There were still three months to go before China Railway's fifth major speed increase.
For Chen Guiliang to take the train from Hibiscus City to Magic City, it would take at least forty-five hours. A hard seat was out of the question—after sitting in one that long, he would probably spend the rest of his life wanting to stand.
There was no need to fly, either.
Chen Guiliang had bought a soft-sleeper ticket, arriving the day before the competition just in time.
It was an ordinary soft-sleeper compartment with four berths.
But only two passengers had boarded at the originating station: Chen Guiliang and a middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man took off his coat, revealing a wool sweater underneath. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, with a briefcase resting atop his suitcase. Refined and scholarly, he looked like he was traveling on business.
"Hello."
"Hello."
After exchanging nods, they each climbed into their berths.
Chen Guiliang took out his MP3 player and listened to the songs Bian Guanyue had downloaded for him. Before long, he fell asleep.
When he woke again, it was nearly evening.
The middle-aged man asked, "Young man, want to eat in the dining car?"
"Sure." Chen Guiliang rolled out of bed.
The middle-aged man had actually intended to go to the dining car alone and ask Chen Guiliang to watch his luggage. He guessed Chen Guiliang was a student and therefore probably trustworthy.
On second thought, the soft-sleeper compartment was fairly safe anyway. The man stopped worrying about his suitcase, only taking his briefcase with him to eat.
He even waited by the door for Chen Guiliang.
Chen Guiliang pulled out four eggs and handed two to the middle-aged man.
Aunt had boiled twenty eggs. There was no way he could finish them all by himself.
"Thanks," the