Zhang Shutong then thought that no wonder their attitude toward him was so strange; they all looked like they wanted to say something but held back.
"So what was the result?"
"The result is that the only surveillance camera that could have possibly captured the scene happened to be broken. And no second person was found at the scene. In a way, we have to thank the avalanche for covering up a lot of things. So there's still no conclusion. The police have wanted to question you for a long time, but your aunt and uncle stopped them."
Qingyi continued:
"But overall, the fact that everyone has deduced is this—there was indeed a suspect who wanted to harm the Gu family. This person had scouted the villa before and left footprints on that winding mountain road. Then, at dawn today, you ran into this suspect on their way to the villa. Something happened in the middle. Maybe you tried to stop them, or maybe they wanted to silence you. There was some kind of fight? Then you rode your bike to the villa to give a warning, and an unfortunate avalanche happened. You were buried, and when the other person arrived at the scene, they probably didn't think you could have survived, so they gave up."
Zhang Shutong fell silent at the words.
"Don't be so stressed. I didn't come here to interrogate you, although I am quite curious." Qingyi comforted him.
"I know."
"Want an orange? Oh, I forgot your hand is broken. Do you want me to feed you? The thing I can't figure out the most is the motorcycle's rearview mirror, because it couldn't have been broken like that from the bike falling over. That's why I exaggerated and said it looked like someone punched it." Qingyi shook his head and smiled. "But how could that be..."
"It's true."
Qingyi was stunned.
Zhang Shutong said softly:
"Your deductions are mostly correct. There really is a being that is beyond imagination. She has incredible strength and is very fast, but I don't know who she is."
"I was going to say I didn't believe it, but I saw how Lu Qinglian kicked that poacher before..." Qingyi muttered. "You're saying there's another being similar to her? And then what?"
"I couldn't beat her. I wanted to ride up the mountain road to the villa to get help from the bodyguards and unfortunately triggered an avalanche."
"And you were only rescued by chance because Lu Qinglian found you?"
"You could put it that way."
"You're very lucky to be alive," Qingyi said with emotion. "Can you tell me one more thing? Why were you so sure that dawn was the time she would strike? I remember you were in a big hurry when you rode away."
"Teacher Song told me."
"Teacher Song?"
"Teacher Song told me to go to his dorm because he had something for me." Zhang Shutong used his other good hand to reach for an orange but couldn't reach it.
"What was it?"
"Photos. Photos of that woman that were taken by a surveillance camera. Several of them, and the time was always around dawn."
Zhang Shutong suddenly felt that this explanation was brilliant. He might as well let his mentor take the blame for him. After all, he was a man with many stories; one more wouldn't hurt.
"A woman who appears under a surveillance camera at dawn, how does that not sound like an urban legend? Is that really true?"
Qingyi didn't even bother to eat his orange. Zhang Shutong took the opportunity to snatch it. He moved his mouth and said vaguely:
"You could say that person is the one Lu Qinglian is looking for. Teacher Song also seems to have been looking for her, but I don't know why. Maybe the car accident this afternoon was related to her, and it made him think of some things, so he called Du Kang to remind me to first take Gu Qiumian out and then go to his dorm."
"So Teacher Song has a lot of secrets. Does that mean he had another purpose for driving around aimlessly all these years?"
Zhang Shutong hummed.
"That's not the point. The point is, I want to remind you, as well as Du Kang and Ruoping, to be careful because there are some things on the island that might not be logical."
In the end, Qingyi also left.
It was rare for anything to make him show a shocked expression, but he did leave with a look of shock this time.
Zhang Shutong began to eat his first meal of the day.
Stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers over rice.
He devoured the soft shredded peppers and rice.
His fever had gone down. His left arm had a bone fracture. The other places were just soft tissue contusions with a lot of bruises. The anesthetic hadn't worn off yet, so he would probably be in too much pain to sleep tonight.
Zhang Shutong had already foreseen this tragic future.
While he was still in the mood, he wanted to take a walk, so he forced himself to get out of bed. He was now living in that observation room. He felt somewhat speechless after realizing this and thought he could do without this kind of fate.
