Rebirth begins with studying hard

Chapter 43 Zhong Muqing's Childhood Sweetheart?

Feicheng's first high-speed train service opened on August 1, 2008. Before that, there was only an experimental high-speed train to Nanjing.

On July 28th, there are only three modes of transportation to go to Shanghai: regular train, bus, and airplane.

The Pule, also known as the traditional green train, takes about eight and a half hours to travel from Feicheng to Shanghai.

The bus takes even longer, about fourteen or fifteen hours.

The flight takes very little time, only one hour to arrive.

It doesn't matter how he gets to Shanghai; Anhui Province has provided a unified bus service for all participants to go to Shanghai, and each participant is allowed to bring one accompanying person free of charge.

But Zhong Muqing didn't want to take such a long bus ride; she wanted to fly to Shanghai instead.

The plane ticket cost about 800 yuan. Now that he had royalties, he could afford the ticket, so he agreed to accompany her on the plane.

So a week in advance, he started discussing with Zhong Muqing which flight to take to Shanghai.

"Tickets? I've already bought them for you!"

"I begged you to cheer me on when I went to Shanghai, how could I let you pay for my plane ticket!"

"Real-name information? Doesn't your ID number appear on Kafka's partnership agreement? You can buy it if you have your ID number!"

Hearing Zhong Muqing's words, he was both amused and exasperated. She had already bought his plane ticket!

He wanted to give the money to Zhong Muqing, but she refused to accept it no matter what he did, so Lu Jie stopped trying to persuade her and told her that he would treat her to dinner in Shanghai.

I'll treat her to a nice meal; I won't let her suffer any loss.

Feicheng's old airport was still in normal use in 08. The old airport was very small, and the waiting hall was even smaller than a train station.

There were very few people, so the security check was very fast.

"Is this your first time flying?" After going through security, Zhong Muqing noticed Lu Jie looking around and asked curiously.

"Hmm... This is my first time at Linggang Airport." In his previous life, Lu Jie had taken many flights, but they all departed from Xinqiao Airport in Xicheng.

This was his first time visiting this old airport.

"Flying is quite fun." Zhong Muqing knew that some people were afraid of flying, so she reassured them, "Although the takeoff speed is very fast, it is not as exciting as a roller coaster."

"Don't be afraid, I'll protect you," she said, patting her chest playfully.

"Thank you, sister," Lu Jie replied with a smile.

Zhong Muqing was a few months older than both him and Sun Bo. She minded Sun Bo calling her "Sister Qing," but she would often refer to herself as "Sister" in front of him.

What a contradictory act.

Boarding the plane, looking out the window with Zhong Muqing, and resting with eyes closed.

We arrived at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport very quickly.

The National Middle School Track and Field Championships were held at the Shanghai Sports School. There were about two thousand participants, including coaches and accompanying personnel, so the organizing committee arranged ten hotels for accommodation based on the participants' place of origin.

These hotels are not exclusively for the athletes; some rooms are also available to outsiders. Therefore, Lu Jie booked a hotel room very early on.

Most of the other contestants from Anhui Province came to Shanghai by bus, which takes a day. They arrived early on the 28th without any prior arrangements.

After dropping off my luggage at the hotel, I planned to stroll around Jinling Road Pedestrian Street and the Bund in Shanghai.

Lu Jie had seen the Bund many times, but he had never seen the Bund in 08 before, so he was quite curious about it.

As soon as Lu Jie arrived at the hotel and started checking in, he heard someone shouting "Qingqing" loudly from behind.

Then he saw Zhong Muqing turn her head and look at him with a frown, but she didn't react and continued to check in.

"Is she looking for you?" Lu Jie initially thought "Qingqing" was a term of address for someone else, but seeing Zhong Muqing's appearance, he felt that it might not be; she clearly knew this person.

"Hmm... he's a pretty annoying person." Zhong Muqing pouted, looking like she didn't want to deal with him. "Just ignore him."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jie curiously turned around and glanced at the person who had called her.

Judging from their appearances, they seemed to be about the same age, but they were dressed very formally, wearing short-sleeved shirts, black trousers, and gold-rimmed glasses, making them look mature and older than them.

She has a fairly delicate appearance, but her tall and thin build, combined with her looks, gives her a somewhat effeminate feel.

"Your relative?"

Zhong Muqing shook her head: "No..."

Before she could continue speaking, the boy had already walked quickly to her side, seemingly unconcerned by Zhong Muqing's somewhat cold attitude, and said very enthusiastically:

"Qingqing, why didn't you tell me you were coming? I've been working at my father's company in Shanghai lately."

"If I hadn't told you, I wouldn't have known you actually came to Shanghai."

"What are your plans for today? Shall I take you sightseeing in Shanghai?"

As he spoke, he handed a bottle of beverage to Zhong Muqing:

"This is your favorite juice. I brought a whole case from Singapore. You drink it first, and I'll send you the rest."

Although he didn't know much about the boy's background, Lu Jie could roughly figure it out from the boy's words and Zhong Muqing's reaction.

Since they are not relatives, the boy's father or mother is probably acquainted with Zhong Muqing's father, and it is possible that they have business dealings.

If someone can buy things from Singapore and bring them to Shanghai, their family must be quite well-off.

This time, it must have been at the suggestion or arrangement of the boy's parents or Zhong Muqing's father that they came to this hotel specifically to receive Zhong Muqing.

The boy seemed to have known Zhong Muqing for a long time and was very enthusiastic and attentive to her, but judging from Zhong Muqing's attitude, she didn't seem to be very interested in him.

Whether there are any hidden reasons behind this remains unknown.

Just as he was curiously wondering what would happen between the two, Zhong Muqing suddenly looked at him with concern and asked:

Are you thirsty?

Lu Jie was stunned for a moment, not understanding what was going on, and instinctively said, "I'm a little thirsty."

He was indeed a little thirsty; he had just asked the receptionist for a bottle of mineral water, but the receptionist was busy and hadn't had time to give it to him yet.

Just as he was wondering why Zhong Muqing was suddenly asking him this and why she wasn't paying attention to the boy, he saw Zhong Muqing very politely say "thank you" to the boy and take the drink from his hand.

Then, with a sudden change of expression, she smiled and handed him the drink: "This is a very famous fresh-squeezed juice from Singapore, it's delicious!"

"You should try it!"

Lu Jie exclaimed "Ah!", a little bewildered.

This guy was supposed to be for you, but he just transferred it to me like that?

Isn't that a bit inappropriate?

Seeing that he didn't react, Zhong Muqing said, "It's really delicious, you should try it," and stuffed it into his hand.

Only then did the boy notice Lu Jie standing next to Zhong Muqing.

He initially thought the two had just happened to arrive together and check in together, but he didn't expect that they knew each other and seemed to have a good relationship.

He glanced at Lu Jie with surprise, then continued to speak warmly to Zhong Muqing:

"Qingqing, who is this?"

"It's none of your business," Zhong Muqing replied coolly.

The boy wasn't angry; he spoke gently to Lu Jie:

"Hello, my name is Wang Zhe, um... I guess you could say I'm Qingqing's childhood friend."