Chapter 68: A Few Things Between Tongtong and Mianmian (2) |
How could such a coincidence happen?
In an instant, Zhang Shutong's scalp went numb.
Looking at Gu Qiumian again, the girl had already walked away quickly without a word.
There was none of the expected agitation or questioning—just a thermos left behind on the ground.
Zhang Shutong sighed and pulled his head back inside.
"Someone heard us?" Li Yipeng said warily. He still hadn't figured out the situation, and moved to look outside as he spoke.
"It's fine." Zhang Shutong stopped him, then briefly gave a few more instructions. "...We'll talk about the rest during the break. I'll come find you. I'm leaving now."
"Oh, okay..."
After speaking, he paid no more attention to the other's reaction and turned to leave the stairwell. Walking a few steps, Zhang Shutong bent down to pick up the cup from the ground.
Pull one hair and move the whole body.
Zhang Shutong once again deeply understood the meaning of this saying.
Tried to save someone but ended up implicating himself instead... He didn't know what to say, only that he needed to quickly clear up this misunderstanding. Otherwise, catch the culprit while labeled as the "culprit" himself? Even he found it laughable.
Though whether Gu Qiumian would believe his words was another matter entirely.
Of course, even if she didn't believe his one-sided story, Zhang Shutong had other methods. The recording of Li Yipeng on his phone, Teacher Song's credibility as a character witness, the conversation with the Hometown Lake Fish Restaurant owner... Several pieces of evidence pieced together—at least in clearing his own suspicion, he could produce many airtight logical chains.
Zhang Shutong was good at this kind of thing that could be solved with logic. As he walked toward the classroom, he played out Gu Qiumian's possible reactions in his mind.
Disbelief, half-believing, or completely clearing up the misunderstanding.
Roughly these three types. The first was almost impossible to occur, the middle attitude was also acceptable—as long as it didn't affect future actions, that was enough.
Then there was the question of Gu Qiumian's whereabouts.
The classroom would be a bit troublesome—the class bell was about to ring, meaning he might have to resort to passing little notes.
The office would be the ideal location. With Teacher Song nearby as a witness, he could explain everything clearly in just a few words.
That was about it.
The only variable was that previously, he had never told Gu Qiumian about these arrangements targeting her. Most of the time, it was only after the dust had settled that he would briefly explain a few things.
During the building blocks incident, he felt there was no need to explain.
But by the time of the arson case, when Teacher Song told him about the girl's family situation in the car, their thoughts overlapped to some degree. The reason for keeping it hidden was mainly not wanting to make her worry anymore.
But for Zhang Shutong, the main reason was that whether she knew or not made very little difference, so it was better to choose silence—everyone could be a bit happier that way.
Now that approach wouldn't work anymore.
Zhang Shutong suddenly missed the former Gu Qiumian. Back then, he'd dragged her around outside for a whole day, and thinking about it now, it was actually quite suspicious, but if he didn't say anything, she never asked either.
She probably wouldn't have wasted energy on such a stupid misunderstanding.
But still, that same saying—now it wouldn't work anymore.
Many things on this timeline always caught him off guard at just the right moment. He'd thought that after regressing, things would be easier, but what greeted him instead was doubled headaches.
But between continuing to let her believe "I'm actually the mastermind behind the revenge against Gu Qiumian" and proactively telling her some of the truth, Zhang Shutong would unhesitatingly choose the latter without a doubt.
He always chose the most efficient method.
In the time it took to think this through, he'd already reached Class 1. Zhang Shutong glanced through the back door of the classroom—her seat was empty.
He went to the office door, but still no one was there.
So where exactly had she gone?
Zhang Shutong almost reflexively had the answer—
The library.
But thinking of this, he looked out the window. Outside, snowflakes were flying everywhere. Really? She just went out in the snow like that, but wasn't she supposed to avoid catching cold today?
But then Zhang Shutong no longer doubted but became certain, because he really did see a small figure on the playground, not even wearing a scarf.
"What's going on?" Qingyi suddenly popped up from behind at this moment.
"Help me ask for leave. I have something to do this period."
"You made Gu Qiumian mad again?"
Zhang Shutong didn't have time to ask how he knew: "Pure accident."
Leaving just those words behind, he quickly descended the stairs.
One step, two steps, five steps, six steps... By the time he reached the teaching building lobby, before even going outside, the temperature around him plummeted.
He instinctively tightened his jacket. The moment he stepped out, a cold wind suddenly sealed off his five senses.
Zhang Shutong wiped the snowflakes from his forehead and quickened his pace.
The weather was truly cold—even breathing had to be light, otherwise there was a suffocating feeling of oxygen deprivation. So cold he wanted to stick his hands in his pockets, and only then did he realize he'd been holding that red thermos the whole time. Zhang Shutong felt somewhat helpless—if he'd known, he would have tossed it to Qingyi. Now he couldn't even put his hands in his pockets because the cup wouldn't fit.
But by the time he realized it, it was too late.
