Winter Returns

Chapter 125 One Life Clear (Part 2)

The man, like a ghost, wandered this land for four years in search of another ghost.

Life, in essence, is a process of giving an account of oneself.

There are ten seconds left in the countdown.

Zhang Shutong got out of bed and, using whatever he could see as support, walked to his desk. He opened the sports drink bottle; he already had his answer.

It wasn't just about protecting a girl's life, or rather, simply saving her life wasn't enough. After eight years, he finally understood the significance of his return to this place.

Instead of waiting passively for the murderer to be caught, we went to intercept her in advance.

They stopped her outside the villa.

Let this matter be resolved quietly.

Zhang Shutong knew the location, and since the camera had captured the woman in the early hours of the morning, he decided to go to the area under the camera before dawn.

Zhang Shutong also knew where the camera was.

But he knew even better that he was no match for that woman. He was dragging his half-crippled body along, and if he went, he would only be a hindrance, or rather, more than just a hindrance.

Zhang Shutong felt that he must be going crazy.

What does he have left now? A feverish body, a motorcycle out of gas, and all alone.

He looked at the wall full of photos and suddenly smiled.

"Damn it." Zhang Shutong was a man who rarely swore, but at this moment he still said softly, "I was clearly preparing to turn over a new leaf, didn't I? I promised myself that I wouldn't be arrogant, that there was nothing I couldn't do without."

But who can we tell this to?

Police officer or bodyguard? Gu Qiu Mian or her father?

People need to go a little crazy sometimes.

The countdown had ended. He slammed the can down on the table and murmured to the man far away on the island:

"Since you're too tired to handle it, leave it to me."

"I can still move."

"It will put a period to this."

……

Zhang Shutong turned and left the room. The sports drink seemed to ignite the last bit of potential in his body. The night wind howled, but he didn't feel cold.

Zhang Shutong wasn't foolish enough to go it alone. He knew perfectly well that the only person who could know the truth and help in this matter was Lu Qinglian. However, Lu Qinglian didn't have a cell phone and probably hadn't reached the villa by walking. Zhang Shutong had to notify her to change direction in time.

The mountain road is covered with thick snow, and a slight misstep could trigger an avalanche. It is definitely not a good place to stop the killer.

So he first dialed Ruoping's number, praying that the girl would answer quickly, but to Zhang Shutong's surprise, only a second later, she heard Ruoping's dissatisfied voice:
"what happened again?"

The whistling wind could also be heard.

Zhang Shutong was taken aback:
"Weren't you asleep?"

"What are you sleeping for? We called Du Kang and told him that you still want to cause trouble and insist on staying until dawn. Who can rest easy about you, you little devil? Qingyi and I are riding over here and will be at the hospital soon. Tell us what's wrong."

He immediately shared his thoughts, and Qingyi took the phone:
"I understand. I've brought the motorcycle over. Now I'll switch with Ruoping so she can ride to the hospital to meet you. I'm going to find Lu Qinglian. I'll hang up now."

This guy is pretty cool too. He hung up the phone right after he finished speaking without asking any questions. He's like a free spirit.

Zhang Shutong paused for a moment, then pedaled with all his might. It only takes ten minutes to cycle from the dormitory to the hospital, but he could shorten that time to eight minutes. He looked up and could see a girl sitting in a chair in a room on the second floor of the hospital.

When Zhang Shutong arrived at the hospital, it was already 11:34. He took a few steps up the stairs to the observation room at the end of the corridor. Actually, he didn't need to go upstairs, but he still wanted to see how she was doing.

Gu Qiumian was still asleep.

Perhaps in some future, the two of them will sleep in the observation room until dawn, and then she will stretch and say that she is such a troublesome person, but nothing has happened.

Zhang Shutong didn't call her, but instead turned off the TV.

He picked up Gu Qiumian, placed her on the single bed, and covered her with his coat.

He glanced downstairs; Ruoping hadn't arrived yet. He still had a little time to say something to the girl in front of him, but she was already asleep. In fact, she wouldn't hear anything he said, which meant he could say whatever he wanted.

"I'm sorry," Zhang Shutong said softly, "I couldn't watch the whole movie with you again. I'll make it up to you when I have the chance."

