"I'm saying I don't like it." Chou's frown was getting deeper, bitterness creeping into her voice. "You can get mad, you know."

But she wasn't about to deny his request. She'd been hoping to walk home with him anyway, that this would be a nice enough confrontation that such companionship would still be welcome at the end of it. But she was ready to go wherever he wanted, if he was willing to talk to her. So she nodded. "You know somewhere quieter?"