Chapter 29: We Start Over
Li Changjing was the kind of person who looked very refined. Just one glance was enough to give off a clear and direct air of pampered luxury and precious wealth.
Moreover, every time I saw him, he was always clean and neat, impeccably dressed. Even his casual clothes were always perfectly ironed without a single wrinkle. In fact, when you saw him, you felt as if the air around him was cool and clean.
But at that moment, he just casually stood in the carriage and looked at her, making the already low carriage seem even smaller and lower, messy and dilapidated, and making the normal people around him look drab and unkempt.
Perhaps he doesn't need any embellishment; even if he just stands casually in a corner, people's eyes will be involuntarily drawn to him.
Wen Yining looked up at Li Changjing, and in that instant, a myriad of emotions surged into her heart. Shock, astonishment, and many other feelings welled up in her mind, so complex that she couldn't speak for a moment. As a result, Li Changjing's appearance at that moment, and her feelings at that instant, were etched in her heart and remembered for many, many years.
Now, she stared at him with wide eyes, unsure how to react.
"The train has departed. Everyone, please return to your seats and do not linger in the carriage."
It wasn't until the train conductor closed the doors and walked past the carriage that Wen Yining realized what was happening. Looking at the empty platform outside and then up at Li Changjing standing calmly in front of her, she anxiously tried to push him, "The train is about to leave!"
If we don't go down now, we won't be able to get down at all!
Why aren't you getting off the bus? Why are you still standing here? Are you going to ride the bus with her?
A bodyguard went over and said something to him, the train conductor glanced in this direction, and then went to the next carriage.
Li Changjing glanced outside as well, hummed in agreement, and said in a clear and gentle voice, as if it were perfectly normal for a train to move, since it has wheels. If it doesn't move, it needs to be repaired.
"...?"
Wen Yining was not usually a good talker, and she was speechless for a moment. She looked up at him for two seconds, her thoughts a jumbled mess. She exhaled and simply turned to look out of the car, ignoring him.
He can decide whether to play or not; it's none of her business anyway.
The stationary train shuddered, then slowly began to move, gradually accelerating and starting to move forward.
And just like that, Li Changjing actually got on a train with her.
Wen Yining looked at the passing scenery outside the window without turning around, but felt dizzy and as if she were dreaming.
Almost instantly, the train accelerated, and the scenery outside the window shot past like arrows.
His presence was the only familiar thing to her in this unfamiliar carriage. He stood there, giving Wen Yining a strange sense of peace amidst her unease.
Realizing her own emotions, Wen Yining frowned, trying her best to banish these feelings from her mind.
Without turning around, they could feel all sorts of eyes watching them with great interest in the carriage.
A person who is completely out of place here, accompanied by two people who look very skilled, boarded the train and stood in front of her. Putting aside the gossipy and dramatic scenes, his entourage alone is enough to attract attention.
When others look at him, they also start to study her.
He always tries to keep a low profile, hates appearing in public, hates being watched, especially in this kind of environment, but now...
Wen Yining tried to distract herself from the thought.
She heard one of the bodyguards say, "Excuse me, sir, please do not take pictures without permission."
"I didn't take any pictures."
"Please let me see your phone."
The man tried to argue, but Wen Yining, after getting to know him better, realized that Li Changjing's bodyguards were actually retired special forces soldiers, a private security force hired by the Li family at a high price. It was obvious that any normal person wouldn't want trouble with bodyguards who exuded an intimidating aura and would compromise.
Sure enough, the man gave him the phone.
Bodyguard: "Thank you for your cooperation."
Wen Yining wasn't afraid of being photographed along with her, because she knew that even if someone took a picture of her, it wouldn't be published.
Neither of them spoke.
After a moment of stalemate, Wen Yining, unable to bear it any longer, stood up with a stiff face and started to walk out.
But the train was too narrow, and if Li Changjing stood there, she would inevitably bump into him if she wanted to get past him.
As if he couldn't see through her intentions, he stood there obliviously, looking down at her with a leisurely air, without moving.
Wen Yining caught a glimpse of the person in the lower bunk to her left, watching them like it was a show.
After staring at Li Changjing for three seconds, Wen Yining had no choice but to speak softly, "Move aside."
