Departing Warrior

After sending the message, Su Yang got out of bed, walked over to the balcony, and opened the curtains.

Warm sunlight streamed into the room. The autumn weather in Paris was neither cold nor hot, and the morning air was fresh and wonderfully pleasant.

Su Yang took a deep breath and smiled. “Another beautiful day. Time to wash up and get going!”

With that, he turned and walked into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, Su Yang had finished washing up, used the bathroom, grabbed his suitcase, and left the room.

He soon arrived in the hotel lobby. Li Yuanying had not come downstairs yet, so Su Yang went to the front desk and checked out first.

Just then, Neil jogged over and patted Su Yang on the shoulder with a grin. “Su, you’re leaving?”

Su Yang turned around. “Yeah, I’m heading out.”

“Leaving so soon? We haven’t even had a drink together.”

“Haha, there’ll be another chance.”

“Alright, then. Are you going back to China?”

“No, I’m going to Switzerland.”

“I’m so jealous. You can go wherever you want. Having money really is great—free and carefree.”

Su Yang smiled. “You can do it too. As long as you want to, you can set off anytime. Though before you leave, you’d better lose a little weight first.”

“Hahaha, alright.”

As they spoke, Li Yuanying appeared from around the corner, pulling her suitcase behind her.

Su Yang waved when he saw her. “Yuanying, over here.”

Neil turned and stared, stunned. “Su, don’t tell me this beauty is going to Switzerland with you?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“Oh, shit! How did you manage to win over a beautiful girl in just two days?”

Su Yang smiled. “It’s all about presence! Whether a man is handsome isn’t that important. What matters most is his presence. Got it?”

Before Neil could reply, Li Yuanying had already reached them.

Today, she had changed into a fresh and adorable pink floral dress with thin straps. A white bucket hat sat on her head, and she wore white sneakers with spotted scrunched socks. She looked like a lively, charming girl next door.

“What are you two whispering about while staring at me?” Li Yuanying asked with a smile.

“Nothing. Go check out—I’ve already taken care of mine,” Su Yang replied.

“Alright.”

A few minutes later, Li Yuanying finished checking out and pulled her suitcase over to Su Yang. “Let’s go. It’s already 9:05. Do you think we’ll be late?”

“No. It’ll take at most twenty minutes to get there from here.” Su Yang waved at Neil. “We’re off, Neil. See you around.”

Neil waved at them, his face full of envy. “Alright, Su. Goodbye!”

The two of them hurried out of the hotel and hailed a taxi by the roadside.

“Are you hungry?” Su Yang asked.

“No. I just ate two biscuits. Oh, right—I have some extra ones.” As she spoke, Li Yuanying rummaged through her bag, pulled out two packets of biscuits, and handed them to Su Yang. “Here. Have something to eat first.”

Su Yang took them with a smile. “Alright, thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. You have to teach me Chinese in the car later~”

“In the car?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you say the journey will take more than three hours? We’ll just be sitting around anyway, so you might as well teach me.”

“Alright, then.”

Just as they finished speaking, a taxi pulled up. Su Yang put their luggage in the trunk, then he and Li Yuanying took the back seat and headed toward Lyon Station.

On the way, Su Yang’s phone chimed with a new message.

He opened it and saw that it was from Yoshie.

“Su-san, what time will you and your friend be arriving today?”

“We’re on our way to the station now. We’re buying tickets for the 10:00 train and should arrive in Geneva at around 1:30.”

“Alright. I’ll bring my friend to the station to meet you both later.”

“No need to trouble yourself. Just send me your location, and we’ll come find you when we arrive.”

“It’s no trouble. The place we’re staying isn’t far from the station.”

“Alright, then. See you later.”

“Okay!”

After putting his phone away, Li Yuanying asked, “Was that your friend?”

“Yeah. She said she’ll come meet us at the station later.”

“Great. Is your friend coming alone?”

“No. She’ll be with a friend of hers, another girl. I don’t know her, though.”

“What’s your friend like? Is she easy to get along with?”

Su Yang nodded. “She’s very easygoing. I think the two of you will become friends.”

“That’s good. It would be pretty awkward if her friend were difficult to get along with.”

“I don’t think that’ll happen. I just don’t know what her friend is like, but she should be nice too.”

“Alright. What’s your friend’s name?”

“Yoshida Yoshie. When you meet her, just call her Yoshie.”

“Okay. What’s fun to do in Switzerland?” Li Yuanying asked.

“I know one place.”

“Where?”

Su Yang smiled. “A small town in central Switzerland, under Interlaken. It’s called Grindelwald.”

“Grindelwald? That name sounds familiar. I think I’ve seen it online. Is it the place with lots of little villas scattered across a hillside?”

“It should be. It looks like something out of a fairy tale—or even a heavenly paradise.”

“Let me look it up.” Li Yuanying took out her phone and searched for it. Her eyes immediately widened. “Yes, this is the place I saw online! It’s so beautiful. Can we go there?”

“Sure. Actually, I’m going to Switzerland for two reasons: to visit my friends, and to stay in that town for a couple of days.”

“I want to go too! It’s gorgeous, and it looks so peaceful and serene. I especially love staying in places like that. Even if I did nothing at all, I could lie on the grass and stare into space all day.”

Su Yang smiled. “Alright. We’ll meet up with my friends in Geneva first, then ask whether they want to come. If they do, we can all go together. There are plenty of hotels and guesthouses there.”

“I don’t want to stay in a hotel. If we go, can we stay at a guesthouse?”

“Sure. I’ll look into it once we’re on the train.”

“Great! I’m already looking forward to it, even though we haven’t left yet!”

“Haha, don’t get ahead of yourself. Let’s get to Geneva first.”

“Mhm.”

The taxi sped through the streets of Paris, and fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Lyon Station in the city’s twelfth arrondissement.

The two of them got out, collected their suitcases, and walked into the station.

While they had been in the taxi, Su Yang had already bought two tickets online for a direct train to Geneva.

All they needed to do now was pass through security.

The security check was quick. Within a few minutes, they had reached the waiting hall and found a place to wait.

It was now half past nine in the morning, and there were already plenty of people in the hall. Seeing the scene suddenly gave Su Yang the feeling of traveling back in time to his childhood, when he used to catch trains.

Even so, no matter how many people there were here, it was nothing compared to the crowds in China. Most people also seemed to be taking their time, completely unhurried.

Su Yang went to a small shop, bought two bottles of water, and returned to their seats. “Here, have some water.”

“Thanks.” Li Yuanying accepted the bottle with a bright smile. “Su Yang, this is actually my first time ever coming to a train station this early in the morning to catch a train.”

“Really? Didn’t you ever take a train when you were a child?”

“No. Ever since I was little, I’ve flown whenever I went anywhere.”

“Flown… Hahaha, alright, pretend I didn’t say anything.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Everyone has different experiences. It’s perfectly normal that you’ve never taken a train. For example, I’d never been on a plane when I was a child.”

“Why not?”

“Because plane tickets are expensive.”