LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 23: Journey to Linchuan
TL: Etude
At the end of August, early in the morning, Jiang Qin arrived at the train station with his luggage.
Under the scorching weather, the train station was bustling with people, so crowded that one could easily lose a shoe just by trying to find a spot to stand.
This kind of scene was actually quite normal, considering it was the back-to-school season.
Standing at the entrance to the station, Jiang Qin unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and took a sip, thinking to himself how lucky it was that Mrs. Yuan Youqin and Mr. Jiang Zhenghong hadn’t come to see him off. Otherwise, they surely would have been lost in the crowd, and he would have had to spend time searching for them.
Ten minutes later, Guo Zihang also arrived.
He had enrolled in Linchuan University of Science and Technology, a decent second-tier college not too far yet not too close to Linchuan University. Therefore, the two decided to travel together.
After passing through security and ticket checks, they boarded the train and found their seats.
This was Guo Zihang’s first long journey; he had never even been on a train before, so he was extremely excited, looking around restlessly.
Fortunately, the train soon started moving, and as the scenery outside the window changed, Guo Zihang gradually calmed down.
“Jiang, what do you think university life will be like?” he asked.
“University life? It’s pretty good,” replied Jiang Qin.
“?????”
Jiang Qin took off his jacket, cushioned it behind him, and leaned back, looking out the window.
The economic strength of Jizhou was not bad, but the city’s investment in infrastructure was so low that every street looked run-down, worse than some of the counties under its jurisdiction.
As the train left the station, the first sights to greet them were rural towns and villages, followed by vast, golden wheat fields and the Ji River, which encircled the entire region of Jizhou.
Strangely, Jiang Qin felt an unfamiliarity with these scenes.
Could it be that I never took a train in my previous life?
Impossible, did I walk all the way here?
But soon, he remembered. Back then, he was too busy waiting for messages from Chu Siqi on his phone to pay attention to the outside world.
Love, he thought, was something not even a dog would bother with because you never know how many beautiful sights you miss for the sake of one person.
Jiang Qin lifted his clothes to block out the sunlight from the window, planning to sleep through the rest of the journey.
At eleven in the morning, the train arrived at the station. A massive crowd of passengers disembarked and swarmed towards the exit.
Jiang Qin and Guo Zihang, side by side, pulled their suitcases into the exit hall. From there, they could see the Xinmao Building across the street, topped with a huge sign for Jin Qian Gui Business KTV.
“Jiang, where do we go now?” asked Guo Zihang.
Jiang Qin rested his hand on the handle of his suitcase. “We go our separate ways, back to our respective schools.”
Guo Zihang hesitated before speaking, “How about you come with me to a social gathering?”
“A social gathering? What’s the occasion?”
“I joined a group chat for new students at our school a few days ago. They’re organizing a social event to get to know each other. I signed up, but I’m a bit scared to go alone.”
Jiang Qin’s lips twitched, “You’re the type who’s timid in person but bold online.”
Guo Zihang coughed to hide his embarrassment, “You wouldn’t be doing anything anyway. Come with me for some moral support?”
“Well, I’ve got nothing better to do, let’s go. But you’re paying for the cab.”
“I’ll pay, no problem!”
So, they hailed a taxi at the train station and headed towards Linchuan University of Science and Technology.
Guo Zihang was extremely nervous the whole way, taking deep breaths and almost tearing his jeans with his fidgeting fingers.
Jiang Qin found it amusing, thinking there was no need to be so nervous about a social gathering; it wasn’t like he was meeting an online love interest and worried about being unattractive.
But Guo Zihang was different; he was the kind of person who couldn’t even speak up if someone stepped on his foot. In school, he needed several tries just to talk to the cafeteria lady.
Soon, the taxi arrived at the entrance of Linchuan University of Science and Technology, and Guo Zihang led Jiang Qin to a milk tea shop diagonally opposite the school.
The event they attended was described as a social gathering, but it was more like a small group meet-up. There were four girls and two boys in total, probably all ‘social terrorists’ from the group chat.
Students in 2008 didn’t have much of a fashion sense compared to those a decade and a half later, so they appeared quite simple. The girls mostly wore pink or yellow T-shirts with complex patterns and small hair clips in their hair.
As for the two boys there, honestly, they weren’t even as pleasing to the eye as Guo Zihang.
“I’m Liang Xiao.”
“I’m Xu Qingqing.”
“…”
“I’m… Guo Zihang.”
“Jiang Qin.”
After everyone introduced themselves, a girl named Hong Yan, who came from Hang City and was best friends with Xu Qingqing, caught Jiang Qin’s attention. She didn’t mention her department or major. She was tall and fair-skinned, wearing a grey T-shirt and black denim shorts. Her well-nourished figure made her T-shirt look exceptionally snug and shapely.
Her appearance clearly stood out from the other three girls; even without makeup, she was strikingly beautiful.
Jiang Qin was aware that it was somewhat superficial to mentally rate girls based on their appearance, but first impressions often do that, especially when the differences are stark.
Of course, while the boys were admiring Hong Yan, the girls had their eyes on Jiang Qin.
“Jiang Qin, which department are you in?”
“I’m in the Computer Science department, majoring in Software Engineering. My friend here is too.”
Jiang Qin playfully slapped Guo Zihang, signaling him to speak up. You signed up for the fucking gathering. Why am I your mouthpiece the whole time?
Guo Zihang, looking as if he had just been jolted back to reality, could only stutter in agreement.
Xu Qingqing’s eyes lit up, “I’m also studying Software Engineering. Which class were you assigned to?”
“Class 2.”
“Class 2, huh. Do you have a girlfriend?”
Jiang Qin teasingly grabbed Guo Zihang: “The lady is asking you, do you have a girlfriend?”
Guo Zihang’s face turned red, “Not… not at the moment.”
“What about you, Jiang Qin?”
“Me? I love studying. I can’t go a day without it, so I don’t plan on dating in university.”
Xu Qingqing frowned slightly in dissatisfaction, “You love studying yet you’re at Linchuan University of Science and Technology? Shouldn’t you be at Linchuan University?”
Hong Yan nudged her, “Qingqing, don’t be sarcastic. Maybe he just didn’t perform well on the exams.”
“It’s fine. Everyone says that. I’m the kind who buries himself in books.”
“See, I was right,” Xu Qingqing said smugly.
Hong Yan frowned slightly, “It also means he tried his best, so he won’t have any regrets.”
Hearing this, Jiang Qin was somewhat surprised. It was rare these days to find a girl who was considerate of others’ feelings.
…
AN: There was no collection, no follow-up reading…
[1] Social Terrorist/Social Anxiety Sufferer (more extroverted)
https://zh.moegirl.org.cn/zh-tw/%E7%A4%BE%E4%BA%A4%E7%89%9B%E9%80%BC%E7%97%87
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