“I’m starving! If I don’t get something to eat soon, I’m going to die!”
Xie Zhen leaned weakly against the car window, clutching his round belly with a look of pure misery. He regretted slacking off yesterday and letting He Mo pack his suitcase. That jerk hadn’t packed even a single snack!
He Mo rolled his eyes. “Who’s the one who slept through mealtime, no matter how much I called?”
Sitting on the far side, Lin Yanyan tried to comfort Xie Zhen. “Brother Zhen, we’ll be there soon. I read the guide, and it says the train’s restaurant has a Michelin-star chef. We’ll get to eat some delicious food tonight.”
He Mo chimed in, “Exactly! This train is like the Ferrari of railways—it’s a five-star hotel on wheels.”
“Ah—I’m dead,” Xie Zhen wailed dramatically, shutting his eyes and refusing to speak.
Sitting at the back, Lin Ran was completely unbothered by Xie Zhen’s complaints. His full attention was on Sheng Qingxi, who was tapping away at her phone, chatting with someone.
It was summer, and Sheng Qingxi wore only a strappy sundress, her fair skin dazzling under the sunlight.
Lin Ran didn’t dare make any bold moves. He simply held her hand, gently tracing from her fingertips to her knuckles, then from her knuckles to the lines in her palm, tenderly stroking every inch.
Their destination was the luxurious Kyushu Sleeper Train—the Seven Stars of Kyushu.
The “Seven Stars” in the name represents the seven prefectures of Kyushu. The Seven Stars train has seven carriages, each themed with cultural elements from one of the prefectures. The train has only fourteen rooms, making it notoriously difficult to book. The design of the train is a blend of Eastern and Western aesthetics—elegant, nostalgic, and brimming with romantic, Japanese-style charm.
Ever since Lin Ran booked the train, Xie Zhen had been counting the days until Lin Yanyan’s vacation started.
Last night, he was so excited he couldn’t sleep, staying up late scrolling through related videos on Weibo. He was dying to wake up and devour the train’s gourmet food, which was why he had slept all the way through the trip today.
Lin Ran and the group were currently on their way to board the Seven Stars.
Since they got off the plane, Sheng Qingxi hadn’t spoken a word to him, focusing entirely on her phone, oblivious to her surroundings. Lin Ran held her hand, worried she’d trip, and even wished he could just carry her.
Now, seeing her smile at her phone, he finally couldn’t hold back.
His expression remained as calm as usual, but his tone was tinged with jealousy. “Who are you chatting with that’s making you so happy? You’ve been at it all afternoon and haven’t looked at me once.”
Sheng Qingxi glanced up at Lin Ran, smiling as she explained, “I’m chatting with Shiman. She said when she comes back from her break, she wants to take Dudu out with me. Then we ended up talking about that senior of hers again.”
Sheng Qingxi left out part of the story. Song Shiman had said, “He’s way more handsome than Lin Ran.”
To this day, Lin Ran still had a negative score in Song Shiman’s mind, and the number was only getting smaller. Sheng Qingxi had no idea when the feud between the two of them had started, but they couldn’t seem to stand each other.
Upon hearing this, Lin Ran’s face darkened.
He still remembered one night when Song Shiman stayed over at Shengkai, proudly flaunting the fact that she got to sleep in the same bed as Sheng Qingxi. To this day, he hadn’t shared a bed with Sheng Qingxi.
The more he thought about it, the more upset Lin Ran became.
But he didn’t want to come across as childish or petty in front of Sheng Qingxi, so he pretended to be casual, asking as if it were no big deal, “Where do you want to go?”
Sheng Qingxi scrolled through the chat history. “She said she wants to go to Europe, to the places her senior has been.”
Europe?
That would take at least ten days to half a month. How could they come back quickly from that?
Lin Ran casually squeezed Sheng Qingxi’s fingertips and asked, “Where is that senior of hers from?”
Sheng Qingxi blinked. “I think he’s from Ningcheng.”
Ningcheng?
Lin Ran thought to himself, ‘That’s easy’, and reached out his hand, asking for Sheng Qingxi’s phone. “Let me talk to her.”
