10:13 a.m.;
The morning sun shone on faces filled with youthful energy.
The melody on the broadcast was relentless, so bright and cheerful.
Looking down from above, the faces on the winter playground were also this happy, but some people left this cheerful atmosphere, walking quickly.
Their class was Class 1, Grade 9. The good thing about Class 1 was that they were the first to go downstairs for the exercises. The bad thing was that they were always squeezed in the innermost part by the classes behind them.
So when three figures passed through the neat long line, from Grade 9 to Grade 6, from Class 1 to Class 6, walking against the tide of people without looking back, some people's eyes started to be drawn to them.
"Two, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight—"
In the rhythm, many people's rhythm was also messed up. They twisted their waists when they should have been kicking their legs, and kicked their legs when they should have been twisting their waists.
It is said that on a small island in the eastern Indian Ocean, more than 300 kilometers south of Java, a special kind of red crab lives. Every year in October or November, when the rainy season returns, they begin a legendary large-scale migration.
The island's approximately 80-kilometer coastline is surrounded by cliffs, so they sweep across the land like a red wave, breaking through all obstacles with astonishing momentum, including roads, cars, houses, tunnels... and even the cliffs themselves.
The person who provided this obscure fact was behind Du Kang. It was the cringey boy named Qingyi. He didn't know if the other person could feel this sense of déjà vu, but Du Kang felt that the three of them were now like three stray red crabs.
They weaved through the crab army, with figures in front of them. They skillfully and stubbornly broke through one obstacle after another. In the cheerful melody, Du Kang wasn't annoyed. He just waved with a smile. Sometimes he would run into acquaintances from other classes. Sometimes, he couldn't help but shout at the people around him:
"Excuse me, excuse me..."
"Hey, don't kick me, kick forward!"
"Buddy, move aside, it's urgent!"
"Of course it's urgent. You're asking what's urgent... I don't know either. He just pulled me over while I was warming up!"
"He" of course referred to the person walking in front of the three of them.
Zhang Shutong was the crab at the very front.
The music in his ears gradually faded. He had already stepped into the school building's hall, and the cool air rushed at him. He waited for a while.
As expected, Du Kang trotted up and immediately asked with an exaggerated tone:
"What is it, exactly?"
"I told you, to catch someone."
"I know 'to catch someone'... The problem isn't catching someone. The problem is, you suddenly know who it is?"
The three of them walked in a line, their feet not stopping.
"I don't know."
Du Kang choked:
"If you don't know, then who are we going to catch..."
"But I know where he is now."
"Aren't all the people in our class doing the exercises outside?"
"He's not from our class." Zhang Shutong shook his head. "I listened all afternoon yesterday with Teacher Song and basically ruled out everyone in our class."
"Then wouldn't the scope be even bigger if he's not from our class?" Du Kang's eyes widened.
Zhang Shutong just said:
"The scope is actually smaller."
Grade 9 was on the fourth floor, of course. They stepped onto the first step of the stairs. It was made of marble, and it made a crisp echo when they stepped on it.
"How did you figure it out? Tell me your thought process. I've been holding it in since just now." Qingyi came closer.
"The key is the castle."
"The castle?"
"Yes."
"I don't get it. I don't think it's meaningful to be hung up on this. Gu Qiumian didn't even have a reaction, did she?" Du Kang asked, confused.
"It's not about Gu Qiumian's reaction. It's about why the person smashed her castle."
Zhang Shutong explained:
"Compared to this, the other person's motive, identity, or even the name on the partition are all distractions. Instead of thinking about those details, you just need to focus on what the castle represents—
He concluded:
"How he wanted to get revenge on Gu Qiumian."
"I think I get it," Qingyi said as if he understood.
"What are you two talking about? I don't understand!"
"Then just listen to Shutong, don't interrupt," Qingyi glared at Du Kang.
The three of them turned and stepped onto the second floor.
"I've been thinking about a few questions since yesterday afternoon. First, let's talk about the first one," Zhang Shutong's finger gently tapped the metal handrail. "Tell me, if you were that person, how would you get revenge on Gu Qiumian?"
"Tear up her homework?" Du Kang said subconsciously.
"No, tearing up homework and books wouldn't be satisfying." Qingyi immediately denied it. "Think about it. Forget about her being rich. Even for a normal student, they can just buy a new one, can't they?"
"Curse at her?"
"You're an idiot. You'd get caught right away..."
"No, I mean, write her a letter and put it on her desk. Didn't that A4 paper have 'Go to hell' written on it?"
"That wouldn't work either," Zhang Shutong shook his head. "As I said just now, the focus is on the method of revenge on Gu Qiumian. This isn't even revenge. It's just a fit of helpless rage."
"Then, smash her phone or watch or something? My cousin who goes to school in the city said that a girl there was bullied, and it was something like this..."
