Winter Returns

Chapter 211 "Following"

"What a coincidence..." Du Kang was stunned for two seconds before recognizing the junior who often followed Gu Qiu Mian. "Oh, hello..."

He first glanced at the outgoing junior, then at Zhang Shutong, and then realized what was going on:
Why are you following him?

"Shh!" Xu Zhiruo quickly shut up, "Don't slander me, it was a chance encounter, a chance encounter! I didn't follow him!"

"Do you think we're stupid?" Du Kang laughed. "Who needs to cover their entire face with a hat when taking the bus? What else could it be but being followed? Confess!"

"So you two were also stalking him, and you three are supposed to be good friends?!"

"I..." Du Kang choked, thinking to himself, "Can you call it stalking when it's your good brother doing this? That's called caring." He quickly came up with a plan, "We have important business to attend to today. Why don't you guess what we're doing?"

"You two look like dog thieves!" the secretary said, pointing a finger.

"Don't let her lead you astray," Qingyi interrupted, looking at the girl. "The two of us can clarify things with Shutong face-to-face anytime. What about you?"

"I..." Xu Zhiruo's arrogance immediately subsided.

"Have mercy, sir!" she said, sticking out her tongue.

"Trying to be cute won't work," they both said in unison.

"This is a long story, can you let me explain?" The girl slapped her forehead.

A few minutes later, inside the bus, three people were crammed together on seats next to each other by the window.

“…That’s how it is.” Xu Zhiruo shrugged. “I just came back from the city by boat and was taking the bus to the city center when I saw Mu…Senior Zhang leading a girl onto the bus. If you want to be strict, I was sitting on the bus first, so how can that be called stalking?”

"Then why are you covering your face?" Du Kang asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I just tattled on him a few days ago, and I feel a little guilty. I don't dare let him find out."

"Hey, don't be so self-righteous."

"Then you could have just waited in your seat. What are you doing standing in the aisle?" Qingyi asked again.

"I'm getting off the bus soon, so please get ready in advance."

"It's that simple?"

"It's that simple." Xu Zhiruo blinked innocently. "By the way, what should we call the seniors?"

"Just call me Du Kang, this is Meng Qingyi."

"Hello, Senior Du. Hello, Senior Meng." The girl nodded obediently. "And how should I address that senior?"

"Hello, hello." Du Kang scratched his head and smiled, suddenly finding this junior classmate quite cute. "But we don't know that girl either. Hey, Qingyi, say something too."

"You'd be counting the money for her even if she sold you out," Qingyi said speechlessly. "You mean, the two of them got on the train at the previous stop?"

Xu Zhiruo nodded.

“That’s strange,” Qingyi said, resting her chin on her hand as usual. “Du Kang, you got on the bus when you saw Shu Tong, which means they got off at least twice, one stop apart, and both times in the suburbs…”

Before she could finish speaking, Xu Zhiruo pressed on:
"Don't you guys know what he's doing? Is he on a date?"

"A date?" Du Kang hesitated. "It shouldn't be, right?"

Although he had initially considered this possibility, after calming down, he simply couldn't connect "Shutong" with the word "date." Besides, if he were to go on a date, it shouldn't be with a girl he had just met.

"Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and the day after is Christmas Day. Doesn't it seem like it?" Xu Zhiruo asked casually. "Besides, they've been sitting together the whole time."

The three of them turned around again, and this time they made a new discovery—the long-haired girl picked up the point-and-shoot camera on her chest, pointed it out the window with great interest, and after a few clicks, she lowered her eyes and looked through the photos she had just taken with satisfaction.

"I understand," Qingyi said thoughtfully.

"what?"

"They're taking pictures, no wonder we haven't seen that person before. They must be tourists from outside the island. And Shutong seems to be here as a tour guide. They got off the bus in the suburbs to take pictures."

"I get it now!" Du Kang slapped his thigh. "I knew she looked familiar. Isn't that the older sister from before? Remember in the tunnel? Ruoping said that this older sister took a picture of her?"

"Oh, her," Qingyi recalled, "I even recommended your restaurant to her."

The girl was wearing a white fisherman's hat today, hiding her long, soft hair inside, no wonder they didn't recognize her at first glance.

