Winter Returns

Chapter 201 The Visitor's Intentions Are Not Good (Bonus Chapter)

Just as Zhang Shutong put away his phone, the mall's loudspeakers suddenly blared, and cheerful melodies filled the lobby. Around seven or eight in the evening, when the night was pitch black, the festive atmosphere began to intensify.

But today is not Christmas; it's just a rehearsal for the days to come. Just like as he walks up the escalator to the second floor, he knows that tonight's events are far from over; it's just a "rehearsal."

Since the statue was taken away, there were many people around, and he could no longer find the man. Rather than saying he disappeared, it would be more accurate to say that the man kept appearing and disappearing, perhaps silently observing them from somewhere in the crowd. After a night of covert confrontation, he had a pretty good idea of ​​the man's character. The other man must be a cautious person. The distance between the two was never less than ten meters, and they were rarely even on the same plane.

If Zhang Shutong is at the entrance of the old house, then the man is on the second floor of the hospital; if she is in the hospital, then the other person is across the street; if they get on the elevator, then the other person is somewhere downstairs silently observing.

Zhang Shutong wasn't worried about men seeing through her every move; on the contrary, she was worried that he didn't see it clearly enough.

So he removed the black plastic bag, revealing the fox statue inside. The fox was gazing into the distance. Ruoping had once said that people who looked directly at it would have an urge to make a wish, but Zhang Shutong felt no ripples in his heart.

Right now, it's just a cold stone.

Zhang Shutong wasn't worried that the men would be surprised by the appearance of the statue—

It's perfectly reasonable for a group of children to store a statue they suddenly found, whose origins are unknown, in a shopping mall like a treasure trove—it's practically a free safe. It's unexpected yet logical, and it fits the mindset of teenagers at this age.

They went up to the second floor again, acting as if nothing had happened, and stopped at a jewelry store. This store not only sold girls' jewelry, but also stationery, potted plants, toys, etc. A male and female student entered the store with a statue in their hands, seemingly comparing whether the item in their hands was some kind of handicraft.

Have you seen him?

Lu Qinglian picked up a pen and said softly.

Zhang Shutong glanced outside the store. It was peak time for foot traffic, a level more crowded than when they first entered. Otherwise, the mall wouldn't have been playing music. Perhaps it was because of the upcoming holiday, or perhaps the promotional activities outside had taken effect, causing a surge of people.

“It stopped after I got off the elevator,” Zhang Shutong said.

"It's time to go." Lu Qinglian put the pen back in its place.

They went to another bookstore.

He took a large magazine, using the pages to cover his face, and occasionally glanced outside the store.

"Have it?"

"No." Zhang Shutong shook his head.

Zhang Shutong hadn't received any messages from her best friends on her phone. After a while, she closed the magazine.
"I can't shop anymore."

If all their previous actions, even going to the third floor to check the safety passage, could be explained as the two getting the fox statue and preparing to find a "secret base" for a small meeting, then continuing to wander around seemed deliberate.

He frowned, but still couldn't find where the man had gone.

As Zhang Shutong pondered, he walked toward the escalator leading to the third floor.

There are too many people on the third floor; even with obvious features, finding someone is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

The first floor was just as impressive, but the problem was that the mall's structure meant that you could see downstairs from upstairs, but not vice versa. They stayed on the second floor for quite a while, so if they were going to follow them, they shouldn't have stayed on the first floor.

But he had already searched all the distant places, unless...

His intuition kicked in again. Zhang Shutong turned his head sharply, and a brown shadow flashed through his vision. He was immediately startled. He saw a man with his hat pulled low almost brush past him. By the time Zhang Shutong confirmed this, the other man had already stepped onto the elevator to the third floor ahead of them.

But in that very instant, the seats behind the man were filled by other customers.

Zhang Shutong instinctively gripped the statue in his hand, his heart filled with astonishment.

A chill followed immediately.

Why……

Why are we suddenly so close this time?
Lu Qinglian also squinted at the man's back:

"What do you think of the statue?"

"Still."

“This should be the first time we’ve gotten this close,” even Lu Qinglian frowned. “Is he preparing to make a move? Or did he lay an ambush beforehand?”

Then, without looking back, she stepped onto the elevator and reached out her hand behind her.

Zhang Shutong placed the statue in Lu Qinglian's hands. He was equally surprised. This man had always kept a distance that was neither too close nor too far, but this time he seemed unable to restrain himself and appeared around them for the first time.

Things took a turn for the better, but a man who could recycle clay figures was someone that not only he, but also Lu Qinglian, needed to be on high alert.

