Together Forever

Chapter 9.2

I Can Hear You

I miss you, too.

She pieced together these words but then wavered for a long time before finally steeling herself and sending it out. Her cheek was pressed against the window, but this still could not suppress the bursts of heat that rushed upwards to her face. So really sappy. So sappy even she, herself couldn't take it ... Perhaps he had fallen asleep because he did not send any more text messages in reply.

Tong Yan leaned against the train window and also drowsily dozed off. When she awoke again, it was already past seven o'clock. She glanced at her mobile phone. Still no messages.

She found this rather peculiar. Normally, Gu Pingsheng's routine was very healthy and regular, and he would usually be awake and out of bed at 6:30 a.m. ...

While she was staring at her mobile phone, lost in her own thoughts, the senior sister was already coming over with a cup of instant noodles she had made. "Determining whether a person is currently blissfully in love is so easy. Back when my boyfriend and I were first together, everyday, we'd have more than a hundred text messages, and even my thumb joints got inflamed."

Tong Yan merely smiled and pointed at the noodles, saying, "So early and you're eating such greasy food?"

"I'm hungry." The senior sister offered with a grin, "Want me to share some with you?"

Her stomach was also growling hungrily, and only now did she remember that Gu Pingsheng had told her he had packed some food for her. Because she had been too lazy to carry it, she had stuffed it in passing into her luggage. Now, though, her suitcase was up on the overhead luggage rack and grabbing it down would be troublesome as well.

Caught between hunger and laziness, she finally succumbed to the latter and merely poured herself a cup of hot water to drink.

From time to time on this early morning train, someone would bring a towel and toothbrush and go to wash up. The several junior schoolmates who had played rowdily the previous night were all tired and were now curled up together, sound asleep, snoring and breathing heavily.

As she casually conversed with the senior sister, she would distractedly check her mobile phone. The train was already nearing the Beijing Railway Station when his text message suddenly popped up: Nearly there? TK

Tong Yan's mood all of a sudden lifted and she replied: Mm-hmm. Almost pulling into the station now. Are you up and out of bed?

More accurately, I never slept. TK

Never slept? Tong Yan did not really understand. If he had not slept, what did he do the entire night?

Without waiting for a reply from her, he followed up with another message: Beijing Station only has one exit, right? I'll wait for you outside the main doors. TK

Tong Yan was feeling somewhat stupefied by this, but then instantly understood the meaning of his words.

Through the intercom system, a train attendant was starting to speak, giving greetings along the lines of "welcome to Beijing." The senior sister hurriedly tossed her instant noodles into the garbage bag a train attendant was holding. "Is anyone picking you up? Want to catch a ride back in my boyfriend's car?" This senior sister's home was very close to Tong Yan's, and sometimes, she would drop Tong Yan off at home on the way back to her own.

Tong Yan quickly shook her head. "No thanks. I have a friend picking me up."

"Friend?" The senior sister immediately broke out into a laugh. "No way, little Tong Yan. You have a sweetheart here in Beijing, too?"