Chapter 104 The Singer, Oh, Singer 37

"I've bought some groceries and am heading to see my son and daughter-in-law. The food is cheaper here; for the price of one lottery ticket, I can get an extra stalk of lettuce..."

Lin Xiangjun kept her distance. Even as the Old Lady talked until her throat was dry, Lin Xiangjun just kept her head down, playing with her phone, neither approaching nor responding.

Let her talk. It didn't matter. Everyone had a hobby these days, and talking to oneself was as good a hobby as any.

She stood at the entrance of the alley, making sure not to step onto the patterned tiles of the sidewalk. No matter how one looked at it, she wasn't within the boundaries of the bus stop.

Even if the bus stop had rules, she hadn't stepped onto its tiles yet, so those rules couldn't possibly apply to her.

Lin Xiangjun ran through the calculations in her head. Once she was sure she was safe, she went back to looking at her phone.

Of course, she couldn't actually relax and scroll through short videos in an instance. She was merely posing; her screen was stuck on her chat with the driver. Her attention remained on her surroundings, alert for any potential danger.

After an unknown amount of time, a bus slowly came into view.

The vehicle looked no different from an ordinary bus in the real world. It was deep green with front and rear doors, but the windows were so blurry that only faint silhouettes could be seen inside, suggesting it was crowded.

The driver's figure was also a blur—just a dark mass in the driver's seat. Above his head, a red LED screen flickered with the number "627," looking like it had a loose connection.

The entire bus was hazy, except for the two glowing red headlights that stood out like the eyes of some monster.

The vehicle came to a halt. The Old Lady slowly stood up from the stone bollard and hobbled onto the bus, dragging her small grocery cart behind her.

With one foot already on the bus, she turned back, still unwilling to give up. "Little girl, the bus is here! Aren't you coming? The next one won't be for another hour!"

Lin Xiangjun glanced at the time on her phone.

Thirty-six minutes.

The Landlady had said that bus no. 627 stops at this station at the thirty-seven-minute mark. Any bus stopping at any other time was not the 627.

Lin Xiangjun still ignored her.

Not only was this bus not the 627, but she wouldn't have boarded it even if it were.

Why not spend a little money for some peace of mind?

Seeing that Lin Xiangjun continued to ignore her, the Old Lady reluctantly pulled her cart onto the bus.

The bus lingered for a long thirty seconds. Only after confirming that Lin Xiangjun really wasn't getting on did the doors slowly creak shut.

The vehicle set off again.

Only then did Lin Xiangjun look up and watch the bus slowly pull away.

There was an LED sign on the rear window just like the one in the front, flickering with the same poor connection.

For a brief moment, the lights seemed to stabilize, and the sign fully displayed the number.

How was this bus no. 627?

It was clearly 623!

As the 623 vanished from sight and the time on her phone jumped from "36" to "37," another bus finally appeared.

The real 627 was much more dilapidated than the 623.

Lin Xiangjun stared at its peeling body. The exposed metal was covered in crimson rust, and the remaining paint was crisscrossed with deep scratches. It looked like it had lost a fight with Wolverine—a truly pathetic sight.

Of its four wheels, three were flat. The fourth wasn't leaking, but it was missing three out of its four lug nuts!

The windows weren't as blurry, but the man in the driver's seat had a belly so enormous it defied logic. Only the top two buttons of his shirt were fastened, while the bottom flared out like the back of a tailcoat.

He spun the steering wheel with great fanfare while blaring the horn like a battle charge, as if he were facing some invisible enemy.

The bus lurched forward in uneven spurts, moving a few feet at a time.

Under Lin Xiangjun's astonished gaze, the "Indian-style" bus screeched to a halt at the station—this was the first time she'd heard a car make the sound of an electric scooter's brakes. Then, the two taillights, which were held on by plastic tape, briefly popped off from the force of the stop before being pressed back into place by the tape.

The door swung open with a bang. The driver spat loudly before shouting at the top of his lungs, "Xieyou Alley! This is Xieyou Alley! Get on or off, hurry up! Move it! The bus doesn't wait! Anyone else getting off? Anyone? No? I'm closing the doors!"

With another "bang," the doors slammed shut.

The time jumped from thirty-seven to thirty-eight. The real 627 started up and lurched away from the station.

Lin Xiangjun felt more than ever that choosing not to take the bus was the right decision.

Setting aside the safety issues, just the level of shaking would make even someone who didn't get motion sickness dizzy. They'd probably end up vomiting right there on the bus.

"Everything in an instance is so bizarre."

Lin Xiangjun sighed.

Just then, the driver sent her a message.

Driver: "Hello, I'm about to arrive at Xieyou Alley. Where are you now?"

Lin Xiangjun: "I'm dressed in all black, right by the station... I think I see your car. Um, does your car happen to have four green tentacles?"

Driver: "Yes, I see you too. Let me make a U-turn."

Lin Xiangjun: "I want to confirm something. My service request explicitly stated that my driver must be human. You're aware of that, right?"

Driver: "Yes, I know. I am indeed human. The tentacles are part of the car itself; they're harmless, despite looking a bit scary... Alright, I've pulled up in front of you. You can check for yourself; I am a pure-blooded human."

The car stopped in front of Lin Xiangjun.

The window rolled down. In the driver's seat sat a man in his early twenties with very pale skin. His hair looked styled and held in place with product. He wore a tight black tank top under a stiff leather jacket.

He was quite delicate-looking and seemed to be wearing makeup—light pink eyeshadow with glitter, blush, and lipstick...

His entire outfit was so grand it looked like he was about to walk a red carpet.

Lin Xiangjun's hand was on the door handle, but she froze there, unable to bring herself to open it for a long moment.

The driver looked at Lin Xiangjun with a confused expression. "Hello, are you the passenger with the phone number ending in ****?"

"I am..."

The driver watched Lin Xiangjun. Seeing that she still hadn't opened the door, he looked even more perplexed.

"Hello? Is there something else?"

"..."

Lin Xiangjun shook her head.

The four tentacles on the roof of the car were quite perceptive; they opened the door and helped Lin Xiangjun inside.