The school bell rang, and Zhang Shutong stretched lazily, walking out of the office.
The whole afternoon had passed just like that.
Old Song didn't continue to be furious. He temporarily wanted to control the impact of the matter within the class, but it was practically impossible.
Although he repeatedly emphasized not to talk about it and to consider Gu Qiumian's feelings, many people had seen what happened, and soon the other classes also found out.
The rich girl, Gu, was still very well-known. She and Lu Qinglian were the two most talked-about girls in the entire grade, or even the entire school. For a time, various exaggerated versions of the story were flying around.
During the break, Zhang Shutong even saw Gu Qiumian's little secretary bring a few people to find her. Zhang Shutong was a little strange as to why they only found out now. Did they not talk about it during lunch?
Old Song's investigation was still ongoing. He asked Zhang Shutong for the photos and started looking for the person based on the handwriting. But the homeroom teacher was an English teacher and wasn't very sensitive to Chinese characters. He also found the Chinese teacher, but the other person also said there was nothing they could do—
Whether it was the "Go to hell" on the A4 paper or the name on the toilet partition, the number of words was too short. Moreover, the habit of writing with a marker and a gel pen was different. Judging from their usual homework, it wasn't very accurate.
He also asked who was absent during the big break and even talked to them one by one.
Because of this, he and Qingyi were also called to the office to... help.
Old Song trusted their minds. Maybe he knew that Qingyi was a fan of crime stories. Maybe the details from last night had reached his ears, making him feel that there was a "teenage detective team" around. So he let them listen in.
Although in the end, there was no progress.
The whole afternoon, Zhang Shutong just sat in a chair by the wall, thinking about another question—
Why did the person smash Gu Qiumian's castle blocks and not something else?
If it was truly a "death threat," why not use a more direct method and write a letter with more curses?
If it was just for revenge, why not directly destroy her desk?
For example, tearing up her backpack and books would be much more impactful than smashing a pile of blocks, right?
Or was the person not from their class and didn't know where Gu Qiumian was sitting?
But if that was the case, how would they have targeted her blocks?
And finally, as Qingyi said, if it was for revenge, why write her name on the partition, as if they were afraid no one would find out?
Many of the questions seemed to contradict each other.
And there was the most crucial one—
Even if they confirmed the "suspect," how would they get them to confess without any witnesses or surveillance?
Fortunately, Zhang Shutong didn't sit there for a whole afternoon for nothing. He had almost figured out the answers to many of these questions.
Now, there was only one last piece of the puzzle he hadn't figured out, and verifying his thoughts would have to wait until tomorrow, and that's if everything went smoothly.
Speaking of which, there was another problem:
Even if he solved the block incident, it didn't mean the murder case could be solved. He also had to figure out where to investigate the commercial street demolition he heard about at the restaurant, and who the figure in the forbidden zone was.
With a "let's try" mentality, he came down from the rooftop at noon and got the phone number for "Jianan Lake Fish House." He called the owner's wife. The reason he didn't ask at the time was that Gu Qiumian's table hadn't finished eating.
Unfortunately, the other person recognized his voice.
So he didn't ask about the demolition. He just said his family wanted to buy a shop and asked if the auntie could help him find out, hoping to get some clues from it.
However, the other person was very tight-lipped. Maybe because Gu Qiumian had just treated him to lunch, the owner's wife thought they were on the same side and was afraid he was a spy.
You reap what you sow, and that's how it is.
In short, the three clues he had all seemed to be related, but it was hard to connect them.
After school, he naturally couldn't go and play with his friends.
He had two things to do:
The first was to fill his stomach.
The second was to go to the forbidden zone again.
The place where Zhang Shutong ate was a small stall selling steamed buns at the school gate.
The buns were very special. The filling was a mixture of sugar-marinated pork fat, crispy fried pork fat scraps, and salted duck egg yolk.
Zhang Shutong had never liked this stuff, but he didn't care what he ate. He just learned his lesson from last night and was eating to replenish his energy.
The snow had mostly melted. Dirty piles of snow were piled up next to the trees along the road. The steamer on the small cart was steaming, and a plump woman was busy working.
Zhang Shutong stopped his bike and was about to greet her when he ran into someone unexpected.
Gu Qiumian was also waiting at the small stall.
She was still wearing her signature red scarf. Her small face was tucked into the scarf, and her hands were in the pockets of her coat. She was silent.
