Winter Returns

Chapter 230 Chain Reaction (End)

"But the saddest thing is that you didn't even have a chance to save her. You weren't late, and you didn't miss anything. You just never noticed."

"But, but..." Zhang Shutong was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

"So the deeper her love, the more intense her hatred. It's too late to say all this now; regret can't bring her back to life, Prince."

The goddess spoke softly, her voice calm, so lonely it could bring tears to one's eyes, then suddenly her calm voice rose an octave:
"Cut! Please, make your expression more expressive, okay?"

"Isn't it vivid enough?" Zhang Shutong rubbed his face.

"Hey, hey, even if you don't shed tears, at least don't look like the owner just told you they're out of green peppers when you're eating a rice bowl!" Ruoping said, exasperated by his lack of self-control.

Five slices of tender beef would be enough, Zhang Shutong thought to himself.

"Can I...can I get up now?"

At this moment, someone asked, trembling.

Zhang Shutong and Ruoping looked down at the ground, where a quiet-looking girl was lying. She was Ruoping's best friend, who played the role of a witch in the drama.

Now, nearing the end of the play, after a great battle, the prince slowly awakens and sees a pile of familiar and unfamiliar corpses on the ground. A goddess descends from the sky and explains the whole story to him.

The prince was struck dumb. He stared blankly at the witch's corpse. In his grief, the goddess pointed to another beautiful body and said, "You wouldn't believe it, but there's another one who's dead."

—This is Zhang Shutong's own understanding of the meaning; the original sentence is:
You will never hear her voice again.

Gu Qiumian plays a princess with a beautiful singing voice. The play opens with her singing as she walks to the front of the stage. The lights come on, like a bright morning. The girl's voice floats gently on the stage, needing no sound accompaniment, because a cappella is enough.

In the final scene, Gu Qiumian's pre-recorded a cappella resounded on stage once more. At first, it was so faint that it was almost imperceptible, but gradually the volume increased, swirling around again and again, instantly pulling people back to that carefree morning. Then, a red curtain swept in from one side, bringing the chaotic story to a close.

It was truly a tragedy.

Zhang Shutong also admitted that the ending was very moving, but they had already reshot it four times, and each time they got stuck on Zhang Shutong.

“I think the nickname ‘Facial Paralysis Brother’ is more suitable for Shutong,” Qingyi said.

"You're no better!" everyone said at the same time. Luckily, his role was a vampire, so he could just be a cool guy with a poker face.

"Alright, alright." Ruoping tapped her forehead with the script in exasperation. "Let's take a break and think about how to revise this part."

Zhang Shutong was granted a general amnesty.

As if granted a pardon, another person was also there. The girl lying on the ground scrambled to her feet, displaying a skill that belied her quiet appearance. She nudged Ruoping's shoulder and whispered:

Can I quit?

"Just bear with it a little longer, just bear with it a little longer, it'll be over soon," Ruoping quickly urged. "How about I treat you to takoyaki after school?"

"It's not a problem with the takoyaki..."

"Young lady, don't be too greedy. This director will only add one more cup of milk tea at most."

"Two drinks, okay... No! I'm not talking about what to eat, I'm talking about the lead actor!"

"Shu Tong's acting skills are so-so, but she's quite serious about it," Ruo Ping said protectively.

"Were you deliberately bumping into me?"

My best friend vented her frustration, exclaiming:
"You've got me in trouble! You should have told me earlier that they were the leads—"

She pointed to Zhang Shutong and Gu Qiumian, who were whispering in the corner:
"I'm not coming, no, I mean I'm not going to crash into their car on Christmas Day!"

On this day, her best friend recalled the fear of being wrecked by the Tongmian ship.

"Relax, relax." Ruoping patted her head. "They've already forgotten about it. Besides, everyone was just having fun, don't take it seriously."

"But why do I feel like Gu Qiu Mian's gaze is unfriendly when I'm acting?"

"Well..." Ruoping smiled awkwardly, "Maybe it wasn't directed at you?"

"Oh, now that you mention it, it's true." To everyone's surprise, her best friend nodded, a gossipy look on her face. "A love triangle, right?"

"puff……"

Ruoping froze; if she were drinking water, she would definitely have spat it out.

“I saw it very clearly at the time,” her best friend whispered. “When we came in, they were already sitting in the library, and Gu Qiu Mian was the first one there. I felt something was off right then and there…”

She then hugged her shoulders:

"Hey, should we turn the air conditioner up a bit? It's so cold."

"Fine, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

"How to say?"

Ruoping solemnly held her shoulder:

"The term 'love triangle' is too complicated for our prince, you know? He simply can't understand it."

"Really?" her best friend muttered.

