The train drove past one station after another. As Shen Qinglan looked at the scenery flashing past her outside the window, Fu Hengyi's handsome face drifted into her mind. She had not told him about the trip.
At that thought, she got a call from the man himself. She looked at the time—it was six in the evening.
"Hey."
"Have you eaten?" Fu Hengyi smiled without knowing it upon hearing Shen Qinglan's melodious voice.
"No, I'm on the train."
"Train?" Fu Hengyi raised a brow, "Where to?"
"Just heading out, sightseeing, getting some relief," Shen Qinglan spoke casually.
"What's your destination?"
Shen Qinglan looked at her ticket and said, "Hangcheng."
"Why did you suddenly decide to go somewhere so far away?" Fu Hengyi thought she might have just gone to a nearby city, but it turned out she had left for the south.
"I bought the ticket at random."
"Is this what they call an unplanned trip?" Fu Hengyi chuckled.
Shen Qinglan grinned. It seemed so.
They kept talking. Shen Qinglan did not realize it, but her conversations with Fu Hengyi had gotten a lot more casual.
"You're early today." Due to the crowded carriage, Shen Qinglan could not make her words clear, though she believed that Fu Hengyi could understand her.
"It's dinner time now. I have a meeting later."
Shen Qinglan acknowledged it with an "oh."
"Take care of yourself out there, you hear? Eat your meals on time," Fu Hengyi reminded her.
Shen Qinglan acknowledged that, too.
"Share some photos with me," Fu Hengyi promptly said before hanging up.
Her beautiful eyes flashed, "Sure."
"Yo, was that your boyfriend on the other line?" As soon as the phone call ended, Shen Qinglan was met with a pair of curious eyes flickering at her.
Shen Qinglan leaned back slightly, keeping a distance from the girl, her facial expression as calm as ever.
"What does your boyfriend do? Are you in a long-distance relationship? I heard that it's easy to break up that way—are you on your way to see him now?"
Shen Qinglan lowered her eyes and said nothing.
"I'm heading to Hangcheng, what about you?" The girl asked again when Shen Qinglan did not reply.
Shen Qinglan glanced away, not wanting to face her.
"Hey, didn't anyone ever tell you that ignoring the person talking to you is considered rude?"
"Oh, and why aren't you willing to change seats with me anyway? Is my money not enough? But it's over three hundred, not exactly a small sum. Not that I need the money, but the ticket alone is over five hundred already. You can't be too greedy." The girl talked on and talked, completely forgetting who was staring angrily at whom for their reluctance to change seats.
"I'm Yan Xi. The name's a combination of 'color' and 'sunset'. What's yours?"
Shen Qinglan closed her eyes. She had discovered, for the first time, an even greater chatterbox than Yu Xiaoxuan. The girl whose name was Yan Xi certainly lived up to the title. Without needing Shen Qinglan to utter a single word, she could talk her ear off throughout the journey.
She started with her name, then went right to her hobbies. From there, she talked about her schoolmates and then she mentioned a popular celebrity who also happened to be her Prince Charming. Next, she told her the reason she was going to Hangcheng. In short, she told Shen Qinglan everything there was to know about her and then some.
Shen Qinglan learned that Yan Xi was a third-year student at the affiliated senior high school of University B. She was from the capital—combined with her last name, she must be from the Yan family in Nancheng.
The Yan family in Nancheng was similar to the Shen family. They were clans who had risen to fame on the battlefield, and whose roots were based in Nancheng.
The Yan family owned an old mansion in the capital, but the main family did not reside there. If Shen Qinglan remembered correctly, the girl named Yan Xi belonged to the main family, so why was she attending school in the capital?
Shen Qinglan could not figure it out, so she stopped thinking about it. It had nothing to do with her anyway.
The train arrived at the desired station. Shen Qinglan stood up and grabbed her luggage.
"Oh, so you're stopping at Hangcheng, too! What a coincidence! Hm, why did you bring so little with you?" Yan Xi looked at Shen Qinglan in surprise.
Shen Qinglan threw a glance at the natural socializer, finding her troublesome. She had always disliked holding conversations with strangers, but somehow she could not bear disgust toward this girl whose character resembled Yu Xiaoxuan's.
"Aye, wait for me. Since we're heading off to the same place, let's go together. Someone's coming to fetch me. You can join us. You weren't willing to switch seats with me and all, but since we got along just fine, I suppose I can be the bigger person and forgive you. You're more than welcome," Yan Xi talked to herself.
Shen Qinglan said nothing.
What makes you think we got along just fine?
Shen Qinglan ignored her and walked away on her own. Yan Xi trailed behind her, dragging a large suitcase.
Shen Qinglan had fewer things to carry on her, so she was able to walk fast. Yan Xi tried to catch up with much difficulty and was soon gasping for breath.
"Slow down, I can't catch up. My brother's waiting for me in the Eastern District. We should go there," Yan Xi said, panting.
Shen Qinglan stopped walking and turned to face her, only to find that her face had paled and her brows slightly wrinkled, "You don't have to follow me."
"Who's following you? It just so happens I'm heading this way as well," Yan Xi grumbled, eyes widened.