The commercial street was bleached white by the afternoon sun.
The sun beat down directly, making it hard to keep one's eyes open.
The shoppers had nearly clogged the entire road.
A long line stood outside the milk tea shop, while the awning outside the clothing store was packed with people waiting for others.
In the distance, there was nothing but a sea of moving heads. Beneath their feet, the paving stones were trampled in uneven rhythms by heels and sandals.
The three girls blended into the crowd and slowly shuffled forward.
Chen De walked in the middle. Qin Luoyu quietly followed beside him, while Lin Xi wandered back and forth ahead of them.
Qubi thought the sun was too harsh and stuck close to the shared bicycles and patches of shade the whole way.
Half an hour earlier, they had still been sprawled around at home.
Lin Xi had been lying on the couch in a daze, Qin Luoyu had been holding her phone and reading who knew what, while Chen De had stared up at the ceiling, so quiet he was about to suffocate himself.
In the end, Lin Xi was the first to lose patience.
"Let's go out for a walk."
"If we stay any longer, I feel like the couch will start treating me as family."
Chen De had not objected.
Idle was idle, after all.
Qin Luoyu nodded, grabbed her phone, and followed them out.
Lin Xi was wearing a lightweight tracksuit today, with a small shoulder bag so bright it was a little eye-catching.
She held an iced latte in her hands, droplets of condensation covering the cup.
She had lined up outside the shop for a full half hour just for that coffee.
Chen De had waited with her until the end and