Winter Returns

Chapter 121 "Elopement" (Thanks to Celica Hilufiel for being the leader)

Zhang Shutong hugged Gu Qiumian.

That familiar, rich aroma came to me again.

But then his body began to fall backward uncontrollably.

Zhang Shutong knew it was a bit embarrassing, but he had no choice; he simply didn't have the strength left.

In the end, Gu Qiumian pulled him up, and he barely managed to stand still.

The two stared at each other in the darkness.

Gu Qiumian's hands were still wrapped around his neck.

His hand was around her waist.

Gu Qiu Mian moved her lips, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just reached out her hand, as if she wanted to touch his forehead.

"It's not hot, I'm leaving."

Zhang Shutong dodged for a moment and whispered.

He turned around and led the way. How could it still be burning hot? After being blown by the night wind all the way, even the hottest forehead should have cooled down.

Looking towards the study, I could only see the side, where a light was faintly lit.

Hopefully, the villa is well soundproofed, and Mr. Gu didn't hear any noise outside.

Fortunately, no bodyguards came out to smoke anymore. Zhang Shutong checked the ground and found that the snow in the yard had been cleared away long ago, leaving no footprints.

He silently pointed to the gate, signaling Gu Qiumian to go first.

He is now focused on the most important things, as any slight oversight could lead to failure.

He swept the spot where he had just stood with the sole of his shoe, erasing the last trace. On the way here, he had reminded Gu Qiu Mian to remember to draw the curtains and close the windows before leaving. Looking up, the girl did as he was told.

The two then carefully crossed the yard and arrived at the fence. He pulled Gu Qiumian's hand and hid in the blind spot, gently closing the door behind them.

Another electronic notification tone sounded.

It seemed to announce the successful conclusion of the operation.

Only then did they have time to talk.

Did you bring your phone?

"Of course I brought it..."

The girl whispered.

Her decisiveness seemed to exist only in the moment she jumped off the terrace; once they were actually together, she didn't know what to say.

Zhang Shutong turned on his flashlight, illuminating the path ahead, and asked proactively:
Are your feet cold?

"A little, how about you?"

"My feet aren't cold."

"Who asked about your foot? I'm asking how high your fever is."

"Not tested."

"Let me touch it."

Gu Qiumian tugged at the corner of his clothes.

Zhang Shutong shook his head, telling her he was fine:

"Would you like to change into my shoes?"

"No," she muttered. "Who's as silly as you? It's not like I don't know how to wear socks."

"I……"

"I've told you so many times I'm fine, why won't you listen?"

"..."

"Why are you running around outside instead of sleeping at night? It's so cold, I was just about to go to sleep. Do you think I wanted to come out with you?"

"..."

"You've been lying to me all day. I hate liars the most. You're so annoying."

"..."

"Also, ever since that day you've been saying you'd take me out, making it all so serious, but when I ask you, you won't tell me..."

"..."

"Please don't blame me."

"What's it to you about?" Zhang Shutong was taken aback, not expecting her to suddenly say something like that. "Who's blaming you?"

Gu Qiumian didn't reply, but asked instead:
"You're not lying to me this time?"

"I'm not lying to you, why would I blame you?" Zhang Shutong turned around and looked into her eyes. "I think it's good that you don't blame me."

"I don't blame you, so let's go now," she said softly.

They soon arrived at the mountain road.

Knowing that Gu Qiumian couldn't walk fast, he walked slowly ahead of her.

With each step, Gu Qiumian stepped into the footprints he left behind.

Behind them were brightly lit, palace-like buildings. The night was like a tide, and they walked through the thick darkness, with the cold wind like waves that occasionally rose up.

The shoes crunched on the snow. Zhang Shutong couldn't remember who had told her that walking in the snow was a romantic thing.

He didn't believe it before, and he hasn't refuted the view yet, but he feels it's not that bad.

Gu Qiumian said again after a while:
"Zhiruo called me when you arrived."

"Who?"

"It's that girl with the short hair. I didn't know she'd added you as a friend. She said she originally wanted to provoke you, but she didn't expect you to be at the hospital getting an injection. If I had known you were at the hospital, I wouldn't have called you..."

"I'll come whether you call or not."

“I think so too,” Gu Qiumian said softly. “Fool.”

Zhang Shutong originally wanted to say that Gu Qiumian wasn't that smart either, but he recently discovered that Gu Qiumian was actually quite intelligent, so he was too embarrassed to say it.

But why would someone who isn't stupid go out with him?

Zhang Shutong thought for a moment, then said seriously:
"Thank you for trusting me so much."

But saying that would have been better than not saying it at all; instead, she pinched the soft flesh on my waist.
"Who believes you?"

Gu Qiumian finally widened her eyes:
"Do you really think I believe you? That staying at home would cause trouble? That's why I ran away to seek refuge?"

