Because the decision to travel was made in a hurry, and I didn't book tickets in advance, I could only get a second-class seat.
After weaving through the crowd, the two finally found their seats. Their tickets were consecutive, and Fang Zi let Xiang Lan sit by the window while he sat in seat B in the middle.
"Give me your backpack, I'll put it on the luggage rack." Fang Zidu is tall and has long legs, making him very conspicuous standing in the middle of the carriage, especially his profile, which is almost perfect in beauty.
Xiang Lan took off his backpack, pulled out a small bag he had prepared for carrying daily necessities, and handed the backpack to him. He opened the luggage rack with one hand and stuffed both backpacks into it with the other, his posture both graceful and extremely comfortable.
After the two sat down, Fang Zi took the small bag from Xiang Lan, took out a book, and opened it to read.
Xiang Lan leaned against the small windowsill. On the platform outside the train, passengers were rushing about, their destinations unknown. She glanced at the people around her, then looked down at her book intently, seemingly unaffected by the noisy surroundings.
As people boarded, a very young and sophisticated white-collar woman stood in front of the aisle seat carrying a large suitcase. She looked at her high heels and suitcase, patted Fang Zidu, and said, "Handsome, can you help me?"
Fang Zi looked up and Xiang Lan clearly saw the amazed look in the woman's eyes. She watched him stand up, stand next to the woman, and help her lift the suitcase upstairs with one hand.
"Thank you, you're really strong." The woman sat down in her seat, tilted her head to look Fang Zidu up and down, and unfortunately met Xiang Lan's eyes. She smiled, revealing her snow-white teeth.
"You're welcome." Fang Zidu picked up his book again and looked at it, showing no desire to continue the conversation.
The woman placed her small purse on her lap, took out a small mirror to look at herself, smoothed her hair, and used a tissue to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead. She got up to go to the restroom after the car started moving.
Xiang Lan got excited and said to Fang Zidu, "That beautiful woman is going to flirt with you."
Fangzi turned his head to look at her, smiled, and kissed her on the cheek, seemingly to comfort her.
Xiang Lan pushed him away, propped herself up on the small table with one hand, and waited for a while. Sure enough, the lady walked back with graceful bearing.
The woman had just applied fresh perfume and touched up her makeup, making her look even more radiant. Xiang Lan reached out and touched her slightly dry face, then turned her gaze away unhappily, leaning back in her chair and looking out the window at the scenery rushing past.
"Are you watching 'The Naked Ape'?" the woman started the conversation.
Fang Zi paused for three seconds, and Xiang Lan counted them clearly. She heard him answer, "Yes."
He was looking at the old English version, which the lady recognized immediately, indicating that she was quite knowledgeable and genuinely familiar with the book.
“That’s interesting,” the woman laughed. “The Third Kind of Orangutan and The Naked Ape used to be my favorite books.”
"once?"
"I now prefer 'Where Does Sexual Interest Come From'." The woman's voice was like the smoothest chocolate, sweet and cloying.
Xiang Lan really wanted to turn her head to see Fang Zidu's expression at that moment, but she did nothing.
"Because your desires have shifted." Fang Zidu's voice was calm, but his words startled Xiang Lan. He was still so direct when speaking to strangers.
The woman chuckled softly and said "Oh," the last syllable almost rising into the air.
“The desire to explore the world and the present—” Fang Zidu turned his head to look at her almost meticulously crafted makeup, “the desire to attract males for the purpose of reproduction.”
The woman chuckled at his words, while Xiang Lan felt a bit annoyed, never expecting him to be so good at flirting.
Which one do you like?
I wouldn't say I like it.
"To kill time?"
No, not exactly.
Why is that?
"Recognize and accept the animalistic nature of humanity." To understand Xiang Lan, he first needed to start by understanding the essence of humans and animals.
"It seems there's something that's causing you trouble," the woman said with a smile, moving on to the next topic.
"A little," Fang Zidu replied politely.
“When I first read ‘The Naked Ape,’ I felt both excited and sad. I’ve always been taught that humans are the most intelligent of all creatures, and suddenly someone jumps out and tells you that you’re not much different from animals.” The woman’s voice was very beautiful, and Xiang Lan felt very comfortable listening to it. “I was so sad that I couldn’t stop. Can you guess why?”
"I have no idea."
"For all of humanity."
Fang Zi laughed; it was the first time Xiang Lan had heard him laugh so easily. "You're overthinking it."
"To this end, I read the entire series of books, and also found 'The Third Kind of Ape,' and even began to have a great interest in the origin of humankind. I wanted to find an argument that firmly supports the world in my heart: that humankind should be the darling of this universe."
"You are obviously too greedy, and this pursuit will cause you pain."
"Of course, but the pain didn't last long either."
"Why?" Not only Fang Zi was curious, but Xiang Lan was also curious.
"Because I'm about to graduate from university and I'm starting to face the problem of survival."
Indeed, a survival crisis can force people to look away from the distant future and focus on solving the most pressing problems.
"I began to find that these two books helped me."
In which aspect?
"As long as I acknowledge the animalistic nature of humanity, there won't be much suffering. Whether at work or in life, everything starts to become simpler."
Fang Zi nodded, "You've found your own solution—"
"And 'Where Does Sexual Interest Come From' changed my whole life after reading it."
Fang Zi picked up the book in his hand and placed it on the small table, seemingly becoming interested in the conversation. "You've had unpleasant experiences with sex, and this book discusses the nature of sex. Did it comfort you?"
“Oh, handsome, that’s a very impolite question.” The woman seemed to put down her small table as well, and Xiang Lan heard a click. “If you want to know, this isn’t the right place.”
