Chapter 119: 2012, Creating the Future |
Zhang Shutong once again rode through this snowy night.
The bike's headlight cut through the cold wind like a shuttle.
A straight beam of light illuminated the road ahead.
Now he had a new objective.
His windbreaker was zipped all the way up, the helmet's visor pulled down to the lowest position, his tactical gloves creased from gripping the throttle so tightly.
His phone was wedged between his helmet and cheek, glowing faintly in the darkness.
"Old Song passed out again?"
He was currently on a call with Du Kang.
"Yeah, he just had me send a photo to Gu Qiumian—that one of you standing next to the motorcycle."
"Just one. Whatever he says, I do. You know me, I've always been obedient. Du Kang keeps his mouth shut," Du Kang paused, "Oh right, Old Song also said for you to go..."
"Go where?"
"That's when he passed out."
"Got it."
"You can guess where he wanted you to go?"
"Can't guess, but I know where I need to go now."
"What do you mean? The wind's really loud on your end. You're out running around again. Wait, you're not going to find Gu Qiumian, are you?" Du Kang said in surprise.
"Yeah."
"But doesn't her family have bodyguards..."
"Remember those footprints we saw?" Zhang Shutong analyzed rapidly. "That person cased the place at least twice. Before, I also thought having bodyguards would be enough, but the most foolproof method is actually to get Gu Qiumian out of the villa. That way, while someone's there waiting to catch them in the trap..."
"Someone else is outside playing it safe?" Du Kang suddenly understood.
"Pretty much." Zhang Shutong had already left the urban area. He turned onto a small road, forced to slow down. "Their target is 'Gu Qiumian in the villa'—the villa and Gu Qiumian, both keywords are indispensable. But conversely, if one is missing, the initiative comes to our side."
"Oh, hide her, right? Now that you put it that way, I remember something else—Old Song said he was wrong!"
"Wrong?"
"Yeah, as soon as he opened his eyes he said 'I was wrong.' At first I thought he was apologizing for causing everyone trouble..."
Du Kang's habitual rambling filled his ear, while Zhang Shutong reflexively recalled what Song Nanshan had said that day—not to worry, leave the rest to the bodyguards.
So was "wrong" what he meant?
"What time is it now?" Zhang Shutong asked again.
"Just past ten-ten."
"Good, I'm almost there. I'll figure something out when I arrive."
"The thing is, Shutong, even if you go there, what can you do? Will Gu Qiumian's side agree?"
"She called and said she wants to leave with me."
"Holy shit!" Du Kang was shocked. "No wonder you're willing to risk everything running around for her. In the middle of the night, leaving just like that—this is one hundred percent, no, one thousand percent trust! A beauty's deep gratitude—don't let her down!"
He then worried, "But even if she trusts you, will her dad?"
"Probably not."
"Then what do we do?"
"Do it anyway."
"You're badass too." Du Kang swore again. "So does that mean everything's in Old Song's plan, even though he passed out before he could finish?"
"Maybe." Zhang Shutong said quietly.
Perhaps it wasn't a simple traffic accident, but what the homeroom teacher had thought of before it happened remained unknown.
"Then you two go for it. I'm planning to pull an all-nighter tonight anyway, won't leave his side. As soon as Old Song wakes up I'll call you. I guarantee I won't miss even a cough."
Just then Zhang Shutong saw a large pothole.
He squeezed the brake, the motorcycle instantly decelerating.
"You're going to suffer through this with me too?" he said in surprise.
"What kind of talk is that?" Du Kang laughed. "Damn, bro, we've already come this far. Whether it's useful or not, what's there to be afraid of? If I wasn't stuck here, I'd definitely help you snatch Gu Qiumian out too."
"Alright." Zhang Shutong also smiled.
Then the two hung up.
He couldn't be bothered to put his phone away properly. Three minutes had passed since the last time check.
Five minutes ago, Du Kang had called.
Relaying the homeroom teacher's instructions.
Ten minutes ago, Gu Qiumian had called.
Saying she wanted to leave with him.
Zhang Shutong had just said on the phone he'd figure something out when he got there.
Actually, he already had a plan.
And it was something Gu Qiumian had proactively suggested.
Her attitude was even more extreme than what he'd said—
The girl was preparing to jump down from the window.
Yes, jump directly from the second-floor terrace outside her room.
Because the living room was full of people; she had no way to leave through the door.
Zhang Shutong had been stunned at the time. He'd thought Gu Qiumian was calling to interrogate him about why he was causing all this trouble. She'd be emotional, he'd probably get chewed out and then be ordered to slink back home. But she'd said directly:
"I want to leave with you!"
Zhang Shutong had asked again:
"Then how will you explain to your dad?"
But she'd forcefully pushed back:
"That's not your concern!"
So Zhang Shutong stopped asking. He swerved around the large pothole and twisted the throttle again, racing forward at full speed.
In this moment the night wind howled, the motorcycle engine howled. He lowered his body, his mind working on how to get Gu Qiumian out.
It would be very difficult for her to jump from the second floor by herself.
So he had to infiltrate first.
