Half of the bag of breakfast cookies was quickly empty.
Zhang Shutong began to recall what the movie was about.
It seemed to be talking about one thing from beginning to end:
If you know something will inevitably come to an end, and the outcome cannot be changed, what will you do?
But that was his past reflection on the movie.
It was different now.
Zhang Shutong was glad he had used up the last bit of fuel in his motorcycle and, before it came to an end, had rewritten the ending.
He stared at the screen, his thoughts wandering. The worst-case scenario he had imagined was that after midnight, the murderer would show up, and Mr. Gu and his bodyguards would catch them. He would then go to his daughter to tell her she was safe, only to find that she was gone. At that time, he would take Gu Qiumian back. Although the fact that she had run away would be discovered, it would at least prove that his trip wasn't in vain.
He hoped the big boss wouldn't blame him.
But even if he was blamed, there was nothing he could do.
He was a little sleepy again:
"I'm going to go wash my face."
Zhang Shutong quietly left the room.
The same movie, the same people, but different times and places. His mood was inevitably different. It was hard for him to focus on the screen. He kept thinking about what he hadn't done well enough and if Gu Qiumian was truly safe... he was actually mentally exhausted.
His only regret might be about Lu Qinglian.
Zhang Shutong wasn't too worried about her safety because Lu Qinglian had already fought with the other person. Besides, there were bodyguards in the villa. Any disturbance would be noticed. He had promised Gu Qiumian that he wouldn't go out again, and this time he hadn't broken that promise, but he had made a promise to more than one person, and in the end, he had broken it. When you make one choice, the other path naturally disappears. That's just how life is.
Ruoping was right, too. He would just be a burden if he went now. He shouldn't be arrogant, there was nothing that only he could do, and he should finally mend his ways. He silently recited these words as he washed his face. When he looked up again, he was startled by his own face.
It turned out that the hospital mirror was too dirty. His face was a grayish-white, but it couldn't hide his exhaustion. He looked at the dirty water stains on it and finally sighed.
He touched his forehead again. It seemed to be getting hot again.
He went back to the observation room with wobbly steps.
An observation room, as the name suggests, is for observation. There was a small round window on the door, and the situation inside the room could be seen at a glance.
Zhang Shutong's steps were very light. He had wanted to push the door open directly, but through the window, he saw that Gu Qiumian's eyelashes were overlapping a little.
It turned out that she was also very sleepy.
But she was forcing herself to stay awake.
What was on her mind that she couldn't let go of?
Zhang Shutong pushed the door open. She seemed to be startled awake and blinked hard:
"Has your fever gone down?"
"Much better," Zhang Shutong said. "If I can't hold on, I'll go to the next room and get a shot. How can someone get sick in a hospital? How silly."
"Oh," she said, nodding in belated realization.
Zhang Shutong sat down next to her and asked her if she wanted to continue watching the movie. She said, "Of course. I said I'd watch it with you until the end."
In reality, both of them were fighting with their eyelids. It was as if they both wanted to wait for the other to fall asleep before they could close their eyes with peace of mind.
But how could she stay awake longer than him? Zhang Shutong watched her head slowly droop and her breathing become shallower. She wasn't even eating the cookies anymore.
This competition was paused.
Because Zhang Shutong's phone rang again.
Teacher Song had woken up again, just now. He seemed to have a habit of fighting the anesthetic. He left only one more sentence before falling into a coma again.
"He said to go to his dorm by yourself, and to be quick. Open the second drawer. His ID card is there. He needs it for the hospital, for reimbursement. Just take a picture and send it to me. He has something for you."
That was Du Kang's original message.
Song Nanshan was a very unreliable adult man.
The first time he forced himself to wake up was to be a matchmaker.
The second time he woke up was for hospital reimbursement.
That was also Du Kang's original message.
"Is it urgent?"
"The first thing he said when he woke up was this. I think it's pretty urgent."
