Part One: Reunion
“Sometimes, the greatest miracle is not returning from death.
It is finding someone who never stopped waiting.”
The crystal wineglass shattered against the marble floor.
The sharp sound echoed through the private room.
Conversation stopped.
Music stopped.
Even the singer holding the microphone forgot the lyrics.
Every pair of eyes turned toward the waiter standing stiffly at the entrance.
No one spoke.
The waiter swallowed nervously.
Had he…
said something wrong?
Across the room, Lu Yanxi slowly raised his head.
His black eyes were frighteningly calm.
“So,” he said quietly, “what did you just say?”
The waiter instinctively lowered his head.
“T-The young lady outside said…”
“Her name is…”
He hesitated before repeating it.
“…Yu Mingyue.”
Silence.
Dead silence.
For a moment, no one even dared to breathe.
Then—
Someone laughed.
“…That’s impossible.”
It was a young man sitting near the corner.
His laughter sounded forced.
“N-No one would use Miss Yu’s name as a joke nowadays…”
Another person nodded stiffly.
“Exactly…”
“Whoever she is, she must not know Young Master Lu…”
The atmosphere became unbearably tense.
Everyone in X City knew one thing.
Yu Mingyue’s name…
Was forbidden.
Eight years ago, countless people had tried to imitate her.
Girls who dressed like her.
Girls who copied her hairstyle.
Girls who smiled the way she used to smile.
Some hoped to catch the attention of the three most powerful heirs in X City.
Others simply wanted the fame that came with resembling the legendary “White Moonlight.”
Things never ended well for them.
The mildest consequence was being permanently blacklisted from every high-society gathering.
The worst…
No one dared to mention.
Since then, no one had dared to play such a cruel joke again.
Gu Mingzhe slowly removed his glasses.
His gentle smile had disappeared without anyone noticing.
“Did she tell you anything else?”
The waiter shook his head repeatedly.
“N-No, Young Master Gu.”
“She only said…”
“My name is Yu Mingyue.”
“…And that you’re all waiting for me.”
His voice became quieter with every word.
The room felt colder.
Much colder.
Xie Chengyi silently stared at the broken wineglass on the floor.
Fragments of crystal reflected the ceiling lights like countless tiny stars.
He spoke for the first time that evening.
“…Bring her in.”
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
The waiter froze.
“…Y-Young Master Xie?”
“I said.”
Xie Chengyi looked up.
“Bring.”
“Her.”
“In.”
“…Yes!”
The waiter hurried out of the room as though fleeing for his life.
The heavy door closed once more.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Gu Mengmeng looked from one man to another before clenching her fists.
“This isn’t funny.”
Her voice trembled.
“Who would make this kind of joke?”
No one answered.
Because…
None of them knew.
Seconds passed.
Each one felt unbearably long.
Lu Yanxi continued staring at the closed door.
His expression remained unreadable.
But beneath the table…
His fingers had tightened so hard that fresh blood slowly dripped from his palm.
He didn’t notice.
Or perhaps…
He simply didn’t care.
Across from him, Gu Mingzhe quietly noticed the blood.
For the first time in years…
He said nothing.
Because his own hands were shaking.
Xie Chengyi’s gaze never left the entrance.
He blinked once.
Slowly.
As though afraid that if he blinked too long…
He might miss her.
Outside the room…
Yu Mingyue stood patiently beside the waiter.
She looked at the tightly closed door.
“…Why is it taking so long?”
Xiao Bai floated invisibly beside her.
“They’re probably in shock.”
“I’ve only been gone for eight years.”
“…Host.”
“That’s a long time.”
Yu Mingyue smiled faintly.
“…I know.”
She reached down and smoothed the wrinkles from her dress.
It wasn’t an expensive dress.
Simple.
Elegant.
The kind she had always liked.
She took a slow breath.
No pain.
No tightness.
No burning sensation in her lungs.
Healthy.
Even now…
She still found it unbelievable.
Xiao Bai looked at her.
“Nervous?”
Yu Mingyue thought for a moment.
“…A little.”
“I’m more afraid…”
“They’ll cry.”
Xiao Bai laughed softly.
“…Host.”
“I think you’re worrying about the wrong thing.”
Before Yu Mingyue could ask what he meant—
The waiter gently pushed open the door.
“Miss Yu…”
“You may come in.”
Yu Mingyue nodded politely.
“Thank you.”
She stepped forward.
Click.
The sound of her heels against the marble floor was soft.
Yet inside the silent private room…
It sounded impossibly loud.
One step.
Then another.
The dazzling lights illuminated her figure.
Long black hair.
Clear almond-shaped eyes.
A gentle smile.
The same face.
The same person.
Exactly as she had looked…
Eight years ago.
She stopped just inside the doorway.
Her gaze slowly swept across the room.
Familiar faces.
Some older.
Some more mature.
But all of them…
People she had once cherished.
Finally…
Her eyes settled on the three men sitting at the center.
Time had changed them.
The youthful confidence she remembered was gone.
The warmth in their eyes had disappeared.
Eight years had carved sharp edges into each of them.
Even so…
She recognized them immediately.
Lu Yanxi.
Gu Mingzhe.
Xie Chengyi.
For a brief moment…
No one spoke.
No one even blinked.
It was as if the entire world had forgotten how to move.
Then Yu Mingyue smiled.
Just like she always had.
Bright.
Gentle.
Warm enough to melt the silence.
“…Long time no see.”
The words had barely left her lips—
A chair crashed violently to the floor.