Chapter 29: Yes, I’m Cheng Cheng

After everything was done, it was finally time to leave.

Before leaving, Cheng Fei actually felt a little sad inside. It felt like something quietly slipped away from her heart, and she did not really want to let it go. After all, they had lived together and seen each other every day for quite a long time.

To be honest, Gao Ming was not really a bad person. If he had let her go from the beginning instead of forcing her into this situation, she would have been willing to become friends with him. Then she would not have needed to run away or feel so emotional and lost now.

Thinking of this, Cheng Fei tightened the strap of her bag, looked once at the small shop and the car parked not far away, then firmly walked forward and took a taxi straight to the station.

The place was far away, and there was traffic on the road. She hurried the whole way and barely managed to arrive before the last bus left.

It was a tiny station with a tiny entrance. The two ticket windows looked like guards standing at the gate.

She stood in line for quite a while before it was finally her turn. The ticket seller only glanced at her ID card without even scanning it, then handed her the ticket and change together.

It was Cheng Fei’s first time using a fake ID. She was so nervous that her palms were sweating. She was afraid someone would notice and the security guard beside her would throw her out.

Luckily, the station was as careless as ever. She silently thanked the drivers for being skilled enough not to get into accidents. Otherwise, after a safety inspection, there was no way she could fool anyone.

After passing the security check, where the staff were too busy chatting to even look at the monitor, Cheng Fei finally walked out of the waiting area and into the parking lot with only a few minibuses parked there. Only then did she truly relax.

There were four buses going to Xinyu Town every day, yet somehow she ended up with the oldest and most broken-looking bus in the whole station.

First she almost ruined her shoes by kicking a rock. Then she rushed to the station only to end up with this ancient bus...

Oh right, it was the last bus of the day. Cheng Fei finally understood the reason.

Her escape plan had just started, and already two unlucky things had happened. It really felt like a bad sign.

Still, there was no turning back after drawing the bowstring. Since she already came this far, there was no reason to go back.

So Cheng Fei forced herself onto the old bus.

The handrails were worn out, the steps were covered in scratches, and even the glass on the bus door looked dirty. She was not trying to complain, but Xinyu was not some poor county town, so why were the buses this terrible?

Back when she first started working and traveled to towns under Yunzhou to sell products, she had once ridden a bus older than the ones from her childhood hometown. Even that bus looked cleaner than this one.

There were only a few passengers inside. Some were using their phones, some listening to music, and some leaning against their seats asleep from boredom. The bus was about to leave, yet it was still far from full.

Most of the passengers were rough-looking men. There were only a few women.

Going to a county town meant it would probably get dark halfway through the trip, and the road passed many remote areas. With so many men on the bus and so few women, Cheng Fei could not help becoming cautious because of her current identity.

She found her assigned seat. Beside the window sat a girl who looked like a student.

Thank goodness. At least that was one small piece of luck.

After putting away her bag, the girl politely pulled her legs back to make room. Cheng Fei took off her sunglasses and gave her a small smile.

The bus suddenly shook and made a loud rumbling sound. Just as Cheng Fei sat down and opened her water bottle, the sudden shaking made some water spill onto the girl’s skirt.

“Sorry,” Cheng Fei quickly said as she took out tissues to help wipe it.

“It’s okay,” the girl replied with a cheerful smile. She looked very ordinary, but her smile had a special warmth to it. Maybe that was why schools were called ivory towers, people at that age still carried pure innocence.

After wiping twice, the girl half-pushed and half-pulled the tissue away from Cheng Fei. Cheng Fei felt awkward continuing, so she offered her a bottled drink as an apology.

Unexpectedly, the girl smiled and lifted her own cup.

“Thank you, big sister, but I’m not used to drinking soft drinks.”

This girl was actually pretty careful.

Cheng Fei awkwardly took the drink back, put on her earphones, and started listening to music. As Yunzhou City slowly disappeared behind her, her heart hurt a little too.

She was used to leaving early and coming home late. Used to walking through crowds every day. Used to the bright city lights.

When you get used to something for too long, it becomes like part of your flesh and blood. Tearing it away will always hurt a little.

Maybe it was because of the few glasses of red wine earlier, or maybe because the nervousness finally faded after relaxing, but before the bus even got onto the highway, her heavy eyelids slowly closed.

The girl sitting close beside her turned her head and quietly smiled while looking at Cheng Fei’s peaceful sleeping face.

She woke up because someone was calling her.

Outside was almost completely dark, with only a few broken lights around. The bus had already stopped in a station yard that looked just as old as the previous one. They had arrived at the county bus station.

One hundred and fifty kilometers...

When Cheng Fei looked at the time on her phone, she stopped praising the driver’s speed.

Three and a half hours.

