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墨書 Inktalez
The roommates saw Song Pearl's very ugly expression and stopped their chatter, the lively atmosphere suddenly turning cold.
"Pearl, what happened at home?" Wang Ziyan asked cautiously. The other girls also cast inquiring glances.
Song Pearl had a gentle personality and rarely showed anger or unhappiness, but when she was truly upset, she would not spare anyone's feelings; no matter who it was, they would be left embarrassed.
"I have an urgent matter at home and must go back immediately. I can't attend the gathering tonight. Have fun," Song Pearl said, kneeling on the bed with her head down, stuffing her belongings into her bag. "Ziyan, my pencil case is still in your bag."
"Oh, here you go," Wang Ziyan quickly took out Song Pearl's pencil case from her bag and handed it to her.
"No matter what happens, don't worry. It's still early; let me take you to the bus station!"
The boy named Zhang Wan paid no attention to Song Pearl's coldness and continued to enthusiastically follow her as she walked out of the dormitory with her backpack on.
Although Song Pearl had said little earlier, her roommates had already revealed everything about her: where she lived, her surname, how old she was, how many people were in her family...
Not only hers, but he also knew almost everything about the other girls in the dormitory—who had dated a few boyfriends, who had failed which subject last semester, how much pocket money each spent in a month...
Song Pearl, the subject of discussion, was pushed aside and became an observer.
Zhang Wan's small talk was quite skilled; although he appeared shy and gentle on the surface, his manner of speaking and behavior did not resemble that of a high school senior who only focused on studying and was oblivious to the world. He seemed more like someone who had been in society for many years.
Song Pearl thought silently that while they might know each other superficially, one could never truly know someone's heart. Bad people didn't wear labels on their faces; if Zhang Wan were a human trafficker, then everyone in this dormitory would be sold off while helping him count money.
"No need; there’s a direct bus to the station right at the school gate. I can go by myself!" Song Pearl replied politely with her usual smile.
Wang Ziyan pulled along her roommate Liu Baobao to catch up. "Pearl, let us represent our dorm sisters and see you off; we have nothing to do this afternoon anyway."
Unable to refuse their good intentions, in the end, Zhang Wan accompanied Wang Ziyan and the others to send Song Pearl to the bus station.
From the Provincial Capital, there is only one bus to the city where Song Pearl is going, which departs at six thirty in the afternoon. Additionally, buses to the County Town where Song Pearl is headed also leave at six thirty every two hours.
Song Pearl decided to buy a ticket directly to County Town, so she wouldn't have to wait in the bus station for a transfer after arriving in the city late at night.
The long-distance bus station was crowded with people coming and going. After waiting in line for a long time, Song Pearl finally reached the ticket window. She handed her identification and money to the Ticket Seller and said, "I would like a ticket to Lingshui County." The Ticket Seller took the money without looking up and asked, "Ling Shui, right?"
"Yes," Song Pearl nodded, taking the ticket and change from the Ticket Seller. She stuffed them into the outer pocket of her backpack and zipped it up before leaving the ticket window and heading to the waiting hall on the first floor.
It was only four o'clock, and there were still more than two hours until departure. Since her two roommates and Zhang Wan were chatting with her while they waited, time passed quickly.
When the announcer's pleasant voice came over the intercom reminding passengers to check their tickets, Song Pearl said goodbye to her friends, shouldered her luggage, and walked through the Ticket Gate onto the long-distance bus marked Linshui.
When Song Pearl boarded, there were already some people on the bus. A few minutes later, a Ticket Inspector came aboard to check tickets. Song Pearl took her ticket out of her bag and handed it to the Ticket Inspector. The Ticket Inspector glanced at it and said, "Did you get on the wrong bus or buy the wrong ticket? This bus is going to Linshui; your ticket is for Ling Shui."
"I'm so sorry! I bought the wrong ticket. What should I do?" Song Pearl's face turned slightly red as she felt anxious.
She hadn't checked her ticket before putting it in her bag after confirming with the Ticket Seller. She usually took the train home twice a year from Provincial Capital; this was her first time taking a bus, and she had made a mistake with her ticket.
"Get off and exchange your ticket quickly; we are about to depart," the Ticket Inspector said kindly, pointing her in the right direction.
