Winter Returns

Chapter 40 I Owe You an Apology (A long chapter of 10,000 words)

“It’s just a possibility, and the worst-case scenario.” Zhang Shutong said, glancing at him.

Veins suddenly bulged on Old Song's face:

"Fuck them! What are we waiting for? Let's get out of here! Right now, only Qiu Mian and her nanny are at home. Who knows what those bastards might do!"

"The police will be there."

"What do you believe about those guys? They said on the phone they'd be patrolling tonight, but who the hell knows how late it is? By the time they get there, it'll be too late..."

"I mean, I've already called the police."

Zhang Shutong suddenly said.

Song Nanshan was taken aback, and put his hands down from the steering wheel.

"What did you say, kid?" He wondered if he was hallucinating.

“I told you, teacher, I’ve already called the police,” Zhang Shutong glanced at her phone again and said calmly, “and they’ve already arrived.”

Song Nanshan stared blankly, his mouth agape, countless questions flashing through his mind.

You expected this all along?

Then why not say it?
And when did you call the police, kid?

So many questions had overwhelmed him that he lost the ability to think rationally. His emotions were in turmoil, and he could only stammer out his intuition:

"When did you guess that?"

"I just thought of it."

"Then how did you call the police..."

"Let's drive first."

Only after being reminded did Song Nanshan remember to press the clutch. The car almost slammed shut, lurching forward before finally moving forward smoothly.

Zhang Shutong fastened his seatbelt and adjusted the air conditioning before slowly answering Song Nanshan's questions:

"It's true that they made two preparations, but I also made three in advance."

"The first thing I did was to bring you to the commercial street to find the van, since I didn't initially think it was a smokescreen."

"If you didn't think of that, why did you call the police?" Old Song asked, completely bewildered.

"This is a backup plan. Since they poisoned the dogs, even if it's not discovered tonight, it will definitely be discovered tomorrow morning. So we can't rule out the possibility that they'll make their move tonight, but I don't dare to gamble on that probability."

"Well done!"

Song Nanshan slammed his fist on the steering wheel in excitement, finally letting out a sigh of relief. Without asking why he had been kept in the dark, he eagerly asked:
"What about the third option?"

But Zhang Shutong acted as if he hadn't heard those words. He simply turned his head to look at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window and remained silent.

The girl who sat here a few hours ago was also silent like this, but now she has become Zhang Shutong herself.

But since Zhang Shutong didn't say anything, Song Nanshan wasn't in the mood to ask anymore. He just wanted to hurry back to Gu Qiumian's house. Regardless of whether the police came or not, he had to check in person to put his mind at ease.

It sped along, even faster than it had come.

When the car finally drove into the road in front of the villa, blue and red police lights could be seen.

Song Nanshan slammed the car door shut and hurriedly got up, only to find that all three remaining policemen on the island had arrived.

From a distance, it looked quite lively. Song Nanshan didn't know whether to be angry or relieved. He blinked hard, wondering if he was hallucinating from the cold. Only then did he remember to ask Zhang Shutong:
"Wait, didn't you say there weren't enough police officers? Why did you call them all over?"

"I just arrested two poachers the day before yesterday and got the station chief's phone number."

Zhang Shutong shook his phone:
"I also told him that someone was going to burn down Gu Qiumian's house, so he probably took my words quite seriously."

The director he mentioned was none other than Officer Xiong, who spoke with a thick accent.

But even if you've built up a lot of goodwill, getting the other person to take you seriously isn't so easy.

Special circumstances call for special measures, so Zhang Shutong simply chose to file a false police report.

Unlike Song Nanshan, who simply stated the facts, he directly told Officer Xiong that someone was carrying gasoline and was going to burn down the Gu family's villa.

The reason the police believed him immediately was because he had subtly mentioned it when he went to the police station on his first day after school.

But the other party thought they were just trying to lure them in with a feint, so they didn't believe them.

But later, the "fisherman" that Du Kang mentioned was indeed caught.

As a result, credit soared.

Regardless of the final outcome, Zhang Shutong chose to use this rare opportunity to build up his credibility here.

"When did you call the police? The timing doesn't match up," Old Song asked again.

"Before we left the villa."

Zhang Shutong then showed him the QQ chat history:
"Of course, to be precise, it wasn't me who called the police, but Du Kang who helped me call them."

"No wonder I've been seeing you glancing at your phone all the time. I thought you were worried about not making it in time."

Song Nanshan suddenly realized, then looked relieved and grinned as he patted Zhang Shutong on the shoulder:

"Okay, you really figured it all out, but the excuse you came up with wasn't very good. When the police come and see there's no gas, they'll realize you've tricked them. But just say you told me to say that, and I'll take the blame."

Zhang Shutong frowned but remained silent.

because……

He could indeed smell a faint odor of gasoline.

On the other side, the police officers across the street saw the car and jogged over despite the rain.

"You must be Teacher Song Nanshan?"

"That's right, the one who called the police before, but this time it's all thanks to my good student."

Song Nanshan smiled and nudged Zhang Shutong's shoulder.

The policeman, however, saluted Old Song with an apologetic expression.

