“If your mouth isn’t clean, I can help you manage it. The operating permit, the affiliated unit, the person who handled the procedures for this vehicle—I can find out everything with just one phone call. Do you believe that if I make a call now, you won’t be able to work in this industry today?”
Chen Lang paused, his gaze fixed on Zhao Hongbin’s neck before slowly lifting it upward.
“Do you understand?”
Zhao Hongbin felt a chill run down his neck and shrank inside the car, not daring to move.
After speaking, Chen Lang walked to the back and opened the car door. He picked up two luggage bags and helped Lian Qiao out of the car. When he closed the door, he did so with considerable force, producing a loud thud.
Zhao Hongbin was still shaken. He didn’t know who this imposing stranger was, but someone who could speak like that likely had significant influence.
His back was drenched in cold sweat. Before stepping on the gas, he couldn’t resist hurling a final threat.
“Don’t get too arrogant! Who do you think you are!”
Without waiting for a response from the two, he slammed on the accelerator and sped away in a cloud of dust.
Lian Qiao stood by the roadside, looking up at Chen Lang apologetically. “It wasn’t worth wasting time on someone like that. Is it still possible to catch a taxi now?”
Chen Lang’s gaze rested calmly on her face. “You don’t need to apologize for someone else’s malice.”
Lian Qiao suddenly discovered another side of Chen Lang.
He always gave her a strong sense of security, yet his behavior never crossed any boundaries.
He possessed an extreme sense of restraint, never testing her limits.
For this, Lian Qiao was very satisfied.
He was different from other men.
Although, based on her two lifetimes of experience, she had only been closely acquainted with two men—Lian Hai and Zhao Hongbin, who were essentially the same type—so she didn’t know what a good man looked like.
Perhaps her brother-in-law, Li Guozheng, could be considered one, but how he interacted with her cousin in private was another side she couldn’t see.
Every time she met Chen Lang, she understood him a little more.
Instead of dispelling her fascination with him as she got to know him better, her admiration only grew.
This man was far more exceptional than she had imagined.
Soon, Chen Lang hailed another taxi, and they resumed their journey to the train station.
Chen Lang noticed a faint smile on Lian Qiao’s face, as if she were in a good mood.
The earlier incident hadn’t affected her; she was more optimistic than he had imagined.
He had never seen any negative emotions in her.
No matter what happened, she could quickly detach herself from it the next moment.
He even saw a shadow of his mother from his childhood in her.
When his father sacrificed himself, the entire family was shrouded in despair and gloom.
Crying became a familiar sound in his ears.
He was ten years old at the time.
His younger sister was still in his mother’s womb.
Every day when he returned home from school, his mother would smile and ask him about any interesting things at school, what friends he had made, and how the food she had packed for him tasted.
Because of this, he hardly ever saw his mother cry.
She hid the immense grief of losing her husband very well.
She took care of his grandmother, who couldn’t bear the blow, while pregnant, and also looked after young him…
Lian Qiao tugged gently at his sleeve and pointed out the car window. “Look, that’s the largest park in our city. When I was little, I often sneaked out to go there by myself.”
Chen Lang followed the direction of her finger. A small lake, partially hidden by trees, reflected the sunlight, shimmering like a tiny mirror left behind in this place.
She abruptly pulled him back from his memories.
“I’ll come back with you next time,” he blurted out.
Lian Qiao smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. “I buried a lot of my treasures there. When we go back, I’ll dig them all up and take them with me.”
Her cheerful tone lightened Chen Lang’s mood as well.
The taxi pulled up steadily in front of the train station. The two got out and entered the waiting hall together.
It was packed to the brim—not a single seat was available, and there wasn’t even room to stand.
Chen Lang led her to a corner, placed the luggage bag on the ground, and said, “Sit on this.”
Lian Qiao shook her head. “I’m not that fragile. Is it almost time to board?”
“Yeah, just a little while longer.”
“Then let’s stand and wait.”
Lian Qiao considered herself quite sturdy, always as healthy as a young calf. But the outcome of her previous life had sounded a warning bell, and she decided she must get a physical exam every year.
Most importantly, she needed to maintain a regular diet and exercise, and not live as recklessly as she had in her past life.
Money was important, but health was the foundation of everything.
She had shifted her previous mindset, hoping to change her fate.
If fate still intended to strike her down, then she would simply make room early. She glanced at Chen Lang beside her—remarrying shouldn’t be difficult for him.
After all, his circumstances were still top-notch.
As if sensing her gaze, Chen Lang lowered his head to look at her. But Lian Qiao quickly averted her eyes and pointed ahead. “They’ve started boarding.”
Chen Lang picked up the luggage bag from the ground and guided her into the crowd, moving forward.
He kept his hands protectively around her, ensuring she wasn’t jostled at all. When boarding, he held her hand tightly so the two wouldn’t be separated.
The train was not only fully seated but also packed with people standing in the aisles.
Once they finally found their seats, they couldn’t move an inch.
Chen Lang thought he’d ask the conductor during the ticket check if there were any sleeper tickets available.
Lian Qiao thought it unlikely but didn’t say anything. After all, having a seat was better than standing.
In her previous life, when she was just starting her career and traveling by train, she often had to stand in the connecting areas, carrying goods. The smell of smoke mixed with urine would linger all night, making her feel like she was ascending to the heavens.
So now, having a hard seat felt like a blessing.
They were seated in a two-person row. Across from them was an elderly couple, likely in their sixties or seventies, with graying hair. They were dressed decently, though in old clothes that were clean and well-kept. Under the small table was a large burlap sack, half-open, revealing it was filled with mountain goods.
“Where are you two headed, young lady?” the old woman asked kindly, smiling as if looking at her own daughter, her demeanor warm and friendly.
Lian Qiao smiled back. “To Man City.”
“Then you’ll have to sit through the night. We’re getting off at Qing County. You two have a long journey ahead.”
The old man chimed in, “They’re young, they can handle it. At our age, if we had to sit all night, we’d board walking and leave lying down.”
The old woman playfully swatted his arm. “Always joking!”
Lian Qiao could tell the couple had a very good relationship.
“Are you visiting family?”
“Yes, we’re going to see our youngest daughter. She just had a baby girl and is still in her postpartum recovery.”
“What’s wrong with a baby girl? I love baby girls,” the old man said, his heart melting at the thought of his little granddaughter.
Lian Qiao laughed along, but Chen Lang wore a serious expression.
She also stopped smiling and looked out at the night outside the window.
He really doesn’t like children…