Winter Returns

Chapter 199 "Date"

He was about to tell Lu Qinglian about his discovery when he noticed that she was also staring at the hospital window:
"The fifth window has the hat you mentioned."

She immediately looked away and said softly.

“I saw him.” Zhang Shutong also lowered his eyes. “If we rush in directly, what are the chances of catching him?”

“It’s difficult,” Lu Qinglian said. “He has been observing us for a long time, and he will be alert to any slight abnormality.”

"Go to the hospital first."

Zhang Shutong made the judgment.

Admittedly, they had been observed by the man, but not long ago in the dormitory, he had also noted down the other's features. The man probably hadn't realized that his stalking had been "discovered." He could use this information gap to do many things.

The most urgent task is to avoid revealing anything unusual.

"Be careful not to show your face."

Zhang Shutong reminded him.

He kept glancing at the hat by the window out of the corner of his eye.

Then the two casually started walking, at a leisurely pace, and soon entered the blind spot of sight.

To get from the back of the hospital to the front entrance, you need to go through a small alley. One side of the alley is the side wall of the hospital. Zhang Shutong knew that there were windows on the side wall, and he could observe the situation in the alley by looking down. Therefore, he maintained his original speed.

Three minutes later, the two stepped into the hospital's main entrance.

Lu Qinglian continued walking ahead, leaning against the door in the bustling hall.
"I didn't see it in the lobby, but what about outside?"

"No, not at all," Zhang Shutong replied in a low voice.

Since the man was following the two, he should have turned around and gone downstairs the moment they were out of sight, but the expected meeting at the door did not happen.

His gaze then shifted to the parking lot in front of the hospital, but there were too many cars there to identify which one it was.

Zhang Shutong frowned:
"Let's go upstairs."

He was extremely familiar with the layout of the second floor.

Zhang Shutong quickly walked up the stairs and first looked towards the window in the corridor—

More people came into view.

The corridor was crowded with people. He pushed aside his shoulders and finally saw what was happening by the window. There were many men leaning against the window, but not a single one of them was wearing a brown hat.

The man had already left through the window.

But where exactly is it?
A hospital ward? A bathroom? Or a consultation room?
A pair of eyes were hidden in the vast sea of people, like thorns in his back. He had to be on high alert. Zhang Shutong was observing his surroundings discreetly when a familiar voice suddenly rang out behind him:

"Little brother, here for another shot?"

She's a nurse.

The other person, wearing a down jacket, came out of the observation room, seemingly preparing to leave work. She waved familiarly, almost getting pushed aside by someone.

The nurse painstakingly pushed through the flow of people:

"Is this a fever or a cold... wait," she noticed Lu Qinglian behind her, "why do you like bringing girls to the hospital so much... wait, wait, wait?"

She opened her mouth:
"Why has it been changed again?"

Perhaps someone next door is listening.

So Zhang Shutong didn't deny it. He covered his head and said that he had accidentally bumped into something while playing and was worried about scraping his skin, so he came to the hospital to get it checked out.

"Could you take a look at this for me?"

Zhang Shutong pointed to the observation room behind her.

The nurse sighed:

"You think you can fool me, huh? I'll waive the registration fee since we're acquaintances. Come in and talk..."

Zhang Shutong led Lu Qinglian into the observation room.

"Where?" The nurse picked up a flashlight.

Zhang Shutong immediately let go and pressed his face against the observation window of the door:

"Have you seen a man wearing a brown hat?"

"What? A man in a brown hat? What's going on?" the nurse exclaimed, bewildered. "Didn't you bump your head?"

"downstairs."

At this moment, Lu Qinglian said softly.

After entering the observation room, she went straight to the window.

The window and the main entrance are on the same side. Zhang Shutong turned around abruptly, and a brown hat came into view in the supermarket diagonally opposite the hospital.

When did you get there...?

But now was not the time to ponder that. Zhang Shutong's heart sank. The man had clearly noticed their presence, yet he maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far from them.