Having achieved his goal, he smirked and stepped aside to make way.
Wen Yining walked past him toward the bed, her face expressionless as she thought: Li Changjing has gone mad.
She walked forward, and he followed behind her, his eyes lingering on her the whole way.
She walked to the bed, took off her shoes with some awkwardness and insecurity, and grabbed the ladder with both hands, preparing to climb up.
She could feel Li Changjing watching her from behind. After a half-second pause, she ignored the gaze behind her and climbed onto the middle bunk.
Li Changjing watched her climb up, raised an eyebrow, and smiled with his eyes crinkling.
As Wen Yining climbed up and struggled to sit down, she heard him praise her, saying, "Ningning is so agile."
Wen Yining: "..."
Wen Yining felt like she was going crazy. Her brain, which hadn't slept all night, was now stiff and blocked, unable to function. Her temples were also throbbing with pain, and she was almost losing her mind.
She sat on the bed, looking at him with a mixture of anger and helplessness.
He was tall, and he could easily see her even when she was in the middle bunk.
She couldn't take it anymore and asked in a low voice, "What exactly do you want?"
Li Changjing retorted, "Don't you know?"
Of course she knew, but...
Wen Yining ignored him, lay on the bed in a "what's the use" attitude, and took out her phone. Judging from his attitude, the young master was taking a more approachable approach today, instead of stopping the train with a wave of his hand as usual. Moreover, the train had already started moving, and since he didn't intend to do anything, the train would arrive at its destination as scheduled.
She checked and found that the next stop was an hour away.
Even if he gets off at the nearest stop, it will still take an hour. If he wants to stand there, let him stand for an hour.
Wen Yining turned off her phone, not caring whether the blanket was dirty or not, and unfolded the blanket to close her eyes and go to sleep.
But how could she possibly fall asleep?
A bodyguard came over from the other side with an unopened disposable mask, which Li Changjing took and put on.
Wen Yining forced her eyes closed for less than two minutes when she heard Li Changjing's low voice on the phone. The voice seemed to remind her that he was always there. Wen Yining couldn't bear it any longer and opened her eyes to sit up.
Perhaps fearing being photographed and causing trouble, Li Changjing wore a mask, only revealing a small section of his high nose bridge and handsome eyebrows. He stood at the foot of her bed making a phone call, his eyelashes looking very long as he lowered his eyes.
During the time she spent with Li Changjing, she never heard him utter a single word of evaluation about people or things. It wasn't that he was wary of her; it was just that he simply didn't have that habit. Normal people unconsciously evaluate things in life, but he never did, not even comment on whether the weather was cold or hot.
It seems impossible to get a clear and definite attitude from him.
Just like now, although he didn't show any disgust, not even frowning, his whole body exuded a sense of incongruity and subtle stiffness. He didn't sit in the empty seat over there, and his whole body didn't touch the train. He just stood there, not holding onto anything.
Two bodyguards stood guard beside him as if facing a formidable enemy.
Wen Yining never expected Li Changjing to come after her. Looking at him like this, she had a moment of daze and thought that he really liked her, maybe not to that extent, but it was true.
Sensing her gaze, Li Changjing looked up at her while on the phone, and quickly hung up.
Wen Yining couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "When are you going down?"
He glanced at the time. "Half an hour left."
That's the next stop.
Wen Yining nodded, lay back down, and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.
She thought Li Changjing would say something to her during that half hour, but she pretended to be asleep for a long time and didn't hear him speak.
He didn't speak, but Wen Yining began to feel uneasy. He couldn't have just come here for no reason, to spend an hour with her on a train and experience life, could he?
The aunt who had switched beds with Wen Yining lay on the bed with her hands behind her head, her eyes wide open, staring intently at the young man in front of her. She was so curious that she wanted to talk to him and find out who he was, but looking at him, she mustered up her courage several times but didn't dare to speak.
He looked completely different from the other people in the carriage. Looking at him seemed to be more than just looking at him; it was as if you could see another social class through him.
Dazzling, extravagant, heavily fortified, and unattainable.
People are instinctively curious when faced with a world they have never encountered before.
