Chapter 102: Retreat (2) |
"Do you all still want to watch the movie?"
Gu Qiumian asked calmly.
But just a moment ago, her expression hadn't been like this. If he hadn't seen wrong, she'd just forcefully blinked her eyes.
"...We should probably head back. We got quite a scare earlier, and we've already caused enough trouble for one day."
Du Kang quickly said politely.
Hearing this, Gu Qiumian turned her head and covered the phone's microphone again, speaking rapidly once more.
Du Kang didn't know why she had to be so secretive even when making a phone call to Shutong. In any case, he couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it.
Speaking of which, it seemed Shutong hadn't told her about the footprints yet, right?
And that "culprit" still hadn't been found either.
He couldn't make up his mind, and was about to ask his two friends first. But when he turned his head, he saw Qingyi and Ruoping whispering to each other.
"What's with you all being so secretive one after another?"
"Shh." Ruoping waved her hand, meaning just listen and don't talk. She whispered to Qingyi, "Can you tell what's going on now?"
"Nope."
"Forget it, let's not overthink it."
Gossip was in a girl's nature, but when it came to people who weren't particularly important, interest came and went quickly.
If the other person was really tense and worried about something, then out of humanitarian concern she should care. But she checked again and found that Gu Qiumian didn't look sad or upset at all. Though she'd had a conflicted expression earlier, now she was quietly talking on the phone with a calm face, so Ruoping stopped paying attention.
"Let's head up first. Shutong must still be waiting for us."
Ruoping stretched slightly and told the other two to straighten up the sofa and make sure they didn't leave their phones behind... She always had endless things to worry about.
On the other side, Gu Qiumian also turned off the lights and projector. The screening room that had been noisy not long ago returned to darkness. It wasn't until the three of them walked into the elevator that they realized Gu Qiumian was still standing outside.
"You all go up first," she picked up her phone and said matter-of-factly. "I just remembered I need to make another call to tell my dad about the exterior wall."
Since they weren't that close, the three just nodded and pressed the elevator button.
As the elevator doors closed, even the last sliver of light reflected in the compartment disappeared from view.
Forgetting was the most normal thing in the world. Everyone had small fragments of memory lingering in corners of their mind. These things might be strung together at some unexpected moment, making you nod in sudden understanding, feeling your nose tingle with emotion.
But perhaps for some people, those memory fragments weren't buried deep in their memories, but had completely and utterly vanished.
The girl returned to the sofa in that dim space. Hugging her knees, she removed the four-leaf clover pendant from her chest and took off the hair clip from behind her head. Her jet-black hair slid down silently.
...
After hanging up, Zhang Shutong first checked the time. Nearly three o'clock—it really was getting late.
If they stayed much longer, the housekeeper would probably start preparing dinner.
He thought about Lu Qinglian's reminder and felt a headache coming on.
He wasn't comfortable with Gu Qiumian spending the night in the villa.
But where should they go next?
Leave the island?
Or find a small inn on the island to make do for the night?
Speaking of which, Gu Qiumian's dad would be back soon too, right? He wondered if that would cause more problems.
What if the guy treated it like kids playing house? That would be troublesome.
Saying things like "What nonsense, why can't my own daughter return to my own home?" Zhang Shutong didn't want to get into conflicts over this sort of thing.
Big bosses like that wouldn't follow his arrangements for everything.
He went to the sofa and poured himself a glass of water. He'd already drunk some before realizing it wasn't his cup, but Gu Qiumian's. Though she hadn't used it before, so there was nothing to avoid.
Just then his phone buzzed with a message. In the group chat, his friends were asking if he wanted to keep waiting.
Zhang Shutong wasn't sure either.
Would the culprit come again?
From a rational perspective, if they came up again, they'd definitely notice the pile of footprints on the mountain road. Thinking from their position, with so many people waiting in the villa and it being daytime now, retreating would be the most likely course of action.
So today, it would be hard to gain much more.
And there was the question of their identity too. Were they the same figure he'd seen in the Forbidden Zone?
If so, why were the shoes different?
Countless questions swirled in his mind. Just then the elevator slowly opened and the group came upstairs.
But Zhang Shutong didn't see Gu Qiumian.
"Where is she?"
"She said she wanted to sit downstairs for a bit, alone." Ruoping spoke first, looking at him curiously. "What did you do to her this time?"
"Nothing?" Zhang Shutong replied, equally puzzled.
"So are we leaving or continuing to wait? We've already eaten and watched the movie..."
"Let me ask first, just wait." He called Gu Qiumian again.
The other end picked up quickly:
"Whatever you need to say, say it on the phone. Don't come down yet." Gu Qiumian said in a low voice.
Zhang Shutong guessed it was probably about her mother, so he didn't waste words and told her about the footprints.
"Mm." She was silent for a moment, then said, "I'll make sure the doors and windows are locked. Auntie is with me, and Dad will be back tomorrow."
But that wasn't the answer Zhang Shutong wanted to hear. "What I'm saying is, you should consider whether to stay somewhere else for the next couple days."
"Why would I go somewhere else?"
"Do you remember the dream I told you about? Your house really isn't safe." Zhang Shutong had no choice but to bite the bullet.
"Then how did the person you mentioned get inside?"
Zhang Shutong feared this question most—he had no way to explain it.
He tried again, "How about leaving the island to have fun for a few days? Go to the city?"
"I... that would be too much trouble for you. Nothing will happen if I stay home."
Well, he'd thought this would be his trump card, but who knew it wouldn't work at all. He still remembered Old Song saying she'd agree if he just invited her. Clearly that couldn't be taken seriously.
Zhang Shutong knew she had something on her mind now and probably had no energy for anything, so he said:
"It's only three o'clock now. The last boat isn't until six. You can think about it first."
But Gu Qiumian acted as if she hadn't heard:
"Actually, I've wanted to ask for a while now—why do you care so much about my business?"
Zhang Shutong choked. He thought, You're about to be killed, how can I not care?
But he couldn't say "You'll die if you don't listen to me" like some lunatic.
Zhang Shutong thought back, and if there was any turning point, it should have been at the baozi shop by the school gate. The girl had clearly been in a bad mood but still acted indifferent, then stubbornly told him that otherwise she'd be defeated.
He'd felt some resonance hearing that, and decided from then to help her out. Then things spiraled out of control.
He hesitated, just about to tell her this, but then realized that had also already disappeared—it never happened on this timeline.
It turned out that on this branch, he didn't even have a reason for helping her.
He instinctively wanted to make up an excuse, but Gu Qiumian spoke first.
"Alright," she said softly. You could only tell her voice was gentle, but this gentleness wasn't the kind when acting cute—it was spiritless. "Let's talk more when I come back up."
Soon after, the elevator doors opened.
When they saw Gu Qiumian again, she'd already removed the hair clip from behind her head, returning to shoulder-length hair. No longer looking like a carefully dressed princess, she was now a beautiful and elegant girl.
Gu Qiumian sat on the sofa, sipping water in small mouthfuls.
Zhang Shutong had wanted to mention he'd used that cup, but since she'd already drunk from it, he kept quiet.
"Feeling better?" he asked.
Only then did she look up again and smile:
"What's with you? Who said I was in a bad mood..."
"That's good then."
Zhang Shutong didn't know what had happened during her time downstairs. Right now her mood was neither good nor bad. He only knew that something seemed to have quietly changed in that interval—things were different from before.