Jiangcheng South Station.
As the high-speed train slowed down, the carriage began to stir.
Passengers started to get up and pack their luggage, waiting for the doors to open.
Wen Tingxue closed her book and gently licked her slightly dry lips.
The words she had been brewing for a long time tumbled over and over in her mind.
Only when they were perfectly coherent did she turn to look at the burly man beside her.
Even though she had prepared herself countless times in her heart, her face still turned red, and she spoke in a small voice,
"Uncle, you..."
As soon as she started speaking, she lost her nerve.
The man unintentionally exposed a large tattoo on his arm and was talking on the phone, spitting saliva.
Wen Tingxue looked at the man's fierce appearance and dejectedly lowered her head.
Wait a little longer.
The train hadn't completely stopped yet anyway.
When he finished his call, she would ask him to move.
Her suitcase was above him. She was afraid of accidentally hitting him when she took it down, and then he would demand compensation.
In the noisy carriage, Wen Tingxue sat obediently in her seat.
Her pale, slender hands occasionally flipped through the second-year high school textbook on her knees.
When the man finally finished his phone call, Wen Tingxue quickly looked up and stammered,
"Un... Uncle, you..."
The man lowered his head and stared fiercely at Wen Tingxue.
Wen Tingxue instinctively shrank back, her eyes turning red.
Fear surged through her body, but reason forced her to be brave.
Just as she was about to gather her courage to speak, a lazy male voice came from above.
"Hey, Uncle, move aside, the young lady's suitcase is on top of you."
Wen Tingxue suddenly looked up, meeting the smiling, flirtatious eyes of the young man.
He was very handsome, the most handsome boy she had ever seen.
Sensing he was being looked at, the young man's gaze shifted downwards.
His red hoodie made him look even more flamboyant, like his eyes, full of a confidence and rebellion that Wen Tingxue lacked.
A sense of inferiority crept into her heart, and Wen Tingxue quickly averted her gaze.
"Oh, sorry."
The man chuckled, rubbed his smooth forehead, and stood up, helping Wen Tingxue take down her suitcase.
"Is this it?" the man asked, pointing to the old suitcase, unsure.
Wen Tingxue suddenly felt that the big city wasn't as scary as she had imagined; at least people were nice.
"Thank you, yes."
Wen Tingxue thanked him shyly and nervously.
As the young girl put her books back into her backpack, Chi Zerui was putting earphones into his ears.
He glanced over with his peripheral vision, then raised his eyebrows in surprise.
It was a textbook. A good student.
...
After getting off the high-speed train, Wen Tingxue walked hesitantly with the crowd, her big, watery eyes filled with helplessness.
The completely unfamiliar environment made her heart tremble.
She didn't know where to go, nor whom to contact.
When her grandmother put her on the high-speed train, she hadn't clearly heard her parents' address, only knowing it was in Zhuque District.
But... where was Zhuque District?
The tension that had been building up throughout the journey reached its peak. All sorts of emotions wrapped around Wen Tingxue's ankles like vines, gradually pulling her away from the crowd.
Pushed out of the home she had lived in for many years, she stepped into the city where her parents lived.
She felt like an unwelcome outsider, facing all the unknowns alone.
Bitterness and helplessness, mixed with worry, rushed over her, bringing tears to her eyes.
"You talk too much... if you want to see Brother Yu, figure it out yourself. I can't help you~"
The familiar, lazy male voice came from behind, drawn out and melodic. Even laced with impatience, it sounded pleasant.
Wen Tingxue paused for a moment, then her hope ignited.
Quickly forcing her tears back into her eyes, she turned to look at the young man, her eyes timid and fearful, yet filled with an unspeakable courage.
They weren't far apart, and while she was dealing with her emotions, Chi Zerui had already reached her side.
She turned around abruptly, startling him.
However—
Chi Zerui lowered his gaze, his indifferent eyes landing on the girl's slightly reddened eyelids, his unease deepening.
"Don't call me again from now on, it's annoying."
The young man's cherry-red lips curved into a smile, but his words were extremely cold and perfunctory.
After speaking, he hung up without regard for the other person's reaction.
"Something wrong?"
Chi Zerui raised his hand, took out an earphone, and played with it in his palm, asking her in a light tone.
Wen Tingxue instinctively avoided his gaze. The urge to ask for help, which had finally begun to rise, was shattered by those few words.
She dared not trouble him further.
"No... nothing, sorry."
She shook her head in a panic, grabbed her suitcase, and ran.
Chi Zerui stared at the girl's almost fleeing back: "?"
This... she was too timid, wasn't she?
He remembered that when she first got on the high-speed train, she had looked just as timid, like a startled rabbit.
He had felt pity for her small frame then and had offered to help her with her luggage. She hadn't dared to look up at him the whole time, only mumbling her thanks.
Chi Zerui let out a disgusted tsk, then put one hand in his pocket and pushed his suitcase with the other.
His long legs strode quickly and stylishly, soon overtaking Wen Tingxue.
The oppressive feeling behind her disappeared, and Wen Tingxue slowed her pace.
Her grandmother hadn't given her any money when she left.
She didn't even have ten yuan in total.
She heard that taxis in big cities were very expensive...
She didn't know if she could find her parents before tonight...
Wen Tingxue listlessly lowered her head and slowly put her ticket into the ticket checking machine.
The young man, not far away, took in all the girl's emotions.
"Brother Yu."
Chi Zerui bit a cigarette and couldn't help but tease, "You've been watching for so long. Don't tell me it's love at first sight? Is it really her?"
Before Yu Wenli could answer, two police officers behind them walked towards Wen Tingxue.
"Hello, we are police officers from Zhuque District, Jiangcheng City. Are you called Wen Tingxue?"
Wen Tingxue looked up blankly, her gaze wandering over the police ID for a few seconds.
Then, her mind exploded, and she said with a cry, "Uncle, I haven't broken any laws..."
Seeing the girl's pale face, the young police officer quickly changed his tone and said gently,
"Little sister, we are not here to arrest you, but to help you..."
Wen Tingxue didn't hear what he said next. She kept staring at Chi Zerui.
From when he arrived, to when he held a cigarette and smiled while talking to the person beside him, she had been timidly watching him.
Even though they didn't know each other, he was the first warmth she had encountered in Jiangcheng.
He made her feel at ease.
"I knew you wouldn't be here to pick me up, so it was for the little sister next door. My love was ultimately in vain."
Chi Zerui made a gesture of heartbreak, but his eyes were twinkling.
Yu Wenli looked straight ahead and took the car keys out of his pocket, throwing them to him.
Chi Zerui immediately said happily, "I'll return it tonight. Let's go!"
As he left, dragging his suitcase, he suddenly looked back at Wen Tingxue.
Wen Tingxue's heart leaped, and she quickly lowered her head. When she looked up again, only his back was visible.
She didn't know if it was disappointment or fear, but her heart felt empty, so heavy that she wanted to cry.
Yu Wenli sent messages to both families' parents. When he looked up, he found the girl shrinking into her scarf, her deer-like eyes filled with terror.
It wasn't much colder here than inside, and she wasn't dressed thinly, but she still shivered a little when facing the police's gentle inquiries.
Yu Wenli's gaze softened.