Chapter 13: In Lace Camisole Pajamas  

One must admit, a good night’s sleep depends largely on a comfortable bed.  

Qian Lai was jolted awake by the piercing cries of a baby!  

A glance at the clock showed it was already 10 p.m.  

Before she could fully regain her senses, a blinding golden light flashed before her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself inexplicably thrown outside Hua Rui’s compartment by the Dimension.  

At that moment, Qiao Muting was anxiously holding the wailing Wenquan, pleading with Hua Rui for help: “Comrade, I’m so sorry. Could you… um… tell me where the female comrade who had lunch with us earlier went? I’ve searched the entire train but couldn’t find her…”  

Only then did he realize he didn’t even know her name.  

“You mean…” Hua Rui nearly slipped up but remembered Qian Lai’s instructions just in time and stopped herself. “I don’t know. What’s the matter?”  

“The child suddenly started crying uncontrollably. The train attendants and a few aunties couldn’t calm him down. I noticed he seemed to like that comrade earlier, so I was hoping she could try.”  

“Give the child to me.”  

The two turned around at the voice. Qiao Muting took one look and, as if electrocuted, immediately spun back around.  

Hua Rui stared straight at Qian Lai’s chest with a mischievous grin.  

Qian Lai looked down—OMG! The Dimension hadn’t even given her time to change. She was still wearing her lace camisole pajamas.  

She quickly covered her chest. “Sorry, I came here suddenly. I forgot…”  

Hua Rui draped her own shirt over her, and Qian Lai, blushing, took Wenquan into her arms.  

Fortunately, the other young people in the compartment were playing cards next door, leaving only Hua Rui and the woman on the opposite middle bunk inside.  

Wenquan was still hiccuping violently, and Qian Lai gently patted his back.  

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”  

Tears continued to stream from Wenquan’s Obsidian-like eyes, filled with unspoken emotions.  

“Shh, shh… don’t cry, baby. Auntie’s got you.”  

With that, she cradled Wenquan and began humming a lullaby: “Good baby, don’t fuss. Night is dark, time to sleep…”  

Qian Lai had never taken care of a child before. She simply swayed instinctively.  

When she glanced up—”Oh my god!”—she nearly jumped in fright.  

The woman on the opposite middle bunk had silently sat up at some point and was staring at them expressionlessly.  

Qian Lai quickly lowered her head.  

That woman’s gaze was terrifying!  

It was as if there was nothing behind her eyes—completely hollow—yet it also felt like judgment and accusation.  

The little one in her arms, listening to her lullaby, murmured, “Auntie, Wenquan dreamed of Mama.”  

The child spoke timidly.  

“Mama…” His lips quivered as if heartbroken all over again. He buried his face in her chest, tiny arms clinging tightly to her neck.  

Standing outside the compartment, Qiao Muting could faintly glimpse this tender scene through the door crack.  

Never in his life had he felt envy for a two-year-old—until now.  

He wanted her. And all it took for the child was a tantrum to get her. How enviable.  

That one glance when he turned around—the sight of the girl in nothing but a slip—would likely be etched into his mind forever.  

The creamy-white camisole dress barely covered the soft curves of her chest, her delicate skin faintly visible beneath, rising and falling gently with each breath.  

With her hair cascading down, she no longer carried the pure, carefree aura of the daytime but instead exuded a bewitching allure.

What held a fatal attraction for him was the small vermilion mole on the outer edge of the girl’s collarbone, making her appear both sensual and mysterious.

She truly was somewhat enigmatic, repeatedly sparking his curiosity.

They say that in relationships between men and women, once curiosity about the other arises, one is bound to fall deep into it.

Qiao Muting was lingering in this state without even realizing it.

He strode to the end of the carriage, no longer daring to peek into the room, nor even stand by the door.

Gazing at the pitch-black night outside the window, his mind continued to conjure up a kaleidoscope of vivid images.

Damn it!

……

Qiao Muting recalled the events of the evening.

In truth, Wenquan had always been well-behaved; nothing like this had ever happened before.

During dinner, when he noticed the little boy at the opposite table gulping down milk, Qiao Muting had even teased him for being a greedy little kitten.

Nearly three years old and still craving milk like that.

Now it seemed the child had been watching the mother feeding her baby.

The child missed his mother!

Yet he had completely misunderstood, and a pang of guilt struck him.

Suddenly, a Thunderbolt split the night sky, followed by the deafening roar of thunder as torrential rain instantly shrouded the world in a dense mist.

The vast wilderness outside the carriage, where distant lights had been faintly visible moments ago, was now swallowed by utter darkness.

The train advancing through the night resembled a dragon lost in the abyss of confusion.

The atmosphere grew abruptly terrifying.

“What are you doing?!”

A shrill scream shattered Qiao Muting’s reverie.

A figure darted out of the compartment, and in the blink of an eye, she was clutching the child and sprinting straight toward the last carriage of the train.

Qian Lai and Hua Rui chased after the woman, shouting, “She’s kidnapping the child!”

“Put the child down now!”

Their sleeper carriage was the last passenger compartment of the train. Beyond it lay the freight cars.

Normally, the freight section was locked tight.

But coincidentally, at half past ten every night, it was the shift change for the duty crew.

During this time, both shifts would reorganize the existing storage Dimension to make space for new cargo arriving at dawn.

For convenience, the door was usually left unlocked.

Ordinary passengers, of course, wouldn’t know this—unfortunately, this woman was no ordinary passenger.

Clutching the child, she ran like a startled deer fleeing for its life.

People drawn by the commotion were knocked aside one after another, until no one dared approach her.

She yanked open the freight car door and bolted toward the rear of the train, muttering incessantly, “Mommy’s here, baby, don’t be scared. Mommy will kill them, Mommy will protect you!”

From the other end of the sleeper carriage, Qiao Muting heard the cries and dashed forward like lightning.

Despite his swift reaction, the distance was too great. By the time he caught up, the woman was already standing at the rear guardrail with the child in her arms.

Outside, the wind howled, and the rain fell harder than the night “Yiping asked for money.”

Beyond the guardrail lay the tracks. With even the slightest misstep, Wenquan and the woman could tumble off the train.

The child in her arms wailed even more desperately.

The woman, wary of the crowd before her, softly soothed, “Don’t cry, Aqing, be good. Mommy’s here. Aqing, don’t be scared!”

“Ma’am, the storm is too fierce out here. Come inside first. Don’t let the child catch a cold.”

From her words and behavior, Qian Lai deduced that she must have suffered some mental trauma, mistaking Wenquan for her own child.

To ensure Wenquan’s safety, they couldn’t directly provoke her.  

They could only guide and deceive.  

Qiao Muting gently patted Qian Lai’s shoulder and gave her a meaningful look. The message was clear: You distract her while I find a way to rescue him.  

Qian Lai understood and nodded slightly in agreement.  

“Go, all of you go! You’re all trying to take my Aqing away from me.  

I’ve searched for nearly ten years, and I’ve finally found my Aqing.  

I won’t let you succeed.  

You’re all bad people!…”  

The woman seemed completely oblivious to the storm raging around her, her face twisted into a terrifying, manic grin.