Chapter 15: Secret
The atmosphere in the compartnt beca subtle.
If before it was a kind of unrestrained ambiguity, then at this mont, the emotion flowing in the air beca more obscure, more viscous, like an invisible net enveloping the four of them.
Lin Wan took the thermos and went out.
Although that figure tried hard to maintain her composure, her footsteps seed sowhat hurried, as if she were fleeing in defeat.
Jiang Chen stood in place, the sensation of holding her just now still lingering on his fingertips.
That plumpness and softness unique to a mature woman were completely different from Chen Man's firm elasticity, carrying a kind of intoxicating mildness.
"What's wrong with Sister Wanwan?" Chen Man was sprawled on the upper bunk. Now that her leg wasn't cramping, her gossipy nature resurfaced. "Why is her face so red? Does she have a fever?"
"Maybe it's just too hot in the compartnt," Su Qingge replied lightly. She was leaning against the headboard, holding a book, but that page hadn't been turned for a long ti.
As soone seasoned in the cutthroat world of business, Su Qingge's insight into human nature was far superior to Chen Man's.
She understood Lin Wan's look from just now.
It was the yearning of a woman who had long existed in an emotional desert, encountering a tiny spark of warmth—a desire akin to a moth flying into a fla.
Dangerous.
But understandable.
Su Qingge looked up at Jiang Chen.
The big boy was sitting on the lower bunk, tidying the ssy sheets. The lines of his profile were clean and sharp, and his nose bridge was straight.
When he wasn't speaking, he possessed a calmness beyond his years.
He was indeed quite attractive.
"I'll go check on Sister Wan. Just in case sothing is actually wrong." Jiang Chen also seed to sense sothing and didn't want to linger in the slightly awkward space.
He pulled open the door and walked into the corridor.
The corridor was still noisy.
The train was still moving slowly, and the snow-covered plains outside the window stretched endlessly.
Jiang Chen found Lin Wan by the washbasin at the connecting vestibule.
She was facing away from him, leaning on the washbasin, her shoulders slightly shaking.
The empty thermos was placed by her feet, the water gushing out, yet she was just staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror.
The woman in the mirror, though her eyes showed fine lines around the corners, still possessed lingering charm. Only her eyes were filled with confusion and struggle.
"Sister Wan?"
Jiang Chen called out softly.
Lin Wan was startled, turning around like a frightened rabbit.
Seeing it was Jiang Chen, she hurriedly turned off the faucet and frantically tried to wipe the water stains—or perhaps tear stains—from her face.
"Xiao Jiang... why did you co out?" Lin Wan forced a smile, but it looked worse than crying.
"I saw you hadn't co back for so long and worried you weren't feeling well." Jiang Chen walked over, pulled out a pack of tissues from his pocket, and handed them to her. "Here."
Lin Wan took the tissues but didn't wipe her face; instead, she clutched them tightly in her hand.
"I'm fine," she said softly, head bowed. "I just felt... it was too stuffy in here, needed so air."
"It is quite stuffy," Jiang Chen leaned against the window across from her, not exposing her. "This train still has several hours to go. If you feel uncomfortable, shall we get off and walk around when we reach the next major station?"
Lin Wan looked up at him.
Against the light, Jiang Chen's face was slightly blurred, but his eyes were startlingly bright.
There was no pity in them, nor any aggressive desire, only a peace that brought comfort.
"Xiao Jiang," Lin Wan suddenly took a step forward, closing the distance between them to a slightly overstepping range.
The faint milky fragrance on her mixed with the crispness of evian water, drifting into Jiang Chen's nose.
"Tell ..." Lin Wan bit her lip, as if making an extrely difficult decision, "If a woman feels she has lived her whole life wrong, and now wants to start over... is it still not too late?"
The question was abrupt and without context.
But Jiang Chen knew what she was asking about.
About that marriage that existed in na only, about the husband who couldn't give her happiness, about the role of 'dutiful wife' she had been playing for years.
"Sister Wan," Jiang Chen looked into her eyes, his tone serious. "The best ti to plant a tree was ten years ago. The second best ti is now."
"As long as you want to, it's never too late."
Lin Wan's pupils contracted slightly.
In that mont, she felt a crack appear in the dam within her heart.
No one had ever said such a thing to her before.
Everyone around her advised her to endure, to save face, to maintain that so-called complete family.
Only this boy, nearly ten years younger than her, told her it was never too late.
"Really?" Lin Wan murmured, her gaze sowhat dazed.
She looked at Jiang Chen's lips—those lips that had just been chatting cheerfully with the other two won, speaking pleasant words.
An unprecedented impulse surged into her heart.
She wanted to know if the words spoken by those lips were warm, and if so... what if...
Just then.
"Thud!"
A dull, heavy sound echoed from the connecting vestibule not far away, like the sound of a heavy object striking a tal plate.
This was imdiately followed by a clamor of curses and exclamations.
"What are you doing! That's my bag!"
"Robbery! Soone is stealing!"
The emotions, already on the verge of breaking loose at that mont, were instantly interrupted.
Lin Wan recoiled as if splashed with cold water, taking two quick steps back. The blush instantly faded from her face, replaced by terror.
"What happened?" she asked anxiously, looking in the direction of the sound.
Jiang Chen's eyes also instantly sharpened.
The gentleness belonging to a youth vanished, replaced by a leopard-like alertness.
This train was already a lting pot of mixed elents, and coupled with the previous heavy snow cutting off roads and power outages, the passengers' emotions had reached a breaking point. At tis like this, public security was the most likely thing to go wrong.
"Sister Wan, go back to the compartnt first!"
Jiang Chen grabbed Lin Wan and pushed her toward Compartnt 8. "Lock the door! No matter what you hear, don't co out!"
"What about you?" Lin Wan grabbed his sleeve, unwilling to let go, her eyes full of worry.
"I'll go take a look," Jiang Chen patted the back of her hand, his tone frighteningly calm. "Don't worry, I know my limits."
With that, he let go of her hand, turned, and strode toward the source of the chaos.
In his retreating figure, Lin Wan saw an aura she had never witnessed before.
He was no longer the warm younger brother who would massage legs and coax older sisters into happiness, but a real man capable of handling serious matters.
Lin Wan stood in place, watching that figure disappear into the crowd.
The seed in her heart completely broke through the soil at this mont.
And just as Jiang Chen pushed through the crowd, the familiar chanical voice sounded in his mind again.
"Ding! Detected sudden conflict event."
"New mission triggered: Righteous Intervention."
"In this mont of chaos, not only the power of money is needed, but also the iron fist of justice. The Host must resolve the current crisis and ensure the safety of companions."
"Mission reward: Martial Arts Proficiency (Beginner) and a random cash reward."
Jiang Chen curled his lips into a cold smile.
An iron fist of justice?
Perfect. The frustration bottled up in the compartnt just now had nowhere to vent.
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