Wen Quhua’s face flushed for a moment, both embarrassed and annoyed, disliking how he was talking nonsense.
They know each other?
Seeing that the man kept looking at the young woman while the young woman turned her face away, the older woman could not help but smile. “Did you young couple have a quarrel?”
“We’re not a couple.” Wen Quhua refuted this time and hurriedly explained.
The smile on Yang Qin’s face faded slightly. “Right now, we aren’t a couple yet.”
The older woman: …
Well, you’re quite something, chasing someone all the way onto the bus.
At every stop along the way, Yang Qin did not get off. After the older woman got off, he naturally sat down beside Wen Quhua.
She could not endure it anymore. “You’re not planning to follow me, are you?”
Yang Qin did not know where she was going. In fact, there were many things about her that he did not know. If Yang Tian had not been sharp-eyed and spotted her, he would have gone to the sweet soup shop tonight for nothing.
He did not know where she was going, nor whether she would come back. He was afraid that she had been frightened by him and had run away.
If that were the case, he would never see her again.
At that moment, Yang Qin’s expression remained unchanged, but inside, he panicked fiercely.
He had left a note on the table. He knew that following her like this looked bad, but he truly had no other choice. She did not tell him anything.
“Don’t worry. Whatever you want to do, I won’t interfere. I’m just escorting you along the way,” he explained, not wanting her to be too afraid of his temperament.
Wen Quhua was at a loss for words. She angrily turned her head to look out the window.
She did not believe that he could follow her as she transferred buses and boarded a train to Beijing.
Three hours later, they got off at the provincial capital.
Yang Qin took her large suitcase without asking. He had clearly decided to escort her the whole way.
Wen Quhua glanced at him and did not bother with him anymore. If he wanted to escort her, then let him.
She went to the train station to buy a ticket. There was only a nine o’clock ticket left, so she had to wait for more than five hours.
She did not pay attention to Yang Qin. After she bought her ticket, Yang Qin went to the counter. “Buy a ticket for the same trip as hers.”
The ticket seller glanced at him a few more times, but Yang Qin remained calm and explained openly, “We know each other. She’s throwing a tantrum at me.”
Oh, so they were a young couple.
After he finished buying the ticket and came out, Wen Quhua glared at him. “Who’s throwing a tantrum at you?”
You heard that?
He smiled. “We have to wait more than five hours. Find a place to sit. I’ll go buy you something to eat and drink.”
He was very good at taking care of people. Wen Quhua did not want to reject him again in the crowded train station, so she could only follow him and find an empty seat to sit down.
She watched his departing figure. He had gone to the small shop in the train station to buy things.
At that moment, a few unruly young men walked over. Seeing that she was alone and so beautiful, they could not help but strike up a conversation.
“Beauty, where are you going alone?”
Wen Quhua could not even be bothered to look at them and turned her face away coldly.
“Come on, let’s get to know each other.”
“That’s right, don’t be shy. We’re all good guys.”
“Beauty…”
Annoyed, Wen Quhua’s expression turned cold. “Stay away from me.”
She gave them no face. The three young men, hot-blooded and embarrassed under so many people’s gazes, became somewhat angry out of humiliation. One of them stepped forward and tried to take the bag she had placed on the chair, intending to sit beside her.
Wen Quhua’s expression changed. She reached for her bag, but she was a step too slow.
“Give me back my bag!”
“Beauty, get to know us first, then we’ll give it back to you, okay?”
“Okay, my ass!”
A cold and sharp voice came from behind. The man grabbed the young man by the collar and yanked him back forcefully, then casually retrieved her bag.
The young man fell to the ground, and the surrounding people could not help but look over.
He cursed, “Who the hell are you, meddling in other people’s business!”
The three young men glared viciously at the tall man who had suddenly appeared.
Yang Qin placed the bag and the things he had bought into her arms, then turned his head and sneered at the three reckless young men.
“Are you going to get lost or not?”
“You damn—” The young men could not stand the provocation and rushed toward Yang Qin to fight.
Wen Quhua was stunned. She instinctively got up, holding her things as she stepped back a few paces, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
Yang Qin did not foolishly fight them. He was strong. He simply subdued them, and that was the end of it.
