Winter Returns

Chapter 138 Pokémon Training Conference

“I went there yesterday.”

Lu Qinglian seemed to be discussing an extremely serious topic. Zhang Shutong wondered if it was just his imagination, but a cold glint appeared in her eyes.

Zhang Shutong understood her feelings. This was no longer just a matter of the base being discovered; it was that the other party not only invaded her base but also unethically took the key before leaving. It was like Batman returning to the Batcave, and Spider-Man was about to climb in through the window, but after searching outside for a long time, the two superheroes discovered that their locks had been changed.

Tolerable or unbearable.

"But I don't have a spare key either," Zhang Shutong said helplessly. If he didn't have something else to do later, he would definitely have stayed to look for it, but Gu Qiumian had sent a QQ message not long ago saying that she was waiting for him at the school gate, so he had to come back and deal with it later.

"I understand." Lu Qinglian nodded and began grading homework again, causing strands of hair to fall down her temples.

"Don't be impulsive, Lu Qinglian," he kindly advised, sensing that she might very well go directly to the rooftop entrance to ambush him.

"What childish things are you thinking about now, Zhang Shutong?" Lu Qinglian frowned and drew a big X on the paper with murderous intent. She didn't know if it was because the person had made too many mistakes in the words, or for some other reason. "I just find it strange that if you want to go to the rooftop, you can just go up there. There is no need to take the key."

"Right."

Zhang Shutong thought to himself that not everyone is like him. Although Lu Qinglian had carried him up there for many years, she would always put the key back in its place every time she came down, which is why he hadn't noticed it all these years.

The classrooms are now empty, with only a few scattered footsteps running through the corridors. Even the students on duty have gone to eat. Their school doesn't have a cafeteria, so they have to eat lunch at the school gate. Lu Qinglian is one of the few students who brings her own lunch from home.

The weather was lovely today. It was midday, and the warm winter sun was cut into patches by the window grilles, casting dappled light on her dark hair behind her head, creating a play of light and shadow. It shouldn't be too cold, especially since the classroom was heated. Lu Qinglian stretched like a cat, feeling surprisingly content.

He remembered what Lao Song had said: that the other person actually quite liked going to school. Zhang Shutong didn't understand why someone like her would like going to school. He closed the door, blocking out the sunlight streaming in through the window, leaving her alone inside.

The classroom faced the sun, while the corridor was a bit chilly. Zhang Shutong came and went in a hurry, quickly reaching the school gate where his best friends were waiting for him.

"Why is it so slow?" Ruoping asked.

"You've been kept after school."

"You, kept in jail? Really?" Everyone clearly didn't believe it.

Zhang Shutong said there was nothing he could do; his new homeroom teacher inexplicably disliked him.

He looked around but didn't see Gu Qiumian. They had told them to wait at the school gate, so where did she go?
He also wouldn't mind eating rice bowls at the entrance, but unfortunately, the young lady would mind.

As I was lost in thought, a black sedan pulled up in front of me, the window rolled down, revealing the face of a man with a buzz cut:
"You must be Miss's classmates. Are you Zhang Shutong?"

"Yes." Zhang Shutong was a little surprised that the other person knew her.

He was about to ask a question when the driver smiled and said:

"Get in the car first, Miss asked me to find the one with the injured hand."

Okay, now he's definitely a blob.

Zhang Shutong now understands what's going on. It turns out that waiting at the school gate means there's a private car to pick you up. Even in the drizzling autumn rain, you've started to look cool.

As everyone opened the car door, Zhang Shutong took a closer look. It wasn't the Audi; it seemed to be a Volkswagen, though he couldn't identify the model. Gu Qiumian's family owned a ton of cars. Zhang Shutong had been to the villa several times and could recognize almost all the people, but not all the cars. To be honest, this was the first time anyone had ridden in such an expensive car. Unlike Lao Song's dirty one, this car had a dark brown interior, exuding an executive style. All the surfaces that could be touched by skin were made of soft leather, and the seats were very comfortable, like a sofa, making it warm and cozy to sit in.

Ruoping and the others were a little reserved, so they pushed him to the passenger seat. He fastened his seatbelt and looked at the man in the driver's seat. The driver was a young man, but he wasn't the type to be overly familiar. On the contrary, he was very concise and had a strong sense of professionalism. He said there was bottled water in the glove box, and suggested that the students moisten their throats first.

