Comrade Zhou Cheng was playing a bit unfairly today.

The hand-holding and surprise hug were executed without any awkwardness.

As the train whistle blew long, Zhou Cheng walked a few steps with the crowd, his figure gradually disappearing as the train pulled away. Seeing his face earlier – Zhou Cheng with that roguish charm – and now suddenly not seeing it, Xia Xiao Lan felt a sense of loss. Kang Wei had secured a lower berth for her, which meant no climbing up and down, making it most comfortable for resting.

The change from a hard seat to a sleeper berth saved Xia Xiao Lan many troubles. Those who could get sleeper tickets usually had some connections, and these areas received special attention from train attendants… For a young and beautiful girl like Xia Xiao Lan, safety was the primary concern.

Moreover, a sleeper berth was the highest luxury on the train – how could she complain?

Zhou Cheng stayed on the platform long after Xia Xiao Lan’s train had departed, sorting through his connections, and thinking about trustworthy contacts in Yang Cheng. By the time he had arranged everything, it was already nine in the evening.

Kang Wei, squatting beside the truck and yawning, suddenly jumped up:

“Brother Cheng, is everything arranged for Sister-in-law?”

Zhou Cheng nodded, “Thank you for your help. Whose connection did you use today?”

“My aunt has a classmate working at the Yu Nan Railway Bureau. It was just a matter of asking. No trouble at all.”

While Kang Wei dismissed it, Zhou Cheng felt indebted. As a posthumous child, Kang Wei held a special position in his family. The elderly Kangs particularly doted on him, making others’ attitudes toward him complicated. Though his uncles and aunts had good jobs, Kang Wei rarely asked them for favors.

“Thank your aunt properly when you return to Beijing. Though it’s a small matter, she still cares about you.”

Kang Wei was reluctant, but since Zhou Cheng never spoke carelessly or would harm him, he decided to listen.

As Kang Wei nodded reluctantly, Zhou Cheng patted his shoulder: “Come on, let’s eat something and get going. This trip to Yang Cheng is tight on time; it’ll be tough on us brothers.”

The original plan was Beijing to Shanghai, a familiar route with planned loading, unloading, and stops in major cities. Their cargo was meant to be replenished as they unloaded, with no plans for Yang Cheng. This business was especially profitable, high-risk but high-return. While Zhou Cheng had cleared the Beijing-Shanghai route, Yang Cheng was a different territory.

Kang Wei hesitated:

“Going to Yang Cheng, aren’t we overstepping?”

“Let the tall ones handle the big problems. Yang Cheng has its own business. Your sister-in-law is just limited by capital and connections, but her business sense is far better than yours.”

Kang Wei didn’t believe it, but Zhou Cheng didn’t explain further.

Some things only show results in the long term. Zhou Cheng found Xia Xiao Lan clever – and cleverness differed from shrewdness. The former earned admiration while the latter invited dislike.

Given a stage, what could a clever person become?

Zhou Cheng looked forward to that day while feeling invisible pressure… His possessiveness toward Xia Xiao Lan had made him claim her as his woman from first sight. A man should be stronger than his woman to shelter her from life’s storms!

As Xia Xiao Lan transformed, Zhou Cheng demanded to become more excellent.

Though Xia Xiao Lan had switched from a hard seat to a peaceful sleeper berth, she still caught someone’s attention.

The sleeper car was particularly quiet, with passengers not disturbing each other. An intellectual-looking middle-aged man wearing glasses sat opposite her berth reading a newspaper. Though Xia Xiao Lan was beautiful, he merely glanced at her twice, without harassment.

After an uneventful night, she ran out of water. At the hot water station in the carriage, a plump middle-aged woman approached her.

The fat woman had a kindly appearance, wearing a liver-red wool coat, her face powdered white and red with finely drawn eyebrows. She came for water drowsily, muttering complaints, but upon seeing Xia Xiao Lan turn around, she suddenly became energetic.

Beautiful!

There were many beautiful girls in the world, but of those rated ten out of ten, several points usually came from clothes and makeup. Xia Xiao Lan hadn’t bothered with those; her face was naturally captivating. Delicate with alluring features – the fat woman also noticed Xia Xiao Lan’s attractive figure under her clothes… To find such premium “goods” on this train, how had she not noticed earlier?

“Little sister, having trouble with the hot water? Why don’t we try another carriage? I feel we click. Train rides are boring, care to chat with big sister?”

The fat woman was extremely friendly. Though Xia Xiao Lan was beautiful, her clothes were ordinary. The woman guessed she was a young girl traveling far from home for the first time.

Was anyone traveling with Xia Xiao Lan?

This was the fat woman’s primary concern.

No matter, once Xia Xiao Lan started chatting, she could slowly extract this information.

Excessive enthusiasm without cause meant either deception or theft. If a man showed such enthusiasm, it could be attributed to lust, but a middle-aged woman?

Xia Xiao Lan firmly refused, “No need, I’ll come back for water later.”

“Hey! Little sister? Young comrade…”

The fat woman persisted, following a few steps until she saw Xia Xiao Lan duck into the sleeper compartment. The woman stamped her feet in frustration – dressed like a pauper yet could afford a sleeper ticket. She wouldn’t mind paying extra for a sleeper but lacked the connections to get one.

The fat woman squeezed back to her seat with the empty thermos, where a thin man waited impatiently:

“Where did you go so early? I’m starving! Give me money for breakfast!”

“Eat, eat, eat, that’s all you know…”

This carriage wasn’t as quiet as the sleeper car; the fat woman and thin man were just an ordinary quarreling couple.

No one paid special attention to their conversation as the fat woman threw the thermos on the table: “You devil, I just met an especially beautiful young girl!”

The man’s eyes lit up as he sat straight:

“Where? Is it convenient…”

Was she traveling alone? Were there any strong male companions? Best if they could trick her into following them willingly; if sweet talk failed, they could still overpower a young girl – as long as she was traveling alone!

The fat woman was slightly upset, “Her guard was too high, she looked at me like I was dog shit!”

Just wait until she got her hands on her – there’d be no mercy!

The fat woman fumed.

How could the fat woman give up after one try? Since Xia Xiao Lan ignored her, she made herself presentable – doing her makeup, combing her hair carefully, and even putting on gold chains. At first glance, she looked like a wealthy woman of status. Then she waited between two carriages – Xia Xiao Lan would need water and bathroom breaks, she couldn’t hide in the sleeper forever.

Near noon, with her legs numbing from standing, she finally saw Xia Xiao Lan heading to the bathroom.

The fat woman squeezed forward, grabbing Xia Xiao Lan’s arm, “Hey, girl, even if I said something wrong, you didn’t need to get so angry! Come, come sit with sister over there, let’s clear up this misunderstanding.”

This technique of appearing to back down while forcing an apology was one the fat woman had mastered.

If bystanders mistook Xia Xiao Lan for an acquaintance, things would be easier!

The deliberately vague words would be hard for most to explain, especially young girls suddenly confronted with such an attitude, easily led astray by the fat woman’s logic.

Xia Xiao Lan noticed the woman’s tight grip on her arm and immediately shouted:

“I don’t know you! You’ve tried to get close to me repeatedly – are you a human trafficker?!”