Winter Returns

Chapter 130 The Four-Leaf Clover Pendant Will Never Fall (Part 2)
Zhang Shutong then realized that it was no wonder they were acting strangely towards him, always seeming to want to say something but holding back.

"So what's the result?"

"As a result, the only surveillance camera that could possibly have captured the scene suddenly broke down, and no second person was found at the scene. In a sense, we should thank the avalanche for covering up a lot of things, so there is still no conclusion. Actually, the police wanted to ask you a long time ago, but your aunt and uncle blocked them."

Qingyi also said:
"But overall, the facts that everyone has deduced are as follows—there is indeed a suspect who wants to harm the Gu family. This person had scouted the area near the villa and left footprints on that mountain road. And this morning, you encountered this suspect on his way to the villa. You discovered something along the way. Maybe you wanted to stop him, or maybe he wanted to silence you. A fight broke out? Then you rode your bike to the villa to warn them, and unfortunately, an avalanche occurred. You were buried. When the other party arrived at the scene, they probably didn't think you had any chance of survival, so they gave up."

Zhang Shutong fell silent upon hearing this.

"Don't put so much pressure on yourself. I didn't come here to interrogate you, although I'm quite curious myself," Qingyi advised.

"I know."

"Want some oranges? Oh, I forgot you broke your hand. Do you want me to feed you? Actually, what I can't figure out is the motorcycle's rearview mirror. That angle couldn't have been caused by the motorcycle tipping over. So I exaggerated a bit earlier, like it was punched out of place." Qingyi shook his head and smiled. "But how could it be..."

"it is true."

Qingyi was taken aback.

Zhang Shutong said softly:

"You're mostly right. There really is such an unimaginable being, with incredible strength and speed, but I don't know who she is."

“I was going to say I didn’t believe it, but I’ve seen how Lu Qinglian kicked that poacher away before…” Qingyi murmured, “You mean there are others like her, and then what?”

“I couldn’t beat her, so I tried to ride up the mountain road to find the bodyguard for help, but unfortunately that triggered an avalanche.”

"And then she was rescued by chance after being discovered by Lu Qinglian?"

"That's understandable."

"You're really lucky to be alive," Qingyi exclaimed. "And there's one more thing, can I ask you? Why were you so sure that midnight was the time for her to make her move? I remember you were in a hurry when you rode away on your bike?"

"Old Song told me."

"Old Song?"

"Old Song asked me to go to his dorm, saying he had something for me." Zhang Shutong tried to reach for the orange with his other good hand, but couldn't.

"What is it?"

"Photos, several photos of that woman appearing under the surveillance cameras, and often in the early morning."

Zhang Shutong suddenly found this idea brilliant. He could let his mentor take the blame for him again. After all, he was a man with a story, so one more wouldn't make a difference.

"A woman who appears on camera precisely at midnight sounds like an urban legend. Is it real?"

Qingyi forgot all about eating the orange, and Zhang Shutong seized the opportunity to snatch it away. He moved his mouth and mumbled:

"Maybe that person is the one Lu Qinglian is looking for. It seems that Lao Song is also looking for her. I don't know why. Maybe the car accident this afternoon was related to the other person, which made him think of something. So he asked Du Kang to call and remind me to pick up Gu Qiumian first and then go to his dormitory."

"So Old Song has quite a few secrets. Could he have had some other purpose in driving around like this all these years?"

Zhang Shutong hummed in agreement.
"That's not the point. The point is, I want to remind you, and also Du Kang and Ruoping, that there are indeed some things on the island that may not make sense."

……

In the end, Qingyi also left.

Rarely did anything cause him to show shock, but this time he truly left in shock.

Zhang Shutong began eating his first meal of the day.

Green pepper and shredded pork rice bowl.

He wolfed down the limp green pepper strips.

The fever has subsided, but there's a fracture in my left arm. Other areas only have soft tissue contusions and a lot of bruising. The anesthesia hasn't worn off yet, and I expect I'll be in so much pain that I won't be able to sleep tonight.

Zhang Shutong had already foreseen this tragic future.