He went to the corridor. The observation room was at the end of the corridor, so there weren't many people around. His parents had left for a while to do who knows what, leaving him alone. Zhang Shutong leaned on the windowsill and looked out. The snow had almost melted.
Behind the hospital was an old building with a red brick exterior. Maybe the owner neglected to maintain it, or maybe the house had long been abandoned. Weeds grew everywhere, and the withered vines on the wall had been half blown off. The huge leaf wall was on the verge of collapsing. It was a desolate scene.
He had named the last Rewind the callous route. What should he name this one?
He couldn't think of a cool name, so he gave up for now.
He finally had time to think about the reason for the Rewind.
Maybe it was a near-death experience. He was on the verge of death after being buried in the avalanche and was sent directly to eight years later. After being rescued at the hospital and being out of danger, he naturally came back.
Maybe it had something to do with that dream.
His callous self could bet on one possibility: being killed by the murderer and returning to the past. But on this timeline, that murderer no longer existed. Maybe he was looking for another way, and that's why he disappeared for a while.
"Now you have paid some price and found other uses for 'it.'"
That sentence reappeared in his mind.
The sky was getting a little dark. The light tube above his head was very bright. He saw his face in the glass. What were you running for in those eight years?
Zhang Shutong murmured to himself.
It was impossible to trace it back now.
He shook his head and stopped thinking about it. Things that couldn't be verified weren't worth spending too many brain cells on. He would just leave a guess in his heart.
The small island was indeed a very small place, and being small meant that you would run into all kinds of acquaintances. Zhang Shutong turned around and met the gaze of the young nurse who had come to do her rounds for two seconds.
She yelled:
"Are you trying to run away again?"
Zhang Shutong quickly said no, he was just coming out to get some air.
"Really?" she said suspiciously. "I think it's necessary to apply to the director to have you tied to the bed with a restraint strap."
She was gritting her teeth one second and then smiling the next:
"I'm just kidding. I heard you did something amazing. You're almost a small celebrity in our hospital. Did you act bravely?"
"A celebrity? That's an exaggeration."
"It's not an exaggeration at all. The leaders of your school came this morning, and the police did, too. Oh, and I think a big boss also came. He must have been a big boss, because I saw a lot of luxury cars parked outside the hospital, and he was surrounded by a bunch of people when he got out of the car. That big boss came to your room and stayed for a while. You were still unconscious. He said a few words to your parents and then left."
"Is that so?" Zhang Shutong was surprised.
"You didn't know?" The young nurse was even more surprised.
"I really didn't know."
No one had told Zhang Shutong that it was so lively today. It wasn't an exaggeration that the school and police came, but he didn't expect Gu's father to also come.
He had had quite a few vague interactions with the other person, but the two had never met. Zhang Shutong didn't even know what the man looked like.
Of course, he wasn't sad about not meeting this legendary big boss. On the contrary, he would have a headache if he did.
"That girl you brought back also came," the young nurse added.
"I know that much. I saw her at noon. I fell asleep before I could even say a word."
"Not at noon, but now."
The young nurse pointed.
Zhang Shutong turned his head and saw Gu Qiumian at the other end of the corridor.
Gu Qiumian was wearing a black dress.
"I'm transferring schools."
She said calmly.
When she said this, Gu Qiumian walked over to him. The air conditioner was on in the hospital, so it wasn't cold. She was only wearing a wool cardigan over her dress. The pendant was still tied to the tip of her hair, and it sparkled in front of the window.
Zhang Shutong's attention was still on that sentence.
He didn't expect the first thing they said to each other after seeing each other to be this.
He also didn't expect it to be so sudden. Wasn't she supposed to transfer in the second semester of ninth grade?
"Oh..." he nodded instinctively. "Where? The provincial capital?"
"Mmm. The school has been arranged."
"The transfer is set for next semester?"
"Not next semester. Next week."
"That's so soon?" Zhang Shutong said in surprise.
Gu Qiumian nodded. She also leaned on the windowsill, one hand holding her face. He couldn't tell what her mood was. The two of them looked at the vines. The girl's soft voice floated into his ears:
"Dad thinks it's not safe to stay on the island, so he's making me transfer."