When the patrol officers arrived, Yang Qin explained the situation. The officers immediately took the three young men away.
When Yang Qin turned back, he saw her standing far away.
Yang Qin: …
She was truly heartless.
He laughed in anger and walked toward her. “Did they touch you anywhere?”
“No.” Wen Quhua could not help but look at his arm. Because he had just exerted force, the muscles on his arm were clearly bulging.
He had more masculine presence than any man she had ever seen.
She had to admit that just now, he had indeed made her feel very safe.
Yang Qin found a new seat for her and let her sit down, then brought her suitcase over. He opened a bottle of water for her.
Wen Quhua was indeed thirsty and did not stand on ceremony. She took it and drank slowly.
She seemed to glance at him intentionally or unintentionally. When he noticed, he lowered his eyes and looked at her seriously.
“I’m really just escorting you. I don’t have any other intentions.”
At first, she had found him annoying. But after what had just happened, Wen Quhua felt that having him escort her seemed quite good, at least ensuring her safety.
The two of them sat together waiting for the train, often attracting attention. It was mainly because Wen Quhua’s face was too eye-catching, and the man’s posture carried an excessive sense of possessiveness.
At eight in the evening, Yang Qin asked her if she was hungry.
From noon until eight, she was indeed a bit hungry. After she nodded, he went to buy food.
There was not much available at that time. He came back with a bowl of small wontons, and after eating, the bowl had to be returned.
They had to board the train at nine. Wen Quhua did not have much appetite when riding trains, so she obediently ate.
This was rare compliance since she had rejected him. Yang Qin’s expression softened quite a bit.
It seemed that, for a moment, the relationship between them had eased somewhat.
After eating a few bites, she was full. As before, Yang Qin did not mind at all and finished the remaining few mouthfuls she had left.
He went back to return the bowl. When he came back, he said to her, “I’ll accompany you to the restroom. The ones on the train aren’t clean.”
With him there, she truly did not have to worry about anything. Wen Quhua felt complicated inside and could not bring herself to say anything harsh.
After they checked in and boarded the train, his berth was several carriages away from hers. He paid extra to switch with someone in the berth next to hers. The person happily took the money and changed places with him.
She still remembered the last time they parted at the station, when Yang Qin had told her not to sleep too soundly at night and to keep an eye on her belongings.
This time, he stayed by her side and said, “Go to sleep. I’ll keep watch.”
Wen Quhua was truly tired. She did not bother about him. Listening to the clattering sound of the train, she gradually fell asleep.
When she woke up again, everything was dim. Using the faint light coming through the window, she glanced at her watch. It was already past three in the morning.
She had slept for more than six hours. She woke up due to physical needs. Carefully, she got up and put on her shoes.
Hearing the movement, he sat up and asked, “Going to the restroom?”
She nodded, a little embarrassed.
“I’ll go with you.” Without another word, he stood up and even reminded her to take her bag.
Under his escort, Wen Quhua walked through the carriage to the end. The conditions on the train were naturally not very good. He opened the door first to take a look, frowned slightly, then let her go in.
“I’ll stand guard outside.”
Wen Quhua almost held her breath as she quickly finished. When she came out, her face was inevitably a little flushed.
Part of it was disgust at the environment, and part of it was a bit of embarrassment that he had been standing outside guarding the door for her.
He should not have heard anything, right? she thought to herself.
After Yang Qin escorted her back, he returned again. He also needed to take care of personal matters.
When he came back, Wen Quhua was leaning against the carriage, looking out at the dark, endless fields outside.
Yang Qin had impulsively boarded the train with her and had brought nothing, yet he actually took out a thoroughly washed apple and handed it to her.
“Want some?”
“I bought it when I got the wontons. It’s been washed clean.”
Wen Quhua hesitated for a moment but still took it. She was not hungry, but her mouth felt dry, and seeing the apple stirred her appetite a little.
Seeing her accept the apple and take small bites, a faint smile appeared on his face. It was the kind of pleasure that came from taking care of her.
He really wanted to take care of her.
A delicate, precious flower not only needed a nurturing environment, but also careful tending. He believed he had the patience for that.