"Then the problem is bigger," Zhang Shutong said. "Don't forget who her dad is. That would escalate to outside the school and would be hard to resolve."
"So he had to cause her enough harm, but that person also didn't dare to cause too much trouble and get caught?" Qingyi concluded.
"Yes. This narrows the scope down a lot."
"Oh, so it was the castle?"
"Yes, so it was the castle."
"What are you two talking about now? Did that person leave a clue when he smashed the thing? Didn't you say you couldn't find the handwriting?"
Du Kang asked curiously again.
Zhang Shutong didn't answer. Instead, he asked a question back:
"Second question, what do you think the castle meant to Gu Qiumian?"
"It should be a very beloved... toy? Didn't she specifically bring it from home? Every time I go to the bookshelf to get a book, I'm afraid I'll touch it and get blamed."
"Exactly," Zhang Shutong nodded. "The other person thought Gu Qiumian would treasure it, but in reality, she didn't care at all."
He recalled the conversation he had with the girl after school yesterday:
"Let alone that person, even I didn't expect it at first. That person's understanding of Gu Qiumian is about the same as ours. No deeper, no shallower."
"Then that bastard must be furious. He thought it was a flawless plan, but Gu Qiumian didn't care at all."
Du Kang pouted. At this point, he finally realized:
"But you've talked so much, how did you figure out where that person is? The castle was already smashed, right?"
"So there's a third question—"
They had just reached the third floor of the stairs. Zhang Shutong stopped tapping the railing and lightened his steps:
"Why did this happen during the big break?"
This time, before he could speak, Qingyi had already given the answer:
"First of all, before and after school is definitely not an option. There are too many people, and it's easy to get caught. He had to choose a time when no one was around. This leaves only physical education class and the two breaks. The first to be ruled out is physical education class."
"Why?" Du Kang no longer wanted to think. He wasn't made for it. He just wanted to enjoy the process of unraveling the case.
"The two of us already ruled out the people in our class when we were with Teacher Song. That only leaves people from other classes," Qingyi was happy to explain. "So how could it be during physical education class? Are we just going to charge over while they're in class? That's why Shutong said just now that the scope is actually smaller."
"Then what about the big break in the afternoon?" Du Kang asked anxiously.
Both of them looked at him with a blank expression at the same time:
"It's been snowing these past few days, and the playground is icy, so we can't go out and run."
"Oh, I get it," Du Kang suddenly understood. "So that bastard ruled out these two times and found that the only time he could do it was during the big break in the morning, so he just went straight for Gu Qiumian's castle, smashed it, and ran?"
"No," Zhang Shutong interrupted. "He wasn't going for the castle at first."
Du Kang was dumbfounded:
"I remember you two were just saying in a profound way, 'So it was the castle.' How is it not the castle now?"
Zhang Shutong laughed:
"But don't forget, when I asked you what you thought the castle meant, you said that the castle 'should' be very valuable to Gu Qiumian."
At this point, he lowered his voice:
"But don't forget there's another thing that is 'definitely' very valuable."
Du Kang was stunned and subconsciously blurted out:
"The scarf!"
They had entered the fourth floor.
"Right! I just remembered that scarf! Shutong, you made her cry because of it last time. Many people know about this, even I can think of it, so why didn't he just pull Gu Qiumian's scarf?"
"So he was going for the scarf at first."
The hallway above was empty. Zhang Shutong simply stopped and gestured for the two of them to lower their voices.
He leaned against the corner of the wall, looking thoughtful. He was actually thinking of the person he made eye contact with on the flag-raising platform yesterday:
"But he didn't expect one thing."
"What?"
"Dummy," Qingyi covered his face. "What were you doing during the big break yesterday? You forgot so quickly?"
"I know we were talking, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Were you cold yesterday?"
"Yeah, a little. The wind was pretty strong."
"Then do you think Gu Qiumian was cold while listening to you talk in the wind?"
"She was probably pretty cold too?"
"Well, there you have it. We didn't do the exercises yesterday, so of course it was cold," Qingyi spread his hands. "So that person went to the classroom yesterday and found that Gu Qiumian had her scarf on. Now, think back to what we just said about the way to get revenge on Gu Qiumian, and you'll understand."
Du Kang slapped his thigh hard:
"Damn it, I really get it now! He was originally going for the scarf, but he couldn't find it. And tearing up homework or whatever was useless, so he only then remembered that Gu Qiumian had a castle?"
"That's right. The castle was smashed under those circumstances," Zhang Shutong continued. "So a fourth question naturally arises—was his revenge successful?"
"I think... no?" Du Kang thought for a moment before answering. "Didn't we run into Gu Qiumian at the restaurant at noon? And not just that, all her reactions were spread around. That bastard must have known."
"Then what do you think he would be thinking?"
