《Chapter 2 – Cafe 109》

(Translated and adapted by Hearty & Ink) I brewed two cups of coffee—one for Zhang Yuesheng, one for myself—and then sat down across from him. “This place is nice. Those three bookshelves are filled with books of all kinds. The smell of coffee mingling with the pages… reading in this kind of atmosphere is one of life’s great pleasures,” he said, glancing around before lifting his cup for a sip. “This is... medium roast Yirgacheffe, isn’t it?” I smiled, taking a sip from my own cup. “You could tell with just one taste. Looks like you really know your coffee.” “Only medium roast can bring out that tangy brightness so vividly.” He took another drink, slower this time, like savoring more than just the flavor. “How have you been these past years?” he asked, placing the cup down. “Back then, you had a terrible fever that wouldn’t go away. My ex-wife had a sudden miscarriage—I had to fly back to the U.S. I couldn’t wait for you to recover… I’m sorry. Later, your friend Miss Fang told me you were okay. Only then did I feel at ease.” “Your ex-wife?” I asked, surprised. He gave a faint nod. “We finalized the divorce last month. It dragged on for years, but… it’s finally over.” “You two didn’t get along?” “That marriage was a mistake from the beginning. I lost a dear friend because of it,” he said, his eyes meeting mine. “And you lost the one you loved.” “Kai-Jie’s death was an accident,” I said gently. “If I hadn’t gotten married, or hadn’t invited him to the wedding, he wouldn’t have died,” he murmured. Only then did I understand why, that day at the cemetery, Zhang Yuesheng had quietly whispered “I’m sorry.” He believed he was the one who took Kai-Jie’s life. “Two brokenhearted people trying to love each other… we were just using each other as substitutes. We both had someone else in our hearts. After a while, we decided to part ways.” He took another sip of coffee and added, “But right then, she got pregnant. So we got married. But in the end, the child never had the chance to come into this world.” “This is all my fault,” he said softly, his voice thick with regret. “I believe life and death have their own paths. Even if you hadn’t married, even if Kai-Jie hadn’t gone to the wedding… maybe he still would’ve left this world,” I said. “By the way, how did you find me?” I asked suddenly. “In this age, finding someone isn’t hard,” he replied, then added, “You’re still single?” I shrugged and smiled. “Still haven’t let go of Kai-Jie?” “Maybe it’s more like… I haven’t met someone I could truly love again.” “Do you think that person will appear?” “I don’t know,” I said after a moment of thought. “No one can predict what the future holds.” “It’s getting late. Let me walk you home,” he offered, glancing at his watch. “No need. I live here,” I replied with a small smile. “Here?” He looked surprised. I nodded. “There’s an extra room. I didn’t want to keep going back and forth, so I just decided to stay.” “You live alone?” “There’s a part-timer. She’s a college sophomore.” He picked up the menu on the table and flipped through it. “You only serve pasta and salad?” “Yeah, those are the only things I know how to make.” “Do you have time tomorrow? Will you come with me to visit Kai-Jie’s grave?” he asked, closing the menu. I nodded. “Of course.” “Meow…” A soft sound interrupted us. Mocha, my cat, had appeared from somewhere and now sat at Yuesheng’s feet. “You have a cat?” he asked, reaching down to pet her. “Mm-hmm. Her name’s Mocha, but I usually call her Kaka. She used to be a stray around here. I fed her every day until she started following me home. I thought she was pretty clever, so I took her for a spay and adopted her. She likes to hide when she sleeps, so most customers don’t even know she’s here.” “She’s adorable,” Yuesheng said, picking Kaka up and placing her on his lap. As he gently stroked her head, she began purring loudly, clearly enjoying his touch. “Kaka seems to really like you,” I said with a smile. To be continued…