"Why would you suddenly ask about that night?" Ruoping was startled.
"It's been eight years, right? Don't tell me you've forgotten everything from these past eight years?" Du Kang said as well.
Zhang Shutong nodded weakly.
"Where do you want to start from?" Du Kang said again.
"What do you mean?"
"The thing is, that night was too long. Remember? We had lunch at noon, then Teacher Song got into a car accident. We both went to the city one after another, and then you went back to the hospital for a shot..."
"I remember that much. I'm talking about after we said goodbye downstairs at the hospital."
"Oh, then Ruoping has to tell you. I was in the city that night."
Ruoping cupped her face and recalled:
"You were buried in an avalanche. Qinglian found you, and she used your phone to call me. I then called my dad to come, and he drove you to the hospital. Do you remember these things?"
"As I thought."
It was Lu Qinglian who found him.
He then frowned. But if Ruoping's dad saved him, what about the long-haired woman? Wasn't she buried right next to him?
Could it be that they didn't succeed in catching her?
"Was it just Lu Qinglian and me at the scene?"
Zhang Shutong pressed for an answer.
"To be precise, just you."
"Just me?"
"Yeah. Didn't my dad take us to the villa before? Luckily he remembered the way. When he got to the scene, he found you lying in the snow by yourself, and he didn't have time to look for where Qinglian was. He rushed you to the hospital instead."
So that's how it was. Zhang Shutong seemed to have guessed why Lu Qinglian wasn't at the scene.
She probably went to deal with the long-haired woman.
"And then?"
"And then... where should I start," Ruoping sighed. "The rest was a lot of trouble. Do you know how long you were in a coma for?"
Without waiting for Zhang Shutong to answer, Ruoping said:
"Next Monday."
"Two whole days?"
"It was indeed Monday. Wasn't that Du Kang's birthday? No one was in the mood to celebrate, so we all went to the hospital to be with you. That's why I remember it so clearly. Qingyi and I were there, and Qingyi said to contact your parents first. So your aunt and uncle rushed back from the city early the next morning and had you transferred to another hospital. We all followed. Do you remember our ninth-grade homeroom teacher, Teacher Song? You two stayed in the city hospital for a week."
Zhang Shutong inexplicably felt that it was quite dramatic. He and Teacher Song had become hospital buddies?
Ruoping continued:
"Oh, by the way, since you mentioned Gu Qiumian, let me tell you about her, too. Didn't you secretly take her out? You said you wanted to take her back before dawn so her family wouldn't find out, but she woke up and found that you were being rescued. Because she was so worried about you, she stayed at the hospital and didn't leave. I remember... it was almost morning when she called her dad directly. A whole bunch of people came, including her family's bodyguards and nanny. They were discussing whether to transfer you to another hospital. Her dad also scolded her a lot and was pretty angry. Anyway, it was a mess back then. It was a complete disaster. We went to sleep after we knew you were out of danger, and when we woke up, we found that you had already left the island."
Zhang Shutong could imagine how chaotic the scene was at the time, with all parties mixed together.
He reviewed Ruoping's words. It seemed there were no flaws. The only problem that wasn't solved was that he didn't manage to send Gu Qiumian back in time?
And that made Gu's father unhappy? That made sense. That was bound to happen. Any dad would be angry if their daughter ran off with a boy in the middle of the night.
"Nothing happened to her after that, right?" Zhang Shutong confirmed again.
"No. What could happen?" Ruoping asked strangely. "Why did you suddenly ask about this?"
"Exactly," Du Kang chimed in, raising an eyebrow. "The first thing Shutong said when he woke up was asking me if Gu Qiumian was dead. I thought you two didn't have a feud before. He almost made me dumbfounded. Bro, can you ask in a more subtle way next time?"
Zhang Shutong ignored Du Kang's teasing. He was just glad that Gu Qiumian was fine.
When he thought that the girl's life no longer stopped at sixteen but continued into a new life, a new life that would be much longer than before—sixteen years, twenty-six years, thirty-six years... Of course, it was too early to say all this. Only eight years had passed since the morning of the 9th.
