Winter Returns

Chapter 112 My Explanation
The doctor's gaze also locked onto Zhang Shutong.

"Your boyfriend?"

She stood up, put her hands on her hips, and questioned him. The hem of her white coat fluttered, making her even more authoritative than Old Song.

Lu Qinglian looks like the perfect obedient girl, the kind of girl parents love. She has an oval face and peach blossom eyes. When she frowns slightly because of the wound, she looks pitiful. She seems quiet and well-behaved. So why did such a well-behaved girl suffer such a serious injury?
The blame can only fall on her frivolous and unreliable "boyfriend".

But this is the only point that needs clarification:
"no!"

The two spoke in unison. Zhang Shutong stood up immediately, while Lu Qinglian remained seated on the bench, her voice indifferent.

"Who is that?" the aunt asked, her eyes wide.

"...It's me." Zhang Shutong guiltily took the pot.

"Didn't you say it wasn't you?" The aunt was also stunned.

"I mean, I'm not her boyfriend..."

Zhang Shutong thought to herself, "Auntie, what kind of eyes do you have? Do we look like boyfriend and girlfriend? Why aren't we like siblings or something?"

He was mistakenly identified as her "young boyfriend" by a group of aunties and grandmas at the funeral in the original timeline;
The previous timeline also involved a heartless man who turned his back on people;
Now what have they become? A delinquent youth who leads innocent girls astray?
Oh, there really is a motorcycle parked outside.

Zhang Shutong herself felt that she couldn't explain it clearly, but the aunt stopped arguing and sat back down on the stool in a huff.

She was, after all, a doctor, not a teacher or a parent. She only asked a few extra questions because they were both students. Never underestimate the trouble two immature young people can cause, especially since her daughter was also in junior high school on the island. Seeing this made her feel a little sorry for the girl.

The aunt pulled a pen from the pen holder, the nib flying across the medical record paper, giving Zhang Shutong a rather unfriendly look.

"I don't care what your relationship is, don't run around today. Go home and rest, especially you—"

Zhang Shutong didn't understand why he had to emphasize himself.

"She's just a young girl, how can you be so insensible? Do her family know? Or did she sneak out without her parents' knowledge? Take her home right now, do you hear me?"

Zhang Shutong no longer wanted to guess what his aunt had imagined. This time it was indeed his fault, so before Lu Qinglian could speak, he nodded and quickly admitted his mistake.
"You're right, I was wrong, so we'll definitely cooperate fully with whatever treatment is needed..."

……

A few minutes later, in the hospital corridor.

“Zhang Shutong, I always thought you had a lot of common sense. I was wrong.”

Lu Qinglian sighed softly behind her.

This was the first and only sentence she uttered.

But her silence made one feel a little guilty.

The cane made a crisp sound on the colorful terrazzo floor. Luckily, she had brought enough money today, and Zhang Shutong bought her another cane. Lu Qinglian didn't say anything, but instead earnestly thanked herself, as if she had received a favor and that she was very kind to her.

But that might really be true. She doesn't even come to the hospital often when she's sick; she usually just endures it and gets better on her own.

Lu Qinglian's foot has now been treated and bandaged. Zhang Shutong is going to the second floor for an injection, so he tells Lu Qinglian to sit on the bench in the corridor and not to move around.

"Where are we going later?" Lu Qinglian asked in a surprisingly serious tone.

"Don't move, rest for a while, tonight is more important." She actually wanted to push herself, and Zhang Shutong felt a little complicated. "Follow the doctor's orders, we'll talk about it later."

Lu Qinglian nodded to indicate that she understood.

Zhang Shutong hurried up the stairs. It was the height of winter, the peak season for influenza. He brushed past many people along the way. The smells of food, people's body odor, and disinfectant mixed together, making him even more dizzy. He stopped at the corner, sighed, and thought to himself that what you fear most is exactly what happens.