But he immediately realized that he had already broken his promises too many times, and that this promise was meaningless.

Although Zhang Shutong had been constantly running around her, he had never said anything about wanting to protect her. Now that Gu Qiumian was asleep, he hesitated for a moment before finally saying:
"Leave it to me. You'll be fine after a good night's sleep, I promise."

Now that you've come out with me, I'll make sure you can go back without worry.

It won't be a scene of bloodshed, it won't be a cruel truth, and it won't make you cry.

In her sleep, Gu Qiu Mian frowned, as if she had remembered something. Zhang Shutong apologized to her again, but the girl's eyebrows did not relax.

He sighed and realized that the hot water in the cup was gone. Zhang Shutong was no good at taking care of people. He only thought that the air-conditioned room was very dry and that he might be thirsty when he woke up, so he took the cup to the ward. The nurse was eating sunflower seeds and scrolling through her phone. Zhang Shutong thought the voice sounded familiar and realized that it was "A Chinese Odyssey".

The nurse asked without looking up:
"When did you get back? Why didn't you say anything?"

Zhang Shutong had no choice but to say that he had something to do and needed to go out for a while, and that he would leave immediately.

"What are you doing? Count how many times you've gone out today!" The nurse was clearly startled. "And look at your face, you look like you're about to faint."

Zhang Shutong said that it was from when I came back from outside, blown by the wind.

He thought for a moment and then said:

"And this is what you taught me."

"Hey, don't slander people like that. When did I ever teach you to run around with a fever?"

"That's not the sentence; it's about protecting a girl's feelings or something."

"That's the normal situation. This is a special situation. What kind of girl would you risk your life to protect? Although I admit the girl you brought is very pretty, even if she's pretty, it doesn't have to be..." The nurse's eyes widened. "It's not like you'd run out in the early morning to win her over, is it? Is she some kind of spoiled brat?"

"No," Zhang Shutong explained while pouring water. "I have something very important to do. Don't be fooled by her aloofness just now; she's actually quite soft-hearted and might glare at you at the drop of a hat."

"You're starting to talk nonsense now, it's so illogical."

"I feel a little dizzy."

So you mean a very fragile type?

Zhang Shutong remained silent for a moment:
"It's not that she's fragile, she's very strong, it's just that some malice is too much for her."

"Call the police! Find her parents!"

"The outcome could be worse."

"Then who else can do something?"

"There's no other way." Zhang Shutong picked up his water glass and hurried back, because he heard the sound of a motorcycle engine coming from downstairs. "I'll give it a try..." In the distance, he could hear lines from "A Chinese Odyssey":

"Look at that person, he looks like a dog."

The nurse called out from behind:

"Hey, don't make yourself look like this. Look in the mirror, you really look like a stray dog!"

It doesn't matter if they're homeless dogs. Zhang Shutong used to think the metaphor of stray dogs was incredibly awkward, but stray dogs also have their own special skills, and there are some things that even purebred hunting dogs can't do.

Zhang Shutong could no longer hear what she was saying.

He walked back to the observation room and placed the hot water on the windowsill, only to see Gu Qiumian still frowning. Zhang Shutong didn't know what she was dreaming about, but he no longer had time to linger.

The time is 11:39. It takes eight or nine minutes to get to the camera from here.

When Zhang Shutong said goodbye to the girl, he noticed that she was clutching something tightly in her hand, and even the blood on her fingers had faded.

Zhang Shutong gently pried her hands away.

It turned out to be his own motorcycle key.

He placed the key on the table again, and Gu Qiumian's beautiful eyebrows gradually relaxed.

A princess is a girl who can be easily flattered and manipulated.

Zhang Shutong closed the door.

He kept running.

He ran out of the corridor, down the stairs, and into the hospital. His lungs were burning with pain, but all he could do now was run, race against time.

As soon as he stepped out of the hospital, he saw Ruoping. Ruoping, always a chivalrous woman, tossed him her motorcycle helmet without a word. Zhang Shutong quickly caught it, and the girl asked:

"Hey, don't you have a few more words to say, busy man?"

Zhang Shutong put on his helmet and gloves at the same time:
"There's still time for two sentences."

"I wanted to ask you what you've been up to this time, but Qingyi wouldn't let me."

