The woman did not let her guard down, continuing to ask, “Which carriage are you in?”
Bai Lixin pointed ahead, “I’m in first-class carriage A-1. How about you? Which carriage are you in?”
Upon hearing that Bai Lixin was in the first-class carriage, the hostility in the woman’s eyes visibly decreased. “We are also in the first-class carriage.”
Taking a step back to advance forward, Bai Lixin stood up from his seat and said, “The journey is boring; rarely do I meet someone of the same age who likes Rubik’s Cubes. I thought we could be friends with similar interests, but it seems I was presumptuous. In that case, I’ll leave.”
After saying that, he stood up as promised, turned around, and walked away, returning to his seat. While skillfully turning the Rubik’s Cube in his hands, he cupped his chin and looked out the window.
The waiter brought the cappuccino he ordered, and Bai Lixin patiently sat there in silence.
His eyes gazed outside, but the clean glass reflected part of the indoor scene. He watched the young man and the woman at the table through the reflective glass.
Through the reflections, he saw the young man whisper something to the woman, and she replied. Then, the woman stood up and walked towards him.
“Ahem, sir, may I sit down?” The woman’s voice sounded awkward.
Bai Lixin frowned, looked at the woman with a hint of rejection in his eyes, but still nodded, “Of course, this restaurant is not mine.”
“Forgive my impoliteness earlier,” the woman said, sitting down and looking relaxed compared to before. “My son has been a constant worry for me, so I have to be vigilant against any potential threats to him. He just told me he wants to be friends with you, which surprised me.”
Bai Lixin asked, “Why is it surprising?”
The woman lowered her voice and said, “Actually, my poor son has autism. He is afraid of contact with strangers and reluctant to engage with the outside world. I brought him out this time because I heard that Mount Cang is spiritual, and perhaps taking him there for blessings could help alleviate his autism. As a mother, as long as there’s a glimmer of hope, I want to try. Despite his autism, he’s very smart. He completed his doctoral studies at the age of twenty-two and is about to graduate. My husband and I are getting older, and while we can protect him for a while, we can’t always be there. I considered letting him gradually adapt to the outside world to lay the foundation for future work.”
“So, you are his first friend who actively wants to befriend him, which surprised me,” she added.
Bai Lixin: “I see.”
He silently glanced at the young man at the nearby table who was playing with the Rubik’s Cube.
In fact, he had already guessed this from the evasive look in the young man’s eyes and the unnatural pronunciation of words when he didn’t dare to look directly at him. Now he didn’t feel too surprised when he heard the woman say it.
The woman continued, “He took the initiative to socialize, which is a good step. So, I’d like to ask you, could you be his friend and spend some time with him in the next few days?”
“Of course,” Bai Lixin nodded. “I actually wanted to be friends with him.”
On hearing this, the woman’s tense expression relaxed, “Also, because of his condition, he is very sensitive. Please avoid saying anything harsh that might upset him. I’m worried he might be disturbed, so during your interaction, I might frequently appear around you, even being inseparable from him.”
Bai Lixin hesitated for a few seconds, and finally nodded in compromise under the woman’s increasingly nervous gaze: “Okay.”
“Thank you so much.” The woman stood up with satisfaction. “I’ll bring him over.”
A minute later, the woman brought the pale-skinned young man to Bai Lixin’s table.
The young man seemed nervous and restrained. With the woman’s encouragement, he sat across from Bai Lixin, while the woman sat next to the young man.
“H-hello.” The young man still didn’t look at Bai Lixin. His gaze was fixed on the Rubik’s Cube in his hands as he introduced himself mechanically, as if he were reciting a text, “My name is Chai Li. I’m twenty-four years old, male, 175.3 centimetres tall, and 68 kilograms. I’m currently a Ph.D. student, and my hobbies are Rubik’s Cube and Sudoku. It was nice to meet you. May I know your name?”
It was unknown how long he had memorized this piece of text. After the initial stumbling, the rest of it came out very familiarly.
The woman sitting beside him had an expression of relief in her eyes, and looked at Bai Lixin expectantly.
Bai Lixin paused for a moment before responding, “Hello, Chai Li. I’m Bai Lixin, am…twenty years old and just a college student. Nice to meet you.”
Chai Li looked at Bai Lixin briefly and quickly looked away, “What are your hobbies?”
After a brief thought, Bai Lixin answered, “Rubik’s Cube and collecting specimens.”
Chai Li glanced at Bai Lixin again, lowered his head, and mumbled, “Oh.”
After a long silence, Chai Li raised his head again and asked, “What specimens do you like?”
Bai Lixin: “I’m generally interested in insect and plant specimens. I make specimens of various orders of leaves and petals, and insects such as beetles, dragonflies, stick insects, butterflies, etc. I like beautiful things, especially capturing things at their most beautiful moments. Among them, I particularly like butterflies.”
