Chapter 25: The Joy of Being Crowded
The train finally began to slow down, the friction of the rails letting out a sharp screech.
The anxiety of parting within the carriage was instantly replaced by the chaos of imminent disembarking.
The aisle instantly filled with people, large and small bags acting like walls, squeezing the already narrow space to a standstill.
"How are we supposed to get off here?" Chen Man looked at the crowd outside the door, which resembled a can of sardines, her brow furrowed into a deep crease.
Her Hermès bag looked completely out of place, as if it might be deford by the crowd at any mont.
"Don't rush, let them go first." Jiang Chen remained very calm, still sitting on the berth, even helping Su Qingge screw the cap back onto the half-finished bottle of water. "Squeezing out now ans getting blasted by cold air. It's better to stay warm in the carriage for two more minutes."
Su Qingge glanced at her watch, her brow furrowing slightly: "The transfer only allows forty minutes. If we're late, we'll miss the next one."
"If we miss it, we'll take the next one." Jiang Chen stood up and reached for the black hard-shell suitcase deep in the luggage rack.
That was Su Qingge's; it was dead heavy, filled entirely with docunts and samples.
The suitcase was too heavy, and the location was high up.
Jiang Chen supported the bottom of the case with one hand, the muscles in his arm instantly tensing.
"Careful." Su Qingge instinctively reached out to steady him.
Just then, the train lurched to a halt with a loud 'clank,' the final brake engaging.
The massive inertia caused the crowd to sway like a wave.
Su Qingge failed to keep her footing; her foot, encased in a high heel, turned, and she leaned backward.
She didn't fall to the floor.
Because Jiang Chen was half a step behind her, his free hand—the one not holding the suitcase—steadily supported the small of her back.
"Sister Su, this is the price you pay for ignoring advice and insisting on wearing high heels." Jiang Chen's voice sounded above her head, tinged with teasing and a hint of helplessness.
The two were very close.
Su Qingge was almost leaning back into his embrace, her back pressed tightly against his chest.
Through the thin shirt, she could feel his scorching body heat and the strong beat of his heart.
The hand supporting her waist was firm, and due to the montum, it had slid up slightly, resting precisely on the most sensitive spot just below her ribs.
Su Qingge stiffened. The perpetual frost on her face cracked instantly, revealing a flash of flustered red.
"Let... let go." She tried to stand straight but found her legs felt weak.
"Are you steady now?" Jiang Chen didn't imdiately release her. Instead, he used slight pressure to steady her, ensuring her balance was restored before slowly withdrawing his hand.
When his fingertips left, there seed to be a lingering, reluctant friction.
"Mm." Su Qingge lowered her head to adjust her clothes, her voice quieter than a mosquito's buzz.
A light chuckle ca from beside her: "Oh my, Sister Su, your waist looks so slender, the feel of it must be quite nice, right? Little brother, you're too biased. You only focused on helping Sister Su, weren't you afraid I'd fall too?"
Jiang Chen set the heavy suitcase on the ground, dusted off his hands, and turned to Chen Man: "Sister Man practices dancing; her core strength is good. She won't fall."
"Go away." Chen Man rolled her eyes, thrusting her large backpack into Jiang Chen's arms. "Take this, it’s so heavy it’s going to crush your sister's shoulder."
Jiang Chen took it with a smile, acting like a willing little porter.
Lin Wan had been standing nearby without speaking.
She looked at the reddening tips of Su Qingge's ears, then at the fingertips of Chen Man's hand deliberately brushing against Jiang Chen's hand while handing over the bag. The smile on her lips deepened.
Unlike before, she didn't feel a pang of sourness.
Instead, she actively took a step back, holding her own light little carry-on bag, making more space for the other two to be closer to Jiang Chen.
"Little Jiang, how should we proceed?" Lin Wan asked, her tone gentle. "There are too many people. If the four of us get separated, it will be troubleso."
"We'll form a single-file line, like a long snake." Jiang Chen pointed toward the door. "I'll take the lead, responsible for clearing the path and carrying the large items. Sister Su follows right behind , Sister Man third, and Sister Wan, you take the rear to watch out for anything falling."
"Why am I third?" Chen Man protested. "I want to walk at the front."
"It's windy at the front, and you're more likely to get bumped by the woven bags of the aunties and uncles, which could scuff your designer coat." Jiang Chen's single sentence imdiately silenced Chen Man.
"Fine, fine. I guess you have a conscience after all." Chen Man happily accepted the arrangent.
The group began to shuffle outward.
Jiang Chen was like a human bulldozer.
He was tall with broad shoulders, carrying a huge suitcase in each hand, and Chen Man's not-so-light hiking bag on his back. He managed to squeeze a gap through the dense crowd.
"Excuse , careful not to bump anyone," he called out while using his body to block people attempting to cut in line.
Su Qingge followed closely behind him.
There were simply too many people; every small movent was a difficult contest.
Passengers behind pushed forward, while those at the front blocked the exit, leaving the people in the middle feeling like a pressed sandwich.
To avoid being separated, Su Qingge had to reach out and grab the fabric of Jiang Chen's clothes near his waist.
A burly man ahead suddenly turned around to adjust his luggage, and a huge woven bag was about to sweep across Su Qingge's face.
"Watch out!"
Jiang Chen seed to have eyes in the back of his head. He stopped suddenly, turned, released one suitcase, and pulled Su Qingge into his arms, using his back to shield her from the dirty woven bag.
There was a dull 'thud.'
The woven bag slamd into Jiang Chen's back, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Su Qingge was completely enveloped against his chest, her face buried in the collar of his windbreaker, her nostrils filled with the clean, pleasant scent of soap and the aroma of male hormones.
In this noisy carriage perated with the sll of sweat, only this small space was safe, and warm.
"Are you okay?" Jiang Chen looked down at her.
Su Qingge shook her head.
She raised her eyes and t Jiang Chen's dark, bright gaze.
Through the wire-rimd lenses, their gazes locked in the air for a second.
"If you're fine, let's go." Jiang Chen picked up the suitcase again, his voice still calm, as if his instinctive protective action just now was rely a simple favor.
Chen Man, watching from behind, pursed her lips and muttered close to Lin Wan's ear: "Wanwan, look. This little brother seems honest normally, but he really knows how to flirt at a crucial mont. Look at Sister Su's eyes; they are practically sticking together."
Lin Wan just smiled, reached out to help Chen Man adjust a strap that was about to slip off her shoulder, and said softly, "It's nice to have soone protecting you. Don't won... just lack a person like that?"
Chen Man paused for a mont. The peach blossom eyes that always held a hint of seduction dimd slightly, then quickly returned to their carefree smile: "That's true. Today, let's just act like pampered young ladies and let this little brother serve us well."
At that mont, Jiang Chen turned back and called out: "Keep up closely, the door is just ahead."
"Coming!" Chen Man responded. This ti, without needing prompting, she proactively reached out and grabbed the back hem of Su Qingge's windbreaker.
Lin Wan remained at the very back, looking at the three figures connected in a chain ahead. The feeling of emptiness in her heart was miraculously filled.
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