Zhang Shutong was caught off guard.
Which butterfly had flapped its wings this time?
The only change he had made was getting Gu Qiumian home before dawn.
But why was the transfer happening so early?
"I know what you went to do last night," Gu Qiumian said again. "You stopped the person who left the footprints, right?"
"Something like that," Zhang Shutong said hesitantly.
"But you still didn't tell me."
"Because..."
"You could have woken me up, and I could have called my dad and had the bodyguards deal with it, but you still went to risk your life by yourself."
"Sorry."
"I don't want your apology." Gu Qiumian turned around. "I only came to the hospital to say goodbye to you. I told you before not to keep things from me. I don't want to see you running around outside with a fever, and I don't want to see you facing dangerous bad guys by yourself. But you wouldn't listen. I'm tired of it."
Zhang Shutong seemed to understand what she meant. She was saying that since he didn't want to trouble her, she would just move away. That way, he wouldn't just not trouble her; he wouldn't even see her again.
What a great way to put an end to everything.
Zhang Shutong opened his mouth. A fierce cold wind blew past, finally peeling the vines off the wall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the wall of leaves fall to the ground. He had nothing to say.
The two of them met each other's gaze. Gu Qiumian looked into his eyes seriously:
"Although you stopped that person, Dad thinks that since he wasn't caught, the danger hasn't been eliminated. He still decided to have me move away. Can you understand that?"
"I understand."
"I actually don't want to go, but Dad's attitude is firm. I have to go, unless I can find a reason to convince him."
"I..."
As she spoke, she lowered her eyes:
"But I also know it's impossible to find a reason. That person disappeared in the end, and the surveillance cameras didn't capture anything. The police said they have no leads. Who knows if he'll come again? So there's nothing I can do..."
"Actually, that person was caught," Zhang Shutong blurted out subconsciously.
He felt a sense of relief after saying that, but he immediately regretted it.
He thought to himself, "This is going to be a lot of trouble now." He could have just played dumb and said that the culprit got away and that he couldn't see their face clearly, and then been vague about what happened that night. It would have become a cold case, similar to the shipwreck incident many years ago. It might have been a bit spooky, but as the rumors spread, people would no longer care about the truth.
But in the end, he still let it slip. It wasn't that he liked to hide things from people; it was that some things, when said, caused infinitely more trouble than if they were left unsaid. Gu's father and the police would probably get to the bottom of it.
Life was so dramatic.
Either no one knew what he did, and he remained a nobody.
Or someone would follow the clues and get close to the truth. It didn't have to be the whole truth. There were already many people who thought he was a brave and righteous young man. He had a very lively day and was the center of attention. The school leaders, the police, and the big boss all came. Maybe tomorrow, reporters from the TV station would also come to interview him, and his room would be filled with banners and prize money.
But once a thing begins, it will spread like a spider web, until it weaves a giant web that completely envelops you. It was never just his own situation that changed. A missing suspect could change a lot of things.
He had thought that Gu Qiumian would be surprised by this answer, but she only asked:
"Keep going. I need to know."
Zhang Shutong bit the bullet and said as much as he could:
"You can think of it as... that person couldn't be caught by your family's bodyguards. They are... how should I put it, you know there's an Green Snake Temple on the island. That person is the one they are looking for, but there are a lot of things involved that even I haven't figured out. All I could do was try to intercept that person."
Gu Qiumian nodded, noncommittally. She just closed the corridor window:
"The wind is too strong. You're not well. Let's go back to the room and talk."
Fate was so magical. This time, Zhang Shutong followed behind her into the observation room. He sat on the bed and told Gu Qiumian to find a chair and sit down. But she acted as if she hadn't heard him. She locked the door behind her, stood by the bed, and said in a condescending manner:
"Now, you just have to nod or shake your head to what I say."
Zhang Shutong nodded.
"You said that person was caught?"
Zhang Shutong nodded.
"The reason you hid it from me was because that person was also being looked for by someone else, and you didn't want him to fall into the hands of the police?"