“What about you, Chai Li? Do you like butterflies?”
After saying that, he carefully observed Chai Li’s expression.
Chai Li’s expression did not show the expected change. He just lowered his head and said mechanically, “I like. Butterflies are pretty.”
Bai Lixin glanced at the woman’s face. She didn’t seem sensitive to the word “butterflies.” She just happily watched her son start to communicate actively, without any defensive or surprised expression.
“…”
‘If they had anything to do with butterflies and that little girl, they should have reacted when they heard this.
So why was there no response?’
Bai Lixin quickly recollected his thoughts and continued, “Would you like me to teach you how to solve the Rubik’s Cube?”
Chai Li blushed, “Okay, thank you.”
They played with the Rubik’s Cube for a while, and due to their shared interest, their relationship grew closer.
The sky outside was gradually getting darker.
Dinner time arrived, and the doors of the dining area compartment were continuously opened and closed. The dining area, which was originally not crowded, quickly filled up.
Perhaps due to Chai Li’s autism, once he concentrated on something, he became exceptionally focused. After several hours, there was no sign of stopping. Bai Lixin really couldn’t bear it any longer.
Just as he was about to find an excuse to leave, he suddenly felt a gaze.
Bai Lixin raised his head abruptly, and he saw an elderly man in his seventies at the adjacent table.
He stared back, but the old man didn’t turn away. The complexity and scrutiny in the old man’s eyes made Bai Lixin a bit puzzled.
‘Could this old man also know Zhao Ming?’
Come to think of it, Zhao Ming and his grandparents only had each other. Considering their ages, the elderly couple should be around the same age as this old man.
‘Could it be that this old man was Zhao Ming’s grandfather?’
There was a slight movement in his heart, and Bai Lixin released his hands from the rotating Rubik’s Cube. “I saw someone I know, I’m going to greet them. I’ll be leaving first.”
Chai Li still felt a bit reluctant and asked slowly, “When will we meet again?”
Bai Lixin: “I’m in A-1. If you miss me, come find me. But there’s a companion in my room. He may look a bit intimidating, but he’s a good person. Don’t be scared. As for you, if you tell me your location, I can come to you.”
“I’m in A-7.” Chai Li hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Can you come and play with me tonight? There’s something I haven’t learned yet.”
Bai Li Xin raised an eyebrow, “Of course, see you tonight.”
This was not so good. He initially wanted to find a reason to go to his room and take a look, but he ended up inviting me himself.
After a simple arrangement with Chai Li, Bai Lixin stood up, strode over to the old man, and went straight to the point, “You’ve been staring at me. Do you know me?”
The old man’s expression was complex. He glanced at Bai Li Xin’s face, then at the Rubik’s Cube in his hands. Finally, he opened his mouth and tentatively whispered, “God Xin?”
Bai Lixin’s eyes suddenly widened, “Mr. Li Cangshan?”
The old man scratched his head with Li Cangshan’s habitual scratching action, and smiled shyly, “It’s really me. I saw the way you played with the Rubik’s Cube, just like you used to.”
Bai Lixin’s expression also became complicated, “…”
Zhou Guang and Li Cangshan, one turned into a little girl of about ten, and the other turned into a seventy-year-old man
This was truly… the diversity of the world.
Li Cangshan pointed to his old face, “Do I look strange like this?”
Bai Lixin’s expression was sincere, “Not strange.”
‘I’ve seen the girl version of Zhou Guang; what else could shock me?’
Li Cangshan: “When I boarded this train, I wondered whether I would meet you here. It turns out I did. I’m lucky. I don’t know where Zhou Guang is. God Xin, have you seen Zhou Guang?”
Bai Lixin recalled the cute and charming face of the little girl and nodded. “I’ve seen her.”
Li Cangshan’s tone became excited, “Really? Where is she? What does he look like now?”
Bai Lixin licked his lips. “Uh… I think it’s more appropriate for him to tell you himself. Were you boarding at the Jingchuan Station just now?”
“Yes,” Li Cangshan nodded. “I’m in the middle carriage now.”
“Middle-class carriage?” Bai Lixin was slightly stunned. “The middle-class compartments are supposed to be for two people each, but they could accommodate up to six people. How many people are in your compartment now, besides you?”
“Besides me, there’s a middle-aged woman. She seems quiet and doesn’t talk much,” Li Cangshan replied.
Bai Lixin quickly calculated, “Let Zhou Guang go to your compartment. Your compartment has upper and lower bunks. Even if there’s a ticket check due to privacy concerns, he could hide under your protection.”
“Ticket check?” Li Cangshan pondered for a moment and realized, “Zhou Guang didn’t get a ticket?”
Bai Lixin: “Time is of the essence. Let me take you to find him. He should still be on the last carriage.”
Li Cangshan didn’t hesitate. He immediately stood up and followed Bai Lixin eagerly: “Let me see what Zhou Guang looks like now!”