He wondered if she could give him another chance…
Thinking of her earlier rejection, a trace of sharpness flashed faintly in the depths of Yang Qin’s otherwise relaxed eyes.
Wen Quhua did not know what he was thinking. After finishing the apple, she even wrapped the core with a tissue she carried with her.
They would likely arrive in Beijing by noon, but she felt a bit anxious. She was afraid that Sheng Cheng and her eldest cousin would come to pick her up. What would happen if they saw Yang Qin?
She did not even dare imagine that kind of awkward situation. Sheng Cheng had seen Yang Qin before and would definitely question her endlessly.
Yang Qin had previously mistaken Sheng Cheng for having that kind of relationship with her. If they met again, how awkward would that be?
After thinking it over repeatedly, she finally spoke softly to him, “When we get to Beijing, you should go back.”
Yang Qin looked at her in silence.
Wen Quhua also felt that what she was saying was not very proper, but… “I came to Beijing for something very important.”
Yang Qin understood what she meant. She did not want him to keep following her in Beijing.
He said calmly, “Do what you need to do. Just let me know when you go back.”
She might not go back at all.
Wen Quhua simply said directly, “Don’t you still have business in Langcheng? Don’t waste time in Beijing,” and don’t waste time on me either. “Besides, I might not go back. My relatives are from Beijing.”
Yang Qin lifted his eyes and looked at her. She was saying that she might not return to Langcheng.
He curled his lips into a smile. “To avoid me?”
He saw through her in one sentence.
Wen Quhua turned her face away. “Not really. It was originally part of my plan.”
She was not lying. Her original plan had been to come to Beijing at this time to accompany her grandmother for surgery, but there was no need to tell him all that.
Yang Qin did not ask further. Although he had not given up, he was not so shameless either.
“Beijing is developing rapidly. I can take this chance to look into construction projects,” he said. Since he was already here, his thoughts were not entirely about chasing a woman. He did not believe he would stay in a small place like Langcheng for the rest of his life.
Since he had put it that way, Wen Quhua could not say anything more. In the end, she said, “Then we’ll go our separate ways after getting off the train.”
It would also avoid that awkward situation.
He said alright.
Wen Quhua lay back down and closed her eyes again. Her sleepiness had already vanished, and her mind was full of thoughts about Yang Qin’s future ending.
How exactly did he end up on that path?
She did not know when she fell asleep. When she sat up again, she heard the train attendant announce that the next stop was Beijing.
Yang Qin took down her suitcase and placed it by her legs.
They were finally getting off. Wen Quhua could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
When the train stopped, she took a few steps, then turned her head back. Yang Qin stood there lazily, unmoving.
She withdrew her gaze and followed the flow of people off the train. At the exit, many people were there to pick others up. At a glance, she saw Sheng Cheng enthusiastically waving at her.
Wen Quhua subconsciously looked back again. There was no sign of him in the crowd. She walked toward Sheng Cheng.
She heard him chattering, “Aunt only arrives on the day of the surgery. I told you I’d go to Langcheng to pick you up, but you wouldn’t let me. The journey was safe, right?”
With that man there, it had been more than safe.
Wen Quhua suddenly recalled the few troublemaking hooligans and how he had subdued them with one hand.
The two of them walked out of the station. Sheng Cheng was, as always, flamboyantly dressed, wearing a suit vest with his hair styled with pomade, very fashionable.
Wen Quhua wore a simple, elegant dress, and her long hair was braided in some way that made her especially beautiful. Many people could not help but glance at the two of them.
Yang Qin walked out slowly, lagging behind at the end. His eyesight was sharp, and he could see the man who had come to pick her up.
Helping her carry her suitcase, talking to her enthusiastically, the two of them standing close together, clearly familiar and intimate.
His gaze darkened, and his expression carried a faintly frightening edge.
He recalled how, before getting off the train, she had calmly braided her hair, her slender fingers deft and nimble.
For some reason, while others looked travel-worn, she appeared as refined as if she had just stepped out of a television screen, like a big star.
The corners of Yang Qin’s lips lifted slightly, but there was no real smile, only a hint of roguishness.