Gu Yi didn't reply immediately.
Not because he didn't want to—
But because he didn't know how.
"It's about the children."
Those words sat on his screen, unmoving, yet impossibly heavy.
Children.
His grip tightened around the phone.
A strange unease crept into his chest again—familiar, persistent, impossible to ignore.
After a long moment, he finally typed:
"Where?"
The Meeting
It wasn't anywhere public.
It wasn't crowded.
Mingyun chose somewhere quiet.
Neutral.
A small café, tucked away from the main streets.
She arrived early.
The children weren't with her.
This… wasn't a moment she could let them witness yet.
Her hands rested in her lap, fingers tightly interlocked.
For once—
She looked nervous.
Not the composed woman who had endured two years alone.
Just… someone about to face a past she never truly let go of.
He Arrives
The door opened.
Gu Yi stepped in.
Their eyes met almost instantly.
Two years.
And yet—
It felt like no time had passed at all.
He walked toward her slowly.
Measured.
Careful.
Then stopped across from her.
"…Mingyun."
Her name left his lips softer than he expected.
She nodded slightly.
"You came."
A pause.
"You said it was about… children."
Straight to the point.
But his voice wasn't steady.
The Silence Before the Truth
For a moment—
Neither of them spoke.
The air felt tight.
Heavy.
Mingyun lowered her gaze.
Her hands clenched slightly.
"I didn't know how to tell you," she said quietly.
Gu Yi frowned.
Something in her tone—
Something fragile—
Made his chest tighten.
"Tell me what?"
Breaking Point
She inhaled slowly.
But it wasn't enough.
Her voice trembled anyway.
"For two years…"
She stopped.
Tried again.
"I've been raising them alone."
Gu Yi's expression stilled.
Something shifted in his eyes.
"…Them?"
The word came out sharper than he intended.
Mingyun finally looked up at him.
There was no more avoidance left.
No more running.
Just truth.
The Reveal
"…Three," she said softly.
Silence.
Gu Yi didn't react immediately.
His mind didn't catch up fast enough.
"What are you—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Because suddenly—
Everything aligned.
The park.
The children.
The familiarity.
His breath hitched.
"…No."
It wasn't denial.
It was disbelief trying to hold itself together.
The Truth, Spoken
Mingyun's voice was quiet—
But steady now.
"They're yours."
No dramatic pause.
No embellishment.
Just truth.
"All three of them."
The Impact
Gu Yi froze.
Completely.
The world around him blurred into nothing.
Three children.
His children.
Two years.
And he hadn't known.
His chest tightened painfully.
"…Why?"
It came out low.
Raw.
Not anger.
Something deeper.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Her Answer
Mingyun's eyes lowered again.
"Because I was afraid."
Simple.
Honest.
"Afraid of what you'd think… afraid of what would change… afraid I wouldn't be able to protect them if too many people knew."
Her fingers tightened in her lap.
"And… I thought I could handle it."
A small, bitter smile.
"I was wrong."
The Weight He Feels
Gu Yi ran a hand through his hair, pacing once before stopping again.
His thoughts were chaos.
Guilt.
Shock.
Regret.
They existed… and I wasn't there.
That realization hit harder than anything else.
"…Are they okay?"
The question came suddenly.
Urgent.
Mingyun blinked, slightly surprised.
Then nodded.
"They're healthy. Smart… more than they should be."
A faint softness entered her voice.
A Shift
Gu Yi exhaled slowly.
Not calm—
But trying to be.
"…I saw them."
Mingyun stiffened slightly.
"At the park," he continued. "One of them… corrected me."
For the first time—
A small, almost invisible smile touched her lips.
"…That sounds like them."
The Unspoken Bridge
Silence fell again.
But this time—
It wasn't as heavy.
Something had changed.
The truth was out.
No more distance built on ignorance.
Only distance left to cross.
Gu Yi looked at her—really looked this time.
Not just at Mingyun.
But at everything she had carried.
Alone.
For two years.
"…I want to meet them."
The words were quiet—
But firm.
Mingyun's heart skipped.
Because this—
This was the moment everything began to change.