Zhou Che sat in the living room staring at his phone screen in a daze. 'Meet me tonight. 10:00 p.m. Starbucks. Elite Pacific Mall.', the message read. The man smiled wryly, lifting his head up to look at the journalist reporting Xi Yuan's confession, the night ago. She accepted it, without any contemplation, without a second thought. This was the first time he had seen her so happy, so radiant, and so carefree.

And this was how it was supposed to be. She deserved all of this. After everything she had gone through because of the Rong family, he had hoped for her to have all of this, one day. At least, before Zhou Zhichen left him and he accused her of his death. All he had ever given her was, pain and pointless allegations. He knew he didn't deserve her. 

As he looked at the girl on the TV screen, laughing and crying at the same time, he felt as if in that very moment, he had lost her. 

But he was still going to see her tonight. Not with the hope of winning her back. But for the sake of her forgiveness. Or her sentence for him. After everything he had put her through, he owed that much to her. To show up and hear her verdict. She deserved to tell 'her' side of the story, to him. Because that was the mistake he had made years ago. He hadn't listened to her. Today, he wasn't planning on repeating any of it. 

______________________

10:00 p.m., Starbucks, Elite Pacific Mall ; 

Zhou Che reached the cafe to find it huddled among the other huge brand extensions. Unlike the outside, the interior of the coffee house was warm and cheery, with bright lights and colorful walls. The customers returned to their conversations as the door swung closed behind the new entrant, as the cold breeze was forgotten shortly after.

The man raked his eyes through the crowd before they finally rested upon the corner table. There she sat, lost in her own thought, and alone. Her hands wrapped around the hot hazelnut latte, taking in its warmth, amid those chilly winds that were storming, outside the small cafe. 

"Xinghe.", he smiled down at the girl, interrupting her train of pondering and thinking. 

"Hey! Sit", the girl looked up and gave a slight acknowledging nod. Zhou Che made his way to the billing counter and ordered a cappuccino, before he finally grabbed a seat for himself, opposite to the girl. 

"Congratulations. I saw the news.", Zhou Che broke the silence after some time.

"Thank you.", the girl smiled softly as she stretched her hand, reaching for her sling bag on the other side of her couch. A moment later, she handed him a piece of paper. "Keep it. It's Zhichen's last letter. His last memory. I believe his brother should have it."

"So... do you forgive me?", the man asked, hints of anxiety and uncertainty, clear in his tone. 

Rong Xinghe blinked at the man for some time before she finally looked down at her sling, shaking her head. Timidly. "I can't.", she whispered, in her soft voice.

"Only if I could take all of that back.", Zhou Che sighed. Although he had antic.i.p.ated this, it still felt as if his heart was being stabbed endlessly, every blow fatal than the previous one. He wasn't worthy of her forgiveness anymore, let alone her love. 

"You can't.", this time, Rong Xinghe looked straight into the man's eyes, with contempt in hers, "You know, years ago, when you blamed me for Zhichen's death, you didn't just break my heart, you killed our friends.h.i.+p too. Because of you, I stopped believing in love. I lost the last sliver of hope I had, to move on. So no! I cannot forgive you for that, Che."

Rong Xinghe's tone was calm and composed, but deep down, the rage inside her was blazing akin to the lava of a volcano. It was destructive. Disastrous and deadly. But she wanted him to know how she felt about all of this. He couldn't just come back into her life and expect her forgiveness. Not after what he had done. 

"Do you even remember the day Zhichen died? Do you remember how your mother slapped me? Do you remember how your entire family questioned my brothers' upbringing? And even after so much humiliation, I hoped YOU would understand. Zhou Che, I loved you! I looked up to you. But clearly, you never loved me back. For you, I was merely a pity case, wasn't I? A poor fragile girl.", the girl said, her tone firm. 

"That's not true, Xinghe.", Zhou Che spoke up, defensively, "I did love you. It's just that, at that time, when Zhichen's lifeless body was lying in front of me, I couldn't think rationally."

"I know they all are some ridiculous excuses, from your perspective. I am not even going to deny that. But I beg you to not question my love for you. Please. Because there might be a thousand things I am unsure of, but our relations.h.i.+p was never one of them. The one year, when we were together, was the best time of my life. And I was a d.i.c.k to let go of that. You've no idea how sorry I feel for my words and actions back then."

"You never understood love, did you?", Rong Xinghe let out a cold chuckle, "Love is nothing without trust and respect, Che. You had neither, for me. 

"It's alright, though. I am not here to prove my point. I wanted to give you this letter. And give you my answer. I am done with it now. I am done with you now."

"What can I do to get your forgiveness, Xinghe?", Zhou Che asked in a tired, low voice, "I won't be able to live knowing I hurt you so badly. Just slap me, or abuse me. Anything, but please accept my apology."

"You aren't worthy of her forgiveness."

At this time, an authoritative and crisply compelling voice resonated throughout the cafe, bringing a faint yet charming smile against the girl's lips. Zhou Che turned around to look at the tall figure approaching them. Beneath his long Black overcoat, Xi Yuan wore a sober navy-blue Saint Laurent clothing. His formal attire made his presence even more domineering and king-like. The winter outside the warm cafe, intensified his facial features further, making him seem like a mighty ancient monarch. 

The man sat down beside Rong Xinghe and touched the back of her hands lightly. "You are cold, Baby. Where is your hoodie?", he asked her worriedly.