Zhang Shutong looked at her twice and found that the black Audi car wasn't around.
Speaking of which, he hadn't spoken to Gu Qiumian the entire afternoon. Old Song had originally wanted to call her to the office to listen in, but the girl didn't go. It was the same excuse. She was already in a bad mood, so she wouldn't look for more unhappiness.
So it was hard to judge her mood—
If you were to say it was good, her face was terrifyingly cold all day. It was only a little bright in the morning, but unfortunately, it was only bright for less than one morning reading before he made her angry. After the blocks were smashed, it was easy to imagine her mood.
If you were to say it was bad, she still had time to take a group of people to the restaurant at noon and now had the mood to buy snacks at a roadside stall.
Maybe the steamed buns were delicious—small steamed buns, six in a cage, both salty and sweet.
And unlike shrimp pancakes and meat-filled flatbreads, which were common local snacks, this was the only stall on the entire island that sold them. The owner was actually from out of town.
No matter how delicious others thought it was, Zhang Shutong always held a different opinion:
He had always found this kind of filling strange. It was either salty or sweet. Why did it have to be both sweet and salty?
It was like how both sweet and savory tofu pudding were acceptable, but what was a sweet and savory tofu pudding?
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought this kind of bun was some kind of dark fantasy food that someone made up. But in fact, it existed, and it was right in front of him:
At this moment, the woman was making the buns. Next to her hand was a large basin filled with filling. The sweet pork fat and the savory egg yolk were stirred together. The golden yellow was mixed with glistening pieces of meat, and they were all wrapped into the dough.
They were supposed to be so contradictory.
Zhang Shutong felt disgusted just looking at it, but Gu Qiumian was watching very intently. She didn't even notice when he got closer. He remembered someone saying at noon that she liked sweet and sour pork, which he also thought was a contradictory dish.
Perhaps it had something to do with Gu Qiumian herself being a contradictory girl—
Her brightness, her coldness, her indifference. If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, you wouldn't have imagined that they could all be combined in one person.
That's why Zhang Shutong said he didn't understand her.
But whether he understood her or not didn't stop him from going over and saying hello. Gu Qiumian looked at him when she heard him and nodded in response.
So aloof.
"Thank you for what happened at noon. I'll bring the money tomorrow."
"No need," Gu Qiumian said with a blank expression, staring at the frying pan. "You helped me first. I don't like owing people favors."
When her face was expressionless, it was a little different from Lu Qinglian. Lu Qinglian really didn't have any emotional fluctuations, while Gu Qiumian's cold face was clearly visible.
Is this tsundere?
She had asked him a question when she went down the stairs, and he thought there would be no follow-up, but she had been thinking about it all along.
Zhang Shutong changed the subject:
"Did you tell your dad about it?"
"No, he's on a business trip." Gu Qiumian's tone was a little colder.
But Zhang Shutong could tell that it wasn't directed at him. It seemed that... the relationship between this father and daughter wasn't as good as he had imagined.
But the key was:
"Are you alone these past few days?"
He was stunned for a moment.
"There's also a nanny."
Zhang Shutong subconsciously wanted to ask about her mother, but he suddenly had some guesses in his mind. He just said:
"Then be more careful these next few days."
"That person wouldn't dare to do anything," Gu Qiumian said, word for word. "And I told you, it's just a toy."
"So that's why you're not angry?"
At this moment, the buns came out of the steamer and were handed to her in a plastic bag. Gu Qiumian had a unique way of eating them. She didn't hold the bun with her hand. Instead, she pulled the "ears" of the plastic bag and squeezed the bun to her mouth.
She took a bite, but it was too hot, so she held it in her hand, blew on it a few times, and carefully tore off a small piece with her teeth.
"Of course I'm angry." It seemed that the bun was really hot. She was inhaling and chewing at the same time, and even the coldness in her voice was hard to maintain. "But didn't we not find anyone after looking for a whole afternoon?"
"Maybe if we wait until tomorrow..."
"Since we can't find them," she didn't seem to hear or deliberately ignored Zhang Shutong's words. She swallowed her food, her voice calmed down, and she said matter-of-factly, "Then it's better not to think about it. This way I can be a little happier."
The girl said this, but there was no hint of happiness.
It reminded Zhang Shutong of when he ran into her at school. Her dad had told her to be happy. Now he felt that there was a deeper meaning to that sentence. Other parents would at most say, "Study hard, listen carefully, and don't cause trouble," but who would tell their child to be happy?