She was so curious. Remembering that the girl who had switched beds with her seemed easy to talk to, she got up, put on her shoes, and lay down on the middle bunk.
Wen Yining opened her eyes as if sensing something and saw an unfamiliar face suddenly appearing close to her. Although she didn't scream, she was so frightened that her heart pounded.
The aunt was completely unaware of the inappropriateness of her behavior. She brazenly yet secretly asked in a loud voice with a strong Jiangnan accent, but in a whispered tone, "Little sister, who is this person?"
Wen Yining: "..."
The aunt's low, self-assured whispers could actually be heard within several meters, let alone by the person in question, who was only a meter away. But the aunt was burying her head in the sand, pretending that she was using a secretive tone of voice so that the person in question wouldn't hear her.
Wen Yining's neighbors since childhood were like this, with a kind of careless and oblivious straightforwardness. But after being around people who knew each other without saying a word, it had been a long time since she had encountered such a straightforward person. Wen Yining was silent for a moment, "...Uh, he is...actually, I don't know him either."
She could feel Li Changjing watching her without even looking.
Li Changjing glanced at the bodyguard, who stepped forward with his already serious face. "Madam, we are special personnel here on a mission."
These words were ambiguous and actually quite unconvincing. The conversation between the two just now didn't seem like they were carrying out a mission. But coming from someone with this kind of demeanor, coupled with this pomp and circumstance, they seemed very credible. The aunt shrank her neck, immediately let go of her hand, lay back down, covered her face with her arm, and seemed to fall asleep instantly.
Wen Yining secretly breathed a sigh of relief, tilted her head and looked at Li Changjing. He sensed it instantly, looked up and met her eyes. At this moment, he looked at her as if he had not received her message, nor had she blocked him, as if they were an ordinary couple on a trip.
Wen Yining looked away.
It felt like a long time had passed, yet also like the blink of an eye. The train began to slow down ahead of schedule, and then the swaying train came to a stop. Wen Yining opened her eyes and heard a staff member outside shouting, "Xuzhou Station has arrived."
"Ningning," Li Changjing called to her, "Let's go downstairs."
I knew he wouldn't just sit idly by.
Wen Yining sat up. "Who said I was going down?"
He looked at her calmly, nodded, and said in his usual unhurried and refined tone, "Okay, then we'll wait together."
There was not a hint of threat in his tone; if a stranger heard it, they would think he had a very good temper.
But in reality, this person always conceals their most ruthless and assertive attitude beneath a gentle and understated tone.
But Wen Yining knew that if he said they would wait together, the car wouldn't drive off.
Wen Yining could never win against him.
This was a small station, and there weren't many people getting on or off. One bodyguard carried her suitcase, while another led the way. Li Changjing led Wen Yining off the platform, but Wen Yining shook off his hand, and he didn't insist.
He is assertive and domineering when it comes to important matters, but he is always very good-tempered when it comes to trivial things.
The two entered a reception room at the station, closed the door, and were left alone in the room.
The sights and people on the train allowed them to focus on that environment, so she didn't think about anything else. But now it was just the two of them.
Those emotions and those scenes resurfaced, leaving her no way to avoid them, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears. "I've already made it very clear, we've broken up."
Li Changjing nodded. "When you come back from school, I'll have them apologize to you in person. I promise this kind of thing will never happen again."
Having come from a background within the system, Li Changjing was adept at playing dumb and glossing over problems. He could casually exchange pleasantries with people even over the most serious matters. But Wen Yining was different. She was eight years younger than him, and at 18, she carried the spirit of youth and was almost always serious.
"You know perfectly well that's not why!"
He looked at her, nodded, and said seriously, "Just like before, the reason is external, not because you don't like me."
Li Changjing asked her calmly, "If we break up like this, are you really willing to do it?"
Wen Yining wanted to argue, but he knew her feelings perfectly well, and arguing would only make her look more ridiculous.
"I think my attitude is also very clear."
Li Changjing reached out and hugged her, pulling her into his arms. "Ningning, let's start over."
Author's Note: I forgot to mention, did anyone else feel that Fang Qi was acting strangely?
P.S.: I wrote this in a rush, and there are many things I haven't expressed well [crying emoji]. I'll definitely revise it after it's finished [crying emoji].
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