Zhang Shutong had Lu Qinglian impersonate Ruoping to prevent the man from suddenly attacking, as their own fighting strength was insufficient and they would only be putting themselves in danger.

On the Weaver Girl's Thread, he had always thought that the man hadn't made a move because he hadn't discovered Ruoping's whereabouts, but the current situation was quite the opposite.

The man had been waiting.

But what exactly is he waiting for?
Zhang Shutong recalled the description of Ruoping's attack; perhaps the altar wasn't the point, nor was "Ruoping"—

The fox in Ruoping's arms is the real one.

So, the man kept his temper in check, waiting for the fox statue?

"Actually, I was looking for someone." Zhang Shutong apologized to the nurse, then said he was really sorry to keep her from getting off work. After saying that, he and Lu Qinglian left the room.

As the two walked through the crowded corridor and down the stairs, Lu Qinglian whispered:

"He's been hiding, that's going to cause trouble."

Zhang Shutong also realized this. The man always chose a perfect distance to observe them. They could certainly detect each other's presence, but if they wanted to turn around and rush at him, the other party would have plenty of time to retreat.

The goal is to get the other person to take the initiative to break down this distance.

Therefore, Zhang Shutong needs to add some more chips.

He dialed Qingyi's number:

"They've taken the bait, but they're not making a move. Can you do me a favor and bring that fox back from the base?"

"Are you sure?" Qingyi paused for a second. "It's a bit risky."

Zhang Shutong would never dare to do this on his own, but this time Lu Qinglian was there.

"Confirmed. Remember to stay with Du Kang. Be careful."

Zhang Shutong instructed that he had arranged another place with Qingyi and told Lu Qinglian about his arrangements.

"Why not just go directly there?" Lu Qinglian asked, frowning.

"The base is in the suburbs, and he has a car."

"Please use a word I can understand," she sighed softly.

The two left the hospital, and Zhang Shutong pushed out the bicycle. As usual, they got on and the bicycle slowly rode through the bustling city. To anyone else, they would have guessed that they were a pair of students out shopping, the boy riding the bike and the girl sitting on the back, whispering to each other. "We can't see anymore," Lu Qinglian said, turning her gaze away.

"Then don't bother looking. This will be a good opportunity to confirm whether he's following you or observing that old house."

"Where?"

"shopping mall."

Zhang Shutong parked his car in front of the mall.

He looked up, and the first thing that caught his eye was a huge Christmas tree. Boss Gu was indeed wealthy and powerful; although the Christmas tree was fake, it was almost two stories tall, and one had to crane their neck to see the top.

The Christmas tree was adorned with glowing ribbons, and a large banner hung from its branches, but it wasn't Christmas; it was a New Year's Day promotional event. Even the vendors selling balloons at the entrance had switched to selling Santa hats. Countless changes were foreshadowing the arrival of the holiday.

As darkness fell completely, the giant Christmas tree shone with colorful lights, illuminating the night sky in a dreamlike manner. A cold wind blew by, making people unconsciously tighten their coats. Just standing outside, one could see the bustling activity inside the mall. Zhang Shutong couldn't help but think, who would have thought that danger lurked beneath the surface of this lively scene?

He turned around and saw that Lu Qinglian was also staring at the Christmas tree.

As soon as he stepped inside, Zhang Shutong let out a sigh of relief.

Even if you wear thick clothes, you will still feel cold after a long ride. It's more like the climate on the island is like that. It's fine when the sun is up, but once night falls, the cold wind will seep into your bones.

He breathed on his palms, and then saw some food stalls set up on either side, selling tea eggs, grilled sausages, and candied hawthorns. Only then did Zhang Shutong realize that they hadn't eaten yet.

"Want some?" he asked Lu Qinglian, pointing to the tea eggs.

"Let me explain the reason first." Lu Qinglian was also gently rubbing her hands.

"I remember there would be a discount after six o'clock, two for three yuan."

Lu Qinglian cast a gaze colder than the biting wind.

Zhang Shutong stopped joking and said seriously:

"I specifically chose this place because it's crowded. If we went to a sparsely populated area, I'm afraid he wouldn't follow me. So, do you want to eat?"