But since it had been eight years, it meant that Gu Qiumian was now 24. Zhang Shutong suddenly wanted to see what she looked like at 24.
"Have you been in contact with Gu Qiumian again?" Ruoping asked to his surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"You haven't mentioned her to us in a long time."
Zhang Shutong belatedly nodded. He didn't understand what Ruoping was trying to say.
Did the two of them have an unpleasant falling out? That couldn't be right. He couldn't think of how he could have offended Gu Qiumian, unless it was him running out on the day of the avalanche and messing things up, which in her eyes was a failure to keep his promise and also led to her dad finding out she ran out at night. Zhang Shutong's head started to ache again from thinking.
"Then why did you do all that back then?" Ruoping saw that he wasn't speaking and took it as a confirmation. "You should have just agreed to her back in ninth grade."
"Agreed to what?" Zhang Shutong was stunned.
"You've forgotten everything..." Ruoping lowered her eyes. "She suddenly transferred in the second semester of ninth grade to go to the provincial capital. She wanted you to go with her to help you with your sickness, but you just wouldn't agree no matter what. You never told us what happened in the end, we only know that their whole family moved to the provincial capital."
Zhang Shutong almost thought he heard wrong:
"Help me with my sickness? What sickness?"
"The sickness you have now, of course."
Wasn't it just a fever? What other sickness was there?
But just as he was about to ask, he started coughing violently again. This time, his left ribs were faintly aching. Ruoping said faintly:
"The coughing now is a sequela of the avalanche. The doctor told you to keep warm and not run around, but you didn't listen. You ran out again a week later and got a lingering illness."
Zhang Shutong was about to say that he was quite crazy to get such a troublesome illness by not following the doctor's orders. No wonder he started coughing on the boat. But Ruoping kept talking:
"And then there's your left hand, which is also a sequela of the avalanche. A bone fracture. Even after all this time, it still hurts on rainy days.
"And your lower left ribs, a fracture, during the winter break of ninth grade.
"Also in the winter break, a torn tendon.
"Nervous breakdowns, carsickness, and seasickness can be called minor illnesses.
"And then there's the most troublesome sickness." Ruoping frowned. "Don't mind me for being so long-winded, but did you take your medicine today?"
"What medicine?" Zhang Shutong asked subconsciously.
"The medicine for anxiety. Qingyi asked someone to prescribe it for you from abroad. Did you take it?"
Anxiety...
When did he get this sickness? And wasn't this a mental illness?
The moment he thought of this, he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. His heart seemed to skip a beat, and even breathing became difficult. Zhang Shutong bent down, almost suffocating. Everything in front of him was spinning, and even the sounds around him became distorted. Then, with a bang, Ruoping stood up and knocked over the water cup. She said anxiously:
"Why did it relapse again? You were fine when you called this morning... Du Kang, quickly check his pockets for his medicine!"
"Oh, oh, okay..."
Ruoping shouted again:
"Waiter, get a plastic bag, quick!"
The woman then directly hugged his head and comforted him softly:
"Breathe deeply, breathe deeply. Don't be anxious. It's not a big deal."
She took the plastic bag from the waiter and put it over his mouth. Zhang Shutong could only notice the bag deflating and inflating, inflating and deflating. After a few repetitions, he finally calmed down.
How could this be...
He leaned back in the chair, thinking listlessly.
"When did this happen? Is this also... a sequela of the avalanche?"
"You went to the temple once, and you've been like this ever since you came back," Du Kang explained.
The Green Snake Temple?
"Was it also during the summer break?" he asked quickly, not caring about the flaws in his words.
"No, it was in the first semester of ninth grade, close to the winter break. Since then, your health has been very poor, and you wouldn't tell us when we asked..."
Winter?
Leaving aside why he would go to the temple again, but shouldn't he have obtained the ability to regress at the temple's festival during the summer break of junior high?
Zhang Shutong was about to ask for more details, but Ruoping intentionally changed the subject:
"Okay, okay. Let's not talk about this. Let's talk about recent things. Please, for my sake, can you not keep thinking about those things?"
Zhang Shutong had no choice but to nod.