"But how did they meet? I think they're high school students in the city," Du Kang said, puzzled. "Now that you mention it, I suddenly remembered that the other day when this older sister was having dinner at our house. Not long after their table left, Shu Tong came running over, panting. I was wondering why he was in such a hurry. Could it be that they already knew each other?"

"How early?" someone asked, raising their hand.

"Uh, why are you so excited?" Du Kang was a little annoyed by this noisy junior. "Alright, the truth is out now. It must be that they came to the island to play and Shu Tong acted as their tour guide."

"Take my advice, senior, and stop making wild guesses."

Du Kang patted his chest and guaranteed:

“I’ve known him for so many years, and I guarantee with my integrity that it’s absolutely not a date.”

"Oh..." Xu Zhiruo's eyes darted around, seemingly lost in thought.

"We're almost at the station." Qingyi turned around. "Get ready to get off. Be careful not to give yourself away."

"Got it."

The two put their down jacket hoods back on and quickly walked to the back door of the bus.

"But I'm still curious about something. Why has Shutong never mentioned this senior student before?"

Du Kang couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"Let's talk about it downstairs." Qingyi nudged him with his elbow. "Keep an eye on the dog. Shutong knows Zorro too."

The car quickly slowed down, and the two held their breath, waiting for the car to come to a complete stop. Although the truth was more or less clear, they were still a little embarrassed to have followed their good friend for so long because of a misunderstanding. Both of them felt their faces burning and just wanted to rush out the door.

"Next stop, Beiyi Shopping Mall. Please take your belongings and get off the bus..."

A sweet female voice played in my ears.

"What a coincidence," Du Kang said belatedly. "Perfect timing, let's go in and find something to eat?"

Qingyi nodded.

At the same time, the car door opened, and as Du Kang stepped out, cold sweat slid down his forehead:

"Wait, wait, wait, why is Shutong moving too?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zhang Shutong and the senior student wearing a fisherman's hat stand up together.

"This...isn't this a bit too much of a coincidence?" Du Kang was dumbfounded.

"Stop talking nonsense and get downstairs."

Qingyi quickly pulled him aside, and the two of them hurriedly walked behind the bus stop sign. Just as they were in hiding, they saw two other people get off the bus.

"Are they really going to go shopping?" Du Kang was stunned, thinking to himself that his personality seemed to be worthless.

"Hmm...maybe." Qingyi glanced at him sideways.

"It's clearly certain."

The two turned their heads at the same time, unable to resist the urge to complain:

"Why are you still here!"

Xu Zhiruo leaned out from behind the bus stop sign:
"Qiu Mian and I agreed to have lunch at the mall. Didn't I mention it earlier?"

"Gu Qiumin is here too?" Du Kang's mind went blank for a moment. He looked at Zhang Shutong's departing figure, then at Xu Zhiruo, and subconsciously took out his phone.

"Don't even think about tipping us off!"

Xu Zhiruo shouted, and the cute junior schoolmate disappeared. She revealed her tiger teeth and sneered incessantly:

"So it turns out Brother Wood has the potential to be a scumbag. I never realized it before."

What is a "scumbag"?

“It’s a term that’s recently become popular online, referring to a man who is promiscuous and unfaithful,” Xu Zhiruo said casually. She also picked up her phone and waved it seriously. “I’m not really a person who likes to tattle, it makes me seem like a gossip, otherwise I would have contacted them on the bus, but you guys just saw it, caught red-handed, and I’m on Qiu Mian’s side.”

"Wait a minute," Du Kang said, breaking out in a cold sweat. He knew, of course, that Zhang Shutong and Gu Qiumian's relationship was unusual, and this did indeed raise suspicions of infidelity. "But it's not necessarily a date, is it? Didn't you say you'd be a tour guide? She's never been to the shopping malls on our island before, so can't you show her around?"

Xu Zhiruo chuckled:
"If there's a movie theater on our island, would you like to visit it later?"

Du Kang could only say that if you want to find fault, you can always find a reason. He frantically winked at Qingyi, "You say something too."

"Is it serious?" Qingyi was completely baffled.

"It's very serious!" they both said at the same time.