"What else can we do?" Zhang Shutong was also dumbfounded.

He thought to himself, "I was so touched just now. I even finished handing over my work to your dog and promised it that I would be a good henchman, but you didn't believe me at all."

Gu Qiumian said:

"I have two more issues to settle with you now. What about your mother? Does she know that you were riding your bike outside with a fever?"

"Uh, she's not home..."

"So what do you think I'm doing out with you so late? You want to keep taking me out like this? I'm telling you to go home and sleep!"

After Gu Qiu Mian finished speaking, she stared at him intently, as if she would only continue walking if he nodded.

Zhang Shutong reluctantly agreed. Although he hadn't planned to take her out on any random trips, it now seemed as if she was the one who came out to protect him.

He was about to ask when he owed him two more debts, when he caught a glimpse of a beam of light flashing below the mountain road out of the corner of his eye.

—It's the car carrying those two bodyguards that's back.

Gu Qiu Mian immediately became anxious and grabbed his hand, ready to run back.

Zhang Shutong then realized that she had actually been very nervous the whole time.

They just didn't show it easily.

Come to think of it, how could he not be nervous if he secretly ran away from his father and the whole house without even thinking about how to get back?
At the time, she retorted that she didn't need to worry about it. This didn't mean that she could handle it herself, but rather that she didn't want to get involved and acted impulsively.

Gu Qiumian has always been a sentimental girl.

Zhang Shutong hurriedly said, "Don't panic, don't panic. I had considered this situation on my way here and had already found a hiding place."

Zhang Shutong recalled the nurse's words: "Don't talk nonsense." Intending to flatter her, Zhang Shutong said, "You didn't expect that, did you? I have a trump card." Past experiences proved this statement particularly effective against her. Gu Qiumian was momentarily stunned, but her panic subsided. She suppressed a smile and glared at him.
"What time has it been!"

They came to a hollow in the mountain wall.

He brought his black down jacket with him when he came up—originally to keep Gu Qiu Mian warm—but now it served as camouflage. He unfolded it and placed it on the outside, so that even when the car lights shone on it, it would only look like a stone if you didn't look closely.

The two were pressed tightly together, their breaths almost touching. Gu Qiu Mian's eyes gleamed in the darkness as she gently exhaled warm breath, feeling the rise and fall of her chest.

No one paid any more attention to the car that drove by.

It was almost 11 o'clock when we came down the mountain road.

Zhang Shutong then remembered to ask:
"How did you know I had a fever?" He had been covering his mouth and nose while hiding, afraid of getting too close and catching his cold from the other person. "Teacher Song said so. I was also going to ask him how he knew you were running around outside."

Zhang Shutong roughly understood what was going on.

"Get in the car."

"Ah."

Once the car started moving, Zhang Shutong asked her:
"Want some late-night snacks?"

"No, go home."

"I might not be able to get home; my car is almost out of gas," Zhang Shutong explained. "Could I go to the hospital for a while? They work night shifts there, and there are beds in the wards?"

"casual."

"Isn't that the word you hate the most?"

Gu Qiumian gently pressed her face against his back:
"You can go anywhere, just don't ride your bike around recklessly anymore."

Zhang Shutong twisted the accelerator.

……

They stopped their car in a department store that was still lit up.

Despite being in the city center, the streets were deserted.

It's more accurate to say that this is the only place that's still open for miles around.

The supermarket only had one door open and one light on, mainly serving men who came out to buy cigarettes at night.

"I'll buy a bottle of coffee to perk me up. Wait a minute."

After saying that, Zhang Shutong stepped off the kickstand and told Gu Qiumian to wait for him in the car.

He walked into the supermarket. The owner behind the counter yawned lazily. Zhang Shutong glanced at the shelves and saw that there wasn't much left. He had overestimated the store. There was no coffee for sale, only ordinary drinks.

He took a bag of biscuits and a bottle of yogurt. There was no incubator here, so the yogurt wasn't regular yogurt, but rather a bottle of nutritional drink.

He hoped to take the girl to a convenience store to rest, so she could have a hot bowl of oden and a hot drink to warm her hands, but unfortunately, there was no such place on the island.

After paying and leaving the supermarket, he saw a few old streetlights dimly lit on the quiet street.

The motorcycle stopped under the light, casting a long shadow.

Gu Qiumian sat in the back seat of the car, her eyes fixed on the direction of the supermarket.

Zhang Shutong returned to the car and knelt down in front of Gu Qiumian:

"Don't move, I bought a pair of socks and slippers." He had just noticed that her slippers were wet.

"I can do it myself..." Gu Qiumian's voice was barely audible. She awkwardly shrank her feet and tried to get out of the car by holding onto his shoulder.

"Let me do it, it's inconvenient for you."

