For the next few days, Camry drove that Cheng Che.
Every morning after his run and ball practice, he drives around the area around Spring City.
We'd take a drive around Dianchi Lake, practice reversing and parallel parking on the suburban roads, and occasionally drive Jiang Xue and Cheng Jianguo to the supermarket.
After a few days, his driving skills had improved from "able to drive" to "proficient".
On the day of departure, Cheng Che did not go out for exercise.
He got up very early and did a final check on his suitcase.
Clothes, rackets, training equipment, skincare products—everything was there.
He zipped up his suitcase, slung his tennis bag over his shoulder, and left the bedroom.
Jiang Xue was already busy in the kitchen. On the table was a bowl of steaming rice noodles and two boiled eggs next to it.
"Eat first." She handed the chopsticks to Cheng Che. "Once we get there, it'll be hard to find Mom's rice noodles."
Cheng Che sat down, finished his rice noodles, and peeled and ate the egg.
Cheng Jianguo stood at the door, holding a bag filled with snacks and fruit.
He watched Cheng Che drag his luggage to the door and asked, "Did you bring everything?"
"All of them are here."
Where's your wallet?
"Exist."
"ID card?"
"Exist."
"Where are the face masks?"
Cheng Che patted his pocket. "Here."
Cheng Jianguo nodded and said nothing more.
He put the bag in the trunk and got into the driver's seat. The old BYD was still there, but the one he was driving today was Camry. Cheng Jianguo drove the new car quietly the whole way, without even turning on the radio.
Spring City Railway Station.
People came and went, carrying large and small bags.
Wearing a mask and dragging a suitcase, Cheng Che followed his parents toward the station entrance.
Jiang Xue walked beside him, her hand resting on the handle of his suitcase, as if that would allow her to stay a little longer.
Jiang Xue stopped at the entrance.
She turned around, looked at Cheng Che, reached out to straighten his collar, and patted the dust off his shoulder.
She didn't say anything, she just looked at him, her eyes slowly reddening.
"Mom," Cheng Che said, "I'll be back during winter and summer vacations."
"I know." Jiang Xue nodded, her voice a little muffled, "I am..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but instead reached out and hugged Cheng Che.
He hugged him tightly, just like when he was a child and I took him to school.
Cheng Che lowered his head, rested his chin on her shoulder, and patted her back.
Call me when you arrive.
Jiang Xue released her grip, took a step back, and wiped her eyes.
"Good."
Cheng Jianguo stood to the side, remaining silent.
After Jiang Xue stepped back, he walked over and patted Cheng Che on the shoulder twice.
"Go," he said.
Cheng Che nodded, picked up his suitcase, and turned to walk into the station entrance.
He took a few steps and glanced back. Jiang Xue was still standing there, Cheng Jianguo's hand on her shoulder.
The two people looked at him like two trees standing in the wind.
Cheng Che waved to them, then turned and walked into the waiting hall.
He found Guo Xin and the other two in the waiting room.
Guo Xin sat on a bench with two boxes piled at his feet, munching on a sausage.
Su Qingyue and Lin Xiao sat opposite each other, each holding a cup of milk tea, chatting happily.
Cheng Che dragged his suitcase over and sat down next to Guo Xin.
"Why not take a plane? You insist on taking the train," Cheng Che said irritably. "Let's see if you can stand it."
Guo Xin raised his head defiantly:
"What's wrong with taking the train? It's a rare opportunity to go out and see the scenery along the way, isn't it great? And it's only a mere thirty-four hours."
"That's all?" Cheng Che laughed. "Keep being stubborn. I'd like to see what kind of person you are after thirty-four hours."
Su Qingyue and Lin Xiao both nodded upon hearing this.
"I think taking the train is great," Su Qingyue said. "You can see the scenery along the way."
"Yes," Lin Xiao agreed, "I've never been on a train for this long before."
Cheng Che glanced at them, his expression complicated.
He was speechless at the naiveté of these two people.
The sleeper carriages were at the back of the train, and the four of them shared a compartment.
