Winter Returns

Chapter 207 Truth or Dare (Part )
The fourth class finally disbanded.

"I'm starving! What time is it?"

"It's almost seven o'clock, hmm, have the third shift still not left...?"

"Never mind that, let's go, my dad is still waiting at the school gate."

The noise outside was deafening, and everyone instinctively looked towards the door. When they turned back, Lu Qinglian had already crumpled the dare slip of paper into a ball with her fingers.

"Okay."

After saying that, she stood up and walked outside.

"Is Qinglian a little angry?" Ruoping asked softly.

"No, I don't think so." Zhang Shutong also stood up. If she were angry, she would have reacted when she drew the truth question.

He felt that Lu Qinglian always kept things very separate, just like the way she switched between the roles of temple keeper and student, which was equally applicable now.

Games are games, and business is business. Games are just a way for her to kill time. Now that the people from Class 4 have left, there is no need for her to stay any longer.

One second she was sitting in the corner of the desk, surrounded by the laughter of everyone. Although she didn't show any emotion throughout the process, she was still involved. But now her aloofness has become stronger.

Without further hesitation, everyone stood up solemnly. Some turned off the lights, and in the darkness, the scene inside the classroom could not be seen from the campus. But just in case, Zhang Shutong put the fox statue on the windowsill into his pocket and quietly replaced it with the sad fox.

He turned to Gu Qiumian and said:

"Go wait on the stairwell over on the rooftop for a bit, I'll be right back."

This was all planned in advance. Gu Qiumian was initially reluctant but also wanted to join the next operation. However, the man's stance remained unclear. After weighing the options, she was ultimately allowed to stay with her best friends.

Zhang Shutong tossed the rooftop key to Qingyi:
"Even if you see someone, don't make a sound, and contact them by phone immediately."

"it is good."

Zhang Shutong went down the stairs and mingled with the students from Class 4 in the corridor. As he passed the corner of the stairs, even more people came into view.

—Not only Class 4, but also the lower grade students were dismissed. Not long ago, every window in the teaching building was lit up, but now all the lights were turned off, and a new round of liveliness was ushered in.

In the pitch-black darkness, inside the empty building, someone turned on their phone's flashlight, and circular halos of light shimmered on the terrazzo floor. Students whispered among themselves, their footsteps quickening.

His job was to inspect the inside of the teaching building.

When Zhang Shutong went down to the third floor, he saw Lu Qinglian standing at the classroom door.

Which classes?

"Class 1 and 2 of Grade 9, Class 3 of Grade 8, and Class 1 of Grade 7."

Zhang Shutong recited a string of names.

While playing the game, he always sat by the window, looking down to see what was happening in the lower grades. He had memorized the classrooms where the lights were turned off early, meaning that if the man wanted to hide somewhere, these classrooms would be the most suitable locations.

In the darkness, Lu Qinglian nodded her chin.

They didn't exchange any words along the way, and even their footsteps were extremely light. But they were looking for that man and wanted to avoid alerting him, otherwise all six of them would be acting together. Zhang Shutong first went to Class 1's classroom, looked around, and then bent down to look at the desk hole of the multimedia podium.

"No."

Next up is Class Two.

Then comes the second year of junior high and the first year of junior high.

Soon he and Lu Qinglian arrived at the entrance of the teaching building.

"It's definitely not in the teaching building."

Students were still coming out of the gate. If they were freshmen in the first year of junior high school, who were still young, you could see their parents entering the school to help carry their schoolbags. Some parents would even prepare food in advance and stuff it into their children's hands as soon as they met them.

"Stop talking, or you'll start complaining of stomach aches again if you catch a cold..."

"Why is your mouth so dry? You've been so busy playing that you haven't even had a drink of water..."

This is the campus at night. A few mundane words are carried on the cold wind. All the lights in the campus have been turned off. He and Lu Qinglian stand at the entrance of the teaching building and watch the last student leave.

The two started walking again towards the playground. The administration building would be locked before school ended, so only the warehouse and the library remained.

Walking on campus, I no longer have to suppress my voice when I speak.

Zhang Shutong sent a message to Gu Qiumian: From now on, everyone has left, and the driver will have to keep an eye on their movements outside the school.

"It's actually quite interesting, isn't it?" The cold wind refreshed everyone, and Zhang Shutong breathed a sigh of relief. "We play games together every now and then."