While he was still in the mood, he wanted to get out of bed quickly, so he forced himself to get out of bed. He was now living in that observation room, and after discovering this, he was somewhat speechless, thinking that it was better to avoid this kind of fate.

He came 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, and he didn't know what they were busy with. He was the only one left. Zhang Shutong leaned on the windowsill and looked out. The snow had almost melted.

Behind the hospital was an old building with red brick walls. Perhaps due to neglect by the owner or because the building had long been abandoned, it was overgrown with weeds. Withered ivy clung to the walls, half of which had been blown down by the wind, and the huge leaf wall swayed precariously, creating a desolate scene.

Last time he retraced his steps and named it the Cold-Blooded Line, so what should he call it this time?
I can't think of a cool name, so I'll leave it for now.

He finally had time to think about the reasons for retrospection.

Perhaps he was on the verge of death after being buried by an avalanche, which led him directly back eight years in the future; but after being rescued in the hospital and out of danger, he naturally returned.

Perhaps it's related to that dream.

In his cold-blooded state, he could gamble on the possibility of being killed by the murderer and then returning to the past. However, the murderer no longer exists in this timeline. Perhaps he went to find another way and disappeared for a while.

"Now you've paid a price to find other uses for 'it'."

This sentence came back to mind.

It was getting dark, but the overhead lights were very bright. He saw his face reflected in the glass. What have you been running for these past eight years?
Zhang Shutong muttered to himself.

It's impossible to trace back to that point now.

He shook his head and stopped thinking about it. Things that couldn't be verified weren't worth wasting too many brain cells on; it was enough to keep a guess in his mind.

The island is really a very small place, and small means you'll meet all sorts of acquaintances. Zhang Shutong turned around and made eye contact with the nurse who came to check on him for two seconds.

The other party shouted:
"You're trying to run away again?"

Zhang Shutong quickly said no, I just came out for some fresh air.

"Really?" she asked suspiciously. "I think it's necessary to ask the dean for permission to use a restraint belt to tie you to the bed."

One second she was gritting her teeth, the next she was laughing:

"Just kidding. I heard you did something amazing, you're practically a minor celebrity in our hospital now. Did you do something heroic?"

"Celebrity? That's an exaggeration."

“It’s really exaggerated. This morning, all the leaders from your school came, as well as the police. Oh, right, it seems like a big boss also came. I think he was a big boss. I saw a lot of luxury cars parked in front of the hospital, and a person got out of a car surrounded by a bunch of people. That big boss came to your room and stayed for a while. You still didn’t wake up. He said a few words to your parents and then left.”

"Really?" Zhang Shutong was surprised.

"You didn't know?" the nurse exclaimed in surprise.

"really do not know."

No one had told Zhang Shutong that it would be so lively today. It wasn't surprising that people from the school and the police had come, but he didn't expect that Gu's father would also come.

They had supposedly had quite a few casual interactions, but they had never met in person, and Zhang Shutong didn't even know what the man looked like.

Of course, not meeting this legendary big boss is not a regret; on the contrary, meeting him would be a headache.

"The girl you brought back is here too," the nurse said again.

"I do know that. I saw her at noon, but she fell asleep before I could even say anything."

"Not at noon, it's right now."

The 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.

As she said this, Gu Qiu Mian came to his side. The hospital was air-conditioned, so it wasn't cold. She was only wearing a wool cardigan over her skirt, and the pendant was still tied to the end of her hair, sparkling in front of the window.

Zhang Shutong's attention was still on that sentence.

He didn't expect that the first thing they said to each other would be this.

I never expected it to be so sudden. Wasn't it supposed to be the second semester of the fourth year of junior high?
"Oh..." He nodded instinctively. "Where to, the provincial capital?"

"Yes, I've already contacted the school."

"Have you decided to transfer next semester?"

"Not next semester, it's next week."

"So soon?" Zhang Shutong asked in surprise.

Gu Qiu Mian nodded, then leaned against the windowsill, one hand supporting her chin, her expression unreadable. The two gazed at the ivy-covered ground, and the girl's soft voice drifted into their ears:

“My dad felt it wasn’t safe to stay on the island, so he made me transfer.” Zhang Shutong was caught off guard.