Cheng Che and Guo Xin slept on the upper bunk, while Su Qingyue and Lin Xiao slept on the lower bunk.
After getting on the train, Cheng Che put his suitcase away and leaned against the berth to scroll through his phone.
The train slowly started moving, and the Spring City outside the window gradually receded into the distance.
Twenty hours have passed.
Cheng Che sat up from the top bunk and glanced down at Guo Xin across from him.
Guo Xin lay sprawled on the lower bunk, limbs outstretched, like a dried-out salted fish.
His hair was a mess, his eyes were bloodshot, and his face was sallow.
"You've been lying here for twenty hours," Cheng Che said. "You can't even handle that?"
Guo Xin struggled to turn over, rubbing his bottom. "My bottom is numb. The train bed is too hard."
"How dare you say that?" Cheng Che jumped off his bunk. "Who wanted to buy a hard seat in the first place? If I hadn't insisted on buying a soft sleeper, you'd be dead by now."
"I was just trying to save some money..."
Su Qingyue and Lin Xiao sat on the lower bunk, each holding a book and reading.
They were in much better shape than Guo Xin, and even had smiles on their faces.
But when Guo Xin mentioned the words "hard seat," both of their expressions changed.
Su Qingyue closed the book, glanced at Guo Xin, and said, "If you make me take the train again, I'm cutting ties with you."
Lin Xiao nodded, her expression serious. "An airplane, it has to be an airplane."
Guo Xin smiled awkwardly:
"I just wanted to try it out. Don't worry, I'll never do it again, not even if it kills me."
Cheng Che took out two hundred yuan from his pocket and stuffed it into Guo Xin's hand. "Go, go for a walk, and buy some food while you're at it."
Guo Xin's spirits lifted.
The advantage of following Cheng Che is that I don't have to eat instant noodles.
He immediately sprang up from his bunk, playfully giving a salute. "Yes, sir!"
He ran out excitedly.
Cheng Che also got out of bed and said he was going out for a walk.
He put his phone in his pocket and casually opened the door to the private room.
But he... forgot to wear a mask.
Once I stepped out of the sleeper compartment, the light in the corridor brightened up.
He took a few steps, then suddenly sensed something was off.
Several girls who were standing in the corridor looking at the scenery turned around at the same time and stared at his face for two seconds.
Then their eyes slowly widened, and their mouths opened into an "O" shape.
Cheng Che's heart skipped a beat.
It's over.
[ Stars Surrounding the Moon ] has been triggered.
A girl with a ponytail was the first to react, and almost dropped her phone.
She pointed at Cheng Che, her fingers trembling, and her voice stuck in her throat for a long time.
"You... you are..."
" Che Baby!" a girl next to me exclaimed, "It's Che Baby!"
The entire corridor seemed to have been switched on.
"Where is he? Where is Cheng Che?"
Holy crap, it really is him! I've seen him on Douyin hundreds of times!
"How did he end up on this train?!"
"I'm going crazy, I'm going crazy, I'm going crazy--"
A group of girls poured out of the doors of the various private rooms, rushing towards Cheng Che like a zombie apocalypse.
Cheng Che subconsciously took a step back, his back pressed against the corridor wall.
"Don't push! Just let me take a peek!"
"Could you please sign your name? Please!"
"I was here first! I was here first!"
You stepped on my foot!
Who pulled my hair!
Cheng Che was surrounded, caught in a dilemma.
He raised his hands, trying to calm everyone down. "Please don't push, please don't push, I'll sign, I'll sign, okay?"
A staff member squeezed through from the other end of the carriage. He was a man in his fifties. When he saw the commotion, he was stunned for a moment, then waved the keys in his hand with great experience.
"Come on, come on, don't block the aisle, go to the dining car, it's spacious. Line up, one at a time, no one who doesn't line up will get a ticket!"
"Line up! Line up!" the staff member shouted at the top of their lungs. "No one who doesn't line up will get a signature!"
This sentence is more effective than anything else.