"Disappeared again." Lu Qinglian gently closed her eyes, then opened them again. "Get ready."

The man walked very fast, and while they were talking, he pushed and shoved his way onto the escalator, and soon disappeared into the crowd.

The two quickly went up to the third floor. Now that they were sure the man was nearby, they could skip to the final step.

They eventually stopped in front of the fire door.

The door was exactly the same as when I left not long ago; it wasn't locked, just slightly ajar.

But what's behind the door may not remain the same as before.

Zhang Shutong quietly listened for a while by the door:
"Won't your wig get in the way?"

"It's alright." Lu Qinglian was usually very quiet, and even less so now. "Be careful later."

After saying that, she pushed open the fire door.

The girl suddenly exerted force with one leg, and almost the instant Zhang Shutong entered the safety passage, she flashed into the rooftop. Zhang Shutong quickly followed. The warmth that had surrounded him just moments before vanished, and a night wind swept in. The wind on the rooftop was so strong that it almost blew up his clothes. Zhang Shutong blinked hard, but Lu Qinglian's back was standing right in front of him.

The rooftop was empty.

"More cautious than I expected."

Lu Qinglian said coldly, having missed again. Although she was not angry, there was no expression on her face.

Zhang Shutong turned on his flashlight and looked around carefully. This rooftop was more like an observation deck than the top of the building. The central area was covered with tempered glass, but it was usually covered with plastic sheeting. At the end of the rooftop, there was an unfinished building. Gu Qiumian remembered that her father was planning to build a movie theater here.

Perhaps the future will be prosperous, but the rooftop is desolate right now. The night wind lifted a corner of the plastic sheet on the ground. Although it is only three stories high, it is the tallest building on the island. Looking out, you can see the lights of the city, which makes the place even more desolate, like a ruined city.

When she looked away, Lu Qinglian had already taken off her short hair. She gently tossed her hair, and her long, black hair cascaded down, with a few strands sticking to her lips in the wind. At the last moment, there was no point in pretending to be someone else.

Zhang Shutong turned to look at Lu Qinglian. Her eyes, which had recently shown some emotion, had become as still as a deep well, emanating a chilling aura, like a lazy cat suddenly turning into a snake with vertical pupils.

"Take it." She said in an unquestionable tone. The wind grew stronger, whipping her long hair up. Zhang Shutong took the sculpture and wig, watching Lu Qinglian walk a few steps to the entrance. She stared at the dark stairwell, standing quietly to the side, but Zhang Shutong knew this was a prelude to her move, like a fully drawn arrow, ready to be released.

Zhang Shutong placed the statue at his feet and stood facing the stairwell, like bait, waiting to make his move the moment the man came up. The night wind howled, and they didn't know how long they would have to wait. Zhang Shutong glanced at his phone again. Three minutes had passed since they reached the rooftop, and ten minutes had passed since they got the fox. Before that, the man had been observing them, but after that, he disappeared without a trace. The only time he appeared, he appeared right next to them.

Zhang Shutong walked to the edge of the rooftop, from where he could see the main entrance of the mall. He looked down at it.

He was a cautious man, as evidenced by the long-sealed basement that had never been discovered. Yet, this same man, who had been observing the two from a distance, did not lose his composure at the last moment and suddenly appeared before them.

The night wind ruffled his hair. Zhang Shutong sighed, closed his eyes, thought for a moment, and said to those behind him:

"Don't wait anymore, he won't come back."

"What?" Lu Qinglian frowned.

"That person has already left."

"Down there?" Lu Qinglian's eyes sharpened as she scanned the crowd in front of the mall.

“I didn’t see it, but I’m pretty sure it’s gone.” Zhang Shutong then dialed Qingyi’s number. “Can you do me a favor? Check the trash cans on the first floor of the mall. See if you can find a brown hat there…”

Lu Qinglian frowned even more deeply upon hearing this:

"You mean, he noticed?"

“No, it’s just because he’s cautious enough. If he had realized we’d already spotted him, why would he have waited until now?” Zhang Shutong said. “It’s just an extra layer of security, because he appeared around us once wearing those clothes. Not just the hat, he probably won’t wear the coat again.”

“But the reason he left,” Zhang Shutong picked up the statue from the ground and examined it, “was because we misunderstood something. That person’s sudden approach wasn’t an ambush, nor was it because he couldn’t contain himself and was about to attack. A person of that character wouldn’t panic. He was there to confirm something—”

He shook the sad fox:
"Which fox do we actually have?"

