Chapter 26.3

The car grew quiet, and Ruan Mingfu became increasingly drowsy. She drifted in and out of sleep until the car finally stopped as the sky brightened.

“Are we there?”

Ruan Mingfu opened her sleepy eyes and found herself leaning against Xie Yanzhao. The driver had somehow become Xu Zhu.

“Yes,” Xie Yanzhao responded softly, causing Ruan Mingfu’s ears to tingle.

She struggled to sit up straight and looked out the window.

At the station, there was a large crowd. She poked her head out and asked, “Are we getting off now?”

Still sleepy, Ruan Mingfu looked dazed and disoriented, with her head resting against the window. She looked soft and obedient, quite different from her usual assertive self.

Xie Yanzhao moved and turned his eyes away. “Stay in the car. I’ll go check it out.”

Ruan Mingfu, feeling muddled, didn’t know how long she had been in the car before Xie Yanzhao returned, accompanied by another man.

He opened the car door and said to the very tired Ruan Mingfu, “Get out. We’ve arrived.”

Ruan Mingfu extended her slender fingers and rubbed her temples. After a yawn, she got out of the car.

The newcomer’s eyes lit up upon seeing her. “Brother Xie, this must be my sister-in-law.”?”

Ruan Mingfu mustered her energy and greeted him, “Hello.”

“Hello, hello, sister-in-law,” the man, who looked younger and shorter compared to Xie Yanzhao, said. “I’m Li Rui, a comrade of Brother Xie.”

Li Rui was very friendly, taking all the things from the car and guiding them into the station.

Ruan Mingfu wasn’t sure how they got there.

There weren’t many people on the way, and when they arrived at the station, Li Rui handed over three tickets.

“It’s tight on time. I only managed to get sleeper tickets. Two are together, and one is in a different carriage.”

“Got it,” Xu Zhu said, punching Li Rui’s shoulder. “Thanks, brother.”

Li Rui waved his hand. “If you come again, make sure to call me. I’ll head back now.”

“Wait,” Xie Yanzhao tossed the car keys to Li Rui. “Aren’t you taking these?”

Li Rui caught them and showed a broad smile. “Thank you, Brother!”

Ruan Mingfu couldn’t help but yawn again.

It seemed she had stayed up all night.

Staying up all night felt like aging her by ten years.

Ruan Mingfu rubbed her face, determined to catch up on sleep once she was on the train. She couldn’t let her pretty face suffer.

Soon, the train they were to board arrived.

In those days, few people could afford a sleeper, so there was no crowding when Ruan Mingfu and the others boarded.

In the compartment Ruan Mingfu had booked, there were already two well-dressed male comrades. One was older, around forty, and the other was younger, about twenty. They nodded to Ruan Mingfu and the others as they arrived.

Xu Zhu put down the items he was carrying and handed the other two tickets to Xie Yanzhao.

“Leave the things here with you. I’ll go ahead.”

Xie Yanzhao responded, “Settle in and then come over.”

“Got it.”

Xie Yanzhao looked at the tickets for a moment and then said to Ruan Mingfu, “One is a middle bunk, and one is a lower bunk. You take the middle bunk.”

He would be on the lower bunk, so he could keep an eye on her if needed.

Ruan Mingfu agreed and walked in from behind him.

The younger man’s eyes widened in surprise.

At that moment, his mind experienced a brief lapse. As Ruan Mingfu walked into the compartment, it felt as though he could hear the sound of flowers blooming.

The young man clutched his chest.

He was afraid that if he were even a second too slow, his rapidly beating heart would leap out of his chest.

The young man savored this strange feeling.

For a moment, he felt this must be what the romantic love described by literary figures was like.

Having lived for over twenty years, this was the first time the young man tasted the flavor of love.

His eyes sparkled, and he was tempted to introduce himself immediately. However, he feared that doing so might scare Ruan Mingfu, so he pondered finding a more suitable moment.

A romantic encounter deserved a romantic beginning.

Ruan Mingfu, however, was unaware of the young man’s musings.

Her greatest wish at the moment was to get a good sleep; she was truly exhausted.

Ruan Mingfu sat on the lower bunk, and her head began to droop.

“Sleep later,” Xie Yanzhao roused her. “Eat something first.”

Ruan Mingfu frowned slightly, her delicate face showing a hint of dissatisfaction. She took a deep breath, which made her feel a bit more awake.

The young man sat across from Ruan Mingfu and Xie Yanzhao.

Seeing their intimate actions, he suddenly felt a strong sense of danger. The young man rubbed his hands, constantly reassuring himself.

‘They are definitely siblings!’

His gaze fell on Ruan Mingfu, and when he accidentally met Xie Yanzhao’s fierce and domineering eyes, he quickly looked down.

Oh my god, this man is too frightening.

The young man, still shaken, dared not look around any longer.

The train blew its whistle and soon began to move slowly.

Xie Yanzhao took out a water cup. “Stay here, I’ll get some hot water.”

“Okay.”

Before leaving, he glanced at the person sitting opposite them.

Ruan Mingfu looked out at the receding scenery, her beautiful eyes filled with curiosity.