"Okay, I'll take care of it right away. Please ask the Driver Master to wait for me..." Song Pearl hurriedly got off with her large backpack and ran upstairs to the ticket window.
She looked at the girl in uniform sitting at the ticket window, unsure if she was the same one as before.
Song Pearl quickly explained what had happened with her wrong ticket to this girl. She had never spoken so much at once before, and her voice trembled as she spoke.
The girl at the ticket window, with a long face and fair skin, remained expressionless after Song Pearl finished speaking and said, "You should go ask at the Service Desk about your situation; it's not my responsibility. The person who made your mistake has already gone home."
Song Pearl looked around and asked, "Excuse me, where is the Service Desk?"
The girl lifted her eyelids and said, "Downstairs."
Song Pearl turned and ran to the Service Desk. The Staff Member there reprimanded her without hesitation, "Why didn't you check when you got your ticket? You made us wait until now!"
"No one reminded me. I didn't know your staff would confuse place names, and I didn't know there was a homophone with a different character. If I had known, of course I would have checked," Song Pearl, slightly out of breath from running, replied angrily.
The Staff Member gave Song Pearl a look of ignorance but said nothing further. Although the attitude was not very friendly, they still followed the procedure and issued her a ticket.
After thanking them for the ticket, Song Pearl ran towards the Ticket Gate.
She was a slender girl carrying a large bag, and after running back and forth in the station, she was sweating. She arrived just in time to see the Ticket Inspector handing the verification list to the driver, who closed the bus door, and the vehicle slowly began to move.
"Hey, wait a minute! Wait for me!" Song Pearl shouted to the driver sitting high up while waving her ticket. However, the Ticket Inspector stopped her and said, "The scheduled departure time has passed; you can only wait for the next bus."
Wait for the next bus? Song Pearl felt powerless with anger. "The next bus won't be until tomorrow morning! Can't this Driver Master wait just a moment to open the door?"
"Miss, you missed your bus; you are also partly responsible. The bus departs on time; that's just how it is at this station. You can't blame others," replied the Ticket Inspector, calm and self-righteous, ignoring her questions as they walked back to their office.
"It's my fault for not paying attention; I can't blame anyone else," Song Pearl thought regretfully as she walked back to the waiting hall with her luggage, stopping in front of the display screen to check the train schedule.
"Song Pearl, it's already departed! Why are you still here?" came a low, hoarse voice from a boy going through voice changes. Song Pearl looked up in the direction of the voice and was surprised to see Zhang Wan, who had come to see her off.
Could this good-looking guy really be a human trafficker? Targeting her as a weak girl?
Song Pearl asked, "Why are you still here?"
"I just went to the restroom, and when I came out, I saw you carrying your bag like a turtle coming out of the noodles," Zhang Wan said, scratching his head awkwardly.
"I didn't check properly when I bought the ticket, and it was wrong," Song Pearl said, looking down and rubbing the train ticket in her hands. "I have no choice but to wait for the next one. I'm really having the worst luck today."
"The next train is at six-thirty tomorrow morning! Isn't that going to delay you getting home?" Zhang Wan snatched the ticket that Song Pearl had twisted into a strip and unfolded it to take a look. "Isn't this correct?"
"This is the one I just got; it was issued right when I was coming back, so I missed it," Song Pearl replied calmly. She had a personality that accepted things as they came, used to digesting various disappointments on her own.
"How about this: I'll drive you home!" Zhang Wan said after a moment of silence.
His suggestion felt like a warm breeze cutting through the harsh winter cold, causing Song Pearl to suddenly look up at him with a wary and suspicious gaze.
"You don't have to look at me like that. With your looks, even if you were abducted, no one would dare to buy you," Zhang Wan seemed to read her mind effortlessly.
He rummaged through his coat pocket, pulled out a wallet, took out two identification cards, and handed them to Song Pearl. "Look, this is my student ID, and this is my Driver's License. It's definitely not fake; you'll have to ask my mom for the household registration."
"Zhang Yunye?" Song Pearl stared at the name on the documents and looked at the photo of the sunny and warm boy in front of her. "Your name is Zhang Wan; how is this not fake?"
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