Does the penalty drink taste good?
Jiang Jingshu was leaving, so Jiang Yuan packed her luggage and took her to the station.
Jiang Jingshu looked at the city one last time.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't reluctant to leave. Jiang Jingshu sat quietly in her chair, waiting for her ticket to be checked.
Xie Zhijin's text message also came through my phone.
Xie: What time is your train?
Xie: Do you have a lot of luggage?
Xie: Shall I see you off?
Jiang Jingshu glanced at it, sighed, and turned off her phone screen.
Xie: I won't see you off. Have a safe journey.
Jiang Jiang Jiang Jiang: Thank you, and I wish you all the best.
After Jiang Jingshu finished typing, she turned off her phone screen.
Jiang Jingshu suddenly saw a familiar figure, and the next second, she was embraced by a chestnut-scented hug.
"Jiang Jiang, thank goodness we're not late." Su Xiaoyue was panting heavily, and Wen Jinyan was even fanning her thoughtfully beside her.
"Why are you here?" Jiang Jingshu looked at Su Xiaoyue with a surprised expression.
"You didn't tell me your train number, so I had to ask my uncle. He's such a nice guy, he told me your train number."
Su Xiaoyue's voice carried a hint of sullenness, "Jiang Jingshu, I'm very angry."
Wen Jinyan's hand, still fanning himself, didn't stop. Su Xiaoyue snatched the fan from Wen Jinyan's hand and pointed it at Jiang Jingshu, "Jiang Jingshu, you're doing this again. You didn't even tell me when you were leaving."
Jiang Jingshu lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Xiaoyue."
"I'm really worried about you. You have to reply to my messages, okay?"
Jiang Jingshu nodded obediently.
Su Xiaoyue then loosened her clenched fists and looked around. "Where's Xie Zhijin?"
Jiang Jingshu asked with some confusion, "Xie Zhijin?"
"He said he wanted to—" Su Xiaoyue hadn't finished speaking when Wen Jinyan covered her mouth.
Jiang Jingshu: ?
Wen Jinyan released her hand, gestured to Su Xiaoyue with her eyes, and then said to Jiang Jingshu, "She was just curious whether Xie Zhijin had come or not."
Jiang Jingshu shook her head. "I didn't tell him what time my train was because I didn't want him to come."
"Jiang Jiang, you..." Su Xiaoyue still wanted to talk about the same old topics, hoping that she wouldn't resist her true feelings, but before she could finish speaking, she was stopped by Wen Jinyan's gaze.
"Jiang Jiang, I will miss you."
The words she wanted to say stuck in her throat, and in the end, she could only say, "I will miss you," to remind herself that she was being thought of and cared for.
The announcement reminded Jiang Jingshu to board the train. She said goodbye to Su Xiaoyue and Wen Jinyan, and left with her suitcase.
Once inside the carriage, she placed her suitcase at her feet. She intended to put it on the luggage rack above her seat, but the suitcase was too heavy and the rack was too high, so she had to place it in the aisle.
However, placing it by the aisle would block the way, so Jiang Jingshu could only try her best to push her suitcase further inside.
A pair of fair hands reached out to Jiang Jingshu. "Jiang Jingshu, let me help you put him up there."
A familiar voice rang in her ears, and Jiang Jingshu looked up to see Xie Zhijin fall into her line of sight. "Why are you here?"
Xie Zhijin helped Jiang Jingshu put her suitcase on the shelf, then stood next to her and replied, "I have a math competition and I'm also coming to City A. What a coincidence, Jiang Jingshu."
"Isn't the competition supposed to start on May 13th?" Jiang Jingshu glanced at the calendar on her phone. It was only May 5th. She couldn't believe Xie Zhijin was heading to City A. Besides, he had just messaged her saying he wouldn't see her off.
"How did you know?" Xie Zhijin was surprised by Jiang Jingshu's reaction. "Did you know I signed up for the competition?"
Jiang Jingshu knew, of course; she had seen Xie Zhijin's registration form.
Jiang Jingshu nodded. "Why did you go so early?"
