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墨書 Inktalez
"Talk it out face to face?"
"Talk about what?"
"Do you want to completely draw the line?"
"Or... something else?"
I gripped my phone, my palms slightly sweaty.
My heart raced with anxiety.
Should I go or not?
If I go, I might hear something disappointing.
If I don't go, there will be endless speculation and regret.
In the end, curiosity triumphed over my meager pride.
"...Alright." I heard myself say, "What time? Where?"
"Seven in the evening. Last time we..." He paused, as if recalling something, "Let's meet at that Cha Chaan Teng near your office. I'll come find you."
Last time...
Was he referring to that Cha Chaan Teng we used to sneak off to a few years ago when we were together?
He still remembers?
"...Okay." I replied.
"See you tonight."
"Yeah, see you tonight."
After hanging up, I stared at the phone screen, lost in thought for a long while.
Li Heng was back.
He invited me to dinner.
And he wanted to... talk it out face to face.
My heart felt like it was racing with a rabbit, pounding wildly.
The afternoon work hours stretched on painfully.
I sat in front of the computer screen, unable to focus on a single word.
All that filled my mind was Li Heng.
His deep voice on the phone.
The slight pause in his tone when he asked me out for dinner.
What did he want to say to me?
Various guesses swirled in my mind, growing more chaotic with each passing moment.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I made it through the workday and nearly fled the office.
I arrived at the familiar Cha Chaan Teng downstairs.
There were still a few minutes until seven o'clock.
I found a seat by the window and sat down, absentmindedly looking at the menu.
The Cha Chaan Teng was not crowded, playing nostalgic Cantonese old songs, creating a relaxed atmosphere.
Yet my heart felt as if it would leap out of my chest from nervousness.
At exactly seven o'clock, a familiar figure pushed the door open.
Li Heng.
He had taken off his military uniform and was wearing a simple black T-shirt and jeans.
His hair was cut short, making him appear even more neat and energetic.
After months apart, he seemed… a bit thinner, but his gaze was much softer than before.
He spotted me immediately and walked straight over, sitting down across from me.
"Have you been waiting long?" he asked.
"No, I just got here," I replied, trying hard to make my tone sound natural.
The waiter came over to take our order.
He effortlessly ordered several of my favorite small dishes from before.
Watching him act so familiar brought an indescribable feeling to my heart.
So… he still remembered my tastes.
Once the waiter left, we fell into silence again.
It was still that familiar, suffocating silence.
"You…"
"You…"
We both spoke at the same time and then stopped abruptly.
They exchanged a smile, and the atmosphere lightened a bit.
"You go first," he said.
"...When did you come back?" I asked.
"This afternoon."
"Is the mission... over?"
"Yeah." He nodded, "This time, I've been reassigned back to the country."
Reassigned back to the country?
This news caught me off guard.
"Then... will you stay here from now on?"
"Yeah, unless something unexpected happens, I'll be at headquarters," he replied.
Staying in the country...
Staying... close to me?
My heart began to race irregularly again.
"That's great," I said, lowering my head to hide my emotions.
"Zhi Yi," he suddenly called my name, his tone serious.
I looked up at him.
He gazed at me, his eyes deep as if he had been contemplating for a long time.
"I know that these years... I've wronged you."
My heart skipped a beat.
"That year, I shouldn't have pushed you away like that."
"Later, at the Peacekeeping Camp, I shouldn't have... been so cold to you."
"I admit, I was a jerk."
He spoke in one breath, his tone sincere, even tinged with a hint of... regret.
I looked at him, my nose slightly tingling.
This proud man was actually... apologizing to me?
"I know that saying sorry can't make up for anything," he continued, "but I still want to tell you..."
He paused, took a deep breath, and his gaze became exceptionally resolute.
"I have never... forgotten you."
"For all these years, I have been..."
He seemed to be searching for the right words.
"...keeping an eye on you."
Keeping an eye on me?
So what Zhang Meng said was true; he really has been following my reports?
"When I saw you again at the Peacekeeping Camp, I was surprised, and also..." He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "...afraid."
Afraid?
"Afraid that something might happen to you, afraid that... I wouldn't be able to protect you."
"So, I acted tough with you, hoping to make you back off and stay away from that dangerous place."
"But I didn't expect... you to be so stubborn."
He looked at me, his gaze carrying a hint of helplessness, a touch of admiration, and... a trace of tenderness.
"The way you charged forward with the camera, to be honest..."
"...it was quite foolish."
"But also... quite captivating."
My face flushed instantly.
This person...
Why is he suddenly saying such things?
"Later, a lot happened..." His eyes darkened. "Seeing you get hurt, seeing that photo... I realized that pushing you away wouldn't protect you at all. Instead, it made us miss out on so much."
"Zhi Yi," he looked at me with burning intensity, "I know it might be a bit late for me to say this now."
"But..."
He reached out and covered my hand resting on the table.
His palm was broad and warm, carrying the calluses from years of holding a gun.
"...will you give me another chance?"
The same question.
The exact same question as on the terrace of the Paris Celebration Banquet.
But this time, his gaze was more resolute, his tone more serious.
And... it made it even harder for me to refuse.
I watched him holding my hand, feeling the warmth and strength radiating from his palm. The hesitation and worries in my heart completely dissipated. I lifted my head to meet his hopeful gaze and nodded firmly.
“...Yes.”
The light in his eyes instantly ignited. He tightened his grip on my hand. Outside the window, the city lights began to twinkle. In the Cha Chaan Teng, a familiar Cantonese old song played softly in the background. Everything seemed to return to many years ago, yet it also felt... different.
We were no longer the naive and impulsive young boys and girls from that year. We had each traveled our own paths, struggling and enduring, bearing scars that had made us more mature and taught us to cherish what we had. Perhaps...
This time, we could truly move forward together.
He looked at me, a gentle smile spreading across his face.
“Let’s eat,” he said.
“Okay.” I smiled and nodded, picking up my chopsticks to grab a piece of Pineapple Sweet and Sour Pork he had ordered. It was still that familiar taste—sweet with a hint of tanginess—much like our feelings at this moment.
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