Chapter 13: Triggering a Hidden Sign-In Location
Early this morning, Ning Xiyue had woken up far too early, and now her head was buzzing, the scar on her forehead faintly aching.
The train was moving steadily forward, swaying gently from time to time. Sleepiness gradually crept up on her, her eyelids growing heavy. She shoved her hands into her pockets and decided to nap, instructing System to lie in her arms and act as her electronic eyes in case of any danger.
No. 3333 lay curled up in its host’s arms, watching her restless sleep. It used the system to block out surrounding noise and only relaxed once it saw her slowly drift into deep sleep.
Fortunately, nothing happened. The alarm never sounded, and she slept soundly. When she woke up, Ning Xiyue felt refreshed — her head no longer hurt, her energy was restored, and she felt like she could sprint up twenty flights of stairs without breaking a sweat.
As she stretched lazily, she suddenly realized someone was now sitting next to her — and she had accidentally bumped into them.
Ning Xiyue quickly withdrew her arm and opened her eyes, apologizing to the girl beside her.
“Sorry about that!”
The girl sitting next to her was dressed in a neatly tailored blouse and skirt. She had a delicate, gentle beauty — the kind of quiet, graceful temperament that evoked images of Jiangnan’s watery towns.
But Ning Xiyue couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something unusual about the aura surrounding her.
“It’s fine.” The girl wasn’t angry. She smiled and shook her head. When her gaze brushed over the scar on Ning Xiyue’s forehead, she only glanced at it briefly before looking away without any reaction. In a soft voice, she asked, “Are you a educated youth going to the countryside?”
“Yes.” Ning Xiyue deliberately lowered her voice, afraid her loud tone might startle the other girl, and smiled politely. To ease the awkward atmosphere, she casually asked, “Are you, too?”
“Yes, I’m going to Da’an County in Song City.”
At the mention of the place, the girl’s brows furrowed slightly, her expression growing complicated — though her eyes also showed a hint of relief.
Ning Xiyue couldn’t quite read it. Still, what a coincidence — they were headed to the same county.
“Oh wow, comrade, you’re going to Da’an County too? Me too!”
A round-faced girl sitting in front of them turned around excitedly when she overheard their conversation.
She enthusiastically introduced herself. “Hello, I’m Liu Yao. I’ve also been assigned to Da’an County. Maybe we’ll even be placed in the same commune or brigade! Please take care of me in the future. What are your names?”
“My name is Chen Yechu.”
When Ning Xiyue heard that familiar name, she glanced at the girl beside her a few more times, trying not to show any reaction.
Chen Yechu… wasn’t that the name of the malicious female supporting character who always schemed against Ning Xiaoxiao in the book?
She didn’t look like it at all. With her soft, gentle demeanor, she seemed like a well-educated, polite girl — nothing like a “vicious” villainess.
Ning Xiyue silently questioned herself. From their brief interaction, she already felt some goodwill toward this girl. Could the book she had read have been wrong? Chen Yechu was nothing like the hysterical antagonist she remembered.
“Comrade, what’s your name?” Liu Yao asked proactively when she noticed Ning Xiyue spacing out.
“My name is Ning Xiyue. I’m also headed to Da’an County.”
Ning Xiyue temporarily set aside her doubts. There was no point dwelling on them. After all, this was the real world — it was normal for things to deviate from the novel. Just look at the original host’s situation, or how Ning Xiaoxiao’s behavior differed from what was written.
Paper characters are always one-dimensional. Real people are far more complex. She would have to make her own judgments.
“We really are fated to meet. I hope we’ll be assigned to the same place. This here is my cousin — he’s also going to Da’an County.” Liu Yao cheerfully patted the person beside her. “Cousin, go ahead and introduce yourself.”
The man sitting next to her turned around and nodded politely to everyone. “Hello, my name is Yu Zhiyu.”
Ning Xiyue noticed that the man glanced at Chen Yechu several times — clearly, he liked her. Chen Yechu, too, looked at him with gentle eyes, even seeming a little dazed, as if reminiscing about something. It felt almost as though she knew him.
This conclusion startled Ning Xiyue. Judging from Liu Yao’s reaction, the two clearly didn’t know each other. And the man’s ears had turned red — classic signs of a first meeting. Then how come…?
Just then, the train stopped at a station, and a group of people came aboard. Chen Yechu’s expression grew slightly agitated, her face turning pale.
“Xiyue, I’m feeling a bit carsick. Can we switch seats?”
“Sure.” Ning Xiyue saw that she really did look unwell, so she readily agreed to swap seats.
Liu Yao enthusiastically handed Chen Yechu two orange wedges and a piece of peel. Ning Xiyue also received two small wedges — a benefit she was getting thanks to Chen Yechu.
And don’t think she hadn’t noticed — that orange came from the man sitting in front of them. When he heard Chen Yechu was carsick, he had rummaged through his bag and handed one to Liu Yao, whispering something to her quietly.
Tsk tsk, dog food everywhere. At home, it’s your parents. On the train to the countryside, you still have to watch couples flirting.
While they were eating the oranges, two people — a man and a woman — arrived to fill the previously empty seats across from Ning Xiyue. They seemed to know each other and, judging from their clothes, came from relatively well-off families.
Sociable as ever, Liu Yao immediately went over to talk to the woman about switching seats. She agreed right away, and the two happily swapped places.
Liu Yao returned, cheerfully chatting as she sat down. Yu Zhiyu helped carry over their luggage and then buried his nose back into a book.
“Well, this is better. We can all sit together and chat now. Much more convenient.” Liu Yao grinned, her dimples deepening. She pulled out the remaining half of the orange. “Here, we’re not done yet — let’s finish it. Yechu, here’s another piece of orange peel.”
“Thank you, Yaoyao.” Chen Yechu smiled and took out a handful of sunflower seeds from her bag, sharing them with everyone.
Ning Xiyue also fished a few fruit candies from her pocket and handed one to each person as a thank-you gesture.
Liu Yao’s smile grew even warmer, and her voice grew louder as she chatted.
As she ate her candy, Ning Xiyue’s thoughts wandered.
Even in this short time, she had noticed subtle changes in Chen Yechu’s body language — from stiff tension when that pair first appeared, to relaxed ease after switching seats — and the shifts in her emotions were equally telling.
The difference was just too obvious.
With all her observations, Ning Xiyue grew more and more certain of her suspicions.
Could Chen Yechu possibly be… that?
Ning Xiyue silently repeated four words in her mind.
Ding! [Hidden sign-in location triggered. Would the host like to sign in?]
