After receiving the notification from the school, he completed all the preparations in just a couple of days. Actually, there wasn't much to prepare, just documents and money.

It's just that he packed his luggage a bit early. Including his newly bought clothes, he only had a few sets in total, all packed into the suitcase. Every time he changed clothes, he had to open the suitcase to get them.

However, he didn't find it troublesome, but rather enjoyed it.

Every time he opened the suitcase, he felt excited.

In all his years growing up, this was the first time he felt a sense of "self".

After arguing with his family that day, no one managed him or paid attention to him anymore. Grandma and mom acted as if he no longer existed at home. Whether he was at home or not, whether he came back or not, no one cared. Even when he was home, after mom finished cooking, no one called him to eat.

Although he felt a bit depressed, Chu Yi did not regret his decision.

He originally thought that since he wouldn't be home for many days, he quit his part-time job at the boxing gym, wanting to spend more time with his mom at home.

Perhaps he was just deluding himself.

So he still spent most of his time at the boxing gym.

"What day did you buy the ticket for?" Little Lin asked him.

"Not yet... I'll just buy it at the train station," Chu Yi said.

"...Then how the heck will you get a ticket? You gonna hang outside the train window?" Little Lin said.

"It's not the Spring Festival travel rush," Chu Yi's concept of ticket buying was limited to the Spring Festival and the October 1st National Day. When Little Lin said this, he suddenly became nervous. "Will I also not be able to buy a ticket?"

"It's summer vacation, all the students are going out of town for school," Little Lin took out his phone. "Let me check for you, you need to buy in advance."

"Oh." Chu Yi stared at his phone.

Train tickets were indeed a bit tight. Little Lin looked at the dates, "Give me the money, I'll buy it for you directly. You can just go to the station to pick it up then."

"Okay, thank you." Chu Yi nodded.

He actually wanted to leave as early as possible, but after all, he had never traveled far and was a bit worried that if he arrived at the school too early by himself, he wouldn't know what to do, how to register, or where to stay. He was also a stutterer, so asking people might be difficult... And he was afraid that leaving too early would make his family unhappy, although they probably didn't even know when school started.

It wasn't until the day before his departure that he finally said to his mom, "I... I'm going to school tomorrow."

He originally wanted to say "I'm leaving tomorrow" to keep it short, but in the end still chose the longer "going to school tomorrow", because he felt that "leaving" might make his mom uncomfortable.

But the effect seemed to be about the same. Mom, sitting on the sofa, just grunted without even looking at him.

He was already indifferent to this attitude. The anticipation for the brand new life starting tomorrow left him with no extra emotions to react to such an attitude.

A new city.

New scenery.

A new school.

New classmates.

New friends... This wasn't quite accurate, as he didn't have old friends either.

His only friend was Yan Hang.

Yan Hang! Yan Hang! Hahahahaha!

What was he laughing about?

Chu Yi fell onto the bed and sighed softly. He didn't even know if the friendship between him and Yan Hang still existed.

He closed his eyes.

His mind was filled with all sorts of messy thoughts.

Excited one moment, nervous the next, then feeling lost, and a bit down, cycling back and forth.

Then he fell asleep.

When he was startled awake, he sat up abruptly. Fell asleep? Where am I? How long did I sleep? What time is it? What's going on? Will I miss the train?

As he jumped out of bed, he heard Grandma's snoring from the bed next to him and breathed a sigh of relief.

He grabbed his phone and quietly walked out of the room into the living room and sat down.

Just past 4 AM.

He had slept from before dinner last night until 4 AM, skipping dinner altogether.

He was a bit hungry.

After going to the kitchen to boil and eat a few dumplings, he no longer wanted to sleep anymore. He couldn't fall back asleep. The excitement of leaving in a few hours had already filled his surroundings. He felt a bit dizzy, bumping into the door frame three times going in and out of the bathroom.

He sat in a daze on the living room sofa until 6 AM, then stood up.

He decided to leave now, departing before everyone woke up.

