The air seemed to have frozen solid. Only the low hum of precision equipment remained, along with Wang Mian's recklessly brave confession echoing through the silence.
Ji Yanzhi stood with his arms folded, the interest on his face giving way to an outright smile as he watched this heartfelt drama unfold, years overdue.
At the center of the storm, Wang Bin stood rigid. His fingers curled unconsciously, the edges of the card pressing sharply against his fingertips.
Countless images flashed and collided in his mind: Wang Mian's astonishingly bright eyes as he looked at him at twenty; the scalding tears in Wang Mian's bloodshot eyes beneath the dim streetlight the night they broke up, and his hate-filled "Go die"; and all these years, the gaze that had always followed him even as Wang Mian opposed him at every turn... until, at last, they became the face before him, filled with nerves, hope, and the courage to risk everything.
Finally, he met Wang Mian's eyes, trembling as he waited for an answer, but his throat felt as though a searing iron had blocked it shut. He could not force out a single word.
At some point, tears had begun spilling from the corners of his eyes. Wang Bin gave an almost imperceptible nod at first. Then, as though some shackle had shattered completely, he nodded harder and harder.
With a clatter, the things in his arms fell to the floor. As though gathering every last ounce of strength, Wang Bin raised his arms and pulled Wang Mian into a fierce embrace.
"I regretted it... back then... the moment I told you... we should break up... I regretted it..."
"I'm sorry... I made you... wait so many years..."
He tightened his arms and buried his face deep in the crook of Wang