"I see."
Zhang Shutong hung up the phone.
"What's wrong?" Gu Qiumian asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Something came up with Teacher Song."
Zhang Shutong didn't mention the ID card, because it couldn't be just the ID card. The focus of that sentence was two things: one was for him to go to the dorm "by himself," and the other was that he had something for him.
Zhang Shutong wanted to figure out what "It's my fault" really meant.
He knew where Teacher Song's dorm was, near the school, about a ten-minute walk away.
Zhang Shutong looked at the time. It was now 11:20 p.m.
"Are you going out again?" Gu Qiumian asked, a little unhappily.
"Of course not."
"Hmph."
"What's with the hmph?"
"You clearly wanted to go out just now."
Zhang Shutong had indeed stood up just now, but he sat back down on the chair, feeling that nothing was more important than getting through this midnight.
"Sorry, sorry." To prove his innocence, he simply handed the motorcycle key to Gu Qiumian. The girl snatched it and snorted again, as if to say, "At least you know what's good for you."
Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "Why are you acting like you're taking my pocket money?"
He had been in a rare state of hesitation. Now that Gu Qiumian was outside the villa, he had deliberately taken a detour on his way to the hospital, choosing roads with tire tracks. It was safe, but Zhang Shutong still felt he couldn't leave her here alone.
Forget it. He would just wait until this night passed.
Just as he had promised her, he would finish watching this Roman Holiday.
Although he was still a little uneasy, his heart calmed down after he made up his mind. He watched as Gu Qiumian fought with her eyelids again, but Miss Gu had thick eyelashes, so to put it nicely, she was actually fighting with her eyelashes, determined to win.
Zhang Shutong smiled at the sight. He knew she was terribly sleepy. She had been singing all day and was about to go to bed when she was suddenly brought out by him.
The small room gave a sense of security. He turned down the volume of the TV. Zhang Shutong was also very sleepy, and his eyelids were slowly closing.
However, the next moment, he was suddenly woken up by a chill.
The deck.
The ferry.
The lake.
Zhang Shutong was stunned.
Wait, hadn't he fallen asleep? In the observation room at the hospital? How did he suddenly end up here?
He looked at his hands, and then around in a daze. What was going on? Had he regressed to eight years later again? How was that possible? Gu Qiumian was right beside him. Besides, he knew how the Rewind was triggered. The world in front of him would vibrate, followed by the feeling of his soul leaving his body... But this time, he just closed his eyes and opened them to return.
This didn't feel like a Rewind. It was more like a dream.
Zhang Shutong also noticed more abnormalities. He was the only one on the deck. The sky in the distance was dark, and the clouds were gathering. The rumble of thunder was brewing within them. The lake was shrouded in thick fog, and he couldn't see where the ferry was going at all.
The world had completely changed. Was this... really the ferry back to the small island?
With a whoosh, the rain poured down.
A man holding an umbrella came out of the cabin.
"As expected," the man sighed softly. "You still forgot."
"You are..." Zhang Shutong found the voice familiar. His clothes were instantly soaked. He wiped the water from his face in a hurry and said in surprise, "Qingyi?"
"This is an extra chance." Qingyi's face was hidden under the black umbrella.
"What do you mean?"
"I can't say. If I do, you'll never be able to go back." The other person fell silent after saying this. A moment later, he said again, "Gu Qiumian."
Gu Qiumian?
Zhang Shutong had no time to ask why he was suddenly bringing up Gu Qiumian. His heart skipped a beat. "Is she dead again?"
The man said softly, "She didn't die, but she hasn't had a good life these past few years."
"How is she..."
"This is an extra chance."
What kind of chance? Can you be more specific? Hey, big brother, you're a chuunibyou, not a riddle person. Zhang Shutong wanted to say something witty in his dream, but his temples were throbbing, and he had a splitting headache. Suddenly, some very sad emotions welled up in his heart. Some images flashed by: a snowy night, a bicycle, a villa, a girl's crying, a man and a woman in a pool of blood, a bullet hole in the man's temple, a pistol in his hand, followed by a black-and-white funeral photo, a grand funeral... What on earth was going on?!