The girls immediately transformed from a "zombie siege" into a "line of elementary school students," following Cheng Che obediently as they walked towards the dining car.
Cheng Che sat down in the food cart and began signing autographs for the people in line.
The queue was very long, stretching from the dining car all the way to the back carriages.
There were young girls, middle-aged men, and a few middle-aged women who had come to join the fun.
An older woman squeezed to the front, holding up a tissue she'd pulled from her bag. "Young man, can you sign one for me too? My granddaughter likes you."
Cheng Che took the tissue and signed his name.
The older woman glanced at it, then left, satisfied.
Then an older woman came along.
"Young man, you're very handsome," the older woman said. "My daughter is twenty-six this year. Do you have a boyfriend?"
Cheng Che's lips twitched. "Auntie, I'm still young."
"What do you mean 'little'? You're eighteen, not little anymore." The older woman stared at him seriously. "My daughter is a civil servant, and she's pretty. Would you like to consider it?"
Cheng Che handed her the autograph and said politely, "Auntie, I'm in a hurry to eat."
"Then you eat first, and we can talk after you finish."
Cheng Che was both amused and exasperated.
He glanced at the group of middle-aged women who had gathered to watch the spectacle, feeling utterly helpless.
Do you know who I am? Then line up.
I thought I was getting eggs.
But the girls' enthusiasm was genuine.
The first girl walked to the table, her hands still trembling.
" Che Baby... I... I've liked you for a long time. Ever since you started playing tennis. Um... could I get your autograph?"
She handed him a notebook, the cover of which was covered with photos of Cheng Che.
Cheng Che took the notebook, glanced up at her, and smiled:
"You started liking tennis back in the day? That's pretty early. What's your name?"
"Lin, Lin Xiaoyu."
Cheng Che signed his name in the notebook and wrote another sentence:
Lin Xiaoyu, for supporting me since my tennis days. Wishing you happiness every day.
He handed the notebook back.
Lin Xiaoyu took the notebook, glanced at the words on it, and froze.
Then her eyes reddened, and she pursed her lips, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
"Don't cry," Cheng Che hurriedly comforted her. "Didn't I sign it well?"
"No!" Lin Xiaoyu quickly shook her head, wiping her eyes. "I'm just... so happy. I didn't expect you to ask me my name."
"What's the big deal?" Cheng Che waved his hand. "You've supported me for so long, it would be too much for me not to even ask your name."
Lin Xiaoyu hugged her laptop and stepped aside, jumping up and down excitedly.
The team continues.
A boy squeezed to the front, handed over a notebook, his face full of embarrassment:
" Brother Che, I'm not a fan. But my girlfriend is a fan of yours. Could you sign one for her? She's not here today."
Cheng Che glanced at him. "What's your girlfriend's name?"
"Her name is... her name is Li Jia."
"Okay." Cheng Che signed his name and wrote, "Wishing Li Jia happiness every day, and wishing you both a long and lasting relationship."
The boy took the notebook, his ears turning red. "Thank you Brother Che."
"Polite."
Some people were so excited their voices were shaking, some took so many photos their hands ached, some stuck autographs on their faces, and some even posted Douyin) on the spot.
"Sisters! I ran into Che Baby on the train! He's even more handsome in person than in the videos! I'm ecstatic!"
"He signed my autograph! He even smiled at me! I'm never washing my hands again!"
"I bumped into Che Baby on the train! He was in the dining car! On a K-series train!"
In the super topic, one message after another flooded the screen.
When Guo Xin returned after buying food, he was stunned for several seconds by the sight of the food cart.
Then he silently took out his phone and snapped a picture in Cheng Che's direction.
The caption read, "I ran into Che Baby on the train. He's in the dining car now and has been signing documents for half an hour. He said he wants to go back to sleep."
The comment section exploded within three seconds of being posted.
Sisters, is it too late for me to buy a ticket now?
It's too late; the train has been traveling for twenty hours.
I cried. Why did I have to take a plane?
Didn't you just say yesterday that airplanes are comfortable?
[I take it back. I now think trains are the best mode of transportation in the world.]