In the early morning, a ray of sunlight refracted onto the glass, leaving only the lingering fog.

Lin Yuxi leaned back in her chair. She was sitting by the window, her head resting on the chair. After a day and a night of hard work, she hadn't woken up even though the train had stopped at seven or eight stations.

The hard seats were for three people sitting together. When she woke up, there was a bowl of porridge and an egg on the table.

"Xixi's awake? Breakfast is still warm, have some. There's also some pickled vegetables." Lin's mother took out the pickled vegetables from her pocket, which were in a small plastic bag, and didn't ask for money.

The others had already woken up and eaten, but seeing that Lin Yuxi was still asleep, Lin's mother was worried that she wouldn't have breakfast if she woke up, so she bought eggs and put them in a ceramic cup to keep them warm.

"Thank you, Mom." Lin Yuxi nodded. "Have you eaten yet?"

"You've already eaten. Eat the egg first, and have your dad get you some hot water." Lin's mother took the egg out of the ceramic cup, tapped it on the table, and the shell immediately cracked.

Lin Yuxi took the egg. "Mom, I'll peel it myself."

She is no longer a little girl raised under her parents' wings.

After finishing her meal, Lin Yuxi went to the restroom to wash up quickly. She tied her hair into two braids on either side. At this time, she was only eighteen years old. However, looking at her waist in the mirror, she thought it was too thin. She preferred a more voluptuous figure with some flesh on her thighs and arms. As she looked now, she seemed a bit too frail to lift anything.

An hour later, the green train slowed down and stopped at another station. By this time, the fog on the windows had been wiped clean, and a long queue was lined up outside. The train whistled and the doors opened.

The once relatively empty carriage was now packed with people. Although a group of people got off, even more people got on at the same time.

A young man with short, messy hair, wearing a white shirt and carrying a backpack, came up. He held his ticket in his hand, and after finding his seat, he found that the seat that was supposed to be his had already been taken by two women.

"Auntie, this is our spot, please make way." He politely reached out and patted the two women with their eyes closed, but they didn't react at all.

I could only hear his breathing rising and falling violently, and his eyelids were twitching.

Pretending to be asleep?

The young man gave a wicked smile, then used his thumb and forefinger to pry open the woman's eyelids.

"What the hell?" the woman said angrily, clearly embarrassed that her plan to pretend to be asleep had been exposed. She immediately retorted, "Why are you touching me like that? I'm sleeping peacefully here, are you looking for trouble?"

“No…” the young man frowned, “Auntie, didn’t you brush your teeth? Your breath stinks.”

"You..." The woman's face flushed red and then turned pale as she burst into a tirade, spitting as she shouted, "I'm old enough to be your mother, you son of a bitch, how dare you curse me!"

The woman spoke with an accent, cursing and swearing in her dialect, her spittle almost flying onto the young man's face.

“This is my seat. If you don’t leave, I’ll call the train police.” The young man’s voice was loud and he showed no sign of backing down.

The woman was intimidated by his gaze, but before leaving, she didn't forget to regain her composure, saying, "If someone is asleep, just wake them up properly, right? Who goes around prying open other people's eyelids?"

The two of them sneakily headed towards another carriage.

The young man swept up all the sunflower seed shells the woman had cracked. They had boarded the bus late, and there was no room left for their luggage, so he quickly waved towards the door.

"Brother Chen, here's your seat."

Gu Chen carried two large bags of things. He rolled up his white shirt, revealing his wheat-colored skin. His hands were broad and strong, and he lifted the heavy bags, weighing dozens of kilograms, to the top of the cabinet. After making sure the things were in place, he walked to his seat.

He was tall and imposing, about 1.85 meters tall. The headrest of the train seat didn't even reach his waist. He glanced around the entire carriage and then sat down.

"Wasn't this seat occupied just now?" Gu Chen's shirt collar was unbuttoned by two buttons, and his voice was cool yet clear.

The young man, Xiao Xuejun, spoke arrogantly and recklessly, blatantly lying, "Those two aunties missed their stop and just got off the bus."

He finally managed to find time off to pick someone up. While others at least get a seat on their way home, Gu Chen had to stand even though he had a seat ticket. This time, he was determined to come and pick him up no matter what.

Just like at the first stop, the flight attendant used a megaphone to announce, "Passengers, please take good care of your valuables during the journey."

The train had been moving slowly for three hours, and just as it was about to reach the next station, a woman came running up to it, asking questions as she went through the doors.

"Girl, have you seen a small, dark red bag? It's about this big, and there's a worn-out toy hanging on it."

"It's about the size of two palms, and it's dark red. I embroidered my name, Jin Xiulan, on the top of the bag with yellow thread."

"My daughter's life-saving money was in there. I just dozed off, and when I opened my eyes, everything was gone."

"I even tied a rope to my waistband, but the rope got cut too."

Many people in the crowd were checking their valuables when someone suddenly spoke up, "Why don't you find the train police? What's the point of asking everyone here?"

"I looked for him, but I'm afraid he'll get off the bus, and I can't wait any longer." The woman helplessly covered her eyes, wiping away her tears. "I'm sorry to bother you."

"The vehicle is about to arrive at the station. Passengers arriving at Chengzhuang, please disembark here."

As the crowd surged, Lin Yuxi felt a gaze suspiciously fixed on her until she felt her thigh being accidentally bumped. She immediately grabbed the man's wrist and looked up to meet his eyes.

"Excuse me, comrade, I accidentally bumped into you."

Lin Yuxi's eyes sharpened as she noticed a faint red glimpse peeking out from the black pocket concealed on his chest. The man panicked and pushed Lin Yuxi away.

He menacingly revealed the tip of a small knife from his pocket, attempting to get off the train during the stop, and said viciously, "Little girl, don't meddle in my business."