Good Samaritans came up to her and asked if she needed any help, she smiled, shook her head, and declined.
The crowd was very dense, and Tang Yuchen chased after that figure. After a while, he realized it had disappeared.
Not giving up, he pushed through the crowd and searched meticulously, not overlooking any stall or anyone wearing white clothes.
After a while, he still hadn’t found her. Perhaps he had seen incorrectly, and his eyes were playing tricks on him.
A flicker of disappointment flashed through the man’s eyes. Just as he decided to head back, he suddenly saw a car passing by upfront, with a woman dressed in white sitting inside.
Her long hair was draped over her, and he could only see a bit of her profile.
But it was that profile that made him feel a familiar pang...
Tang Yuchen’s heart skipped a beat, and he broke into a sprint, chasing after the car.
An Ruo waited for an hour, and Tang Yuchen had not returned.
She was so cold that her whole body was stiff. She wrapped herself tightly in her shawl, but couldn’t feel any warmth.
As lunchtime passed, the snack street was no longer lively. People gradually left, and the street became cold and quiet.
Only in the evening would it become lively again.
An Ruo tried to push her wheelchair back, but her fingers were so frozen that she couldn’t move the wheelchair at all.
She huffed a breath and rubbed her hands vigorously. It took a while before her hands regained some feeling.
She slowly pushed the wheelchair for a while but then ran out of strength in her hands.
She should have worn gloves when going out today; then she wouldn’t have had such a miserable time.
But where could she have known that Tang Yuchen would leave her alone for so long without coming back?
She wanted to call him to ask when he would come over, but she didn’t carry her phone with her. Her phone was in the car, and she couldn’t contact him.
She decided to just keep waiting.
An Ruo lowered her gaze to her toes, feeling like each second was stretching into years.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when a pair of black leather shoes appeared in front of her. An Ruo looked up, following his legs, and met Tang Yuchen’s dark eyes.
He was slightly panting, his scarf unravelled, his face flushed from running. How long had he been running?
An Ruo quietly watched him. Without a word, Tang Yuchen walked behind her, pushed the wheelchair, and asked, "Have you been waiting long? Are you very cold?"
"What were you doing?"
"I saw an acquaintance, one who disappeared many years ago," he answered her flatly.
"Oh." An Ruo didn’t ask further. She didn’t even complain that he had left her in the middle of the street for a long time.
Tang Yuchen saw her face was purple with cold. He realized she must have been freezing.
He couldn’t bring himself to apologize out loud, but he felt deeply guilty inside. Her lack of complaints only deepened his remorse.
Yet, even if he could turn back time and do it over, he would still choose to leave her behind to chase after that elusive figure.
He didn’t know if it was her, but he wouldn’t miss any chance of encountering her.
As he helped An Ruo into the car, the man touched her hand. It was cold as ice, devoid of any warmth.
He turned on the heater and warmed her hands with his, gently rubbing them.
An Ruo remained silent, letting him fuss. He noticed a bit of frostbite swelling on her fingers, and he frowned, "We’ll apply some medication when we get back, to avoid any frostbite."
"Mm. My hands are fine now, just drive. The car has a heater, it’s not cold anymore."
Heeding her words, Tang Yuchen let go of her, started the car, and they drove off.