"He must be extremely frustrated. He even wrote 'Go to hell' on the A4 paper, but Gu Qiumian didn't care at all. If it were me, I think I'd be more upset than Gu Qiumian... Actually, I'm feeling a little frustrated now."
The music for the broadcast gymnastics had completely disappeared. They were now leaning against the window on the stairs, looking outside. The lines of each class were leaving in an orderly fashion, and the students were making a lot of noise.
The activity level of gymnastics was moderate, making people sweat slightly but not so much that they were out of breath.
In the cold weather, some people were exhaling large puffs of white air, some were unbuttoning their collars, and some were even so hot that they took off their coats and swung them around.
The big break was about to end. Soon, they would see groups of students walking into the school building.
Du Kang didn't do the exercises. He was so anxious that he was almost sweating. He wished he could just charge into the classroom to see what was going on:
"Everyone's coming back soon. We've talked so much and figured out that person's plan, but what does that have to do with us coming up now? What other trouble can he cause in the classroom? Gu Qiumian's castle is already smashed, and her scarf is already gone... Wait,"
At this point, Du Kang suddenly opened his mouth silently and looked at the student outside the window who had taken off his coat. He then looked at Zhang Shutong.
He didn't know when the other person had quietly walked to the stairwell. He was leaning on the handrail, looked at the time, lowered his gaze, and then looked at him and Qingyi.
Du Kang quickly lowered his voice:
"Are you saying..."
Zhang Shutong nodded calmly:
"Yes, we're doing the exercises today."
...
"Yes, we're doing the exercises today."
Du Kang's mind went blank for a moment, and then he understood everything. He cursed to himself, "Then that bastard must have gone to look for the scarf! Why aren't we going up quickly?"
But he saw Zhang Shutong listen for a moment and then shake his head slightly:
"We have to wait."
Du Kang had to wait patiently. He looked at his watch. The second hand ticked crisply, but time seemed to stand still. The half-hour big break was coming to an end. It had been flying by, but now it suddenly became unbearable. He asked anxiously in a low voice:
"Shutong, are you really sure he'll come again today?"
"Second to last question," Zhang Shutong held up two fingers, but after saying it, he shook his head and laughed at himself. "Actually, it's not a question. What day is it today?"
"Friday..."
"So if he wants to come, it has to be today. This way, tomorrow and the day after are the weekend. When he comes back on Monday, there won't be any clues left. Where else would he go to find it..."
At this point, Zhang Shutong suddenly stopped and looked back sharply. Du Kang followed his gaze, and in his vision, the hallway was still empty. But along with it, there was a "rip" sound in his ears, like the sound of fabric being torn.
Zhang Shutong immediately waved his hand and charged into the hallway. Du Kang reacted instantly.
That bastard made his move!
An eye signal was all it took between them. He stopped talking, and all his confusion was put into his legs. He went up the stairs in a few steps and then started running.
He was actually much faster than the other two. Zhang Shutong and Meng Qingyi just managed to reach the classroom door. Du Kang had already sprinted through the door, his eyes instantly focused on the seat by the window. As expected, a boy was sneaking around at Gu Qiumian's seat.
One end of the red scarf that was inseparable from the girl was being stepped on by the boy. The boy had even wrapped the other end around his back and was pulling it forward with all his might.
The girl named Gu Qiumian was a rich girl. She had countless valuable things on her. This was a well-known fact. But only that scarf was a common item. Du Kang remembered Ruoping saying that it wasn't even a brand name. It looked more like it was hand-knitted, but it was also the girl's most valuable possession.
That ordinary wool scarf, of course, couldn't bear the weight. It was stretched and torn. Each strand of yarn was falling apart. Accompanied by the regrettable ripping sound, it finally became completely misshapen.
But that boy didn't seem to have gotten enough satisfaction. His face wasn't quite a smile, nor was it anger. It was more of a twisted expression of getting revenge. He stomped on it a few more times and even cleared his throat, opening his mouth—
Then he was startled by the sound of footsteps and subconsciously turned his head. In an instant, three more boys appeared at the classroom door.
"You guys..."
The twisted expression froze on his face.
When... when did they get here?
How did they know I was here?
Did they see me?
What if they did?
Shock, panic, fear... Unfortunately, before he could speak, the boy in front had already charged over. One of the two behind him pulled out his phone and waved it:
"It's all recorded."
He then asked the boy next to him with a look of confusion:
"Who's this guy? Qingyi, do you know him?"
"Oh, that perverted guy, the one who transferred classes because of Gu Qiumian. But Shutong, did you really not guess? I guessed it on the stairs just now..."
What "perverted guy"!
That was the last thought that flashed through his mind. He subconsciously wanted to turn around and run out, but the boy in front's foot was faster:
"It really is you, you disgusting bastard!"
