Chapter 1083: The Loneliest Person
It was a regular workday, and naturally, Gu Zi had assumed Gong Xin would be tied up at the office, too busy to make it to the station. That was why she hadnât informed her about the departure plansâno point in disrupting her day. But to her surprise, Gong Xin showed up anyway.
One glance, and Gu Zi knew exactly how sheâd found out: Jin Long must have told her. The way things were going between those two, it looked like progress was finally being made.
A smile played on Gu Ziâs lips, and in a half-teasing tone laced with mischief, she said, âHeartless? Just waitâyouâll be thanking me soon enough.â
Jin Long, for all his wealth and capability, was a man of genuine thoughtfulness. He had money, sure, and he wasnât lacking in competence either. He knew how to prioritize, had a good head on his shoulders, and whoever ended up marrying him in the future certainly wouldnât be living a hard life.
That said, when it came to matters of love, Jin Long was surprisingly⊠untouched. Pure, even. His romantic track record was practically nonexistent. If it werenât for Gu Zi gently nudging him along, giving him subtle hints, he might still be stuck in place, too shy or too oblivious to act on his feelings for Gong Xin.
So really, Gu Zi thought with some amusement, it wasnât an exaggeration to call herself the matchmaker of the hour. She never fancied herself the meddling type, rarely interested in arranging other peopleâs relationships, but for Jin Longâwho respected her deeplyâand Gong Xinâwho cared for her so sincerelyâhow could she just stand by and let the opportunity slip away?
Of course, Gong Xin didnât quite catch the meaning behind her cryptic remark. She was too focused on the send-off, too caught up in chatting with Gu Zi before the train whisked her away. She clung to her arm and said with faux seriousness, âForget being grateful or notâGu Zi, you remember this: even if youâre heading to the capital and weâre not together anymore, your bestie title still belongs to me. Got it?â
Meanwhile, Su Shen stood off to the side, noticeably less surrounded. He didnât have many relatives to send him off. Standing next to Gu Zi, who was practically being smothered by friends and well-wishers, only made his own loneliness stand out more.
Jin Long had come, of courseâbut once he caught sight of Gong Xin, all his attention immediately shifted to her. He barely exchanged a few words with Su Shen before dashing over to Gong Xin like a man on a mission.
Su Shen wasnât bothered. When it came to choosing romance over friendship, he was no better than Jin Long. He wasnât in a position to judge.đłđđČđđ đđđ»đŒđ§đČđ„.đđđŠ
But the kidsâbless themânoticed. They all thought their dad looked kind of pitiful. They whispered among themselves that if it werenât for trying to impress Gong Xin, Uncle Jin Long probably wouldnât have come at all.
With that heartbreaking theory in mind, they each reached out to hold Su Shenâs hand in unison, silently offering comfort.
Elsewhere, the Gao family had arrived. Little Gao Ming, spotting Su Li standing next to Su Shen, hurried to stand beside him. Their hands found each other like magnets, and just like that, Gao Ming inserted himself into the Su family lineupâleaving his poor father, Gao Lang, looking terribly forlorn, standing off to the side like a forgotten extra in someone elseâs farewell scene. Truly, he was the loneliest person there.
As for Gao Langâs wife, their youngest son, Grandpa Gao, and Grandma Gaoâthey had already left by car.
Gao Langâs in-laws lived in the capital, and upon hearing that their daughter and son-in-law were returning, theyâd promptly sent a car to pick them up. It was all very convenient.
But Gao Ming wasnât having it.
He declared, quite adamantly, that he wanted to experience a train ride with Su Li. He had never been on a train before and couldnât bear to be separated from her. No way was he missing out.
In the end, Gao Lang relented. His wife would take the others by car, and he would accompany Gao Ming and the Su family on the train.
Soon, the train arrived. It was time.
The Su and Gao families gathered their things and prepared to board. From the platform, the Lin family and Gong Xin waved their hands with forced cheer, suppressing their sadness as they watched the travelers ascend the steps to the train car.
Su Shen and Gao Lang were immediately on alert, each holding tight to their children. With the crowd swarming the platform, they dared not let their guard down for even a second.
In contrast, Gu Zi was entirely unbotheredâcalm, leisurely, strolling behind them like she was heading to a spa appointment. She nibbled on snacks Su Shen had bought her, a picture of unbothered grace amid the frenzy. Her nonchalance made the bustling crowd around her look even more frantic by comparison.
Once everyone had boarded safely, the train gave a loud, metallic groan and began to move. The rhythmic clack-clack, clack-clack of the wheels filled the cabin.
Gu Zi pressed her forehead against the window, watching as the familiar outlines of the Guangcheng railway station slipped away. Her mind was flooded with fragments of memoryâmoments sheâd experienced since arriving in this city. And now, just like that, she was saying goodbye.
After a while, the passengers settled in. The group had secured four sleeping berths in totalâone for Su Shen, one for Gu Zi, one for Gao Lang and Gao Ming to share, and one for Su Bing and Su Li. Little Su Le would drift between Su Shen and Gu Zi as needed.
It wasnât that they couldnât afford more berths. Even though it was peak back-to-school season, if Su Shen wanted more tickets, heâd find a wayâhe always did. But he had his principles.
âItâd be a waste,â heâd said plainly. âBesides, the train is full of people. With us two men, weâll take turns staying up to keep watch over the kids and the women. Four berths is plenty. Let others who need them have the restâno need to hog public resources.â
Everything was going smoothlyâuntil it wasnât.
As it turned out, this was Gao Mingâs very first train ride. And the poor boy got motion sickness. After just a few minutes of enjoying the view with Su Li, he turned pale, hunched forward, and promptly vomited all over the floor.
Gao Lang was horrified. He nearly panicked until the train attendant assured him there were motion sickness tablets available for purchase. Yes, they were priceyâeverything on the train wasâbut Gao Lang didnât care.
Let it be expensive. As long as his son didnât suffer, it was worth every penny.
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