19 An Overnight Train Journey

In actual fact, Chen Chuan had not contributed to the class monitor election this time. He was not bothered about it either.

In the male dormitory, it was Zhou Mu who had helped Jinglan to ask around for votes.

Among the guys, Zhou Mu had to be the main contributor to the election.

"By the way, do you know any attractions in Chongqing? Let me tell you some, shall I?" Jinglan brought up a subject.

"Sure."

"First of all, visit Dazu Rock Carvings, a world cultural heritage site, as well as Three Natural Bridges, Black Valley…"

Chen Chuan and Jinglan chatted happily in the small car.

At first, both of them sat opposite each other. Later on, a woman, who seemed like a white-collar worker, walked to the lower berth that Jinglan was sitting on.

Therefore, Jinglan could only sit on Chen Chuan's berth.

The train ran for 15 hours. After getting on the train at 3:00 pm, both of them had chatted until 6:00 pm, and then they headed to the dining car together to have dinner.

The food in the dining car was expensive, and the fruits were even more expensive. A small box of blueberries was priced at 40 yuan, whereas a box of cherries was priced at 50 yuan.

Fortunately, Chen Chuan had the Double Expenditure Cash Return so he was not under pressure to pay for these food items.

The setting sun streamed on the dining car.

Chen Chuan and Jinglan sat facing each other. After dinner, they turned their heads sideways and looked at the scenery outside together while sipping their drinks. They were quiet for the time being.

As the train operated at a speed of 300 kilometers per hour, the scenery outside the window flew past.

Chen Chuan accidentally touched Jinglan's calf under the table. However, Jinglan did not seem to sense it. She just kept her head down and drank mineral water. Suddenly, she spilled her water and shouted, "Water is spilling."

Chen Chuan immediately wiped it for her and said, "It's hard to wipe it off when it's still spilling."

After they had finished dinner, they returned to the sleeping car. The sky had already darkened.

At this point, the train stopped at a large station. There were passengers who got off the train to smoke and breathe some fresh air.

Chen Chuan and Jinglan got off as well. They hung around outside for a while.

"Xuzhou is one of the Nine Provinces in Huaxia. This is a place in history where warlords competed for. Liu Bang, Xiao He and Xiang Yu were the warlords from Xuzhou. During the war between the Qin dynasty and the Han dynasty, a ferocious battle had once taken place at the mountain stream here. It sparked a bloodbath at that point," Jinglan said, her eyes staring at the indicator board. 

"You know so much. I didn't expect you to be such a knowledgeable person. It's an eye-opening experience listening to those stories along the journey," Chen Chuan said sincerely. 

"You can tell that I spend a lot of time on the Internet." Jinglan giggled. "You've treated me to two meals. One outside the campus and the other one in the dining car. I even ate the pricey fruit, which you bought on the train. You must come and look for me when you visit Chongqing City. I'd like to invite you to my cousin's wedding if you don't mind coming. It'll be my treat, and you don't have to fork out any money. Just come and enjoy."

"I'll definitely make it if I've got spare time. I feel like visiting the Three Gorges Dam where floodwater is rapidly discharged. I'm not sure if I have time," said Chen Chuan.

"There's still time. You can go on a cruise to experience how things around that place have changed. If you need a tour, I'm more than happy to be your tour guide. Speaking of the Baidi Fortress's background, I probably know more than the books do. Haha. Seriously, I learned the stories passed on from the older generations," replied Jinglan.

After a brief chat, they got on the train.

Jinglan stepped on Chen Chuan's lower berth as she planned to climb up to the upper berth.

At first, Chen Chuan just stared at her subconsciously. He was not aware that he should not stare at her this way until her legs began moving upward. After all, she was wearing a mini skirt.

Chen Chuan turned his head to the window. Somehow, his heart began to race madly.

In fact, he had never been in a relationship in his lifetime. Never had he touched a girl's hand either.

Something seemed to have crossed Jinglan's mind. She paused a while, then she moved to the lower berth. "I forgot to bring my pajamas… I was too excited when it was time to leave for the trip, and I didn't bring along some of the essentials. I could've headed for the restroom to change into my pajama bottoms."

"Oh, sleep on the lower berth then. I'll go up." Chen Chuan got back to his senses.

"Thanks. How kind of you. But why are you rushing to go up? It's only 6:30 pm right now," said Jinglan.

"Um, it's too early to go to bed now. I'll continue listening to your stories then. Where did you stop?" Chen Chuan asked while gazing outside.

They both sat on the lower berth again and chatted while gazing at the scenery outside.

The sky gradually became darker.

There were originally three passengers in the car. The white-collar woman had gotten off at Changsha Railway Station.

Chen Chuan and Jinglan were the only passengers left there.

Only the sound of breathing could be heard during the silent night.

They became tired as they chatted. They lied down on their respective berths and rested quietly.

Sitting on the upper berth, Chen Chuan saw Jinglan hooking one foot into a sandal. She left her foot hanging over the side of the lower berth while shaking it.

As he was watching Jinglan attentively, he heard her ask, "Chen Chuan, are you interested in signing up for any societies?"

"Well, I'm interested in quite a number of them, but I haven't figured out which to join. I've got to take my time and decide."

Jinglan excitedly replied, "So am I. There are many societies that I'm interested in, but I'm not sure which one to choose. I still haven't figured it out too."

"Let's research them together when we get back to university," said Chen Chuan.

Once this subject had been brought up, they started chatting again.

"The air conditioner in this car is too cold, and what's more, my blanket is too thin. It's freezing in here," Jinglan said.

Chen Chuan popped his head out from the upper berth to look downward. Sure enough, he saw Jinglan wrapping herself tightly. However, half of her fair legs stuck out of the blanket. He wondered if it was because her legs were too long.

"Take this sweater and cover yourself. I've put it on for half the day, and it's not dirty." Chen Chuan handed his sweater to her.

"Thanks." Jinglan took the sweater and put it over his legs. "You actually wear a Thom Browne sweater. It's a brand that's been widely promoted by influencers. This sweater should've cost you 7000-plus yuan, right?"

"Ah, what's Thom Browne?" Chen Chuan popped his head out again. "Oh, you're referring to this sweater. I have no idea. I got it online."

When Chen Chuan bought clothes, he usually sorted the items in descending order based on the price, where items with the highest price were shown first. Then, he would choose to buy the pricey ones. Anyway, he could pay the bill using [Double Expenditure Cash Return]. Also, the pricier the item was, the more he could earn.

After the lights were turned off at 10:00 pm, the two of them still talked to each other off and on.

After a while, Chen Chuan did not hear anything from the lower berth. He popped his head out to glance downward. With the faint light in the corridor, he could see Jinglan sleeping with her head on two pillows. 

From her sleeping position, it was probable that she quite cared about her hairstyle. She was afraid that her hair would become messy.

It must have been a torment for her to sleep in this way for the sake of her appearance.

While listening to the sound of the consistently smooth-running train, he thought about his trip to Chongqing City…

Chen Chuan then fell asleep as well.