Chapter 18

Bai Jiaojiao giggled and said, “Comrade Li Yumei, don’t be so polite. Us women comrades need to help each other when we’re out like this.”

Chi Yiyi, however, felt that Li Yumei, this woman with a theatrical personality, was far from simple.

The train moved slowly, and Chi Yiyi, bored, leaned against the window to rest her eyes.

When she woke up, it was already noon, and she noticed the seat across from her was empty again. Looking up, she realized Li Yumei was gone too.

For some reason, a bad feeling flashed through Chi Yiyi’s heart.

Just then, Cheng Yuan suddenly handed her a boxed meal bought from the train’s dining car.

Chi Yiyi looked at him in confusion.

Cheng Yuan said sincerely, “Thank you for teaching me a lesson last night. I noticed you haven’t eaten since yesterday, so I bought you a boxed meal to fill your stomach.”

Chi Yiyi wanted to say she had plenty of food in her space, but she didn’t want to draw attention. She had deliberately dressed in old patched clothes to look like someone from modest means.

Cheng Yuan didn’t seem to be from a poor family either, yet he bought her one of the premium train meals.

But Chi Yiyi didn’t want to accept small favors from a man, especially ones that might lead to a sense of debt. She pushed the meal back.

“Thank you, Comrade Cheng Yuan, but I’m not hungry. You don’t need to help me.”

Cheng Yuan stared at the returned meal, suddenly feeling empty inside.

At that moment, Li Yumei returned alone and happened to see the disappointed look on Cheng Yuan’s face. She shamelessly walked over and said, “Comrade Cheng, since that meal was for Comrade Chi and she doesn’t want it, how about you give it to me?”

Of course, Cheng Yuan didn’t want to let Li Yumei benefit from it. If he didn’t eat the meal now, he could still save it for dinner.

Instead, he asked, “Where is Comrade Bai Jiaojiao?”

Li Yumei could tell Cheng Yuan was too embarrassed to reject her, so she quickly grabbed the meal and sat in the empty seat Bai Jiaojiao had vacated to eat.

After taking a bite, she finally answered, “I don’t know where Comrade Bai Jiaojiao went.”

Chi Yiyi had an instinctive dislike for Li Yumei. She didn’t believe her words at all. She stood up and went to another train car, where she ran into a train officer. She expressed her concern that Bai Jiaojiao might be missing.

In her previous life, Chi Yiyi had read reports in the newspapers about female educated youths being kidnapped in the countryside. The outcomes for those girls were terrifying.

The officer took her words seriously.

Chi Yiyi and the officer returned to her car. While Chi Yiyi sat down, the officer began asking around about Bai Jiaojiao.

When the officer reached Chi Yiyi’s area, she noticed a flash of panic in Li Yumei’s eyes.

Chi Yiyi couldn’t believe it — could Li Yumei actually be involved in human trafficking?

The officer said, “Comrade, please show me your ticket.”

Li Yumei hesitated and didn’t want to comply.

Chi Yiyi immediately said, “Officer, this Comrade Li Yumei is not assigned to this seat.”

Cheng Yuan, remembering that Chi Yiyi was the first to be bullied the night before, decided to seize the moment to look good in front of her.

“Officer, I can also confirm — this seat belongs to Comrade Bai Jiaojiao. Around eleven in the morning, she left with Comrade Li Yumei to another car and never returned.”

The officer looked at Li Yumei with increased suspicion.

Li Yumei calmly said, “Officer, I have something to say. At that time, I went to the restroom, and Comrade Bai Jiaojiao went to the dining car. We just walked together for a while and then split up. I don’t know where she went after that.”

Other passengers confirmed that Li Yumei was telling the truth.

Just as the officer was at a loss, the handsome man from earlier, Gu Xuan, appeared again — this time dragging along a suspicious-looking man.

“Officer, this man is a human trafficker. There’s a female comrade he drugged, and she’s still unconscious in the restroom of Car 11.”

“Jiaojiao! It must be Jiaojiao! These damn traffickers!”

Li Yumei suddenly acted like Bai Jiaojiao’s closest relative and turned to leave.

Chi Yiyi thought she was trying to escape and grabbed her arm.

Li Yumei flared up. “Chi Yiyi, let me go! What are you doing?”

“Time will tell,” Gu Xuan said as he walked over, reminding Chi Yiyi that Li Yumei had an alibi.

Chi Yiyi immediately understood — the trafficker Gu Xuan caught wasn’t directly working with Li Yumei.

Li Yumei quickly ran off.

The officer turned to Chi Yiyi and Gu Xuan. “You two are good citizens. On behalf of Comrade Bai Jiaojiao, thank you.”

The carriage erupted in applause.

Gu Xuan took the opportunity to invite Chi Yiyi, “What a coincidence. How about we go have a meal together in the dining car?”

Looking at the handsome man’s smiling face, Chi Yiyi felt herself unknowingly fall for him again.

“Alright.”

In the next car over, Chi Junshu heard the commotion and craned his neck curiously. He thought he saw Chi Yiyi’s back, but wasn’t sure.

He immediately stood up and followed them.

In the train’s dining car, it was quiet. Gu Xuan picked up the menu and ordered four dishes, one soup, and two bowls of rice. Then he returned the menu to the attendant.

He sat down across from Chi Yiyi and introduced himself confidently, “Comrade Chi Yiyi, hello. I’m Gu Xuan, currently holding a temporary position as a regiment commander in the North City Western District Military Region. I’ve just been transferred to serve as the director of the arms factory in Hezigou Commune, Yucheng, Northeast Province.”

In fact, his rank was much higher than a regiment commander, but he didn’t want to scare her off with it.

Chi Yiyi felt a flutter in her heart. “You’re a soldier?”

She had originally thought he was like Zhou Zixiao, a typical rich playboy.

It was clear now that Chi Yiyi liked soldiers.

“Yes, I am.”

For the first time, Gu Xuan felt proud of his profession.

Chi Yiyi realized she was a little too excited. She composed herself and introduced herself, “I’m from Su City and being sent down to the countryside in Northeast Province. I don’t know yet where I’ll be assigned.”

“Oh right, how did you know that Bai Jiaojiao was harmed by Li Yumei?”

Gu Xuan replied, “My seat is in the carriage right behind yours.”

What a coincidence!

Chi Yiyi widened her eyes in surprise.

In truth, after Gu Xuan found her earlier, he no longer wanted to go back to his high-class private sleeper.

Chi Yiyi was about to ask more when suddenly, Chi Junshu showed up, slammed his hand on the table, and exclaimed, “Sis, it really is you! You’re seriously going to leave Brother Zixiao behind and go to the countryside?”