Qin Huai had bought train tickets for the high-speed rail. The journey from their location to B City would take less than three hours by train. Although this was an hour longer than by plane, it was safer on land than in the air. Initially, Qin Huai had planned to buy plane tickets due to the time constraints, but seeing that Mu Nan didn't want to fly, he opted for the train, which wasn't a big deal.
Mu Nan really didn't want to fly. In his past life, there had been plane crashes, which he suspected were caused by high temperatures. Many cars and buses had caught fire or exploded due to the heat. Even before the weather was too hot to go outside, planes had exploded. So even though the current temperature was normal, he wasn't comfortable flying.
They didn't have much luggage. Qin Huai carried a small bag containing two bottles of water and a charger. With minimal items, passing through security was quick. Since they were on a tight schedule, the train fortunately wasn't delayed, so they boarded quickly after a short wait in the waiting area.
With the country just having lifted restrictions and not being a holiday season, there weren't many travelers. Most seemed to be people returning to their families after being stuck in other regions for months due to the lockdown.
Mu Nan sat by the window, while Qin Huai took the aisle seat. Across the aisle was a middle-aged man holding a black bag tightly in his arms. Judging by the shape of the bag, its careful embrace, and the man's expression of unresolved grief from the loss of a loved one, Mu Nan suspected it might be an urn.
However, Mu Nan didn't stare for long. With the haze just cleared, there were many people who had endured difficult times.
Soon, the train started, and Mu Nan watched the scenery recede outside the window. Although he had traveled extensively over the past three months to buy the most supplies with the least amount of money, it had been many years since he had the chance to quietly enjoy the view without planning or scheming. The last time he left his city was during his senior year of high school for a competition. Such peaceful moments would likely be rare in the future.
Before he could express more surprise, a warm and dry hand gently touched his face, applying a bit of pressure to guide his head, which had been upright, onto the shoulder next to him. Qin Huai slightly lowered his head. Although he could only see the brim of a hat, he couldn't help but smile a little. "Get some sleep. You woke up so early this morning."
Mu Nan didn't resist, instead, he adjusted himself into a more comfortable position, closed his eyes, and leaned against Qin Huai's shoulder. He didn't expect to fall asleep, even though he used to have a habit of dozing off as soon as he got into a car when he was a child. But over time, he had gradually broken that habit. No matter how soothing the music in his earphones was, he hadn't fallen asleep in any moving vehicle for years.
However, this habit that he had managed to break seemed to instantly collapse with Qin Huai's return. Mu Nan slept so soundly that he nearly started drooling, until he was abruptly awakened by a loud and intense commotion.
As soon as he moved, Qin Huai stood up, positioning himself directly in front of Mu Nan. Still groggy, Mu Nan hadn't yet grasped what was happening when he saw a middle-aged man, who had been sitting in the aisle earlier, tightly choking a boy's neck. Many people were trying to intervene, but the narrow space of the aisle only made it harder for them to pull the two apart.
Qin Huai remained standing in his seat, unmoving, while Mu Nan peered out from behind him, only to be pushed back. "Stay behind, don't get involved."
The middle-aged man, with bloodshot eyes, seemed to have snapped. He choked the boy with such force that the boy struggled desperately. Since he was sitting on the inside, the man blocking him from the outside, others could only try to pull him away from behind. But with the aisle being so narrow, even with two or three people, they couldn't manage to pull the enraged man off.
The train attendants quickly arrived, dispersing the onlookers and asking a couple of stronger-looking men to help pull the middle-aged man away. After much effort, they finally dragged the man from his seat, while others rushed to pry his hands off the boy's neck.
The middle-aged man continued to struggle, trying to choke the boy again while cursing, "You little bastard! I'll strangle you! How could you be so cruel? Did your whole family die for you to be so vicious?"
The boy, who had been choked, could no longer make a sound, his face pale. Whether from the intensity of the choking or sheer terror, he collapsed to the ground, unable to stand, gagging repeatedly but unable to vomit. His shorts were soaked, the wet spot glaringly obvious on his khaki-colored shorts.
Mu Nan noticed that the middle-aged man's black backpack, which had been on him before, was now on the floor. Somehow, it had opened, revealing a white jade-like box and a piece of yellow cloth. Judging by the size and carvings on the box, it was clearly an urn, just as Mu Nan had suspected earlier.
The frenzied man was soon subdued and dragged out of the compartment. The train attendants helped the boy to his feet, one of them picking up the backpack with the urn. They then urged the standing passengers to sit down and avoid gathering around.
Qin Huai, who had remained standing, wasn't there to watch the commotion but rather to shield those behind him from any harm during the scuffle. With the troublemakers now gone, he sat down.
As soon as he did, Mu Nan curiously asked, "What happened? How did they start fighting? That boy nearly got strangled to death."
Qin Huai responded, "He deserved it."
Since he had been sitting next to the aisle and wasn't in the habit of sleeping on the train, Qin Huai had been wide awake, browsing on his phone, handling warehouse arrangements, and hotel bookings. He had witnessed the entire incident from start to finish.
The seats on the high-speed train are quite small, and getting in and out requires the person on the aisle to make way. Earlier, the boy sitting on the inside had gone to the bathroom, and when he returned, the middle-aged man slightly turned his body to let him pass. However, the boy's earphone cord caught on the man's backpack zipper, nearly causing the backpack to fall. The man, who was tense, simply checked the bag to make sure everything was okay. Inside the bag was an urn with a black-and-white photo attached.