Zhang Shutong glanced deeply at the mall's main entrance; the crowds were overwhelming, and it would be incredibly easy for anyone to slip inside.
"He followed us all the way when we didn't have the fox, and disappeared when we got the fox. He suddenly approached us when it was inconvenient to take action. That can only prove one thing: his target was the fox, but not the one we had."

"So, after confirming it, he left without looking back."

"Do you remember when I told you that the smiling fox's prophecy said that the other party would attack Ruoping, who was holding a fox, soon? But that so-called 'prophecy' didn't say which fox Ruoping was holding."

At this point, he frowned. Zhang Shutong realized a piece of information that had been vaguely mentioned. From his perspective, on the Weaver Girl's Thread, the information he received was that the man attacked Ruoping, who was holding the fox. Because the cause of this incident was the Sad Fox, Zhang Shutong assumed that the man's target was the Sad Fox.

But actually, that's not the case.

Just then, the phone rang. Zhang Shutong glanced at it, then simply turned on the speakerphone, and a clear, solemn voice came through:

"Found him. He's not far from the door. That person probably slipped away right under our noses a long time ago."

really.

Zhang Shutong had anticipated this outcome.

Then Qingyi said:
“I suddenly thought of something. He followed you the whole way when you didn’t have a fox, but he suddenly left after you got one. Does that mean he’s looking for another fox?”

Zhang Shutong hummed in agreement.

“But if that’s the case,” Qingyi frowned, “since he knows he’s made a mistake, does that mean Ruoping’s crisis is over and he’s completely given up?”

“Not necessarily, or rather, not at all,” Zhang Shutong said in a deep voice. “Don’t forget that he already knew we had been to the altar. I don’t know if he guessed or through some other means, but that man seems to believe that we have other foxes in our hands, and he won’t give up until we find out.”

“That makes things easier,” Du Kang squeezed in. “Let’s carry that smiling fox around again tomorrow. Don’t be discouraged, Shu Tong.”

"That's not necessary."

Zhang Shutong said:

"He thought he was well hidden and could come and go as he pleased, but think about it, if you were following someone, even if you didn't find the fox, but finally found the main culprit, instead of taking the opportunity to follow the clues to find the other party's residence, you simply turned around and left. What does that tell you?"

"This means he already knows where Ruoping lives?" Du Kang exclaimed in surprise.

"No, if he knew, he wouldn't have been fooled by a wig. I did an experiment with Lu Qinglian. We were separated for a while, but he was following Lu Qinglian, not me."

"so what?"

"It's actually very simple. There are no high schools on the island, only junior high schools. People our age can be easily ruled out as elementary school students. He knows we are junior high school students. If that range is still a bit vague, then today he saw my face clearly."

"You mean he'll go directly to the school?"

"Hmm, they're clearly not worried about where they'll find us, so that's the only way... I have some ideas for now... We're on the rooftop now, want to come up? Okay, let's wait a bit and go back together."

Zhang Shutong hung up the phone.

He mentally reviewed the man's existence, his purpose, and his next move. After that night, he had almost all the answers. Of course, this information was not gained for nothing.

But in the end, all their efforts were in vain.

Zhang Shutong glanced at Lu Qinglian. His flash was still on, and in the dim light, a thin red mark was visible on her fair forehead. It was from wearing a wig all night, and it probably didn't feel good.

Zhang Shutong apologized:
"I've put in so much effort for you, and it still falls short in the end."

Lu Qinglian didn't reply. She stood on the edge of the rooftop, where it was completely quiet. Below her was the ground in front of the mall's main entrance, where people came and went. Naturally, she could also see the huge Christmas tree. Before, when they were on the ground, the tall treetop seemed to stretch endlessly, but now they could clearly see a large star-shaped light shining with golden light on the top of the tree.

The moon is not visible tonight, but it adds a lot of color to the dark night sky. If you were a little further away, it would look like a shooting star falling from the treetops.

Lu Qinglian watched quietly for a while:
"very beautiful."

Zhang Shutong glanced back:
"Hmm...right, she is quite pretty."

Without a doubt, this must be the first time she has ever seen such scenery.

Lu Qinglian had already withdrawn her gaze:
"time to go."

Zhang Shutong pushed open the firewall door, and the mall lights illuminated her in an instant. At that moment, a strong wind blew by, and her long hair danced in the wind. Behind Lu Qinglian, the city lights in the dark night lit up one by one, not particularly dazzling, but warm.

……

Sometimes, life throws in some strange, unexpected, but troublesome little incidents.

For example, Zhang Shutong received a phone call early the next morning.

The visitor is not good.

(End of this chapter)