It was noisy by the roadside.
Heavy trucks came and went to refuel, their air brakes hissing every so often. Wang Xiaoliang lay on the inflatable mattress, his phone lit up. Eleven forty.
He rolled over and buried his head in the pillow.
He had no idea when he fell asleep.
Rain came pounding down in the middle of the night, pattering densely against the car roof. He opened his eyes, listened for two seconds, then closed them again.
The next time he woke, he needed to pee.
His phone lit up-five twelve. It wasn't fully light yet. The rain had stopped, and the parking lot was wet.
Wang Xiaoliang pushed open the car door. Cold air hit him full in the face, waking him instantly.
He hurried across the road. The gas station restroom was beside the row of buildings at the very back. When he came out, he turned on the tap and splashed water on his face.
He hadn't brought toothpaste or a toothbrush.
He looked around the gas station's little convenience store. No toiletries.
He got in the car, started the engine, and drove west.
A little over a kilometer away, a small roadside shop had its roller shutter partly raised and its lights on. An old man sat behind the counter looking at his phone. Wang Xiaoliang ducked inside, bought a toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste, and grabbed a towel as well.
He paid, drove back to the parking lot, and parked in his original spot.
Taking the toothbrush and towel, he got out and headed toward the gas station.
Before he reached the roadside-
A white Mercedes-Benz came flying in from the east.
It was going fast. Wang Xiaoliang instinctively glanced at the license plate.
He stopped short.
That plate looked familiar.