Shiyi froze.
The world seemed to narrow until there was nothing but his voice, quiet and steady, and the snow beginning to fall around them, soft flakes landing soundlessly on her hair, her coat, her trembling hands.
She stared at him, heart pounding painfully in her chest.
"A second chance?" she repeated, disbelief slicing through the tremor in her voice.
"Han Jinyu, are you seriously out of your mind? Because if you are, you better get it checked and stop dragging me into it."
She threw the words at him like daggers, then turned sharply toward the street.
A taxi passed by just in time, headlights flaring against her face.
Luo Shiyi raised her hand, calling out, "Taxi—"
But before she could finish, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her clean off the ground.
Her breath caught.
For a moment, the world spun, streetlights blurring, her protest caught somewhere between outrage and shock.
She struggled instinctively, her hands pressing against his chest.
"Han Jinyu!" she hissed, eyes wide. "Put me down right now!"
"I swear—if you don't let me go this instant, I'll—"
"You'll what?" His voice was calm. Too calm. The kind that made her blood boil.
"You can barely stand on that ankle, and you still think you can run away without talking to me properly?"
"You— you…!" she sputtered, glaring up at him. "I'll charge you with kidnapping and assault!"
"Okay," he said without missing a beat, "then we'll go to the police after you've finished talking to me properly."
Her mouth dropped open, speechless.
It was only then she noticed two people across the street, staring curiously. And that's when it hit her.
Han Jinyu's face, half-hidden by the cap was recognizable. Her stomach dropped.
"Oh, for heaven's sake—" she muttered, and before she could stop herself, she yanked the brim of his cap lower to cover his face.
Han Jinyu blinked, then a quiet, amused smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
He didn't say a word, but she could feel the laughter threatening to break through.
"Don't smile," she snapped, still flustered. "This isn't funny."
"Didn't say it was," he murmured, but his tone betrayed him.
He opened the passenger door and gently set her down on the seat.
She thought he would finally step back but he didn't.
Instead, he braced one hand against the doorframe and the other on the seat beside her, leaning in just enough to trap her in place.
Luo Shiyi froze, breath catching. The space between them shrank to a heartbeat.
Too close, too familiar.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to steady her voice. "You wanted to talk? Fine. Let's talk. What is it that you want, Han Jinyu?"
Her gaze met his, steady on the surface, but inside, she was unraveling.
His eyes were fixed on her with that same intensity she remembered, the kind that made it hard to breathe.
"Give me a chance to make it up to you," he said quietly, each word deliberate.
Luo Shiyi froze.
For a heartbeat, she just stared at him, trying to see if he was mocking her. But there was no trace of amusement in his face, just a calm, painful sincerity that made her anger falter and her defenses shoot higher all at once.
"You really are out of your mind," she whispered.
He nodded, unflinching. "If that's what it takes for you to believe me, then yes—I've lost my mind. I wouldn't be standing here if I didn't know you were still affected by me." His eyes softened, but his voice remained firm. "And you are."
She pressed her lips together, the words hitting deeper than she wanted to admit.
A bitter laugh almost escaped her, but she swallowed it back and said instead, voice low and trembling,
"You've got it wrong. I am affected by you but not for the reason you think."
Her voice wavered, but she didn't look away. "I'm still affected because of the pain. Because you disappeared without a word and left me wondering what I did wrong. Because there was never any closure, no goodbye, just silence."
She inhaled sharply, the weight of her words catching up to her.
"The past still haunts me, Han Jinyu. Not because I still love you, but because I never understood how you could let go so easily. You didn't even give me the decency to hear it from you. You could've told me to my face that you didn't love me anymore—that would've hurt, but at least it would've been an ending."
Her voice cracked on the last word. "Instead, I waited. Days turned into weeks. I kept waiting for you to show up, to explain… but you never did."
"Just an explanation… that's all I wanted," Luo Shiyi said, her voice shaking. "Maybe one sentence—'I don't love you.' Four words, Han Jinyu. That would've been better but instead, what I got was abandonment."
Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she hated herself for it.
Han Jinyu stood still, every word sinking into him like a blade turned slow.
For a long moment, he said nothing. Just looked at her, expression unreadable beneath the flickering light of the streetlamp.
Her words trembled, but her gaze didn't waver, even through the blur of tears. "You broke me in a way no one else ever could, and the worst part is that I still can't decide if I hate you… or if I hate myself for still caring."
Jinyu's jaw tightened.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.