Sheng Qingxi hesitated and looked at Lin Ran, as if confirming something. “You two won’t start fighting, right? Shiman told me she blocked you a few months ago.”
Lin Ran: What?
That made him feel indignant.
He casually glanced at her phone screen and said lightly, “I blocked her first.”
Sheng Qingxi thought about it for a moment but still handed her phone over to Lin Ran. She didn’t quite understand why those two were arguing about who blocked whom first, but she just hoped that if they did end up fighting, they wouldn’t block each other using her account.
After giving Lin Ran the phone, Sheng Qingxi stopped paying attention and turned to look out the car window, watching the scenery outside.
It was a typical summer day with plenty of sunshine.
Sometimes, a sudden downpour would come, but it never lasted long, and even after the rain, the heat remained stifling.
Overhead, long black power lines stretched across the sky, and occasionally, the sound of electric trains arriving at stations echoed in the distance. If you opened the window, you could smell the salty, humid sea breeze mixed with heat. The inside of the car was quiet, and the afternoon warmth was enough to make anyone feel drowsy.
Only Xie Zhen, after catching a whiff of the sea breeze, muttered forlornly, “I’m hungry. I want eel rice. I want sea bream chazuke.”
Sheng Qingxi, who hadn’t paid attention to their earlier conversation, heard Xie Zhen’s complaint and rummaged through her bag. She finally found a chocolate bar. It wasn’t enough to fill his stomach, but it was enough to make Xie Zhen happy for a while.
In the time that had passed, Lin Ran had already finished talking with Song Shiman and returned the phone to Sheng Qingxi.
Leaning lazily against Sheng Qingxi’s shoulder, Lin Ran murmured, “I’m going to take a nap.”
Sheng Qingxi scooted closer to him to give him a more comfortable spot to lie down. As she did, she glanced at her phone to see what they had talked about. To her surprise, the two hadn’t fought.
Faced with the choice of going to her senior’s current residence or visiting places he had been, Song Shiman had instantly chosen to go to his current residence. Lin Ran had even promised to get the senior to join them for a meal.
Sheng Qingxi poked Lin Ran’s ear and quietly asked, “Lin Ran, do you know the senior Shiman’s talking about?”
Lin Ran replied lazily, “Nope.”
Sheng Qingxi: “…”
She finally understood—Lin Ran just didn’t want her and Song Shiman to go on the trip.
Childish.
—
An hour later.
Lin Ran and his group arrived at the starting station for the Seven Stars train—Fukuoka’s Hakata Station.
After getting off the train, Xie Zhen’s excitement was obvious. He was extremely eager for the upcoming four-day, three-night journey. Without waiting for the others, he rushed straight into the Seven Stars waiting lounge, knowing there were snacks inside.
Lin Yanyan, carrying her small bag, ran after Xie Zhen with a series of rapid footsteps, while He Mo, worried that Lin Yanyan might get lost, also started running after them.
Only Lin Ran, holding Sheng Qingxi’s hand, strolled leisurely behind the group.
For him, the best part of the vacation was just spending these relaxed days with Sheng Qingxi.
The warm breeze brushed gently against their skin, and the refreshing fruit tea soothed the senses. In the summer, everything chilled seemed more delightful. But more importantly, his Xiao Xi was within his reach.
This was a new life for Lin Ran.
As soon as Sheng Qingxi stepped into the waiting room, she heard faint piano music mixed with the hum of conversation. A beautiful hostess smiled warmly at her upon seeing her. The place was lively.
Xie Zhen and the others were already seated at a table, enjoying their food.
The hostess brought over drinks and snacks.
Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi sat down and chatted with them for a while before someone came to inform them that the train had arrived.
Following the guidance of the train crew, they walked in. The moment they stepped inside, the wooden interior of the corridor was immediately apparent. The design of the arched ceiling above the narrow hallway made the carriage feel less cramped and stifling.
Without needing much discussion, the five of them instinctively knew how to split the rooms.
