Sunday.
December 23rd.
"By the way, Qingyi, regarding the fox matter, what did Teacher Song say later?"
"As far as I know, there was no follow-up, right? Teacher Song didn't know about the fox at all. Shutong snapped a photo for him to see, and he could recognize that it was taken when his wife was in college. Calculating it, it really was a long time ago. The two of them met in college, but Teacher Song truly didn't have the slightest impression of the so-called fox, let alone the words on the back."
"That makes sense too," Du Kang let out a sigh. "Can't see clearly what the background of that photo is either. The only thing that can be confirmed is the clothing—long sleeves, jacket. That should have been taken in autumn or winter?"
"Pretty much," Qingyi said with his hands behind his head.
"Then is Old Song coming back or not? I miss him a bit."
"His situation over there isn't great. He needs to recuperate and take care of his mother who just had surgery. Since there are no leads, Shutong advised him to nurse his health back first. Coming back in this situation would be in vain anyway. In short, the clue breaks off here," Qingyi said eerily. "Also, can you pull your family's dog away? I just brushed my shoes clean this morning."
"Zorro, come here, come here," Du Kang called out. But that little black dog truly lived up to having hound bloodline; hearing the call, it hastily unleashed its four short legs, running like a rabbit.
Du Kang hurriedly moved his legs along too. One person and one dog ran a few circles in the reed bed before he finally lifted the dog by the scruff of its neck:
"Hey, you kid run pretty fast."
"Speaking of which, do dogs really need to eat grass?" Qingyi looked at the few grass stems sticking to the corner of the small dog's mouth, confused.
"I don't know either. I just read online that this kind of dog shouldn't always be leashed, needing to be taken out to walk more."
"Feels..." Qingyi carefully sized it up for a few glances, "not like a hound at all."
"The internet says it's a foreign sheepdog, but Shutong said every time I call it that, he feels it's strange, so I just went with hound... Go on, careful not to fall into the water." Du Kang placed the small dog back on the ground.
The small dog once again happily burrowed into the reed bed. The two took a glance, withdrew their gazes, and strolled unhurriedly along the lake shore.
It was another weekend, at a certain suburban area in the western part of the island. Right now, only the two of them were here, their task being to walk the dog.
The four of them rarely didn't gather together. Ruoping made an appointment with a few gal pals and ran off to the city to go shopping, vowing to sweep away the previous frustration.
As for Zhang Shutong—
"Is Shutong not done being busy yet? It's almost noon. Should we call him for lunch then?" Du Kang asked.
"Probably not. He said he had things going on the entire day," Qingyi thought for a bit. "Won't answer the phone either, telling us not to wait for him."
"What is he busy with?" Du Kang wondered. "Yesterday he even made a trip to the police station. Didn't he say the clue on his wife's side was stuck for now?"
"Don't know. Anyway, according to him, it's just him alone," Qingyi shook his head.
"Why don't I believe it? So mysterious," Du Kang guessed blindly. "Maybe he went to buy a present for Gu Qiumian?"
"Can't rule out this possibility."
"Hey, hey, could it be that the two of them went on a date?"
"This possibility exists too."
"Shutong really is a bit uncool, abandoning the two of us."
Du Kang smiled. Just as his words fell, he heard a burst of dog barking sound in the reed bed nearby. Turns out Zorro was digging up something in the frozen dirt, wagging its tail while digging, as if saying Master, come quick.
"Your family's dog really is noisy enough," Qingyi said helplessly.
"That's right! Let me tell you, its nose is very sharp. One night while I was doing homework, I suddenly heard it barking in the house. Turns out a mouse almost slipped into the kitchen. Come on, let's go check out what it is..."
Qingyi had no choice but to follow. They parted the reeds, looked closely, and saw the small dog glowering at a snake. That snake was over half a meter long, about two fingers thick, covered in patterns. At present, it was slowly crawling in the dirt, hissing and flicking its tongue, looking very much like a prelude to hunting.
And the small dog still had time to turn back and claim credit from its master, completely unaware that it was in danger. Du Kang was startled, hurriedly snapping a reed to flick the snake up, while Qingyi took the opportunity to grab Zorro by the scruff of its neck. The two retreated a few steps, quickly pulling themselves out of the reed bed.
"How could there be a snake in this kind of weather?" Du Kang had lingering fears.
"It shouldn't be a venomous snake, right? We came here to fish before and didn't find any snakes," Qingyi recalled.
