Winter Returns

Chapter 168 "Passerby" (Part 2) (Seeking monthly votes)

Manager Wang had gone to the door at some point, and right in front of him, a thin man with long hair was about to turn around when the manager yelled and pounced on him:

"You little brat! I've finally caught you!"

As his heavy body landed, the floor shook. This sudden turn of events startled countless people. Before the surrounding crowd could even comprehend what had happened, the manager unhesitatingly reached into the long-haired man's pocket and pulled out a small cell phone.

"found it!"

Manager Wang shouted, his frustration vanishing instantly, and the joy in his voice could be heard from a great distance.

Du Kang stared blankly at all of this, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses:

"Uh...we...we caught them already?"

“Of course,” Zhang Shutong said calmly. “From the moment the audience outside started cooperating with the ticket check, the outcome was already decided. He either ran away immediately or gambled that the staff would see the information on the missed ticket. The ticket he had was probably for the first show this morning, but how could that manager miss it? It was just a slow death for him. Let’s go take a look.”

Zhang Shutong stood up after speaking.

Du Kang was stunned and thought, "Wait a minute, buddy, why are you so calm? To put it bluntly, even if they really catch them, it's all thanks to Gu Qiu Mian. She's the one who came up with the plan, and she's the one who attracted the hatred. Why are you so smug?"
But he still hurried after them. At this moment, Gu Qiumian, who had been sitting, also stood up, but instead of rushing to the door, she walked towards the two of them.

As they drew closer, Du Kang saw her walk a few steps to Zhang Shutong and then raise a hand.

Du Kang closed his eyes, unable to bear watching any longer.

Having watched countless TV dramas in restaurants, he could already guess what was going to happen.

Sure enough, there was a loud slap.

The slap landed on Shu Tong's face without any surprise.

That was what he originally thought, but when he opened his eyes again, he found that Shu Tong also stretched out a hand, and the two hands, one big and one small, gently tapped each other in mid-air. Looking at Gu Qiu Mian, she was no longer wearing a cold face. She smiled and tossed her hair as she walked towards the thief's location.

It seemed as if the two had buried the hatchet with a smile, or perhaps they were celebrating some kind of victory, yet they hadn't uttered a single word; everything was understood without being spoken.

"What's going on now?" Du Kang exclaimed in surprise. "Wait, wait, weren't they just arguing?"

"What argument?" To everyone's surprise, Shutong was also taken aback. "Didn't you check your phone?"

"What phone?"

"What I posted in the group chat."

"What group?"

Okay, any further would be pointless. Du Kang's eyes widened, and he quickly opened QQ. In the four-person group chat, five minutes ago, "New Peach Charm" sent a message:

"I know who the thief is, but things are a bit out of control. Let's play along with Gu Qiu Mian and not panic."

"Cough cough..."

Du Kang nearly choked on his breath; he had almost panicked just now, and now he finally realized a problem—

That means I was the only one who came all this way from beginning to end!

Looking at Qingyi and Ruoping, they were waving at him from a seat not far away, with doting smiles on their faces.

I...I...really!
Du Kang thought to himself, "You four are just playing me for a fool." Then he realized something was wrong. The manager clearly knew about it, otherwise he wouldn't have reacted so quickly. It turned out that he was the only one who had been kept in the dark!
At this moment, Ruoping walked over with a smile:
"You didn't see it, but we found it quite fun. You know what, it really is fun."

Du Kang rolled his eyes at her relentlessly.

My eyes were tired from flipping through the pages, so I asked in frustration:
"What? It was all an act after all? This cinema doesn't belong to Gu Qiu Mian either? You scared me..."

"Well, how should I put it?" Zhang Shutong said slowly, "It's not hers, but she owns a large share, so the manager's reaction wasn't entirely an act. I was shocked when I found out."

"You guys acted so well!" Du Kang complained. "She played the good cop and the manager played the bad cop, and you played the sullen, scolded face. No wonder you suddenly got so angry. It was just a staged act to put on a show for those people!"

"Uh...she had a few drinks today, and her acting was pretty good."

Zhang Shutong had no choice but to say that.

Recalling what happened in the seat just now, when the proposal was first put forward, Gu Qiu Mian initially disagreed and kept shaking her head, feeling that it would damage her image as a young lady. But after she said a few words, Gu Qiu Mian suddenly put on a cold face and asked her if she looked like one, and then she went on a crazy acting spree.

The scene of throwing the bag wasn't originally in the script; she added it on her own.

Although Zhang Shutong had long discovered that the two had the potential to do bad things together, Gu Qiu Mian was indeed a bit crazy today.

It can only be attributed to her being drunk.

But she seemed to be in a good mood, so I let her be.