"Shall we follow them and see?" Qingyi thought for a moment. "I also don't think it looks like a date. It wouldn't be good if it caused a misunderstanding."

"Fine." Xu Zhiruo sighed and put her phone away. "You're all older, so I'll listen to you. I really don't want to talk badly about people behind their backs. Let's go, let's go. There's still some time before lunch. But even if I don't call, Qiu Mian will come by herself."

As she spoke, she took the first step, and the two boys looked at each other and quickly followed.

Before the three of them even entered the mall, they were startled by the scene in front of the entrance—

This place was nothing like its usual deserted state. Colorful balloons floated overhead, and a temporary market had been set up next to the main entrance. The market's red stalls were covered with white snowflake-shaped plastic sheets, and staff dressed as Santa Claus walked around carrying free small gifts.

The festive atmosphere is incredibly strong, since Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year, and today is a Sunday, which is precisely the time when the mall is busiest. If it gets dark later, when the mall lights up, combined with the huge Christmas tree at the entrance, it will be even more lively.

"Hey, senior, help me with my bag, I want to buy an ice cream." Xu Zhiruo skipped around.

"Weren't you following them?" Du Kang asked, puzzled.

"You only need ice cream when you're following them. Otherwise, what if you get so angry that you lose your temper? Besides, they're heading to the market too."

The two boys couldn't understand her thought process at all, so they could only silently follow along.

This temporary market consists entirely of food, drinks, and entertainment. The food is the same old snacks, but the games are more varied, such as shooting balloons, ring toss, bumper cars, and rubber painting. Although these are all simple entertainment options, you don't usually see them, except during Christmas, New Year's Day, and the Spring Festival.

Xu Zhiruo was quite generous; when buying ice cream, she didn't forget to buy one for the two of them as well, and even got an egg roll for the dog. She bent down:
"Eat up, eat up. If you can't make it in the future, your big sister will protect you."

"Could you please not kidnap my dog?" Du Kang thought speechlessly, then quickly reminded him:
"Look, the two of them are heading in the direction of Santa Claus."

The three people and the dog immediately stopped talking.

After saying that, Du Kang wanted to slap himself. He thought to himself, "Didn't I come here to cover for Shu Tong? How did I end up exposing him? This is really bad..."

Thinking this, I saw the senior student wearing a fisherman's hat hand the point-and-shoot camera to Shutong, while she stood next to Santa Claus.

The girl squinted when she smiled, while Shu Tong reluctantly... but seemingly without reluctance, took a few photos.

Xu Zhiruo turned around:

"You tell me yourselves, does this count?"

"No!" Du Kang insisted. "It wasn't a group photo. We even helped you carry your bag."

"Oh, continue."

The two then went to a stall selling candied hawthorns. Zhang Shutong counted out his change, bought a candied tangerine, and handed it to the girl.

Xu Zhiruo licked her ice cream:
"Senior Zhang is so considerate."

"You treated us to two ice creams too, even the dog got some!"

"I..." Xu Zhiruo paused, gritted her teeth, "Fine, I'll look again!"

Du Kang stared nervously at Zhang Shutong, afraid that the two of them would finish the candied hawthorn together, and if they got any more affectionate, they might even feed each other... Fortunately, the thing he expected didn't happen, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

After buying candied hawthorns, the two seemed to lose interest in the market and turned to walk towards the mall, with the trio quickly following behind. The mall was packed with people at midday, but they chatted and laughed as they went up the escalator.

Do NOT go to eat. Do NOT go to eat.

Du Kang silently thought to himself, "Then I'll be in deep trouble, even if I jump into the Yellow River."

Fortunately, the two turned around and went to the second floor.

But this left Du Kang somewhat confused:

"Let's analyze this. What exactly are they planning to do?"

"It's just shopping, isn't it?"

Qingyi asked in confusion.

"I'm afraid of going shopping!" Du Kang said softly. "Can we come up with some excuse to cover it up later?"

"How do you make it round?"

"Make up some nonsense that she won't understand to fool her." Du Kang secretly pointed at Xu Zhiruo, "Just say that Shutong is actually very shrewd and that going out shopping is just part of her plan."

