Chapter 56: "A Pleasure to Meet You" |
In a certain sense, this Saturday had been extraordinarily lively.
But even the liveliest day must come to an end.
As the time approached eight o'clock, police sirens echoed through the evening campus.
The police took the Zhou father and son away. Even if they didn't find concrete evidence tonight, Zhou's father had left his fingerprint when recruiting his accomplices. The island lacked fingerprint identification technology, but once sent to the city for examination, everything would be revealed. Conspiracy to commit arson alone would be enough to give him a hard time.
As for their ultimate fate, Zhang Shutong didn't need to worry about it—Boss Gu would vent his daughter's grievances.
The time came to part ways.
The trio of close friends lived in the residential area on the north side of the small island, Song Nanshan's dormitory was nearby, Gu Qiumian's family villa was to the south, and Zhang Shutong needed to go east—near Green Snake Mountain.
In short, the six of them each went their separate ways.
At this moment, an unexpected incident occurred.
They had rushed back overnight from the provincial capital as the "advance troops" to protect their young miss's safety.
Zhang Shutong looked at the Land Rover, then at the two powerfully-built, buzz-cut men, thinking to himself, oh, the real subordinates have finally arrived.
When the two bodyguards got out of the car, Gu Qiumian was speaking quietly with him, but then one of the men respectfully handed over a phone, saying, "Miss, Boss Gu is very worried about your safety..." So Gu Qiumian went to talk with her father again.
Zhang Shutong finally felt relieved inside—this represented that this Saturday full of variables had finally been endured.
But Gu Qiumian wasn't happy at all. The bodyguards' arrival seemed more like a fright than a delight. Zhang Shutong didn't understand what she was being difficult about. Gu Qiumian only asked:
"Come with us in my family's car. I'll take you home."
Zhang Shutong shook his head in refusal. His bicycle was still parked in the bike shed. It had been there since Friday after school without being ridden away. The true sign of a completed operation wasn't defeating some formidable enemy, but rather, after the dust settled, driving your own little vehicle back to your own garage.
Many people surrounded them. In any case, the two didn't say much—perhaps there wasn't time to talk. Everyone was busy chattering about their own affairs, making phone calls, reporting they were safe... The young miss had been out all day and should go home now.
Gu Qiumian looked back from the Land Rover's window. The night wind scattered her hair, but in the coldest moment, she wasn't wearing that scarf. Zhang Shutong waved at her as a final farewell.
Only the master and his four disciples remained at the school gate.
Their mouths never stopped. Du Kang asked Qingyi what gift they'd bought him—he originally didn't want to ask, but having accomplished something significant today, could he be informed in advance?
Ruoping asked Zhang Shutong how it felt to play the hero saving the beauty. She said, wasn't that a romance movie playing in the classroom earlier? You and the young miss cozying up watching a movie together while we were on the rooftop blowing in the cold wind. Wow, wow, how blissful.
Ruoping was still upset about being kept in the dark.
As soon as Gu Qiumian left, she began giving him grief.
Zhang Shutong could only endure it. Being scolded a few times wouldn't kill him.
Finally, Old Song asked if they were hungry—should they go get a late-night snack?
Zhang Shutong was the first to opt out. He just wanted to go home and lie down for a bit. Not that he was particularly tired, but he wanted to find somewhere warm to zone out.
The close friends weren't in a rush either. They'd let Old Song go give his statement first. Today was only Saturday—they could still play all day tomorrow. No need to rush this little while.
Besides, the few of them really had moved tables all afternoon and were exhausted.
After discussing it, they decided: Old Song would take Ruoping and Du Kang home, since their bicycles weren't here. Qingyi's bicycle had been left by Zhang Shutong at the nail salon entrance, so he might as well go along too and come back for it tomorrow.
In the end, he went home alone.
He yawned, not rushing to ride his bike. Instead, he returned to the teaching building. When the police arrived earlier, everyone had rushed downstairs in their haste, and the projector in the classroom was still on. Zhang Shutong felt that since the four of them had been busy all day, he said they should go ahead—he'd take care of this himself.
When he returned to the classroom, Roman Holiday was approaching its end.
It was exactly the plot summary he'd read online before—after the brief holiday, the next day the princess returned to the palace, and the male protagonist stood below with a group of colleagues, watching the princess who was both strange and familiar. The two pretended not to know each other, but unexpectedly, the princess suddenly requested to shake hands with the reporters. Everyone couldn't figure out what the princess was up to, and complied one by one.
Zhang Shutong understood the princess's intention—she shook hands with everyone, but actually just wanted to hold his hand one last time.