Which butterfly flapped its wings this time?

The only change he made was to take Gu Qiu Mian home before dawn.

Why is the transfer to another school being brought forward?

“I know what you did last night,” Gu Qiumian said again. “You stopped the person who left the footprints, didn’t you?”

"More or less," Zhang Shutong said hesitantly.

"But you still didn't tell me."

"because……"

“You could have woken me up, then I could have called Dad and had the bodyguards handle it, but you still went and risked it all by yourself.”

"Feel sorry."

"I don't want your apology." Gu Qiumian turned around. "I came to the hospital just to say goodbye to you. I told you before not to hide it from me anymore. I didn't want to see you running around outside with a fever, and I didn't want to see you facing those dangerous bad people alone. But you wouldn't listen. I said I was tired."

Zhang Shutong seemed to understand what she meant: since she didn't want to trouble herself so much, she should just move away. That way, not only would it be troublesome, but she wouldn't even have to see her.

That's a really good way to solve everything at once.

Zhang Shutong opened his mouth, and a gust of fierce cold wind swept by, finally peeling the ivy off the wall. In the corner of his eye, Ye Qianquan collapsed to the ground with a crash, and he didn't even have anything to say.

Their eyes met, and Gu Qiu Mian looked intently into his eyes:

“Although you stopped that person, Dad thinks that as long as he wasn’t caught, the danger wasn’t over, so he’s decided to move with me. Do you understand?”

"clear."

"Actually, I don't want to leave, but my father is very determined. I have to leave unless I can find a reason to persuade 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 footage didn’t capture it. The police said they couldn’t find anything by searching, and who knows if he will come back, so there’s nothing I can do…”

“Actually, that person has already been caught,” Zhang Shutong blurted out instinctively.

He felt a sense of relief after he finished speaking, but then immediately regretted it.

He thought to himself that this was troublesome. He could have pretended to be stupid, said that the murderer had escaped and that he hadn't seen the other person's face clearly, and then given a vague account of what happened that night. It would have become an unsolved case, similar to the shipwreck incident many years ago. It might have been a bit eerie, but as the story spread, people stopped paying attention to the truth itself.

But he eventually let it slip. It wasn't that he particularly liked keeping things from others, but some things are much more troublesome to say than not to say. His father and the police would probably keep asking him questions.

Life is truly dramatic.

Either no one knows what they've done, and they remain unknown.

Either someone followed the clues and got closer to the truth, or it didn't have to be very true, and many people already thought he was a good young man who had done a good deed. The whole day was lively, and he was the center of attention. School leaders came, police came, and big bosses came. Maybe tomorrow a TV reporter will come to interview him, and the room will be filled with banners and bonuses.

But once things start, they will inevitably spread like a spider web until they weave a huge net that tightly wraps you up. It's not just his own situation that changes; a missing suspect can actually change a lot of things.

He thought Gu Qiu Mian would be surprised by this answer, but to his surprise, she simply asked:

“Go on, I need to know.”

Zhang Shutong braced himself and said everything he could:

"You can think of it this way: that person can't fall into the hands of your bodyguards. He is... how should I put it, you know there's a Green Snake Temple on the island, and that person is the one they're looking for, but there are a lot of things involved, even I don't understand them all, so I can only try my best to intercept him."

Gu Qiu Mian nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing; she simply closed the corridor window.
"It's too windy. You're not feeling well. Let's go back to your room and talk."

Fate is so strange. This time, Zhang Shutong followed her back to the observation room. He sat on the bed and told Gu Qiumian to find a chair to sit down, but she seemed not to hear him. Instead, she locked the door behind her, stood in front of the bed, and looked down at him, saying:
"Now, all you need to do is nod or shake your head at whatever I say."

Zhang Shutong nodded.

"You mean that person was caught?"

Zhang Shutong nodded.

"The reason you kept it from me is because that person happens to be someone else they're looking for, 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 sneaked out at night?"