But before he could remember more, Qingyi said again:
"On December 9, 2012, at dawn, you made a choice that was not wrong, but not correct either. Now you have paid some price and found other uses for 'it,' so you asked me to convey a message for you."
"What message?" Zhang Shutong asked subconsciously.
Then Qingyi's tone suddenly changed. He said coldly:
"Go to the dorm."
Go to the dorm!
A flash of lightning exploded over his head.
Zhang Shutong opened his eyes with a start.
He leaped from the chair, but then a deeper fatigue hit him. Zhang Shutong fell back into the chair helplessly, his heart pounding violently.
The familiar room was in his line of sight. He was back in the moment before, in the observation room at the hospital. A small color TV was playing a black-and-white movie. The air conditioner was blowing warm air. The smell of medicine entered his nostrils. He was holding a bag of breakfast cookies that was almost empty. A sleeping girl was beside him. The night was quiet, the years were peaceful, and everything was as it was.
Zhang Shutong immediately looked at his phone. The time was 11:21 p.m. This really seemed to be a dream. He had just fallen asleep by accident, but what the heck, he had a nightmare and dreamed of a lot of random things, but it hadn't really triggered a Rewind. The actual time was still flowing as usual, but an unspeakable palpitation had taken root in his mind.
He remembered that sentence.
"This is an extra chance."
An extra chance? Or was he just too nervous these past few days? So much so that he was even dreaming about it?
Zhang Shutong rubbed his face in annoyance. He recalled Du Kang's phone call. Could it be that he had missed some clue? No, he should say he had subconsciously felt he should go to the dorm, so he even dreamed about it?
Teacher Song said it was urgent. The first thing the other person said when he woke up showed his attitude.
Midnight really seemed to be an incredibly important moment, and his choice would determine the future's direction.
What did it mean "a choice that was not correct but not wrong either"?
Was this a manifestation of his subconscious?
But should he leave Gu Qiumian here and go to the dorm alone?
Of course, the hospital was safe, but Zhang Shutong felt that something was still missing.
But soon, he didn't have to worry.
He heard a commotion in the corridor and quickly ran out. He saw the young nurse in the corridor struggling with a man who was a drunkard. He was making a scene and wouldn't leave her alone.
He was about to step forward to help, because the drunkard had started swearing and getting physical. The young nurse was a good person. It was only right that he should help her. But the next moment—
With a bang, he saw the young nurse raise her leg high. The tight nurse's skirt split, and she kicked the drunkard directly into the wall.
With a thud, the man slid to the ground.
Hey, hey, is this for real? Zhang Shutong stood there stunned.
Was this really a hospital, or could a nurse really treat a patient like this?
Could it be that he hadn't woken up yet?
"Don't report me. For the sake of the sunflower seeds."
To his surprise, she suddenly smiled, clapped her hands casually, and dragged the drunkard in.
Zhang Shutong quickly followed and saw the young nurse dragging the other person into the pharmacy. Then, she calmly took out an iodine cotton swab and began to disinfect the drunkard's wound—the exact spot where she had hit him.
"This sister was on the provincial fighting team," she said.
"Seriously? Aren't you a nurse?"
"I injured my opponent, so I was banned for life. I retired. It just so happens that I've studied a bit about bruises."
"..."
Zhang Shutong suddenly thought that this was a guardian who had fallen from the sky.
"If I go out for a bit now, could I trouble you to look after my friend? I'll be back soon."
"You're not going to settle down, are you?" The other person sighed, tossing the cotton swab into the trash can.
"Something came up with my teacher. I need to go over there."
"You're a busy one..." The young nurse sighed and said, "Okay. Actually, there are people on patrol, but since you've said so, I'll help you keep an eye out."