Well... that was definitely some kind of skill. Still, with such a broken bus, arriving safely without any trouble was already impressive enough.

“Big sister, it’s time to get off,” the girl from earlier said with a smiling face.

For some reason, that smile seemed to hide something she could not openly say.

Using the corner of her eye, Cheng Fei glanced around.

Besides her and the girl, there were still two men on the bus looking around suspiciously.

“Heh... I get it now.”

She picked up her bag and got off the bus right after the girl. A few people passed by now and then, but most of the area was filled with large buses standing quietly in the concrete yard.

The two men whispered to each other while staring meaningfully at Cheng Fei’s back.

The girl kept looking around casually, but she was actually watching those two men while following Cheng Fei all the way to the exit.

“Big sister, wait a moment.”

Cheng Fei turned around after hearing her voice. The girl walked closer and said, “You’re not from around here, are you?”

Cheng Fei awkwardly smiled. “Yeah... I’m here traveling.”

“It’s already late now. There are many people, cars, and all kinds of trouble around here. You should stay at a good hotel tonight. It costs more, but it’s safer.”

This young girl looked quite young, but the way she spoke sounded surprisingly mature. Cheng Fei even had the strange feeling that the girl’s real mental age was much older than her appearance.

But then again...

Her soft skin and not-fully-grown figure clearly showed she was just an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old girl.

“Oh, I understand. Thank you.”

Since the girl meant well, Cheng Fei sincerely thanked her.

After smiling at each other, Cheng Fei walked away along the busy street full of traffic.

The girl narrowed her eyes slightly and looked across the road at the two men with bad intentions. Then she pressed a finger against the school badge on her chest.

“Team One and Team Two, follow them. Make sure to catch them with evidence. As long as nobody is in danger, try not to alert them.”

“Understood, Captain.”

A response came quietly through the hidden earpiece under her long hair.

Meanwhile, Cheng Fei wandered around the streets as several decent-looking hotels passed by her one after another.

She wanted to stay at one and could afford it, but the fake ID in her hand...

Not everyone was as lazy and careless as the people at the bus station. Hotels checked IDs very strictly here.

What a headache.

The people nearby also looked suspicious and messy, so Cheng Fei quickly waved down a taxi and headed toward the busy downtown area of the county.

Halfway there, Zhou Lin called her.

“Where are you now?” No polite greetings, he went straight to the point.

That was exactly how close friends were. Even risking trouble with his girlfriend, he was still worrying about her. In this unfamiliar city, Cheng Fei suddenly felt a warm feeling in her lonely heart.

“I just arrived in Xinyu.”

“Xinyu?!” Zhou Lin shouted from the other side. “Why did you go there? The road to Fu County—”

“Hey, hey, I know! I’m not stupid, okay? But if I didn’t run all the way here...” Cheng Fei subconsciously looked at the taxi driver ahead. His head tilted slightly. He was probably looking at her through the rearview mirror.

It made sense. A beautiful young woman suddenly cursing while talking about running away definitely sounded suspicious. Cheng Fei worried the driver might misunderstand and call the police out of kindness. If that happened, she would be completely finished.

So she covered the phone and whispered softly, “If I didn’t make a big detour here, what if I got caught?!”

Actually, she had simply panicked and run randomly, but she quickly changed her words into a reasonable excuse because she did not want Zhou Lin to laugh at her.

Zhou Lin clearly understood the truth but did not point it out.

After a short silence, he said, “At this hour, it’s dangerous for you to be alone. With that fake ID, you can’t stay in a big hotel, but you probably don’t dare stay in a cheap motel either.”

Cheng Fei almost slapped her thigh.

“Damn, bro, you really understand me too well!”

Even though Cheng Fei could not see him, Zhou Lin was rubbing his shiny forehead on the other side of the call.

He really could not help sighing.

“Sigh... why did you have to go this far?”

Cheng Fei instantly went expressionless. Zhou Lin could already imagine her face, so he continued,

“How about this? If nothing else works, just spend the night at an internet café. It’s not as comfortable as a hotel, but it’s pretty safe. The owner is my friend. Just tell them my name.”

“Okay!” Cheng Fei agreed immediately.

“That’s it for now. I still have some work to do...”

“With who?” Cheng Fei asked playfully, her face already showing the teasing thoughts in her mind.

The other side went silent again. Then came a heavy sigh.

“We broke up last month too.”

“Huh?!” Cheng Fei was shocked.

“In this line of work, you make money but don’t have time to stay with people. If you’re not careful, someone else takes your place.”

After saying that, he hung up before Cheng Fei could respond.

Cheng Fei stared blankly at her phone, feeling upset.

They really were like brothers. But did fate really need to give them the exact same love life too?

While she was still stunned, Zhou Lin sent her a location.

Lucky Internet Café.