"I'm sorry, I was just curious about your psychological changes."
Are you interested in me?
"No." Fang Zidu only uttered this one word.
After a long pause, the woman said, "You're right, there was indeed a very unpleasant experience."
"This topic makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to talk about it."
“I feel a sense of familiarity when I see you—” The woman chuckled and sighed slightly. “When I first entered the workforce, I was surrounded by people, young and old, unmarried and married, but generally speaking, they were all of the opposite sex. The baptism I experienced was all sorts of sexual innuendos, as if the moment I graduated, this button was pressed and the door opened for me.”
"You have become the prey of the hunters."
"Hunting? Yes, that's a very apt word, very animalistic, it's about being hunted. It was very painful at first, but then I thought about it, and that's just animal nature. No one can escape this nature, so there's nothing to be ashamed of. I just need to accept it and control it, and that's enough."
"So you've now become the predator and are enjoying this role."
"Handsome, you're too perceptive." The woman's voice held a hint of wariness, clearly annoyed that Fang Zi had seen through her disguise.
“In any case, you have found a way to free yourself from suffering.” Fang Zidu smiled. “It must have been a very difficult process, fighting against your own nature. It’s not easy, and many people can’t do it. You can call me Fang Zidu.” He extended a benevolent gesture.
"I'm Milan." Milan paused for a moment, then said, "Fang Zidu, are you going to Haicheng?"
"Yes."
"Work or visiting relatives?"
"Visiting relatives."
"Haicheng people?"
"Yes."
"What a coincidence—"
Xiang Lan thought to herself, everything had fallen into a standard flirting routine. She was somewhat dazed. Judging from Fang Zi's behavior, he was clearly quite experienced in male-female interactions. So how did he view her initiative or lust? As for animalistic instincts, she was still struggling with that, while the woman named Milan was completely immersed in it, finding pleasure in it.
"I'm also from Haicheng, and I work here. I'm going back to visit my parents. I'm from the East District of Haicheng, what about you?"
"Also in the East District."
“What a coincidence! We can travel together. When are you going back to the city? We can arrange to meet up. I find it quite interesting to talk to you.”
"It might not be very convenient." Fang Zidu paused for a moment.
Xiang Lan felt her hand being pulled up, her fingers intertwined and gripped tightly, forcing her to turn around and meet his clear gaze, as well as Milan's eyes behind him, which were filled with desire.
"This is my wife, Xiang Lan. We're going home to visit relatives, and the return date is uncertain."
Xiang Lan cleared her throat and said to Milan, "Hello—"
Milan showed no embarrassment whatsoever. She reached out, her red nails brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, and said, "Hello!"
"Zidu, I want to eat beef jerky, can you go buy some for me?" Xiang Lan asked Fang Zidu. "I want the five-spice flavor."
Fang Zi glanced at her, let go of her hand, got up and walked away, and Xiang Lan took the opportunity to sit in the middle.
Milan laughed deeply, at her petty nature.
Xiang Lan didn't care and said to her, "Your perfume is too strong, he doesn't like it."
Milan looked at her bare face, curled the corners of her lips, leaned back in her chair, and didn't reply.
Xiang Lan felt a bit stifled. Milan didn't say anything, but she felt like she had lost. She hugged her chest and leaned back in her chair, thinking about Fang Zidu's troubles and pain.
A moment later, he returned with a bag of snacks, quietly sat down by the window, handed the snacks to her, and continued reading.
Xiang Lan opened the beef jerky, tentatively opened a small piece, tore off a strip of meat and put it in her mouth, slowly sucking on the flavor. This time, she didn't feel nauseous at all.
She couldn't give up on Fang Zidu; she was incredibly jealous just because he was talking to a woman.
Author's Note: I'd like to recommend a novel. I've read every chapter. The male lead has a strong personality, and the female lead is adorable. If you're interested, you can check it out: Title: His Little Rose.
Chapter 39
Xiang Lan slowly finished a small bag of beef strips. She felt no physical discomfort whatsoever, and her tense nerves relaxed a little. She leaned back in her chair to rest and even hummed a song. Fang Zi heard her voice, glanced at her, and reached out to touch her hair. She picked out a strip of beef and said, "Want some? This is delicious."
Fangzi opened his mouth, and she stuffed the meat strip inside. Her fingertips touched his tongue, warm, soft, and wet. He raised an eyebrow and took her finger in his mouth. Xiang Lan quickly pulled her finger away, cleared her throat, and turned back to her seat with feigned seriousness, then shared some with Milan.
Milan didn't stand on ceremony and expressed her gratitude, offering her iPad in return. The two then chose a comedy movie to watch to pass the time.
Around noon, the dining car was bustling with activity, filling the entire carriage with the smells of various foods. Xiang Lan couldn't stand it anymore, so she left her seat and went to the area between the two carriages to get some fresh air. However, this spot was also a popular place for smoking, and she couldn't stay there for more than a few minutes before having to return to her seat.
Fangzi took out his own mask and put it on her. She smelled the fragrance on the mask and felt a little better.
"Motion sickness?" Milan was surprised. "High-speed rail rarely causes motion sickness—"
"She's pregnant." Fang Zidu took out a Lock & Lock container from his bag, which was filled with various washed and cut fruits.
Milan nodded, got up and walked away.
Xiang Lan felt uncomfortable, thinking she had bothered her, and lay there listlessly. After a while, Milan returned with several cans of Coca-Cola, gave her one, and said, "A little home remedy to stop nausea, try drinking a few sips."