“I’m talking to you. Can’t you hear me?”
Lin Wanwan raised her head and looked over in confusion, her voice soft and gentle. “Were you talking to me?”
A flash of jealousy quickly crossed the girl’s eyes, and her tone became even worse.
“If I’m not talking to you, then who am I talking to? Give me your seat. You can go sit over there.”
Her attitude was even more arrogant than Xu Wen’s.
“?”
Lin Wanwan ignored her outright and turned to look out the window.
Speaking to people with that kind of tone and attitude—did she think she was some little princess? That everyone had to listen to her?
“Hey! What’s your problem?”
“Shan Miaoyi.”
The man who had gone to put away the luggage returned. Frowning, he said disapprovingly: “You’re the one asking someone to switch seats. Why are you being so rude about it? Can’t you change that habit of yours?”
Although he was lecturing her, his tone was extremely gentle.
Shan Miaoyi pouted aggrievedly.
“I just want to sit with you. I don’t want to sit alone. I’m scared! Cheng Shi, you’re not allowed to scold me!”
“…”
Cheng Shi’s brows furrowed even more tightly.
“You sit here. I’ll go sit over there.”
“No! I want to sit with you!” Shan Miaoyi refused.
Cheng Shi glanced at the young woman sitting by the window, the one Shan Miaoyi had just spoken to.
She clearly had no intention of paying Shan Miaoyi any attention and continued facing the window.
Her figure looked slender and delicate from behind. Although he could not see her face, Cheng Shi’s heart inexplicably skipped a couple of beats. A strange and unfamiliar feeling rose within him.
“Cheng Shi!!”
Shan Miaoyi was very dissatisfied.
“What are you looking at?”
A trace of impatience flashed through Cheng Shi’s eyes. Turning away, he asked the passengers on the other side whether they would be willing to switch seats. After obtaining their agreement, he and Shan Miaoyi moved to the seats over there.
Only after the two left did Fang Yun lean closer and whisper,
“I bet those two are also Educated Youth going to the countryside. That girl’s temper is awful. I wonder who’s going to be unlucky enough to end up in the same place as them.”
Lin Wanwan gave a soft hum.
“It’s fine. When you meet someone like that, just ignore her. Like I did just now.”
“Wanwan, you’re really composed.”
Fang Yun gave her a thumbs-up.
If it had been her, she might have agreed to switch seats.
Lin Wanwan’s eyes curved as she smiled.
Hmph. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t a little princess too.
The train swayed steadily toward its destination.
Before long, evening arrived, and it was time for dinner.
Fang Yun had already fetched hot water and was eating her flatbread. Across from them, Sun Cheng and Gao Wenyuan also took out the dry rations they had brought.
“Wanwan, why aren’t you eating yet?” Fang Yun asked between bites.
Lin Wanwan glanced at the backpack by her feet.
“I’m going to eat in the dining car. Could you help me keep an eye on my luggage?”
Most of the contents had already been transferred into the mall space, but she still had to keep up appearances.
“Of course! Don’t worry. I guarantee that however your luggage looks when you leave, it’ll look exactly the same when you come back.”
Fang Yun laughed heartily and patted her chest in assurance.
“Thank you~”
Lin Wanwan’s beautiful eyes curved into crescents. Her voice was as soft as cotton candy as she stood and left her seat.
The aisle between the train carriages was crowded with people sitting there as well.
Carefully avoiding them, she moved slowly because of the discomfort in her chest. Unfortunately, she accidentally bumped into someone beside her.
“Sorry.”
A pleasant and utterly out-of-place fragrance drifted into Cheng Shi’s nose.
At the same time, a soft yet cool voice sounded beside his ear.
Cheng Shi froze for a moment and looked up.
A young woman was standing beside him.
One hand rested on the seatback behind him. Her delicate brows were slightly furrowed. Pale and fragile, yet exquisitely beautiful.
At once, Cheng Shi thought of a literary work he had once read—Dream of the Red Chamber.
Specifically, the character Lin Daiyu.
“Her brows seemed forever touched by sorrow’s mist;
Her eyes held both joy and feeling.
Grief lingered upon her cheeks, illness clung to her delicate frame.
Tears shimmered faintly within her gaze.”
(Original description from Dream of the Red Chamber)
It was as though a character had stepped directly out of the pages of the book.
Cheng Shi stared blankly in a daze.
Lin Wanwan noticed a gaze lingering on her.
Turning her head, she happened to meet Cheng Shi’s almost infatuated expression.
“?”
Why did both of these people seem so strange?
Disgust appeared on her face.
She looked away and slowly continued toward the dining car, her slender and fragile figure resembling a willow branch swaying in the wind.
There were not many people in the dining car.
It was obvious that those dining there came from fairly well-off backgrounds, judging by their clean and presentable clothing.
Lin Wanwan took out her train ticket and handed it to the attendant.
In her gentle voice, she said,
“One bowl of tomato and egg soup, one serving of stir-fried pork with green peppers, and one bowl of rice. Thank you.”
She could not eat much by herself. One dish and one soup were enough.
The food arrived quickly.
Lin Wanwan sat at the table and ate leisurely.
After finishing her meal, she conveniently went to the restroom.
The train was crowded, and the restroom was filthy.
With visible disdain, Lin Wanwan locked the door and entered the mall space instead. She used the restroom inside the mall and took the opportunity to wipe her face with a towel.
Unfortunately, she could not stay there too long.
Otherwise, she would have liked to take a bath as well.
The five-star hotel on the seventh floor had shower facilities prepared for guests, complete with hot water.
After giving herself a simple wipe-down with the towel, Lin Wanwan once again made her way through the crowded corridor and returned to her seat.
The man named Cheng Shi was nowhere to be seen.
The previously arrogant girl was sitting in her seat with her eyes tightly shut. Her brows were deeply furrowed, and her expression looked terrible, as though she were trapped in a nightmare.
“Wanwan, you’re back! Look, I kept a close watch on your things. Nothing’s missing!”
Fang Yun stood up to let her back in.
Lin Wanwan’s eyes curved into crescents.
“Thanks~”
Bending down, she rummaged through the bag by her feet and took out several White Rabbit Cream Candies. She handed two of them to Fang Yun and blinked playfully.
“A thank-you gift~”
“Oh, there’s no need. It was just a small favor.”
Fang Yun waved her hands awkwardly.
“If I’m giving them to you, just take them.”
Lin Wanwan directly stuffed the candies into Fang Yun’s palm.
“Don’t be so polite.”
For some reason, Fang Yun felt deeply touched.
Unable to help herself, she said,
“Wanwan, you’re such a good person!”
Having received a good-person card, Lin Wanwan simply smiled.
The train continued steadily along the tracks.
Outside the window, everything was pitch black, and no scenery could be seen.
Lin Wanwan daydreamed for a while before preparing to close her eyes and rest.
Suddenly, a sharp scream filled with terror came from nearby.
“Ahhh—!”
Everyone’s attention was immediately drawn toward the source of the sound.
The scream had come from the girl named Shan Miaoyi.
Her face was full of fear. Her eyes were wide open, and cold sweat continuously poured down her forehead. She looked as though she had been subjected to an enormous fright.
Fang Yun glanced over.
“She must’ve had a nightmare.”
“Mhm, probably.”
Lin Wanwan withdrew her gaze with little interest.
Shifting into a more comfortable position, she prepared to drift off to sleep.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Shan Miaoyi’s terrified expression gradually transformed into excitement.
She stared at her own hands in disbelief.
Her body trembled slightly, and her widened eyes were bloodshot.
She had been reborn?
She had really been reborn?!
Sure enough, even Heaven pitied her!