Ruoping kicked Du Kang:
"How's your business lately?"
Du Kang then reacted:
"Oh, me? I'm still the same. I won't starve with one less table, and I won't get rich with one more. I'm just waiting for you guys to show up."
Zhang Shutong then asked why they weren't eating at his restaurant today. Ruoping explained to him:
"You've probably forgotten this, too. Du Kang opened a barbecue place in the city. It's a small two-story building outside the Second Ring Road. We all thought the location was a bit too remote, but he liked that it had a rooftop. We can drink beer and hang out there in the summer. Do you remember that?"
Zhang Shutong shook his head.
"Then I'll tell you about it," Ruoping said with a smile. "Speaking of which, this also has something to do with Gu Qiumian. Didn't we visit her house back then? Du Kang came back and said that he had his eyes opened and that he would never stay on this island for the rest of his life. So, he went out and made a name for himself. He had a big fight with his family back then, but after all these years, he finally made his way. He's about to open a second store, a bar, which can also sell barbecue after some renovations."
"Hey, we were young and ignorant back then. Why mention it?" Du Kang said awkwardly.
"Is that so? That's amazing."
Zhang Shutong forced a smile. He was genuinely happy for Du Kang in his heart.
"What about you?" he asked Ruoping.
"I'm still the same, sigh. I go to work and get off work. I have a parrot. And my mom pesters me to go on blind dates every week. It's so annoying. My parrot is about to learn how to talk like my mom. I don't even want to keep it anymore."
"You don't know, Shutong, but Ruoping is a dentist now. I've been to her private clinic. It's a high-end membership system. It's super expensive to get a tooth pulled."
"Who cares if it's expensive? I'm just an employee. The money doesn't go into my pocket anyway." She rested one side of her face on the table and kicked her high heels, finally looking like her teenage self. "My biggest worry right now is finding a partner quickly. I didn't even dare to tell my mom I came back this time. If she knew, she would definitely come rushing over."
"Me too," Du Kang nodded repeatedly. "My mom keeps nagging me about grandchildren. She says I should just close the restaurant on the island and take care of her grandchildren. Qingyi is not much different. We talked on the phone last week, and he said his boss wanted to set him up with his daughter. She's an overseas returnee, a classic rich, beautiful, and talented woman. But guess what?"
"What? Tell me," Ruoping urged.
"Qingyi said that the girl couldn't tell the difference between Ultraman and Kamen Rider, so it was a definite no." Du Kang burst out laughing after saying that.
Zhang Shutong also wanted to laugh. Why was this guy still a chuunibyou?
"What about your girlfriend? Why didn't you bring her back to meet us?" Ruoping asked Du Kang again.
"It's not time yet. I'll ask you guys to vet her when it is."
"No thanks. So you don't get jealous of me again."
"So what if I do? We've known each other for years, from junior high to high school. She's only been around for a few years."
The two of them were talking and laughing, but Zhang Shutong realized that something was not right.
When did this guy Du Kang get a girlfriend?
He had a crush on Lu Qinglian, didn't he?
But now wasn't the time to talk about girlfriends. He was almost led astray. He felt a little better and remembered his question from before.
Why did he get anxiety after going to the temple?
Maybe this was the key to this timeline.
But Du Kang said that he went alone and that they didn't know what happened. In that case, the only person who might know was "her."
"Who still has Lu Qinglian's contact information?"
He interjected.
But the harmonious atmosphere suddenly froze.
The two of them turned their heads at the same time.
After a long silence, Ruoping's voice was complicated:
"Shutong, we... we came here today for her funeral."
Zhang Shutong suddenly covered his mouth.
Damn it, not again.
That familiar palpitation struck again, followed by a violent burning sensation as stomach acid rushed into his esophagus. This time, Zhang Shutong finally couldn't hold it in. He quickly threw up into the trash can, but only sour water came out. Du Kang stood up and patted his back. Zhang Shutong was breathing heavily, still unable to believe the news.
Lu Qinglian was dead again?
Why would she die again?
Wasn't the long-haired woman dealt with?
And why did she die on the same day eight years later?
