The bomb had already been almost completely disarmed by him.
Only the final wire remained.
But this wire no matter what he could not cut.
Because on the bomb's screen, a sentence flashed.
In the last three seconds before the explosion, the bomb would display the exact location of the next giant explosive device.
But if he disarmed this bomb now, although they would survive, everyone around the next bomb's location would die in the explosion.
He was torn.
Should he wait until the final three seconds, see the location revealed on the bomb, and save more innocent civilians?
Or should he cut the wire to save his own life, even if it meant many others would die?
And she seemed to see the conflict in his heart, quietly sitting in the sightseeing cabin and looking out at the scenery.
It was also the first time Ve Dinh Tieu spoke so much to this unfamiliar junior he talked about his useless father, about his teammate who died four years ago, about the reason he became a police officer.
She listened quietly, like a silent shadow.
"What a pity, huh? Leaving just like that feels a little… unwilling." He joked as he lit a cigarette. After taking one drag, he suddenly remembered and asked Giai Moc Vi, "It's my last one, does it bother you?"
Giai Moc Vi shook her head, her expression blank as she looked at him.
Ve Dinh Tieu pretended to be relaxed. "If I don't cut it, will you hate me?"
Giai Moc Vi said nothing.
He spoke on his own, "You'll think I'm stupid, right? Why did I come all the way here with some guy who doesn't even care about living? When I clearly could've survived, why bother playing hero right before dying? Something like that right?"
"It's fine, you can say whatever you want. Even if you hit me now, I wouldn't dodge. But don't cry, okay? I hate it when women cry…"
"If I say I'm scared to die, will you cut it?" she asked coldly.
Her voice had completely changed. When she first entered, she was loud and dramatic, even joking that she hoped they could date for the last three minutes before dying, and she even recorded "evidence" on video.
But when he decided not to cut the wire…
The woman sitting behind him suddenly felt unfamiliar to Ve Dinh Tieu.
If he didn't know she didn't have a twin, he would have thought he had met two different Giai Moc Vi in that instant.
She was neither crying nor screaming, nor was she panicking despite only one minute remaining before the bomb exploded.
She simply stared at him calmly, as if the answer to her question truly mattered.
How should he answer?
It felt like no matter how he answered, he would become a sinner.
Giai Moc Vi pressed her lips together and gave a bitter smile. "If it were just me here, I wouldn't. But because I'm here…"
He didn't want to drag her into this.
Right now, the train without brakes was speeding toward a fork in destiny one side tied to a group of people, the other tied to one single person.
No matter which way his vehicle swerved, it could not stop.
Thinking this, Ve Dinh Tieu once again tried to joke, as if to lighten a situation that couldn't possibly be light.
"I should've pushed you out onto the road earlier. Even if you got crippled, it'd be better than getting blown into pieces."
Giai Moc Vi repeated her earlier question: "If I say I'm scared to die, will you cut it?"
In her silence, she affirmed his courage: "I believe if you were alone, you wouldn't cut it."
Her words affirmed his sense of responsibility.
Ve Dinh Tieu stared at her, stunned, as if seeing her for the first time.
He wanted to ask her why why was she unbelievably calm?
By all logic, with her personality, she should've been crying by now.
Was it some final transformation before death?
He said nothing.
After a long silence, he suddenly stood up, grabbed the cutter, and walked toward the bomb.
"I can't let you die. I know that even if I cut the wire, no one would blame me. But I absolutely would never forgive myself. For the rest of my life, I would forever owe the souls of those who died because of my decision. I…"
His voice was calm, but his body betrayed him.
His hands were trembling.
He had disarmed countless bombs, but never once did his hands shake.
This time, his fingertips felt frozen unable to cut the wire that would block the bomb's signal.
The numbers on the bomb continued ticking down.
If he didn't cut it in time, it would be too late.
But only by letting this bomb explode would the next bomb receive the signal exclusively, allowing the bomb disposal team to safely disarm it.
The bomber hated police he wanted to see officers die to quell the hatred in his heart.
Ve Dinh Tieu couldn't do it.
He truly couldn't.
A hand took hold of his.
She handed him a beautifully crafted goat-horn knife.
Her voice was soft and weak as she whispered:
"I also have someone very important. This is the only thing he left me."
"It can dismantle the locking mechanism of this bomb."
"It's more important than my life."
Her expression resembled someone he once knew
Someone whose corpse couldn't even be pieced together, with only a tomb and empty clothes left behind.
And in that moment, he saw that person standing beside Giai Moc Vi, smiling at him.
"Dinh Tieu, look at yourself."
She respected his decision.
She gave up the thing most precious to her.
She could've hidden it could've simply snatched the cutter from his hand.
She stood with her back to the light, and a single tear rolled down her cold face.
It was a real tear, speaking her true feelings to him.
She said: "You're a good police officer. You shouldn't die here."
Those words stirred something deep within him.
"If you want fireworks… then let them bloom."
Giai Moc Vi had already seen it all.
Everything that happened on the Ferris wheel she had "watched" it all.
Yes.
That goat-horn knife was hers.
The photos were taken by her.
The videos also taken by her using Ve Dinh Tieu's phone.
When the bomb detached from the jammed frame, Ve Dinh Tieu had opened the cabin window and thrown it out.
When it exploded, the shockwave slammed into the sightseeing cabin.
The cabins shook violently, rattling under the impact.
