OVTTGTBE Chapter 43

Journey (1): Eternity

Journey (1): Eternity

Because there were no direct flights and train tickets were tight during the holiday, Bai Yao only managed to buy two hard sleeper tickets, and they were for a train departing at 1:30 AM tonight, with a total journey of fifteen hours.

Bai Yao had never taken this kind of train before, and he had no concept of hard sleepers, even assuming that they would have free meals and drinks like on a plane.

He prepared to leave with a small backpack containing his toiletries and charger, planning to buy the rest of his clothes when he arrived.

“Where are your two bodyguards?” Liu Yucheng asked him, “I haven’t seen them all afternoon.”

“I sent them away, I can’t let them follow me.”

Bai Yao opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of drink, and paid by scanning the code. “What happened between us, after all, isn’t a big deal, and they can help cover it up; but me going to my dad’s grave… if they find out, they will definitely report it to my mom.”

Liu Yucheng deliberately asked, “What happened between us?”

Bai Yao glared at him, and he quickly shut up.

Afraid of being late, the two took an online taxi and arrived at the train station three hours early. Even at one o’clock in the morning, the train station was crowded.

“Don’t rush in yet, it’s stuffy inside.”

Seeing Bai Yao holding his ID card and preparing to rush into the station, Liu Yucheng stopped him, “It’s still early, let’s take a look around.”

“Look around at what? The square around there is full of people sleeping on the ground.”

Bai Yao sighed, “It’s really eye-opening, the weather forecast clearly said it would rain tonight, aren’t they afraid of getting wet?”

Liu Yucheng smiled wryly for a while, “Young master really doesn’t know the suffering of the common people. Look at your little backpack, it’s so cute, I guess you only packed toiletries and a charger, right?”

“?”

“What’s wrong with that? Is it not enough?” Bai Yao asked.

“Our hard sleeper tickets, food costs extra, and I guess you won’t be able to eat most of the food on the train.”

Liu Yucheng pointed to the 24-hour supermarket across the street, “Let’s go there and buy you some food.”

Bai Yao followed him and walked across the square in front of the train station.

There were many young people sleeping on the ground on both sides of the square, some of whom looked like students.

Bai Yao turned his head and stared at Liu Yucheng’s back for a while.

Slender, casual pants washed very clean, but looking a little old. His coats are all black hooded ones, and the backpack is not a famous brand, but the fabric is very strong.

Liu Yucheng, have you experienced these things before? Sleeping outside while waiting for the train?

Across the square was the road, and a car that had just turned the corner “whooshed” past in front of the two of them. Liu Yucheng subconsciously grabbed Bai Yao’s wrist, but quickly let go.

“There are no patrolling plainclothes police and security guards after leaving the square, you take off your coat and put it in my bag, you wear my coat, and then hide your backpack in your clothes.”

Liu Yucheng said in a low voice.

“Why is that again?”

Bai Yao opened his clear and ignorant big eyes and asked innocently.

“This area is particularly chaotic, with many scammers and thieves. You’re wearing such an expensive coat and carrying such an expensive brand-name bag, it’s easy to be targeted.”

Liu Yucheng turned his head and looked at him, smiling lightly: “Follow me closely, don’t get tricked away.”

“Liu Yucheng, I’m sorry, what I said just now… I didn’t mean any harm to those people.”

After hesitating for a few seconds, Bai Yao said, “Some of them are covered with quilts, and the sky is above them, I just… saw it for the first time, and was a little surprised.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You… aren’t angry, are you?”

Bai Yao asked cautiously. If he hurt his self-esteem with a careless remark, Bai Yao would feel a little guilty.

When the traffic light turned green, another turning car roared past in front of them.

Taking advantage of Bai Yao’s lack of reaction, Liu Yucheng grabbed his hand and pulled him across this chaotic intersection of people and cars.

The moment they walked into the supermarket, Liu Yucheng was so nervous that he didn’t dare to breathe.

This was the first time he had held someone’s hand and walked on the street, and the person he was holding was Bai Yao.

When they entered the supermarket, some people stared at the two of them. Only then did Bai Yao react, and he pulled his hand back with a dark face: “If you’re not angry, please say something, who told you to pull me?”

Liu Yucheng pursed his lips and still didn’t say anything, secretly clenching the hand that had just held Bai Yao, which still retained Bai Yao’s warmth.

This feeling is so wonderful. Why didn’t he realize it earlier?

Liu Yucheng even wanted to slap himself.

Last semester, when Bai Yao was still willing to take his hand initiative, what was he thinking? He always dodged backwards, what an idiot.

The two wandered around the supermarket for more than half an hour, buying four buckets of instant noodles, sausages, snacks, and drinks; Bai Yao said that he also wanted to buy an umbrella because he forgot to bring it when he went out, and it might rain when he arrived.

But Liu Yucheng said, I brought an umbrella to shield from the rain, it’s big enough, don’t worry; if you want another kind of umbrella, he just saw some strawberry-flavored ribbed ones for sale at the counter, just don’t know if it’s big enough.

Bai Yao punched him in the waist, and said, if you talk nonsense again, I’ll cripple your waist first, so you can’t straighten up for the rest of your life.

While waiting for the train outside the train station, it began to drizzle.

When the wind blew, Bai Yao felt a little cold even wearing Liu Yucheng’s coat, while Liu Yucheng was only wearing a single layer.

