Winter Returns

Chapter 140 "Butterfly"

Zhang Shutong narrowed his eyes, mimicking Lu Qinglian's expression.

Unexpectedly, there was an unexpected gain.

The second blunder of the day was also resolved incidentally.

It turns out that this guy picked up the key to the rooftop.

He was taken aback for a moment, but upon reflection, it made sense. Some changes that you think you've planned carefully might just be the result of a butterfly flapping its wings.

There was no class transfer before, nor was there a new class monitor named Gu Qiu Mian, so when the other party accidentally found the key, intending to share an interesting anecdote with everyone, they took it to the dinner party... to show off?

Zhang Shutong didn't know what there was to brag about, but then he thought that if he had made such a discovery back then, he might have also boasted about it to Ruoping and the others.

Someone nearby joked:
"Kong Yihui, you haven't been drinking, so how did you get drunk? It's so cold, who's crazy enough to go up to the rooftop to get some fresh air?"

Sorry, but yes, there really is.

And there are two.

Some people are also curious:
"Where did you find it? Isn't it usually locked up?"

Kong Yihui said:

"I only wanted to go up and take a look because it's been locked up for so long. We're almost graduating, and we still don't know what the rooftop looks like. We can all get together there sometime. Hmm, a secret hideout that no one has discovered, isn't that pretty cool?"

"Who wants to gather on the rooftop? Isn't it better to go to the library..."

"Anyway, we'll have nothing to do when we get back." Kong Yihui waved his hand dismissively. "Squad leader, what do you say? Where should we go after dinner?"

Gu Qiumian was completely unimpressed by this.

For some reason, there was also a faint glint of coldness in her eyes.

"Oh." She gave a curt "oh," then refused, "What are you going to the rooftop for?"

Zhang Shutong glanced at her from afar—it was just a glance, because the two of them were originally quite far apart. Perhaps it was too noisy around them and talking was hard on their voices, so they ended up getting closer together while chatting.

Then, interrupted by this guy's sudden remark, I subconsciously sat up straight and returned to the initial distance.

Zhang Shutong then looked at that guy and sensed that he wanted to share something with Gu Qiumian, which was why he kept making his presence known.

He was thinking with a headache, "A party? Please don't use someone else's restaurant as the venue for a party, okay? Lu also wants to eat on the rooftop."

This was obviously a joke. Although Zhang Shutong rarely went to this hideout anymore, he still didn't want the key to fall into someone else's hands.

Even the Justice League doesn't go to the Batcave for their parties.

So he hesitated for a moment, then chose the most efficient method:

"That key is mine."

Zhang Shutong sent a message to Gu Qiumian.

The autumn rain falls softly and blinks.

Zhang Shutong had to recount his own experiences of being a "chuunibyou" (a person with delusions of grandeur), and finally he said:
"I usually like to go up there to feel the breeze, and I don't like other people being around."

"No wonder."

"What's the matter?"

But Gu Qiu Mian's fingers had already left the screen; she typed slowly, so speaking was much easier for her.

Zhang Shutong saw Gu Qiumian mouth something to him, but they were a bit far apart, so he couldn't see it clearly, but the gist was:

"No wonder... it was from the cold wind."

Zhang Shutong was about to ask why, but Gu Qiumian had already turned her head, raised her chin, and asked the boy:

"Are you sure it's the key to the rooftop?"

The other person, feeling snubbed, had already picked up their chopsticks to start eating, but upon hearing this, before even swallowing what was in their mouth, they mumbled:

Hmm, it must be. I found it on the stairs. Class monitor, are you interested? How about...?

"No problem," Gu Qiumian said decisively. "The rooftop is too dangerous. Give me the key, and I'll return it to the teacher this afternoon."

Her tone was calm, yet somewhat authoritative, giving off an air of unquestionable authority.

Zhang Shutong watched as the boy went from being a helpful friend to a disheartened one. He dejectedly said "okay," put the key on the table, and even turned around to deliver it to Gu Qiumian.

The key to the outpost was obtained so easily.

Gu Qiu Mian glanced at the time and casually said:
"Hurry up and eat, stop chatting, we still have to go back to class."

Everyone agreed. Some perceptive people had already seen through her intention to leave, so they said, "We've finished eating, why don't we leave now?"

Gu Qiumian then said that it wasn't in such a hurry, let's wait another ten minutes.

Zhang Shutong took advantage of the ten minutes to continue his battle with the sea cucumber.

The meal was enjoyed by both host and guests. Perhaps because his nerves were a bit tense earlier, he was unusually unwilling to think. Zhang Shutong followed the large crowd out of the private room. In fact, he still felt that something was not quite right. It was as if he had eaten a meal inexplicably and left inexplicably.

