It was already past midnight when the train arrived in Dongzhou.
Pu Yu wheeled her suitcase out of the carriage. The platform was deserted, with only a few lights still burning, stretching her shadow long behind her.
She glanced at her phone, and the screen lit up.
A message from Yuan Su had just arrived:
[Have you arrived?]
Almost at the same moment, she typed her reply:
[I'm here.]
Send.
A second later, a new message popped up on the screen.
It wasn't text.
It was a screenshot of a hotel booking confirmation.
She froze for a moment.
Then several more messages followed:
[The hotel is opposite the south exit of East Station. Turn right and walk fifty meters.]
[The manager's surname is Zhou. Call him when you get there, and he'll come meet you.]
[The room is paid for. Just check in.]
Pu Yu stared at the name of the star-rated hotel chain on the screen, then at the words "Paid," and felt her eyes sting.
He was so... short of money himself.
He stretched every penny, ate the cheapest boxed meals, and lived in the shabbiest rental.
Yet when it came to her, he always gave her the best he could.
Late at night, a thousand kilometers apart, he had worked out when she would arrive, known she wouldn't be able to get into her dorm, and even anticipated that she might stay in a dingy little inn to save money. So he had arranged everything in advance.
"Hello, is this Manager Zhou? I'm..." She paused. "I'm Yuan Su's girlfriend. He booked a room for me."
A hearty laugh came from the other end. "Oh, you're young Yuan's girlfriend! He went over it several times on the phone, saying the south exit of East Station was closest. He