Thinking of this, Zhang Shutong stood up and walked towards the theater entrance. In just a few words, a huge crowd had gathered around him. Manager Wang was quite eloquent, explaining the situation clearly in a few words. The crowd was silent for a moment, then erupted in exclamations. Some even said that coming today was worthwhile, more exciting than the movie itself. Then came another round of applause.

"It's all thanks to those two. Heroes often emerge from among the young. I just helped out and lured the thief out. I really didn't do anything..."

Manager Wang didn't take credit, but his voice was drowned out by the applause. He wiped his sweat and simply grabbed the long-haired man's arms.

Zhang Shutong was also sizing up the long-haired man, and was about to remind him that the man seemed to be having trouble breathing, when Manager Wang suddenly slapped his forehead:
"Damn it, it was that bastard!"

"what?"

“Several cinemas nearby have reported this to the police before. This guy is a repeat offender!” As he spoke, Manager Wang patted the thief a few more times and pulled out another iPhone. Zhang Shutong was stunned when he saw this, not expecting such an unexpected gain.

"Thank goodness they caught them!"

Manager Wang first said with lingering fear, then beamed with joy:

"I suspect he was the thief at the beginning of the month too. Now he's actually done something good. Hey Wei, come over here and give me a hand..."

"I'm coming……"

After a commotion, the thief was taken away surrounded by a crowd.

Theoretically, they should also go and take a look, but Gu Qiu Mian only glanced at the thief before looking away. Zhang Shutong could already guess what she was going to say:
"I'm not watching anymore, it's ruining my mood."

After that she left.

Zhang Shutong glanced at it, but finally stopped.

In fact, the farce didn't last long from start to finish; in just over ten minutes, the theater was full again.

He yawned as he sat down in his seat, the same aisle seat next to Gu Qiu Mian, only this time there were no unscrupulous advertisements.

To appease the audience, Manager Wang instructed that each person in Hall 6 be given a bucket of popcorn before leaving.

The surroundings went dark, and the screen showed the opening of the classic long song from the 007 series. At that moment, staff members were pushing carts up and down, and Zhang Shutong also got a bucket. He was holding two large buckets of popcorn, thinking that Gu Qiumian's fifty yuan had been wasted.

Despite having two large buckets of popcorn, Zhang Shutong had no appetite, solely because Gu Qiumian was still brooding over how she had ruined her image earlier. Qiumian was a typical example of someone who settles scores after the fact.
"You're really wicked!" without mentioning her own behavior at all.

"Ok?"

"Is this the surprise you promised me?" Gu Qiumian's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry." Even though things ended relatively smoothly, Zhang Shutong still honestly said, "I didn't keep a close eye on your bag at the time."

"What did I say before? Have you forgotten again?" she asked, dissatisfied.

Oh.

She said she's heard apologies so many times she's practically worn out.

But when Zhang Shutong looked at her small, delicate ears, they didn't look like they had calluses at all.

Then Gu Qiumian turned around.

"I told you it has nothing to do with you. If anyone's to blame someone, it's the thief. What idiot would blame you?" Zhang Shutong was able to see her face clearly. With the light from the screen, he could tell that she was still slightly drunk, and the breath she exhaled still smelled of sour fruit.

The blush on her face had not yet faded, and her eyes were bright and alluring, with countless lights and shadows shimmering within them:

"Apologize to me again."

Zhang Shutong assumed she was genuinely dizzy and went along with her wishes. However, his apologetic "hug" was a plosive sound, and as soon as he opened his mouth, a piece of popcorn was stuffed into it.

"This is my surprise for you. Eat up, since you're busy with your hands."

Gu Qiu Mian rolled her eyes at him and turned to watch the movie.

Zhang Shutong moved his mouth and suddenly realized that there was a reason why the popcorn in the movie theater was so expensive. In short, it was very sweet. He chewed the popcorn gently and thought to himself in a good mood.

"Do you need me to clarify this for you again?" Although Manager Wang had already explained, there were just too many onlookers at the time, and many people still remembered Gu Qiu Mian as that spoiled young lady.

“No need.” She tossed her hair lightly. “Because it’s my own bag, it’s what I should do. If I don’t play the villain, who will? I can’t just stand by and watch you guys do the work.”

"And I had a lot of fun today," Gu Qiumian said, staring at the screen.

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "Of course the drunkard is happy; he's heartless."
"Yeah, they didn't even react when their bag was lost..."

“Look,” Gu Qiumian said, extending her hand.

Zhang Shutong looked over and saw that the opening theme had finished playing, and next was James Bond's signature move: the man swiftly turned around, and a bullet fired on the screen.

"What do you mean?" Zhang Shutong asked.

"It's nothing, oh dear, eat up, eat up." Gu Qiumian giggled, grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his face. Zhang Shutong knew she was doing it on purpose, so he quickly dodged away.