Mom and Grandma would be up by 6:30. He didn't know what to say then or what kind of scene there would be.

He grabbed his luggage, changed shoes, and stood by the door, closing his eyes to carefully think if he had everything. Then he glanced back into the house again, opened the door and walked out.

It was very quiet all around, with only a few early-rising old men walking while slapping themselves with a crisp sound.

Chu Yi felt a bit sentimental.

So he left just like that?

Although he was just going to school, at this moment it felt like he was leaving forever.

Actually, it could be considered leaving forever.

For some things, some memories, it was indeed farewell forever.

When he arrived at the train station, it was still early, just in time to pick up the ticket. Chu Yi took his ID and found the ticket machine. Little Lin told him he could get it from the self-service machine.

He stood blankly in front of the machine.

Perhaps he was too nervous or too unsophisticated, but he almost couldn't understand the words on the ticket machine and didn't know where to press.

A girl came over to the machine next to him. Chu Yi quickly watched her operate it.

After the girl skillfully got her ticket, she suddenly turned her head to look at him and asked a bit defensively, "What are you looking at?"

"No... no ill intentions," Chu Yi was startled and quickly backed away, so embarrassed his tongue nearly split. "I-I'm not, I..."

"Don't know how to get the ticket?" the girl asked.

"Ah," Chu Yi glanced at the ticket machine, very embarrassed. "Never got one before."

"It's very simple," the girl walked over to the machine he was at. "Look."

Chu Yi paused, then hesitantly walked over, watching as she tapped the machine a couple times, then put his ID on it as she instructed.

The ticket came out.

"Here," the girl handed him the ticket. "All set."

"Thank you." Chu Yi felt like wiping his sweat.

"We're going to the same place," the girl said. "My train is a bit earlier than yours. Are you going to school?"

"Mm." Chu Yi nodded.

"Let's add each other as friends?" The girl took out her phone. "We're from the same hometown."

When Chu Yi took out his phone, he was so nervous he almost dropped it. In all his life, he rarely talked to girls, let alone had an unfamiliar girl ask to add him as a friend.

"I'm called Beike*," the girl said.

*T/N: It means Shell

"Beike?" Chu Yi asked.

"Mm," the girl smiled. "And you?"

"Snail," Chu Yi said.

The girl was stunned. After a while, she started laughing. It took a long time before she said, "You really are something. My name really is Beike."

"Chu Yi," Chu Yi smiled. "Really."

"Okay Chu Yi," the girl said with a smile. "I have to get on the train. Let's get in touch when we arrive."

"Mm." Chu Yi nodded.

Chu Yi sat in the waiting room, looking down at the weather on his phone.

Starting today, he could experience the same weather as Yan Hang.

A WeChat message came in. He took a look - it was Coach He asking if he had left yet.

- I'm already at the train station, but the train doesn't leave for another hour

- So excited haha, keep an eye on your phone and wallet on the way

- Okay

Excited, he really was very excited.

Chu Yi felt his current emotions were actually quite complex, but all the emotions had already been drowned out by excitement and exhilaration. He almost had no room to experience anything else.

He looked at Moments. There was no new content, or more precisely, no new content from Yan Hang.

However, the newly added friend Beike posted a Moment.

- On the train! Just now I ran into a really cool handsome guy but forgot to take a photo!

Chu Yi figured she was talking about him. He was stunned for a bit, then felt a little embarrassed.

This feeling was a bit different from when the girls called him handsome during Yan Hang's livestreams.

"Yan Hang!" Supervisor Chen called out from the locker room door. "Haven't left yet, right?"

"No," Yan Hang had just changed clothes and was about to get off work. He walked out the door. "What's up?"

"It's like this, for tomorrow's chef exchange visit," Sister Chen said, "prepare to go along."

"What?" Yan Hang looked at her. "Why would I go?"

"To translate," Sister Chen frowned. "I just got a call that our translator injured himself and is in the hospital. There's no time to find someone else now, so I have to fill in, but my stomach is unwell. You come with me to help out a bit."

Yan Hang kept looking at her. This arrangement was a bit too sudden.