Her fighting ability might not be as good as Lu Qinglian's, but she was probably a champion in the city and much stronger than him.
Now that he had double insurance, Zhang Shutong thanked her again. He went back to the observation room and, after thinking for a moment, decided not to wake up Gu Qiumian.
He looked out the window. The dorm wasn't too far from here. He had just borrowed the bicycle key from the young nurse. Ten minutes round trip was more than enough.
He zipped up his coat and turned to go down the stairs.
He got on a women's bicycle. A cold wind blew, and the front of the bike swayed a bit. Zhang Shutong let out a sigh of relief. He wondered if he was being a little impulsive, suddenly running out just because of a dream.
But at this point, there was nothing more to say. Since he was out, he would just try to ride fast and get back quickly. His energy and stamina were in a state of emergency. It was purely the memory of his muscles and bones that was supporting him.
The time was 11:30 p.m. He would be able to get back before midnight no matter what. In another half an hour, he would reach Sunday, December 10th.
This was a very important day. Gu Qiumian was killed on this day. In the past, he had also triggered a Rewind at midnight. Of course, it was meaningless to dwell on the significance of midnight now because Gu Qiumian was already out of danger. The wheels rolled over the thin layer of snow on the road. The moonlight was bleak. He just didn't know where the end of this snowy night was.
Perhaps there was no definite conclusion. It only depended on whether he still wanted to keep going through all this trouble.
If he did, the end would be when he stayed up until sunrise with dark circles under his eyes.
If he didn't, he would just go to sleep, and the morning would be when he woke up.
The moonlight stretched his shadow long. The street was quiet, and he was the only one there. His only companion was a plastic bag floating in the wind.
Six minutes later, Zhang Shutong rode to the dorm building.
He turned on his flashlight and went upstairs. This was a long, narrow building built in the last century. There were no individual balconies. Pushing open the door revealed a long corridor. The toilets were also shared. On a day like this, you would have to hug yourself and run outside in the middle of the night. The soundproofing was almost nonexistent... To be honest, the conditions were quite tough.
Zhang Shutong thought that from a future perspective, Teacher Song's life was a bit miserable. He was a teacher in the city with a stable job. He wasn't exactly a young, successful person, but he was certainly capable. The average English score of the two ninth-grade classes was very high, and they could even surpass some schools in the city during the joint exam.
He wasn't that handsome, but if he dressed up, he was a good-looking guy with a promising future in the dating market. But for some reason, he came to the island. Now he was almost thirty and spent all his time with his Ford Focus, which was now gone, and he was a complete bachelor.
Zhang Shutong remembered that Teacher Song's room was on the northernmost side of the second floor. When he got to the door, he realized the old man hadn't said where the key was. Zhang Shutong sighed and scuffed the doormat with his foot. He was a rough guy. How could a rough guy carry a key with him? He would probably lose it carelessly one day. It must be hidden under the mat.
Sure enough, he found a single key.
Zhang Shutong held his nose and opened the door. To be honest, he had some idea of how sloppy a single man could be, but in reality, there were no pants thrown around or socks standing on the floor. On the contrary, it was very clean.
Did he go to the wrong place?
Zhang Shutong was about to step back and reconfirm when he found a stack of exam papers on the desk. Okay, it seemed this really was Teacher Song's dorm.
He closed the door and turned on the light. It was a small room of about thirty square meters. There was no living room or bedroom. Everything was in one room. A bed and a desk were the only furniture. An induction cooker and a small TV were the only appliances. The appliances were probably from the second-hand market. He had used a wire to tie the TV in front of the bed so he could comfortably lie on the bed, drink, and watch a game.
Zhang Shutong was stunned.
Because this simple and small room was filled with photos. Single photos, double photos, photos of women, and photos of men and women. The man in the photos was, of course, a younger Song Nanshan. The woman was a girl with short hair. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had big eyes and dimples when she smiled.