If he had known Lu Qinglian's foot was injured like this, he should have gone to get her an IV drip. But now that the money has been paid and the medicine has been prescribed, there's no point in saying "if only I had known."

He arrived at the ward, where people were bustling about. The sofas were almost all occupied, and the poles with medicine bottles hanging on them looked like miniature telephone poles. He took his medicine and went inside to queue up. Just then, his phone rang, and Zhang Shutong's heart skipped a beat. Luckily, it was just a text message about unpaid bills.

He then remembered that data was expensive and scarce in 2012, and he had used up his data all day long.

Then came the phone bill payment. There wasn't a mobile app yet; it seemed like you had to reply via SMS. He thought about it while listening to the nurse in front of him call out:

"It's your turn, come here quickly!"

Zhang Shutong studied the text message as he entered the ward's medication room. There was a small bed in the room, and he lay down on it to take off his clothes. He could hear the crisp sound of the nurse breaking open the ampoule. The iodine felt cool on his skin. The nurse was a young nurse, but she was experienced. Without saying a word, the needle went into his skin with a "plop." At that moment, his phone dinged, and the phone credit was credited to his account.

"You seem quite busy, going out with your female classmates?" the nurse teased, stepping on the trash can. "But don't rush off yet, stay and observe for half an hour first."

The time between the overdue payment and the receipt of the payment was only a few minutes. It shouldn't be such a coincidence that any messages or calls would be missed. Zhang Shutong checked everything first and only nodded slowly after confirming that nothing was wrong.

The cold wind makes one tense, while the heating makes one relax. But this relaxation backfired. He slowly went downstairs holding the handrail, and for a moment he felt dizzy and disoriented, as if everyone was floating around in his field of vision.

Lunchtime arrived, but the hospital didn't have a cafeteria. Zhang Shutong belatedly realized he needed to eat, so he went to Lu Qinglian and asked what she wanted to eat, offering to buy it himself. Lu Qinglian glanced at him, however:
"Don't be brave."

Zhang Shutong understood what she meant, so she nodded and said, "Then I'll sleep for a while. Wake me up at twelve o'clock. If you receive a call or message, wake me up." Before she finished speaking, she immediately closed her eyes.

Zhang Shutong felt like he was floating on a cloud, but he didn't feel cold. He knew this was a good sign, indicating that his body temperature wouldn't continue to rise.

He was someone who was a bit light sleeper, and with the noise of footsteps around him and the light flickering through his eyelids, his consciousness was slowly drifting away.

I slept very soundly.

It wasn't until Lu Qinglian woke him up that Zhang Shutong was stunned for a moment, then heard his phone ring.

“Teacher Song,” Lu Qinglian said briefly, “it’s 11:58 now.”

Old Song... Old Song isn't in a hurry.

He blinked his sleepy eyes, feeling like he had slept for three or four hours, but in reality it had been less than half an hour.

Zhang Shutong answered the phone.

"Hey, Shutong, aren't you up yet?"

"Just woke up." He touched his forehead again; it was cool and slippery, the fever had subsided.

"I told you you should have gotten a good night's sleep a long time ago; your voice sounds much more energetic now."

Have it?

Upon hearing this, he carefully examined himself and discovered that he had indeed been fully revived. Zhang Shutong was quite surprised, so much so that he stood up and took a few steps.

My body no longer feels heavy, and my head is no longer dizzy. Although I still feel a little tired, it's much better than before the injection.

Fever-reducing injections really work.

Zhang Shutong then asked Lao Song what was wrong, to which the other party shouted:

"Are you home now? I'll come pick you up right away, the restaurant is all booked..."

Wait, what restaurant?
Zhang Shutong recalled that when they parted yesterday, Lao Song had said he would treat him to a meal. He had almost taken "I'll treat you another day" as just a polite remark, but he didn't expect his homeroom teacher to be serious.

