Winter Returns

Chapter 43 You Scoundrel
2012 12 Month 8 Day.

Saturday, early morning.

Zhang Shutong opened his eyes with a yawn.

He didn't sleep well last night. He's a light sleeper and was just getting used to his own bed after sleeping at home for two days. But last night he moved to a different bed.

The mattresses here are very soft; you can sink into them slightly, which isn't quite what I'm used to.

He drew back the curtains, and the winter morning sunlight made him squint slightly.

The air was filled with mist, and there seemed to be water droplets remaining on the artificial turf. Only now could he see the true appearance of this villa in the mountains.

I opened the window and let in some fresh air; the cool breeze was invigorating.

A pleasant morning.

So he quickly washed up, pushed open the door, and found the view in the hallway and outside the window to be completely different. It was now a completely enclosed and cramped space. Looking down, he saw a dark brown wool carpet, laid out calmly, filling his entire field of vision; but looking up, he saw…

It was a girl.

A girl with a noble appearance and temperament walked out of the classically styled corridor.

But she seemed to have just gotten up and hadn't washed up yet. She was squinting her usually bright eyes, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and her beautiful hair was a little disheveled, with a few strands playfully sticking to her rosy lips.

She was still wearing that velvet nightgown, the deep red fabric contrasting sharply with her snow-white skin. But the nightgown was no longer as neat as it had been the night before; it was now wrapped crookedly around her body, yet it did not conceal the girl's slender figure, except that her chest appeared bulging.

"morning."

Zhang Shutong nodded to Gu Qiumian. This scene reminded him of the bright view he had seen outside the window not long ago, and the gloom in the corridor seemed to have been swept away.

"Hmm... good morning," Miss Gu mumbled, then suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Time seemed to stand still.

He saw the girl slowly open her eyes, and her cherry-like mouth, which was covered in hair, slowly opened into an "O" shape, as if she had seen something incredible.

At the same time, her stunningly pale face was visibly flushed, and with a gasp of surprise, Gu Qiumian quickly hid herself back inside the door.

The noble girl seemed to transform into a princess on the run in an instant, and Zhang Shutong was like a knight from a hostile kingdom chasing after her, defeating Miss Gu so thoroughly that she was utterly routed.

The heavy door slammed shut, and the corridor returned to silence, prompting Zhang Shutong to reflect on two things:
First, no wonder she's so fair-skinned, with skin as smooth as cream; it's because her skin is thin, physically thin.

Secondly, it seems that she... forgot she was living here after taking a nap?

How stupid.

Zhang Shutong had heard of people being grumpy when they woke up, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone who was silly when they woke up.

He took the elevator downstairs and saw Old Song chatting with the nanny. He was already dressed, and his white shirt was ironed so neatly for the first time. He looked like an elite person. The man laughed heartily from time to time.

With a little grooming, Lao Song's appearance is actually quite good.

"Shutong, how did you sleep last night?"

Unfortunately, he was exposed the next moment when the homeroom teacher winked at him and smiled slyly.

"generally."

"That's really just average. I think it takes a lot of willpower for you to be able to fall asleep."

He gave a knowing smile, like an adult looking at a little kid. Then, with a stern face and a very professional demeanor, he interrogated him:

"Oh right, I just heard Qiu Mian call out. What mischief have you been up to now? We're in someone else's house, so your teacher has to keep a close eye on you."

But Zhang Shutong couldn't understand what he was saying; it sounded like he was implying that as long as someone wasn't at her house, they could cause trouble.

So he calmly explained:
"It seems she's forgotten we're staying here."

If Qingyi and the others were here, Zhang Shutong would use a more vivid analogy: it's almost like a trainer waking up one morning to find that Squirtle has evolved into Wartortle, and being so surprised that their face turns red.

Old Song gave a "that's it" look, but the nanny chimed in with a light laugh, explaining, "Mianmian has low blood sugar and often feels dizzy when she wakes up. Did she scare you?"

The nanny was a woman in her early forties, not very tall, with wrinkles around her eyes, giving off a quiet and kind feeling.

"No, not at all," Zhang Shutong said. She was just quiet, not impolite, especially after seeing her own clean clothes on the sofa. "I forgot to thank Auntie last night. The noodles were delicious."

"It's alright. Just tell Mianmian if you want to eat it in the future. You and the teacher can talk first. I'll go upstairs to check on her."

He nodded to Old Song and left, leaving only the master and apprentice in the living room.

Zhang Shutong thought that Gu Qiumian and her nanny might have a good relationship, otherwise she wouldn't call her by her nickname.

Afterwards, I chatted with Lao Song about some serious matters. Song Nanshan said that the police had called back this morning and confirmed that it was indeed someone from the commercial street who did it. He was going to the police station to give a statement later.

“Our trip yesterday wasn’t in vain, we’ve really succeeded.” Old Song stretched. “I heard that even the city leaders were alarmed. With those five people as an example, even if there are other people on the street who are unhappy with her family, they’ll have to think twice before doing anything in the future.”

Zhang Shutong nodded; this was indeed a case of making an example of someone.

She then asked Lao Song how he planned to deal with the five people. Lao Song replied, "Well, this is what I wanted to tell you next. They've definitely committed attempted arson. I heard they're even considering a more serious sentence, but we'll have to wait for Qiu Mian's father to come back to discuss the specific outcome."

"Did her dad call back?"

"Yes, they called back this morning. Actually, I told him about the commercial street yesterday, and he already sent someone he trusts back. They should arrive as early as tomorrow."

"He wanted to be later, but he booked a ticket overnight, saying that he wouldn't discuss business anymore."

"Business?" Zhang Shutong lowered his voice, sounding puzzled.

