Chapter 1

The Girl on the Upper Bunk

“Life is not just about the mundane present, but also about poetry and distant horizons…”

During the summer vacation, Lin Senmu, carrying a travel bag and listening to this song through his Bluetooth earphones, embarked on a spontaneous journey.

First, he visited the municipality of Bayu to see the light rail that passes through residential buildings. Then, he climbed stairs until he questioned his life, thinking he was on the 30th floor when he was actually on the ground level.

Next, he toured the capital of Sichuan Province, walked along Yulin Road mentioned in the song, sat by the entrance of a small tavern, and marveled at the Sichuan mountains.

He also savored the local delicacies of both places, giving a thumbs-up to the spicy hotpot.

For the next leg of his journey, Lin Senmu planned to take a 27-hour green train from the capital of Sichuan Province, heading westward.

He chose not to go to the more scenic Tibetan region, fearing altitude sickness, as he was traveling alone and wouldn’t have anyone to take care of him if he fell ill.

So, he bought a ticket for the western region, where he heard that Dilraba and Gulnazar were everywhere.

Lin Senmu didn’t mind leaving his innocence in the western region.

Just a casual encounter to mark his visit.

Just kidding, of course. A boy’s first night should be with the woman he loves.

So as not to have regrets in his youth.

“I wonder if the passengers I’ll meet on this journey will be male or female!”

Lin Senmu, a native of Hunan Province, had taken a high-speed train from Hunan to Bayu, where he sat next to a middle-aged man who took off his socks and picked at his feet, almost making Lin Senmu want to ask about the man’s daughter.

On the bullet train from Bayu to Sichuan, he encountered a newlywed couple on their honeymoon.

“Damn it, they kept showing off their love, making me eat a lot of dog food!”

After entering the station, waiting, and checking his ticket, Lin Senmu entered the soft sleeper compartment.

Lin Senmu held the paper ticket between his slender index and middle fingers. He liked collecting these tickets because each one held its own significance.

It might represent a journey, the scenery of a place.

It might represent a story, meeting someone he wanted to see.

Each ticket represented a memory, carrying those precious moments of Lin Senmu’s youth.

“Lower berth, number two.”

Following the information on his ticket, Lin Senmu pushed open the wooden door of the deluxe soft sleeper compartment.

Huh?

Lin Senmu glanced inside the compartment and quickly stepped back out, double-checking the ticket information outside the door.

That’s right.

Super happy ^_^!

His travel companion this time turned out to be a girl around his age.

With just a fleeting glance, Lin Senmu caught sight of a face that stirred something in him.

“Don’t be nervous, it’s just a girl. My ticket is for this berth.”

Lin Senmu took a deep breath and stepped back into the soft sleeper compartment.

The next second, a pair of clear, lively eyes focused on Lin Senmu.

She was a girl with features as delicate as a painting, her long black hair tied into a single ponytail with a hairband. She wore a white shirt with a red bow at the collar and a sky-blue plaid JK skirt around her waist.

She sat on the edge of the upper berth, swinging her fair, manga-like legs, her feet clad in white socks.

Upon seeing the boy enter, the girl quickly pulled her legs back onto the upper berth, and her feet, still in white socks, quietly slipped under the blanket.

Lin Senmu’s eyes instinctively wanted to linger on the girl’s beautiful legs, but his good upbringing kept him from such frivolous behavior.

“Hello, my ticket is for this berth.”

Lin Senmu took off his Bluetooth earphones and greeted her politely, then took off his backpack and sat on his assigned lower berth.

“Hello.”

Jiang Yuan responded softly.

Lin Senmu didn’t speak anymore. Throughout this journey, he had brushed past too many strangers.

On the high-speed train he took to get here, he had encountered a girl who made him look up and take a second glance. While visiting the scenic spots, he had come across a beauty who made him stop and turn back.

Like many young people, he had fantasized in his mind about the story of striking up a conversation, getting to know each other, and falling in love. But it was just a fantasy, nothing more.

“Ding ling ling!”

As the phone rang, a girl’s voice came from the upper bunk, “Greetings to Mother Master, your Little Padded Jacket is on the train now.”

“Mhm, I bought a ticket for a two-person soft sleeper. I promise I’ll only sneak out this once. I really want to travel to the Western Regions alone!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be nineteen in a few months. I’ll be fine on my own!”

“What era is this now? Our country is very safe. Um… the person in my compartment is a girl…”

Lin Senmu didn’t want to eavesdrop on others’ conversations. He had just put on his headphones to continue listening to music when he suddenly heard this sentence. His eyelids couldn’t help but twitch!

Girl, what are you saying?

I’m 1.83 meters tall, such a big guy, and you say I’m a girl???

Lin Senmu couldn’t help but clench his fists, his hands itching!

“Got it, I’ll be home soon. I’ll keep you updated on my safety along the way.”

“Bye, mom ┏(＾0＾)┛”

Soon, the girl ended the call, and the two-person soft sleeper compartment returned to silence.

The high-class soft sleeper was very comfortable. The left side was against the wall with upper and lower bunks. At the end of the aisle was a small dining table, to the right of which was a single sofa, followed by a combined bathroom with a shower.

This train offered hot water shower services.

If it were a pair of young lovers, it would be as cozy as a hotel.

But for two unrelated strangers of the opposite sex sharing this space, the narrow compartment felt awkward and stifling.

Jiang Yuan lay under the blanket, her small head turned towards the door. The door was embedded with a large mirror, through which she could see every move of the boy on the lower bunk.

Her first impression of the boy was that he was particularly clean and refreshing, and his personality seemed very quiet.

She thought for a moment, then sat up and opened her small backpack, which was stuffed with snacks.

Lin Senmu sat on the bunk listening to music when suddenly a slender, fair arm descended from above. He was startled and looked up to meet a face as beautiful as a painting.

Jiang Yuan poked her head out from the upper bunk and waved the snack in her hand, “Do you want some chips? Lime flavor, super refreshing!”

“Thank you!”

Lin Senmu didn’t take it. He wasn’t a child and usually refused snacks.

If it were a pack of spicy strips, he might have been tempted!

Thank you?

He didn’t take my chips, but he said thank you. He probably wants to eat them, right?

Thinking this, Jiang Yuan swung her arm and accurately tossed the bag of chips onto the lower bunk.

Then, her delicate face showed a hint of apology, “Sorry about earlier. My mom was worried about me sharing a compartment with a guy, so I had to say you were a girl~”

“No problem!”

Lin Senmu smiled.

“Remember to eat the chips. They’re really good. I love them!”

After sharing the snack, Jiang Yuan lay back down.

She closed her eyes, and the boy’s smile from earlier appeared in her mind. He had a really nice smile!

“Wuwuwu…”

The green train departed at 16:37 in the afternoon. The wheels slowly pushed forward on the tracks, gradually picking up speed, carrying the travelers on board toward distant places and bringing the homebound passengers back to their hometowns.

Soft sleeper compartment number two.

Lin Senmu sat at the innermost part of the lower bunk, his hands resting on the table, his head tilted as he gazed out the window at the receding pedestrians and station.

Jiang Yuan lay on the upper bunk, her elbows propped up, her delicate chin resting in her palms, her face tilted upward as she watched the mountains and trees retreating outside the window.

On the glass window, the faint outlines of the boy and girl were reflected.