"Are you okay?" A familiar voice sounded beside her ear.
Yan Xing looked up to see the young boy’s clean and gentle face, and suddenly her eyes welled up with tears. She bit her lip hard and stayed silent.
"Get up." The boy pulled her up, and as the bucktoothed man got up, he glared fiercely at the boy, "Kid, are you looking for trouble?"
The boy glanced at him coolly, "Whatever you have to say, save it for the train police."
"Move aside, what’s going on here?"
Two train police officers pushed through the crowd and ca in. Seeing the situation was unfavorable, the bucktoothed man turned to slip away but was grabbed by the collar by the boy and thrown at the officers’ feet. "This man molested a girl, how should he be dealt with?"
The officers glanced at the boy, and Yan Xing imdiately stood out, "That’s right, he tried to bully . I refused, and he hit . If you don’t believe , ask the others."
Finally, soone with a conscience ca forward to testify, and the bucktoothed man was taken away by the train police.
The boy turned to leave, and Yan Xing hurried to catch up, "Thank you for just now. If it weren’t for you stepping in, I would have been in a bad spot."
The boy walked back to his seat without a word, and Yan Xing bit her lip, standing beside him unwilling to leave.
The bucktoothed man was caught, she could return to her seat without fear of harassnt, but she didn’t want to go back. She only felt safe by his side.
The boy glanced at her and stood up, "You can sit here."
Yan Xing imdiately bead, "Thank you."
At night, as the number of passengers in the carriage dwindled, a place across from him opened up, and the boy moved over to sit opposite her.
"Are you hungry?" the boy asked.
Yan Xing, holding her growling stomach, nodded.
The boy got up, "Co on, I’ll take you to eat."
Yan Xing eagerly followed him.
Carriage eight was a dining car. The boy bought two als, one potato chicken and one braised eggplant. Yan Xing tried to pay, but the boy pushed her hand back, saying lightly, "This al is on ."
Yan Xing saw the boy take out his wallet from his pocket. The wallet looked old, with its edges worn out. He pulled out twenty-five yuan to hand to the staff, and Yan Xing thought to herself that he must co from a modest family background, yet she felt bad about him treating her.
When the boy closed his wallet, she caught a glimpse of a photo in its pocket, of a young girl whose face she couldn’t clearly see.
Is she his girlfriend?
The boy placed the potato chicken in front of her and opened the braised eggplant. Yan Xing, already starving, quickly unpacked the disposable chopsticks and began to eat. Though the taste didn’t compare to the delicacies at ho, it had its own unique flavor.
"Where are you getting off?" She asked, her mouth full.
The boy, eating slowly and calmly, replied plainly, "Gusu."
"Wow, what a coincidence, I’m going to Gusu too."
She blinked her big eyes, "Is your ho in Gusu?"
The boy humd in acknowledgnt.
"Do you know Hanshan Temple in Gusu?"
The boy glanced at her, "Yes."
"That’s great, I’m going to Hanshan Temple, but I don’t know how to get there. Since you’re from Gusu, can you be my guide?"
"Why are you going to Hanshan Temple?"
Yan Xing put down her chopsticks and sighed, "I’m going to see my second sister."
The boy seed to think of sothing and didn’t ask further. After pondering a bit, he said, "You snuck out, didn’t you?"
Yan Xing was surprised, "How did you know?"
The boy smiled, and Yan Xing was astonished by his smile, so clean and gentle.
"If you trust , wait until I finish my business, and I’ll take you to Hanshan Temple."
"That would be wonderful." Yan Xing almost jumped for joy.
"By the way, my na is Yan Xing, I’m sixteen years old, and you?" Yan Xing tilted her head, asking charmingly.
"Kang Qi."
"Kang Qi? What a nice na, I’m glad to et you."
In the evening, Kang Qi took her to a sleeper carriage, found an empty berth for her to sleep in, while he sat at the door on watch.
"When I wake up, will you be gone?" Yan Xing looked at him pleadingly.
Kang Qi smiled, "No, you sleep well."
"Give your bag, then I’ll believe you." Yan Xing, now afraid, was worried he might leave her alone. Kang Qi smiled helplessly, handing over his backpack. Holding his bag, Yan Xing finally felt at ease enough to fall asleep.
In her dreams, Yan Xing suddenly felt herself being held in soone’s arms. She awoke with a start, instinctively pushing that person away. The familiar scent at the tip of her nose led her to despair, thinking she had escaped one danger only to fall into another.
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