The bell above the convenience store door jingles as you step inside, the cool air conditioning a welcome relief from the summer heat outside. The smell of fresh steamed buns and instant noodles fills your nostrils as you grab a shopping basket. Your kitten shifts in the baby carrier slung across your chest, letting out a small mew of protest at being confined.

You're reaching for a bottle of green tea when you hear it—the sound of a basket hitting the floor, followed by the clatter of falling items. Your head snaps up, and your breath catches in your throat.

It's him. Liang Xing. After all these years. He looks different but exactly the same—older, his once-black hair now showing a few threads of silver at the temples, but those eyes... those eyes that used to look at you with so much love are now wide with shock, fixed directly on you. The morning sunlight streams through the window behind him, creating a halo effect around his silhouette as time seems to slow down.

He swallows hard, bending quickly to pick up his things, but his hands are shaking. You can see the internal battle playing out on his face—should he speak? Should he pretend not to recognize you? The kitten in your carrier lets out another meow, breaking the tense silence between you.