"Because there's still some time before the bus departs," Wang Yue said with a smile.
Moreover, the seatbelts on this bus were practically useless, loose and couldn't be fastened tightly. He wondered how they passed the safety inspection.
"Alright then."
Qiao Zixuan took out her earphones from her small bag, plugged them into her phone, and then offered one to him. "Want to listen to music together?"
"Sure."
Wang Yue readily agreed.
Taking the earphone, Wang Yue noticed that the songs Qiao Zixuan was listening to were all very sweet.
Songs like "Little Dimples," "Garden Party," and the "QQ Music Trio."
These songs were immensely popular back then, and even over a decade later, they were still catchy.
Since the turn of the millennium, the Chinese music scene had been brilliant. Everyone thought the spring of Chinese music had arrived, only to realize later that this was already its peak.
After listening to music for a while, the bus slowly filled up.
The pair of handsome young man and beautiful young woman, Wang Yue and Qiao Zixuan, attracted a lot of attention.
Almost everyone who passed by them would instinctively glance over.
And then they couldn't help but sigh, "What a perfect match."
Once the bus was full, the conductor boarded to count the passengers and check the number of tickets already collected.
If anyone hadn't had their ticket checked, they would call out, "Is there anyone who hasn't had their ticket checked yet?"
"Vroom…"
The engine roared to life, and the vehicle started moving.
It was Qiao Zixuan's first time on a long-distance bus, and she kept looking out the window.
Before long, the bus entered the highway.
Once on the highway, the ride became very smooth. This was usually the best time to sleep.
Qiao Zixuan was initially interested, constantly gazing out the window, but before long, her eyelids grew heavy. The music from her earphones lulled her to sleep without her realizing it.
Wang Yue, however, was not asleep. He was using his phone to read novels.
These novels from over a decade ago had a different charm when read now.
After a short while, he felt a weight on his shoulder and discovered that Qiao Zixuan's head had tilted onto his shoulder.
Her eyes were closed, her eyelashes long, and her lips were rosy.
Sunlight happened to shine down, illuminating Qiao Zixuan's face.
Qiao Zixuan's beauty needed no filters; she looked even more like an exquisite doll this way.
Wang Yue's lips curved slightly upward. He remained motionless, letting Qiao Zixuan lean on him.
Sometimes, he felt this was like a dream. In his previous life, the school beauty he had no intersection with now had such a good relationship with him.
Perhaps because everyone on the bus was dozing off, Wang Yue also felt a wave of sleepiness soon after and drifted off.
When Qiao Zixuan woke up, she found herself leaning on Wang Yue's shoulder. Her face flushed, but she didn't move.
Instead, she moved her eyes, secretly observing Wang Yue.
She discovered that Wang Yue was already fast asleep.
Qiao Zixuan felt very happy at this moment. Traveling with someone you liked, relying on each other – this feeling was truly wonderful.
Although her head felt a bit tired, Qiao Zixuan didn't dare to move, afraid that any movement would break this beautiful scene.
So, Qiao Zixuan forced herself to close her eyes and try to sleep again.
However, she tried several times and failed. Leaning on Wang Yue's shoulder, she could even hear his breathing.
With her eyes closed, Qiao Zixuan's mind wandered.
"Da Yue Yue has such a clean scent…"
"Don't they say men are smelly? Why does he smell so good?"
"It seems not all men are smelly."
"If I could sleep holding Da Yue Yue in the future, it would be so blissful…"
"Oh my, what am I thinking? How shameless."
"I think I'm a bit hungry, but not very hungry. What should we eat tonight?"
…
It wasn't until they reached Rongcheng that Wang Yue woke up.
Qiao Zixuan, meanwhile, had spent an hour lost in thought with her eyes closed, her neck feeling incredibly stiff.
When Wang Yue woke up, she quickly sat up straight.
"You're awake?"
Qiao Zixuan looked at Wang Yue and smiled.
Her smile was very beautiful.
"We're here already?"
Wang Yue yawned, still feeling a bit sleepy.
He was very familiar with this station. When he studied in Rongcheng in his previous life, this was the station he always disembarked at.
"Yes, let's go to the hotel to drop off our things first, and then we'll go explore Chunxi Road."
Qiao Zixuan said.
"Okay."
Wang Yue nodded.
After they got off the bus, Wang Yue retrieved their luggage from the bus's storage compartment. The two of them pushed their suitcases and bags towards the exit.
"Handsome young man, beautiful lady, need accommodation? We're cheap here."
"Handsome guy, want a ride? Cheap."
"Beautiful lady, want to join a tour group? We have many fun places in Chengdu."
A group of people holding signs were gathered at the exit.
Most of them were trying to lure people for accommodation, along with taxi drivers and illegal car drivers.
Wang Yue and Qiao Zixuan were frequently harassed. Finally, they exited the station and hailed a taxi by the roadside.
The hotel they had booked this time was near Chunxi Road in the city center.
Chunxi Road, as a landmark of Rongcheng, attracted tourists from all over the country.
However, to be honest, there wasn't much to see. At least when Wang Yue was studying in Rongcheng, he had only visited a handful of times.
Upon reaching the city center, they found the hotel and checked in.
They booked two rooms, both king-sized rooms.
However, the rooms were adjacent.
After checking in, Qiao Zixuan first informed her family that she was safe and then came to find Wang Yue to go explore Chunxi Road.
Wang Yue had just finished reporting his safety as well, and the two of them set off together towards Chunxi Road.
The hotel's location was excellent; it wasn't far to Chunxi Road after going downstairs.
Chunxi Road was bustling with people most of the time, and today was no exception.
All sorts of shops could dazzle one's eyes.
Girls truly had a unique talent for shopping, and Qiao Zixuan led Wang Yue through alleys and streets.
Eventually, Wang Yue got tired, and they found a bench by the roadside to sit down.
"I really want to go shopping, but we don't need anything for this trip."
Qiao Zixuan said with a hint of lingering desire.
"We can still buy things after we get back."
Wang Yue replied.
"That's the only way."
Qiao Zixuan said with some regret.
Just then, a effeminate young man approached them.
"Handsome guy, beautiful lady, our shop is having a promotion today. Would you like to know more?"
As he spoke, the effeminate young man handed over two cards.
Qiao Zixuan curiously took the cards and looked at them. It turned out to be for a hair salon.
"Our salon is having a promotion today, very affordable. Would you two like to get your hair done?"
The young man added with a smile.
"Where is your salon?"
Qiao Zixuan asked.
"It's not far from here. Follow me."
The young man said.