Substitute Girlfriend Contract (GL) - Chapter 2

With no luggage, Tao Anyu boarded the train with ease and found her berth (a fix bed or bunk).

Berth 9, middle bunk.

Tao Anyu placed her backpack on the bed, hung her trench coat on the railing, and sat down on the edge of the lower bunk to look at her phone.

An elderly woman was sitting in the lower bunk below her. She smiled, peeled an orange, and offered it to her. “Would you like one, miss?”

Tao Anyu politely declined. “Thank you, but I just ate before getting on the train. I’m too full.”

The grandmother nodded and took the orange back. An old man sat opposite her, presumably her husband. The old man asked, “Where are you heading, young lady?”

“D City, E Province,” Tao Anyu replied.

The old man nodded. “D City is wonderful! Great environment, beautiful scenery, tons of historical sites! Are you going there on vacation?”

Tao Anyu knew D City was beautiful; why else would she have bought a ticket there before faking her death? Since she was getting a “rebirth,” she wanted to enjoy herself to the fullest, to have fun among scenic mountains and rivers, and to cultivate a new disposition.

She wanted to heal her weary, tired heart.

“You could say that, but I also plan to live there.”

The old man took a sip of tea. “Well, you’ll have to work hard, then. The housing prices in D City are expensive!”

Tao Anyu smiled and nodded. “Yes, that’s something I’m worried about.”

The old man placed his thermos on the table. “Don’t you worry. How old are you? You’re young; this is the time to struggle! As long as you work hard, why would you not have a good life?” He glanced at his wife. “Isn’t that right, old lady?”

The grandmother, eating her orange, laughed. “Yes, whatever my husband says is right.”

Tao Anyu watched the old couple chatting and smiled, then climbed onto her bunk. She propped a pillow behind her back, took a book out of her bag, and leisurely began to read.

The train traveled for two hours and then stopped in A City. A City was the provincial capital of F Province, with four major stations for all directions, so Tao Anyu didn’t know which one they were at.

A City was a large station, and a lot of people boarded the train: a woman holding a child, a young man wearing a baseball cap, a girl with pigtails, a stern-looking man, a whiskered old man smoking a dry pipe… The train was a place where you could meet all kinds of people. Tao Anyu loved traveling and liked to carefully observe the passengers, then write them down.

Every person had different characteristics. The more distinct the traits she captured, the more vivid the characters she could write. Tao Anyu enjoyed this feeling of careful observation and quiet contemplation.

Everything was faint, leisurely, and beautiful, like the lotus heart tea she loved to drink—fragrant and slightly bitter, but with a lingering, refreshing sweetness.

Just then, a young man with a spiky blond haircut and an earring walked into their compartment. He had big eyes and thin lips and was quite handsome.

The young man put his travel bag under the old man’s bed, tossed a backpack onto the middle bunk, placed his cup on the table, and then climbed into his bunk.

Tao Anyu smiled slightly, then lowered her head and continued to read.

She heard a rustling sound from the bunk opposite, which she guessed was the young man shaking out his blanket. A moment later, it stopped. Tao Anyu heard him let out a small gasp, not loud, but full of surprise.

She put her book down and turned to look at him. He was holding a tablet in his hand, staring at her with a look of astonishment.

Why is he looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face? Tao Anyu touched her cheek. Nope, there’s nothing there…

“You—” the young man began.

Tao Anyu looked at him curiously. They didn’t know each other. “What is it?” she asked.

“Nothing, nothing, nothing,” the young man said, quickly covering his mouth. He stammered a little, then added, “You’re so pretty, miss. I couldn’t help but gasp. Hehe.”

Kids these days, Tao Anyu thought. They haven’t even finished growing up yet, and they’re already so smooth-tongued. She shook her head with a smile, said “Thank you,” and went back to her book.

A moment later, the young man in the opposite bunk held his tablet out to her. Tao Anyu glanced at him and then down at the screen. It was a shopping page for a book called The Forgotten Crescent Spring, by an author named Pei Yuhai.