Sheng Qingxi and Lin Yanyan would share one room, Xie Zhen and He Mo would share another, and Lin Ran would have a room to himself.
The train’s bedrooms had sliding doors. Upon entering, the entire room was visible at a glance. Nearly all the furniture was fixed to the walls, preventing anything from shifting during the journey.
On a moderately sized table sat some snacks, water, and toiletries.
Next to the table was a large window, offering a wide view of the scenery outside the tracks.
Beside the window was the bed they would sleep on at night, though for now, it still appeared as a sofa. Hanging on the wall was a specially commissioned artwork, rich with Kyushu’s cultural elements.
The room also featured a private bathroom and a luggage storage area.
Sheng Qingxi hadn’t had time to fully explore the room when a knock came at the door. Before she could open it, Lin Yanyan’s young voice called out, “Sister Sheng, I bet it’s my brother coming to see you. Go ahead, I’ll stay here and be good.”
Sheng Qingxi blushed slightly at the little girl’s remark.
Quietly, she walked to the door and pushed it open.
Sure enough, Lin Ran was leaning casually against the doorframe, one leg slightly bent.
Seeing her open the door, he flashed a playful smile, his handsome features instantly lighting up with the expression. “Ma’am, requesting permission to take a nap with you? I’ve already made the bed.”
The bedroom in the train had two single beds.
Obviously, Lin Ran was talking about taking an innocent nap together.
Without a second thought, Sheng Qingxi stepped out of the room, closed the door behind her, and waved her hand dismissively. “Let’s go!”
Lin Ran: “…”
He had been confident just a moment ago, but Sheng Qingxi’s reaction made him feel a bit uncertain. He couldn’t help but wonder, What if she teases me later? Should I act like this? Or like that?
Lin Ran was now in a state where he always wanted to have Sheng Qingxi within sight.
This hadn’t been as obvious when they were still at school because Lin Ran knew exactly when he would see Sheng Qingxi the next day.
But ever since summer vacation started, Lin Ran hadn’t been as calm as before.
He wasn’t entirely sure if his current behavior was normal. After all, this was his first relationship, and he was a complete novice in matters of love.
Lin Ran might not understand everything, but he knew what to do.
When he wanted to see her, he would just go see her. It was as simple as that.
Lin Ran’s room was just like Sheng Qingxi’s, except his bed was already made, and the sunlight was blocked by the curtains, leaving only the soft hum of the train moving forward.
The dim lighting in the room created the perfect atmosphere for a nap.
After spending the whole day on a plane, Sheng Qingxi was feeling a bit tired. As soon as she entered the room, she didn’t wait for Lin Ran and simply kicked off her shoes, climbing into the bed herself. She moved so quickly that Lin Ran didn’t even have time to react.
He paused in the middle of closing the door.
He had a feeling that things weren’t going to unfold the way he had imagined.
Sure enough, after she got into bed, the little troublemaker waved him over, her clear eyes seemingly able to see right through him. “Lin Ran, come here.”
Leaning against the doorframe, Lin Ran raised an eyebrow playfully, teasing her with a smile. “Where to? There are two beds in this room, you know.”
Sheng Qingxi glanced at the small bed she was lying on. It looked about the same size as the one in her room at home. Shengkai was a dormitory-style setup, and Sheng Lan had mentioned several times about replacing her bed, but Sheng Qingxi had gotten used to it, so she never changed.
After a moment of thought, she shrugged and replied, “Your choice.”
Either way, both beds could fit them just fine.
Lin Ran: “…”
To be honest, Sheng Qingxi lying there and looking up at him like that made it hard for him to stay calm.
It was summer, and she was wearing so little that her delicate collarbones and smooth shoulders were clearly visible. It would be impossible for Lin Ran to have no thoughts at all.
In the past, he could have suppressed those thoughts, but now she was his girlfriend.
Why hold back?
Lin Ran tried his best to keep his less-than-innocent thoughts hidden. He was never one to restrain himself, but after scaring Sheng Qingxi the last time they kissed, he had made a conscious effort to tuck those urges away.
TL: This book is almost finished!