I immediately grabbed the girl’s shoulders and shook her urgently. "When did she come over? And how did she go missing? What the hell happened?"

Nangong Lexi pouted, "Hmph, what else? She went to look for you. She traveled to Xinjiang yesterday, but during the afternoon she suddenly sent a message to Qingqing saying that she lost her phone, her cards and her wallet. She’s currently waiting for help at the train station right now. Needless to say, both Qingqing and I are very worried for her. The sky’s about to turn dark, and she’s one girl in a strange place with not a single yuan on her person. That’s why I came all the way to find you."

Me: "..."

I checked the time in the real world and noted that it was past 6 pm already. "Understood, I’ll log out and search for Yiyi right now. Lexi, thank you for the message, but you should head back to Sky City now. It’s not safe here. Once I find Yiyi, I’ll make sure she goes online and informs you all of her safety."

Nangong Lexi nodded. "Yes, yes, don’t wait on my account. Seriously, both Qingqing and I are about to go mad with worry. What the hell was she thinking traveling all the way to Tekes County alone…"

"Mn."

I logged out after bidding Hickey and Warscar goodbye.

……

Dong dong!

I knocked a couple of times on Chaos Moon’s door but heard nothing from inside. She was probably still inside the game. So, I left a message in my own room—

"Chaos Moon, Yiyi came to Xinjiang to look for me, but she lost her wallet and she’s currently wandering around the train station. I’m going to receive her. If I’m not back when you see this message, go grab your own dinner and don’t wait for me!"

I left immediately after finishing the message.

Bagua City was some distance away from Tekes County, so I had to hail a taxi to get there.

……

After I entered the taxi, the big bearded driver asked me smilingly, "So, where are we headed to, lad?"

"Tekes train station. How much is it?" I asked him.

"Oh, that’s pretty far. 200 it is!"

"What? It’s far, but not that far! 100!"

As the taxi took off, I checked my pockets and blanched suddenly. As it turned out, I hadn’t brought too much money with me on the way out. I immediately said, "Seriously, driver, is 100 okay?"

The driver shot me a look. "Lad, your clothes look fine, and your watch is worth at least 300 RMB or more. Do you not have a heart?"

I fished around my pockets futilely. "But I really forgot to bring my cash with me, and I’m in an emergency here… how about you drive me back to the hotel? I’ll get your money for you."

The driver thought that I wanted to escape, so he actually stepped down on the gas pedal and drove faster. "No way, once you’re in my car you’re not getting out until you cough the dough! The people didn’t call me Seven Knives for nothin’, ya know. How much money do you have, lad?"

The corner of my mouth twitched incessantly. "Is this a robbery?"

"Hahaha! Whatever are you talking about? I’m a law-abiding citizen. I’m just checking if you have enough money to make it worth the trip. If you don’t, then I’m dropping you here."

I checked my pockets again. "I have 174 in total."

"Very well. Since this is my 10th business of the day, I’ll give you a discount. 170 it is."

It felt like I was being stabbed in the gut. "Driver, can we please make it 150? I need at least 24 RMB to take public transport back to Bagua City after I’ve found my girlfriend…"

"No way, you promised it’d be 170! A man doesn’t break his word!"

I stared at him with dead fish eyes. "The fuck, you’re the one who said 170, not me…"

"Haggle some more and I’ll drop you at the police station, and sue you for trying to get a free ride…"

"Fine! Fine, 170…"

In the end, I acquiesced because there was a saying called "the strong dragon cannot repress a snake", and I wasn’t even close to being a dragon. I could decide what to do after I’ve found Lin Yixin.

……

The taxi flew like the wind, and we arrived at Tekes train station an hour later. After I got off, I stood at the entrance of the train station with just 4 coins in my pockets like a true idiot.

I rushed inside and tried to call Lin Yixin only to recall that her limited edition diamond phone had been stolen by pickpockets. It was a shame.

Keeping my eyes wide open, I searched every face and walked up and down the entire waiting room for over an hour. However, I still couldn’t spot Lin Yixin anywhere. My anxiety kept growing. What should I do? It was very possible that something bad could happen to a lone woman in this rundown train station.

The more I worried, the harder it was to think clearly. In the end, I made up my mind and went to the broadcasting room. There, I found an auntie sitting there and saying something through a walkie talkie.

Dong dong...

I knocked on the door, and she looked at me and asked, "Is there anything you need, sir?"

I nodded. "I’m looking for someone, auntie."

"I see. What is this person’s name, and what is your name?"

I answered, "My name is Lu Chen, and her name is Lin Yixin. She came to Tekes County alone but lost both her phone and her wallet. I’ve tried to look around, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. Please help me search for her…"

"Okay, not a problem."

The auntie faced toward the mic and said softly, "Passenger Lin Yixin, your friend Lu Chen is looking for you. Please make contact with the train personnel and come to the broadcasting room after you’ve heard this announcement, thank you."

She repeated the announcement three times before stopping and shooting me a smile. "Don’t panic, boy. She will show up very soon."

I nodded and slumped down on the stairs dejectedly.

A couple of passengers passed by my location while I was waiting for Yiyi to show up. A pretty girl tilted her head at me before asking her friend, "Girls, did I hear that earlier announcement right? Did it say Lu Chen is looking for Lin Yixin? Isn’t Lu Chen the Little Heavenly King Falling Dust, and Lin Yixin the Fruit Knife Goddess Wind Fantasy?"

"Now that you mentioned it, yeah!"

The girl with a bowl cut next to her also shot me a look before shaking her head. "This guy looks pretty handsome, but he can’t possibly be Lu Chen. For starters, Lu Chen lives in the south, and this guy is obviously a labor worker of some sort!"

