Chapter 309
After chatting a bit more with Old Mr. Zhang, Su Xiaoxiao hung up and went to the train station. The station was packed with people since the trains were about to stop running.
They had arrived a bit early, and the train hadn’t arrived yet. Jiang Yexun and the other two men kept a close watch over Su Xiaoxiao and Aunt Guo as they squeezed through the crowd to the platform.
Anyone who tried to push their way through seemed ready to get angry, but when they turned around and saw the three stern-faced men, they swallowed their words.
It wasn’t until they were finally on the platform that everyone could breathe a little easier.
“There are so many people. There will surely be a lot of standing tickets on the train. Make sure to call us if you or Aunt Guo need to use the restroom or freshen up,” Su Hongchen said to the breathless Su Xiaoxiao, clearly concerned.
Su Xiaoxiao immediately nodded obediently. “Don’t worry, brother. I know that with so many people, there will be more troublemakers. Aunt Guo and I will definitely stay together.”
She still found the idea of being scammed, as she had heard about last time, quite frightening. Even though nothing had happened to her before, it’s better to be cautious.
Fortunately, they had booked soft sleepers, so the four of them would be in a small private room. And when Xingzhi wasn’t sleeping, he could join them in their compartment for a chat.
Seeing Su Xiaoxiao so obedient, Su Hongchen, who was usually a tall and handsome man over 1.85 meters, smiled at her affectionately. His military uniform made him stand out even more.
Many of the women around turned their attention to him. Although most of them were reserved and didn’t talk to strangers, a few brave ones approached.
One of the women, blushing, asked, “Hello, we’re coming to the northeast as sent-down educated youth. We plan to go home for the New Year before the snow blocks the roads. Where are you headed?”
It was hard to tell if she was blushing out of shyness or from the cold northern wind, but her eyes were fixed intently on Su Hongchen, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes what she was hinting at.
However, Su Hongchen’s gaze was solely on Su Xiaoxiao. Even though there were people trying to strike up a conversation, he didn’t respond. It seemed like he didn’t give the two women a second glance, but in reality, he had noticed them out of the corner of his eye.
When they squeezed over, Su Hongchen had noticed. He assessed them as ordinary people and didn’t see any immediate threat, so he didn’t intervene. As for Jiang Yexun, he wasn’t interested in talking to other women, especially with a girlfriend.
Aunt Guo, noticing the two young women standing there awkwardly and unwilling to leave, decided to defuse the situation with a smile.
“We’re also heading to the home of my future daughter-in-law for the New Year.”
This statement cut off further conversation and prevented the women from continuing their advances.
Yet the two young women, still captivated by Su Hongchen, were not willing to give up so easily. Since she was just a future daughter-in-law, they figured there might still be hope.
They shifted their gaze to Su Hongchen with even more fervor. “What’s your destination? Maybe we’re going to the same place. We’re worried about encountering danger, so could we exchange tickets to ride in your soft sleeper for safety?”
Their request sounded reasonable, but only if they had toned down their gaze a bit.
Su Xiaoxiao was reluctant to engage with them, but their looks at her brother were so intense that it felt like they were eyeing a prize. She could tell from her brother’s frown that he was clearly annoyed and had no interest in these women.
Oh, dealing with unwanted attention was her job.
Su Xiaoxiao sighed internally, then directly addressed the two women. “Sorry, we’ve booked soft sleepers, so you probably won’t be able to swap tickets. You might want to find someone else who looks trustworthy to help you. But my advice is, when the train arrives, get off and be cautious. On the train, there isn’t anyone you can truly rely on, and no one will be able to help you.”
Though Su Xiaoxiao wasn’t keen on the two women’s gaze, she genuinely wanted to give them a heads-up. If something went wrong, it wouldn’t end well for them.
The two women’s faces darkened with anger after hearing Su Xiaoxiao’s words. But since they were with Su Xiaoxiao’s group, they didn’t dare confront her directly.
Finally, with forced smiles, they said, “Thank you. We’ll be careful. But since we’re in hard seats, could we possibly visit your soft sleeper car when we’re not sleeping?”
“No!” Su Xiaoxiao’s refusal was immediate and unequivocal.
The two women were taken aback by the directness of Su Xiaoxiao’s refusal and froze in place.
Su Xiaoxiao, uninterested in hearing their excuses, coldly added, “We booked soft sleepers so we could sit comfortably together. If you come over, it would defeat the purpose of the extra cost. It would be better for you to stay in hard seats or regular seats.”
The two women, despite their boldness, were visibly embarrassed and wished they could disappear from the spot.
But that wasn’t feasible, so they looked up with red eyes and a pitiful expression at Su Hongchen, trying to evoke some sympathy.
Su Hongchen, however, was fully aware of their intentions. Ignoring them was the best way to avoid involvement.
When the two women realized Su Hongchen wasn’t giving them any attention, their attempts to make a scene diminished significantly.
Given the rare opportunity to meet such an ideal match, they weren’t willing to give up easily. So, they could only lower their heads in resignation and say no more.
With that, Su Xiaoxiao and her group didn’t engage further. The two young women could only watch as the group squeezed into the soft sleeper compartment, with no chance of joining them.