Winter Returns

Chapter 50 Every Man Will Encounter a Dragon (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote)
Meng Qingyi's life wasn't much better.

He was accompanying Ruoping to buy ice cream.

Why eat ice cream on such a cold day?
This is a question that men cannot answer.

"Where to go next?" Ruoping asked, licking her ice cream.

"Don't ask me, it won't matter what I say anyway, in the end I'll listen to you."

"Just listen to me," Ruoping said discontentedly. "You're just waiting for Shutong's letter. He'll run away as soon as he sends it."

"It's a matter of life and death," Meng Qingyi said, holding the back of his head. "I think the most important thing is to find that person as soon as possible."

"Now I know what you two were talking about. Stop keeping me in suspense."

"No, think about it, there are six people missing one. Who knows who that person is? Right now, we can only narrow it down to a certain range, at least people from the commercial street."

"So, shall we go to the shopping street?"

"Just listen to what he says."

"Have you noticed that Shutong has been acting strangely lately?"

"Ah, a little," the boy replied lazily, "but a man's growth can happen overnight..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ruoping stepped on his foot.

"Be more serious."

"What do you want to ask? Is it about your relationship with Gu Qiu Mian?"

Ruoping pursed her lips and remained silent.

"I think it's fine. He doesn't seem to like Gu Qiumian that much. Don't be jealous."

"Who's jealous? It's just a little..."

Ruoping thought for a long time, and finally became a little frustrated:
"It's just that we used to be the closest of friends, but now someone has a new love interest. You know, I have a cousin who used to be very close to me. We went to the same junior high school, and she's seven or eight years older than me. When I was little, I used to follow her around and play, even wilder than the boys. Later, she found a boyfriend, and one time she took me to the city. My cousin still treated me the same way she always did, and her boyfriend was great too, but... I just can't find that feeling from before."

"Worry?"

"Pretty much," Ruoping muttered. She really wanted to kick a pebble, but this was inside a shopping mall, and there were no pebbles for her to kick. Even the ice cream in her hand had melted.

Meng Qingyi stopped talking about men and said seriously:
"You're just being blinded by your own involvement, or maybe you girls just don't understand guys... Ouch, don't touch my hair. I'm giving you a serious example. You've played computer games, right? If not, it doesn't matter. I'll make up a story for you right now. You're a warrior sent by the king to rescue the princess who's been kidnapped by a dragon. You put on your best gear and set off, fighting your way through rivers of blood, and finally behead the dragon. Doesn't that sound a lot like what we're doing right now?"

"Oh, so according to you, we're just companions the warrior met on his journey. He defeated the dragon, and it's over for us. Should we celebrate for the warrior in the end, that he finally won the princess's heart?" Ruoping glanced sideways, feeling a little uneasy.

“Wrong, what I really want to say is coming up later,” Qingyi shook his head. “On the surface, this is a game about a warrior rescuing a princess, but if you think about it carefully, this warrior is cutting down monsters all the way. Is he enjoying the fun of leveling up by fighting monsters or is he enjoying rescuing the princess himself?”

"You're saying Shutong is the hero and Gu Qiumian is the princess?" Ruoping was taken aback.

"Pretty much. My impression of Shu Tong is that she came with some kind of mission, someone who has to accomplish something, only the person at the center of the incident happens to be Gu Qiu Mian," Qing Yi analyzed. "Even my example isn't quite appropriate, because this isn't a game where you level up by defeating monsters. Do you really think Shu Tong enjoys solving cases every day?"

"It seems not..."

"Yes, that's why his final performance was awkward. Actually, we're not quite the same. I can treat catching murderers and solving cases as a hobby, but not him. He doesn't like Gu Qiu Mian and isn't very interested in solving cases. He's doing it to complete a mission. Let me give you another example. If his case with Gu Qiu Mian is a classic 'hero saves the beauty' scenario..."

"Why are you all so vain?" Ruoping couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't interrupt. Let's just treat this as the story. What should a hero do after saving a beautiful woman? Shouldn't his relationship with her progress further? Today he catches the murderer, tomorrow he goes on a date... Let's just go with this script for now. But what do you think Shu Tong would want to do the next day?"

"He'll just get a good night's sleep, then get up without even washing his face and go fishing. That's always how he is," Ruoping chuckled.

“But he didn’t even fish much that day,” Qingyi said abruptly.