The trash can was a mess. A moment ago, the restaurant was peaceful, with elegant guzheng music playing and the faint aroma of food lingering. But at this moment, there was only the sour smell of vomit. A few tables of guests turned their heads at the same time, and a waiter also hurried over.
Zhang Shutong had no time to pay attention to them. He only felt that his heart was also a mess.
Because the first thing he thought of was not the cause of Lu Qinglian's death.
It was—
He couldn't go back!
This meant that the other person's death had become a fixed fact.
So what had he been doing all these years?
If on the callous route he left Lu Qinglian on the island to go back to the past, then what about this time?
He had clearly saved Gu Qiumian.
What was he still looking for?
Was it a way to save Lu Qinglian?
But he hadn't been able to do anything at all.
Zhang Shutong heard Ruoping's voice suddenly choke up. He was a little at a loss. Did he do something terrible again like last time and hurt someone?
But before Zhang Shutong could speak, he found that what was in Ruoping's eyes was not anger but pity:
"Then... then what was the point of all your trouble these past few years? You made yourself half-dead. Now you don't remember anything. We can live with you not telling us, but if you don't even remember yourself, then all these years, all these years..."
As she spoke, she started to sound a little stuffy. Du Kang pulled out a tissue and handed it to her, quickly comforting her:
"This is a good thing, isn't it? Since he's forgotten everything, it's like a fresh start. Listen to me, Shutong. You'll move in with me tomorrow. I'll take you to get a checkup first, and we'll talk about the rest after you're better."
Zhang Shutong opened his mouth, then closed it again.
The waiter had already brought the dishes.
Du Kang quickly tried to lighten the mood:
"Okay, okay. Let's eat first. We can talk after we've eaten..."
But no one was the first to pick up their chopsticks.
...
It was already one in the afternoon after they had eaten.
Ruoping called a taxi, and the three of them went to the funeral.
Zhang Shutong sat silently in the back seat. He finally understood why they were eating at the mall today. It was because he had arrived on the island two hours earlier than before.
Du Kang helped him out of the taxi. Zhang Shutong could now confirm how weak his body was.
"Weak and frail" was not an exaggeration.
Now he looked at the sky in a daze, suddenly not knowing where to go next.
Should he give a white envelope at Lu Qinglian's memorial and then go to the restricted zone to try his luck tonight?
He hoped he could go back eight years, but what if he couldn't?
He now didn't even have the stamina to walk to the restricted zone by himself.
Zhang Shutong realized a ridiculous fact. He couldn't even lean on the railing by the lake like he used to, because the wind outside was too strong, and his head would hurt if it blew on him.
Zhang Shutong still walked into the funeral home step by step. The annoying funeral music was like a constant low hum. He once again saw the woman sealed in a black-and-white photo in front of the memorial hall.
He bowed three times with the support of Du Kang and Ruoping. He wanted to say something but didn't know what to say.
In the end, Zhang Shutong's gaze fell on a small stone monument.
"It seems to be her tombstone. The people on the island pooled their money to buy it. It's not supposed to be here, but there's nowhere else to put it, so it's here for now."
A tombstone.
Zhang Shutong looked at the tombstone for a long time, unable to snap out of it.
This was her tombstone.
Then where was his tombstone?
Or was it really like that saying, that he would just keep running until he rotted?
"I'll wait in the outer hall." Zhang Shutong said in a low voice.
"Then find a chair and sit down. Ruoping and I will pay our respects and then come find you. After that, we'll go back..."
He heard Du Kang's words behind him. Zhang Shutong walked through the crowd and sat down in a corner.
He took out his phone and looked at it again, opening his hidden album. He hoped to find some clues like before, but this time, there was nothing.
Zhang Shutong remembered Teacher Song's words again. The other person said that after staying on the island for four years, he had to leave something behind. So, what did he leave behind in these eight years?
Was it just the archway at the port?
That was a good joke.
He put his fingers in his hair and finally figured out what was wrong.
Where was Teacher Song?
Wasn't he always at the funeral?
