“Yes, Sister Yaoyao, you should take her with you. If you weren’t in time to leave, I would have liked to accompany you to Beijing myself. There are child predators everywhere these days, so you have to be careful and not fall into their trap,” Yu Wenjiang said worriedly.
Xie Yuyao smiled and had no choice but to accept them all. "Don't worry, I'm going to Beijing with the crew. I'm not going alone."
"Film crew?" Wu Lihong asked, puzzled. "Are you going to film a movie?"
"No, finding someone is the priority," Xie Yuyao said.
Thump thump thump...
The sound of a tractor could be heard outside the courtyard gate. Yesterday, the brigade leader said he would send a tractor to take her directly to the county town so that she wouldn't miss the train.
Xie Yuyao packed the packages she received today into her large backpack: "I have to go."
Li Weidong and Yu Wenjiang helped carry the suitcases and backpacks. Everyone saw Xie Yuyao off onto the tractor and watched her leave. They all hoped that her trip would be smooth and successful.
12:35 PM, Anhe County Railway Station waiting hall
The announcement began playing on a loop: "Train 295, departing from Shenyang and heading towards Beijing, has begun boarding. Passengers taking train 295, please organize your luggage and proceed to gate 1 for boarding. Board the train at platform 3."
Hearing the announcement, Xie Yuyao, who was sitting in the corner, got up, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and carried her dark red leather suitcase to the ticket check.
Not far away, a group of seven or eight people also stood up, organized their luggage, and prepared to enter the station. It was Director Zhu and his team.
Upon seeing this, Xie Yuyao paused and turned away.
"Director Zhu."
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Director Zhu turned around abruptly, a wide smile spreading across his face: "Yaoyao, you've finally arrived!"
Xie Yuyao looked embarrassed: "I'm in a hurry to get to Beijing, so I'm borrowing the train ticket you gave me."
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with a variety of emotions. Director Zhu was also taken aback. If he hadn't already known her character, he would have mistaken her for someone playing hard to get and deliberately being coy.
Upon closer inspection, Director Zhu noticed something amiss. Xie Yuyao's once vibrant and clear eyes were now clouded with a faint sorrow, as if she had encountered some great upheaval in the past few days. Even her awkward, weak smile seemed forced and jarring.
Director Zhu wanted to ask a question, but upon hearing the announcement, he changed his tone and said, "It's alright, let's go into the station first."
The group entered the station, boarded the train, and found their respective sleeper berths.
The soft sleeper compartments on this green train were similar to those in later times, with four berths per compartment. Perhaps due to the price, there weren't many passengers in the soft sleeper compartments.
Yu Yao had a lower bunk ticket in her hand. The lower bunk opposite her was occupied by Xu Qian, and the other two upper bunk seats were occupied by the makeup artist and another girl from the film crew.
The entire private room was filled with young women, which had both advantages and disadvantages. For example, Yao Qian glanced at Xie Yuyao with disdain and occasionally sneered coldly.
Xie Yuyao ignored her and took out a book of poetry from her bag to read.
This made Yao Qian even more frustrated. Spoiled since childhood, she had the opportunity to learn from Director Zhu later in life thanks to her parents' connections. Arrogant, she expected everyone in the crew to flatter and fawn over her, and she couldn't stand actors who were prettier or more haughty than her. Xie Yuyao possessed both qualities, and their personalities clashed from the moment they met, leading to an increasingly intense dislike for each other.
Knock knock knock
A figure appeared at the door of the private room. Director Zhu knocked on the open door and said to Xie Yuyao, "Yaoyao, let's go have a cup of tea!"
"Okay." Xie Yuyao put down her book, grabbed her small bag, and followed Director Zhu.
Soon, the two arrived at the dining car. It wasn't mealtime, so there were no passengers in the car, only a few train attendants chatting and laughing at one end.
Director Zhu ordered a cup of tea and sat with Xie Yuyao away from the flight attendants.
After serving the tea, Director Zhu asked softly, "You don't seem to be in good spirits. Is something wrong?"
Xie Yuyao remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "There is someone very important to me whose fate is currently unknown. I went to Beijing to inquire about his whereabouts."
"How did he disappear? I know some people in Beijing who might be able to help in the search."
Xie Yuyao looked up at Director Zhu and saw that his expression was sincere and genuine. Worried that Ye Xingchang would not budge, she asked, "Do you know anyone in the military?"
Director Zhu's circle is mostly composed of people in the arts and entertainment industry, but he didn't refuse outright. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll try to ask someone to introduce me."
"Thank you. I'll go find someone first and see if he can tell me."
Xie Yuyao was very grateful to Director Zhu. Favors are hard to repay, but some people don't even have the chance to owe them. If Ye Xingchang wasn't willing to tell her, she might have to ask Director Zhu for help.
Director Zhu chuckled and said, "I'm staying at a guesthouse near Yongfu. If you need anything, just come find me there."
As darkness fell, Director Zhu and the others went to the dining car for dinner, and invited Xie Yuyao to join them.
Xie Yuyao didn't want to take advantage of her anymore: "I brought a lot of food, it will spoil if we don't eat it, you guys go ahead."
Hearing this, Yao Qian deliberately stayed until the end, revealing a mocking expression, "Isn't she supposed to be a rich heiress? How come she's so stingy that she can't even afford to eat train food?"
"I can eat whatever I want, it's none of your business!" Xie Yuyao rolled her eyes at her, took out the pancakes and other food that the others had given her from her bag, and started eating with Lingquanshui.
Now she only eats to fill her stomach and has lost interest in tasting delicious food, so she finds everything she eats pretty much the same.
"Hmph! Since you're so high and mighty, why don't you pay for your train ticket?" Yao Qian choked, then said, "We put in so much effort to get you to act in our show, and Director Zhu even paid for it out of his own pocket. How can you be so heartless!"
Xie Yuyao swallowed her food, glanced at her, and said, "Did I send you to Qingshan Village?"
Yao Qian: "You!"
"As far as I know, you're just Director Zhu's assistant. Are you so upset because of Director Zhu, or because you personally dislike me and are deliberately making things difficult for me?" Xie Yuyao retorted coldly.
Yao Qian said arrogantly, "That's right, I just can't stand it. What right do you, a mere educated youth sent to the countryside, have to be so arrogant!"
"Then what gives you the right to be so superior?" Xie Yuyao retorted.
Yao Qian retorted arrogantly, "My parents work for the Ministry of Culture. What right do I have to claim this?"
"Ha! So you're a giant baby." Xie Yuyao said with a half-smile.
"What do you mean, 'Gathering Eagles'?" Yao Qian didn't understand, but her instincts told her it wasn't a good thing.
Xie Yuyao: ......
"Explain yourself clearly..."
"Yao Qian! Why aren't you here yet? The food is on the table." Seeing that Yao Qian was late, and remembering her attitude towards Xie Yuyao, Fang Yuan, wanting to avoid trouble, returned to the connecting area between the carriages and shouted.
"Here you come!" Yao Qian snorted coldly and turned away.
The train continued its journey through the mountains. After dark, the outside world was silent and still, just like Xie Yuyao's stubbornness at this moment, shrouded in darkness and with little hope.
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