Chapter 20: The Warmth of One Hundred Thousand Yuan
jiang Chen sat on the lower bunk, looking at a bank SMS notification that had just popped up on his phone screen.
【Your card ending in 5207 received a deposit of RMB 100,000.00 at 05:22 on January 24th.】
At the sa ti, the chanical electronic voice in his mind sounded right on schedule.
【Ding! The 'Warm Sun in Winter' mission is complete.】
【Analysis: The Host not only provided material satisfaction but also successfully soothed the companion's anxiety. Mission evaluation: Perfect.】
【Cash reward obtained: 100,000 yuan.】
【The source of funds has been legalized. The Host may use it with confidence.】
The corners of Jiang Chen's mouth curved upward slightly as he tucked his phone back into his pocket.
One hundred thousand yuan.
For him before this journey began, this was a massive sum, even equaling the total living expenses for his four years of university.
But now, looking at that number, his heart was surprisingly calm.
"Aiyo, this train is starting to pick up speed," Chen Man turned over on the upper bunk, letting her leg, which had finally recovered, rest on the guardrail. "Judging by the sound, they must have finished clearing the tracks."
Su Qingge was tidying up the leftover food on the table.
She placed the empty clay pot back onto the tray with elegant movents.
Hearing Chen Man, she turned her head and glanced out the window: "Mm, as long as we pass this snowy section, it opens up to plains, and the speed can increase."
She raised her wrist to look at the exquisite Jaeger-LeCoultre ladies' watch: "If nothing unexpected happens, we should reach the transfer station around three in the afternoon. If we catch the last high-speed train, we can be in the provincial capital before seven tonight."
Saying this, Su Qingge's slightly relaxed brow furrowed slightly again.
Seven o'clock.
The banks would be closed by then, and she didn't know if she could still arrange to et her old classmate.
"Sister Su," Jiang Chen took the tray from her hands. "Don't overthink it. Worry about the bridge when you co to it. If there is no bridge, then we'll smash one out."
Su Qingge paused for a mont, then smiled.
The smile was faint but very genuine.
"You certainly look at things optimistically," she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Alright, you go return the dishes and ask the conductor for the exact arrival ti so we can prepare in advance."
Jiang Chen nodded, carrying the tray out.
The three won were left alone in the compartnt.
The atmosphere suddenly beca subtly quiet.
Lin Wan sat in the corner of the lower bunk, carefully folding the blanket Jiang Chen had used to cover her.
She folded it slowly and ticulously, as if trying to smooth out every crease.
"Wanwan, you're going to fold a pattern into that blanket," Chen Man lay on the upper bunk, twirling an eyeliner pencil, her gaze playful. "You're reluctant to let it go, huh?"
Lin Wan's hands paused, and her cheeks instantly grew hot: "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm just... tidying up."
"Tidying up what? That's a shared blanket; you can't take it when we get off the train." Chen Man pouted, then suddenly leaned her head down a bit, lowering her voice. "Hey, seriously, are we really breaking up now?"
The words 'breaking up' felt like a tiny thorn stabbing into Lin Wan's heart.
She looked up, her eyes sowhat dazed.
Yes, they were breaking up.
Although this journey was only a short dozen hours, every event that occurred felt like a dream.
From that not-so-pleasant first encounter, to the bowl of instant noodles later, the shower, and that kiss at the back of the carriage... the one that still made her tremble whenever she thought about it.
Was all of this about to end?
Once they reached the provincial capital, Su Qingge would be the female CEO discussing business, Chen Man would be the carefree nightclub owner, and she...
She would return to that cold, lifeless ho, reverting to that timid housewife, facing a husband who only transferred money to her and wouldn't even spare her a proper glance.
This sense of disparity made her feel a suffocating discomfort.
"What's this talk of breaking up? It sounds so unpleasant," Su Qingge said lightly while patting toner onto her face. "The provincial capital isn't that big; we'll see each other if we want to."
"That's true." Chen Man nodded thoughtfully. "I'll be staying in the provincial capital for a while anyway. I just broke up with soone, so I have nowhere to go. Hey, Sister Su, that offer you made about room and board—is that still valid?"
"It's valid," Su Qingge glanced at her. "As long as you don't mind that my hotown is just an ordinary village and not as comfortable as the big villa you used to live in."
"With a great beauty like Sister Su accompanying , I'd be happy to live under a bridge," Chen Man replied with a playful grin, then shifted her gaze to Lin Wan. "Sister Wanwan, what about you? Going ho?"
The movent in Lin Wan's hands completely stopped.
Going ho.
This phrase used to an a destination for her, but now it felt like a cage.
"Mm..." she replied softly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum. "I guess... so."
"What do you an 'I guess'?" Chen Man was clearly dissatisfied with the vague answer. "Isn't your husband coming to pick you up?"
Lin Wan pulled at the corner of her mouth bitterly: "He's... busy. Probably hasn't even looked at his phone."
"Tsk, what a scumbag (scumbag)," Chen Man didn't hold back, rolling her eyes. "Why keep a man like that around? If you ask , you shouldn't go back at all. Co hang out with us. The three of us can play Landlord, and we can pull the little brother in to play Mahjong. Wouldn't that be great?"
Lin Wan didn't speak, only managed a strained smile.
Just then, the compartnt door was pushed open, and Jiang Chen walked in, bringing a chill with him.
"I found out," he said, patting the snowflakes off his shoulders. "The conductor said the track conditions ahead are good. If things go smoothly, we'll arrive at two-thirty. We have about four hours left."
Four hours.
The countdown had begun.
Jiang Chen sat back on his bunk and took a swig from the water bottle he hadn't finished.
His gaze swept across the compartnt, finally landing on Lin Wan.
Lin Wan was looking down, unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes, radiating an aura of deep gloom.
Jiang Chen put the water bottle down, making a soft 'thud' sound.
"Sister Wan."
Lin Wan looked up in surprise: "Ah?"
"I noticed your suitcase looks quite heavy," Jiang Chen pointed to the large suitcase on the luggage rack. "There will be a lot of people getting off; I'll help you carry it."
It was a very simple sentence.
But Lin Wan's eyes imdiately reddened.
She quickly lowered her head, using her hair to cover her face, her voice slightly choked: "Th-thank you."
"Don't be so polite," Jiang Chen smiled, his tone as natural as if they were family. "We crawled out of the sa trench; taking care of each other is what we should do."
"Comrades-in-arms?" Chen Man laughed. "Little brother, that's quite a fresh term you used. Are you saying we went through a hail of bullets?"
"Of course," Jiang Chen said half-jokingly. "We had water outages and power outages, and we still had to guard against drunks. Isn't that harder than fighting a war?"
The atmosphere in the carriage eased slightly because of this lighthearted banter.
But the sorrow of parting, like the thick layer of snow outside the window, although it would slowly lt under the sun, still pressed heavily on everyone's heart at that mont.
Especially Lin Wan.
As she watched the scenery flash by outside the window, the crazy thought in her mind had not cooled down with the passage of ti; instead, it had grown wildly like weeds.
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