So, it was better for them to talk about something light, like life and death, rather than her mood.
"Why haven't you gone back yet?"
This was the question he was most concerned about. Gu Qiumian was always driven to and from school, so she should be safe on her way home. Why was she here alone today?
"I'm a little hungry," she said without raising her head.
But this also showed that she wasn't truly "aloof." Based on Zhang Shutong's own experience, a person with a cold personality would probably say they were buying something, waiting for someone, or even "mind your own business." They wouldn't explain their situation.
This was more like she was deliberately shortening what she would normally say.
It seemed she was still in a bad mood.
But Zhang Shutong couldn't do anything. The rich girl had countless capable people around her, and not one of them had managed to make her smile in a whole afternoon. She was still this cold. Who was he, Zhang Shutong, to think he could?
He just nodded and agreed:
"Yeah, it's a good thing to be able to eat."
Unexpectedly, Gu Qiumian's movements stopped. She stopped biting the bun.
The girl looked at him for the first time.
But it was a glare.
"Why are you talking nonsense..." she mumbled. "Did you come over just to annoy me?"
"I mean, you guys just finished a big meal at noon, and now you're hungry again. Doesn't that mean..."
"I only ate a few bites," Gu Qiumian said, frowning unhappily. "What about you? Why aren't you sticking with your friends?"
"I have something urgent to do."
"What's so urgent?"
"It's a secret."
"Tch."
At this moment, Zhang Shutong's bun was also ready. This kind of snack was always served on demand. As long as you weren't taking it to go, every time you finished one, the owner would take another one from the steamer until you paid the bill.
With Gu Qiumian's example, Zhang Shutong wasn't in a hurry to eat. He just held it to his mouth, smelling the aroma of the steamed bun dough.
He looked at Gu Qiumian from the side. She, like him, was also holding the bun in front of her face, staring at who knows what—either the bun or the road ahead. But it didn't stop her mouth from moving constantly.
"I thought you were in a very bad mood today."
"I am."
"Didn't you just say you don't care?"
"There's a limit to it. Even if it's something unimportant, it's still your thing. Who wouldn't care if their things were destroyed by someone else?"
"Why do you think that person targeted your blocks?"
"They probably thought I treasured them. I specifically brought them and put them on the bookshelf," Gu Qiumian said indifferently. "Actually, it's not as good as doing something else."
"It's about to touch," Zhang Shutong reminded her.
Gu Qiumian wasn't paying attention when she spoke, and the bun was getting closer and closer to that scarf.
She then came back to her senses, tucked the scarf in, and pouted:
"In short, the incident itself matters a lot, but the blocks don't. Does that make sense?"
"So you're in a middle state of being in a bad mood and not being in a bad mood?"
Zhang Shutong felt that women were truly a mysterious creature.
"No, that's wrong."
"Then what is it?"
"It's a very bad mood."
Zhang Shutong was speechless:
"But you're still eating buns."
"Can't I be hungry?"
"What about going to the restaurant at noon?"
"Eating is eating, no matter where you go."
"I think I understand." Zhang Shutong had to nod.
It turned out she still didn't care that much.
"You don't understand at all," Gu Qiumian said, dissatisfied. "You're just curious as to why I didn't cry or get angry."
"Uh..."
It seemed she had hit the nail on the head.
Zhang Shutong really couldn't figure this out. How could he? He had never been able to figure out her. Is it that she was indifferent to things that didn't matter? And only took things that mattered seriously?
He felt that he was getting closer to the correct answer, but this wasn't a math problem. There was only one step left.
Gu Qiumian had nothing more to say. She didn't seem to want to explain so much, or maybe she felt that explaining would only make others gloat.
She was truly a smart girl. He simply shut up. At this moment, the bun was almost cold. The winter wind was very cold, and any hot food would lose its temperature in a few dozen seconds.
The first bun in Gu Qiumian's hand was almost gone.
In fact, as long as she wasn't putting on a cold face, her voice was always soft. The sound she made while eating the bun was also like that. Zhang Shutong felt a little hungry just listening.
He silently took a bite of the bun, breaking through the soft outer layer and revealing the filling inside. The fatty pork was sweet and sticky, the egg yolk was salty and flavorful, and the pork fat scraps were crispy... It was indeed tempting, but it still looked so contradictory. This wasn't a math problem. People who loved it loved it, and people who hated it hated it, but Zhang Shutong wasn't either of those. He just felt nothing. But then he suddenly heard someone say next to him:
"Because, if I did, I would be defeated."
