Jiang Qing froze for two seconds. He hadn't expected someone who seemed so loud and impulsive to take this matter so seriously.
"Mm." Jiang Qing's tone softened considerably.
"Want me to help you up?"
Si Ning seemed to have fallen asleep and didn't answer.
Jiang Qing waited patiently, taking out a cigarette and holding it between his lips without lighting it.
A little while later, the sleeping cat in front of him suddenly jolted awake, as though he'd had a nightmare in those few short moments.
The instant he opened his eyes, Jiang Qing saw that they were filled with fear.
Si Ning's body trembled faintly beneath the coat. His fingers gripped the fabric tightly, his gaze unfocused.
A full half minute passed before Si Ning returned to normal. Noticing Jiang Qing watching him, he awkwardly shrank deeper into the coat.
"What time is it?" he asked in a muffled voice.
Jiang Qing glanced at the round clock on the wall.
"A little past eight. You can sleep another two hours, or we can go in the early morning."
"No," Si Ning said quietly. "They change shifts during the night too, and the timing isn't fixed. It'll be a bit of a problem if we happen to run into them."
Jiang Qing raised his eyebrows slightly. "Can you even get up right now?"
"Give me a cigarette." Si Ning held out his hand, saying only those words.
A moment later, Si Ning got up, put on Jiang Qing's coat, and curled up on the sofa to smoke.
Jiang Qing sat beside him, staring at the pattern on the rug as though thinking something over.
Si Ning stole a couple more looks and spotted several scratches showing above the neckline of Jiang Qing's thin sweater. His face grew hot.
Si Ning