Zhang Shutong was about to find Ruoping to ask her. Just then, a gust of wind blew past him with a scent:
"Zhang Shutong? You're Zhang Shutong, right? Wow, senior, why are you so thin?"
"How are you here?"
Zhang Shutong looked up in surprise.
It was the little secretary, Gu Qiumian's best friend. Her name seemed to be Zhiruo...
But what was she doing at Lu Qinglian's funeral? Wasn't she a grade below them?
The little secretary was now wearing a small suit and smiled, showing her canine teeth:
"Mr. Gu has looked for you so many times over the years but couldn't find you. You've finally appeared."
Mr. Gu...
That was a lot of information.
Leaving aside how she was related to Gu's father, what did Gu's father want to talk to him about? What did she mean, he hadn't appeared over the years?
"What does he want to find me for?"
The little secretary said again:
"Who knows? Maybe he has something he wants to tell you. She also didn't know where you went, so she asked people to come back and look for you. Sometimes she would drive here herself, but you haven't returned since you graduated from junior high."
"I haven't been back in these past eight years?"
Zhang Shutong was surprised again.
He had thought that on this timeline, even if he was barely surviving, he would at least come back to the island to take a look.
"Probably. Mr. Gu also looked for your homeroom teacher back then, but it was as if you disappeared from the face of the earth all these years. He also contacted your classmates, but they didn't know where you went either." She mumbled. "I didn't expect to have a surprising discovery on this trip back. I was just here to give a white envelope. I'll call them back now..."
Wait a minute. Zhang Shutong thought he had a good relationship with his best friends and that they had been together all these years. But from what she said, he had actually disappeared for a while, and no one knew where he had gone?
Zhang Shutong didn't know why Gu's father was looking for him and why he had looked for him so many times.
But these things were no longer important.
Because he suddenly realized a terrifying fact.
The senior had told him that Gu Qiumian was killed to stop the development of the island.
Since this Rewind, he had only cared about whether Gu Qiumian was dead or not. But now he realized that even though the girl's fate was changed, the development of the island was still interrupted!
The so-called changes on the island were just a cabin on the ferry, an archway at the port, and a movie theater in the mall. But these things might have been planned long ago.
What about the resort he saw on the plan his mom sent him? What about the five-star hotel? The commercial plaza?
They were all gone.
Du Kang's words unintentionally echoed in his mind.
"It's all just for show. There's nothing good to see..."
That's right. These changes were just for show. The development of the island was still interrupted. Lu Qinglian still died eight years later.
At this moment, a thought came to him urgently.
Zhang Shutong wanted to find Ruoping and ask her what he had been doing all these years, what he had brought back, why he hadn't returned to the island in eight years, and why Gu's father had moved his whole family to the provincial capital. But just as he tried to stand up forcefully, he fell back into the chair helplessly.
It wasn't because his body was too weak and he didn't even have the strength to walk.
It was because—
Rewind!
It was triggered!
The world in front of him began to tremble, turning into a black-and-white negative. In the last moment, all he could see was the little secretary's hand holding the phone. The surprise in her eyes was still there. The next second, his consciousness went blank. He could only hear a familiar voice in his ear:
"Hey, wake up, Shutong, wake up..."
Zhang Shutong's eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. His consciousness seemed to be covered in a thick fog. He wanted to say that he was so, so tired. Everything, from the avalanche to what he had just experienced, made him want to fall into a deep sleep. But a voice in his heart told him to wake up quickly. He didn't know if this still counted as "running." If he went to sleep, he would miss something very important, and then his life would rot... "As expected, I still have to keep running," he thought self-deprecatingly, and then used his last bit of strength to break through the thick fog.
Zhang Shutong's eyes snapped open.
But before he could see his surroundings clearly, he was immediately enveloped in a deep fatigue.
His chest hurt, his arm hurt, his whole body hurt...
Where was he now?
Zhang Shutong struggled to lift his head.
He saw a calendar hanging on the mottled white wall.
December 9, Sunday.
Four o'clock.
"You're finally awake, Shutong! Someone, quick, Shutong is awake!"
It was a dark winter night, and the teenage Ruoping shouted with swollen eyes.