Just like if he'd known Gu Qiumian would hear, he definitely would have taken Li Yipeng to the rooftop. But who could have predicted she'd come to get water right then? He understood that regret was the most useless thing, yet as he plunged headfirst into the wind and snow, irritation still arose in his heart.
Zhang Shutong broke into a run. With his long legs, he quickly caught up to a string of footprints ahead. That trail of footprints extended all the way to the library entrance, so he followed them through the door. He didn't bother to wipe the snowflakes from his hair, gasping for breath instinctively. White vapor exhaled from his mouth, then dispersed.
This library was worthy of being donated by the young lady's family. Though not large in area, every bookshelf here was made of dark brown solid wood, every table held a carefully tended potted plant. The lush leaves of pothos vines spread out, as if extending a small spring through this cold snowy world.
The interior lights weren't on. Though few people came here throughout the year, though not even a teacher on duty could be seen right now, the library still supplied warm air 24 hours a day.
The warm air didn't rise from radiators but from an air conditioner—an old-style, high-capacity floor unit humming with noise. The warm air it produced blew all the way to Zhang Shutong's eyelashes, making the residual snow water on them even more icy cold, causing him to blink hard.
Gu Qiumian sat at a table by the entrance.
She had her head buried in her arms, silently facing away from him.
Zhang Shutong pulled over a chair and sat across from her, saying he had something to say.
As he spoke, he'd already pulled out his phone, unlocked the screen, and was about to press play on the voice recording when he realized Gu Qiumian didn't lift her head at all.
This was his usual process for catching culprits—too lazy to waste words, just throw out evidence. If one wasn't enough, throw out another, until the other party surrendered.
But this trick didn't work on Gu Qiumian, making him belatedly realize that Gu Qiumian wasn't a culprit, and reality wasn't Detective Conan on TV.
This made him pause, his finger stopping. Zhang Shutong saw the snow water on Gu Qiumian's hair. She didn't even know to wipe it—bean-sized droplets gathered along her hair tips, accumulating bit by bit on the table.
He cursed himself silently for being too hasty. He should have apologized first. After all, it was because of his mistake that the two of them weren't in the classroom attending class but had crossed the snow-covered campus in this freezing weather. He really didn't want to see this situation, but in fact, it was indeed brought about by him.
"Sorry." So Zhang Shutong tried tentatively.
But Gu Qiumian still didn't lift her head.
Zhang Shutong was at a loss for words then. Fundamentally, he couldn't guess this girl's thoughts. When she was happy, it was still manageable—at most she'd glare. But now, buried like this without saying a word, Zhang Shutong had no way to proceed.
Only then did he remember he was still holding that thermos. So he pushed the cup in front of Gu Qiumian's face, saying he'd looked at it just now—the bottom had a small dent, so should he buy her another one?
But this sentence clearly didn't work. Of course Gu Qiumian's family wasn't short one cup. Zhang Shutong took out a pack of tissues from his pocket. Influenced by his mother, he didn't have a cleanliness obsession, but he always had the habit of carrying tissues.
Zhang Shutong asked again if she wanted to wipe her hair first? Gu Qiumian still ignored him, so he simply pushed the tissues to her side, leaving it up to her.
That was all the effort Zhang Shutong could make. Then he began to talk about the actual matter, not caring whether Gu Qiumian was listening or not—it had to be said anyway.
So he explained that she'd misunderstood, that he had no intention of harming her, that actually the sequence of events was like this... As he said this, he himself sighed inwardly, feeling like he was telling an absurd joke.
Zhang Shutong started from Commercial Street, talked about her family's shopping center, then played the recording, finally leading to Li Yipeng, saying he'd guessed it was him who smashed it, but didn't have evidence at the time, was just trying to get him to talk, and then she happened to hear it...
Well then.
As he talked, he also realized there really was a missing link here, one he couldn't explain—
How had he connected the name on the bathroom stall with the castle blocks?
Though he could say it was a guess—after all, only these two things had happened today, anyone would make the connection.
But what had he said at the time?
"I was the one who slipped you that note, I was the one who planned the whole revenge..."
This was very strange. Unless you were there yourself, you couldn't even make up something like a note.
Getting Gu Qiumian to completely believe was impossible now. The best result would only be half-believing.
He prepared for the worst outcome, patiently waiting for Gu Qiumian's reaction. Fortunately, all those words weren't said in vain—Gu Qiumian finally revealed those eyes of hers.
Zhang Shutong thought she had something to say, so he waited for her to ask. But she didn't speak, just stared at him with those eyes. Previously his impression of Gu Qiumian was that she had beautiful, spirited eyes, but now the spirit was gone, and not much beauty remained either, because these eyes were red now, even swollen.
The two pairs of eyes silently met like this. The air conditioner's hot wind blew on their faces—that old floor unit actually even had a sweeping function.
In his peripheral vision, Zhang Shutong noticed that gust of wind would blow on his face for a while, then blow Gu Qiumian's hair for a while, then blow the pothos leaves on the table between them, making them sway.
