Fu Sheng did not answer her question immediately.

For a moment, he simply sat there quietly, his gaze lowered slightly as though thinking carefully about his answer.

Then he finally spoke.

"After the war ended," he said slowly, "my father and I were rewarded for our military achievements."

Wei Meilan listened quietly.

Fu Sheng leaned back slightly in his chair.

"We were given a title," he continued. "That was how I became a general."

His voice remained calm, without pride or excitement.

As though the title itself no longer held much meaning to him.

Wei Meilan watched him carefully.

Fu Sheng let out a quiet breath before continuing.

"After that, we left Wu Village completely," he said. "Two years ago, my parents finally began pressuring me to get married."

A faint smile appeared briefly on his lips.

"At first, I refused every proposal they brought."

Wei Meilan lowered her eyes slightly.

Then Fu Sheng continued quietly,

"But eventually, they mentioned the Su family."

His gaze shifted slightly, as though the memory had become clearer in his mind.

"I heard many things about the miss of the Su family before meeting her," he said. "Most of them were unpleasant."

Wei Meilan looked at him quietly.

Fu Sheng gave a faint laugh.

"They said she was difficult, arrogant, spoiled, and impossible to deal with."

Wei Meilan’s lips curved slightly.

"And what did you think after meeting her?" she asked softly.

Fu Sheng became quiet for a brief moment.

Then slowly—

A faint warmth finally appeared in his expression for the first time that night.

"At first glance," he said quietly, "I fell."

Wei Meilan froze slightly.

Fu Sheng’s gaze lowered briefly, and his voice softened without him realizing it.

"She was nothing like the rumors."

A faint smile appeared on his lips again.

"She looked at me directly from the very beginning," he said. "Not because of my title. Not because of my family."

His fingers rested loosely against the table now, far more relaxed than before.

"She looked at me like a person."

Wei Meilan remained silent.

Fu Sheng continued quietly,

"She is clever. Too clever sometimes."

A small breath of amusement escaped him.

"And troublesome."

Wei Meilan noticed it immediately.

The way his expression softened whenever he spoke about Su Long.

The way the heaviness in his eyes eased without him noticing.

Fu Sheng leaned back slightly.

"At first, I thought the marriage would simply be an arrangement," he admitted. "Something done out of responsibility."

His gaze lowered slightly again.

"But somewhere along the way..."

He paused briefly.

"...it stopped feeling that way."

The room fell silent.

Wei Meilan looked at him quietly for several moments before finally lowering her gaze.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

This time—

There was genuine relief in it.

"You love her," she said softly.

Fu Sheng became still for a moment.

Then slowly—

He smiled faintly.

"Yes," he admitted quietly.

"I do."

Fu Sheng remained quiet for a moment after admitting it.

The lantern beside them flickered softly, casting a warm glow across his face.

Then he let out a faint breath and continued speaking.

"At the beginning..." he said slowly, "things between us were not good."

Wei Meilan listened quietly without interrupting.

Fu Sheng lowered his gaze slightly.

"Because of some misunderstandings, she despised me," he admitted. "She did not hide it either."

A faint smile appeared briefly on his lips, though it carried more helplessness than amusement.

"There were times when she could barely stand being near me."

Wei Meilan looked at him carefully.

"But even then," Fu Sheng continued quietly, "I never stopped believing that one day she would look at me differently."

His voice remained calm, but there was sincerity in every word now.

"I thought that if I stayed patient... if I treated her well enough... eventually she would see that I truly meant no harm."

The room became quiet again.

Fu Sheng leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression softer now than it had been all night.

"Then one day," he said quietly, "she suddenly changed."

Wei Meilan’s brows lifted faintly.

Fu Sheng gave a quiet laugh.

"To this day, I still do not fully understand it," he admitted. "It happened so suddenly."

His gaze lowered briefly, and something warm appeared in his eyes.

"But I did not care."

The answer came immediately.

Without hesitation.

Fu Sheng’s fingers rested lightly against the table as he continued.

"I did not care why she changed," he said softly. "I only cared that she finally stopped looking at me with hatred."

Wei Meilan remained silent as she watched him.

Fu Sheng smiled faintly to himself.

"She began speaking to me differently," he said. "She trusted me more. She stayed beside me willingly."

A quiet breath escaped him.

"And little by little... the house stopped feeling empty."

The room fell silent again.

Then Fu Sheng added quietly,

"For the first time in years... I started feeling like I had finally returned home."

Wei Meilan lowered her gaze slowly after hearing that.

There was sadness in her expression now.

But no bitterness.

