The folk remedy Zhang Shutong knew was to apply toothpaste.
But it was hard to say if this method was really effective. He would just use it himself, he was too embarrassed to say it in front of Gu Qiumian.
Her family must have a first-aid kit.
He swallowed the words and told her that she could... Speaking of which, what should she do with this kind of blister?
Should she pop it with a needle, or put on a band-aid?
He saw Gu Qiumian turn on the cold water, rinse her finger, and then blow on it with her lips.
She didn't know to shake her hand, and the water droplets slid down her fingers. Soon her cuffs were slightly soaked.
Zhang Shutong handed her the towel, and she wiped her hands, not even saying thank you.
"You still remember where the towel is?" she retorted.
"I have a good memory."
"Oh," she said coldly, "then your memory is really good. I thought you were a fish and only had seven seconds."
It seemed that this sentence should not have been said. She got even angrier when he said it.
Zhang Shutong had no choice but to put the towel back on the rack and go to the dining table.
The several-meter-long dining table finally served its purpose. Eight people were seated all around it. The nanny was originally reluctant to sit down because there were too many people, but they all unanimously protested and persuaded her to stay.
Gu Qiumian sat in the main seat.
This time, Zhang Shutong sat next to Lu Qinglian.
He whispered:
"I'm going to stay for a while after dinner. Do you have any other plans?"
Lu Qinglian was chewing on a green vegetable, habitually squinting her eyes.
She swallowed the food in her mouth, and then frowned and said:
"Not yet, but why haven't you told her about the footprints?"
"I couldn't find a chance to talk to her."
"What about other clues?"
"None."
"Do you think she'll come again?"
"Possibly. Counting this morning, it's the second time. I'm not sure if there will be a third time."
"Then wait a little longer." Lu Qinglian picked up another piece of scrambled eggs with her chopsticks. "Is the movie theater you just mentioned in the basement?"
Zhang Shutong wanted to say that it wasn't a movie theater, but he was too lazy to correct her words. Who knew what Lu Qinglian had made up in her mind.
"Yes, on the first basement floor."
"I'll wait for you upstairs." She thought for a moment. "This way, if someone comes, I can notice it immediately."
"I'll stay upstairs too."
"No need." She shook her head lightly. "With all due respect, that last walk proved that even if you find something, you won't be able to catch up. Besides, I want to be alone for a while."
It was a bit humiliating, but Zhang Shutong knew that she was voluntarily acting as a bodyguard. "Then I'll trouble you."
"I'm indebted to you for this meal, so it's only right." She said casually. "And you don't have to feel like you owe me anything. I'm not helping you, I'm helping myself. Our goals just happen to coincide. But this is based on the premise that you really saw that figure."
Zhang Shutong nodded, thinking that the conversation was over. But then Lu Qinglian asked again:
"What is this?"
She picked up a piece of king oyster mushroom and put it on her plate.
Her tone was calm, but she was asking a question that showed a lack of common sense.
It was a bit funny.
"King oyster mushroom, a type of fungus."
He thought this was a common ingredient, but then he thought that she might have never seen any ingredients that were not produced on the island.
"Have you ever had hot pot?" Zhang Shutong couldn't help but ask.
"Don't take me for a fool." Lu Qinglian looked at him expressionlessly.
As she said that, Zhang Shutong noticed that she picked up the king oyster mushrooms more frequently afterwards.
In fact, she tasted every dish, but she didn't eat much, just a small bite. In the end, she just ate her rice with a plate of stir-fried vegetables.
"Doesn't it suit your taste?"
"Just tasting it is enough."
She seemed like a Puritan.
He wondered if it had anything to do with the "temple priestess."
Zhang Shutong felt that she clearly enjoyed eating, as she had a sense of novelty with every dish she ate. After all, she could even eat salted apples with gusto, but she was deliberately restraining herself.
Zhang Shutong didn't say anything. Everyone had their own code of conduct.
Besides, he wasn't the host here, so it would be weird for him to tell her to eat more.
The meal ended quickly.
A few of them helped to clear the dishes. The restaurant was in a mess for a while. According to the previous arrangement, they would go downstairs to watch a movie.
Zhang Shutong actually wanted to stay upstairs, but he remembered what happened last night when they were watching a movie. If he didn't fit in again, Gu Qiumian would probably be very unhappy, so he decided to go downstairs.
They took the elevator down to the basement. Du Kang and Qingyi were overwhelmed all the way, especially Du Kang, whose voice subconsciously became a little quieter.
Gu Qiumian asked them what they wanted to watch, but everyone was giving way, and there was no result for a long time. Finally, Zhang Shutong suggested:
"How about we watch a Stephen Chow movie? They're lively. I recommend 'Tricky Brains'." He knew Gu Qiumian wanted to watch this.
But Gu young lady chose 'A Chinese Odyssey' instead.
He had been to the home theater downstairs once before. This time, Zhang Shutong observed it carefully. It was not an exaggeration to call it a small movie theater. The walls were covered with special sound-absorbing materials, there were two large speakers next to the screen, and there were colorful spotlights on the ceiling to create an atmosphere, which were used for singing.
There was a long sofa opposite the screen. Gu Qiumian sat on the far left. No one sat next to her voluntarily. The only person was Zhang Shutong. He sat down next to the girl, and Qingyi was on his other side. The movie started and the lights went out.
In the darkness, Zhang Shutong smelled the familiar fragrance again.
The reason why it was just a smell was because the sofa was very long, and sitting together would not result in any physical contact.
"What's wrong with you today?" Zhang Shutong lowered his voice.
But there was no response. He suspected that the movie sound was too loud and Gu Qiumian didn't hear what he said, so he moved a little closer to her.
Zhang Shutong asked again, and she heard him this time.
