Zhang Shutong and Song Nanshan got out of the car. Teacher Song went to talk to the police chief, while Zhang Shutong watched the four bodyguards take out one professional tool after another from the car.
Riot shields, headlamps, tactical vests. Boss Gu was really wealthy. He didn't know where he got so much equipment in such a short time.
Zhang Shutong watched the four bodyguards begin a carpet search of the villa. They were paid handsomely and had a life on the line to protect their young lady's safety. They would even part every clump of wild grass to check.
The group of thugs under Gu Qiumian couldn't compare to even one of them.
Zhang Shutong wanted to say, "You don't have to look. I've already checked everything. There's really nothing," but they were professionals, and he had no say.
No one paid attention to a child like him. He wandered around the yard, sometimes looking around, hoping to find more clues, but it was difficult. Maybe Teacher Song was right. He should leave for a while, or he would become obsessed.
As he walked, he unconsciously went to the doghouse in the backyard. The Doberman was napping inside. Zhang Shutong was a little afraid of dogs when he was a child, but he wasn't afraid now that he was an adult. He subconsciously wanted to avoid it, but the dog opened its eyes at just the right moment. The person and the dog looked at each other. For some reason, the dog no longer barked.
Maybe he had seen it three times now and was considered a familiar person?
Zhang Shutong felt he had a little connection with this big guy and even wanted to proudly tell it, "Do you know that if it weren't for me, you would have been poisoned, you stupid dog?" But he just thought about it. The Doberman glanced at him and continued to nap in its kennel. It was so sleepy that it couldn't even open its eyes wide. A contented sound came from its throat.
Zhang Shutong then realized that this was an old dog living a retired life.
It had been with Gu's father for a long time and no longer had the ability to guard the house, but because Boss Gu was nostalgic, he brought it to the villa on the island.
Teacher Song's metaphor about the sheepdog was a little inappropriate in one place. It was not replaced by those high-tech devices but by a group of well-trained and high-bred hunting dogs.
But at least this Doberman had a job after retirement. The sheepdog had nothing. It was just a dog that came from who knows where, with a mixed bloodline. To put it bluntly, it was a stray dog. It was already in a bad state itself but insisted on protecting the lamb. But now that a more elite force had arrived, it was time for it to retire and go home.
Of course, the lamb couldn't be blamed for this. She was just a very smart and rational sheep. Before, she also trusted the sheepdog a lot, but for some reason, things suddenly changed.
Zhang Shutong stood still for a while. He was still not used to the stray dog metaphor. It was too ugly. If he could, he would still prefer to say that the thug retired and went home.
Teacher Song had finished the handover, and it was time for them to leave. Zhang Shutong waved goodbye to the Doberman. The Doberman looked at him with half-closed eyes, as if it considered him a colleague, so it moved its paw to signal him to keep up the good work.
Seeing this, Zhang Shutong smiled and stood up.
He returned to the villa, and the three of them said goodbye to Gu Qiumian and the nanny.
Zhang Shutong suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to bring his down jacket, but he could only do it another day.
The nanny came out and opened the door. Zhang Shutong thought she would use facial recognition, but he didn't expect it to be a password either. Zhang Shutong casually asked, and the nanny said that only family members had their faces recorded. It seemed that Boss Gu was very suspicious.
Teacher Song's car still couldn't be driven away, but this time, bodyguards drove them home. Zhang Shutong sat in the back seat and glanced at the window of a certain room on the second floor, where the curtains were wide open.
Then he couldn't see anything anymore as the car slowly moved.
Teacher Song had promised to treat them, but he realized that he didn't have a car and it was inconvenient to get around. By the time they finished dinner, the bus would have stopped running. They couldn't walk home in the snow.
Zhang Shutong saw his awkwardness and quickly said that he also wanted to go home early to rest.
"Alright then... I'll treat you guys tomorrow. I'll see if I can get the car back tomorrow."
Zhang Shutong nodded and asked the driver to drop them off at the bus stop. He still had something to say to Lu Qinglian.
Their homes were both in the east, so they were on the same way.
The two watched the Land Rover drive away. Zhang Shutong thought Lu Qinglian would make fun of him. She was a slightly scheming woman. He was indeed a bit embarrassed. Not long ago, he said they were partners, but now he was replaced first.
This was like you pulling a partner to take on a client's project. Your partner worked hard without complaining, but you were replaced, and their efforts were all for nothing.
But Lu Qinglian didn't say anything. After a while, she spoke, her voice clear and cold:
"It seems to be different from your plan."
"It's a little... Also, thank you for running around all day with your injury."
Zhang Shutong said apologetically. He was actually fine and didn't feel as lost as Teacher Song said.
This was not about making money. As long as Gu Qiumian's personal safety could be guaranteed, it didn't matter who did the job. But for Lu Qinglian, she was first tricked into a trap by him and then spent half a day dealing with the figure in the forbidden area. In the end, it turned out that they were two different people, and they had gained nothing.
"There's nothing to apologize for. It's not your responsibility. There will always be some unexpected changes."
"Are you comforting me?" Zhang Shutong asked strangely.
"You can think of it that way," she said flatly.