Zhang Shutong continued to nod.
"So that's why you and your friends secretly took action in the middle of the night?"
Zhang Shutong was still nodding. He thought to himself that there was also Teacher Song.
But he suddenly caught a glimpse of a smile on Gu Qiumian's lips, but she quickly smoothed it away with a cold expression.
"Is there anything else you want to say?"
"No..."
"Why are you so disobedient? I told you to just nod or shake your head."
Zhang Shutong shook his head.
Gu Qiumian stopped talking. She just stared at him coldly, as if trying to figure out if what he was saying was true or not.
Zhang Shutong felt guilty under her gaze. He himself felt that it was a bit ridiculous. She wasn't this cold and distant when she was sleeping at noon. He wanted to say that it was better when he was dreaming about the motorcycle, but now was clearly not the time for jokes.
Gu Qiumian stared at him without blinking. Soon, a watery mist appeared in her beautiful eyes. Zhang Shutong thought, "Whether you're disappointed in me or angry with me, please just blink. You're tiring your eyes."
But he soon realized that she wasn't tired. Her eyes were turning red at a visible speed. Zhang Shutong was suddenly at a loss. He didn't know why Gu Qiumian would cry out of nowhere. He was always a fool in this regard, so he took a tissue from the headboard and tried to comfort her, "Don't cry, don't cry."
But Gu Qiumian just snatched the tissue away.
"Just one last thing," he said, holding up a finger. "I don't expect you to believe what I just said, and I don't expect it to convince your dad. I just hope you can keep it a secret. I told you because I wanted you to feel a little more at ease. But it's best not to tell anyone else."
At this point, it was no longer just his problem. He couldn't sell out Lu Qinglian, at the very least.
Zhang Shutong didn't know what to say. He could only comfort her:
"I think your dad is doing this for your own good, having you transfer schools, so..."
To his surprise, she suddenly broke into a smile through her tears:
"Fool, what transfer? I don't know anything about that."
Zhang Shutong stopped reaching for a tissue and was completely stunned:
"What was the first thing you said to me when you saw me?"
"I said you were silly," she said, also sitting on the bed and glaring at him. "I think you're not smart at all. You're incredibly stupid."
Zhang Shutong had never thought he was stupid before, but now he was starting to feel it. He was bewildered:
"What on earth do you mean?"
"I mean, all of that was a lie. You wouldn't tell me the truth otherwise." She kicked her boots high, her body shaking from laughter. "And you believed it, didn't you? Oh my god, who was it that heard I was transferring and immediately said that person was actually caught?"
"I wasn't..." Zhang Shutong tried to argue. "I just didn't want to keep it from you."
"Then why did you run off again last night?" she quickly turned back and glared at him again.
Zhang Shutong obediently shut up.
He just listened to Gu Qiumian say:
"You really thought I would believe the 'truth' that the police investigated? If you really just accidentally ran into that bad guy, why would you call your friends in the middle of the night? So I knew you were definitely lying again and that there was a lot more you weren't going to say.
"But I finally figured it out today. If I kept asking you the way I used to, the answer would definitely be 'sorry, sorry, sorry.' I'm telling you, my ears are about to get calluses from hearing that word!"
After saying that, Gu Qiumian continued to glare at him.
Zhang Shutong said a small "sorry" before she finally turned around with satisfaction:
"You're just like this, you idiot. I just changed my method, and you fell for it."
She snorted:
"You're a little silly, Tongtong."
Zhang Shutong was stunned again.
The girl gently tossed her long hair, revealing a pair of eyes that were always devoid of emotion.
The sky was already dark. She walked in the last bit of the sunset's afterglow to the temple and pushed open the wooden door with peeling paint.
The inside was dim. A weak candlelight illuminated her face. Lu Qinglian looked at the altar in front of her.
Eight candle holders were lit on the altar. Half of them were now extinguished, barely illuminating the statue of the deity being worshipped above.
"I'm back," Lu Qinglian said calmly to the empty hall.
A slight rustling sound came from the side hall. An old woman came out of the side hall and looked at a small clay figurine in her hand.