And according to the information the girl had provided, the villa's exterior defenses were weak tonight.
Aside from two bodyguards staying in the car for the night watch, everyone else was inside the villa.
And those two had gone out to buy late-night snacks—it wasn't time for the shift change yet.
Which meant he had to race against time again.
Taking advantage of before they returned, create a time gap, take Gu Qiumian away.
Otherwise, once that car drove back downstairs, everything would be too late—unless he could fly or burrow underground.
Zhang Shutong constantly watched the time, and constantly watched the remaining fuel in the gauge.
He counted silently in his mind. The motorcycle passed through the suburbs, finally arriving at the western part of the island.
Now he was more familiar with the roads here than anywhere else. If he counted carefully, he'd come to the villa more times than his own home.
The mountain road was already before his eyes.
He switched gears, controlling the vehicle as it climbed a distance.
Then stopped.
He couldn't go any further up.
All around, silence reigned.
The engine sound would alert the bodyguards inside.
What came next was his solo mission.
Zhang Shutong hid the bike in the shadow of the mountain wall, then felt something hit his helmet.
He looked up—turned out the snow layer on the mountain was accumulating bit by bit, more and more, then falling down. It seemed any noise might trigger an avalanche.
But it didn't matter. This was a silent operation to begin with.
He took out a flashlight from the bike's storage compartment and shone it around. No sign of anyone.
Of course there wouldn't be.
Because the time Gu Qiumian was attacked was in the early morning hours.
Zhang Shutong understood—he was now racing against two parties.
One was Gu Jianhong—he had to get Gu Qiumian away before the bodyguards returned.
The other was the killer—likewise, before they arrived, spirit her away without anyone knowing.
His current objective was to ensure Gu Qiumian's safety. As for the killer, he'd leave that to the bodyguards remaining at the villa.
According to Lu Qinglian's judgment that day, that long-haired woman could handle ordinary people like him, but was no match for those fully armed bodyguards.
Of course, there were strange aspects too. For instance, Zhang Shutong still hadn't figured out how she'd entered the villa.
That's why he had to take Gu Qiumian away.
So he had to hurry.
Zhang Shutong took a deep breath and started walking.
He'd walked this mountain road many times.
His memory was excellent—where it was easy to walk, where it was difficult, all deeply etched in his mind. Though he was a bit weak now, it didn't prevent Zhang Shutong from wringing out his last bit of strength. He gritted his teeth, walking faster and faster, soon out of breath, feeling his heart pounding violently.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes... he used his footsteps as a timer. Every two steps counted as one second. This time he only took fifteen minutes to reach the outside of the villa.
The time came to ten-thirty.
The night was silent. All around was snow-covered wilderness. Looking from afar, he could see lights on the villa's first floor.
Those two bodyguards hadn't returned yet.
He breathed a sigh of relief, but knew the challenge was just beginning.
He still had to race against time.
Otherwise, if they happened to run into the returning bodyguards while walking down the mountain road with Gu Qiumian, that would be disastrous.
He turned off the flashlight and soon arrived at the villa's main gate. Zhang Shutong felt somewhat fortunate that he'd carefully studied it before. Though he still hadn't figured out how the killer had infiltrated, at least he knew how he should infiltrate.
Zhang Shutong also knew there was an electronic eye on the gate. If a bored bodyguard happened to glance at the screen right now, they'd discover a suspicious helmeted figure standing at the door, then a group of people would rush out rubbing their fists together and pin him to the ground.
So he first deeply memorized the position of the combination lock, then turned sideways, hiding himself in the electronic eye's blind spot, and pressed a string of numbers from memory.
He only had one chance, because this damned lock would sound an alarm in the living room if the wrong code was entered even once.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
With a soft beep, the door lock opened.
Zhang Shutong even knew the left door's hinge was a bit rusty—if pushed to a certain angle it would make a teeth-gritting sound. He carefully squeezed through from the right side, then gently closed the door. Next he entered the front yard, soon catching sight of the second-floor room's terrace.
The curtains were drawn open, the window door half-open, but the lights inside were off.
But before Zhang Shutong could contact Gu Qiumian, he suddenly heard the sound of a door opening—turned out a bodyguard had come out to smoke.
He cursed under his breath and quickly hid under the eaves.
Zhang Shutong patiently counted the time, but before the man could finish smoking, another bodyguard came out. The two started chatting at the door:
"Make another round?"
"Sure, the boss hasn't gone to sleep anyway. Show our faces more."
With that, the two turned on their flashlights. This whole setup was really like playing eagle catches chickens.
Zhang Shutong was the chicken, but fortunately for him, the two were patrolling side by side. If they'd been more professional and split up to flank him, they'd definitely discover a suspicious guy trying to spirit away the young miss.
Zhang Shutong lightened his footsteps and went to the backyard.
The backyard was quite large. He hid behind a very large tree and didn't move. He suddenly felt more familiar with this place than his own home.
The bodyguards soon walked past in front of him. He breathed a sigh of relief, just thinking about whether to leave immediately or wait for them to go back inside.
He quickly decided to wait—everything should be done safely. But just then, someone urged him along.