"I understand." Qingyi gestured for me to take over.

The two turned into the bookstore.

The three quickly followed.

They hid behind the bookshelf, four heads peeking out cautiously, lined up in a row from tallest to shortest:
"Don't push forward, senior!" said the head at the bottom.

"This is part of the plan." (Second to last head)

"Brother, you can't force it like that!" the third head said. "Besides, I've already got the dog on my head!"

"Woof!" It was naturally the fourth head.

"So isn't this normal?" Du Kang said guiltily, "Reading books together doesn't necessarily count as a date, right? Who goes to a bookstore for a date..."

"You're so out of touch, senior," Xu Zhiruo said matter-of-factly. "These days, it's not fashionable to go on dates to the movies, amusement parks, or aquariums anymore. Girls prefer more artsy places, like bookstores, cafes, pottery studios, sand painting studios, or even escape rooms. Everyone goes to places like that now. You're obviously single."

"Really..." Du Kang suddenly felt a little sad.

“They’re getting ready to leave,” Qingyi interjected.

The three of them quickly turned to look, only to see Zhang Shutong talking to his senior. He picked up two hardcover books, seemingly struggling with his decision. Finally, the girl pointed at one of the books, and Zhang Shutong made his choice. The two went to the front desk to pay the bill. Xu Zhiruo, seeing this, revealed her canine teeth.
"Oh, so you're already starting to prepare Christmas presents?"

"Perhaps Shutong herself wanted to see it?" Qingyi guessed.

"Who would buy these hardcover collectible books? They're so expensive, costing tens of dollars each. And why would they be specially wrapped up?"

Sure enough, besides buying books, Zhang Shutong also looked at the packaging bags behind the counter for a while. Finally, he asked for a red cardboard box with a deer printed on it, and asked the clerk to pack it well and even tie a bow on it.

Even Qingyi realized something was wrong.

"Let's go, I want to see what else Brother Wood is planning to do."

Xu Zhiruo stretched, and the two boys had no choice but to quickly follow.

I thought the two of them would go straight to the third floor for dinner, but shortly after leaving the bookstore, they went into a jewelry store.

Jewelry stores—as the name suggests—are generally only frequented by women.

"Maybe it's just that senior student who wants to buy something herself?" Du Kang said tentatively.

In his line of sight, Zhang Shutong picked up a bell hanging on the shelf.

It seemed to be a special Christmas item. The bell was made of brass. He shook it twice, and it made a clear, crisp sound. Zhang Shutong then looked at the girl beside him, as if asking for her permission. The girl nodded in satisfaction, and they wrapped up the bell as well.

"You're still planning to buy more?" Even Xu Zhiruo was surprised.

Du Kang asked:
"I can understand buying books, but why buy bells?"

"Of course it's decorating the Christmas tree! There's a classic song, 'Jingle Bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way~'" the girl hummed cheerfully. Then she frowned. "I knew it was a Christmas present! I can't wait any longer!"

As she was about to take out her phone, Du Kang quickly said, "Calm down, calm down. It's not Christmas today. Who gives gifts early?"

Xu Zhiruo looked at her like she was a fool:
"Didn't you just say that the girl goes to school in the city? Christmas is on a Tuesday, and school isn't closed then, so the only time to give her anything is today?"

For a moment, Du Kang was speechless. It seemed to make sense. He only planned to secretly send a text message to Zhang Shutong when Xu Zhiruo wasn't paying attention, telling him to take his senior sister and leave quickly. That would be considered doing his best.

What they didn't expect was that buying bells wasn't enough; the two stopped in front of a music box.

“That’s three.” Xu Zhiruo turned to Zorro and said, “Oh no, if you count the candied hawthorns, that’s four. Please remember this for your sister.”

The puppy barked four times in a row.

Du Kang had become numb.

The two also packed up the music box.

"I'm not watching anymore." Du Kang's eyes twitched. "This is the first time I've realized how terrifyingly insightful Shu Tong has become. Giving her just one gift isn't enough; she's buying gifts like they're snacks."

If you count them, they've only visited the second store. If they make it all the way to the third floor, they'll probably be carrying bags of all sizes.

"Got an excuse yet, buddy?"