It was the same book Tao Anyu was reading, her favorite one.

Tao Anyu held up her book. “What is it?” she asked.

The young man pointed to her book and winked. “You like reading that?”

“Yes,” Tao Anyu nodded. “This is my favorite.”

The young man blinked, took his tablet back, swiped a few times, and then handed it back to her. “Do you know this author?”

Tao Anyu looked at the screen. It was a wiki page about the author of The Forgotten Crescent Spring, the beauty of the literary world, Pei Yuhai, known for her fresh, ethereal writing style.

“Of course. I’ve read all of her books. I admire her very much. She’s my favorite author,” Tao Anyu said with a look of longing, a little lost in thought. But her expression soon turned melancholy, with a hint of sadness in her eyes. “It’s a shame she’s passed away.”

“Yeah!” The young man also sighed, taking back his tablet. As if talking to himself, he said to Tao Anyu, “Great beauties often have short lives.”

Tao Anyu nodded in agreement.

The young man asked, “Did you ever meet Pei Yuhai?”

Tao Anyu closed her book, put it in her bag, and laughed. “How could I have? I’ve never even seen a photo of her. She never attended any book clubs or talks, and she never revealed any personal information. Some people even wondered if she was a man because of it.”

The young man fell silent for a moment.

Tao Anyu gave a light chuckle. “What does it matter if she was a man or a woman? Words have no boundaries, and emotions have no limits. As long as someone has an idea and the courage to express it and pursue it, they deserve respect.” She looked at the young man. “I love all of them.”

The young man looked at her, stunned for a moment, then lowered his head. The earring on his earlobe swayed.

Tao Anyu saw that the man had suddenly gone quiet, his head bowed, his eyes slowly turning red. She was a little anxious and quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”

The young man was silent for a long time, then wiped his eyes. His voice was a little nasal. “I’m okay.” He looked up and smiled at her, showing his bright, straight teeth. “You’re so nice, miss.”

Seeing him smile, Tao Anyu felt relieved and nodded with a smile.

The young man asked, “What’s your last name, miss?”

“My last name is Ai—Tao.” Tao Anyu’s eyelashes fluttered as she pressed a hand to her chest and took a deep breath. She had almost made a mistake. It seemed she would have to be more careful from now on…

The young man smiled and called her, “Sister Tao. My last name is Lu. You can call me Xiao Tao.”

“Okay, Xiao Tao,” Tao Anyu said, playing along.

“Hey, Sister Tao.” Xiao Tao steered the conversation to other topics. “Sister Tao, since you like reading so much, do you write yourself?”

“Well… sometimes, when I have nothing else to do. It’s just for my own entertainment.”

“Really? Can I take a look?”

“I have a blog. Let me find it for you.”

Xiao Tao gave her his tablet. “Use mine.”

“Sure.”

And so, Tao Anyu and Xiao Tao, who also loved to read, talked for a while, sharing their reading experiences and opinions. They had a great time.

That evening, when they were eating boxed dinners, Xiao Tao bought one for Tao Anyu and even included egg drop soup.

Xiao Tao took a bite of his chicken leg and asked her, “Sister Tao, where are you going?”

The old man in the lower bunk was very enthusiastic and answered for Tao Anyu. “Your sister is going to D City in E Province. It’s a wonderful place!”

Xiao Tao took the chicken leg out of his mouth. “You’re going to D City, Sister?”

Tao Anyu nodded. “Yes. What about you?”

Xiao Tao said, “Oh, I’m going all the way to the last stop, S City.”

Tao Anyu laughed. “That’s also a great place. I’ll go visit sometime.”

Xiao Tao quickly said, “It is! The night view and the ocean view in S City are fantastic. You have to come visit sometime, Sister! When you do, look me up. I know so many great book cafes. Oh, by the way, Sister, can I have your number?”