Lu Qinglian remained silent, as if she hadn't heard those words.

Zhang Shutong could only say to her retreating figure:
"I've already deleted that photo. I really forgot about it last night. I didn't leave it on purpose."

She simply nodded to indicate that she had heard.

"The last pen wasn't intentionally turned towards you; it was a misunderstanding?" "Yeah."

"Oh, it wasn't intentional at first..."

Okay, this was really intentional, Zhang Shutong stopped abruptly, feeling a little guilty.

Lu Qinglian simply sighed softly:
“Zhang Shutong, if I had kept that request to myself, I would definitely have asked you to be quiet now.”

Zhang Shutong stopped talking.

This feeling was somewhat familiar. Zhang Shutong remembered it was the time when she saw Lao Song off on the ship. She could tell that Lao Song was in a somber mood then. This time, perhaps she was upset that she had said something inappropriate earlier?
They quickly arrived at the library, which was in a straight line with the school gate. Zhang Shutong kept an eye on the gate, which was empty.

"How about it?"

Zhang Shutong turned around and asked again.

"The door is locked."

"That's good."

Zhang Shutong knew that some students would use the library for rehearsals.

Qingyi sent a message saying that the four of them were already sitting on the steps. Qingyi herself was fine, but the others were a little excited and nervous. They were getting impatient and asked what they had found.

Zhang Shutong glanced at the time; only a little over ten minutes had passed, but darkness does make it hard to judge the passage of time. He gave a brief reply and then walked towards the warehouse with Lu Qinglian.

The two did not use flashlights to clear a path, but simply walked briskly through the campus.

The warehouse door was ajar. This time, Zhang Shutong lost his suspicious mind and simply took a step back, watching Lu Qinglian push the door open.

Inside were replaced tables and chairs, covered in dust.

The warehouse lights were old-fashioned light bulbs, and the switch was a rope. Zhang Shutong pulled the switch to turn on the light.

"nor."

He said thoughtfully:

"Go back now, the investigation is over."

“You’d better be sure he really is coming,” Lu Qinglian said, frowning.

“So it’s an open conspiracy. Before, we were searching for him all over the streets, but now we’ve at least narrowed it down to a very small circle.” Zhang Shutong gestured. “If they didn’t want to stay a little longer, my idea would be to wait for ten minutes after everyone has left, and then leave regardless of whether anyone came or not.”

Zhang Shutong really thought so, but the rest of them always had the idea of ​​getting ready to do something big.

Nighttime hours aren't valuable; even if you don't stay at school, you can go out and wander around somewhere. At least the classrooms have heating, although Zhang Shutong didn't feel any warmth at all and was always sweating profusely.

He glanced at the time again; only five minutes had passed since the last student left the school.

Zhang Shutong frowned.

"How are they doing?" Lu Qinglian asked again.

“I’ve been waiting bored,” Zhang Shutong said, turning off the screen. “Even Du Kang is yawning.”

“By the way,” Zhang Shutong said as he closed the warehouse door, “there’s a problem. The day Lao Song left… oh, I forgot you were late. We were already in the car when you arrived. Never mind. But I was thinking about something else, and I still can’t figure it out.”

Perhaps it was because his tone had unconsciously become serious that Lu Qinglian turned her face away for the first time.

"Why……"

"What?" The girl frowned, a sign that she was getting serious.

"You subconsciously chose Truth or Dare in the end?" Zhang Shutong asked, puzzled. "You could have just answered no."

"..."

Zhang Shutong could really feel a chill emanating from her.

“Zhang Shutong,” she said slowly, “why could you only answer the truth question once? I happen to know a few of the answers.”

After saying that, Lu Qinglian gave him a deep look and turned around.

Zhang Shutong shrugged, saying that everyone has some secrets, so it's best not to pry.

They returned to the campus by the same route. Lu Qinglian walked in front as always. This time, he carried a flashlight on the way back. Zhang Shutong frequently looked towards the gate. When they reached the entrance of the teaching building, he noticed a piece of paper pasted on the outer wall.

Were these things ever pasted on the outside of walls before?

Zhang Shutong frowned. He moved the flashlight over and saw a passage on the paper.

It says:

"I give up, the fox is no longer useful."

(End of this chapter)