Well it wasn't obvious to me. I assumed he was traveling with a companion, though why I assumed that, I have no idea. If traveling alone (and a male), regular soft sleeper might be a better idea. Unless you want to gamble that if you get a deluxe soft, you might end up by yourself in the compartment since most Chinese would rather fly if ticket price is about the same as the deluxe train. As a female traveling alone, I prefer hard sleeper if available.