"...Are you worried that something might happen to him?"

"Pretty much. You see, we all have something we want. For example, right now I want to catch the murderer as soon as possible and I'm trying my best to figure out who that person is. Du Kang is waiting for his birthday on Monday and can't sleep well. You're licking ice cream like crazy right now... Don't poke my waist. What I mean is, at least for the time being, I haven't seen what Shu Tong wants."

"What should we do then?" Ruoping also began to worry.

"Who knows."

Qingyi shrugs his shoulders:

"He's facing that dragon right now, and behind it is the princess. He has no other thought but to cut down that dragon, and probably doesn't have time to think about anything else."

"Although you don't want me to use men as a metaphor anymore, I really think every man will encounter a dragon that he needs to defeat. Before defeating this dragon, you don't know why you have to defeat it. It's just that the dragon is blocking your way, and you just happen to have a sword in your hand. It roars at you, and you draw your sword at it, fighting to the death. If you lose, you really lose. If you win, you may be able to get over a hurdle. You may not know what you want, but at least you have the leisure to think about it."

Ruoping remained silent for a long time:
So we should help him?

Qingyi nodded vigorously:

"So we should help him."

Then the phone rang.

The boy, who had just been acting like a philosopher, suddenly raised an eyebrow excitedly:
"Oh, finally a letter has arrived."

"what did he say?"

"Please help me put something away," he replied mysteriously.

That's what chuunibyou is all about—

Sometimes they are life mentors, and sometimes they are childish fools; they can switch seamlessly.

……

"What is that?" Gu Qiumian asked, chasing after him.

Zhang Shutong just used the photos as leverage to regain control of the operation, at the cost of almost perishing along with Qiu Yumianmian.

In the end, Zhang Shutong deleted the photos.

Now Gu Qiu Mian asked him what he was going to get, but he couldn't quite place the young lady's... what was her name again? The only downside to this operation was that the name was too long and hard to remember. Anyway, he couldn't reveal it to Gu Qiu Mian, so he habitually kept her in suspense and said:
"Important props."

"cut."

"Cut what?"

"Chop, chop, chop!"

As she said this, Miss Gu actually nodded in belief, following him with curious eyes all the way until Zhang Shutong reached the lockers next to the supermarket:

"The fifth one in the third row..."

He muttered to himself, and following the instructions Qingyi had sent, he found a piece of paper hidden in a crevice in the cabinet.

Then, scan the paper on the infrared light, and a cabinet opens instantly.

Zhang Shutong took out a key from inside.

Gu Qiumian asked what it was for, and Zhang Shutong said it was to unlock an important vehicle.

"How important is it?" The young lady also became serious.

"Actually, it's the key to the bicycle lock."

"..."

Gu Qiu Mian realized she had been tricked, and gritted her teeth. The drizzling autumn rain was about to turn into a winter downpour.

It has to be said that teasing her can be quite fun sometimes, but you can't go too far, Zhang Shutong explained:

"There's something I need to do next. Would you like some milk tea?"

Where can I get milk tea?

"On the commercial street."

"You bought hats and masks just for this?"

"Hmm." He handed the two items to Gu Qiu Mian. His only regret was that after looking around for a while, he realized that the store was not a proper jewelry store. It mainly sold children's items. He had escaped the Mickey Mouse trap but jumped into the Strawberry Bear trap.

But anyway, it wasn't him who wore it.

“I know going there now might be a bit…” Zhang Shutong racked his brains, trying to convince the young lady that he, her henchman, wasn’t trying to betray her.

But Gu Qiu Mian didn't say anything, she simply nodded:
"Let's go."

She put on a mask and hat, revealing her already small oval face, with only her bright and beautiful eyes showing. The strawberry bear on her head grinned mischievously. The girl blinked, as if she hadn't said anything but had said everything.

Zhang Shutong was speechless.

As the two left the mall, the noise around them instantly subsided, and a blast of cold air hit them. He took a deep breath, and the world seemed to suddenly turn gray and black. People were walking down the street in down jackets, the branches of the roadside trees were bare, and plastic bags were floating on the road... On such a cold day, wearing masks and hats was not particularly noticeable.

Zhang Shutong had initially chosen a cloth mask. He asked Gu Qiumian if she wanted anything to eat, but she shook her head. He then asked her if she wanted to buy balloons, but she glared at him with her exposed eyes.