"After all, every man has a secret."

Suddenly, a clear, cheerful laugh rang out.

Normally, Zhang Shutong would complain to his older brother, "Where did you come from? Can you please stop with your cringey lines? I really can't stand it..." But now, he suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

To be honest, Zhang Shutong hadn't had this experience in years, because he saw Ruoping holding up her phone, and a group video call was open in the four-person group chat, with two familiar faces reflected on the screen.

It was pitch black where Qingyi was, and he was still riding his electric bike, which belonged to Ruoping.

Du Kang's place was brightly lit; he was leaning against the windowsill in the hospital corridor, a carefree smile on his face.

"Don't listen to Ruoping's nagging. Women are so indecisive. We're all buddies, what's the big deal? Hurry up and ride your bike."

"It's only manly to be decisive at times like this."

"Get out of here, you lot! Don't you have any conscience?" Ruoping laughed and scolded, then said, "I'll just play along with you one last time, Zhang Shutong. Don't expect a next time."

"You're not going to ask me anything?" Zhang Shutong put down his goggles.

Do you want to tell me?

"I'm sorry," he said softly, "but I really can't tell you this time."

He couldn't stand his own behavior anymore; he was acting like a fucking lunatic, constantly making everyone run around for him.

But he really couldn't say anything. Whether it was the resurrected dead, Gu Qiu Mian's mother, or Lao Song's ex-girlfriend, all he could do was keep running with these secrets in mind.

Ke Ruoping said:

"You actually apologized? Really? You never used to be so considerate of other people's feelings. But I'm satisfied with just hearing you say that. I'll go up and keep an eye on Gu Qiu Mian for you. Go ahead and act crazy."

Du Kang said:
"Shutong, be careful, don't forget it's my birthday on Monday."

"This time it will definitely be in time for your birthday."

Zhang Shutong twisted the accelerator. He wasn't familiar with the car yet and needed to figure out the gears first. Actually, there was still a moment left, but he really didn't know what to say.

He felt somewhat lost. In his past regressions, Zhang Shutong had to spend a lot of effort to gain people's trust each time. He had even told the other party that he could regress, but he was just treated as a mental patient. Later, he got used to being a lone wolf and became too lazy to explain so much. As long as he could achieve his goal, he didn't care what those people thought.

But at this moment, he felt guilty about this trust. He didn't know how long it had been since he had been trusted like this: his best friend's trust, Lao Song's trust, his parents' trust, Gu Qiumian's trust... Zhang Shutong suddenly realized that so many people were already surrounding him.

Everyone has something most precious in their heart, something for which you would be willing to risk your life.

He knew that for Lao Song it was that short-haired girl with dimples, and for him, the most precious thing was this trust.

But people often find it hardest to speak openly about trust. The tires were already rolling on the ground, and in the end, he only said:

"I am leaving."

Ruoping's faint voice came from behind:
"Hey, Shutong!"

Zhang Shutong turned around.

Du Kang said:
"After all this trouble! You'd better come back with good news! Otherwise, it'll be too embarrassing!"

Qingyi concluded by saying:

"Do you remember what I told you? You wouldn't admit it back then, but now you're running wildly down that road..."

He said that a true man is one who will fight to the death to protect what he cherishes.

Zhang Shutong smiled and waved his hand behind him, indicating that he certainly remembered.

I remember very clearly what they said.

If possible, I really want to watch that movie, called Roman Holiday. He doesn't expect to go to Rome; having a vacation is a luxury for him.

Perhaps we can leave this matter to Mr. Gu.

The other party may be able to do it, or they may not.

But if you leave everything to others...

What is the point of this ability to rewind?
Zhang Shutong had always longed for that unattainable Sunday, for a normal life, but now he realized that if he only indulged in the beauty of the past, tomorrow would never come.

He recalled a saying that only when you are covered in blood, sweat, and mud, and become scarred and broken, until people think you have gone mad, will tomorrow come.

He rode his bike through the snowy night once again, but this time he was heading to his final destination, to put an end to this matter once and for all.

The so-called regression is being trapped in the cycle of reincarnation time and time again, and being exhausted from running around.

You're like a wild dog, constantly running towards tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)