She'd assumed Grandpa Han was taken to the small local hospital fifteen minutes away, not the massive, prestigious one that people went to for emergencies or final hopes.
Her lips twitched, betraying her disbelief. "That's… really far."
Han Jinyu's gaze remained on the road. "Do you have somewhere to be at this hour?"
Caught off guard, Luo Shiyi stammered, "No… not really."
"Did you tell your parents where you were going?"
She scoffed, turning toward the window as the streetlights reflected against the glass. "Why would I? They don't need to know everything I do."
Her tone was sharper than she intended.
The air between them grew heavier, the car swallowing her words whole. She caught a glimpse of his reflection in the window, steady, indifferent.
He didn't seem bothered, but somehow, that made her chest ache more.
You didn't have to say it like that.
She scolded herself silently.
After all, they hadn't seen each other in almost a decade. She had no right to throw her bitterness around like this.
The silence stretched again until the car slowed to a stop.
Startled, she turned to see they'd pulled into a small convenience store. Without a word, Han Jinyu stepped out and disappeared inside.
Luo Shiyi sat there.
When Han Jinyu returned, a plastic bag dangled from his hand. He got back in, rustled through it, then reached over and placed something in front of her.
It was an ice cream.
Her breath hitched.
"I remember," he said quietly, "you used to eat this whenever you were upset. They didn't have the corn one you loved, so I got this instead. It's… close enough."
For a moment, Luo Shiyi could only stare at the pale wrapper. Memories she thought she'd long buried rushed back.
What made it worse was that she had eaten that same ice cream he mentioned less than an hour ago. Alone.
"Shiyi…"
He set the ice cream aside and reached toward her, concern in his eyes.
"Don't touch me."
Her voice trembled with anger. His hand froze midair before slowly dropping.
More tears came, no matter how hard she wiped them away.
"Damn it…" she whispered, half to herself. "Why now?"
It was pathetic. Years later, just one familiar gesture, and she was falling apart all over again.
"I knew this was a bad idea," she muttered under her breath. "I should've never come."
She laughed bitterly, voice cracking. "Damn you, Han Jinyu."
He said nothing, watching her quietly, his expression unreadable.
"It's because of you," she went on, voice shaking. "You're still doing the same things—trying to calm me down with ice cream like nothing ever happened." She looked away, tears dripping onto her hands. "But I hate myself more… because apparently, I'm still stuck there. One stupid ice cream and I'm right back where I was."
Jinyu's voice was low when he asked, "What did you say?"
She looked at him, eyes blazing. "Nothing. I'll just go home. I'll visit Grandpa some other day. I can't keep pretending everything's fine between us."
She reached for the door handle, but his hand caught her arm.
"Shiyi," he said, his brows drawn together, looking at her eyes as though looking for something. "It's been almost ten years."
"So?" she shot back. "A decade doesn't erase what you did. And don't act like this is nothing. You seem perfectly fine, perfectly unaffected, while I—" her voice cracked, "I didn't even realize until today that I'm still not over it."
Her words hit like shards of glass, sharp and honest.
He hesitated, then asked quietly, "Do you hate me?"
Her breath hitched. "I… I don't know." She shook her head, blinking away tears.
She pulled her arm free from his grip and looked him dead in the eye.
"Let's not see each other again, Han Jinyu. If I ever do, I'll walk the other way... and I hope you'll do the same."
She closed the car door with a firm click. The night air met her immediately.
It was almost eight; a few cars still drifted past, headlights cutting through the dusk. There are still taxis, so she can go home on her own.
Just as she turned to walk away, the sharp pulse in her ankle reminded her of her earlier injury. Pain flared with every step, but she gritted her teeth and kept going, determined not to look back.
But then—
"Luo Shiyi!"
His voice rang out behind her. She froze for half a heartbeat.
She ignored it. She kept walking.
The pain in her ankle throbbed harder with every step, but she refused to stop. That was, until a hand caught her arm and spun her around.
She gasped, glaring up at him. "Are you out of your mind?" she hissed, trying to yank her arm free.
The motion made her ankle twist slightly, and she winced but refused to show it.
Han Jinyu's gaze was steady, calm in a way that made her furious.
"You don't hate me," he said quietly, echoing the words she just told him.
Luo Shiyi let out a sharp scoff. "Well, now I do."
He wasn't wearing a mask this time, he'd taken it off earlier when he returned to the car with the ice cream, so Luo Shiyi could clearly see the expression on his face now.
For a moment, he just looked at her, then, unexpectedly, he smiled. It wasn't mocking or arrogant… it was something softer. Almost relieved.
Did this bastard just smile?
"No," he murmured, shaking his head slowly. "You don't."
Her heart gave an involuntary tremor, but she covered it with anger.
"Shut up," she snapped, turning away again.
He didn't move, but his next words made her stop.
"Luo Shiyi, give me a second chance."