Finally, Gu Qiumian calmed down.

She seemed really tired from playing, and finally curled up on her side in her seat. Although she wasn't short, she looked petite at this moment, breathing shallowly, her eyes half-open and half-closed, her chest rising and falling slowly.

Zhang Shutong's mood also eased. He glanced at Gu Qiumian, then looked away and began to think about which Bond girl was in this 007 film.

At that moment, a familiar fragrance wafted into his nostrils, giving him a strange sense of peace.

His head felt heavy again.

My eyelids also got heavier.

Before Zhang Shutong could come up with an answer, his eyes slowly closed, and his consciousness went blank.

"She's awake, Shutong..."

Opening his eyes to the familiar voice, Zhang Shutong found himself back in the movie theater. He responded lazily and instinctively stretched, instantly dispelling all his fatigue.

The best sleep he'd had in days was actually at the movie theater, something even he found unbelievable.

The lights above had come on; the movie had ended, and the cast and crew list was scrolling across the screen in white text on a black background.

"Where are the two of them?" Zhang Shutong asked Qingyi.

"I'm going to the restroom first."

"Oh."

He rubbed his eyes and followed his two best friends out of the theater. Only after they reached the lobby did Zhang Shutong belatedly ask:

"So who is the Bond girl in this movie?"

"No, or rather, Mrs. M," Qingyi said regretfully.

"That old lady?"

"Yes, he was killed off in the end, and Ruoping cried her eyes out."

Zhang Shutong nodded regretfully.

No wonder he couldn't remember who the Bond girl was.

Mrs. M is 007's superior and the head of MI6. The two have never gotten along very well. To say they are a bickering couple is not quite appropriate for people of this age.

The woman who understood this man best is still dead, even though she was neither young nor beautiful.

As far as I can remember, it was after this movie that James Bond's on-screen image began to shift from an elite agent to a man in his twilight years.

He will grow old and make mistakes, so although Daniel is not the tallest and most handsome actor in the series, Zhang Shutong actually likes him quite a bit. His life is either about losing or about to lose.

Those who come are all just passing through.

Zhang Shutong yawned lazily. That's just how people are; they always like to grumble strangely when they first wake up. He shook his head and glanced at the time. It was already past five o'clock. He still had to catch the ship back. He wouldn't be having dinner in the city. Today's schedule was really tight.

He arrived at the elevator entrance in good spirits. Gu Qiumian and the others had also returned, carrying large bags of groceries they had bought that afternoon. Everyone had called the elevator and was about to leave when Zhang Shutong turned around:
"Sorry," this wasn't said to some calloused person, "I'm going to the restroom. I was just thinking about Bond girls."

Ruoping gave a disapproving "Eh?"
"Hurry up, time is tight. Let's go downstairs and call a car first. Come down as soon as you're done, don't dawdle."

Zhang Shutong agreed.

A few minutes later, he shook the water droplets off his hands and left the bathroom, only to find himself suddenly blocked by an obstacle.

He really was a "tiger"; Manager Wang came running over from who-knows-where, panting heavily.

"Finally found you! Didn't you also lose your phone before...?" The man was overjoyed to see you.

Only after being reminded by the other party did Zhang Shutong realize:

"what happened?"

"Here's the thing, that bastard stole the phone from the last movie. The owner only realized it after the movie was over, and happened to run into us giving a statement to the police. He learned what happened and said he really wanted to thank you."

“Oh,” Zhang Shutong waved his hand, “It’s nothing, just something I did on the way.”

He was about to politely say something and leave when Manager Wang grabbed his hand:
"No, young man, they've already left. They're just staying to wait for you. Why don't you go and tell them? Just do your brother a favor, okay?"

Zhang Shutong didn't know why he was in such a hurry, but it didn't take long to say a few words. They walked a few steps to the corner office, and the first thing they saw upon entering was two policemen.

The leader raised his eyes:

"Xiao Wang, is this the young man you were talking about? We heard about what happened today. Well done."

Zhang Shutong could only say "it is my duty," thinking to himself that he had already gotten to know all the police officers on the island. Should he then start expanding his network of contacts in the city?

Manager Wang was quite polite. While greeting him, he handed him a bottle of water. Zhang Shutong was thirsty, so he drank the water in big gulps. He lowered his eyes and noticed a large plastic bag at the office door.

The plastic bag contained a brown mascot costume.

Just as Zhang Shutong felt that the thing looked familiar, another "thank you" came from behind him.

It seems this is the somewhat confused owner that Manager Wang mentioned.

Zhang Shutong was stunned the moment he heard the other person's voice.

Everyone has a passerby in their life.

Zhang Shutong is no different.

He turned around blankly, looking at the gentle and graceful young woman in front of him, and said in disbelief:
"Schoolmate?"

(End of this chapter)