Following Qingyi's directions, he found Zhang Shutong's bicycle at the mall entrance—Zhang Shutong had left it at school, and it had a box on the back seat, so he couldn't take a girl with him.

I'll have to borrow my best friend's for now. The Goddess of Destiny, who controls the young lady's future—finally remembered—has a grand name, but the equipment to match is incredibly meager. It shouldn't be a sports car, but at least a motorcycle; right now, all I have is a bicycle.

As expected, Gu Qiumian was reluctant and kept dawdling on the side. She had grown up riding in executive cars and had never even seen the manual seats in Lao Song's Ford Focus. Now she was really being treated unfairly, not being able to be a proper young lady and having to sit on the back of a bicycle. She imagined it would hurt her bottom.

Zhang Shutong then said not to mind, there's no other choice now, and besides, I can't drive.

Gu Qiu Mian glared at him again—ever since she started wearing a mask, she seemed to prefer communicating only with her eyes, and as a henchman, she had no choice.

"What should we do then?" Zhang Shutong asked, puzzled. "Should we walk over?"

She glared again, but this time she finally gave a hint by lifting the hem of her light blue dress.

Zhang Shutong then realized that she didn't dislike bicycles; rather, she found it difficult to sit on one while wearing a skirt.

But this is easy to handle.

Zhang Shutong had already gotten into the car and patted the back seat:
"You can sit sideways."

But she was still a bit hesitant, so Zhang Shutong suggested that he ride slowly and wait for her. Only then did the girl make up her mind. She gave him a disapproving look, turned sideways, and got on the bike. Then, Zhang Shutong seemed to understand what she was struggling with—

A pair of somewhat stiff arms gently wrapped around his waist, causing Zhang Shutong to stiffen as well. He thought that if he sat upright, he could hold onto the frame to prevent himself from falling, or grab the clothes on either side of the person in front of him.
Since sitting sideways in the car is no longer an option, the only thing to do is to wrap your arms around the other person's waist.

Zhang Shutong then understood what she meant; it was because she hadn't said anything before.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately kept it closed.

Some things may be wrong once they are said.

This is the city in winter. They are on a small island. The roads under the wheels are different. Some are newly built asphalt roads, while others are cement roads laid a long time ago and have cracks. The two types of roads are joined together, forming the traces of time.

A bicycle is bound to bounce a bit.

It was exactly 11:00 AM. My phone still had 30% battery left. Fresh, cool air rushed into my nostrils. The view ahead was wide open, and there were very few people on either side.

He took a shortcut, which allowed him to see the scenery by the lake.

Today the lake is azure blue, similar in color to the sky.

The reeds grow tenaciously, and occasionally you can see patches of snow that haven't melted yet. The lake breeze carries a slight fishy smell. In the quiet moments, a girl wearing a strawberry bear hat sits behind me.

Zhang Shutong only knew the name of the bear, and didn't even know if it was from a movie or an animated film, but for some reason felt that it matched Gu Qiumian's temperament.

The arm around her waist gradually softened, so Zhang Shutong asked her if there was anything else she wanted to go after going to the shopping street. Although it might not happen, at least she would have a direction.

Who knew she would release that Talking Tom cat again, and no matter what Zhang Shutong said, all she heard in the end was her own words.

Zhang Shutong was speechless at first. He had heard of letting dogs out of the door, but never of letting cats out of a car. But he got used to it and started talking to himself.

He described the areas he and his best friends used to divide on the island, where the temple was, where the base was, where the restricted area was... basically, all very boring and pointless talk, but when Talking Tom played it out, it added a touch of novelty.

The two soon arrived at the commercial street. He locked the bike, took out his phone, and sent a message to Du Kang, feeling that they had ridden really fast.

There were more people on the commercial street, and quite a few men and women were strolling around hand in hand.

Gu Qiu Mian finally spoke up, asking what was next. Zhang Shutong said to just play Talking Tom, which earned her a glare. She then explained, "Just relax and shop; leave everything to me."

So she didn't ask any further questions, and Zhang Shutong didn't answer either.

He accompanied Gu Qiumian into the commercial street. It wasn't an unusual pairing, and Zhang Shutong was already prepared to carry their things.

But Ruoping was wrong about one thing: his task today was much more arduous than they had imagined. He not only had to accompany the client but also had to conduct an investigation.