The waiter continued to bow and see them off, and several men in the lobby, who appeared to be bodyguards or drivers, stood up.

Next, Gu Qiumian arranged for everyone to take the car back. Everyone followed her instructions. Zhang Shutong got back into the Volkswagen, but then discovered a new problem:
Gu Qiu Mian helped him get the key back, but didn't say she would return it to him.

I'll have to wait until I get back to school to figure it out.

On the way back, he became a bit more talkative. Du Kang always liked to offer his opinions when eating out, and this time he was completely convinced. He muttered to himself:

"This is eye-opening. I wish I could open my shop in a shopping mall in the future."

Qingyi Reference:

"You can talk to your dad about it. I just saw a rental ad outside."

"It's just talk. My family is full of repeat customers. My dad would never be willing to move."

Zhang Shutong couldn't help but interject:
"You can go solo in the future, open a branch outside, and rent a house with a rooftop."

"Shutong, I've noticed you're really obsessed with the rooftop," Du Kang chuckled. "Speaking of which, you hid that key so well, how did someone..."

"I also think houses with rooftop terraces are really cool!"

A cheerful voice suddenly came from inside the car.

Everyone looked at her speechlessly, wondering what trouble Xu Zhiruo had caused.

Now she was sandwiched between Du Kang and Qing Yi, shrinking her neck under the gaze of three people, looking like a tiny bundle.

Actually, there was a slight change on this return trip—Xu Zhiruo also came along.

When Ruoping came back, she said she wanted to go with Gu Qiumian. The two of them had something to talk about. Now that they were both class monitors, they had official business to discuss, and no one else should interrupt. So the three outsiders obediently went back to the car, and Xu Zhiruo was replaced as a result.

She bothered Qingyi at the dinner table, and then pressed Dukang for details in the car, asking him about the rooftop and the key. Dukang, however, gave her a perfunctory answer, sometimes saying it was a secret, sometimes saying he made it himself, and sometimes saying he found it on the road.

They talked for a long time without getting to the point. They arrived at school quickly; Ruoping and the others, whose car had left first, were already waiting for them at the school gate.

"Here, Qiu Mian asked me to give this to you. Take it."

Zhang Shutong took the key to the rooftop and thought to himself, "Why are you two so close again? When did you two become so intimate?"
This time, there's no chocolate to make amends.

He then thought of the early hours of Sunday morning, when Ruoping stayed with Gu Qiumian at the hospital all night. Perhaps it was that night that the two resolved their differences and formed a friendship.

Despite Du Kang's seemingly carefree attitude, Ruo Ping is the one who is best at making friends. She only took one night to catch the poachers and became known as "Qing Lian".

"Thanks," the group said as they walked. Zhang Shutong asked Ruoping, "What did you say to her?"

"We exchanged information."

"intelligence?"

"Well, Qiu Mian asked me what this key was for, and I said that you secretly made a copy before, and sometimes you would go out to keep watch, and then she gave me the key."

"I clearly told her, why do I have to ask you again?" Zhang Shutong said helplessly.

"It's all because you keep lying to her. You'll learn your lesson once you've been burned, you know?"

"and then?"

"What then?"

"Didn't you say you were exchanging information? Then what did you ask her about?" Zhang Shutong was simply confused; she didn't understand what she wanted to ask Gu Qiumian.

"There aren't that many questions. It's just a discussion between the class officers. There's some activity going on recently that you didn't know about," Ruoping rolled her eyes. "Who's like you, scaring themselves every day?"

Zhang Shutong shrugged.

The group walked through the campus, went up the stairs together, and stepped into Class 1's classroom, but then subconsciously stopped in their tracks.

"I almost forgot, everyone's changed shifts." Du Kang said this with a sad tone, but his real intention was something else entirely.

Lu Qinglian was not in the classroom.

They chatted for a few more minutes before parting ways at the classroom door. Zhang Shutong had eaten too much at lunch and was a little thirsty. He went back to the classroom to get a cup of water, but after walking a few steps, he couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
"How long do you want to follow?"

"Hehe." The secretary showed her tiger teeth. "I'll stop by on the way. I'm going to Class Two to find Qiu Mian later."

"Don't let your aunt catch you."

"You know that Ms. Xu is my aunt?" she asked in surprise. "Then you'd better watch out, senior, my aunt is very strict about early dating!"

"You don't need to worry about that."

"Don't expect me to speak up for you when the time comes. I'm no match for her; I can barely save myself."

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "When did I ever have a puppy love?" He realized he couldn't handle a talkative girl, so he changed the subject:

"Where are your friends? Why are you the only one here at lunchtime?"

