Chapter 13

  After B's lecture ended, Lu You was surrounded by enthusiastic students, and Zhang Qiu had to use a lot of effort to rescue him.

  As he walked out of the teaching building, Lu You planned to go get his car. Zhang Qiu called out to him: "Director Lu, since today's lecture was so effective, why don't you come with us to C City? There's another event at C University tomorrow that needs your help."

  He looked up at me, as if waiting for my meaning.

  "I said: 'Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Lu.'"

  Lu nodded in agreement: "Then I'll drive the car over and we can go to the station together."

  Last time I hitched a ride with him on a rainy day, the situation was quite unexpected and there wasn't much time to spare, so I didn't pay particular attention. Now looking at this golden Honda, I couldn't help but wonder how Lu You, with such a low-key personality, would choose such an eye-catching color.

  A passenger sat in the car and chatted with Zhang Qiu: "General Lu's car looks quite new, how long has he bought it?"

  Lu You started the car and reminded Zhang Qiu in the passenger seat: "Fasten your seatbelt. It was bought at the beginning of last year."

  "This color of car is not often seen, did your girlfriend choose it?" Zhang Qiu wanted to ask some gossip.

  "My mom's eyesight isn't good. If it were black, she wouldn't be able to find it, so I bought a more conspicuous one, and it's also convenient for her to find."

  A colleague in the back seat said: "That can record license plates and car models."

  Lu You said: "The old man is getting older, and he can't remember the license plate number or the type of car very well." After that, he turned on the in-car audio system, played a song, focused on driving, and didn't want to say more.

  The car fell silent, and the atmosphere was a bit awkward. Several colleagues were not from the same department and didn't know each other well. Zhang Qiu intended to break this atmosphere, turned his head and asked me: "Manager Xu, this Friday is Mid-Autumn Festival, do you have any plans for the short holiday, going back home?"

  I was taken aback for a moment, then thought about it and said, "Nothing is planned."

  "My home is in Xinjiang, it's too far away so I won't be going back this time. So I found a few colleagues to organize a nearby outing to enjoy the greenery. If you don't have any plans, why not join us?"

  "We'll see about it then."

  Zhang Qiuxing started to say his plan with a smile: "I'm thinking of renting two cars at that time, so we can go further. If you agree, we can also drive to Inner Mongolia." He turned to ask Lu You: "By the way, Director Lu, do you want to come with us?"

  Lu You hesitated for a moment and didn't answer.

  Zhang Qiu smiled and said: "Director Lu wants to spend the holiday with his family and girlfriend together. By the way, who are you?"

  Hunan.

  "Hunan is still quite far from City B, will President Lu return to his hometown for Mid-Autumn Festival?"

  Lu You replied: "I'm not going back. My parents are both in Beijing."

  Lu You has always been a very filial person. Not long after he graduated, his parents called him and said they wanted to come to City B for a visit. He immediately took the train back home on the weekend and personally picked them up. At that time, his take-home pay was less than 4,000 yuan, and after deducting rent and utilities, he had very little savings each month.

  To put the elderly at ease, he arranged for them to stay in a hotel, driving them around B City every day, and before leaving, he bought each of them a mobile phone.

  Lu You has always been stingy with himself and generous to others. The mobile phone he used in college was not replaced for four years. If it were people he cared about, he would rather suffer more himself and give them everything within his power.

  City C is not far from City B, and the train only takes one and a half hours. Zhang Qiu arranged good seats, and I sat with Lu You together.

  After the train left the station, the scenery outside the window gradually changed from the high-rise buildings of the city to the hills and villages, and the sky also gradually darkened. I was a bit bored, leaning against my chin listening to music and spacing out, occasionally turning my head to meet Lu You's gaze.

  I know he's a bit uncomfortable, even though he now hides his emotions much more maturely than a few years ago, but when he's uncomfortable, he'll push his glasses up, like now, like the first time we met.

  It's a long story, but I first met Lu You on the train. It was winter of our freshman year, and I organized a social practice trip with several classmates to teach in Xinjiang County, Hunan Province during the winter break.

  At that time, I bought a student ticket, a hard seat, 14 hours. It was my first time taking such a long hard seat ride, and for the first hour or two, I felt fresh and excited.

  It's just during the Spring Festival travel rush, the train is packed to the point where it's hard to move, even if you want to get up and walk to the bathroom on the train, it's extremely difficult. Not to mention sitting for a long time and wanting to stretch your body, stretching your arms and legs.

  All the way, chatting and laughing, listening to songs and playing cards, time passed quickly. But when night fell, the carriage gradually quieted down, the car lights were dim, and passengers chose various postures to enter their dreams.

  My fellow travelers were not the first time to take a night train in hard seats, although sitting and sleeping was not very comfortable, but they still couldn't help falling asleep. Only I, no matter what posture I used, couldn't fall asleep at ease.

  I sat in the middle of a three-person seat, and the small table we shared was too far away from me. I wanted to sleep with my head down, but it was almost impossible to reach. Under helplessness, I could only stiffen my body against the back of the seat, close my eyes, and try to fall asleep. Sleeping like this really didn't feel very secure, and in a daze, I felt that my neck hurt badly, as if someone was gently tapping on my shoulder.

  I was extremely tired, my eyelids couldn't be opened, and after struggling several times in my heart, I finally managed to open my eyes. After opening my eyes, I was completely awake.

  Because my sleeping posture is really not very convenient, although I don't know how I developed into this state, but I actually put my head on someone's shoulder, hugged his arm with both hands, and was intimate to the point where I had to blush.

  And this person I'm hugging like a pillow has a face that's possibly even redder than mine.