In the darkness, only a single ceiling light in the banquet hall remained illuminated. Its light pierced through the ink-black night, barely illuminating the space where, during the day, only Su Wanli and Meng Wange would stay.
With no one else around, the entire Su residence seemed unusually cold and deserted. Only the luxurious white dining table and the back of a middle-aged man could be seen. The servants appeared to have retired for the night as well, and there was no one else in the banquet hall.
Wearing her school uniform jacket over her shoulders, Meng Wange calmly walked into the familiar space.
Only the wall clock continued to tick with a regular, heavy rhythm.
Hearing footsteps at the entrance of the banquet hall, the man sitting at the end of the long table turned his head. He then gave Meng Wange a slight nod and pointed toward a seat on one side of the table.
“Sit down, Wange.”
The corners of Su Heng’s lips lifted slightly, blurring the stern and cold expression that usually defined his face.
In front of him was only a cup of plain tea, its white steam slowly curling upward.
“This is some dessert a client sent over. I saved a portion for Wanli as well, so you can have this one if you like.”
“…No need, Uncle Su. Thank you for your kindness.”
Meng Wange obediently sat down where he had indicated. She straightened her back, keeping her hands quietly folded over her knees.
She did not look at the plate of delicate and elaborate-looking desserts. Instead, she calmly raised her head and met Su Heng’s deep, unreadable eyes.
“It’s already very late. Is there something urgent you wanted to see me about?”
“Heh… You could say it’s urgent, or you could say it isn’t.”
Su Heng tapped his fingertips lightly against the tabletop twice before folding his hands together in front of him.
His gaze became sharp as it settled on Meng Wange.
“…You remember our agreement, right?”
“It’s here.”
Meng Wange’s heart sank slightly, but she continued to maintain a calm and composed expression.
“Of course I remember. You were willing to give me one final week so that I could say goodbye to Miss Su.”
“That’s right. I gave you an entire week.”
Su Heng pressed his knuckles against his temple and spoke to Meng Wange in a low voice.
“In my original expectations, during this period, I could accept whatever method you chose to make her hate you, suppress your presence as much as possible, or otherwise reduce the harm your departure would cause Wanli.”
“And yet, what did you do, Meng Wange?”
“You participated in the stage play, went shopping with her, and even prepared to perform alongside her as the lead characters at next Tuesday’s school festival.”
“Meng Wange, that isn’t quite what we agreed upon, is it?”
“After leaving behind so many traces of your presence, how could Wanli possibly leave without a shred of reluctance, forget you without a trace, and simply begin a life without you?”
“Or perhaps… you thought that by quietly deepening the bond between the two of you, I would begin to soften and allow you to remain by her side?”
“Uncle Su, I…”
“Meng Wange, I trusted you because you’re a smart person. Smart people don’t do meaningless things.”
“So throughout this entire week, I never interfered with anything you did.”
“And this… is how you chose to repay my trust?”
By this point, a faint trace of anger had crept between Su Heng’s brows. His voice grew cold and heavy, every word striking the listener’s heart with brutal force.
“Old Jin has a soft heart. He did an excellent job concealing this for you.”
“If Zhang Ma hadn’t casually mentioned this morning that you had asked her to prepare a large quantity of specialty ingredients from the north, prompting me to ask a few more questions, I’m afraid I would still be completely in the dark.”
“I would still believe that you were diligently carrying out your final task.”
“In theory, starting tonight, you should have packed up everything that belongs to you and completely left the Su family.”
“Next Tuesday’s performance… Heh. If I remember correctly, that’s—”
“Seven days.”
“I’m sorry, Uncle Su. This happened so suddenly.”
Meng Wange lowered her head silently toward Su Heng. Her bangs concealed her eyes, as well as the complicated emotions within them.
“When the teacher proposed this to me, I hesitated too. I wondered whether I should immediately refuse the performance.”
“But… I didn’t want to disappoint Miss Su Wanli after seeing how much she was looking forward to it.”
At the mention of Su Wanli’s name, Su Heng’s fingers visibly trembled twice.
Nevertheless, he raised his head and gave Meng Wange a cold look.
“Even so, you shouldn’t have…”
“Even so, I shouldn’t have used this method to forcibly extend the amount of time I could remain by Miss Su’s side.”
Meng Wange let out a deep sigh.
Then she slowly rose from her seat and solemnly bowed to Su Heng.
“I’m sorry, Uncle Su. Someone as dangerous as me indeed shouldn’t remain by Miss Su’s side any longer.”
“I’ll go upstairs and pack my belongings now.”
“However, if you’re willing to permit it, tomorrow morning I would like to formally say goodbye to Miss Su. I’ll also find an appropriate excuse so that my departure won’t seem too abrupt.”
“As for an actor who can take my place and perform onstage with Miss Su, I’ve already prepared a candidate in advance. Miss Su won’t be left without a partner onstage.”
Seeing that Su Heng did not respond for a moment, Meng Wange slowly straightened and offered him a polite smile.
“Also, Uncle Su, it really is quite late. You should get some proper rest as well.”
“As Miss Su’s only support, you must take good care of yourself. I wish you good health.”
After offering Su Heng her sincere blessing, Meng Wange turned resolutely and prepared to head toward the third floor.
She had barely taken two steps when Su Heng’s heavy voice sounded from behind her.
“…Wait, Meng Wange.”
The middle-aged man sighed quietly, his voice carrying a hint of weariness and helplessness.
“Next Tuesday. That is the final deadline.”
“After the festival ends, I will terminate all support I’ve been providing you.”
“After that… you’re on your own.”
Meng Wange’s footsteps stopped for a moment.
Then she slowly turned around and gave Su Heng an exceptionally sincere smile.
“I understand. Thank you, Uncle Su.”
“I promise, I’ll do my best to avoid causing Miss Su any harm.”
With that, she said nothing more.
She simply bowed to Su Heng once again before turning around and walking away step by step, disappearing into the deep darkness.
Su Heng remained where he was.
All he could do was silently pick up the cup of tea in front of him, which had long since gone cold, and drink it all in one go.
The sound of his swallowing echoed faintly through the empty hall.