"They both had something to do, so I was the only one who went to have a big meal. I'm so envious I could cry," Xu Zhiruo said with a hint of resentment. "But I didn't eat well at noon either. Senior, you took my seat, and there weren't any people around me that I knew well. I could only chat with the guy next to me who had a poker face."

Zhang Shutong thought the girl had a real talent for giving nicknames, which were spot-on, and couldn't help but smile. But then the girl said:

"Don't laugh, you're not much better than Brother Wood."

Zhang Shutong stopped smiling and continued walking forward.

As they spoke, the two had already passed Class Two's classroom, but Xu Zhiruo showed no sign of stopping. Actually, chatting with her was quite interesting, Zhang Shutong thought, recalling their earlier conversation, and casually remarked:
"So you two are from different circles."

"What two circles?"

"Those were the fourth-year junior high students at noon. I thought you two were quite familiar with each other."

Zhang Shutong used to jokingly refer to Gu Qiumian's circle as the "henchman circle." After lunch, he learned that it was actually divided into two groups: "henchmen" and "retainers." The distinction was simple: those younger than her were her henchmen, and those in her class were her retainers. In other words, he used to consider himself a henchman, but in a sense, he wasn't, unless he recognized Gu Qiumian as his boss.

Did he say this to Gu Qiu Mian's face? It seems not, otherwise he would have been incredibly embarrassed.

"What are you talking about, senior?" The secretary looked puzzled. "We often hang out together, don't we?"

"Didn't you just say you weren't familiar with each other?"

"I mean the people around you, like your friends, senior."

“That can’t be right,” Zhang Shutong said, unsure if the other person was joking. “The boy who found the key, Kong Yihui, you said you didn’t know him.”

"That's because he used to be in another class. He only came to Class 2 this time because of the class change, so I definitely don't know him. Besides, not everyone who came today is Qiu Mian's good friend. For example, that Hui guy just came because she invited him to join in the fun," the secretary said matter-of-factly. "But I know almost everyone in your class. We go out to play every day, so how could we be from two different circles?"

What does it mean to go out and play together every day?

Didn't Gu Qiu Mian have no friends in her previous class?

Or should Xu Zhiruo's words be interpreted in parts?

She came to visit other classes every day, so she naturally got to know the students in Class 1; while the group of people who went out to play every day refers to the others.

Zhang Shutong frowned.

But having already experienced one blunder today, he patiently confirmed:
"You mean you often go out with people from your original class?"

"Yes, that's right," the secretary said innocently. "Oh, I forgot, you probably don't pay much attention to this, after all, you're a blockhead."

Zhang Shutong frowned even more deeply. He hadn't paid much attention to Gu Qiumian's affairs before, but even if he was indifferent, he would never be so clueless as to not understand the interpersonal relationships in the class.

His intuition told him that something was wrong, but what exactly was the problem?

He asked many people, and those places that he considered key points had clearly not changed at all.

The only thing wrong was Qingyi's attitude. With Qingyi's memory, he shouldn't have forgotten the gold coin chocolate, after all, that incident caused quite a stir. But he later specifically asked Ruoping to confirm, and Ruoping said it existed.

"I'm sorry, senior, I shouldn't have given you a nickname. Please don't be angry," Xu Zhiruo said weakly, noticing his unpleasant expression.

Zhang Shutong was no longer interested in it.

Memories flow like a long river, from the first year of junior high to the fourth. Zhang Shutong tried his best to recall every single thing related to Gu Qiumian in between.

His task was to find the strange pebble, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong with it.

Or is it that I really don't know enough about Gu Qiu Mian, and that the young lady actually has friends all over the world?
He couldn't tell whether it was a problem with his memory or... he had been too slow-witted in the past, only focused on fishing and not understanding anything else.

Zhang Shutong suddenly realized something:
When exactly did Gu Qiumian's interpersonal relationships in Class 1 deteriorate?

No one is born to be ostracized. I remember when she first transferred to the class, she brought a bag full of snacks to share with everyone. Her classmates weren't very close to her, but they didn't ostracize her either. They just didn't know how to get along with a girl like that, so during that period, her relationship with others remained lukewarm.

and after?
The turning point was that bag of gold coin chocolates.

Ruoping has always been well-liked, and besides, she wasn't really wrong in this matter. People are unconsciously influenced by the atmosphere around them. It was because of that incident that she took the lead in the cold war with Gu Qiumian, and the people around her followed suit, whether intentionally or unintentionally. The children on the island already knew each other, and they saw each other all the time. In such a circle of acquaintances, the most important thing is to fit in.

This trend somehow spread, and Gu Qiu Mian wasn't the type to suffer in silence. Just as she understood it, since there was no circle, she took the initiative to create one, which led to countless junior followers.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the chocolate incident!
(End of this chapter)