"There's no need to comfort me," Zhang Shutong muttered to himself. "It's actually good news. Four bodyguards, two police officers, and weapons, on a 24-hour rotation. By the way, can you beat them?"
"No," Lu Qinglian shook her head.
"If that's the case, if they can't even handle the culprit, there's no point in us staying here. But taking her off the island is too much trouble. Even if Gu Qiumian agreed, her dad wouldn't now."
Zhang Shutong said with a headache.
As he spoke, the bus arrived.
He wanted to get a coin but found that he had changed his jacket today and had no money. In the end, it was Lu Qinglian who took out two coins from the inner pocket of her cyan robe and paid for him.
No one was out in this weather, and there were only the two of them on the bus.
They found a seat by the window. Zhang Shutong was about to sit next to Lu Qinglian but then remembered that she said she didn't like physical contact. He was about to stand up and go to the back, but the girl sighed with a headache:
"Classmate Zhang Shutong, I'm not that delicate. Besides, haven't you been close to me enough today?"
Alright.
They were close to each other when they ate, when they rode the car, and when they came down the mountain.
Zhang Shutong stayed put next to her.
The plastic seats on the bus were naturally hard. Lu Qinglian asked again:
"So you're ready to give up?"
"Of course not," Zhang Shutong stared out the window. "I've persevered until today, so I can't just go home and sleep and give up. I have to keep an eye on it until Monday. Besides, I also promised to find that figure in the forbidden area. You've helped me so much. I can't just say that Gu Qiumian is safe and the partnership is over."
"You keep your promises more than I thought you would."
"Do I seem that unreliable to you?"
"Why are you always saying useless things?"
Zhang Shutong said "Oh":
"What's the plan next?"
"It's only four o'clock now," Lu Qinglian looked at the clock above the bus. "I can go back to the mountain later. What about you?"
"I need to find a car first. It's too inconvenient to get around now. I'll drive it to the villa on Saturday night so I can pick you up tomorrow to investigate."
"A car?"
"No, a motorcycle." Zhang Shutong showed her his phone. "My mom went off the island to find my dad, didn't she? My dad also came on a motorcycle at that time. They met at the port on the island and then drove onto the boat. The motorcycle was left at the port. And my mom just texted me saying she won't be back tonight. I'm going to ride that motorcycle back."
Lu Qinglian nodded, noncommittally.
"In that case, I'll have to get off soon. We can set a time for tomorrow. I'll pick you up at the foot of the mountain."
The final time was set for eight in the morning.
Gu's villa was in the south, Qing Snake Mountain was in the east, and the port was in the north of the island.
This was the only bus on the island. It wasn't very convenient, but it did go around the island in a loop.
In a clockwise direction.
North is up, south is down, west is left, and east is right. This meant that they would first pass through the west of the island, then to the north, where Zhang Shutong would get off, and finally to the east, where Lu Qinglian's stop was.
She seemed to rarely take the bus and mostly walked. She couldn't even tell some of the stops apart. Zhang Shutong simply told her where the bus would pass and where to get off. Lu Qinglian listened carefully and said she had remembered.
Then the two of them fell silent.
Today's experience was indeed tiring. He had been holding on with a breath in his chest, and now that the breath was gone, he just wanted to stare blankly.
Lu Qinglian was looking up at the handrail of the bus, and her calm eyes swayed with the swaying of the handrail.
Zhang Shutong was looking out the window. If he could, he wanted to open the window to get some wind and hopefully feel refreshed, but unfortunately, he was sitting on the outside.
Until:
"Please don't be so close," Lu Qinglian withdrew her gaze and frowned.
Zhang Shutong also withdrew his gaze and found that they were indeed a little close.
"Oh... sorry, but didn't you say you didn't mind?" The bus was now passing through the west of the island and was about to reach the forbidden area. He had been staring out the window and didn't notice, so he asked casually.
"It's not that I don't mind. I just tolerated it because you were pitiful for running around all day for nothing."
Sure enough, this woman knew how to mock him.
Lu Qinglian said and moved inward, her face expressionless:
"But that doesn't mean you can take advantage. Or are you giving up on classmate Gu Qiumian and setting your sights on me?"
Zhang Shutong really couldn't win an argument against her.
He consciously moved away.
The bus continued to move.
The girl named Lu Qinglian frowned again.
Because the person who just said "sorry" was not learning his lesson and was now almost leaning on her again.
She was about to remind him.
But the other party suddenly patted the window:
"Look, is that her?"
Lu Qinglian quickly turned her head. The bus was high, so they could directly see the scene on the shore over the dense reeds.
Then both of their faces turned serious at the same time.
—A figure was standing in the water of the forbidden area.
Zhang Shutong quickly stood up and pressed the emergency button on the back door.
"Please stop the car!"
He rushed to the door.
The driver was surprised and made an emergency brake. The huge vehicle skidded on the snowy ground, leaving two long tire tracks, and barely stopped moving. As his body and vision tilted, Zhang Shutong gripped the railing tightly, watching the pneumatic door open with a "hiss," creating a crack.
The bus had not yet stopped. Before he could jump off the bus,
A figure flashed by him. Lu Qinglian had already rushed out of the door—