25 Heading To The Capital

She was gone.

However, it did not even cause a ripple as nobody mentioned her. It was as if she was never there, and nobody remembered her, save for Lu Ze, who held her memory in his mind. His daily life didn't change. It was the same old monotonous work but, the apartment next to him was now empty and cold, just like his heart.

Apart from shooting and 'studying,' he picked up a new habit of sitting in a daze. He could sit on a bench and smoke for hours in one go, turning somewhat taciturn.

Lu Ze had long understood that Hengdian was no paradise for the grassroots, but instead was a slaughterhouse. It was like a mythical beast who would swallow people whole, and when they got out, they'd lack the soul they once had despite looking the same.

…

On the 14th of August, at 6:30 a.m., Lu Ze woke up and picked up his phone as he rubbed his eyes.

"Hello? Big brother Le!"

"You're just waking up now? You? A big young guy like you waking up later than me?! Alright, I won't talk about the things you don't want to hear. I've got a job for you, a big one! It's a week-long shoot, and they've asked for you. It's a war drama again, so will you do it or not? If you're willing, I'll give them a reply right away."

"I can't do it. I've got to catch a train to the capital today to send my little sister off to college."

When Liu Le heard that Lu Ze would not accept the work, his heart began pounding. However, when he listened to the second part of Lu Ze's sentence, the weight on his heart was lifted. Even then, he said somewhat resignedly, "Just ask your parents to send her off. This job is effortless, and you'll earn quite some money. You can buy your sister some clothes later, and she'd be delighted! Don't you think it's a good idea?"

"I really can't. My mother and father have never been to the capital. They'll probably lose their head in panic right at the station. I've already promised my sister, so I really can't take it up. Please convey my apologies to the director."

Hanging up, Lu Ze got off the bed and went about his morning routine. He had bought the day's ticket at ten o'clock in the morning. The train was not an extremely fast one and would only reach the capital at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. He did not pack anything as he would leave today, arrive tomorrow, and be back the day after.

After making sure that he did not forget anything, Lu Ze locked the door and left the courtyard to catch a bus to the station. Traveling alone was boring. After boarding the train, he found his seat and sat down. Although today was not a holiday, there were still a lot of passengers.

His cellphone was quite crappy and could not support any of the current mobile games. So, he could only play a single-player 'fight the landlord' game or a puzzle game. The sound of a crying child could be heard from the side. The mother was probably there as well as he later heard sounds of someone swearing before the sound of a slap followed. The more the child was hit, the louder his cries became.

Across him was a young man, and Lu Ze had no idea where he was from. Sleeping with his mouth wide open while snoring somewhat loudly, he let out a fart every now and then.

"Root beer, mineral water, peanuts, melon seeds, dates...move your leg aside…"

Although Lu Ze had traveled in a lot of trains, he never expected that this guy in a white coat that was pushing the cart was actually the train attendant as well.

He did not bring any water with him, so when the cart passed by him, he bought a bottle of Mizone. The seven yuan he spent made him frown, but he didn't say a thing and simply paid. He was tired of this life, but this was also the life he was accustomed to. If all everything around him disappeared, he would not feel at ease.

After all, he would also sleep on the train while snoring, farting, and eating instant noodles on the train. Frankly speaking, he was no different from the passengers on the train. That was the reason he instantly blended in as soon as he boarded the train.

Ding! Ding!

A new message appeared on his phone. Lu Ze opened the message and saw that it was from Yang Dan.

"I found a new job today. I passed the interview for a clerical position! Hurray me! Although the salary isn't much, it's enough to get by. Are you at the shoot? No need to reply."

During the past ten days, Yang Dan had already sent him a few messages. Perhaps due to a guilty conscience, Lu Ze didn't reply.

He got up and went to the smoking area. There, he spoke a little with another smoking man. Perhaps, both of them carried a kind of fatigue on their expressions that made them feel friendly toward each other.

When he returned to his seat, the train was passing through a mountain. Lu Ze really liked this kind of scenery. He could stare at it for hours, despite not really remembering it.

Setting up an alarm, he closed his eyes and entered the system space.

In one month, he had learned just short of forty courses, covering half of training in acting basics along with numerous simulation courses.

He discovered that he would forget any skill he had learned in the system space upon waking up. He would feel a sense of familiarity in real life and could present his learnings clearly and logically, but when it came down to actually doing it, he could not do it all.

However, there were some aspects where he retained his abilities. For example, he discovered that he could now speak English. Yet, he could only speak. He would not remember a single letter if he had to write.

In other words, he had become a master trash-talker who could not do anything himself.

Lu Ze pondered over the reason. Perhaps, it was because the system was afraid of his brain exploding from so many things.

Upon entering the system space, time was boundlessly stretched but also boundlessly shortened. Several hours could have passed between the blink of an eye.

The vibrating phone pulled Lu Ze out of the course. When he gazed outside, he realized that he had already reached the capital. This was where the majority of tourists headed to, so he got off the train with the crowd. Although he was arriving at the capital for the first time as well, he had already been here several times in the system space.

The system had not shielded the memories of the capital's streets, so he familiarly walked out of the station and stepped on the familiar yet unfamiliar road.

The station was not too crowded in the morning. There was nobody silently approaching him like thieves before asking if he had a place to stay and promote their hotels, or swindlers trying to sell fake mobile phone models. There were only pickpockets and unlicensed taxi drivers looking for some business.

Following his memories, he arrived at the GOME complex nearby station. He walked around for a long time and browsed through every shop. In the end, he gritted his teeth and bought an iPhone 7.

While handing over the money, he bargained for a long time, asking if there was a discount or a gift offer. Then, he carefully inspected the exterior of the phone before returning it to its case.

Lu Nan would arrive at eleven, giving him about three hours of free time. Buying a pancake at the station's entrance, he found a spot to sit down and began eating. He had little care for how the people in bright clothes were looking at him.

At 11:30 in the afternoon, Lu Ze got a call from an unknown number, and he picked it up.

"Hello? Where are you brother? We are coming out of B gate. Which gate are you at?"

"I'm just there at B gate. You'll see the statue of a lion when you walk out. You can see me standing right under it."

He hung up and patted his bottom as he stood up. With his height, he did not need to stand on his toes to examine the people coming out in the distance. A few minutes later, he saw his little sister coming out along with another girl along with a middle-aged uncle.

The two girls were looking around lively. Their faces seemed to carry no weariness from the journey, having only smiles on them. Everything seemed new and fresh to them.

As he walked toward Lu Nan while clutching his bag on his chest with both hands, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Big brother!"

A tall pretty girl at 170cm, grinning from ear to ear while pulling a trunk and carrying a school bag, was excitedly rushing toward him with her long, slender legs.