"You'd better have some sense of urgency."

That means you ate it.

Zhang Shutong held up two fingers and then explained:
"Qingyi is still on his way, and that person isn't planning to make a move. In that case, let's just take a stroll."

Lu Qinglian sighed and turned to buy a sausage from the stall. These kinds of stalls were set up by mall staff. The salesperson asked her which kind of sausage she wanted, the Taiwanese style or the volcanic rock style. Zhang Shutong doubted whether she could understand, and sure enough, Lu Qinglian pointed to a pure meat sausage that had already cracked open.
"this."

Perhaps because she was "treating" someone, she chose the one that looked the most expensive.

"Five dollars."

"Just give it to him."

Lu Qinglian ordered another starch sausage.

Zhang Shutong said helplessly:

"Um...should we change it? Actually, it doesn't have to be like this."

"got used to."

"What are you used to?"

“It’s similar to feeding foxes,” she said casually, “with ham sausages too.”

Zhang Shutong didn't quite catch on for a moment. Was he saying that he had been treated like a fox and fed to the fox?

The two exchanged sausages and tea eggs and headed towards the supermarket.

"Is this your first time here?" Zhang Shutong pushed a small cart.

"the first time."

Come to think of it, this shopping mall has only been open for five or six years. Zhang Shutong also thought that even when feeding foxes sausages, Lu Qinglian would buy them one by one.

"You've been saving money?"

Zhang Shutong asked, then realized he had asked a pointless question. Of course, given Lu Qinglian's personality, she might say that their relationship wasn't close enough for her to inquire about such things.

To everyone's surprise, she nodded her chin, without denying it.

"Looking at it this way, I can't treat you too often," Zhang Shutong muttered. "If I treat you every time, you'll treat me back, and before long your little bit of pocket money will be gone."

“Then don’t invite her,” she said decisively.

Zhang Shutong shrugged, and the two of them strolled around the supermarket with their cart. He didn't have anything to buy, so he asked Lu Qinglian if she wanted to buy some daily necessities. The answer, of course, was no.

Besides, she had given her prior instructions, so Zhang Shutong couldn't act on his own. They quickly passed the toiletries area, the wheels of the shopping cart clattering on the floor. He then pointed to a plate of sliced fried dough and asked:
"Eat?"

Before Lu Qinglian could speak, Zhang Shutong added:
"It's a free sample, so this isn't on my treat."

He just found the deli section based on his memory. He remembered that there was always a tasting area here during events, with braised meat, scallion pancakes, smoked sausages, roast chicken, etc. They were cut up and placed on plates, but no one ate them and they were eventually thrown away.

He handed the toothpick to Lu Qinglian, and after a two-second pause, Lu Qinglian finally took it, saying with a headache:

"Don't forget the important matter."

Just then, a salesperson rushed over and asked, "Handsome guy/beautiful lady, would you like to buy something?"

"Oh no." Zhang Shutong looked at Lu Qinglian.

"what?"

"Actually, I just lied."

Zhang Shutong explained in a low voice:

"Although it's a tasting, you have to buy it afterward. That's an unspoken rule in shopping malls. Of course, you can slip away if no one notices, but as you can see, this is a case where someone notices."

After saying that, Zhang Shutong turned his face away:

"I want ten yuan's worth."

Zhang Shutong took a couple of steps with the fried dough sticks in his hand, then belatedly turned back:

"My mom isn't home, and I can't finish it all. It won't taste good if I leave it until the next day. Can you help me with some?"

Lu Qinglian looked at him helplessly.

The two ate their fried dough sticks as they walked up the elevator to the second floor, finishing their dinner.

Zhang Shutong lowered his gaze, and a familiar brown hat came into view.

He glanced at his phone again; Qingyi had retrieved the statue and was on her way to the mall.

Just then, her phone rang; it was Ruoping calling.

Zhang Shutong was taken aback and quickly answered the phone.

"Is it convenient for you to talk?"

The girl asked in a low voice.