Xie Zhijin simply brushed it off, saying, "The teacher told us to go a few days in advance to familiarize ourselves with the environment."
Jiang Jingshu didn't believe it: "Isn't that too early? So many days in advance?"
Xie Zhijin nodded firmly, his thoughts drifting back to the day he signed up for the competition.
—
On the afternoon he learned that Jiang Jingshu was transferring schools, Xie Zhijin searched for a lot of information about City A online.
He even wanted to transfer to the same school as Jiang Jingshu immediately, but transferring schools required the consent of his nominal parents, and he hesitated because of Jiang Jingshu's recent estrangement from him.
Until he remembered the math competition his teacher had mentioned to him.
Xie Zhijin did not intend to go to university through competitions. Although he had excellent grades, he preferred to take the traditional path.
He lacked resources, connections, and information, so he gave up on the path of math competition.
But now, the math competition is being held in City A.
Perhaps it was an opportunity given to him by God, because the next day he quickly told Zhou Xiao that he wanted to participate in the math competition.
However, the registration period had already ended, and Zhou Xiao was in a difficult position. It was only after Xie Zhijin asked Zhou Xiao for the first time that she was given the opportunity to register.
After filling out the registration form, Xie Zhijin was secretly delighted. He applied for leave from his workplace to prepare for the math competition.
However, Jiang Jingshu did not tell Xie Zhijin her departure time and train number, so Xie Zhijin had to call Su Xiaoyue and ask her to tell him Jiang Jingshu's train number and departure time.
After confirming, he quickly bought the tickets and sent a message to Jiang Jingshu.
All three messages went unanswered. He remained silent for a while, and as the departure time drew closer, he arrived at the train station.
Even from a great distance, Xie Zhijin spotted the girl at a glance.
Xie Zhijin opened his phone and sent a message to Jiang Jingshu. Jiang Jingshu opened her phone and looked at it for a while before the girl turned off the screen.
Xie Zhijin's eyes gradually dimmed. He opened his phone and hesitantly typed a few words.
"I won't see you off. Have a safe journey."
Seemingly confirming whether his idea was correct, he quickly put down his phone when he saw that the nickname he had given Jiang Jingshu had changed to "typing in progress".
His phone rang, and Xie Zhijin still couldn't resist looking at it. He opened his phone and saw a message from Jiang Jingshu.
She said she also wished him all the best.
Xie Zhijin's lips curled up again. He put his phone away and quietly looked at the girl in front of him.
He looked at Su Xiaoyue. Wen Jinyan had come to see Jiang Jingshu off, but as the two were leaving, Wen Jinyan bumped into them and caught them in the act.
"Xie Zhijin?" Su Xiaoyue grabbed Wen Jinyan in shock. "What are you doing here? Didn't Jiang Jiang say you weren't coming?"
Su Xiaoyue's head was gently patted by Wen Jinyan. She glared at Wen Jinyan with some dissatisfaction, but Wen Jinyan said to Xie Zhijin, "The tickets are about to be checked. Aren't you going?"
Xie Zhijin looked at Wen Jinyan. The two looked at each other and seemed to understand each other perfectly.
Xie Zhijin politely said goodbye to the two of them and boarded the same train as Jiang Jingshu.
Su Xiaoyue was still watching the two of them playing charades. Wen Jinyan could only look at Su Xiaoyue with a helpless smile and then say to her, "Silly."
Xie Zhijin entered the carriage. He didn't know Jiang Jingshu's seat, but he really wanted to see her, even just for a glance.
Perhaps it was fate at work, but Xie Zhijin's seat was in the same carriage as Jiang Jingshu, and he soon saw Jiang Jingshu.
Jiang Jingshu was dragging her suitcase when Xie Zhijin looked up at the luggage rack and then at the pedestrians coming and going in the aisle.
Without much hesitation, he walked up to Jiang Jingshu and extended his hand to her.
—
Jiang Jingshu didn't say much to Xie Zhijin, simply thanked him, and put on her headphones after watching Xie Zhijin leave.
She glanced at Xie Zhijin's seat and saw that it was far away from her, so Jiang Jingshu breathed a sigh of relief.