The next moment, the boy fell to the ground with the scarf. Du Kang had originally wanted to curse a little, but the boy was so shocked that he was speechless. He sat on the ground in a daze, not knowing what to say. He scrambled to his feet and tried to run outside.
"Du Kang, grab him. Don't let him run away."
"You got it."
Just like how the other person had stepped on the scarf, Du Kang directly stepped on the boy's jacket. This person seemed to have been scared senseless and had lost his will to resist. He simply sat on the ground motionlessly, his eyes empty.
Du Kang sighed with relief.
Although he didn't have a good impression of that rich girl, what that bastard did was too disgusting. So even he felt a sense of relief and a little bit of excitement:
The three of them had once again done a good deed. Although they didn't save the world, they at least saved a girl their friend liked. It was a rare thing.
His thoughts always jumped quickly. He wondered if they would have to give a speech at the flag-raising platform again tomorrow. Would that be too frequent? What if Gu Qiumian's dad gave them a reward? The meaning of this sentence was not that he didn't want to accept it, but what would he do if Ruoping didn't let them?
And the person involved, Gu Qiumian, would be back soon. He wondered what she would think.
Thinking this, he was distracted and didn't bother interrogating the boy. He was about to ask if they should hand this guy over to the office.
But then he saw Qingyi suddenly say:
"Move your foot and see if that scarf is completely ruined."
Du Kang was stunned. He pulled the boy away and looked at the scarf on the ground. It was indeed as ruined as it could be. Unlike last time, where it only had a footprint and a slightly pulled thread, it was completely misshapen, and the middle was even close to being torn... It couldn't even be mended, could it?
While he was in a daze, he saw Zhang Shutong walk over, squat on the ground, and pick up the scarf. He held it in front of him, as if he was examining a corpse. Then, as if it was dirty, he threw it on the ground and sighed:
"What a tragic fate. What a shame."
It's over!
It's really over now!
At this moment, Du Kang didn't care about thinking about this or that. This was the only thought left in his mind.
Last time, Gu Qiumian caused a fuss over just a little damage. This time, wouldn't she cause a huge scene?
He didn't care how much Gu Qiumian made a fuss, but the problem was—
This time, the three of them were the ones who willingly used the scarf as bait!
Although their intention was good and they had also caught the "culprit," the result was as bad as it could be!
Putting himself in her shoes, if he were Gu Qiumian and had to choose between the scarf and finding the truth, Du Kang felt he would definitely choose the former.
They say that the ignorant can't be blamed... But the three of them were clearly not ignorant.
They had even waited for the other person to make his move before coming out just to record the evidence.
So what should they say?
Should they tell the truth and beg for Gu Qiumian's forgiveness?
They caught the boy who transferred classes, but what if the three of them had to transfer as well?
Or should they lie and say they had a stomachache and came back to use the restroom and just happened to walk in on it? If the homeroom teacher asked if the three of them had the same stomachache, they would have to nod and say yes... No! That's insane. Du Kang himself wouldn't believe it.
"Then, then, Shutong, what should we do?"
"Just serve it with sauce. Blame the scarf for its bad luck," Zhang Shutong shrugged.
"But what are we going to say when Gu Qiumian comes back?"
"Hmm, should we tell that kid to hold a funeral for the scarf?"
"No, what are you joking about at a time like this!"
"Then what should we say?" Zhang Shutong said helplessly. "We were also trying to help her. We can only hope that Gu Qiumian will be more understanding."
"But man, you're too calm!"
Du Kang was even trembling at this point:
"Did you forget she cried last time? I could tell that this scarf meant something special to her, right?"
"Her..." Zhang Shutong remembered the conversation he had with her after school yesterday, as well as the girl's indifferent expression. Although he couldn't figure out Gu Qiumian, his understanding should be correct. "Actually, it's fine. It's just a very cheap scarf. She wouldn't care that much."
"Alright, stop worrying. There's nothing we can do. Those who do great things don't care about the small details," Qingyi sighed at this moment, patted Du Kang's shoulder deeply, and his eyes lit up. "This is a man's purpose. To protect something, you have to sacrifice something."
"Stop, big bro!"
Unexpectedly, as soon as this wise saying about life came out, the boy who was very calm just a moment ago instantly rolled his eyes.
"Was I wrong?" Qingyi asked, confused.
"Uh, you're very right, but now I have a different opinion..."
As he said that, he reached into his pocket and pulled hard. Under the stunned gazes of his two friends, a streak of vibrant red fluttered out of his bulging pocket.
Zhang Shutong stroked the scarf that was clearly a little old and even a little pilled. He draped it over the back of Gu Qiumian's chair and rubbed his chin:
"I think a man's goal is for his plans to go perfectly."
As he spoke, he ignored the surprise that had frozen on the faces of his two friends. He looked up, and a happy smile appeared on his face, which was usually cold. He held up one finger:
"Now for the last question, what time does the clothing store on the commercial street close?"