Xu Qingzhu nodded: "We're all too busy."
Xu Qingzhu's company doesn't require crossing the bridge, and Liang Shi often drives there but has never crossed that bridge.
They had only ever seen the bridge from their homes, and sometimes they would stand on the bridge for a long time, watching not only the flow of the river but also the people and cars coming and going on the bridge, sometimes for more than half an hour.
Even so, they did not actually cross the bridge.
Driving onto the bridge offers a completely different perspective and view compared to looking down from the building.
The river flow slowed down, and the cars nearby drove extremely fast, making the pedestrian walkways on both sides of the bridge seem unusually slow.
Liang Shi sat in the passenger seat, constantly looking to both sides. When the car was halfway there, Liang Shi said, "I see it."
You cannot stop on the bridge for an extended period of time; you can only stop temporarily for up to three minutes.
After Xu Qingzhu pulled the car over to the side of the road, she let Liang Shi get out and then drove the car off the bridge.
Liang Wanwan wore a thin white shirt, high-waisted jeans, and white sneakers. Her hair was tied in a bun, revealing her smooth forehead. It was a very youthful and pure college student outfit. A black bow was also tied at the collar of the white shirt.
The shirt was billowing in the wind; it looked cold.
Liang Shi jogged over and called out, "Wanwan."
Liang Wanwan, who had been looking down at the ground, finally looked up. When she saw that it was Liang Shi, her red eyes immediately filled with tears, which fell without her saying a word.
She wiped it off with the back of her hand, then stood up from the bench.
Liang Shi took out a tissue from his pocket, folded one, and handed it to her.
Liang Wanwan wiped away her tears before calling out in a choked voice, "Sister."
Her face was red from the cold, with her nose even redder than her cheeks. Every part of her exposed skin was red, and her neck was covered in goosebumps from the cold. She couldn't help but shiver while talking to Liang Shi.
It looks cold.
The weather in Haizhou City is almost winter. Although it is a coastal city, it is classified as northern in terms of land planning.
In these last few days of late autumn, the temperature at night could drop below zero at any time.
But Liang Wanwan was wearing a white summer shirt.
Liang Shi also knew how these young girls dressed: they wore little underneath a thick coat, and once they went indoors and took off the heavy coat, they were slender fairies.
But that only applies to winter.
In late autumn, the indoor temperature in Kaishu City is sometimes even more terrifying than the outdoor temperature.
Liang Shi couldn't understand these young girls either, but in the end, they all loved beauty. Looking at her two slender legs and light-colored jeans, Liang Shi guessed that she wasn't wearing thermal underwear underneath, just a thin pair of jeans.
No wonder it's cold.
Liang Shi didn't ask her those questions first, but took off his coat and draped it over Liang Wanwan. "How long have you been here?"
"I don't know," Liang Wanwan said, sniffling. Her voice was nasal, and she sounded like she was about to catch a cold.
Liang Shi asked her, "Are you going back to school tonight?"
"I don't want to go back." Liang Wanwan said to Liang Shi, her eyes reddening again, "Sister, Chen Mian's picture album..."
Liang Shi interrupted her, "Then come to my house tonight?"
She saw Liang Wanwan put on her coat.
Liang Wanwan was much shorter than her, probably just over 1.6 meters tall. She was wearing Liang Wanwan's coat, the hem of which reached below her knees and covered half of her calves. The sleeves were also long.
And she didn't button it up after putting it on, so the cold wind still whistled in.
Liang Shi frowned as she watched. She buttoned up the seemingly decorative buttons on Liang Wanwan's coat and pulled the collar tight, not giving the cold wind any room to breathe.
Liang Wanwan couldn't help but sneeze, which ended up covering Liang Shi's hand.
"I'm sorry," Liang Wanwan apologized somewhat timidly.
Liang Shi looked down at the back of his hand and said helplessly, "It's nothing."
She wiped it off with a tissue, and Liang Wanwan clutched her collar tightly, whispering, "Is this convenient for you?"
It's the same question she asked before.
Upon hearing her words and reflecting on his own earlier remarks, Liang Shi realized something was amiss.
Why did their conversation seem a bit off-topic?
It looked as if she was bringing her little lover home.
Liang Shi banished those wild thoughts from his mind and whispered to her, "Your sister Qingzhu is waiting for us under the bridge. Let's go to my house."
Liang Wanwan, wearing Liang Shi's overcoat, followed closely behind Liang Shi.
Xu Qingzhu waited in the car the whole time. After Liang Shi got out of the car, Xu Qingzhu turned on the heater to warm up the car.