"Not yet," Qingyi said thoughtfully.

Zhang Shutong and her senior finally walked out of the jewelry store.

By this time, he was carrying three bags.

"Maybe it's a Christmas event at that senior's school?" Du Kang probed. "She's in charge of shopping, but the gifts aren't actually for her; they're for other people?"

"Then why should the senior pay?"

Du Kang was speechless.

Amidst the admiring gazes of the crowd, the other party resolutely devoted themselves to the third store.

A few minutes later, Zhang Shutong came out carrying a new gift bag.

"the fifth."

"Um, how about we not include the candied hawthorns?"

“One more won’t make a difference,” Xu Zhiruo said, arms crossed. “There will definitely be a sixth one later.”

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

“I understand,” Qingyi suddenly said.

"What?" The two turned their heads instantly. Qingyi's discovery was always hard to ignore. Xu Zhiruo looked suspicious, while Du Kang was secretly excited.

Yes, that's it, absolutely right! He thought to himself, "Good brother, I knew you were the most reliable."

"Actually..." Qingyi said slowly, "Shutong has a younger brother?"

"..."

"..."

"Just kidding," Qingyi said calmly. "Don't you think it's too unusual to give so many gifts at once? Even if Shutong had the intention, most girls wouldn't accept them."

“I knew there was more to it than I expected,” Du Kang nodded repeatedly. “What is it?”

"The answer is—" Qingyi revealed the answer, "This is part of the plan."

Du Kang covered his face.

"what's the plan?"

"Shutong's plan for today," Qingyi said calmly.

Xu Zhiruo carefully examined Qingyi for a few moments, noticing his unchanging expression, and said uncertainly:

"How to say?"

"You mentioned on the bus that you had snitched a few days ago, were you referring to that night at the mall?"

"Senior, you actually knew that?"

"Don't worry about how I know. Did you see a short-haired girl next to Shutong?"

"Um……"

"The results of it?"

Xu Zhiruo suddenly felt a little guilty:
"Later, Qiu Mian told me that you were busy with important business that day..."

“That’s right.” Qingyi nodded. “The operation at the mall that day was part of the plan, and today is no different.”

"What? What?" Xu Zhiruo was stunned.

"No comment," Qingyi said expressionlessly.

“Yes, it’s really not convenient to tell you this.” Du Kang quickly took over, “I’m really busy with important matters. You just need to know that this matter is not as simple as it seems on the surface.”

As he said this, he glanced back and saw Zhang Shutong and her senior sitting down on a chair, seemingly tired from shopping.
"Look, did they do anything even slightly intimate today? Don't normal people hold hands when they go on a date?"

"It seems that it really is..."

"It's not just a guess, it's exactly like that," Du Kang emphasized. "Otherwise, why do you think we're following Shu Tong? Do you think your senior Meng and I have that much free time? Junior, I can tell you this responsibly now..."

He raised Zorro high in his hand:

"Even it is part of the plan."

Xu Zhiruo was dumbfounded.

"Alright, alright." Du Kang waved his hand impatiently. "If you understand, go eat. We have other things to do and don't have time to keep you company."

"That……"

Xu Zhiruo took one last look at Zhang Shutong and realized that the two were indeed just talking quietly, without any of the actions that a typical couple would do.

"I'm so sorry," she said, bowing deeply, "I've caused you so much trouble!"

"Playing the victim won't work!" the two said in unison.

"Junior, I know you're doing this for Gu Qiumian, but sometimes being too suspicious isn't a good thing. Look, besides sitting together and buying a few things, have they done anything else? I can only say you're still too young."

Du Kang turned around and grinned maliciously:
"If you still don't believe me, why don't you come up with me and ask?"

"I believe you, I believe you... It's really not necessary." Xu Zhiruo trembled.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot to give you the gift I prepared."

The noisy shopping mall fell silent in that instant.

There was silence.

The three people and the dog turned around in disbelief, only to see the girl take off her fisherman's hat for the first time. She gently tossed her long hair, took a gift box from her handbag, and handed it to Zhang Shutong with a light laugh.
"Don't let her find out."

"Isn't it?"

"That's quite right, junior," the senior said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)