Soon came the moment when the two shook hands. Zhang Shutong had already moved the mouse to the red button in the upper right corner of the video, but unconsciously stopped, wanting to see what they would say to each other.
However, there was only one line, or perhaps not even a full line—just two words. Moreover, this was an English movie, and the homeroom teacher naturally wouldn't have found a Chinese-dubbed version to train their listening skills, so the words the princess gently uttered were even simpler—just one word:
"A pleasure."
Zhang Shutong clicked the left mouse button.
He folded up and put away the projector, habitually checked whether the classroom windows were securely closed, but discovered a plastic bag at his seat. Inside the bag were snacks retrieved from the library cabinet.
The plastic bag sat there unchanged. They'd made a detour specifically to get it, supposedly to recreate a bit of cinema atmosphere, but actually no one had eaten any.
Zhang Shutong stuffed it into Gu Qiumian's desk compartment, closed the classroom door, went down the stairs, left the building, and got on his bicycle.
Home was to the east, but Zhang Shutong didn't immediately head home. Instead, he turned the handlebars south.
That plastic bag made him realize something—
His reward for today was still at the supermarket.
He felt that was indeed his reward. After accompanying the young miss for an entire day, and since she didn't like owing favors, those two large shopping bags of food were naturally her way of repaying the favor.
Zhang Shutong didn't think these things were too little. He hadn't gone for anything else in the first place. He didn't want money or other things. Two large bags of food were just right—one bag wouldn't be enough to share with his close friends, three bags he couldn't carry back home. He'd always been a pragmatist.
Ruoping and the others were all wrong. He wasn't playing hero to save the beauty, nor was he some flower guardian. This was just something he should do in life, without reason, expecting no reward.
They always questioned his motives. He also questioned their speculation. This matter was more like a slightly larger pebble on life's road. In the past, you walked around it. Walking around it wasn't really a big deal—who doesn't encounter a few stones in their lifetime?
But he was fortunate to return to the starting point of this road. That pebble still blocked the path after eight years. Zhang Shutong knew it would trip people, so he expended a bit of effort and kicked the pebble to the roadside.
So-called Regression was the process of clearing away pebbles.
He quickly rode to Beiyi Shopping Center. Just a few minutes remained until closing. A cleaning worker was mopping the floor. He apologized and rushed to the service counter, retrieving two bags of snacks from behind it.
The two bags hung on either handlebar, maintaining the center of balance. In this moment, Zhang Shutong finally felt that "Operation Master the Future Goddess of the Young Miss" was officially concluded.
The subordinate had retrieved his reward and could now retire to his homeland.
The streetlights maintained their half-dead appearance, the light source dyeing both sides of the asphalt road yellow. He rode slowly, feeling a bit thirsty, and wanted to fish out a bottle of water from the shopping bag.
But Gu Qiumian was very practical—she never used beverages to make up the numbers, so the two shopping bags were naturally also very practical. Regrettably, he sped up his movements. He hadn't walked this night road in a long time, though it wasn't a location worth reminiscing about. Besides, tonight at home there might not just be him—Mom might be there too... Speaking of his mother, Zhang Shutong felt uneasy. His phone had been off, and he didn't know if Mom had called. After returning, he'd inevitably face an interrogation. Come to think of it, he still hadn't explained last night's failure to return home.
His head started to ache. Neither riding fast nor slow seemed right. He hoped the TV station would still be showing Conan tonight—he'd tell her he wanted to watch cartoons, and no matter what Mom said, he'd lie on the sofa pretending not to hear.
His shadow stretched very long, and on this deserted little road, Zhang Shutong encountered an unexpected person.
"Zhang Shutong."
The other party spoke flatly, taking the initiative to call out to him.
Zhang Shutong squeezed the brakes, not understanding where Lu Qinglian was going so late. She still wore that green robe, though her ponytail had been loosened into waist-length hair. She walked alone on the road.
What a coincidence. The two now stood at an intersection. If he'd ridden faster, or if she'd walked slower, they wouldn't have met.
Zhang Shutong nodded in greeting, not having the nerve to say she looked like a female ghost this late at night.
"Why are you still out so late?"
"Taking a walk."
"Post-meal digestion, huh?" Zhang Shutong said with amusement, feeling that whenever he encountered this girl, all his humor came back.
She nodded lightly:
"For now, you can understand it that way."
Zhang Shutong bit his lip... couldn't bite it anymore, and looked at the other party speechlessly.
After all, the two had at least the friendship of a cup of milk tea. Continuing to treat her like an idiot seemed unreasonable.