Zhang Shutong opened the glove box. The brand of the mineral water was Kunlun Mountain, which would be considered a high-end product by today's standards. Zhang Shutong noticed a problem: where was Gu Qiumian?

He asked the driver, who said the young lady had gone to order first.

Zhang Shutong's first reaction was, "So you don't call her Miss anymore." Her second reaction was, "This meal is quite a grand affair, with two cars involved."

He gave the bottled water to his best friend and took out a cylindrical object from the glove box. It turned out to be a lipstick. Zhang Shutong hurriedly put the lipstick back in, since he only had one hand to use. No one dared to speak up, and they all sat upright the whole way, while the group chat kept buzzing with messages.

Qingyi also knows about cars. He searched for car models and prices and posted them in the group. Zhang Shutong sometimes thinks that he is the one who truly inherited Lao Song's legacy... no, his mantle.

Du Kang then asked which was more expensive, Baishui Mountain or Kunlun Mountain?
Ruoping said, "Just drink it if I give it to you."

They soon arrived at the mall entrance, where several cars were parked. Zhang Shutong recognized one of them as Gu Qiumian's Land Rover.

He had just been to this mall over the weekend when he had a fever and was feeling dizzy. Old Song had treated him out of his own pocket. Now things had changed. Zhang Shutong leaned on the escalator, looking around at the newly opened shops.

Gu Qiumian had already sent the address. The driver stopped the car and went up with them, but kept a distance, presumably so as not to disturb their conversation. The four of them took the elevator and stopped in front of a Shandong cuisine restaurant. Zhang Shutong thought to himself, what a coincidence! The place where they had their reunion eight years later on the Wild Dog Line was also in this location, although it had been changed to Lake Fish Restaurant by then.

Zhang Shutong remembered that Ruoping had said that her parrot had learned her mother's nagging about marriage and was driving her crazy, so she jokingly said that she shouldn't keep a parrot in the future. Ruoping looked puzzled and said, "I just bought it last week, how did you know?"
Zhang Shutong was also taken aback for a moment, then remembered that parrots have long lifespans; even the smallest budgies can easily live to be eight. He could only silently mourn for Ruoping, hoping she would keep it away from her mother. But the most surprising part was yet to come.

It was only because of Zhang Shutong that he noticed that the address Gu Qiumian sent was not just a restaurant address, but also included the name of a private room.

The continuous autumn rain served as a deterrent!
Zhang Shutong was shocked!
Well, he was a bit numb; to him, this meal had always been just another ordinary meal, nothing more than eating on the commercial street before, now in a different location. But Zhang Shutong noticed that there were two lines of waiters inside the restaurant, and as soon as he entered, a group of people bowed deeply.

"welcome."

The other party then asked if they were Miss Gu's guests, and then led them to a private room. Zhang Shutong whispered to Ruoping, "Why are you acting like VIPs?" Ruoping replied, "It's alright, after all, it's a celebration banquet."

The restaurant was quite long. They walked through the hall and then down a corridor covered with a dark red carpet. The corridor was sprayed with perfume, and there were some calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls on both sides. It looked quite presentable.

The lighting layout was also very sophisticated. Each ceiling light emitted a soft halo, creating a perfectly tranquil atmosphere that was neither eerie nor noisy. The waiters stopped at the end of the corridor; their destination was the largest private room in the entire restaurant.

The door to the private room was also very impressive; it wasn't a single door, but a double door. Zhang Shutong even suspected that this was where Gu's father usually entertained guests. He couldn't tell what the door was made of, but he could see a brass engraving on it—a magnificent picture of a tiger descending the mountain.

Then two pretty waitresses stood on either side and simultaneously pushed open the heavy door, instantly transforming the once quiet corridor!
The sound of voices came rushing towards me!

Through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, light rushed in, completely swallowing the shadows of the corridor. Zhang Shutong blinked uncomfortably. There was a lot of noise and light in front of him. When he saw the scene inside, he was completely shocked.