"The main thing is business, everything else is secondary. Come on, let's go outside." Old Song simply led him outside. "How should I put it? Well, a man with her father's wealth... basically no one can control him. Moral constraints are meaningless in reality. And how should I put it? Look, he hasn't remarried all these years. Even if he did 'that,' it was just a side thing when he went out to the island to do business. In a sense, it's a statement. No matter what, his daughter is the most important."

Old Song started talking about men again:
"The same person can have different identities. Men can sometimes become scoundrels, but they can still be reliable when they are fathers."

Zhang Shutong understood that, to sum it up, Boss Gu's daughter was still his top priority, which made him inexplicably relieved.

Then Song Nanshan said:
"I suspect Qiu Mian herself has mixed feelings about this. Anyway, just don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

"Of course." Zhang Shutong nodded again.

Unexpectedly, Song Nanshan suddenly said meaningfully:

"You better not learn to be such a scoundrel in the future."

Zhang Shutong rolled her eyes, turned around and went into the house, not intending to pay attention to such a boring question.

I don't know how it got to me. Besides, if he really thought being a jerk was so easy, first a girl would have to appear in front of him.

……

The next time I saw Gu Qiumian was at breakfast. She was sitting right across from me.

Unfortunately, perhaps because she had seen her "unkempt" side that morning, Miss Gu felt embarrassed and glared at her again.

Breakfast consisted of fried bacon and meat patties, along with several cold dishes—a mix of Chinese and Western cuisine. She had transformed back into a noble young lady, her posture as she held up her knife and fork with great elegance. However, she seemed to be constantly arguing with the meat patties, cutting them into even smaller pieces even though they had already been cut into strips.

This was their last meal at the Gu family villa; after they finished eating, it was time for them to leave.

Old Song originally wanted to take the two of them off the island for fun, but now that the crisis has been completely resolved and Gu Qiumian is safe, he no longer insists. Besides, he has to go to the police station in the morning, so he can just take Zhang Shutong to the city later.

As for Zhang Shutong himself, he was also very busy in the morning. Ruoping had just been urging him on QQ, saying that they needed to meet in front of "Beiyi Shopping Mall" and that they would be shopping and strolling around. She bombarded him with countless messages, and he had to keep it a secret from Du Kang and couldn't tell anyone in the small group.

Since today's event only involves the three of them—herself, Qingyi, and herself—she wanted to surprise them.

It was supposed to be Du Kang's birthday, but he was ruthlessly ostracized.

Zhang Shutong felt that everyone knew the truth. Take Du Kang for example. If it were a normal weekend, he would have been busy making noise in the group chat. But today, he didn't even send panda head emojis or chat in the group. He was extremely calm, almost as if he was saying, "You guys go ahead, I don't know anything."

The day was calm and peaceful. Zhang Shutong was having the most lavish breakfast since he started looking back. He stuffed bacon into his mouth and used one hand to type when he heard Gu Qiumian ask, "Who are you chatting with?"

Zhang Shutong said she was going out with friends, but she just snorted and said, "I think it's Feng Ruoping." What, you mean you were going out with friends, but she's the one who invited you?
A woman's intuition is truly terrifying. Zhang Shutong nodded in agreement, but Gu Qiumian remained silent.

"And you, what are your plans for today?" Zhang Shutong asked in return.

"I haven't decided yet, I'll just stay home anyway." She rolled her eyes. "What else would I do?"

Where are your friends?

"I don't want to see them."

"I thought you were going to go out with them, like usual."

I'm not in the mood today.

So these are symptoms of hypoglycemia.

Zhang Shutong stopped talking, finished his breakfast, and habitually went to the sink to wash and put the food away.

The artificial turf can also be seen from the kitchen window, but the dark figure seen last night is gone—the guard dog that was poisoned has been taken away by the police.

The grassland therefore appeared very clean. Looking into the distance, there was a desolate wilderness, overgrown with withered grass, and shrouded in a chilling mist that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance.

Only at this moment—even though the villa is fully equipped—does Zhang Shutong remember that it was built in the most remote part of the island.

Saturday, December 8, 2012.

The saying goes, "The early bird catches the worm," and before the morning was even over, the group had already planned out their day's schedule.

Old Song needs to go to the police station to give a statement;

I'm going shopping with my best friend;

Gu Qiu Mian wants to stay in the villa alone; at least, that's what she seems to be saying.

After looking out the window for a while, he realized he had long since lost the habit of watching TV and returned to his seat at the dining table.

Old Song just went out to answer a phone call and has just started eating, so he won't be able to leave for a while.

At this moment, Gu Qiumian was also eating absentmindedly. She chewed slowly and silently, displaying the demeanor of a well-bred young lady.

Bored while waiting, Zhang Shutong propped one arm on the table and asked her:
Have you decided what you'll be doing at home?

"Play the piano, or watch a movie."

"The yolk is leaking out," Zhang Shutong pointed out, adding that cutting the fried egg with a knife would be a waste.

Why do you keep watching me eat?

Zhang Shutong simply said "oh" and started staring at the lawn outside.

Her home was fully furnished and decorated, but the only downside was that she didn't have many magazines. In such a remote place, it was impossible to subscribe to a newspaper, which made it really boring.

Zhang Shutong then rested his chin on his hand, looking bored.

"Speaking of which, I have a few movies to recommend."

"I don't need your recommendation, I don't have time to watch it."

"Very busy?"

"Very busy." She continued to stare intently at the plate and the meat pie.

"Then don't bother."

After glancing one last time at the mist-shrouded fields outside the window, the boy looked away and extended an invitation to the girl opposite him:

"Come with me later."

I'd like to inform all my fellow readers that this book will be available on June 1st.

And thank you to readers 20200326073923138, Bai Huoyu, and Kerna13 for their generous donations!

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(End of this chapter)