Abandoned Town 2
Late at night, Hai Baihe had another dream. She knew she was dreaming because whenever she slept while hugging her own tail, she would almost always have the same dream.
In her dream, she was a gigantic creature of the deep sea. With a single bite, she could swallow an entire school of fish, even whales appeared minuscule like ants, let alone other fish species, which were nothing but a nuisance to her.
With a flip of her body, she would create monstrous waves on the sea's surface.
She played freely in the water, where no living being could harm her. She was the ruler of the sea!
Damn, it felt amazing.
"Wake up," Hai Youyu knocked on the door loudly. "Baihe, you have to go to the train station. You're going to be late!"
Hai Baihe reluctantly woke up from her pleasant dream. She wiped off the drool from her mouth and said, "Dad, why are you waking me up so early?"
"Aren't you taking the 8 o'clock train?" Hai Youyu gave up setting up his stall this morning just to accompany his daughter to the train station. "Is your luggage packed? I'll help you take it downstairs."
Hai Baihe suddenly remembered that today wasn't Saturday but Monday!
She had been idling at home for the past two days, it was time to hit the road.
She carried a suitcase, a makeup case, and a backpack. It was quite a struggle to lug them all onto the train. The dirty and cramped hard sleeper almost made her want to cry.
"Baihe, you're here," Mu Ge popped her head out from the upper bunk and introduced her to the others. "This is Baihe, my childhood friend. She's studying paleontology."
"Oh, the major with only one student in the whole year?" The first person to speak up was a tall and sunny-looking guy, with dark skin that suited his archaeology major. He introduced himself, "I'm Zhang Qihang, a second-year graduate student. I'm in charge of taking all of you to the field. This is Li Wenheng and Nie Han."
Li Wenheng had fair skin and wore glasses, matching his name with an elegant demeanor. "Hello, we're seniors."
Nie Han seemed more outgoing and whistled, "Hello, beautiful, don't hesitate to ask for our help with anything."
Another girl with long hair, wearing frameless glasses, quietly packed her things without saying a word. Unlike the others who took out their phones and tablets to pass the time, she placed two of Shen Congwen's works on the bunk: "The Art of the Dragon and Phoenix" and "Changhe."
She waited patiently for the introductions to finish before speaking, "I'm Ni Xuexu, a junior."
Perhaps due to her cold attitude, Mu Ge quickly came to her rescue, "Xuexu and I are classmates. Xuexu, Baihe is my roommate and my best friend. And Baihe, Xuexu is the top student in our department! She has received the national scholarship for three consecutive years!"
This time, there were only three girls going on the trip, so it was important for them to get acquainted quickly, especially when it came to using the restroom together.
Hai Baihe smiled friendly at Ni Xuexu, "Hello, nice to meet you. Please take care of me this time. I'm a complete novice."
However, Ni Xuexu's attitude was far from warm. She only smiled and then focused on her book without responding.
Mu Ge chuckled, realizing that Ni Xuexu was not exempt from the rumors at school and
had certain opinions about Hai Baihe. "She's a top student for sure. If I loved reading as much as Xuexu does, I wouldn't have missed out on scholarships. By the way, senior, how is our itinerary planned this time?"
With Mu Ge's lively and cheerful personality acting as a lubricant, everyone gradually became acquainted. Zhang Qihang discussed the arrangements for the trip, half jokingly saying, "The campsite conditions aren't great, and the management isn't very strict. It's all about self-discipline. Everyone should definitely not wander off randomly; it's dangerous."
Li Wenheng and Mu Ge listened attentively, while Nie Han seemed somewhat absent-minded. When he saw Hai Baihe's large suitcase, he immediately offered his help, "Let me assist you."
Hai Baihe politely declined with a smile, "It's alright, I don't have much luggage. I can handle it myself." Saying that, she effortlessly threw her makeup case and backpack onto the upper bunk and lifted her suitcase onto the luggage rack.
The few boys couldn't help but show surprise. Hai Baihe had a slender figure, and the lines of her legs and arms didn't seem like those of someone who exercised, unlike Mu Ge and Ni Xuexu.
Hai Baihe took off her ankle boots and agilely climbed onto the upper bunk, smiling inwardly. After all, she was a girl with a tail.
The bunk's sheets were just plain white. Hai Baihe took out a clean sleeping bag from her bag and laid it out. Then, she retrieved her iPad, noise-canceling headphones, bottled cola, snacks, and neck pillow from her bag. In just a few minutes, she transformed her bed into a cozy dormitory style.
Mu Ge, on the bunk opposite hers, said, "You're so well-prepared. Give me the bag of potato chips."
Hai Baihe tossed the chips to her, and Mu Ge tossed them back, saying, "I want the tomato flavor."
Hai Baihe exchanged it for a pack of tomato-flavored chips and said, "Roast meat flavor is better."
"I'm not you. I don't enjoy it without meat." Mu Ge envied her, "You're not even fat."
Hai Baihe smiled and said, "I swim."
That was just a joke. She felt that her appetite was as good as in her dream. Her food intake was almost the same as that of an average guy. Even if she didn't exercise and just idled around, she wouldn't gain weight.
It truly made her smile. Having a bloodline with a long tail was extraordinary.
The train journey was long and boring. After a brief chat of half an hour, everyone found their own ways to pass the time. Zhang Qihang and Ni Xuexu chose to read, Li Wenheng was reviewing for the English Level 6 exam, and Nie Han started playing games.
Hai Baihe decided to listen to music and sleep.
At mealtime, the alluring aroma of instant noodles filled the train. Hai Baihe took off her eye mask and sat up, saying, "It's time to eat."
"Yeah, I brought instant noodles. Which flavor do you want?" Mu Ge gave her a choice between braised beef, old pickled cabbage, and tomato beef.
"I'll go with the old pickled cabbage."
Hai Baihe took the instant noodles that Mu Ge tossed to her and got off the bed to join the queue for hot water.
There was already a long line at the water dispenser. Shortly after Hai Baihe joined the queue, she felt someone pat her butt. She turned her head and saw a middle-aged man who was a head taller than
her and had a muscular build standing behind her.
Hai Baihe gave him a once-over and was about to speak when she felt her shoulder being gently tapped. She turned back, and a tall and handsome man was smiling at her, gesturing for her to step aside. When Hai Baihe saw him, she couldn't help but cover her chest. Oh my, this man is too good-looking.
In today's entertainment industry, there was no shortage of handsome men. But after seeing this man, Hai Baihe couldn't help but feel her heart race, not only because of his good looks.