The next day, when everyone woke up, there were varying shades of dark circles under their eyes. It was evident that no one had slept well on the train.
Hai Baihe went to the restroom and washed her face. Slowly, she applied skincare products and looked at herself in the mirror. Suddenly, she exclaimed, "Muge, look, do I have wrinkles under my eyes?"
Muge leaned in to examine her face. "Oh come on, where do you see wrinkles? You must be seeing things."
Hai Baihe continued to scrutinize herself in the sunlight to ensure she didn't have a single wrinkle. Bloodlines were a tricky thing, and maybe she was prone to aging easily.
After freshening up, Hai Baihe grabbed her luggage and followed the crowd off the train.
Coincidentally, the man who had rushed into the restroom the previous day was also there, heading in a different direction from the farmer-looking man.
Liang Xiao wanted to follow the farmer-looking man, but Hai Baihe grabbed his arm. He immediately turned to her with a smile. "Actually, I came here to see my girlfriend..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Hai Baihe burst into laughter. "Mr. Liang, the thing is no longer in that person's possession."
Liang Xiao was taken aback but instinctively followed Hai Baihe as she turned a corner. He lowered his voice, "Classmate..."
"No need to be so formal, just call me Baihe," Hai Baihe handed him her suitcase. "Could you hold this for me?"
Liang Xiao naturally took the suitcase, getting closer to her like an ordinary couple. "What do you know?"
"Don't worry, I didn't lie to you," Hai Baihe chuckled. "To be honest, it was a complete coincidence. I bumped into that bag earlier and found something inside. Then yesterday, my friend and I happened to come across them making a deal. Mr. Liang, it's a small world, isn't it?"
Liang Xiao was speechless. However, he followed Hai Baihe as she led the way. "How should I inform you?"
"I have no special skills other than being good at reading people. You're definitely a good person," Hai Baihe said, reaching the exit. "I'm going to take a car with my classmates over there. Perhaps we'll meet again."
She took her suitcase and blew a kiss to Liang Xiao before reuniting with her friends.
Liang Xiao had never encountered a girl like her before and couldn't help but be attracted to her for a few seconds. But soon, his gaze was firmly fixed on the middle-aged man.
Hai Baihe and her friends met up with Muge, and Nie Han couldn't help but ask, "Is that the man who treated you to a meal yesterday?"
"Yeah, he's quite handsome, isn't he?" Hai Baihe seemed completely unaffected by their argument yesterday and smiled mischievously. "Rare to see such an eye-catching man. I couldn't help but chat with him for a bit. Sorry for worrying everyone yesterday. Let me treat you to lunch today."
Even if there was still some lingering resentment, it would be difficult to continue the cold atmosphere when such a beautiful girl was apologizing. Muge also helped ease the tension, making it less awkward than that morning.
Hai Baihe kept her promise and treated everyone to a meal at a KFC near the station.
No choice, they were unfamiliar with the place, and fast food like this was the safest option.
After lunch, they walked for a while until Zhang Qihang called to arrange for the driver they had agreed upon to pick them up.
Muge asked, "How are
we going there?"
"Renting a car," Li Wenheng adjusted his glasses. "It's a several-hour journey."
"It's quite far," Muge sat on her suitcase to take a break, and everyone followed suit.
After a five-minute phone call, Zhang Qihang finally found out where the driver had parked. They dragged their suitcases along a long way, only to discover that it was a small van.
But there were others in the car.
Zhang Qihang asked the driver, "We agreed on a private car."
"There aren't many people, let's share," the driver's Mandarin wasn't particularly fluent, but he smiled at them as if he wasn't worried they wouldn't get in.
Zhang Qihang hesitated and said to the others, "The place we're going is quite remote. Other drivers might not go there."
Everyone understood and nodded. "Sharing a ride is fine, no problem."
Hai Baihe was the last one to get on the car and realized that the other people sharing the ride were all adult men, and one of them was the man who currently had drugs in his possession.
This was bad. She thought, why would a drug dealer share a car with others unless their originally planned escape route had been discovered, and they were randomly changing their course.
Should she inform Liang Xiao? Hai Baihe took out her phone, unsure of what to do.
"Aren't we leaving yet?" Nie Han asked.
Everyone was already in the car, and the driver looked at the available seats, realizing there were still two vacant. He was unwilling to give up. "Just wait a little longer."
Hai Baihe asked, "How much is it per person? I have a friend going to the same place as us. If it's cheaper, I'll ask him to join."
The driver's gaze lingered on her straight and fair thigh for a moment before saying, "Fifty."
"Alright." Hai Baihe called Liang Xiao, "Mr. Liang, our car still needs one more person. Do you want to come?"
When Liang Xiao received her call, it felt like a long-awaited relief. The drug trafficker he was tracking was cunning, having changed their route at the last moment. "I'll be right there."
"The driver said it's fifty per person, a bit expensive, but the car is about to leave." Hai Baihe continued to persuade, as if it wasn't cheap enough. "Alright, we'll be near the east exit of the station. Come out and walk a hundred meters to the left. You'll see a white van."
Liang Xiao arrived, got on the car, and quickly paid the fare.
He sat in the seat behind Hai Baihe and Muge. Muge teased her, nudging Hai Baihe with her elbow. "Your progress is really fast."
Hai Baihe enjoyed letting them continue to misunderstand to avoid drawing the drug dealer's attention. "Is that a bad thing?"
"Keep it up," Muge made a "fighting" gesture.
Hai Baihe happily moved to the back seat, and Liang Xiao leaned closer, whispering in her ear, "Thank you."
"After we get off, will you treat me to a meal?" Hai Baihe blinked her eyes. "I prefer practical gestures."
"No problem."
The car swayed as it hit the road. Hai Baihe occasionally glanced at the three men. They sat silently in the seats behind the driver, conveniently close to the door. If necessary, she had no doubt they would take the driver hostage and stop the car to save their lives.
Riding in the same car with such dangerous individuals was a first for Hai Baihe. However, she strangely
felt neither nervous nor scared. She could still chat with Muge and the others. "Will we be staying in a yurt when we arrive?"
"And dig underground every day?" Muge lamented, "I don't have enough band-aids for that."
Zhang Qihang chuckled, his smile growing. "Archaeology is a tough profession, but it's meaningful."
Ni Xuanxuan joined the conversation, "I heard this excavation is the tomb of Genghis Khan. Have any artifacts been unearthed?"
"Not yet. We're lucky that the excavation of that tomb has just begun," Zhang Qihang said. "Who knows, maybe we'll witness an important moment."
However, their enthusiasm for the conversation dissipated shortly afterward. The van's quality seemed questionable, and the bumpy ride made everyone's bones ache. They asked the driver how long it would take to reach Huyang Township, their final destination.
"It's still early. It's a long way, and the place you're going is quite remote," the driver lit a cigarette, and the cheap smell filled the entire cabin. "It'll take a while."
The boys didn't mind. Archaeology could be found in big cities as well as rural areas, and they were mentally prepared for this.
Only Muge felt a bit anxious. She turned to Hai Baihe, who was leaning on Liang Xiao's shoulder, seemingly asleep. Liang Xiao said, "She seems to get motion sickness."
Muge wondered if Hai Baihe was taking advantage of the situation with a handsome guy. After all, she had never seen her get motion sickness before. But as a good friend, she shouldn't expose her friend's secret, so she turned her head and started chatting with Ni Xuanxuan.