"What do you mean 'what's wrong'?" Gu Qiumian looked at the screen.
"You were fine on the phone."
"Who was 'fine' with you?"
"'Fine' was a colloquial expression. It means that your attitude on the phone was relatively normal."
"But it's not normal now."
"It doesn't mean that you were 'fine' with me on the phone, and now you're not."
Zhang Shutong felt that she had misunderstood him.
"I have two scores to settle with you now."
Zhang Shutong listened attentively.
"First, what did you promise me last night?"
"That I wouldn't hide things related to your personal safety from you anymore."
"Then what did you do?"
"You ran up the mountain by yourself."
"Do you think I didn't find out later? Old Song called me several times and told me to be careful upstairs." She must have been holding it in for a while. She said a long string of words in one breath.
Zhang Shutong wanted to say that at that time, he was not sure about Lu Qinglian's attitude, so he didn't dare to take her to the Green Snake Temple.
"What about the second one?"
"Isn't the first one enough?"
"Yes, it is," he sighed. "I was wrong."
"Why didn't you answer my phone call?"
Did he not?
Zhang Shutong was stunned.
"I was probably on the mountain at the time, maybe there was no signal?"
She scoffed and returned to her cool and distant self.
"What is the second score?"
Zhang Shutong had a general idea about the first one, but he really couldn't figure out what the second one was.
"I don't want to tell you. You're interrupting my movie."
Zhang Shutong was stunned again.
"Shh." She put her hand on her lips, making it clear that she wasn't going to talk to him anymore.
Zhang Shutong had nothing more to say.
He watched the movie.
'A Chinese Odyssey' was one of the most well-known films. The most impressive line was:
"Once you put on this golden headband, you will no longer be a mortal. You can no longer be stained by the lusts of the mortal world. If your heart is moved, this golden headband will become tighter and tighter on your head, and you will suffer unbearable pain."
Zhang Shutong had watched it when he was taking a leave of absence from high school and was quite moved by it. Now, he was too embarrassed to say how much he felt he could relate to it and how his eyes welled up back then. The past was like smoke. It was over and done with.
Some movies leave a deep impression on you. It's not that they are bad, but you definitely don't want to watch them a second time, because they will evoke some things buried deep in your heart.
He stared at the screen in a daze. Many chaotic memories flashed through his mind. He couldn't remember when they happened, but they did happen.
Zhang Shutong lowered his eyes. His memory from high school to university was actually incomplete. It wasn't that a part was missing, but it was fragmented. Yes, it was fragmented. These fragments wandered in the sea of memory, always floating there. At first glance, not a single one was missing, but it was always difficult to piece them together into a complete shape.
He had always had a good memory, but only for this period of time, he only remembered what happened, but couldn't remember on what year, month, or day.
If he could, he felt that he should watch some comedies. Was 'A Chinese Odyssey' a comedy? He didn't know. Anyway, the first half was quite fun.
Zhang Shutong would rather watch 'Roman Holiday' again.
He had something on his mind now and wanted to zone out for a while, but someone didn't want him to zone out. Gu Qiumian moved closer to him this time:
"What's wrong with you now?"
"What do you mean 'what's wrong'?"
"You're unhappy after I said a couple of things to you. Why are you so petty?" Gu Qiumian pouted.
"I'm not unhappy." He said with a wry smile.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Then come closer. I have something to say." She patted the seat next to her.
Zhang Shutong leaned his head over.
"Traitor."
A humid warmth came from his ear.
It was the air she exhaled softly when she spoke.
But Zhang Shutong didn't understand how he had betrayed her again.
Was it about the chocolate and Ruoping last time?
"What is the second score you have to settle?"
"I'm done."
"That's it?" Zhang Shutong couldn't help but turn his head, and he met her sparkling eyes in the dark.
"Isn't that enough?" Her eyes glared at him, and then looked past him. Gu Qiumian put on a straight face again. "Don't get so close to me. It's so hot. Your friends will think we're close."
Zhang Shutong then returned to Qingyi's side.
"You're back?" Qingyi was also staring at the screen.
"Ah, I'm back." Zhang Shutong said helplessly.
"How was it?"
"I don't know."
"That's normal. Girls' minds are hard to guess."
"I think so too."
"So I don't guess. It's more comfortable to hang out with guys."
Zhang Shutong agreed. He also didn't really hang out with girls when he was a child. Of course, he didn't have many friends at that time. He only met his three close friends in junior high school. For all these years, his only close female friend was Ruoping.
Halfway through the movie, he quietly yawned. He wanted to take out his phone and ask Old Song if there was anything unusual upstairs. Speaking of which, it was really inconvenient that Lu Qinglian didn't even have a phone. In fact, Zhang Shutong wanted to ask her directly.
Although he also knew that if she didn't take the initiative to contact Song Nanshan and him, it meant that nothing had happened, but he still wanted to confirm it.
He set the brightness of his phone screen to the lowest setting. He had just opened the chat window and started typing when a muffled bang suddenly came from upstairs. Zhang Shutong's movements stopped, and he immediately grabbed Gu Qiumian's arm.
"Don't go anywhere."
His movement was a bit big, and he almost pulled the girl into his arms. Before Gu Qiumian could say anything, Zhang Shutong lowered his head and quickly dialed Old Song's number.
The sound came from upstairs.
Everyone was startled.
"What's going on..."
"It couldn't be..."
While they were still stunned, Zhang Shutong had already turned on the lights and said calmly:
"You guys wait down here. I'll go up first."
He exchanged a glance with Qingyi, who nodded. But before he could get into the elevator, the call was already connected.
"Nothing, nothing," Old Song's voice also sounded startled. "A picture just fell down."
"What kind of picture makes such a loud noise?" Zhang Shutong asked subconsciously.
"I think it was a family photo. It just suddenly fell down..."