More precisely, not someone but a large furry head. It seemed to have been watching Zhang Shutong stand behind the tree for too long and was getting impatient.
—That Doberman!
Zhang Shutong's heart rose again.
He'd miscalculated one thing—this dog wasn't chained up. Though thinking about it, that made sense. This Doberman was a guard dog to begin with. After eating so much food for nothing all this time, at critical moments it had to serve some purpose.
But who could have expected it would come right to his feet?
Though he and this dog seemed to have become familiar, he'd been away from the villa for a whole day. Who knew if it would turn on him?
Zhang Shutong blinked at the big fellow, thinking you better not bark. If you bark, I'll definitely have your young miss fire you. Worst case, we'll go down together—I did save your life after all.
Fortunately his prayer came true. The Doberman also looked at him, then squatted down without moving.
Zhang Shutong didn't understand its meaning. Was it letting him go or not letting him go?
He'd been bitten by a dog as a child, so he tentatively reached out his hand and waved it in front of the Doberman. The Doberman's tail also wagged. Truly worthy of a dog Chairman Gu had specially brought to the island—quite perceptive.
Zhang Shutong patted its head, thinking, good boy, I'm not a bad guy. I promised to save your young miss and I definitely will.
The Doberman tilted its head looking at him, as if asking, really?
Of course it's true.
Zhang Shutong wouldn't mind reciting Teacher Song's quotations if it could understand.
Then he realized this dog was just hesitating about the scent on his body.
He simply extended his arm. Turned out that down jacket had been worn so long, his body had already retained Gu Qiumian's scent.
The Doberman understood his meaning, moved closer to sniff, then moved aside.
Zhang Shutong also emerged from behind the tree, slowly backing away.
The old dog looked at him once, turned its head and walked away, four paws leisurely strolling. Bizarrely, he could actually read "at ease" from a dog, as if it had finally waited for someone to take over its job.
Man and dog harmoniously parted ways in the night.
But Zhang Shutong suddenly felt this wasn't funny at all.
What he was about to do wasn't playing house, wasn't telling a dog "I'm taking your young miss away" and then really being able to just walk off.
The villa had bodyguards and her father. Besides himself, quite a few people were protecting her.
Zhang Shutong had once said the hardest part was making a decision, because every decision meant you had to shoulder corresponding responsibility. When Lu Qinglian had asked him why he should bear this responsibility, he actually couldn't quite answer, only saying one shouldn't be arrogant.
But now Zhang Shutong understood.
If a girl trusts you one hundred percent—no, even one thousand percent, ten thousand percent—no matter what the outside world is like, on this snowy night she'll follow you without hesitation, if you don't even dare shoulder this responsibility, how can you talk about protecting her life?
Du Kang had joked about a beauty's deep gratitude. Actually, this trust was even heavier.
He'd never seriously weighed the value of this trust before, only felt Gu Qiumian was easy to deceive and easy to coax. But the truth was she wasn't easy to deceive at all.
Zhang Shutong quietly walked under the terrace. Just as he took out his phone to contact Gu Qiumian, she'd already revealed her form in the darkness.
Turned out she'd been watching the movements below the whole time.
Zhang Shutong looked up in the moonlight.
Seemed Gu Qiumian also knew it was very cold at night, so she'd wrapped herself in thick layers of clothing. No time to worry about looking pretty now—she'd bundled herself up like a dumpling.
But this formed a stark contrast with the thin slippers on her feet. The slippers were the kind that exposed the heels. Standing outside on a night like this would freeze you stiff, let alone having to ride a bike later.
But Zhang Shutong knew this was because all her shoes were downstairs. Going back to get shoes would definitely expose their plan.
So Zhang Shutong watched that girl wearing slippers, watched her somewhat clumsily climb over the terrace railing. This must be the first time in her life doing something like this. The surroundings were quiet, only her rapid breathing in his ears.
Zhang Shutong nodded toward Gu Qiumian and opened his arms.
Neither dared speak loudly, communicating only through eye contact.
Zhang Shutong once again met those beautiful and spirited eyes. Her gaze was complex—angry, determined, even misted over—but the one thing it wasn't was hesitant.
But as Gu Qiumian tightly closed her eyes, her dense lashes overlapping, until the very end, Zhang Shutong still couldn't guess what emotions those eyes contained.
But it didn't matter anymore.
In a trance, he suddenly felt this scene seemed familiar. He tried hard to recall—turned out it was from a rainy Friday night long ago. To clear Teacher Song of suspicion, he'd been making a call under the terrace. It was very cold outside, then a girl in a nightgown leaned out and scolded him affectionately:
"Idiot, aren't you cold?"
These were memories already buried in the river of time.
He thought with some regret.
But so what?
He seemed to understand what those eyes had contained.
So what if there's no past? So what if it's completely forgotten? As long as you still have courage, there are still many new futures to create.
The next moment.
Accompanied by a small cry of surprise.
The girl named Gu Qiumian fell from above, landing in his arms.
The moonlight bore witness.
Zhang Shutong held Gu Qiumian tightly.