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By the time I got home, it was nearly two o'clock.
In the silent residential area, there was no sound at all, only the dim yellow streetlights and the stars in the sky.
Xu Qing, with his hands in his pockets, walked ahead, while Jiang He followed steadily behind, unhurriedly, without even a sound of footsteps.
Although there were two of us walking together, Xu Qing felt as if he was alone, as if it were like those past times when he would come home alone, drunk, in the middle of the night after having fun.
That feeling was very uncomfortable.
"Could you walk faster and come next to me?" he said, "It's like having a shadow following me."
"I'm not a shadow."
"You won't be once you come stand beside me."
The entrance to the building was now in sight, just a short distance away. Jiang He took two steps forward to his side, and they walked side by side for less than a minute before reaching the door.