Zhang Shutong was sobered up for a moment. He looked around. The woman's figure was everywhere. Her photos were hung by the bed, placed on the windowsill, put on the desk, and even taped to the wall. They weren't professional photos; they were just simple snapshots of her life. Teacher Song said he was so poor back then that he had to sneak into movies without paying, so he was definitely not the type to get into photography. Those snapshots were probably taken with a phone. There were pictures of her back at sunset, photos from a trip, pictures of her with messy hair after waking up, and pictures of her holding a cotton candy at an amusement park.
The photos were at least four years old because the short-haired girl in the photos had died four years ago. The phone's camera quality from four years ago was imaginable. To put it bluntly, it was trash. It would have been okay on that small two- or three-inch screen, but now that they were printed and enlarged many times, they were already blurry.
Those memories must have become blurry too.
He glanced at the photos in the room again and felt a little bitter for Teacher Song. Life on the small island could be very boring. It could be clearly divided into two parts: working and not working. Other than driving around aimlessly, the man didn't have much of a social life or entertainment. Every time he came home from work, he would see these photos and stay in this room alone. Zhang Shutong felt a heavy heart just thinking about it.
But he didn't want to delve into the reason for now because he had a mission to complete. When this matter was completely over, he would buy a bunch of beer and get drunk with the teacher. Who cares if he was underage? To hell with it.
But speaking of beer, he did see a few scattered cans on the desk, as well as some Red Bull. These cans were piled on the windowsill. The metal window frame was very rusty, and the window was not closed tightly. A corner of the exam papers on the desk was lifted by the wind. Zhang Shutong had to work hard to close it.
Now he found the second drawer under the desk. Inside, there were rows of cigarettes and an ID card on top. This ID card was definitely not what he was looking for.
Maybe it wasn't a physical item at all?
Zhang Shutong looked at the photos around him. He had to admit that these photos touched him, but it couldn't be just these things. He thought to himself, "Was it a false alarm? I always felt there were important clues in the dorm, but there aren't."
Zhang Shutong pinched the bridge of his nose. He thought of the dream again, the images that flashed in the dream, and the man in a pool of blood. Could it be that the murderer was stronger than he thought and that so many bodyguards were no match?
But he clearly remembered dreaming of a gun, a man holding a gun. Was it suicide... His mind was in a mess. Finally, he sat on the bed, preparing to sort out his thoughts. God knows how much of a hurry Zhang Shutong was in. He came to the dorm without stopping after he woke up, and only now did he have time to take a breath.
The bed under him was a very hard iron frame bed, but there was a small solid wood cabinet by the headboard, which looked out of place.
Zhang Shutong's heart moved. He looked at the bedside cabinet. The cabinet had two layers of drawers.
If Du Kang's message was not wrong, Teacher Song said the thing he left for him was in the second drawer, but he didn't say which drawer. At the time, Zhang Shutong thought it was not easy for him to wake up while on anesthetic, so it was normal to miss some details.
But now he realized that the reason why he didn't have to be more specific was simply because there were only two pieces of furniture with drawers.
One was the desk, which held his ID card and the cigarettes he never left without.
The other was the bedside cabinet. He didn't know what was inside, or rather, the other person had given him the choice.
For a man, the desk drawer might hide confidential information that was a matter of life and death, but no matter how important it was, it would never be as important as what was in the bedside cabinet. Other than underwear and condoms, what you could reach out and touch every night before going to bed must be the secret in the softest part of your heart.
Zhang Shutong pulled open the bedside cabinet. A notebook was lying inside.
The notebook had a black leather cover. It looked like the kind given out at a school meeting. He felt the leather on the cover. It was sticky and hard, and it had been around for a long time.
Zhang Shutong opened the first page. Inside was a familiar handwriting. It seemed to be Teacher Song's diary.
The first sentence was—
"Yun, I saw you again today."