The world fell into silence.
He couldn't help but break the silence, asking if there was something she didn't understand? He could explain again. Or if she had questions about any part, he'd try to answer. Or if she couldn't trust just his word... she could go find the homeroom teacher—he could vouch for many things.
But Gu Qiumian didn't say whether she understood or not. She was silent for a while, just kept staring at his eyes, as if all the answers were hidden in them:
"You're not lying to me?"
She finally spoke. Zhang Shutong instinctively nodded, then felt like maybe all that explaining was for nothing. This wasn't a question of understanding or not, otherwise she wouldn't ask such a strange question.
"Then look into my eyes and answer." She said with some nasal congestion.
Zhang Shutong had no choice but to look at those beautiful, spirited eyes and repeat it once more.
What kind of children's game was this? Shouldn't it be about evidence and logic—when did it become about looking into eyes?
Gu Qiumian said nothing again. Zhang Shutong blinked, thinking she might as well throw a big tantrum—getting angry would be easier than this. Like that time with Li Yipeng, she'd just told him a dirty joke, and she'd left the classroom with a cold face, went straight to Song Nanshan, and then next class he was taken away.
But when it came to him, she ran to the library alone in the snow, then kept staring at him with red eyes.
"Then I believe you." She said coldly again.
Zhang Shutong was stunned too. Wait, how could it be this simple?
Shouldn't it be: you pick holes, I patch holes, the process is mentally exhausting, we both spend a whole bunch of saliva in this air-conditioned room, until our mouths are dry and throats parched, exhausted, then shake hands and let bygones be bygones?
And "let bygones be bygones" was still the most optimistic result. Actually, he'd originally thought "half-believing" would be pretty good.
But Gu Qiumian just believed him.
"You just believe me like that?" He asked incredulously.
"What else." Gu Qiumian had the energy to roll her eyes.
Zhang Shutong suddenly felt some familiar feelings coming back, and heard Gu Qiumian say quietly:
"Just now I got too emotional too, didn't ask anything clearly and just blamed you..."
Zhang Shutong shook his head saying it's fine, it's my fault, not yours.
She really was an emotional girl—emotions came quickly and went quickly too. Whether she was cold-faced or indifferent to others, when it came to him, she always seemed to be like this.
Zhang Shutong remembered the scarf incident from before. She'd been very emotional then too, but later it was fine.
He finally breathed a sigh of relief, took a tissue to wipe his hair, and said from now on don't worry, just watch me root out everyone. But unexpectedly, Gu Qiumian sniffled and her eyes became teary again.
Zhang Shutong didn't know why she was about to cry again. He sat across from her helplessly, not knowing which sentence he'd said wrong.
"My stomach hurts so much..." Gu Qiumian lay back down on the table, her thick eyelashes overlapping dejectedly.
At this moment, even slow-witted Zhang Shutong knew what to do. He was glad he'd brought that thermos, and glad the library had a water dispenser.
Moments later, amid wisps of white steam, the two sat across from each other in silence again.
Gu Qiumian lowered her eyes, taking small sips of water. Zhang Shutong just watched her. He actually wanted to say: next time don't be so emotional. Even if it really was me who did it, couldn't you tell the teacher to deal with me? Why make yourself suffer?
He felt somewhat apologetic after all, so he asked if he could treat her to a meal this weekend after things were resolved?
"Eat what?"
"Um... Chinese or Western food, which do you prefer?"
"Whatever you want. I can't afford what I like to eat anyway." She muttered.
Zhang Shutong thought helplessly, that did seem to be true.
He thought 200 yuan for a meal counted as a feast, and even that would require using his New Year's money. Zhang Shutong wondered what Gu Qiumian liked to eat—of course, besides sweet and sour pork over rice.
Unfortunately, he only remembered pizza.
Zhang Shutong was about to ask when Gu Qiumian turned her face away. "Forget it, I'll treat you instead. You help me find out who did it, I'll treat you to a meal. Just so happens..."
Zhang Shutong knew what she was going to say next:
Just so happens I don't like owing people favors.
"Then I'll need you to cooperate a bit next."
"Cooperate with what?"
Zhang Shutong told her his plan. He hadn't originally intended to do it this way, but with this unexpected turn of events, if Gu Qiumian could participate, things would actually become much easier.
After listening for a while, she finally broke into a smile through her tears:
"You're so bad."
Zhang Shutong thought the two of them really did have potential for doing bad things together.
Next they should return to class. Before they knew it, twenty minutes had passed, meaning half the class period was already over.
The pothos leaves stopped swaying. They turned off the air conditioner and left.
Walking out of the warm room, the sky full of wind and snow obscured their vision. On the way back, Zhang Shutong took off his jacket and tossed it to her. Gu Qiumian refused, telling him to put it on. He said you should still wear it, otherwise it'll hurt even more later.
Snowflakes gently fell on their shoulders.
Two sets of footprints were left in the pure white campus.
On this timeline, through an unexpected misunderstanding, the two of them suddenly became closer just like that.