With the frightening man finally gone, the young man felt relieved.

He cleared his throat. “Comrade, are you also going to Haicheng?”

Ruan Mingfu looked at her ticket and realized that this train also passed through her original hometown, the place where the original owner’s family lived.

She glanced at the young man and gave a faint nod.

“Great, then we can look out for each other on this trip,” the young man became more enthusiastic. “My name is Gu Qingsong, I just graduated from college, and I’m from Haicheng. What about you?”

“I’m Ruan Mingfu, an educated youth.”

Gu Qingsong’s eyes lit up. “Are you returning to Haicheng to visit relatives?”

“No.”

During their brief conversation, Ruan Mingfu began to feel sleepy again.

How frustrating!

Ruan Mingfu thought if she didn’t get some rest soon, she would be done for.

If that annoying man dared to wake her up at two in the morning again, she’d make him pay!

With Xie Yanzhao temporarily gone and the compartment filled with strangers, Ruan Mingfu had to stay alert and couldn’t fully relax. Fortunately, Xie Yanzhao didn’t take long to return. Not only did he bring back hot water, but he also had a food container with several buns.

He placed the items on a small table beside her. “Have a bun before you go to sleep.”

The buns were quite large, bigger than Ruan Mingfu’s hand.

She obviously couldn’t finish them all on her own.

The buns were still steaming hot.

Ruan Mingfu picked one up, split it in half, and revealed the filling inside.

It was actually a meat bun.

Ruan Mingfu handed the part with the filling to Xie Yanzhao.

Seeing her delicate hand passing him the bun, Xie Yanzhao’s eyes darkened slightly. He didn’t reach for it but took a bite of the bun directly. In just a few bites, he finished half of it.

Ruan Mingfu’s fingertips turned slightly red, clearly from the heat of the bun.

Xie Yanzhao took her hand and touched the reddened area. “Does it hurt?”

Gu Qingsong watched this scene, almost biting through his handkerchief. He was helpless and could only repeatedly tell himself in his mind.

Her hand was being held, and when Xie Yanzhao touched the red mark, it caused a ticklish sensation, making her flinch and withdraw her hand.

Ruan Mingfu finished eating the bun slowly and then looked at Xie Yanzhao with determination. “I’m tired.”

He glanced at the bedding on the upper bunk and recalled the scene from the hospital.

Xie Yanzhao: “…”

He resigned himself and spread the bedsheet on the place where Ruan Mingfu was going to sleep. Xie Yanzhao also took out a thin blanket, in case she felt cold later.

After re-spreading the bed sheet, the middle bunk looked much more presentable.

Ruan Mingfu’s eyes showed a satisfied expression.

Just as she was about to climb up to sleep, someone suddenly stumbled and fell.

Seeing that he was about to fall on Ruan Mingfu, Xie Yanzhao was quick to take Ruan Mingfu aside, and then he turned his attention to the culprit.

“What happened?” Gu Qingsong stood up, “You almost bumped into someone just now.”

If it weren’t for the ‘brother’ of his goddess, his goddess might have been injured.

The man who had fallen looked embarrassed as he got up.

“Sorry, sorry,” he repeatedly apologized, “I lost my balance for a moment and disturbed everyone. I’m really sorry.”

Since the person was genuinely apologetic, Gu Qingsong decided not to hold it against him. He huffed, “Be more careful next time!”

“Definitely, I… How come you’re here?!”

When the newcomer’s gaze fell on Ruan Mingfu, he seemed to freeze in place.

His eyes widened, and he even rubbed them, still in disbelief, before looking back at Ruan Mingfu.

“Do you know me?”

Ruan Mingfu did not recognize him at all and had no idea where she might have seen him before.

Xie Yanzhao pulled Ruan Mingfu behind him and then turned his attention to the newcomer.

The train compartment was already cramped, and Xie Yanzhao, being extremely tall, felt like a giant in this small space. Moreover, his imposing presence made it even more intimidating for ordinary people.

The man’s face turned pale, and he kept waving his hands, stammering.

“I… I don’t know, don’t know…”

Ruan Mingfu casually withdrew her gaze.

The man quickly left, glancing back at Ruan Mingfu one last time.

Ruan Mingfu climbed onto the bed without further incident and quickly closed her eyes.

The train was not a good place to sleep; the clattering of wheels, the conversations from the neighboring compartments, and the cries of children nearby made it difficult for Ruan Mingfu to sleep soundly.

Her brows remained furrowed, not relaxing even for a moment.

When she opened her eyes again, there was another young couple in the compartment.

They looked to be in their early twenties, dressed in brand-new, immaculate clothes, with no patches. It was clear that they came from a well-off family.

The two seemed to know Gu Qingsong and were chatting in low voices.

Ruan Mingfu rubbed her aching head.

She was exhausted and had no desire to go out anymore.

In this era, there were no airplanes, so travel depended solely on cars and trains. The crowded and uncomfortable journey was quite a hardship.

Miss Ruan had her private plane at the age of eight.

It was the first time she had experienced such travel discomfort.

Gu Qingsong, who had been quietly observing Ruan Mingfu, brightened up, “Comrade Ruan, you’re awake?”