Zhang Shutong wasn't Du Kang. If Du Kang were here, he'd run up and ask what she was doing, whether she needed company, saying it wasn't safe this late...
Meeting a girl alone outside late at night, he should have advised her to be careful, but Zhang Shutong felt that comparatively, he was the one who needed to watch out for safety. Having nothing more to say, he casually said goodbye and pedaled home.
But Lu Qinglian suddenly asked:
"Are you free tomorrow afternoon? I have a few words to say to you."
"What about? Say it now, I'm not really in a hurry." Zhang Shutong considered putting down the shopping bags—hanging them on the handlebars to maintain the bike's balance was too difficult.
"But I have other matters now and no time." She thought for a moment. "If you're free, you can visit the temple tomorrow afternoon."
"Then I'm not free." Zhang Shutong directly refused. What a joke—life was finally getting back on track. Who would run to the temple again? What if he could "Regress" again?
Lu Qinglian said nothing more. It seemed she really was in a hurry. Hearing his response, she left without looking back.
She wore a long robe, her two slender legs hidden beneath it. Normally you couldn't tell, but when walking, you could see that though her steps appeared effortless, she walked very quickly the whole way.
Zhang Shutong looked at Lu Qinglian walking south with puzzlement, thinking to himself that this wasn't the direction to her home either.
But this girl was like that—what she didn't want to tell you, you could never get out of her no matter what.
Zhang Shutong happened to have no interest in prying anyway.
He really was a bit tired. He just wanted to go home and rest. If she really had something to say, they could talk at school on Monday—that's how Zhang Shutong understood it. She had a personality that wouldn't give up until she achieved her goal, like that fishing trip. If it was really urgent, she'd come directly. Although Zhang Shutong ultimately never understood what she'd come for that night either.
When he got home, it was nearly nine o'clock.
Mom wasn't home. Another night alone.
When she was around, he got a headache. When she wasn't, he rather missed her. It made Zhang Shutong think of last night spent at the villa—he could hear the bubbling water sounds when noodles were being cooked, the palace-like decoration, the man in the living room watching a ball game, the girl across from him watching him eat... For him, that counted as extraordinarily lively. Under the mist-shrouded night, with rain streaming down the floor-to-ceiling windows, in a brightly lit room, there was a different kind of warmth.
But what the hell—since when could he be associated with the word "warmth"?
Zhang Shutong had once thought that if everyone was born with their own mission, his mission was to fight that damned ability to the death, never giving up until death. Not to mention preparing to die alone and childless, but for so many years he'd always been alone.
Now things were gradually different. More and more people surrounded him. Zhang Shutong felt he probably hadn't adapted to this change yet. Before, he hadn't had time to think about it. Now he could finally think it through properly.
He first charged his phone, ran to change clothes, and by the time he'd finished washing up and returned, it had powered on. Sure enough, many messages bombarded him. He lay on the bed, planning to report he was safe and then put the phone aside, completely emptying his brain for a while.
On QQ, his close friends had sent messages about arriving home. Today everyone didn't have much energy for idle chat. He replied to the group with a photo of the ceiling.
Then there was a pile of missed calls—from Mom, from Song Nanshan, and the last one was actually from Gu Qiumian. Zhang Shutong had originally wanted to call Old Song back first—because he could hang up after one sentence, then chat with Mom for a bit. But Gu Qiumian's call made him pause, because he confirmed that the QQ avatar that looked like a sheep or a cloud had no new messages. If it was something minor, she definitely would have sent a QQ message. He called back, and the call connected quickly. A girl's voice came through:
"Why are you only just getting home?"
It didn't sound like something was wrong. Her tone was quite cheerful.
Zhang Shutong asked about her. She said she'd already finished bathing and was now in her bedroom. Zhang Shutong asked about the bodyguards and housekeeper, and learned that several people would be staying at the villa tonight.
He felt reassured and asked what Gu Qiumian had called about. She said nothing much, just asking if he'd gotten home. Zhang Shutong was about to say they could just chat on QQ when Gu Qiumian continued:
"Are you free tomorrow?"
This question seemed familiar—he'd just heard it somewhere.
Zhang Shutong asked what was up. She said of course it was to eat, lunch. But you need to come early. Actually, forget it, I'll come find you. What's your home address?
Eating again...
Zhang Shutong felt he might not be able to wake up, but she seemed to have seen through his thoughts and added, you don't think it's just inviting you, right? Your friends are included too. We need to thank them for tonight's matter. So you're not allowed to refuse.
Zhang Shutong was persuaded. After all, Qingyi and the others had also been busy for half the day, so he nodded and said fine, where should they eat?