He held her tightly, using his own body to shield her from the brutal blows.
His body was warm.
She felt his temperature rise with the blast.
But she had forgotten all of this.
Amid the deafening explosion, the blinding flash, and the violent shaking, she fainted.
Although some memory had returned, everything else remained blank.
Who was the person so important to her?
Who gave her the goat-horn knife?
Giai Moc Vi didn't know.
When she woke up, Ve Dinh Tieu was very close to her.
Not much farther than the time she accidentally fell onto his bed.
He leaned in slightly, a little awkward, a little cautious, as if seeking her permission waiting for her reaction.
Slowly, he leaned closer.
She could even see his lashes trembling from nervousness.
Overjoyed at remembering something, Giai Moc Vi grabbed his shoulders and shook him.
Ve Dinh Tieu froze, stunned.
"I remembered! Doctor Ha's method really works!"
Giai Moc Vi's voice overflowed with excitement like a bubbling stream.
It was the first time she had shown happiness since waking in the hospital.
She desperately wanted to regain her memory.
Even remembering a recent event was enough to fill her with joy.
Ve Dinh Tieu stared at her for half a minute, realizing that the moment she closed her eyes earlier wasn't acceptance of his closeness
She simply remembered something.
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He loosened his fingers and reached for his cigarette case.
He really wanted a smoke.
Seeing her so cheerful, he let out a relieved breath.
"So you remembered everything?"
"Not everything. But being able to remember at all means I won't be stuck like this forever, right?"
Still excited, she pushed him aside and then suddenly recalled what Doctor Ha told her.
Returning to places with strong emotional impact could trigger memory recovery.
She had brought him lunch before walked past the subway exit where they first met but none of that worked as well as coming to the Ferris wheel.
Which meant… this place must also hold an important memory for her.
She thanked him earnestly. "You brought me here because you knew it would help me remember, right? Thank you."
Ve Dinh Tieu reached out as if to pat her head but midway switched to casually tousling his own short, wavy hair.
"No need to thank me."
He truly hoped she would recover soon.
There was something he was extremely curious about.
Why did she happen to have a usable goat-horn knife?
She said it was an item left by someone important he assumed it was a coincidence.
But she had seemed… very familiar with bomb mechanisms.
Now that she didn't remember anything, of course he couldn't ask.
Oh well.
Her excitement gradually faded.
Their cabin was descending from the highest point.
Giai Moc Vi inhaled deeply as she sensed the woman in her memory approaching her.
Ve Dinh Tieu cleared his throat, ready to finish what he tried to tell her earlier.
"But seeing you happy like this makes me happy too. Since you remember what happened on the Ferris wheel, you should also understand our relationship now, right? When the bomb exploded, the cabin shook violently, the window broke, and you passed out from the pain. There's something I didn't finish saying to you. It's that… I"
Click.
A small head leaned onto his shoulder, followed by soft breathing.
She was exhausted.
She had been forcing herself to stay awake.
Memories bubbling up like soap bubbles had drained her energy.
She had no strength left and fell asleep on the detective's shoulder.
"…."
Ve Dinh Tieu's voice cut off instantly.
Her soft breathing eased his own.
Her hand fell limply on his knee, palm facing upward.
The goat-horn knife replica slipped from her grasp, caught between his knees.
Even in sleep, her fingers twitched, instinctively searching for the knife.
Ve Dinh Tieu extended his hand.
Her fingers curled lightly, touching the warmth of his, and their hands intertwined.
She didn't know how long she slept.
But when she woke, she was still resting on his shoulder.
His shoulder was firm, as if trained.
Too easy to fall asleep on.
Waking up took willpower.
Seeing her awake, he didn't return to the earlier topic.
The perfect moment had passed.
He was helpless.
"Feeling okay?" he asked.
Giai Moc Vi rubbed her eyes and nodded.
After "recharging" on his shoulder, she felt much better.
The cabin was almost at ground level. As she stood, she nearly dropped the goat-horn knife.
She suddenly remembered the snowy night when she took photos and asked curiously:
"But didn't it bother you to keep the goat-horn knife in your pocket?"
Ve Dinh Tieu froze, staring into space.
When he understood her meaning, he turned his face toward the window.
She couldn't see his expression.
He barely managed to croak out, "…No."
"Alright then, strange habits men have."
Giai Moc Vi was in a playful mood.
Ve Dinh Tieu didn't respond. He simply faced away from her the entire ride down, occasionally taking deep breaths as if calming himself after a long run.
Giai Moc Vi was confused.
Was he that exhausted?
The ground approached.
He handed her a notebook.
"What's this?"
She reached for it but he lifted his arm, placing it just out of reach.
"This is what I promised you the notes to raise your chance of winning the case to 90%. Time was tight, so I couldn't look up everything. This is the biggest lead I found. Your trial is in two days, right? The last 10%… you need to find yourself."
Giai Moc Vi tried grabbing it, but he dodged.
"Are you giving it to me or not?"
Seeing her annoyance, he felt amused.
He tossed the notebook lightly between his hands, eyes glimmering as he watched her.
"Of course I'm giving it to you. But you're coming home with me first. To sleep. Until I'm satisfied. Otherwise, I'm not giving it to you."
"…" Giai Moc Vi.
People walking by turned to look… and smiled knowingly.
"…" Giai Moc Vi.
Something felt… off.