TRMLCM Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Arrival

Shen Chang’an couldn’t quite describe the surge of emotion in his heart at that moment. He stayed quiet for a long while, waiting for his heartbeat to return to normal before raising his eyes to look at Cheng Yi. The other man was sitting lazily, a smile playing on his lips as he stared intently at him.

Seeing the flush on Shen Chang’an’s face, Cheng Yi’s heart softened. He dropped his usual cynical facade and said softly, “Alright, I was just kidding. Mu An, can you pick me up tomorrow?”

The ambiguous atmosphere from their previous words quietly dissipated a little. Shen Chang’an’s rapidly beating heart gradually calmed down, and his furrowed brows relaxed slightly. He nodded normally and instructed, “Send me a message when you arrive, and just wait for me at the exit. Don’t wander around.”

Now that Cheng Yi had decided to come, he didn’t want to say anything more.

*The young master will probably be unable to stand the environment of the countryside on the way here, right?*

Shen Chang’an thought absentmindedly, watching Cheng Yi’s busy figure.

It wasn’t until the night deepened that Cheng Yi had packed his things, though there wasn’t much to pack—just a few pieces of clothing. At Shen Chang’an’s suggestion, most of them were dark-colored. Cheng Yi had an unconventional personality and liked to wear more flamboyant colors. Dark colors were too staid for him, so this time he basically took all of the few black clothes that were pitifully hanging in his closet.

After chatting for a few more sentences, Shen Chang’an, who had been busy all day, became too tired to stay awake. They said good night to each other and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, as soon as the sky began to lighten, the alarm clock rang. Shen Chang’an’s eyelids felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds, and he opened them with great difficulty. It was just six o’clock, and the night had not yet completely faded. The unlit room was still very dim.

Shen Chang’an turned on the light, and the room instantly brightened. Berber, who was sleeping in the cat nest, was also startled by the glaring light. It drowsily raised its eyelids and meowed grumpily and softly, its unawakened expression very sour.

Shen Chang’an changed his clothes and walked out of the bedroom, leaving the door ajar and only turning off the light.

The opposite room was also lit up, and there were voices coming from inside.

Shen Chang’an knocked on the door and then opened it.

His grandma and grandpa were both awake. Grandma had apparently just helped Grandpa go to the toilet.

Seeing Shen Chang’an come over, Grandma, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, thought that the noise had disturbed him, and she quickly waved her hand at him and said, “Chang’an, it’s nothing. Go back to sleep.”

Grandpa was lying in bed, breathing heavily. He turned his eyes, looked at Shen Chang’an at the door, and muttered something unintelligibly, probably also telling Shen Chang’an to go back to sleep.

After Shen Chang’an looked and confirmed that they were okay, he explained, “Grandma, you guys rest well. I’m going to pick up a friend today. I won’t be eating breakfast or lunch at home. I probably won’t be back until the afternoon.”

Hearing Shen Chang’an’s words, that he would be outside all day, Grandma frowned and couldn’t fall back asleep. She got up and tucked the blanket covering Grandpa, saying to Shen Chang’an, “I’ll go make you breakfast now. The bus won’t be here for a while yet.”

Their village was located in a remote area, and the bus to the town wasn’t a public bus but an old minibus that had been running for several years. The driver was a local of this area and specialized in taking people from the nearby villages to the town’s market, earning some fare money.

Today happened to be market day in the town, so the driver would be coming in to pick up people. There was usually only one trip in the morning, and it would be gone if you were late.

Shen Chang’an took two steps and stopped Grandma, who was coming to the door, patiently saying, “Grandma, I can buy something to eat in town. No need to make anything. You sleep.”

He pulled Grandma back to the bedside. Seeing that she didn’t insist on getting up, he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

It was pitch black outside. When he turned on the flashlight on his phone, two small fluorescent lights appeared across from him, which was a bit scary in the dark. Shen Chang’an looked closely and realized it was Berber. It had heard the sound and run to the door.

He shook his phone, and Berber shrunk its little head back behind the door. Shen Chang’an chuckled, took the phone to light the way, and slowly went downstairs. After washing up in the bathroom, he casually picked up a book bag and walked out the door.

The small town’s market usually started early in the morning, and it took half an hour to get from the village to the town by bus, so they usually had to leave before dawn to catch the bus.

After Shen Chang’an arrived in town, he had to take a bus for about twenty minutes to another larger town, and then take a taxi to the county’s train station, which would take about an hour.

He had told Cheng Yi last night to buy a bullet train ticket to Shen Chang’an’s county after arriving in City C, which was only one or two stops. Then he should just wait for him at the train station exit.

Shen Chang’an said it over and over again, very worried that the other party would go to the wrong place. His serious and meticulous appearance almost made Cheng Yi think he was a child who had just left home and didn’t know anything.

Heaven knows that Cheng Yi had been flying all over the country with his parents since he was a minor. Every summer vacation, National Day, and winter vacation, as soon as he had a holiday, he would run around at home and abroad like a husky that had been let off its leash.

But he couldn’t refuse the care of his beloved, so he could only smile and say again and again that he had remembered it.

By the time Shen Chang’an arrived at the train station, it was already past ten o’clock, and people were constantly passing by him.

In the warm, scorching sunlight, he took out his phone and looked at the message. Cheng Yi had bought a very early plane ticket and had arrived in City C early in the morning. He had just sent a message a dozen minutes ago that he was already on the bullet train.

He estimated that he would arrive in another ten minutes or so.

The train station in their county was built in a very remote location. The surrounding area was very empty. There were only one or two vendors under the pavilion in the square, hawking special local products.

The sun was a bit scorching. Shen Chang’an walked to the pavilion, put down his empty bag, and sat down. The smell of food permeated the air, and his red lips were a little pale and dry at the moment.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a tissue, and also wiped his sweaty palms. After throwing the tissue into the trash can, he walked over to a small vendor and bought a few pieces of steamed sponge cake, eating two pieces to fill his rumbling stomach.

The phone vibrated twice. Shen Chang’an picked it up and looked at it.

[Cheng Yi: Mu An, I’ve arrived!]

[Cheng Yi: Where are you?]

Shen Chang’an looked ahead. In the bustling crowd, a tall figure stood out from the crowd. The person was wearing a simple gray and white plaid shirt and fitted black pants. He was pulling a white suitcase in one hand and holding a phone in the other, looking around with raised eyebrows. His back was straight, and his noble temperament was very dazzling in the crowd.

He lowered his head, and his black, fragmented hair slightly covered his eyebrows and eyes. Even without seeing his face clearly, Shen Chang’an had already confirmed it in his heart.

He was Cheng Yi.