"True. There are even labor workers who look like Tony Leung and Andy Lau…"

Me: "..."

……

Another two hours passed by, but Lin Yixin was still nowhere to be seen. It was already past 10 pm, and the amount of passengers in the waiting room kept decreasing.

At this point, my anxiety had turned into full blown panic. I entered the broadcasting room once more and shouted into the mic personally, "Yiyi, where are you? Come to the broadcasting room now! It’s me, Lu Chen! Come to the broadcasting room now!"

Unfortunately, Lin Yixin was still nowhere to be seen.

The auntie shot me a helpless look. "If I had to guess, your friend is no longer at the train station."

I didn’t know what to say in reply. My mind was an absolute mess right now.

I exited the waiting room and circled around the entire train station. I checked at the hotels, the clubs, the food stalls and more, but I still couldn’t find Lin Yixin anywhere. All kinds of thoughts fleeted across my mind every second. Where was Lin Yixin? Where could she possibly go to with no method of communication and no money? Also, she should be starving right now just like me.

I saw someone barbecuing lamb meat at a food stall and swallowed hungrily. Unfortunately, I only had 4 RMB. I had to save this for absolute necessities...

……

In the end, I returned to the now ice cold waiting room of the train station and waited there. I didn’t dare to leave in case Lin Yixin came back and missed me.

Du… du...

My phone rang. It was Chaos Moon.

"Have you found Beauty Lin yet, Lu Chen?"

"No." I thought for a second before instructing, "Chaos Moon, can you log into the game and ask Sun Qingqing and Nangong Lexi to check if they can contact Yiyi inside the game? If they can, ask Yiyi where she is and tell her that I’ll be waiting for her at the train station all night…"

"Okay."

I hung up and continued to wait for Yiyi.

……

I didn’t know when I fell asleep, but it had been a long and arduous day today. In my dream, a girl with a bell-like laughter held my hand and called me Little Cheat again and again as we strolled down by the riverside. However, I kept crying as I watched her because I kept being beset by the feeling that I would never be able to hold her hand again; that I might lose the girl of my life forever.

"Hello? Boy?"

Suddenly, someone pushed me on the shoulder and woke me up from my dream. When I looked up, I saw an older man in a uniform. He was a police officer. He asked me with a surprised expression on his face, "How did you even fall asleep while standing? Anyway, you shouldn’t fall asleep in the train station. Someone might try to steal your things… er, are you crying?"

More like I cried in my dreams.

I hurriedly wiped my tears and answered, "I’m okay…"

"Are you waiting for a friend?"

"Yeah."

"And they’re not here yet?"

"Yeah."

He sighed. "I see… in that case, you can wait for as long as you wish. I hope you find your friend soon."

"Yeah, thanks."

……

The short nap rejuvenated me a bit, so I rose to my feet and looked around the waiting room. There was barely anyone left in the area because the last trains left around midnight.

I walked to the entrance next and took a look outside. It was dark, but I could see that it was snowing. No wonder I had woken up feeling ice cold. I hurriedly pulled my clothes tighter after a shiver coursed through my body.

I stepped out and felt the snow falling on my hair, my eyebrows and my shoulders. I stared at the distant lamps and murmured to myself, "Where on earth did you go, Yiyi?"

At that moment, I almost broke into tears.

Suddenly, a woman wearing black stockings and cheap perfume walked up to me and said, "Are you interested in passing the night somewhere warmer, handsome?"

I shook my head with reddened eyes. "No, thank you…"

It was then she tilted her head and widened her eyes. "Wait a second. You look real similar to the Little Heavenly King, Lu Chen. You… you can’t actually be him, can you?"

I shook my head again. "No, you’re mistaken…"

She frowned. "You sure? Because your eyes aren’t fooling anyone."

I shot her a bitter smile before walking back into the waiting room. Then, I stared at the lamps outside through the glass.

The woman watched me through the same glass for a moment before shaking her head. She then left and walked into the hair salon on the opposite side of the train station.

……

My stomach growled loudly for food, and the fact was I felt like I was about to die from hunger. But what could I possibly order with 4 RMB? A hand cake? These days, 4 RMB might not even be enough to order a breakfast.

I fell asleep again without noticing, and when I opened my eyes it was already daybreak. The world outside had gotten a complete makeover and turned into an icy world. It was almost summer, so a late spring snow like this was super rare.

I stepped out of the waiting room and sat on the stairs outside the train station again. Hopefully, I would be more visible this way.

It was cold. My face was pale, and I was shivering like a leaf.

The time slowly ticked past 6, and a bun shop opened to begin its business. The sweet scent of food made me feel even hungrier, but I wasn’t even in the mood to fill my belly. Lin Yixin was still nowhere to be seen, and I felt like my world was about to shatter into pieces.

……

I hugged my knees to keep warm. Eventually, I fell asleep again.

"Yiyi…"

Inside my dream, I called out her name in a powerless voice.

Directly in front of me, the girl holding my hand responded to my voice and looked back at me with a smile, "You need to find me, Little Cheat. I trust that you’ll be able to find me…"

It was at this moment I heard a soft voice. "Little Cheat?"

I looked up groggily, almost unable to believe that I wasn’t dreaming. When a gorgeous face entered my view though, I finally realized that I was seeing her in reality. Lin Yixin was wearing a down-filled garment, and she was staring at me with a look of shock and joy. Suddenly, her face scrunched up like she was about to cry. "Is it you, Little Cheat? Is it really you?"

I whispered, "Yiyi, I…"

She pounced into my lap and cried loudly before I could finish. "What took you so long, you bastard? What took you so long…"