Zhang Shutong took off her socks. Her feet were icy cold. She struggled for a moment, then let him hold them. He felt like he was putting on glass slippers for a princess.

"But they're all cheap stuff, just make do with them."

"Ah."

“I’ll try to borrow a car,” Zhang Shutong said. “I’ll definitely take you back before dawn. Of course, even if you get back, it will be hard to explain why you’re on the first floor. I guess I’ll have to ask Aunt Wu to help look after you.”

"Ah."

“For example, when the bodyguard is asleep, have her press the elevator button to the first floor. I’ll find a way to distract the bodyguards outside, and you can sneak in without being detected. If that doesn’t work, there are other ways.” Zhang Shutong was silent for a while. “Come out with me, and I definitely won’t make things difficult for you.”

"You idiot, worrying about others again." Gu Qiumian didn't address how to get back, but instead asked softly, "What have you been doing all day?"

"It's a long story. I was just riding my bike around aimlessly when I ended up at the hospital getting an IV drip. What about you?"

"Singing, playing the piano, and building blocks with friends."

"Did you have fun?"

"Actually, I'm not very happy."

"why?"

Gu Qiumian did not answer the question.

She asked again:
Did you even use that card?

"It was no use. In the end, Teacher Song treated us to dinner. By the way, Teacher Song went to the hospital."

"How could this be? Is it serious?" Gu Qiumian exclaimed in surprise.

"He got a minor injury while driving, so I went off the island this afternoon to accompany him to the hospital. Of course, he's fine now. Then, he probably felt worried because I was still out there, so he sent you a message."

"Then I'll talk to Dad tomorrow and ask him to put in a good word."

"We'll see, it probably won't be necessary."

He had already helped Gu Qiu Mian put on her slippers and then got on his motorcycle.

"gone."

A little after 11 a.m., the two rode to the hospital.

The motorcycle's fuel gauge finally reached zero. There might still be some fuel left in the tank, but it could only last for about one or two kilometers at most.

It had gloriously completed its mission, and Zhang Shutong silently thanked his father's motorcycle.

He and Gu Qiumian went to the hospital together and smelled that disinfectant smell again.

There was only one staff member on duty in the registration room in the lobby.

"Do you need another injection?" Gu Qiumian asked.

"Let's not play today, it's too late."

"This is my first time here." Gu Qiumian looked around the hall and wrinkled her nose. "It is indeed very small."

Zhang Shutong smiled and said, "Of course it's small."

"I regret it," Gu Qiumian muttered. "I should have let you go to school earlier, to the library, where there's heating and snacks."

“There are too few people there, just the two of us,” Zhang Shutong explained. “At least a hospital has some human presence.”

"Who would come to the hospital looking for people... Forget it, you're not allowed to leave here."

This is Zhang Shutong's fourth visit to the hospital today.

He took Gu Qiumian to the second floor and into the ward. He had only been gone for less than an hour, and the room was empty, with the wall lamp flickering.

He told Gu Qiumian to find a place to sit down first, and fearing she might find it dirty, he took off his coat and spread it on the sofa.

Zhang Shutong went to the dispensing room.

Hearing footsteps, the young nurse yawned and looked up from the table:
"Give me the prescription first. Have you paid yet...?"

But before he could finish speaking, his eyes widened suddenly:

"No, why are you here again?"

Zhang Shutong felt a little awkward. He couldn't very well say that he had nowhere to go and could only stay here with a girl for a while.

I wonder if public hospitals will kick people out?
Before he could even speak, the nurse immediately stood up, as if facing a formidable enemy:

"You want another shot? Let me make this clear, I'm not giving you one. I've only been here for a year, just finished my internship. If you come here again, it'll be considered medical malpractice. Or you can go and cause trouble for someone else tomorrow..."

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Gu Qiumian sitting outside:

"Oh……"

The other party was stunned again.

"Is this the girl you were talking about?"

Zhang Shutong nodded.

"So beautiful..." She shook her head, feeling that the girl didn't fit in here. "No, I mean, why did you actually bring her back?"

Now the nurse looks at him with admiration.

"It's not for an injection," Zhang Shutong finally found a chance to speak, "Could we rest here for a while?"

“It’s not allowed according to the rules, but…” The nurse tugged at his clothes and whispered, “You’re practically my apprentice, so I’ll make an exception this time. But you two shouldn’t stay here. The head doctor will be making rounds soon, and besides, who brings girls to a place like this? I’ll find you two a private room…”

Zhang Shutong quickly expressed his gratitude.

"Don't thank me." She smiled and turned the key. "Since you didn't take him home directly, I think you're a good young man of the new era."

Zhang Shutong's phone rang again.

It was Ruoping calling.

It is 11:10 now.

There are still fifty minutes until midnight.

(End of this chapter)