—
Made all the difference.