"Don't be nervous," Sister Chen said. "Your spoken English is quite good. It's a great opportunity to show your ability. Prepare tonight and come a bit earlier tomorrow."

Yan Hang wanted to say that the opportunity he really wanted was to go to the kitchen and cook a dish. He wasn't as confident in translating as he was in cooking.

"Let's go celebrate." Cui Yi said.

"I called you to ask if you had any experience in this area," Yan Hang looked at him. "Not to celebrate. What's there to celebrate about this..."

"What experience do I have," Cui Yi walked towards the neighborhood gate. "When your hotel asks you to go to court, then you can come ask me."

Yan Hang sighed and followed him out. "I'm afraid of making mistakes."

"Chen Jinling's English is very good. With her there, you don't need to be nervous. It's not like they're asking you to shoulder it alone," Cui Yi said. "You don't seem like someone who would get stage fright."

Chen Jinling was Sister Chen. Her English was indeed quite good, but Yan Hang still felt unsure, after all he had never done it before. If he couldn't react in time and remained silent the whole time, that would be really embarrassing.

"What do you want to eat?" Cui Yi asked.

"Little Li ba," Yan Hang said. "Isn't Little Li your favorite?"

"You said it." Cui Yi clicked his tongue.

Yan Hang laughed. "Little Li's BBQ."

The taste of Little Li's BBQ was actually about the same as BBQ everywhere, but the large portions were their biggest selling point, so there were always a lot of people whenever they went.

Yan Hang was also quite willing to eat there, not because of the portions.

Every time he ate BBQ, he would inexplicably have a sense of familiarity. The BBQ format itself was very intimate, plus... he probably missed his dad again.

He would also think of Chu Yi.

When they were almost done eating, he asked the boss to grill some more to take away.

"For a late-night snack?" Cui Yi asked.

"Mm." Yan Hang smiled.

"Won't it be cold by the time you eat it? It won't taste good." Cui Yi said.

"Just need to process it a bit, it will taste even better," Yan Hang said. "Add some butter, it's very fragrant."

"Did you used to eat it like this before?" Cui Yi glanced at him.

"...Mm." Yan Hang responded very softly.

Cui Yi sighed and didn't say anything.

It wasn't until the boss brought over the packaged skewers that he patted Yan Hang's shoulder and stood up. "Let's go, time to head back."

Chu Yi always felt that he was indeed quite uncultured, but after leaving home, he discovered that he wasn't quite uncultured, but extremely uncultured.

When he took his ticket to enter the station, it was still okay. He took one look at the ticket gate and understood how to insert the ticket. After entering the station, the train hadn't arrived yet. He stood there waiting with a group of people, trying to make himself look like a seasoned traveler who took the train back and forth every day.

Very calm and collected.

It was only after the train pulled in that he realized people were standing according to the carriage numbers marked on the ground, while he was standing four carriages away from his.

The disguise of a calm old hand was instantly torn away. He grabbed his suitcase and hurried over, running all the way. Fortunately, he had few things and the suitcase was light. Fortunately, he ran fast.

Country bumpkin.

After getting on the train, Chu Yi felt like laughing again.

Everything on the train was quite novel to him - the seat backs, the curtains, the small tables. He tried them all out inconspicuously. It was quite fun.

Many people fell asleep as soon as the train started, but although Chu Yi had gotten up at four o'clock, he wasn't sleepy at all and kept staring out the window.

Everything outside the train window, every glance was an unfamiliar faraway place to him. He had never been to this area before.

And after the train left the city, it became even more unfamiliar. The sight of all the greenery immediately brightened one's mood.

Chu Yi leaned against the train window, his eyes slowly moving from near to far. The scenery moved slower and slower. He gazed out at the distant horizon, lost in thought.

When he was young, he often wondered, what was over there?

On the other side of the clouds, on the other side of the fields.

That side is a new world.

That side is Yan Hang.

From the moment he got on the bus until he got off, Chu Yi's face was always facing the window, looking at those things he was seeing for the first time in his life.

