"Hey, wake up, Shutong, wake up..."
He faintly heard a familiar voice.
"Don't sleep anymore..."
Zhang Shutong wanted to open his eyes.
But his eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
His mind, however, was clearing up.
He was still alive.
He didn't die.
It seemed he was saved from the avalanche.
He sighed in relief in his heart.
So he should be in the hospital now?
He had already recognized that it was Du Kang's voice.
Zhang Shutong thought in his heart, please, can you let me sleep for a while? I'm so tired.
Du Kang urged again:
"How long have you been sleeping?"
Right.
He thought.
He still had to get Gu Qiumian back before dawn, or it would be troublesome.
He struggled to open a slit in his eyelids, and his senses became clear:
The wind on his face, a slight fishy smell, and his body was cold.
"I said, Shutong, you've been sleeping on the car the whole way, so why did you fall asleep on the boat? Hurry up, let's go..."
Du Kang from eight years later appeared in front of him. Zhang Shutong's eyes widened instantly.
Rewind!
The world in his eyes trembled violently for a moment. It turned out that he hadn't been sleeping too soundly just now. Instead, he couldn't control his body during the Rewind process.
He quickly stood up, only to find himself in a boat cabin. But the ferry that traveled to and from the island didn't have a cabin at all. Zhang Shutong looked at the lake outside the window. The bluish-gray lake was cut into white waves by the advancing boat. A little bit of water splashed onto his face. This was indeed the boat going back to the island... But why was it like this?
Zhang Shutong's heart suddenly shrank. He turned to look at Du Kang and blurted out:
"Gu Qiumian is dead again?"
"Uh..."
Du Kang was dumbfounded.
"No, bro, are you crazy from sleeping?"
"First, tell me if she's dead or not?"
"Of course she's not dead. You mean Gu Qiumian?" Why did you suddenly mention her?" Du Kang recalled, as if this name hadn't come from his mouth for a long time. Then he grinned mischievously, "Hey, Shutong, don't tell me you dreamed about her..."
Zhang Shutong was also stunned.
His mind was still stuck at the moment the avalanche happened. But since Gu Qiumian was not dead, why did he come back?
Zhang Shutong remembered that dream:
"Her dad is dead?"
"Probably not. That's not something I would know." Du Kang's expression became even more strange. "We haven't been in touch for several years. Who knows if he's dead or not? Besides, your questions are really weird. Do you have to ask about her whole family?"
Only then did Zhang Shutong feel a deep sense of fatigue wash over him. The ferry was not very stable. He stumbled and fell back into his chair.
"Didn't I tell you to close the window? Why did you open it again? What are you doing, causing more trouble while having a fever?" Du Kang muttered. "I mean, are you okay? Why are you acting so startled?"
Zhang Shutong subconsciously touched his head. It was indeed very hot. But he didn't care about why his eight-years-later self also happened to have a fever. He just wanted to know, since Gu Qiumian was not dead and the content of that dream had not come true, what was the situation now?
He glanced at Du Kang and then noticed that something was off with him as well. His friend still had that baby face, but he no longer had a crew cut. Instead, he had a very stylish long hair, like a rock and roller.
Zhang Shutong quickly looked at his phone.
December 12, 2020.
It was still that day.
But shouldn't Du Kang have inherited his family's small restaurant and stayed on the island? Why would he be on the boat with him?
He wanted to sort out the various changes to find an answer, but his mind was slow due to the fever. However, the first question was answered:
Why did the ferry to and from the island have a cabin?
Because Gu Qiumian didn't die, her dad continued to develop the island, so the island eventually became prosperous. So prosperous that the boats even had a roof.
Speaking of which, his relationship with Du Kang was no longer like it was on the callous route.
It seemed he had learned his lesson from the last time and got along well with everyone.
But why did he come back?
He had a birthday to celebrate, and it seemed he didn't get to celebrate it?
Zhang Shutong suddenly felt his stomach churn. He covered his mouth. Du Kang quickly patted his back:
"Relax, relax, don't be anxious. Take a deep breath. Did you take your medicine?"
Zhang Shutong did as he was told. He took a deep breath and felt a lot better.
"Let's go," Du Kang said again. "The boat has already docked. Let's get off and find a place. Staying here is not a solution."
Zhang Shutong wanted to ask more questions, but every time he was about to open his mouth, he felt a deep nausea. His heart was pounding. He could only try his best not to think about it. He dazedly followed Du Kang out of the cabin and found that there were more people today than before. Men were leaning on the deck smoking, and women were taking pictures with their phones.
"Young man, can you take a picture of me and my wife?"
An elderly woman asked.
"My friend isn't feeling well..." Du Kang hesitated.
Zhang Shutong shook his head, indicating that he was fine. He really needed a space to be alone. Du Kang went to take pictures. He was about to get off the boat with the crowd, but he suddenly stopped.
Zhang Shutong saw a tire mark on the deck.
It was a mark left by a burned tire.
Is that for real...
He then looked at the boat itself.