"It's in the shopping mall where Qiu Mian lives, in a big private room. The five of you can order whatever you want," the man said with a smile. "We owe this to Qiu Mian's father. When I went to get the car, I thought going to the shopping street would be enough, but they insisted on giving me a prepaid card. I said I couldn't accept it, but he said it was for you kids. He's been running around for Qiu Mian all day. If he weren't tied up right now, he would have treated us himself..."

Zhang Shutong's mind was a bit of a mess. It felt like the world had changed when he woke up, and he even had the illusion that he had jumped to a different timeline.

He quickly asked a few more questions and finally understood the situation.

It turned out that Lao Song had also gone home and slept in. Around noon, the sun came out and a lot of the snow on the mountain road melted. Gu's bodyguard went to the staff dormitory to pick him up, took the tires, and drove to the villa. Then Lao Song drove his beloved car back.

Boss Gu wanted to invite him to dinner, but Old Song said he also had to treat a few students to dinner, as promised yesterday, which led to this phone call. No wonder he said he would drive over to pick him up.

Zhang Shutong only noticed the restaurant and overlooked how his car got there.

Then he remembered the other person saying, "The five of you can order whatever you want," could it be...?

Zhang Shutong's heart skipped a beat:
"Gu Qiumin is here too?"

"It's a shame you couldn't come." You could almost see the man shrugging. "Hey kid, you used to be so reluctant when people called you, but now that they're not taking the initiative, you're the opposite."

"I heard you say there were five people," Zhang Shutong said awkwardly.

"I meant the four of you plus Qinglian when I said five," Old Song said, speechless. "Qinglian has been running around with you all day, and you've already forgotten?"

Zhang Shutong hadn't forgotten Lu Qinglian, but because he had spent the whole day with her, he subconsciously hadn't considered her.

"So give me a straight answer, whether you're home or not. I need to go to the mountain to find Qinglian after I pick you up," Old Song urged again.

Zhang Shutong hesitated.

Although eating is eating no matter where you go, and although he is in good condition now and having a meal together is not a problem, he still feels that his own tasks are not yet finished.

That's why he subconsciously refused when the doctor suggested an IV drip. He had also told Lu Qinglian about his plans this morning, but he felt guilty for not doing his job properly.

"By the way, don't worry," Old Song added. "I saw Qiu Mian when I went over. She's perfectly fine and was just about to invite a few friends... a few younger female students over to play. She's not very familiar with Ruoping and the others yet; they just had dinner together yesterday. She needs some time to cool off, so don't overthink it. Wait until tomorrow, Sunday, when the teacher asks her if she's coming out..."

Zhang Shutong could roughly guess what Gu Qiumian was doing. Just like before, the young lady invited a few of her henchmen to her house for a party, singing karaoke in the movie theater downstairs. The driver might even go to Pizza Hut in the city to buy a few pizzas. Although she didn't plan to leave the island, life at home was no different from going out.

Old Song is a thoughtful person, and he specifically explained that they also have their own circle of friends, so it's normal that they don't want to come out to eat with you guys, and you can make plans for tomorrow.

Just then, my phone rang; it was a message from Gu Qiumian.

This time, she took the initiative to send a photo. The picture was dark, with colorful lights flashing above, but Zhang Shutong could tell that the background was a movie theater. He saw a sofa there, where he had just watched a movie with her.

Gu Qiu Mian herself wasn't seen in the picture, but three young girls were. One of them, Zhang Shutong, looked familiar. She had short hair and was jumping around in front of the screen with a microphone. She seemed to be Gu Qiu Mian's secretary. When the photo was taken, she was playfully making a "V" sign at the camera.

A candle was lit in the center of the coffee table, surrounded by several crystal glasses. The amber liquid shimmered with a mysterious luster under the candlelight. Even a proper karaoke bar couldn't be more impressive. This underground building was no longer as cold as it had been yesterday. It had been completely transformed in just one day. Just by looking at the photos, one could feel the lively and bustling atmosphere inside. The girls had started singing at noon and would probably stay until dark.

"Are you going or not?" Old Song asked, smoking, his voice mingling with the sound of the wind.