Today is Saturday, and the students are all on holiday.

The so-called "murderer" is still like finding a needle in a haystack. As I told Qingyi before, it is impossible to speculate on his motive. We can only use the process of elimination.

There weren't even any reliable clues. He had considered asking Lao Song to inquire about Gu's father, since they had a feud on the island before. But then he thought that if the other party had any leads, he could just arrange for the police to investigate.

Zhang Shutong specifically chooses shops with fewer customers.

We went from store to store, sometimes browsing with Gu Qiumian, but we didn't find much of a good product.

In the original timeline, the girl's disappearance can be simply divided into three days: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
However, many things have changed now, so referring to previous information is no longer very useful.

So he decided to make a bold inference, based on the premise that the suspect is guilty—assuming that the murderer will definitely make the move today.

Friday's opportunity has already passed; the family-oriented person will return on Sunday.

Although the murderer may not be aware of this, if we put ourselves in his shoes, the arsonist has already been caught, and Gu's father will definitely react. His family members may arrive tomorrow, the day after, or even tonight. Given an unpredictable future, the only thing to do is to strike today.

And the earlier the better.

If he were going to take action, he wouldn't have stayed in the shop. Even setting aside preparations for the attack, he would at least have known where Gu Qiu Mian was. He couldn't possibly arrive at her villa only to find she wasn't there at all.

Zhang Shutong felt that the other party wouldn't be that stupid.

Of course, there's nothing we can do if someone is really that stupid—

Because Du Kang has passed away.

Therefore, Zhang Shutong's next focus will be on shops without men.

Most of the shops on this street are run by husband and wife, but there are also some run by a single person, like that clothing and hat shop. So if you can find a shop that has fewer people than usual, you can narrow down your search area.

This direction is theoretically good, but it is difficult to implement. As someone who has just returned from the future, he has not even been able to distinguish his classmates, so how can he distinguish the merchants on the commercial street?

But there is one person who can truly tell the difference.

Among the four of them, there was a chattering girl who always liked to come here, so she knew everything about the place. She was the one who first learned about the demolition of the commercial street.

The operational principle of this operation is that everyone can leverage their strengths, and no one can replace them.

So Zhang Shutong typed to Ruoping, saying that he urgently needed help and that the heroine should come to his aid immediately.

The heroine was summoned immediately.

"Speak," she replied with a voice message, though she would never be petty when it came to serious matters.

Zhang Shutong then took pictures of each storefront and sent them to her. The girl could answer the questions about who worked in each store and their general situation after a little thought.

Of course, even if she couldn't answer, Ruoping had her own girlfriends—she always had a wide circle of friends, and she would get a reply after asking a few questions.

The two of them continued their question-and-answer session, checking each shop one by one, until they finally found a small shop that met their criteria in the middle of the street.

It was a milk tea shop with a long queue.

I remember they came here for dinner not long ago, and Ruoping treated them to bubble tea.

Zhang Shutong put down her phone and glanced at the "Come and Have a Cup" milk tea shop.

My phone just took a lot of photos, and the battery has already dropped to 30%.

He then typed a message to Qingyi:
"What was that plan you mentioned called again? I've forgotten."

"Operation Goddess of Destiny, which will govern the young lady's future," the other party replied.

"Alright, I'll let you know in advance."

Zhang Shutong typed the last two lines with one hand:

"be prepared."

"Operation Goddess of Destiny, which will control the future of the young lady, may be about to enter its second phase."

Here's the first update; a total of 9000 words were updated today!
Moreover, everyone else updates with 2000 words, but this chapter has 5000 words and only counts as one update, so please vote with monthly tickets!

………………

I also recommend a book written by one of our fellow readers. It's already signed a contract, so you can read it without worry. It's a sweet romance novel:

Makoto Tachikawa, a handsome 16-year-old from Tokyo, is energy-efficient and socially awkward.

Just before entering high school, he gained the ability to read minds.

Makoto Tachikawa confidently believes that he can enjoy his wonderful youth with this superpower.
Even dating is no problem for them.

Until he used his mind-reading ability to discover the girl who was following him, and then...

The art style is gradually getting a little off.

The intrusion of one girl after another shattered Tachikawa Makoto's originally peaceful and stable life.

Why can't I hear your heart's voice?

Why isn't your inner voice spoken in Japanese?

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(End of this chapter)