"Of course," Ruoping said firmly. "You should memorize your lines properly; you're the one who stumbles the most."

"This is my first time here..."

They were talking at the counter by the door. Ruoping thought for a moment and then reminded her not to say anything carelessly. Seeing her serious expression, her best friend nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry... Hey, why is Lu Qinglian standing up?"

"Ok?"

Ruoping also turned around.

"Not only did he stand up, but it seems he even walked towards Zhang Shutong's direction!"

My best friend excitedly played the role of a war correspondent:
"Wait, it seems we're just passing through their area..."

She said disappointedly.

What exactly are you disappointed about? Ruoping thought with a hint of frustration.

"It looks like they're heading this way again!"

This time she wasn't mistaken; Lu Qinglian really was walking towards them. Ruoping wondered if her best friend's gossip had been overheard.

Lu Qinglian's target, however, was the counter behind them.

She pulled a broom from behind the counter and looked at the two people embracing.

"what's up?"

"Oh, we're talking about lines, um, lines."

"What are you talking about?" Du Kang ran over cheerfully. He was on duty today and was the last one to arrive. "Oh, right, Lu, did nothing happen to you today?"

Ruoping thought to herself, "Please, at least be a little more tactful when you strike up a conversation." Lu Qinglian shook her head slightly, indicating that it was alright.

"The last rehearsal was quite interesting," Du Kang said, scratching his head. "Your portrayal of the witch was quite imposing. I'm not used to it now that there's a different actress..."

Lu Qinglian was indeed very busy today. She just said something casually, picked up a broom, and turned to leave.

"Oh, so she was the one who helped with the rehearsal that time," her best friend whispered. "Hey, Du Kang, you can hit on me all you want, but do you have a problem with me?"

Du Kang's face immediately turned red:
"What flirting? I'm just telling the truth. Last time, you were unreliable. We agreed to rehearse, and suddenly your tire got punctured."

"What tires?" My best friend was taken aback.

Lu Qinglian's steps also paused.

Ruoping wished she could sink Du Kang into the lake to feed the fish:

“You forgot that it was that noon when you told me your tire was flat and you couldn’t come, so I asked Qinglian to help you at the last minute…” “But didn’t you say on the phone that time…” The girl could feel the pain in her arm through her sweater, “that I’d go change my flat tire since I wasn’t in a hurry, haha.”

After a burst of laughter, each with their own hidden agendas, Lu Qinglian had returned to her seat. Du Kang pondered:

"I knew it was such a coincidence, it wasn't a flat tire after all..."

Ruoping's heart skipped a beat.

"So the whole tire burst," he realized. "That's why I was busy all noon."

Ruoping's eye twitched, and she forced a smile:
"Yes, yes, you can understand it that way."

Finally, after Du Kang left, her best friend shook her shoulder violently:

"What exactly happened? Didn't you tell me the other day that I didn't need to come? How did it turn out to be a flat tire?"

Ruoping was on the verge of tears, wanting to just dial Teacher Song's number and shove it in her face. She remembered what Teacher Song had said back then:
"Ruoping, didn't Shutong get saved by Qinglian once before? I'm planning to give her a gift these days, but I don't think that kid can manage on his own. I need your help. Come, let me tell you, first do this, then do this..."

After all this effort, I still don't know if Shutong's gift has been delivered.

A mother's worry is bound to be this extreme. She was just about to brush off her best friend when suddenly the library door opened—

Ruoping's heart was in her throat again.

"What do you guys do?"

A questioning male voice rang out; it was the teacher who managed the library.

"Let's rehearse the show here for a bit, teacher." Ruoping breathed a sigh of relief. "We'll leave as soon as we're done."

Ruoping was a little puzzled. She knew that this teacher usually didn't get involved in things easily. Although the library was a school facility, it was donated by Gu Qiumian's family. Mr. Gu had given a special speech at the freshman ceremony, saying that the library should not become a vanity project. Therefore, the management was very lenient, and the library would not be locked until very late.

The teacher in front of me is about to retire. At this age, he is still single. He has nothing to do after going home early. I also heard that he has an eccentric personality and his relationship with the school leaders was once very strained, so he is "retiring" in the library.

The man's surname was Yang. He really did look a bit like a goat, with a tuft of white beard. He was as thin as a stick, and his face was always clouded with worry. Perhaps that was why he didn't have any colleagues he interacted with on a regular basis.

"I'm in a hurry to leave today. If you want to play, come back tomorrow."

His tone left no room for negotiation.

Even with the most lenient management, locking the door after school every day is an official rule. However, Ruoping knew that the library's doors were locked only sporadically, and she didn't know how they had run into them today.

