After school that afternoon, Zheng Feng ran to the classroom door and waited to leave with Bian Guanyue.
But Bian Guanyue picked up her schoolbag and walked over to Chen Guiliang. "When's the second round?"
Chen Guiliang said, "Mid-January. There's still over half a month left, so it should be during winter break."
"I hope you win first prize." Bian Guanyue clenched her fist. "Good luck!"
"Thanks." Chen Guiliang smiled.
"Bye."
Bian Guanyue deliberately turned around before waving, as though that would make her relationship with Chen Guiliang seem less close.
Several of the brothers from Room 302 gathered around. They had already seen the invitation to the second round at noon, but that had been with other classmates present. Now they wanted another look, showing the special enthusiasm reserved for roommates.
They crowded around Chen Guiliang and headed to the cafeteria, chatting about the New Concept Competition as they walked.
"Is there a direct train from here to Magic City?" Xu Haibo asked.
Li Yulin said, "Probably not. You'd have to transfer in Hibiscus City."
Yang Hao said, "My parents transfer in Hibiscus City every year when they go out for work."
Xie Yang laughed. "Chen the Hero, don't get on the wrong train. You might wake up and find yourself staring at the Gobi Desert."
"You need to buy a few pairs of underwear with pockets and keep all your money in them. My dad says trains are full of thieves."
"Don't drink anything strangers give you. There might be sleeping pills in it."
"..."
All of the roommates came from towns or rural villages. None of them had ever ridden a train, and some had never even left the city.
They longed for the world outside, each with all sorts of fantasies about distant, unknown places.
Now