Xue Lin looked at the sky through the close window. It was covered with clouds. There weren’t any stars. She sighed. Somehow, looking at the sky made her feel sad.

  Soon she reached the airport. The chauffeur put down her luggage beside her. She bowed to him and thanked him before going inside the airport. She got her boarding pass and went to the plane. As it was an eleven hours journey, she sat down on her seat comfortably and wrapped the soft comforter around her body. She got a window seat. It was her favorite spot. She looked outside the window. The sky was still cloudy. Afterward, she closed her eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.

  "Xue Lin, run faster!"

  "Xue Lin, you can do it!"

  "We are rooting for you, Xue Lin!"

  "Go, Xue Lin, go!"

  The boys and girls were cheering for her loudly. Xue Lin waved her hands and then looked at the goal. She prepared for the hundred-meter long run. She told herself, "Yes, I can do it."

  Bang! The gun was shot and she began to run. Something like this was a piece of cake for her. But she was careful not to let others pass her. She was the fastest girl runner in her school. That’s why she was chosen for the National School Sports Festival this year. If she won, their school would get the championship trophy.

  "Xue Lin! Xue Lin! Xue Lin!" Her schoolmates and friends were screaming more loudly.

  Xue Lin grinned. It was a wild and tomboyish grin. She narrowed her eyes. She was very close to her goal. As she was just about to reach the red line-

  "Dear passengers, we have reached Beijing……" The pilot announced politely.

  Xue Lin slowly opened her eyes. She looked outside the window. It was dark. She glanced at her wristwatch. It was half past eleven. She yawned and stretched her hands above her head. She leaned back against her seat and looked at her fingers.

  ’Am I very close to reach my goal?’ She asked herself in her mind. But she didn’t get any answer.

  From the airport, she took a taxi and went to the train station. She booked a ticket beforehand. Fortunately, she arrived just in time.

  The night of Beijing was as glorious as she saw last time. As if nothing changed. However, it changed a lot. After she got to the train station, she went to the washroom. She needed to brush her teeth and freshen up or she couldn’t eat anything. Later, she went to a restaurant. There were lots of restaurants with delicious food at the train station.

  She ordered chicken wonton soup, mapo tofu, and chicken dumplings. Using her chopsticks, she took a dumpling and put it inside her mouth.

  "Ummm……" She felt like she was in heaven. It had been such a long time since she was able to taste authentic Chinese food. In France and Germany, there were some Chinese restaurants and she never went there. She didn’t want to recall her life in China.

  Very quickly she finished her first round and asked for the second round. The middle-aged woman who was serving her happily served her the next round. Then, another round. The people who came to eat there as well gazed at her weirdly. Not only she was eating too much, but she also didn’t have any fat in her body. She was as tiny as a high school girl. It made the girls around her envy her.

  Who didn’t want a body like her?

  Xue Lin wanted to order for the fourth round but when looked at her watch, she realized that it was time for her to leave. She hurriedly paid her bill and left the restaurant.