Worried that he would catch a cold, Bai Yao said: “Let’s go inside and wait, it’s stuffy but whatever.”

However, the environment in the train station was even more unbearable than Bai Yao imagined. It was warm, but the various strange smells still made Bai Yao frown, and he had to wear a mask like Liu Yucheng.

After finally enduring until it was time to check in, the two of them stood on the platform and were rained on for a long time because there were too many people in line.

The lights in the carriage were already off, and Bai Yao could only look for his berth by the light coming in through the train window.

“Your bed is here.”

Liu Yucheng grabbed Bai Yao’s sleeve, “I brought a towel, I’ll help you wipe the water off your hair later.”

“…This bed is so small.”

“Just make do with it, it’s already very rare that you were able to buy two adjacent lower berths.”

Twenty minutes after the train started, Liu Yucheng settled everything and sat down on the lower berth with Bai Yao.

“Why aren’t you lying down?”

“I’m not sleepy yet.”

Although it was already very late, this was Bai Yao’s first time on a sleeper train after all, and he still felt it was novel. There was no one in the middle and upper berths yet, and Bai Yao didn’t feel so constrained, so he took off his shoes and sat cross-legged on the bed.

Liu Yucheng saw him take out his wireless headphones and thought he didn’t want to chat with him anymore, so he said, “I’m a little tired.”

“Then you sleep, I won’t disturb you.”

Bai Yao said, handing him one of the headphones, “Do you want to listen? I think it’s perfect for listening to music at this time.”

Raindrops hit the train window and quickly drew streaks of rain, it was indeed perfect for listening to music.

Liu Yucheng of course did not refuse, and took the headphones and put them on.

Neither of them spoke again.

Borrowing the occasional light coming in from the window, Liu Yucheng looked at the rain outside the window, and leaned shoulder to shoulder with Bai Yao in the dark carriage.

This moment of peace became an unforgettable eternity in his heart.

Liu Yucheng didn’t know when he fell asleep. When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on the lower berth, covered with a quilt. One of Bai Yao’s headphones was still in his ear, but the music had stopped.

The time was 5:24 in the morning, and the train had just stopped steadily next to a platform. It was still dark outside, and he raised his head and glanced at the other lower berth by the light of the platform. Bai Yao had his back to him, still holding his cute brand-name backpack, and seemed to be asleep.

Only then did Liu Yucheng feel relieved and closed his eyes again.

Even the train quilt on his body became warm and soft.

People came and went on the train, making a lot of noise, and Bai Yao slept on and off several times. Around 11 o’clock at noon, he really felt hungry, so he took his toiletries to the sink to wash up, and then ate snacks while watching the fleeting scenery outside the train window.

Although this kind of train is much slower than high-speed trains or planes, and it also shakes, Bai Yao still fell in love with this comfortable feeling.

He thought to himself that if he went out for travel in the future, if the itinerary wasn’t rushed, he wouldn’t mind taking such a sleeper train a few more times. He could bring more snacks and drinks, and if there were a lot of people, they could also play cards or board games on these small tables, it would definitely be very happy.

Liu Yucheng woke up around 12 noon.

He sat on the bed and stared at Bai Yao for a long time, and couldn’t help but ask: “Where did you get that bird’s nest hair? What are you doing?”

“Don’t make noise, I’m reading the instant noodle instructions.”

Bai Yao ruffled his messed up hair a few times, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do, the old uncle next door’s hair looks more like a bird’s nest than mine.”

“No need to read, your Aunt Yang said that as long as you don’t put the vegetable packet in the instant noodles, you won’t be allergic.”

Liu Yucheng glanced at the time and got out of bed.

“Wow, you actually secretly contacted Aunt Yang behind my back, I knew you made that porridge before.”

Bai Yao pinched a potato chip and put it in his mouth, and said while chewing, “Where did you borrow the kitchen? You didn’t sneak into my house, did you?”

“No, I borrowed the kitchen somewhere else before.”

Liu Yucheng chuckled softly, took the instant noodles from his hand, “I’ll make it for you.”

“Hey, add two sausages for me.”

“Okay.”

For the remaining few hours of the journey, Bai Yao was bored, so he sat there and kept eating. After finishing the instant noodles, he continued to eat snacks, and after finishing the snacks, he drank drinks. He also euphemistically said: After eating everything, there is no need to carry that bag when getting off the train.

Liu Yucheng was mostly very quiet, and if Bai Yao didn’t let him stare at himself, he would look at the scenery outside the window in a daze.

The two were safe and sound, and the 15-hour experience ticket for the hard sleeper train ended just like that.

After getting off the train, Bai Yao was completely clueless, he didn’t know where to go next. When he asked Liu Yucheng, Liu Yucheng said, I’m also coming to this city for the first time.

“Then I’ll book a hotel.” Bai Yao took out his phone, “Do you want a king bed or a double bed?”

Liu Yucheng blinked and said innocently, “I want to sleep in a room with you.”

Bai Yao glanced at him, and then decisively ordered two king-size bed rooms, one for each person.

“2400 a night during the holidays? And you booked two?”

Liu Yucheng stopped him before he paid, “You can’t just waste money like that even if you have it. Change to a cheaper one, book a double bed room, I promise not to mess around. And we’re only staying for one night, we have to take the bus up the mountain tomorrow morning.”