“A teacher complained to me yesterday.” He frowned. “They said some students don’t go home after school and wander around the school. You guys need to clean up the mess they’ve made of the library.”

Ruoping shrugged. Usually, she would have been eager to explain, how could she leave so easily after finally getting a chance to rehearse? But today was different—

"Oh, it's Qiu Mian. You didn't even tell the teacher you were here."

Teacher Yang turned her head, and a smile suddenly appeared on her stiff face.

"They called out to me in such a friendly way." Ruoping pouted.

Gu Qiu Mian had already turned and walked towards the door. Seeing this, Teacher Yang said:
"Then I'll give you the library key. You and your classmates can get on with your work. It's so late, don't get cold. Remember to turn the air conditioning up high..."

He raised his eyebrows as he spoke:

"And that classmate—"

It was obvious that the girl wasn't part of the rehearsal. She was sitting at the far end of the library, with several black plastic bags beside her legs. The table was in an even worse state, covered in tangled straw ropes, some of which were falling apart. He frowned at the sight.

Don't forget to pack your things before you leave.

The girl nodded her chin.

"Don't cause trouble for others."

Teacher Yang gave him instructions, and it seemed he really had something to do today. After saying that, he hurriedly left.

"Bullying the weak and fearing the strong." Ruoping stuck her tongue out at his retreating figure.

“It’s definitely hard.” My best friend nodded. “Look, our prince has been cornered by the princess…”

……

"I'll settle the score with you later."

Gu Qiumian left those words behind and turned to walk towards the door.

She casually mentioned something to the librarian, who then handed her a set of keys.

Zhang Shutong belatedly realized that the "wings" of the gold coin chocolate had somehow reached the library. Gu Qiumian used to keep the key to the library and used it as her secret base, but now she didn't think much of the place.

Actually, she could have gotten it long ago if she wanted it, but the young lady doesn't like to meddle and just lets her family library do whatever it wants.

Gu Qiu Mian doesn't like to manage things, but she loves to manage people.

She turned around in her boots, each step more arrogant than the last. Zhang Shutong retreated step by step until he was cornered against the bookshelf. Zhang Shutong continued to retreat until their figures were swallowed up by the tall bookshelf. Only then did Gu Qiumian stop.

"Zhang Shutong." From a hidden corner, Gu Qiumian spoke slowly.

Zhang Shutong was taken aback.

"Are you really into the rehearsals?" she asked, arms crossed.

"It's alright." Zhang Shutong had given up on making excuses for her now and basically said whatever came to mind. He asked, puzzled, "You said you'd have some fun when you had some free time?"

"But why do I feel like you're really interested?" she asked casually, pointing with her finger.

Zhang Shutong thought for a moment:

"Actually, it's not that I care, it's just that Ruoping is quite strict..."

"But why do I feel like you had a lot of fun last time, hmm?" Suddenly, Gu Qiu Mian leaned closer to her face, her delicate features flawless. "Ruo Ping told me that you can't act without changing the lines. At first, I didn't believe it, but now it seems to be true?"

Zhang Shutong subconsciously turned his face away and muttered:
"No, I'm really not used to it."

"Not used to it?" Gu Qiumian sneered. "You think I'll get used to it just because I'm here?"

"I didn't do anything to you today, did I..." Zhang Shutong had no choice but to surrender.

Then they fell silent, a few seconds of quiet between them. In the silence, Gu Qiu Mian reached out a hand—from her crossed arms—and lifted Zhang Shutong's chin:
"Are you used to this, Prince?"

Gu Qiumian forcibly turned his face to face, and Zhang Shutong met her eyes. She blinked her eyes, pretending not to understand.

The two were very close, and the hot breath she exhaled from her rosy lips brushed against Zhang Shutong's face, making his skin tingle.

This moment felt very long.

Zhang Shutong was completely stunned. Suddenly, he felt his face burning because the finger was not only touching his chin but also gently scratching his skin, as if it were teasing a cat.

"Hey, it's so itchy..."

The touch on her chin was smooth and delicate. This time, Zhang Shutong forgot to move her face away, so the finger moved away lightly on its own.

"It's so itchy?" Gu Qiumian said in a drawn-out tone, "I feel like you're the one who makes my teeth itch too."

Zhang Shutong glanced at her lips, but she smiled without showing her teeth, so he didn't see them.

"It itches so bad, it itches so bad, how can you be like this..."

Gu Qiu Mian noticed his gaze, but immediately lost her composure. She managed to glare at him and say:

"By the way, I've actually been wanting to ask you this for a while now."

She turned her face away, her tone becoming nonchalant again, which relieved Zhang Shutong. Gu Qiumian looked in a certain direction and casually asked:

"What is Lu Qinglian doing there?"

(End of this chapter)