Chapter 103: Sheepdog (1) |
Zhang Shutong felt that Gu Qiumian had somehow changed, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was different.
When he said "think it over," she just nodded. When he asked "you seem troubled," she just shook her head and smiled softly.
Now she seemed more like a proper young lady—not the tsundere type, but rather a dignified, refined young lady.
But he'd never understood what went on in Gu Qiumian's mind anyway, so while it felt strange, he didn't understand why it felt strange.
The two sat on the sofa. Zhang Shutong watched her take small sips of water. They'd forgotten to bring snacks and drinks when they went downstairs earlier, so she must have been quite thirsty—the first thing she did upon coming back up was look for water.
Zhang Shutong also knew her fingers had been burned. This time, without needing a reminder, he proactively got up to refill her cup. Gu Qiumian thanked him, and Zhang Shutong nodded reflexively, then suddenly realized—she seemed much more polite now. In the past, he'd rarely, or rather almost never, heard Gu Qiumian say "thank you."
No one crowded around them. Teacher Song and the others had gone to sit at the dining table, as if deliberately creating space for the two to talk.
Only then did Zhang Shutong realize that in the past, their conversations had always been initiated by Gu Qiumian. If she didn't take the lead in saying something, it would devolve into the current situation—mutual silence.
But that wasn't quite right either. "Mutual silence" implied looking at each other without speaking, but Gu Qiumian had lowered her eyes, leaving only him sitting on the sofa in a daze.
Waiting for Gu Qiumian to give him an answer.
There was no need to keep his friends waiting any longer. Zhang Shutong got up and went to the dining table, telling them they could head back first. Ruoping nodded and called her father—if they left now, the timing would be just right.
Zhang Shutong saw them to the gate in the fence. Within those few minutes, the previously noisy villa had quieted down again. Now that he knew the passcode, he didn't need to trouble Gu Qiumian. Zhang Shutong walked a bit further with them, their footprints jumbled in the white snow.
"Go back, don't see us off anymore," Ruoping waved at him. "And stop being so paranoid all the time. We don't mind, but you've clearly scared Gu Qiumian."
Zhang Shutong stopped where he was. Actually, he was a bit worried about them having an accident on the return trip, though the possibility was virtually zero.
Following his teacher's method, Zhang Shutong arranged to check in every five minutes on QQ. He watched the three figures walk away, chatting and laughing as they disappeared at the end of the path.
Just then, his phone chimed with a message from Qingyi:
"Doesn't seem to be going too smoothly, huh."
Ruoping and Du Kang had always been optimists—when they said they'd leave, they really did leave. But Qingyi still had concerns.
Yeah, it really wasn't going smoothly, Zhang Shutong thought.
His mind was in complete chaos now. He'd thought finding the footprints would be a major breakthrough, but footprints differed from each other, and at this point everything had become a tangled mess. Making people leave or stay—neither option seemed right.
Things with Gu Qiumian weren't going smoothly... That's what he'd wanted to say. He typed out a few characters, then deleted and resent:
"What happened with her downstairs?"
"Not sure. When we came up, she said she needed to call her father back." Qingyi added, "Are you planning to stay here and keep watch tonight?"
"That wasn't the plan." With just himself alone, it definitely wouldn't be enough. Lu Qinglian still had to return to the mountain in the evening. Zhang Shutong was still inclined toward hiding rather than sitting and waiting for trouble to come to him.
"What if she still refuses to leave in the end?"
Zhang Shutong's fingers paused.
Before, he'd thought this possibility was unlikely. Leaving the island was the last resort, and the easiest one—it meant when all other options were exhausted, he could just take her and run. But now Gu Qiumian seemed reluctant, and this easy fallback had instead become a dead end. Was he supposed to kidnap her?
Qingyi said:
"How should I put this? Actually, it's understandable. I find it surprising enough that she's willing to believe what you're saying. If it were me, I'd probably be skeptical. But even if she believes you, it's impossible for her to do everything you suggest. Better prepare yourself mentally."
At this point, Qingyi offered an idea:
"If she still won't leave when the time comes—I mean, if she really won't—should we just tie her up and take her?"
"It won't come to that." Zhang Shutong's eyelid twitched. He'd only been thinking it; his friend was already prepared to act on it.
"You've been favoring these risky tactics lately, like digging that pit."
"Don't bring up that pit again..."
Zhang Shutong thought to himself that it was precisely because of that pit that he needed to control these occasionally neurotic ideas that popped into his head.
"Anyway, I'll wait here a bit longer and see. Even if she doesn't agree to leave the island, maybe I can convince the housekeeper to have the two of them stay at a small hotel first."
"Alright then. The road ahead isn't easy. Let's talk again later."
Zhang Shutong put away his phone.
Standing outside the empty villa, he sighed and habitually considered the worst-case scenario: what if Gu Qiumian simply refused to leave, insisting on staying at the villa? He couldn't really tie her up like Qingyi suggested.
Zhang Shutong suddenly had a strange thought—he actually did have that capability now. He knew the villa's passcode. He could sneak in tonight like that killer, spiriting her away without anyone knowing. Of course, he still lacked a vehicle.
But forget it. Based on his understanding of her, he just needed to persuade her a bit more. Gu Qiumian was easy to coax and easy to fool—no need to resort to kidnapping.