I guess Liang Wanwan stayed on the bridge for a long time and must have been freezing.
Today the temperature is almost zero degrees Celsius, and the wind is strong on the bridge, probably even lower than zero. When Xu Qingzhu drove over, she noticed ice crystals on the bridge and that the car wheels were a bit slippery. While it was drizzling elsewhere, here it had turned into sleet due to the low temperature.
The car was warm enough now, but she still felt a bit hot in her coat, especially since she had been leaning against the seat and her back was a little damp.
She took off her wool coat and threw it on the back seat of the car, idly changing the car music while waiting for Liang Shi and Liang Wanwan.
Xu Qingzhu noticed Liang Shi and Liang Wanwan walking down the bridge.
Liang Shi was tall, and although she was thin, she was still tall, and no matter how thin she was, she was still much better than Liang Wanwan. Moreover, Liang Shi's thinness was not sickly, but rather a strong kind of thinness. She took off her coat and gave it to Liang Wanwan to wear, while she was only wearing a light gray crew neck sweatshirt, the same dark jeans as Xu Qingzhu, which were a little tight on her, and black high-top boots that were muddy from walking on the rainy road for a long time.
She walked in front, which was perfect for shielding Liang Wanwan from the wind.
Liang Wanwan probably hadn't noticed yet that Liang Shi had been keeping a proper distance from her, shielding her from all the cold wind.
Liang Shi himself was also cold, but he didn't show it.
He's just putting on a brave face.
Xu Qingzhu's gaze never left them.
Liang Wanwan has a slow and deliberate personality, which is why she can sit in front of the easel for a whole day. Even when she walks, Liang Shi slows down his pace to accommodate her.
The scene was quite beautiful, especially as they walked unhurriedly through the city. It was raining lightly, just a few drops that wouldn't wet their clothes.
But no matter how Xu Qingzhu looked at it, she felt...uncomfortable.
Liang Wanwan is not Liang Shi's biological sister.
But they would also affectionately call her "sister".
Liang Shi would give her his coat and stand in front of her to shield her from the wind and rain.
Liang Shi was gentle to everyone.
Not just to her.
At this moment, Xu Qingzhu seemed to understand what Liang Shi meant by feeling a little unhappy.
Yes, I'm a little unhappy.
But I can't quite put my finger on it.
It wasn't until Liang Shi opened the car door for Liang Wanwan that Liang Wanwan greeted her after getting in the car, saying, "Sister Qingzhu."
Xu Qingzhu nodded to her and asked gently, "Are you cold?"
After getting into the car, Liang Shi felt the warmth and said while fastening his seatbelt, "It's so cold outside."
Liang Wanwan nodded: "It's cold."
Their words overlapped, and even their tones were somewhat similar.
And Liang Wanwan asked, "Sister, where do you live now?"
Liang Shi replied, "It's near this bridge."
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
At this moment, she felt superfluous.
Chapter 108
Liang Wanwan was quite cold; she kept sneezing on her way home, and her voice sounded muffled, like she had a cold.
After Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu took her back, Xu Qingzhu was a little unhappy, but she still gave the two sisters some space.
Xu Qingzhu went to the kitchen to make ginger tea for the two of them.
There was ginger at home, but Xu Qingzhu didn't know where the sugar was, so she could only ask Liang Shi.
Liang Shi went to the kitchen, telling her to go out and keep Liang Wanwan company.
Xu Qingzhu: "?"
Liang Shi squeezed together with her at the small kitchen counter, rubbing against each other. Liang Shi lowered his voice and said, "She's crying, and I don't know how to comfort her."
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
Xu Qingzhu's gaze was also very direct—Do you think I would?
Their eyes met, and Liang Shi sighed helplessly, "I think... you should... be a little better than me?"
Liang Shi's words also lacked confidence.
She sat there, probably only there to hand out papers.
Furthermore, she didn't have a strong empathy for Chen Mian's picture album that Liang Wanwan mentioned.
For Liang Wanwan, it was a very precious item, but when Liang Shi searched for it in the original owner's memories, it was just an ordinary picture book.
It was something Chen Mian casually drew because of the original owner's sake.
Even Liang Shi couldn't understand why Chen Mian, who was usually taciturn, would give the original owner this face.
The original owner didn't understand it at the time, but accepted it gladly.
Liang Shi, not understanding the significance of this picture album to Liang Wanwan, was at a loss for words to comfort her.
He was afraid of accidentally saying the wrong thing and making Liang Wanwan even more upset.
Therefore, Liang Shih chose to let Xu Qingzhu, who was more "understanding," speak.