A middle-aged man sat next to him, opening his mouth several times wanting to talk to him when he turned his head, but he pretended not to see.

He wanted to look at the scenery, and he really didn't want to chat with anyone.

Not everyone is willing to chat with someone who has difficulty speaking, only Yan Hang, although sometimes he would also find him speaking too slowly and finish his sentences for him.

From...now...on...speak...slowly...

In the middle, someone pushed a cart to sell boxed meals.

Chu Yi hesitated for a moment, feeling that he was too excited to be hungry, but still bought a box for the novelty, and slowly ate it on the small table.

The taste was okay.

The middle-aged man ate faster than him. After finishing the meal, he wanted to talk to him again. Chu Yi quickly buried his face down, almost hitting the lunch box, and after gobbling up the rice, he quickly turned his head to look out the window again.

The middle-aged man could only turn his head and talk to an old man on the other side of the aisle.

Chu Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

But on second thought, he felt he was quite useless.

So when the train arrived at the station, he was very active in helping the middle-aged man take down a pile of luggage.

"Thank you, young man." The middle-aged man said.

"You're welcome." Chu Yi said, following the middle-aged man and squeezing towards the door.

He had arrived at the destination.

When Chu Yi walked out of the carriage, he felt that even the smell in the air was different.

The air by the sea!

He had checked on the map that the train station was very close to the sea, and the difference he smelled must be the breath of the sea.

Yes! The ocean!

However, he didn't have time to go to the seaside first, he had to go to the school to settle himself down.

Then...he wanted to go out for a walk.

He was one of the first batch of students to report to the school, looking very enthusiastic.

The school was very big. Walking to the dormitory felt like passing through a square. The teaching buildings and dormitories looked quite new, probably just renovated, much better than he had imagined before.

The dormitory was an eight-person room with a bathroom. Chu Yi had never lived on campus before. Standing in the middle of the four bunk beds, he suddenly felt a little flustered.

Classmates.

It was a bit unfamiliar to him. He had many classmates before, but never really experienced what it meant to be classmates.

And now, he was going to live with seven classmates in this dormitory.

He suddenly felt at a loss.

Eight beds, he looked at the side of the beds, none of them had names written, meaning they could be picked at random, first come first served?

Chu Yi hesitated for a moment, feeling that the upper bunk was relatively more hidden and looked more...secure.

He put his suitcase on the upper bunk bed by the window.

Just as he was wondering whether to buy bedding at the school or at the supermarket, the dormitory door opened and a boy carrying a suitcase walked in.

In terms of judging people, Chu Yi was very experienced.

This person was quite tall and strong, with a lot of acne on his face, wearing ripped jeans, and a thick silver chain on his wrist with a bullet head hanging in the middle.

If Chu Yi wasn't in school, he wouldn't think this person was still a student.

Usually people like this...

"Is this suitcase yours?" The boy walked over to Chu Yi and looked at the suitcase on the upper bunk.

"Mm." Chu Yi nodded.

"You change beds," he tapped the upper bunk bed, "I'm sleeping here."

This sentence was basically an order with no room for negotiation.

Chu Yi was a little dazed.

The boy impatiently pulled his suitcase out a little, "Did you hear me? What are you stunned for?"

Chu Yi glanced at him, went over to take down the suitcase, and put it on another upper bunk. This upper bunk was slightly away from the window, but it would do.

Although very unhappy, he didn't say much. It was only the first day of registration, and he didn't want to get into conflict with anyone at this time.

After this person finished picking the cabinet, he went to pick the cabinet that was almost diagonally opposite.

"What's your name?" This person looked at him.

"Chu Yi." Chu Yi replied.

"What a crappy name." This person said.

Chu Yi didn't say anything and sat down on the stool beside his bed, thinking that he would go out after tidying up. With only him and this person in the dormitory, he really couldn't stay.

But before he could move, the dormitory door opened again.

Chu Yi glanced at the person who came in and suddenly felt that he might have chosen the wrong major.