"My place or a restaurant—you pick one."
"Your place."
Gu Qiumian asked if there were any dishes he wanted to eat. He said anything was fine, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he could almost feel the girl glaring at him from the other end. So he listed several dishes his close friends liked.
After they'd agreed, Zhang Shutong prepared to hang up and asked what time—would eleven o'clock be too late? He'd notify his close friends.
But she said irritably, what eleven o'clock, six o'clock.
Six o'clock for whose lunch?
Could it be six in the morning?
She'd just said to come early, but six o'clock would be excessively early... Zhang Shutong suspected the young miss had become stupid again.
But she said, what are you talking about, you dummy. I mean dinner at six in the evening.
Zhang Shutong was puzzled again—you just said lunch, I remember clearly, do you want me to repeat it for you? How did it change?
But the other end of the phone was silent for a long time. Zhang Shutong was starting to wonder if his phone had lost signal again when she finally mumbled quietly:
"Lunch is just the two of us. Evening is when we eat with your friends. Can't you understand even this? Dummy..."
Zhang Shutong wasn't sure himself, because he really hadn't caught that underlying meaning. Just as he was about to say something, Gu Qiumian added, "Then it's settled. Ten o'clock tomorrow morning, meet me at the dock. You can't be late..." Then she immediately hung up.
Zhang Shutong held the phone, kept it at his ear for a long time, and only after a while figured out her meaning.
It seemed that in just a few sentences, the young miss had arranged his entire schedule for tomorrow.
First go to the dock...
Wait, the dock—didn't that mean taking a boat off the island to the city? And what was in the city? Shopping plazas, high-end restaurants, movie theaters, Ferris wheels... Zhang Shutong immediately became alert.
He switched to the QQ page, found Autumn Rain Lingering, and typed: Let's change locations. Going to the city seems too tiring. Let's just have dinner together in the evening instead.
Before he could send this message, another call came in.
It was Mom.
She was truly prophetic, even guessing when he'd get home. Zhang Shutong was about to express his admiration for his mother when she said angrily, you have battery now and don't immediately call me back?
"Just got home..."
Mom smiled and said, Tongtong, do you know that I actually just called you, but it showed you were on another call so I hung up immediately?
Zhang Shutong said there was nothing he could do with her, so he promptly admitted fault, saying he was just reporting to a friend that he was safe.
However, Mom dropped a bombshell:
"To Gu Qiumian?"
Zhang Shutong sat up in bed.
"Don't try to fool me with excuses." Mom continued, "You never make phone calls to report to those friends of yours. So besides Gu Qiumian, who else could it be?"
Zhang Shutong said helplessly that she was the one who called him, and he was just worried something had happened to her.
"Mm-hmm, my Tongtong is so great, a real man!" Mom played cute.
Zhang Shutong gave up on treatment and briefly explained tonight's events to her, saying your son wasn't on a date with a girl but went to save the world.
But Mom didn't ask how vicious the criminal was. Instead, she asked if he'd eaten, as if nothing in the world mattered more than her son going hungry.
He said he'd eaten. Mom said she'd left some food in the pot for him—he could have it for breakfast tomorrow then.
Zhang Shutong still wasn't quite used to talking with Mom like this, because eight years later she wasn't this lively anymore. She'd worried about him for many years, especially during that period when he took leave from high school—crying behind his back every day.
So Zhang Shutong advised Mom not to overwork herself. Mom said you don't need to worry about me, take care of yourself first. How was playing with Gu Qiumian today?
Every third sentence from her was about Gu Qiumian. Zhang Shutong said, Mom, you've really misunderstood. We're not in that kind of relationship.
"Then are you free tomorrow?"
Zhang Shutong instinctively said he had plans.
His mom made a disdainful "Ugh" sound.
Zhang Shutong simply didn't bother explaining that Young Miss Gu was treating a whole group of people. This time he changed angles, rolled his eyes, and chatted with her about this morning's events, saying were you worried that Gu Qiumian and Ruoping would clash?
"Wasn't that because of you? One is your friend, and the other is your... hehe." Mom only smiled.
But Zhang Shutong was waiting for exactly this line. He said, you didn't expect this, right? Actually, they got along just fine. Gu Qiumian even took the initiative to apologize.
He raised this example to tell her not to be so narcissistic—really, not everyone revolves around your son, treating him like some treasure.
But Mom asked strangely:
"You said Gu Qiumian took the initiative to apologize?"
"Yeah, she's actually pretty decent."
