Around noon that day, Ren Yuanhao ate a hurried meal, then tidied his mood and took the high-speed train home.
"Cheng Li, I'll take you back now."
Carrying his backpack, he boarded the high-speed train, dusty and travel-worn, without informing his parents beforehand.
His mobile phone, at Ye Lan's reminder, had been equipped with an anti-tracking chip she had modified.
At this moment, the train sped through vast, boundless green rice fields. The thought of arriving at the county town in seven or eight hours finally stabilized his mood a little.
The very name of home possesses such a magical effect, bringing peace to all who return, which is what the Chinese call "falling leaves returning to their roots."
Meanwhile, inside a skyscraper in Ai Shen City, Zhang Liang discovered he could no longer log into the assassination website. In his rage, his MacBook became the object of his venting, its shattered screen fragments scattering everywhere.
"Why is this Ren Yuanhao so hard to deal with? Forget it, let's wait until Jiang Cheng crawls out of hell."
He held a cigarette in his mouth and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. Opposite was a skyscraper soaring into the clouds like a giant beast, the premier financial building in Ai Shen City, named 'Lionheart'.
"The top building in the city of romance has such a chuunibyo name. I wonder who works inside."
Although Zhang Liang's office building was adjacent to it, he had never had the chance to enter the 'Lionheart' building. It was said to possess an extremely complete defense system.
Those who could work inside were mostly true workaholics, rarely interacting with the outside world. The lion relief sculpture at the top resembled a symbol of some secret society. In any case, both the staff inside and the entire building exuded an aura of extreme mystery.
"One day, I'll definitely pee next to that lion relief sculpture to show my respect."
Zhang Liang exhaled smoke rings, looking meaningfully at the soaring relief.
...
About six hours later, the buildings on both sides gradually became shorter. A refreshing scent of rice wafted in through the window, and a rusted sign appeared like an archway in front of the speeding train.
Welcome to Jing County.
The high-speed train passed through the outskirts of this small county town. On an ordinary concrete platform, some supplies that urgently needed to be transported by train were piled up. The train slowly stopped. Only about a dozen people disembarked with Ren Yuanhao.
"We've finally reached the county town, Cheng Li."
Ren Yuanhao readjusted his backpack and walked forward a few steps with his suitcase, only to find a girl who had alighted the train with him walking towards him.
"Hello, are you from around here?"
The girl was natural and poised. Her skin was only lightly coated with sunscreen. Her oval face, framed by wispy bangs, made her features appear delicate and refined. At first glance, she might seem merely pretty, but on a second look, you'd feel her face possessed a certain magic, the kind of beauty that grows on you.
She also carried a suitcase, and her backpack seemed to contain a laptop. Her speech was extremely clear, and Ren Yuanhao instinctively guessed her profession—a journalist on a research trip.
"I'm not from the county," Ren Yuanhao replied. Although he had returned to a familiar place, after experiencing so much, he naturally became more cautious.
"Oh, thank you. May I ask you another question? How do I get to Shanyang Town?"
As soon as the girl said this, Ren Yuanhao's body trembled.
Because Shanyang Town was precisely his hometown!
"I'm sorry, I don't know."
After speaking, Ren Yuanhao nodded slightly to her as a gesture of courtesy and then hailed a pedicab, heading towards the county bus station with familiarity.
Coincidentally, just as he reached the station, the last bus to Shanyang Town was just leaving. The sun was setting, and the golden glow reflected on the windshield, inexplicably intensifying his desire to go home. He quickly put his luggage away and boarded the bus, which was not yet full.
As the bus drove out of town, Ren Yuanhao's mind was still occupied by the lively, cheerful, and polite girl. He occasionally glanced out the window at the indistinct flickering tree shadows. A wave of weariness suddenly washed over him, and he drifted off to sleep.
By the time the female ticket seller woke him up, the sky had already begun to darken.
Shanyang Town, unseen for half a year, exuded a cool and quiet atmosphere under the dim night sky, with isolated lights scattered along the low-rise streets on either side.
Accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the big city, Ren Yuanhao suddenly felt unaccustomed to the quiet streets. A buzzing sound, like a persistent hum, still lingered in his ears.
After walking a few steps, Ren Yuanhao saw a familiar face in front of an ancient-looking stone monument—it was that rather captivating girl.
"Damn, can't even avoid her."
Ren Yuanhao felt awkward and was about to turn to take a shortcut home when a taxi driver suddenly pushed the girl, refusing to let go of her backpack!
"In broad daylight, daring to steal things!"
Ren Yuanhao couldn't stand by and do nothing. With a swift movement, as fast as the wind, he appeared beside the driver. With a slight exertion of force, he snatched the girl's backpack back.
"Here, take care of your things. The folk here are simple and honest, but the scoundrels in the city are fierce."
Ren Yuanhao handed the backpack back to the girl. The driver, enraged, got out of the car and pointed at him, shouting, "Damn it, who do you think you are? This damn woman can't pay and dares to take a taxi. I just took this as collateral, why are you butting in?"
"Huh?" Ren Yuanhao glanced at the girl awkwardly, shook his head, and paid the fare out of his own pocket, thus securing the girl's belongings.
The taxi driver snorted and drove away. The girl then solemnly extended her fair and clean hand, smiling and saying, "My name is Wang Xin. Thank you, heroic sir, for saving me."
Ren Yuanhao found it amusing. Mimicking the martial arts heroes of yore, he cupped his fists slightly and replied, "Hero is too much praise. Rather, I deceived you earlier and feel quite apprehensive and uneasy."
"Haha, don't be so formal. You still haven't told me your name..."
Ren Yuanhao did not want to reveal his name, so he recalled his childhood nickname, "Just call me Stutter Hao."
"Stutter?" Wang Xin chuckled, then quickly suppressed her smile, explaining, "I'm sorry, I just remembered a friend of mine. When he sees a beautiful woman, he stutters, but he always speaks fluently to me. It must be that I'm too ugly."
—This girl is quite interesting, but I'm not here to pick up girls!
Ren Yuanhao deliberately checked the time and found an excuse to leave. However, Wang Xin grabbed his hand, her face flushing slightly, "Brother Hao, I think I lost my wallet and phone on the train. So, can I come back to your place and stay for the night?"