Zhang Shutong was still nodding, thinking to himself that there was also Lao Song.

But he suddenly caught a glimpse of a smile on Gu Qiu Mian's lips, which she quickly suppressed with her frosty expression.

"Is there anything else you need to tell me?"

"without……"

"Why are you so disobedient? Didn't I tell you to nod or shake your head?"

Zhang Shutong shook his head.

Gu Qiu Mian stopped speaking. She simply cast a cold glance down at him, as if trying to discern whether her words were true or false.

Zhang Shutong felt guilty under her gaze. In fact, he himself thought it was a bit ridiculous. She wasn't this cold when she was asleep at noon. He thought it was better than the motorcycle in his dream, but now was clearly not the time to joke.

Gu Qiu Mian stared at him without blinking, and soon some mist appeared in her beautiful eyes. Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "Whether you're disappointed in me or angry, please blink. Look, your eyes are tired from staring at me."

But he soon realized that it wasn't because she was tired of looking at him, but because her eyes were turning red at a visible speed. Zhang Shutong suddenly felt helpless. He didn't know why Gu Qiumian was crying for no reason. He was always an idiot in this regard, so he grabbed a tissue from the bedside and comforted her, saying, "Don't cry, don't cry."

But Gu Qiu Mian just snatched the tissues.

"I'll just say the last thing." He held up one finger. "I don't expect you to believe what I just said, nor do I expect it to convince your father. Rather, I hope you can keep it a secret. I'm telling you this so you can feel more at ease. But it's best not to tell anyone else."

This matter is no longer just his responsibility; at the very least, he can't sell Lu Qinglian out.

Zhang Shutong didn't know what to say, so he could only offer words of comfort:

“I think your dad is doing this for your own good, that’s why he made you transfer schools, so…”

To everyone's surprise, she suddenly burst into laughter through her tears:
"Idiot, what transfer? How come I don't know anything about it?"

Zhang Shutong stopped pulling out tissues, completely stunned:
"What were the first things you said to me when you saw me?"

“I’m telling you, you’re stupid.” She sat down on the edge of the bed, glaring at me. “I don’t think you’re smart at all, you’re incredibly stupid.”

Zhang Shutong had never thought of himself as stupid before, but now he seemed to really feel it, and he was stunned:
"What do you mean?"

"So, all those things were lies to you, because you didn't tell the truth." She kicked her boots high, laughing so hard her body trembled. "And then you believed them? Oh dear, whoever heard I was transferring schools and immediately told me, that person was actually arrested!"

“I didn’t…” Zhang Shutong explained, “I just didn’t want to hide it from you.”

"Then why did you run away last night?" She quickly turned around and glared at him.

Zhang Shutong obediently shut up.

He only heard Gu Qiumian say:

"Do you really think I'd believe the 'truth' that the police investigation uncovered? If you really just accidentally ran into that bad guy, why would you call your friends in the middle of the night? So I know you're definitely lying again, and there are definitely a lot of things you're not going to tell me."

"But I finally figured it out today. If I ask you the same thing as before, the answer I'll get is always 'sorry, sorry, sorry.' I'm telling you, I'm so tired of hearing that word!"

After saying that, Gu Qiu Mian glared at him.

Zhang Shutong whispered an apology, and only then did she turn around, satisfied:

"You idiot, that's how it is. I changed my method, and then you fell for it."

She hummed:

"You're a little silly, Tongtong."

Zhang Shutong was stunned again.

……

The girl gently tossed her long hair, revealing her eyes that never showed any emotion.

As darkness fell, she walked to the temple in the last rays of the setting sun and pushed open the peeling wooden door.

The room was dimly lit, with a faint candlelight illuminating her face as Lu Qinglian looked at the altar in front of her.

Eight candlesticks were lit on the altar, but half of them had gone out, barely illuminating the statue of the deity enshrined above.
"I'm back," Lu Qinglian said calmly to the empty hall.

A soft rustling sound came from the side hall, and an old woman came out of the side hall, looking at a small clay figure she was holding in her hand.

(End of this chapter)