"Looks like next time walking the dog, we still need to attach a leash." Du Kang rubbed the dog's head vigorously. "Almost caused trouble. Let me go."
As things stood, there was no longer any mood to continue walking the dog.
The two teenagers straddled their bicycles one behind the other. Du Kang placed the dog in the bicycle basket:
"Send the dog home first, then find a place to eat?"
"Okay."
When two guys gathered together, what to play and what to eat were always very casual; a single sentence could settle the next location.
They pedaled their bikes slowly, getting onto the main road surrounding the lake. On a weekend morning, people were sparse. The reeds on both sides of the road shuddered in the wind; let alone pedestrians, not a single car could be seen around.
The weather was truly cold enough. Even though they wore gloves and earmuffs, the cold wind was like small knives scraping across their faces. It wasn't just the people who were cold; even the dog curled into a ball in the basket.
The only thing still persisting in running was that single bus line on the island.
Far off, Du Kang saw the bus pulling up beside the bus stop sign.
"Say, in such cold weather, why don't we take the bus instead of insisting on riding bikes?"
"Why doesn't Kamen Rider squeeze onto the subway?"
"True enough." Du Kang felt it made a lot of sense, and his pedaling speed grew a bit faster instantly.
Just as he was about to approach the bus, Du Kang suddenly squeezed the brakes, the tires making a harsh sound on the rock-hard frozen ground.
He opened his mouth as if seeing a ghost:
"Why did that person who just got on look like Shutong to me?"
"Was there?"
"Definitely... Hey, Shutong! Shutong!" Du Kang raised his voice, but just as he shouted once, the bus had already started up.
In a cloud of black exhaust, Du Kang was dazed for two seconds. "I shouldn't have misseen. What on earth did he go do..."
"If you didn't missee," Qingyi rubbed his chin, "then that's strange. What would he run here for in this kind of weather? Also, when have you ever seen him take the bus? Clearly he either rides a bicycle or a motorcycle..."
"I'll make a phone call to ask." Dozens of seconds later, Du Kang hung up the phone in confusion. "Didn't answer. What's the situation?"
The two exchanged a look:
"Definitely something going on."
"Catch up and see?"
"Let's go."
Action followed words. The bicycle wheels rolled again, the speed significantly faster than before. Qingyi analyzed:
"The next stop is relatively close. Riding faster, we should be able to catch up..."
"I know, I know!" Du Kang shouted into the wind. "Big brother, didn't you see the dog's fur is all standing on end!"
Ten minutes later, the two stopped their bikes panting, watching the bus start up from beside the bus stop sign.
"Keep going!" Du Kang gritted his teeth.
"Wait a second," Qingyi pulled him back while panting. "Going on like this, we won't catch up even if we tire ourselves to death. Let me think. After two more stops, it runs toward the south... Those two bus stop signs in the middle are suburban again, nothing much to see. Let's bet he gets off in the urban area and take a shortcut!"
With that, the two turned their bikes around, turning onto a rugged small path.
"What if he got off halfway?" Du Kang couldn't help asking.
"He didn't ride a bike either. Even if he got off, he has to find a way to get back, right!"
"Holy crap, that's true!" Du Kang came to a realization.
"Alright, hurry up." Qingyi bent his body low.
"I want to be fast too," Du Kang was crying without tears. "But the dog is almost getting bounced out!"
Another dozen or so minutes passed. The two people and one dog were all sticking out their tongues by the roadside. Du Kang downed the mineral water in one gulp:
"How about it... this time... we can definitely catch up, right?"
"Just asked..." Qingyi was exhausted enough too. "The next bus hasn't arrived at the stop yet."
"Let's get straight on the bus to look for Shutong later. Whatever action he has, at least say something, right?" Du Kang grumbled. "Taking a step back, answering a phone call works too."
Hearing this, Qingyi nodded. The two locked their bikes, taking a glance at their phones from time to time. Finally—
The bus made a wide turn from far away, driving toward the road in the urban area.
Soon, the doors opened.
Du Kang took a stride up. He scanned the inside of the bus, but was stunned:
"Where is he?"
Not only were pedestrians sparse today, but there were also very few passengers inside the bus. One could take in everyone's faces at a glance.
"You two young men move toward the back first. Also, don't hold a dog coming up."
While he was dazed, the driver reminded him.
The two hurriedly jumped off the bus from the front door again.
"You didn't see him just now either, right?" Du Kang confirmed.
"No." Qingyi shook his head.