After spending more time with her, Zhang Shutong discovered she wasn't the domineering young miss type he'd imagined, except for sometimes liking to glare.
"I realize that explaining all this to you is wasting my precious rest time."
Mom dismissively dropped this line, then said hanging up now, if this old lady gets wrinkles it'll all be your fault, and hung up.
Being disdained by his own mother was a first.
Zhang Shutong also called Song Nanshan back. Old Song was noisily eating instant noodles, which made him a bit hungry too.
He went to the kitchen. Mom had left a serving of stew in the pot. He couldn't eat that much, and if he left it until tomorrow morning to reheat, it would turn to mush. Better to eat a steamed bun instead.
Two steamed buns sat covered on the table. Biting into a bun, he ran to the sofa to watch TV, only to discover two shopping bags at hand. Zhang Shutong slapped his forehead, thinking he was really stupid—why eat a steamed bun when he had snacks?
He wasn't practicing asceticism to temper himself. If good food was available, naturally he'd eat something good. So he rummaged around for a while—various chips, shrimp crackers, beef jerky, Want Want snacks, and of course various chocolates and sweets. Gu Qiumian judged others by herself.
He simply dumped everything out, kept a few types he wanted to eat, left the rest to bring to Ruoping and the others. Then among the pile of colorful packaging, he discovered something black.
This thing was truly out of place. All the other snacks wore beautiful clothes, but this one was wrapped in a plastic bag. Of course, in a certain sense it didn't really count as a snack either. Zhang Shutong remembered what this was—
It was actually a piece of pig liver.
The only piece of cooked food? Or rather, a proper dish?
He remembered asking Gu Qiumian at the time why she bought such a large piece of pig liver. She said she wanted to eat it, but this stuff needed to be eaten quickly. Besides, her family didn't lack a piece of pig liver, so Zhang Shutong didn't need to return it to her. Because his memory had always been good—just as he remembered that Gu Qiumian had taken the initiative to apologize—he also remembered that the girl's words at the time had a second half. After a moment, she'd said reluctantly, "You can't cook anyway..."
At the time, Zhang Shutong never understood her meaning. If you can't cook, you can eat out. How would buying a piece of pig liver change anything? But now, sitting in his empty home, not long after a woman had just asked if he'd eaten, though the snacks were all there and weren't proper meals, he had a cold steamed bun in his mouth, his stomach happened to be a bit hungry, and he suddenly understood the purpose of this pig liver.
So Zhang Shutong took the pig liver to the kitchen, cut out a few slices, and sandwiched them in the steamed bun. He took a bite.
He wasn't sure if this was what Gu Qiumian meant, but in this moment, that's how he understood it. Zhang Shutong unconsciously glanced toward the south. The kitchen naturally faced southeast, so through the window he could easily see the night scene. The night was also dark, like pig liver sandwiched in a steamed bun.
By the time he finished eating and collapsed on his bed, he deleted the words in the chat box.
Then Zhang Shutong turned off the light, hoping tonight would also be peaceful.
He didn't know how long it had been since such a relaxed moment.
He didn't sleep well tonight. For the first time, he had a dream whose content he couldn't remember clearly. He dreamed of returning to the provincial capital, walking on an elevated bridge in the night, seeing the enormous Ferris wheel in the distance.
The Ferris wheel was lit up, the compartments slowly rotating, yet he could never see its outline clearly.
So in the depths of midnight dreams, at the moment of waking, he suddenly opened his eyes.
The bed frame was trembling!
The ceiling was trembling, the nightstand was trembling, the switch on the wall was trembling, his phone was trembling, even his own hand was trembling... Or rather, it wasn't them trembling at all, but the world in his eyes that was trembling.
His thoughts instantly became clear, filled with deep shock. The entire world before his eyes transformed into a black and white negative that trembled once.
His consciousness welcomed a blank, as if flying out of his body.
Zhang Shutong was all too familiar with this phenomenon.
In the final moment, he sat upright, opened his mouth soundlessly, because—
Regression.
Had triggered.
---
Eight years later, Zhang Shutong returned once again to the small island where he'd grown up.
—To attend the funeral of a middle school classmate.
The funeral home was located in the southern part of the small island, adjacent to the newly built lakeside highway.
Leaning against the roadside guardrail and looking into the distance, on clear days the lake surface reflected the clear sky like a sapphire-blue gem. When the wind blew, the clouds rippled along with it, refreshing the heart and delighting the spirit.
Today's lake surface was iron-gray.
---
Zhang Shutong gazed at that iron-gray lake surface, silent for a long time.
Author's Note: Writing up to here, the setup for this book is complete.
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