The school had many majors, but because no one helped him make decisions, he researched on his own the whole time, agonizing for a long time, comparing each major in detail, and also seriously considering his own situation of not being able to learn.

In the end, among a bunch of majors such as CNC, information, preschool education, foreign languages, finance, logistics, etc., he chose for himself...auto repair.

Now he doubted whether his choice was a bit inappropriate.

Pimple Face looked like a hooligan, and the one who came in now looked like Pimple Face's own brother, just without the pimples.

From his facial expressions and body language, Chu Yi could feel that his luggage might have to be moved again.

"Whose suitcase?" No Pimple indeed spoke up.

Perhaps because Pimple Face had a similar temperament to him, he skipped his own kind and directly pointed at Chu Yi's suitcase when he spoke.

"Mine." Chu Yi's displeasure escalated again.

He didn't know if it was because he hadn't been chased, had his money snatched, been mocked, or even been beaten in the past year, but he suddenly found it a little unbearable to be treated this way.

The him from before would definitely go and move the suitcase again, but in many things, people can go high but not low. It had only been a year, but the current him would get annoyed and angry because of such things.

The good mood from the journey here was all ruined by these two.

"I want this bunk," No Pimple said, "you change."

Chu Yi looked at him, not speaking or moving.

No Pimple waited a few seconds, clicked his tongue, and reached out to take his suitcase.

Chu Yi suddenly jumped up, went over and grabbed his wrist, and before he could react, twisted it down and pulled hard.

No Pimple's body immediately straightened, and the expression on his face also changed, his brows furrowing. "You," Chu Yi stared at him, "change beds."

The surprise in No Pimple's eyes clearly surpassed the pain, and Pimple on the other side also looked at them in shock.

"I'll sleep here," Chu Yi said as he let go of his hand.

No Pimple shook his wrist and gave him another look before putting his own suitcase under Chu Yi's lower bunk.

"Your name is Chu Yi, right?" Pimple asked.

"Mm," Chu Yi responded.

"I'm Li Ziqiang," Pimple said.

I know your younger brother Li Zihao.

"Hello," Chu Yi said.

"Zhang Qiang," No Pimple also introduced himself.

In this world with so many characters, why do they all have to do with Qiang? It would be fine to be called Zhuang too*.

*T/N: Qiang is the character for 'strong', Zhuang is the character for 'sturdy'

"Hello," Chu Yi also greeted Zhang Qiang.

After that, the three of them fell into an awkward silence.

Chu Yi couldn't quite stand it. He got up to put his luggage in the cabinet, then placed his towel, cup and other items on the bed. After marking them, he walked out of the dorm.

Walking all the way out, he could see quite a few new students arriving. There were social bros like the Qiangs, and also many pure and innocent-looking kids.

When he reached the school gate, Chu Yi's mood gradually lifted again.

He took out his phone, opened the notes, and looked at the contents recorded on it.

At the bus stop by the school gate, take the bus for seven stops, then transfer to another route for five stops. After getting off, walk 200 meters forward, turn left, and that's the street where Little Li's BBQ is located.

It was quite a long route. Chu Yi's chosen time to leave happened to be the evening rush hour. He was squeezed in the crowd on the bus. At first, it felt even longer than the Journey to the West. Later, he was so squeezed that he had difficulty breathing, giving him the illusion that he had already obtained the scriptures.

After getting off, he bought a bottle of iced red tea and downed more than half of it in one gulp before slowly recovering.

Walk 200 meters forward.

He walked while looking around.

He had seen these scenes countless times on his phone. Now passing through them, that vague familiarity made him feel very magical.

A place he had never been to before.

It became so familiar because of Yan Hang's presence here.

There was a pet store at the intersection ahead. Turn left and go forward to reach Little Li's BBQ.

Chu Yi stopped.

Nervous.

What was there to be nervous about?

It was just a BBQ restaurant, and Yan Hang couldn't possibly be inside at this time.

But still nervous. The sudden nervousness made him feel like he needed to go to the bathroom.

Silly dog, how could you be so cowardly...