The boat had a white coating with the three big words "Victory" on it. Only then did he realize that having a cabin didn't mean they had a new boat. It was built on top of the original one.
Zhang Shutong stared blankly at the tire mark. In other words, this was very likely the mark he had left eight years ago. Because he had to get back to the island before six, he had ridden the bike right onto the deck. The tires had created a shower of sparks and a pungent smell. It also left a black mark that had lasted eight years.
He wanted to confirm his guess, but he looked up and saw that the people around him were all strangers. They were from all over the country, from neighboring provinces and cities. Even the cigarette butts on the ground were of a kind he had never seen before. Where could he find the staff from back then?
In fact, he himself hadn't even remembered the other person's face.
This look up wasn't a big deal, but Zhang Shutong was shocked once again. Was this still the same pier?
After getting off the boat, there was a row of iron-bar-separated channels. The crowd walked out in an orderly fashion along the channels. Ahead was a huge stone gate, or archway, built entirely of bluestone. A coiling dragon was carved on each of the pillars on both sides. In the center of the archway were four golden and brilliant characters that read "Yanlong Island Entrance."
Zhang Shutong's mouth hung open in surprise, because he even found a line of smaller characters below it, "Written by Gu Jianhong." Zhang Shutong thought, "Autumn Rain" (Gu Qiumian) your dad is so flashy. He used to only leave his name at school, but now he's putting his stamp on the island entrance.
Everything had become unrecognizable to him.
The bus route had changed from route 1 to route 2. Zhang Shutong even saw taxis. Hey, taxis? Are you kidding me?
When he thought that all of this might be related to him, all his attention was drawn to these changes. He stood there, looking around, until he was bumped by someone from behind and almost lost his balance.
Zhang Shutong thought to himself that he was weak now. He consciously moved to the side. Du Kang ran down and patted his shoulder:
"There's nothing good to see. It's just for show."
"Oh." Zhang Shutong nodded. Only then did he remember to ask, "Should we take a cab?"
"No need." Du Kang said nonchalantly. "I already booked a ride from the group. It'll be here soon."
A ride-sharing service!
Listen to that. What a new and modern term. If he had this eight years ago, he wouldn't have been running around in the snow on a motorcycle. Zhang Shutong was thinking with a sigh when an old man on a motorized rickshaw came to them.
"Did you call me?"
"Hey, yeah."
"Let's go. Get in."
Is this a ride-sharing service?
Zhang Shutong was pulled onto the rickshaw by Du Kang in a daze. Now, the two of them were sitting face to face in the back seat of the rickshaw. The rickshaw also had a roof, or a cabin, with a small glass window. Du Kang smiled awkwardly:
"It's not that I'm cheap, bro. It's just that there are only a few taxis on the island. We don't know how long we'd have to wait outside, and you can't be out in the wind..."
"It's fine. I'm not that delicate." Zhang Shutong shook his head.
Du Kang was relieved. He took out a cigarette but put it back:
"I forgot you can't stand the smell of smoke..."
Zhang Shutong said he could smoke if he wanted to and not to mind him. After all, he had been poisoned by Teacher Song a lot back then.
But Du Kang still didn't light it. Zhang Shutong was too lazy to persuade him anymore. He looked at the island through the small glass window.
Unfortunately, the streets hadn't changed much.
There were still one-story buildings, with storefronts in the front and residential buildings in the back. They were still the same as before. Zhang Shutong found a sense of familiarity in them.
The streets were a little desolate in winter. The branches of the street trees were dry, and there was no snow.
He still wanted to figure out why he was here and what had happened over the years. Zhang Shutong opened his WeChat chat history. Fortunately, the editor's contact information was gone. He thought to himself that he finally didn't stay at home being a translator. He scrolled back and forth and found Du Kang's, Ruoping's, and Qingyi's contact information, but he couldn't find the senior's contact information. It seemed he hadn't messed with her life again.
Zhang Shutong actually got carsick on a motorized rickshaw.
He forced his brain to pause, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes to rest. The seat was really uncomfortable. The backrest and the seat were at a right angle. The vibrations from the bottom of the car were transmitted to his body, and he felt like throwing up again. Zhang Shutong opened the window to get some air and unintentionally saw a four-story building. That should be the tallest building on the entire island—the Beiyi Shopping Mall.
Wait a minute, where were they going now? The funeral home?
What about Lu Qinglian? Did she save him? What about eight years later?
Zhang Shutong looked at Du Kang and found that he was chatting and laughing with the old man. If Lu Qinglian had died, he would never have this reaction.
He then remembered that he had gotten into the car with Du Kang in a daze. He quickly asked what they were going to do next. Du Kang was also confused:
"Didn't we agree to go to the mall for dinner?"
"Oh, I'm just confused from the fever..."
"I can tell."
The two men looked out the window, occasionally swaying left and right from a bumpy ride. There was no conversation.
The two of them got off the car at the entrance of the mall. Du Kang handed over a ten-yuan bill and waved his hand generously:
"Keep the change. Take care."
"All right."
The old man rode off stylishly.
