The convenience store's fluorescent lights hummed like angry bees as Luong stretched for the last juice bottle—just as her heel slipped on a wet patch.
**CRACK.**
The bottle bounced off her forehead with cartoonish precision before shattering at her feet.
**"Ouch—!"**
Strong hands caught her shoulders, steadying her. The scent of sandalwood and late-night coffee wrapped around her before she even saw his face.
**"Are you hurt?"** Yin's voice was warm velvet—but his lips twitched with barely-contained laughter.
Mortified, Luong wrenched away. **"I'm *fine*."** She grabbed a random snack and stormed out, ignoring the cashier's bewildered stare.
**Banana Milk Truce**
Outside, Luong collapsed onto a bench, stabbing her chopsticks into instant noodles like they'd personally offended her.
A shadow fell across her lap.
**"Truce?"** Yin held out a banana milk—her childhood favorite.
She glared. **"Are you stalking my drink preferences now?"**
**"Just good memory."** He sat beside her, their knees brushing. **"And maybe… guilt for laughing."**
She snatched the drink. **"You *are* laughing. I can hear it in your voice."**
The streetlight caught the gold in his eyes as he grinned. **"Only a little."**
**Beers & Broken Walls**
Three drinks in at a roadside stall, Luong's cheeks burned pink. She slammed her beer down with sudden violence.
**"Yin. I have a secret."** Her voice wobbled. **"Don't. Laugh."**
His smile vanished. **"Never."**
She lurched to her feet, swaying. **"I'm in *love*!"** Her shout startled nearby pigeons. **"Love at first sight! But—"** Her joy crumpled. **"He's *clueless*! We've met *so many times*, and he still—"** A hiccup. **"Still doesn't *see* me!"**
Yin's pulse roared in his ears. **"Who is he?"**
Tears spilled as she collapsed into his lap. **"He works in my branch! Shy. Sweet. *Infuriating!*"** Her fists clenched his shirt. **"If he doesn't confess soon… I'll *skin him alive*."**
Yin froze.
*She couldn't mean…*
Gently, he lifted her—only for her head to loll against his shoulder, her whisper slurred but deadly clear:
**"His name… is Zhang Yu."**
As Yin carried her to his car, his phone buzzed. A message from *Li Shiyi*:
**>> EMERGENCY. Chen Ying just leaked documents to the press—**
**>> They prove your father ordered your mother's murder.**
The screen blurred. Behind him, Luong murmured in her sleep:
*"Yin… promise you'll never lie to me."*