When the fashionably dressed boy, who still had his earphones hanging around his neck, saw what was inside the man's bag, he either got spooked or found it distasteful. He suddenly shoved the man, cursing, "What the hell? Why did you bring a box of ashes onto the train?"
Probably not expecting the boy to suddenly push him, and since the urn was quite heavy, the man, holding the urn with one hand while checking the bag, couldn't protect it. The entire bag fell to the ground, the urn spilling out, its lid popping off. Even the yellow cloth wrapped around the ashes was partially exposed. Luckily, the ashes didn't spill out.
The boy showed no remorse for his actions, continuing to curse, "Who the hell brings a box of ashes onto public transport? Aren't you afraid of bad luck? Damn, what a curse!"
That's when the middle-aged man snapped, slapping the boy hard across the face. When the boy tried to fight back, the man grabbed him by the throat without hesitation. The sudden turn of events shocked everyone, and they rushed to separate them. What Mu Nan witnessed after waking up was the aftermath of this conflict.
After hearing Qin Huai's explanation, Mu Nan shook his head in disbelief. "Tsk, some people really deserve a beating."
Other passengers in the compartment were also discussing the incident, with most agreeing that the boy got what he deserved. They blamed his behavior on poor family upbringing, suggesting that life's harsh realities were bound to teach him a lesson. They speculated that the boy probably came from a wealthy family and had been spoiled. Even if he wasn't particularly well-mannered, a basic sense of decency should have prevented him from smashing someone's urn. Given that the pandemic had just ended, many people had died, and those who perished far from home could only be brought back in such a way. Not everyone could afford to rent a private vehicle.
The train made a stop at a station for fifteen minutes. Through the window, Mu Nan saw the middle-aged man and the young boy being escorted off the train by the attendants. The black bag was returned to the middle-aged man, who held it tightly, his eyes red and his expression numb, as he was led away. The young boy, on the other hand, was being supported by two staff members, one on each side, as he was helped off the train, likely because his legs had gone weak from nearly being strangled.
The rest of the journey to their destination was uneventful. When they got off the train, a wave of heat hit them. It was noon, and the sun was so intense that they couldn't stay outside for long. Qin Huai took Mu Nan directly to the hotel, where the air conditioning had already been turned on. However, Mu Nan still took a shower to cool off a bit more.
By the time Qin Huai finished his shower and came out, the lunch Mu Nan had ordered was just being delivered. Thinking they were in a rush, Mu Nan ate quickly and asked, "Are we going directly to pick up the goods? Can we load everything and take it with us?"
Qin Huai, worried he might choke, quickly replied, "No rush. Let's take a nap first, and around four or five in the afternoon, we'll head over to the warehouse to check things out. Even if we go to pick up the goods, it'll be in the evening, so there's no need to hurry."
Hearing that they didn't need to rush out immediately, Mu Nan slowed down his eating. "So after this, do we need to go to the company too?"
Qin Huai nodded. "Yes, we need to. There are some transfer documents that need my signature to be valid."
Mu Nan responded with an "Oh" and looked at Qin Huai. "Will we see Jiang Xuan?" He was still holding a grudge about how Jiang Xuan had deceived him.
It wasn't just this time; it was something that lingered from his previous life.
After the smog lifted and order was restored, Mu Nan had been trapped at home during that entire period and naturally tried to contact Qin Huai. But no one in their old alumni group knew where Qin Huai was. Even after the smog had dissipated, he couldn't reach him. As soon as the restrictions were lifted, he rushed to Jiang Xuan's house and got Jiang Xuan's phone number from his parents. However, when he called, before he could even ask about Qin Huai, Jiang Xuan cut him off with, "I'm busy," and hung up. After that, Mu Nan couldn't reach him at all.
Jiang Xuan was the only person Mu Nan knew who might know where Qin Huai was because he had no contact with Qin Huai's other friends. The only person he had any connection with was Jiang Xuan, and when Qin Huai left, he had told Mu Nan to find Jiang Xuan if anything happened. Because of this, Mu Nan believed Jiang Xuan would be able to contact Qin Huai.
When he couldn't reach Jiang Xuan, Mu Nan found out from Jiang Xuan's parents which company he worked for and immediately went there. It was already scorching hot, but it was the only way he could possibly find Qin Huai, so he went despite the heat. He found the company, but Jiang Xuan had resigned before the smog, more than half a year earlier.
With that, his last hope of finding Qin Huai was gone. On the way back, he even suffered from heatstroke and ended up in the hospital. Fortunately, he collapsed on a bus and not on the ground, as those who fell to the ground in such heat often got their skin burned.
So when Mu Nan reconnected with Jiang Xuan in this life and heard that he had lost contact with Qin Huai, Mu Nan didn't bother to check further. He thought Jiang Xuan might genuinely not know. In his previous life, when Mu Nan had called and identified himself, it was right after the pandemic had ended. If Jiang Xuan had known where Qin Huai was, how could he have been so cold and hung up?
Mu Nan hadn't expected Jiang Xuan to lie to him, and he couldn't understand why Jiang Xuan would do so. What benefit could he gain from deceiving him?
Qin Huai, unaware of what had happened in the previous life, assumed Mu Nan was still upset about being lied to by Jiang Xuan this time. So he asked, "If he's still at the company, we might see him. Do you want me to beat him up for you?"
Mu Nan shook his head. "I'm just curious why Jiang Xuan lied to me."
Qin Huai lowered his eyes slightly, then smiled. "Maybe he's just messed up."