Zhang Shutong followed Du Kang into the mall. He held on to the escalator and saw the signs above. It was still the same. The first floor was a supermarket, the second was for clothes, the third was for restaurants, and the fourth was for movies... When did a movie theater appear?
He vaguely remembered that Gu Qiumian had told him that her dad was going to build a movie theater. This must be it.
But the plan back then was to build a commercial plaza. Although this mall had been renovated and looked more fashionable than it did eight years ago, it was still far from being a commercial district.
They quickly went up to the third floor. Du Kang walked into a restaurant first. Zhang Shutong stared blankly at the sign for a long time.
Nothing else. The name of the restaurant was—
Jianan Impression.
Wait a minute, isn't this the little fish restaurant that was originally on the commercial street? Eight years later, it had transformed into a high-end restaurant in the mall.
The restaurant had bright floor-to-ceiling windows with a row of bamboo planted behind them. Looking through the gaps, the style was a typical lakeside view. Even the dining tables were small fishing boats. The standee at the entrance had a promotional ad for a long-established brand:
"It is said that during the Qianlong period..."
What does this have to do with Emperor Qianlong's travels to the south? Weren't they in the north?
There were so many things wrong with it that Zhang Shutong wanted to throw up.
But he really didn't have the energy now, so he walked into the restaurant in a daze. There weren't many people, about four or five tables. As soon as he entered, he saw a beautiful short-haired woman waving:
"Over here, over here! You guys are finally here!"
Oh, it was Ruoping.
Zhang Shutong immediately felt a sense of familiarity. Ruoping wasn't like that Du Kang kid who insisted on having long hair and a ponytail. He almost didn't recognize him. He sat in the fishing boat and asked:
"Where's Qingyi?"
"Him? He's working overtime. He couldn't fly back. It's just the three of us gathering." Ruoping rolled her eyes.
"He's working overtime again?"
Zhang Shutong thought, "Brother, how obsessed are you with working overtime? Every time I come back, everything has changed, but you're always working overtime."
He smiled and wanted to say something, but he suddenly started coughing his heart out:
"How are you doing?"
Ruoping grabbed his hand with concern. Zhang Shutong was stunned again. He thought, "Aren't we a little too close? Heroine Feng, you weren't this type before." But his coughing wouldn't stop. Zhang Shutong's eyes were almost tearing up. Ruoping gave him a few tissues:
"Didn't you take your medicine?"
It seemed that on this timeline, they were really close. She even knew he had a fever.
"It's fine, I'm just a little sleepy..."
He propped his forehead up. He was suddenly a little annoyed. He had a fever eight years ago, and he still had one eight years later. Couldn't they just let him be a little more clear-headed?
Ruoping said that the food hadn't been served yet, so he should lie down and rest for a while.
Zhang Shutong nodded and lay down on the table.
He was so sleepy. It reminded him of the feeling of getting an IV drip in the hospital room. He couldn't have imagined that one moment he was being swallowed by white snow, and the next, he was sitting in a warm restaurant.
He belatedly thought, did this mean his mission was complete?
Gu Qiumian was saved.
The island had also changed. Although it hadn't changed too much, it had at least changed for the better.
But how was he supposed to go back?
Zhang Shutong suddenly became clear-headed.
That's right, how was he supposed to go back?
The fact that he had lived to be eight years later meant that that night was uneventful and the woman had been dealt with.
But since the murderer was gone, how was he supposed to go back?
His mind had been in a daze before. He thought that since he was already here, he might as well have a good meal and chat with everyone to figure out what had happened in the past eight years. Then he would run to the forbidden zone at night, wait for someone to stab him, and go back to his student days. He would finally be able to start a new life. But the problem was, the murderer who would have stabbed him was gone. How was he supposed to go back?
Zhang Shutong looked up,
Did this mean he was going to stay in the "present"?
Although his current life seemed good, his relationship with his friends was great, and he didn't isolate himself at home. Presumably, after dealing with the murderer, he wouldn't need to go to the temple to get that cursed ability... So this was his future life?
The moment this thought popped into his mind, his stomach churned. Ruoping stood up and patted his back. Du Kang also came back at this time:
"I told you to watch him carefully. How did you do it? How did he end up like this again?"
"I don't know. He was fine before he got on the boat. He even had the strength to smile. But he woke up like this..."
"Did he catch a cold again?"
"He didn't close the window, I think. I went outside to smoke..." Du Kang said weakly.
"You..." Ruoping was furious.
"It's not his fault. Don't be angry." Zhang Shutong waved his hand again. He wasn't a child. From what they were saying, it sounded like he needed to be watched over at all times.
Zhang Shutong finally felt a little better. He knew there must be a problem here. He forced himself to stay awake and said:
"I think I forgot something after I woke up. Can you tell me the details?"
The two of them looked at each other.
"Amnesia?" Du Kang said.
"Go to the hospital?" Ruoping said.
"No need. Just pretend I have amnesia." He held his forehead. "You two should remember what happened on the night of December 9, 2012, right? I left Gu Qiumian at the hospital and went to a certain place by myself. I want to know what happened after that."