He turned back toward the villa, intending to have a few more words with Gu Qiumian, but discovered she was no longer on the sofa.
In her place was Teacher Song:
"Shutong, good news." Teacher Song showed a rare, relaxed smile.
Zhang Shutong hoped it wouldn't be another "good news" like school being cancelled. The man immediately continued:
"Qiumian's father just called. He's already back."
"...Back?" Zhang Shutong froze.
"That's right. He'd originally called Qiumian, but her phone was probably left downstairs and didn't go through, so he called me instead. Qiumian went to find a room to take the call."
Song Nanshan stretched:
"What are you standing there dazed for, kid? Don't tell me you really were planning to take the girl to stay at a hotel—you're both minors. Even if your teacher turns a blind eye, I can't pretend not to see that. Now you can finally relax. Don't keep shouldering everything yourself. To put it nicely, reinforcements have arrived. To put it bluntly, that's her own father—he'll care more than we do."
"Didn't you say the flight was delayed?" Zhang Shutong asked reflexively.
"Delayed, yes, but Boss Gu was worried about his daughter, so he arranged a private jet and flew back directly. He's been traveling all day and just entered the city—he's rushing to the port now." In private, Teacher Song didn't put on airs either, saying cheerfully, "He called Qiumian just now to ask if she wanted anything or if there was anything she'd like to eat, so he could bring it back. Don't think that just because he wasn't home these past few days he doesn't care about Qiumian. He may be a big boss, but everyone has a soft spot in their heart."
"Oh right, right," Teacher Song added, "I forgot to tell you—before, wasn't he rushing back because of Zhou Ziheng's incident? So this time he's brought quite a few bodyguards—four of them. I told him about the footprints, and Boss Gu's face darkened as soon as he heard. He said he needed to make a phone call and called the city leadership directly. The leaders took it very seriously too—after all, they'd finally attracted this big investor. How could they fail to ensure his daughter's personal safety? They immediately dispatched two police officers from the city. Isn't that a luxurious lineup?"
Zhang Shutong hadn't fully processed this "good news" when Teacher Song waved his hand and preemptively said:
"I get it, I get it. You're still worried about that person coming at night, right? I told Boss Gu about that too, so this is a comprehensive, all-around operation. Not only will there be 24-hour guards inside the villa, but they'll patrol outside too. Just some footprints—damn mysterious nonsense has had us worried and scared for ages. But now the professionals are here, and I'd like to see what he can do about it."
Having said all that, Teacher Song finally took a breath, drinking some water to moisten his throat:
"So, Shutong, what your teacher wants to tell you is—you don't need to be so tense and nervous anymore. Watching you run around all day, your teacher feels bad too. Now we're no longer fighting alone. How do they say it in those online games? Oh right, thicker thighs have arrived. The two of us can finally rest.
"Though watching TV in the villa isn't bad—three lavish meals a day, the living room is spacious and the sofa is soft. Your teacher has enjoyed a day of luxury too—but this is someone else's home after all. It wouldn't be right to keep staying here."
Teacher Song hesitated, then continued:
"If you still don't understand, I'll be even more direct. I don't mean to lecture you, but surely you're not still planning to convince Qiumian to leave the island? Or do you want to try convincing her father directly? But Shutong, he's a boss worth hundreds of millions. Bringing this many people back already shows how seriously he's taking it. He can't possibly abandon his own house and run off with his daughter like refugees. Forget big bosses like him—ordinary people wouldn't want to either. Plus, as far as I know, Qiumian's mother... oh right, you don't know about that yet."
Teacher Song bent down and lowered his voice:
"You saw that family portrait earlier, right? Haven't you found it strange that no one's mentioned Qiumian's mother? Your teacher knows you're a perceptive kid. I'm telling you this—don't spread it around—but Qiumian's mother passed away long ago. Her grave is on the island. Every time her father comes back from a business trip, he visits the grave. Understand what I'm saying?"
Teacher Song left it at that.
Zhang Shutong nodded.
He understood now.
Gu Qiumian's father had finally returned. Zhang Shutong had been prepared for his absence, but the man really had come back this time, bringing many bodyguards and police officers. Even the situation Zhang Shutong was most worried about wouldn't happen—everyone was on high alert. Twenty-four hours a day, seven adult men would stay in this palace-like building without leaving, providing close protection and patrols. No matter how he thought about it, this was far more reliable than relying on himself.
Just as Teacher Song said, this was tremendous good news.
But Zhang Shutong felt somewhat lost. The situation seemed to have suddenly reversed—absurdly, like a joke played on him. Just moments ago, he'd been agonizing over what to do if Gu Qiumian refused to leave the island, where to investigate next for clues, how to evade the killer in the early hours of Saturday... but now all of that had ceased to exist.
As Teacher Song said, this was her own home. The protection she'd receive was ten thousand times stronger than him staying by her side. Why should she leave the island?
He turned to look around. The living room was empty—still the same quiet, leisurely afternoon. A few uncollected cups sat on the coffee table. Now that people had left, the tea had gone cold.
He suddenly realized he had no reason to continue staying. The anxiety and worry that had plagued him vanished into thin air in this moment, leaving him somewhat at a loss.