Chapter Forty-One: An Old Classmate

A young woman dragged her suitcase, holding her train ticket in one hand, searching left and right for her seat. She paid no attention to Lin Lei, but walked straight past him and approached the uncle sitting by the bedside.

“Excuse me, I believe this seat is mine,” she said softly.

The atmosphere became awkward for a moment. It turned out the uncle, who had been occupying two seats, only held a standing ticket! After freeloading a seat for the entire journey, he had finally encountered the rightful owner. The uncle had no choice but to stand up and give way, but when he saw Lin Lei nearby, a cunning idea flashed through his mind. “Young man, didn’t you just say you’d be leaving soon? Are you planning to upgrade to a sleeper ticket?”

The uncle asked this on purpose. He knew Lin Lei had been reluctant to sit with him at first, but now that a beautiful young woman had taken his place, who knew if the young man might change his mind? There were still nearly eight hours left in the journey. Standing the whole way would be unbearable. He hoped to provoke Lin Lei’s vanity: if the young man agreed to upgrade, the seat would become his; if not, he might at least warn the pretty woman beside him of Lin Lei’s “ulterior motives.”

“I did consider it, to be honest—someone’s feet were unbearably smelly. But now the air’s much fresher, and it’s always good to save a bit of money.” Lin Lei wasn’t about to give the uncle any face. As he spoke, he lifted his suitcase onto the overhead rack, and even helped the woman beside him with hers.

“Hmph!” The uncle snorted coldly, picked up his half-empty bag of snacks, and left.

By now, everyone had boarded the train. Whether or not they had a seat on their ticket, all the seats were already taken. Once you stood up, there was no chance of sitting down again. The uncle could only stand in the passageway between train cars.

“Thank you,” the young woman said. She didn’t know what grudge existed between the two men, but since Lin Lei had helped with her luggage, she felt obliged to thank him.

“It’s nothing, really,” Lin Lei replied nonchalantly.

“Wait a minute, you look so much like a classmate from junior high... Is your surname Lin?” The woman, who had been preoccupied with her luggage earlier, now noticed something familiar about him as she sat down.

“Yes, I’m Lin Lei. Actually, you looked familiar as well, but forgive me, my memory’s not the best. You are...?” Lin Lei was increasingly certain they were acquaintances.

Although An County wasn’t large, Lin Lei had been a shut-in for three years, so to meet someone he knew on the train felt like fate.

“I knew it was you! I’m Li Fang, we were in the same class in junior high! I can’t believe after all these years, you haven’t changed at all!” Li Fang exclaimed.

If this had been Lin Lei from just a few days earlier, even if he’d introduced himself, Li Fang probably wouldn’t have connected a greasy middle-aged man with her old classmate. But now, after his “rebirth,” he had regained his former appearance, and his familiar face jogged Li Fang’s memory.

“I really haven’t changed much. But you—you're even prettier than before,” Lin Lei complimented her.

In his memory, Li Fang had indeed been a classmate, but her looks were average, and she hadn’t been his desk mate or an outstanding student—just a quiet girl who left little impression. That was why, upon first seeing her, Lin Lei only felt a sense of familiarity but couldn’t place her. But as the saying goes, a girl’s transformation as she matures can be remarkable. Judging by her figure alone, Li Fang was already a match for Yang Xueli.

“Are you heading to Yang City?” Li Fang asked.

“Yes, I went to university there. Now I’m going back to see if there are better opportunities,” Lin Lei replied.

Yang City was a major metropolis, and Lin Lei had always planned to start his own business there after graduation, so he was familiar with the city.

“It’s my first time going to Yang City. A friend introduced me to a job at an electronics factory. I heard the pay’s decent—hopefully better than what I earned back home,” Li Fang said, sounding a little downcast.

Her grades hadn’t been good, so she’d dropped out after high school and worked in factories in the county ever since. But with the cost of living rising and factory wages in the small county remaining pitifully low, most young people like Li Fang chose to seek work elsewhere.

Everyone has their own way of life. Lin Lei didn’t want to judge and changed the topic, reminiscing about amusing stories from their school days.

It was Li Fang’s first time traveling so far from home, and meeting an old classmate on the way put her at ease. They soon found plenty to talk about, and though the journey was long, time passed quickly. Before they knew it, they had arrived at their destination: Yang City.

“The food on the train is terrible. How about this? To celebrate our reunion, let me treat you to some local specialties. After all, I’ve lived in Yang City for almost four years,” Lin Lei offered.

It was almost dinner time, and since this was Li Fang’s first time in Yang City, it was only right to treat her to a meal.

“No, thank you. My friend’s already urging me to hurry—I have to get to Fuyuan for an interview,” Li Fang apologized after checking her phone.

“It’s already past five. Taking the subway to Fuyuan will take at least forty minutes. By the time you get there, it’ll be almost seven. Who holds interviews that late?” Lin Lei was puzzled.

“My friend is close with someone in HR. They agreed to wait a little longer for me. If I finish onboarding a day early, I can get paid for an extra day of training,” Li Fang explained.

Something wasn’t right. After hearing this, Lin Lei felt uneasy. In a big city like Yang City, there were plenty of job opportunities—and plenty of scams. Any proper company or factory would have strict management. Even if Li Fang’s friend was close with HR, no one would wait nearly four hours just to process paperwork for a regular employee. If they were really that close, they could just adjust the start date; there was no need to waste everyone’s time.

“Are you sure it’s an electronics factory your friend’s introducing?” Lin Lei asked again.

“Absolutely. I have the location and photos—there’s no mistake!” Li Fang handed her phone to Lin Lei, showing him the map’s location.

The map indicated it was indeed an industrial district, with many factories nearby, but places like this were often rife with shady operations: pyramid schemes, illicit activities, and the like.

“Tell you what, I’m free anyway—why don’t I go with you? After your interview, I’ll treat you and your friend to dinner. By the way, is your friend a girl? Is she single?” Lin Lei joked, thickening his skin deliberately.

After all, they were old classmates. It would weigh on his conscience to let her go alone to a strange place, especially if it turned out to be a scam.

“She’s definitely pretty, but I have no idea if she’s got a boyfriend. What’s this, Lin the Young Master, you’re interested in factory girls now?” Li Fang teased.

“Come on, when it comes to finding a partner, I want someone I can spend my life with, not some domineering rich lady. Those types are the ones I’m afraid of,” Lin Lei laughed.