A man who looked to be about thirty years old sat down next to Jiang Jingshu and began to look her up and down.
The piercing gaze made Jiang Jingshu very uncomfortable. She turned to look at the man staring at her and politely asked, "Is there something you need?"
"Beautiful lady, want to add me on WeChat?" The man stared at Jiang Jingshu's face and gave her a lewd smile.
"Sorry, it's not convenient." Jiang Jingshu refused him very decisively. "Please don't stare at me like that anymore, it makes me very uncomfortable."
The man seemed somewhat embarrassed and angry, "What are you pretending for?"
Jiang Jingshu put on her headphones and ignored the man beside her.
However, Jiang Jingshu's silence at this moment, which she did not take seriously, was seen by the man as a "silent invitation".
As Jiang Jingshu noticed the man getting closer, she felt a wave of nausea. She called over a flight attendant and said, "Hello, I've been sexually harassed by this man."
The flight attendant, a woman in her thirties, calmed Jiang Jingshu down. Ignoring the warning look from the man next to her, she changed Jiang Jingshu's seat.
But fate is a strange thing. There happened to be an empty seat next to Xie Zhijin, and the flight attendant arranged for Jiang Jingshu to sit next to Xie Zhijin.
Xie Zhijin, engrossed in solving competition problems, was unaware of Jiang Jingshu's embarrassment. However, seeing Xie Zhijin so absorbed in the sea of problems, she was drawn in as well.
She watched Xie Zhijin draw and draw on the paper with a pencil, and stared at him for a long time, mesmerized.
Overcome with sleepiness, Jiang Jingshu actually fell asleep right in front of him.
Xie Zhijin finally solved the problem, and when he turned his head, the sleeping girl's face filled his vision.
The joy he felt from solving a difficult problem was instantly replaced by an indescribable emotion. He rubbed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the girl was still beside him.
Xie Zhijin put the test paper away and stared at Jiang Jingshu.
After a long while, Jiang Jingshu opened her eyes.
"You're awake?" Xie Zhijin subtly shifted his gaze.
"Hmm, have you finished your questions?" Jiang Jingshu blushed slightly, regretting that she had fallen asleep in this situation, but she still tried to remain calm and answered.
"How did you get here?" Xie Zhijin asked.
Jiang Jingshu smiled and said, "Someone wanted to switch seats with me, so I did." Jiang Jingshu didn't mention the harassment she had just experienced; she simply made up a lie.
Xie Zhijin didn't suspect anything and simply nodded.
Jiang Jingshu felt a little nervous. The last time she traveled with Xie Zhijin was when they went to S City for sightseeing.
Now, there's a sense that times have changed.
At that time, Jiang Jingshu was unaware of her own feelings, but now that she has realized her feelings, she chooses to reject them.
With five minutes left before getting off the bus, Xie Zhijin went ahead to get Jiang Jingshu's luggage. Jiang Jingshu seemed to have thought of something and pulled Xie Zhijin back, saying, "I'll go by myself."
"You can reach it?" Sensing Jiang Jingshu's odd behavior, Xie Zhijin couldn't help but ask in confusion.
Jiang Jingshu said, "I'll ask the flight attendant to help me get it."
She was a little worried that Xie Zhijin would run into that man, so she rushed to get her luggage first.
Jiang Jingshu didn't expect that her luggage had already been taken down by that lewd man.
"Why did you take my luggage?" Jiang Jingshu asked him, forcing herself to suppress her nausea.
"Oh, I knew you'd come back." The man seemed to be in a good mood. "How about this, let's add each other on WeChat, and I'll give you the suitcase?"
"You'll regret this." Jiang Jingshu stared at the man in front of her. Xie Zhijin was still waiting for her, and she didn't want him to wait too long.
"Little sister, don't be stubborn and ask for trouble. Follow me, and you won't regret it. Tonight—"
Before the lewd man could finish speaking, Jiang Jingshu heard a gasp.
"Does the punishment drink taste good?"
Xie Zhijin's voice rang in Jiang Jingshu's ears, and she was once again protected behind him.
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