Footsteps.
High heels clacked against the epoxy floor, drawing closer and closer with the rhythm of someone running.
Zhao Nan appeared at the back of the car.
She gripped the rear door frame and leaned her head inside.
Wei Zijin lifted her hand a little. Not very high, just a few centimeters off the mattress.
"Sis."
Her voice was very soft. So soft that even a little echo in the underground garage could have drowned it out.
But Zhao Nan heard her.
She froze completely. Her mouth hung open, her eyes wide.
Then her face crumpled.
Not gradually, but in an instant. Both hands went over her face, her knees bent, and she sank into a crouch, disappearing behind the rear door.
A wail burst out.
It was not the kind of crying someone tried to muffle, but the kind that left no room even to breathe. A howl. The garage echoed loudly, and the sound filled the entire space at once.
Wang Xiaoliang did not move.
He knew he had to let her cry it out.
Wei Zijin's eyes glistened too. Wang Xiaoliang took a tissue and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.
"Don't cry." He leaned close to her ear. "Sis is happy."
Wei Zijin's lips curved a little.
The crying outside gradually quieted.
Sobbing.
Sniffling.
Zhao Nan stood up. Her eyes were swollen like peaches, her nose bright red, mascara smeared all over her face. She took a tissue from her bag and wiped haphazardly a couple of times, then gripped the door frame and leaned inside again without caring whether she had cleaned it all off.
This time, she did not cry.
She reached out and touched Wei Zijin's foot, then squeezed her calf through the thin blanket.
"Your muscles are still all right." Her