He almost asked if we had come to the wrong place. Before this moment, he had thought it was just a dinner party for five people, just in a more luxurious location. But when he entered, he found that the huge private room was full of people, one, two, three... Zhang Shutong counted numbly. Or rather, counting by single digits was meaningless; there were more than ten people. There were more than a dozen young men and women sitting in the luxuriously decorated private room.

They were gathered around a huge solid wood round table with a flower basket in the center. Zhang Shutong really wanted to ask if they had come to the wrong place, but the people in front of them were clearly wearing school uniforms. As the door was pushed open, the voices fell silent for a moment, and everyone's eyes turned to them.

Maybe there's a rich young lady named Gu in the school, and Gu Qiu Mian is actually sitting next door... But how could that be? Zhang Shutong subconsciously glanced at his best friends' expressions. Ruo Ping slowly opened her eyes wide. Qing Yi was still expressionless as always. Du Kang had acquaintances all over the world. He wasn't shy at all. Instead, he greeted several people with a smile.

Zhang Shutong finally realized a fact—

It turns out this was a big get-together for the henchmen.

He was dragged here for some reason.

Okay, okay, he suddenly realized. No wonder there was a driver picking him up this time, no wonder Gu Qiu Mian hadn't shown up, and no wonder there were so many cars at the mall entrance. Zhang Shutong didn't really want to participate in this kind of event. After all, he was just an unofficial henchman, and he had nothing to do in formal occasions. Actually, not only was he surprised, but some people were also surprised to see him. They were probably thinking, "Brother, where did you come from? I've never seen you before. A Pokémon that was just caught by the young lady?"
But as the saying goes, "Since we're already here, what kind of talk is it to just stand there at the door?" Luckily, there were still a few empty seats at the bottom of the table. This private room was so big that even with more than a dozen people, it wasn't full.

"Let me introduce you. This is my best friend, this is Ruoping, this is Qingyi, and this most stylish one is Shutong..."

"Oh, Ruoping, so you're here too! Why didn't you tell me? I should have known we'd traveled together..."

Amidst the pleasantries, Zhang Shutong couldn't distinguish who was who. He gave a brief greeting and was about to sit down when a girl at the head of the round table suddenly stood up and waved cheerfully at him.
"Seniors, you guys come over here, I specially saved these seats for you."

Zhang Shutong finally ran into an acquaintance. Although her aunt disliked her, Xu Zhiruo was quite friendly. Zhang Shutong was pulled away by the secretary. Since it was a specially reserved seat, it was closest to the head of the round table. Clearly, his Pokémon had won the emperor's favor. Xu Zhiruo stuck out her tongue.

"I'm sorry about what happened last time, senior. I didn't know you had a fever. Please forgive me."

Zhang Shutong knew she was referring to the video call at the hospital that day. In fact, the other person had helped her, and besides, she had cutely asked for forgiveness.

Zhang Shutong didn't take it to heart and shook his head, saying it was nothing. "What are you guys up to?"
"It's more lively with more people, right? By the way, Qiu Mian went to the restroom, she'll be right back, aren't you surprised?"

Zhang Shutong said it wasn't just a surprise, it was downright shocking. He almost thought he was attending a college entrance celebration banquet. His secretary then asked if he needed to introduce them to someone. He then said he probably didn't need to, because he had forgotten that he already knew everyone at the event.

What do you mean I know them all? I clearly don't. Does the Pokémon Breeding Center need a Nurse Joy to introduce them?

Zhang Shutong was both amused and exasperated when the door to the private room was pushed open again.

This time, it wasn't just two waiters who opened the door; rather, the entire staff of the restaurant crowded around the entrance to the private room, lining the way to greet them.

A familiar figure walked in.

She was still wearing boots, but there was no clattering sound on the deep red carpet. A very proud girl walked in.

Zhang Shutong shifted his gaze from her boots. It seemed that he always looked at Gu Qiumian's boots first, then her scarf, and finally the pendant on her hair. He wondered when he had developed this habit.

So he raised his eyes, but silently opened his mouth.

The air was filled with the clamor of voices and the figures moving around in front of her; many people stood up. Since the young lady had arrived, some kind of greeting was expected, and Zhang Shutong instinctively stood up as well, but her expression froze on her face.

Why……

What he saw was Gu Qiumian with long hair?

(End of this chapter)