Gu Qiumian quietly spoke the answer.
Zhang Shutong was stunned for a moment. He turned his head. There was still some oil from the food on the girl's lips, making them look even redder. She ate just like she drank the yogurt at noon. Although there was a group of people around her at noon, there was only her now.
Or rather, it was the other way around. When she was alone, it was no different from being in the center of a crowd.
Not long ago, he had met another girl who ate alone. She sat on the edge of the rooftop, eating cold rice and wilted pickled vegetables, but she didn't say she liked or disliked it. She was just used to it.
Then what was it for Gu Qiumian?
She stood on the red brick road, with gray-black piles of snow at her feet and the withered branches of the trees above her head. Her face was revealed from her red scarf, calm but never showing weakness.
It turned out that she didn't not care. She was always in a very bad mood, but even if she was, she wouldn't care what was written on that A4 paper. She wouldn't walk to the block castle to see how her princess was doing. She wouldn't be unable to eat. She wouldn't have red eyes or a big temper.
Instead, she still took a group of people to the restaurant, came back, and sat in the classroom all afternoon with everyone's different looks. And now she was even biting a half-salty, half-sweet bun. She never said whether she was used to it or not. Instead, she said, without showing any weakness—
"Because, if I did, I would be defeated."
Zhang Shutong even forgot to chew. His taste buds told him that the contradictory flavors had reached a surprising balance at this moment.
...
Gu Qiumian ate one bun from beginning to end and then left.
Or rather, the person she was waiting for finally arrived.
Zhang Shutong watched her walk to the other side of the road and open the door of a small red car.
Zhang Shutong was silent for a long time, watching the girl get into the car and drive away.
...
December 6, 2012, Thursday, 6:23 p.m. There were still four days until the murder.
Zhang Shutong arrived at the body of water called "Forbidden Zone."
He found a hidden spot and sat down, staring at the gloomy water until 8 p.m.
He also found nothing.
...
On the way back, he went to the commercial street again.
A few scattered shops had warm yellow lights on.
He found a clothing store.
...
It was 9 p.m. when he got home.
The house was empty, as usual.
The TV was playing Detective Conan. He watched for a while and found that it was not helpful for real-life cases.
He needed to change his target.
The figure in the "Forbidden Zone" might not be the murderer.
...
Before going to bed, he would always remember one sentence while lying in bed:
"Because, if I did, I would be defeated."
...
The heavy pressure faced in life varies from person to person.
But what's undeniable is;
He was once a defeated person.
...
December 7, 2012, Friday;
The weather was nice today.
The campus was peaceful.
There were still three days until the murder.
...
At 10 a.m. sharp, the class bell rang.
The activity during the big break was a broadcast gymnastics.
An exercise that would make you sweat slightly in the cold weather.
Zhang Shutong got up with the crowd, the last one to leave the classroom, and lined up to go downstairs.
...
There was still a little bit of white left on the playground.
The sunlight shone on the snow, reflecting a silvery light.
The music playing on the broadcast might have been "Colorful Sunlight":
"The ninth set of broadcast gymnastics, now beginning—"
10:10 a.m.
"Marching in place, begin—"
A sea of people started marching in unison.
"Chest expansion, ready, begin—"
Zhang Shutong stretched out lazily, not in line with everyone else. He ignored the surprised looks around him and walked through the crowd.
The only annoying part was that this damn exercise would make people stretch their elbows, so he was hit several times.
...
The boy in the middle of the fifth row from the back was Du Kang.
The boy on the side of the seventh row from the back was Qingyi.
Zhang Shutong patted both of their shoulders.
The music suddenly became more passionate.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight—"
It was inevitable to speak a little louder:
"Come with me."
"What's wrong?"
"Leg kicking exercise, ready, begin—"
Zhang Shutong first glanced at the figure at the front of the line. Gu Qiumian was also doing the gymnastics, looking very proper. The pendant on her ponytail was bouncing up and down.
That silver pendant seemed to never fall to the ground.
So Zhang Shutong decided to be a follower of the rich girl for once.
10:12 a.m.;
He glanced at his screen and put his phone back in his pocket:
"Follow me back to catch the culprit who smashed the castle. The timing is perfect."