"Okay," Zhang Shutong agreed.

……

"But why didn't you tell me you were with Qinglian?"

At 12:30 pm, Zhang Shutong accompanied Lao Song to smoke outside the mall.

He didn't ask the teacher to pick him up. After asking Lu Qinglian's opinion, she said she had crutches and could rest wherever she went. Besides, she wasn't comfortable in the hospital, so Zhang Shutong brought Lu Qinglian along.

The injury on her foot couldn't be hidden, but when Lao Song asked, Lu Qinglian only said that she had accidentally twisted it yesterday.

Since her close friends hadn't arrived yet, she went inside Fox to wait.

Only the two of them remained outside chatting.

Old Song's gaze could only be described as one of admiration:

"I was worried that you would be lonely and bored at home alone, but I didn't expect that we had already made plans."

“It’s to the hospital,” Zhang Shutong emphasized. “And we made the appointment yesterday.”

How is her foot?

"No bones were broken, but he needs to rest."

Old Song paused, then sighed:

"So all I said yesterday was for nothing."

It seemed the joke earlier was just an opening, for he said, unusually serious:
"Didn't I tell you to stop worrying about that murderer? This isn't something you should be thinking about at your age. Why won't you listen? You dragged Qinglian along to play detective again this morning?"

Zhang Shutong was about to speak when the man waved his hand:

"Don't try to deny it. I know you well enough. You mix truth and lies together, and even when you tell the truth, you do so selectively. In the end, what you hear has nothing to do with the facts."

Okay. The homeroom teacher was right.

Zhang Shutong had no choice but to say:

"But don't worry about one thing, her ankle was really twisted yesterday, not an accidental injury today."

The man nodded, but wasn't going to play along with his banter anymore; he frowned again.
What about in the afternoon?

"Go back and rest after dinner, we'll talk about it tonight."

"Why is there still a night?" Old Song was exhausted.

Zhang Shutong is also mentally exhausted:

"Just tonight."

"Sigh, not that I'm criticizing you, but do you really expect to find something more powerful than those bodyguards and police officers?"

"There's no hope."

"Then what's the point of all this trouble?"

"Give yourself an explanation?"

Old Song didn't say whether he believed it or not, but just sighed, "I feel tired just thinking about it for you. Let me guess, on your way here, were you thinking about how to explain it to me?"

Zhang Shutong hadn't really thought about this. Perhaps it was because of the fever that he hadn't prepared any response beforehand. He would just have to deal with whatever came his way.

Of course, now I'm starting to have a headache.

Old Song muttered to himself again:
"Once you get past me, are you still thinking about how to explain it to your friends? If they try to persuade you, you definitely won't listen. If they want to go with you, you won't agree. And if you lie, I think you're starting to hate lying now, am I right?"

Zhang Shutong nodded helplessly.

“So I’ll help you one last time,” he said. “If I said I would drive you around this afternoon, you two would definitely not agree, since you’re so secretive. So I’ll just help you clean up the mess. Don’t mention the motorcycle later. If there’s anything that’s easy to give away, just blame it on me. I’ll say… let me think, I’ll say I drove you around to eat. But Qinglian sprained her ankle on the way down the mountain, so we had to go to the hospital again.”

Zhang Shutong was silent for a while, and Lao Song patted him on the shoulder, "Don't be so moved, it's what a teacher should do."

He thanked him.
"But I thought you would ask more questions."

Old Song said calmly:
"Well, everyone has things they don't want to talk about. If you wanted to say something, you would have said it already. Asking now won't help."

"You just said you wanted to give yourself an explanation. Although I don't understand what you have to explain at such a young age, maybe I've talked to you too much and influenced you in some way. That's not good. But Shutong, do you know that sometimes giving yourself an explanation is the hardest thing to do?"

The man's shoulder suddenly slumped, and he stubbed out his cigarette.

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday, that the teacher used to have a girlfriend?"

(End of this chapter)