Because she could see it clearly.

The man sitting in front of her had already given his heart to someone else completely.

Wei Meilan lowered her gaze slightly, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"At least one of us managed to get a happy ending," she said softly.

Her voice was calm, but there was quiet sadness hidden beneath it.

Fu Sheng did not react immediately to her words.

He simply looked at her quietly for a moment before speaking again.

"Your workers mentioned earlier that you are getting married," he said.

Wei Meilan’s fingers paused slightly against the tea cup.

Fu Sheng’s expression remained calm, though his gaze had become more serious now.

"I have only heard bad things about the man you are going to marry," he continued quietly.

The room became still.

Wei Meilan did not answer immediately.

Fu Sheng watched her steadily.

"Are you being forced into it?" he finally asked.

Wei Meilan let out a faint breath and leaned back slightly in her chair.

"No," she replied softly.

Fu Sheng frowned slightly.

Wei Meilan gave a faint smile, though it did not reach her eyes.

"No one can really force me anymore," she said quietly. "Not after everything that has happened."

The lantern flickered softly between them.

Fu Sheng remained silent.

Wei Meilan lowered her gaze briefly before continuing.

"Bapo Li approached me himself," she said. "At first, I refused him."

Fu Sheng’s expression darkened slightly at the mention of the name.

Wei Meilan noticed it immediately.

"He did not react badly," she continued quietly. "At least not openly."

Her fingers tightened lightly against the cup again.

"But after that, strange things started happening."

Fu Sheng’s gaze sharpened.

"My suppliers suddenly stopped selling to me," she said. "People who owed me money disappeared overnight."

Her faint smile returned again.

"Even customers became afraid to enter the shop."

The meaning behind her words was obvious.

Fu Sheng’s expression turned colder.

Wei Meilan looked at him calmly.

"He never threatened me directly," she said. "That is what makes people like him dangerous."

The room became quiet again.

Then she continued softly,

"Eventually, he came again and asked me one more time."

Fu Sheng stared at her.

"And this time," Wei Meilan said quietly, "I agreed."

Fu Sheng’s brows slowly frowned.

"You do not sound happy about it," he said.

Wei Meilan let out a soft laugh.

"Happiness?" she repeated quietly.

She lowered her eyes.

"I stopped expecting that a long time ago."

Fu Sheng remained silent.

Wei Meilan looked toward the inner room again where her children were sleeping.

"My children need stability," she said softly. "And in this place, a woman alone with children cannot survive forever."

Her voice remained calm.

Too calm.

"As long as Bapo Li protects this shop and leaves my children alone..." she said quietly, "then I can tolerate the rest."

Fu Sheng’s jaw tightened slightly.

"You are treating marriage like a transaction," he said.

Wei Meilan looked back at him steadily.

"And what do you think most marriages become after enough suffering?" she asked softly.

Fu Sheng did not answer.

Because this time—

He could not deny her words completely.

Wei Meilan remained quiet after her last words.

The lantern between them flickered softly, and for a moment, neither of them spoke again.

Then she finally let out a faint breath and stood up slowly from her seat.

"It is late," she said quietly.

Her voice had returned to its usual calmness.

"You should go back now."

Fu Sheng looked at her for a moment before giving a small nod.

"Yes," he replied softly.

He stood up as well.

For a brief moment, the two of them simply faced each other in silence.

Years of memories stood between them.

Regret.

Pain.

Questions that would never truly have answers.

But strangely—

The bitterness that once existed between them no longer remained.

Fu Sheng lowered his gaze briefly before speaking again.

"If you ever need help," he said quietly, "come find me."

Wei Meilan looked at him silently.

Fu Sheng’s expression remained calm.

"I mean it," he continued. "No matter what happens with Bapo Li... if you truly need help, come to me."

Wei Meilan’s fingers tightened slightly at her side.

Before she could respond, Fu Sheng spoke again.

"And..."

He paused briefly.

Then his voice softened slightly.

"If you finally gather the courage to see the boys..."

Wei Meilan froze completely.

Fu Sheng looked at her steadily.

"...they are here," he said quietly. "Waiting."

The room became unbearably silent.

Fu Sheng’s gaze remained calm.

"No one will stop you."

Wei Meilan’s eyes trembled faintly.

But before she could say anything—

Fu Sheng had already turned away.

He walked toward the door without waiting for her reply.

The door opened quietly.

Cold night air entered the room once more.

Wei Meilan stood where she was, unmoving, as she watched his figure disappear into the darkness outside.

Then the door slowly closed behind him.

And the room became silent again.