"Then..."
"Woof!"
Du Kang's face darkened. He patted Zorro and asked again:
"Then he really got off halfway?"
"Confirm whether you miswrote or not first," Qingyi said helplessly. "What if the person who got on back then wasn't Shutong at all?"
"Definitely was," Du Kang guaranteed.
"Then that can only mean he got off halfway," Qingyi said thoughtfully. "But those two stops are both suburban. Aside from wild grass, it's just the lake. What's there to see..."
"Wait," Du Kang suddenly felt a jolt. "Could it be that mud figurine appeared again, and Shutong is looking for that thing behind our backs?"
"But if that's the case, wouldn't it be more convenient for him to ride his family's motorcycle to search?"
Both could see the confusion in each other's eyes.
"Forget it, wait a bit more." Du Kang wiped off a handful of sweat. "If we still don't see him on the next bus, I reckon something really happened. By then, it won't be a laughing matter anymore."
"Okay." Qingyi looked gravely toward the direction of the road turn.
Another dozen or so minutes passed, and they finally waited for the next bus.
Before the bus could come to a steady stop, Du Kang jogged toward the front door.
"Wait," Qingyi said suddenly. "I seem to see him. He really is on the bus..."
"Where?"
"The third window from the back."
Du Kang hurriedly turned back. Who else could that face inside the window be besides Zhang Shutong?
Plain expression, likes to wear black clothes—these features all matched. Most importantly, his looks were definitely very eye-catching.
Du Kang suddenly felt a bit of an itch in his teeth:
"I told you not to answer the phone... hold this for a second."
Du Kang handed the dog to Qingyi.
"Hey..."
Qingyi subconsciously took Zorro, but before he could speak, Du Kang charged over with an arrow's stride. The bus door opened right in front of Du Kang's nose. Within his field of vision, his best friend was already impatient to charge up:
"You're being a bit uncool here, Shut—"
Two seconds later, Du Kang suddenly turned around and jumped off the bus.
"What's wrong?" Qingyi's tone subconsciously turned grave.
"He, he..." Du Kang stammered. "When did he open his mind?"
"What?"
Du Kang opened his eyes wide:
"There's actually a girl sitting next to Shutong!"
"Who?"
"Don't know..."
"Then why did you come down?"
"Hey, right, why did I jump down?" Du Kang turned around in confusion, while the bus was about to close its doors.
"Get up first and then talk." In an urgent situation, Qingyi grabbed him.
"Hey, what are you two doing?" The driver looked in horror as two masked people and a masked dog got on the bus.
However, the other party merely dropped coins in hurriedly, then found a seat near the window.
Du Kang secretly stole a few glances, then turned his head back, saying in a quiet voice:
"I seem to know who that girl is."
"Who?"
"Don't know."
"..." Qingyi's face went deadpan.
"I really don't know her, she just looks a bit familiar. Must have seen her in the past, but I just can't remember who it is," Du Kang hurriedly interjected. "The relationship between these two is pretty good."
Qingyi secretly turned his head back as well. Within his field of vision, the two were talking softly. Zhang Shutong would occasionally point out the scenery outside the window for the young girl beside him, as if introducing something, while a gentle smile hung on the young girl's face.
"Look, definitely not the first day knowing each other!" Du Kang said in surprise. "But Shutong actually knows other girls? How come I didn't know?"
"It's alright." Qingyi lost his interest, however. "Alright, your curiosity should be satisfied. Get off at the next stop."
"Getting off so soon? Not observing a bit longer? Fine, fine..." Du Kang muttered.
Although he was still very curious, with his good brother on a date with a girl, secretly tailing along was indeed a bit bad.
"Forget it." Du Kang rubbed the dog's head. "Find some time to ask another day. Lucky it's just the two of us; stop while the going is good. If Ruoping were here... mm, if Ruoping were here, she'd probably gossip him to death."
He suddenly cast a sympathetic glance at Shutong.
While talking, the two put on their down jacket hoods properly, preparing to head to the rear door of the bus first before Shutong discovered them.
"Excuse me..."
While walking, the bus slammed its brakes hard, and Du Kang accidentally bumped into someone.
The other party turned back. He looked for two seconds, yet couldn't see the face clearly.
There was actually another masked person!
Inside a small bus, three masked people were actually hidden.
"Senior!" The masked person took off her hat—it was a girl with tiger teeth. She smiled at them awkwardly, secretly extending a finger to seal her lips, "What a coincidence..."