"Teacher Song, I'm sorry, we didn't take your report to the station seriously enough, and it almost led to a terrible outcome..."

"It's alright, it's alright, you all came in the end anyway."

Old Song was quite open-minded:

"But from what you're saying, comrade, you actually caught them?"

"The five criminals have been subdued." A slight smile appeared on the police officer's face.

Upon hearing this, Old Song hurriedly went up to shake hands and said, "Everyone has worked hard." He then asked, with a mixture of curiosity and lingering fear, "So what exactly are these five beasts here for?"
To their surprise, the police gave them a strange look and said, "Of course we poured gasoline! Isn't that what your students told us when they called the police?"

Old Song hurriedly said that the children were just being silly and shouldn't be bothered with them; they were just trying to get your attention. But before he could finish speaking, he suddenly realized something:
"Wait, are they really here to pour gasoline?"

The police nodded, even more puzzled.

By this time, Zhang Shutong had already run to the police car. He had already asked the remaining two policemen what he wanted to know, and he didn't know whether to be relieved or speechless.

The false police report turned out to be true.

The whole process was not dangerous, as both sides arrived almost simultaneously. The five assailants were subdued by police who arrived shortly after the car stopped, before they even had a chance to make a move.

More details were subsequently confirmed:
These five people were indeed merchants on the commercial street.

He sighed, "Human hearts are treacherous." He didn't plan to ask any further questions tonight. It was really too cold. Zhang Shutong felt that if he got soaked any longer, he would get a fever tomorrow.

Just as I was about to discuss this with Lao Song, the villa's gate opened.

In the darkness, Zhang Shutong saw a pair of bright and beautiful eyes.

Of course, it's filled with anxiety right now.

Gu Qiumian rushed out with an umbrella.

Zhang Shutong suddenly thought that maybe Lao Song was right. This girl really wasn't very smart. It was freezing cold and raining, yet she had run out wearing only slippers.

There's no need to say anything more.

Because that was supposed to be a script where the matter was settled and the person left without a trace.

Zhang Shutong had made three preparations, but the one thing he couldn't prevent was that Miss Gu wouldn't let them leave.

Gu Qiumian strongly urged Zhang Shutong and Lao Song to stay tonight, take a hot shower first, then take some cold medicine, and finally crawl into bed and sleep.

The three voted, and Gu Qiumian and Song Nanshan both voted in favor. Without even consulting Zhang Shutong, Song Nanshan was forcibly dragged into the villa by Old Song.

"If you don't want to stay, you'll have to consider your teacher. I'm so old, and you're going to be soaking wet dragging me home? Do you want to die? Hurry up and dry yourself off, don't let Qiu Mian's kindness go to waste..."

The nanny had already prepared two scarves.

He vigorously rubbed his hair. There was no mirror nearby, so it was probably a complete mess. The room was heated. He took off his coat and put on a guest bathrobe. He stomped his feet in slippers, looking quite like a big boss.

Gu Qiu Mian went to take a shower. She had been outside in the cold for a long time. However, in the four-story villa, her bedroom was on the second floor with a private bathroom, so she couldn't see anyone there for the time being.

Zhang Shutong and Lao Song were on the first floor. They didn't go to take a shower immediately, but their male modesty told them that it wasn't appropriate to take off all their clothes as soon as they entered someone else's house.

The two decided to hold on a little longer.

Upon learning that they hadn't eaten yet, the nanny went to prepare some late-night snacks.

Zhang Shutong strolled alone to the villa's balcony.

—He wasn’t sure if this counted as a balcony. There was a huge floor-to-ceiling window, and below the window was a solid wood platform connecting the two sides. On it were a few cushions, a small coffee table, and a recliner.
Despite having placed quite a few things on it, the platform still felt completely empty.

LED strips were embedded beneath the platform, emitting a warm glow that reflected on the marble floor.

Zhang Shutong walked up to the platform and came to the floor-to-ceiling window, which faced the backyard of the villa. Rainwater flowed freely on the glass, reflecting colorful light into the room.

It's impossible to see anything outside anymore.

There is also a small door next to the French windows, which leads to the backyard.

Zhang Shutong opened the door and subconsciously looked up. He noticed that there was a corridor along the floor-to-ceiling windows on the artificial turf. He thought it would be a good place to read a good book when the weather was nice.

He then quietly stayed in the corridor for a while.

In front of him was a pitch-black space, so dark that he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face; behind him was a warm interior where the nanny seemed to be cooking noodles, and he could hear the bubbling sound of boiling water in the sound of rain.

He felt cold again. He pressed his other arm, feeling his muscles trembling uncontrollably. Zhang Shutong just held his phone, silent in the darkness before him.

At this moment, Song Nanshan's voice rang out from behind:
"What are you pretending to be so profound for? Go take a shower."

He turned his head, and Old Song was also wearing a bathrobe, only revealing the bottom part of his hairy calves.

He was holding a mug, seemingly with a cup of coffee in it, taking a sip as he spoke, looking incredibly relaxed. "I'd like to wait a bit longer."

"The night is long, and I can't sleep," Old Song said in a very poetic way, even translating it into English as if reciting a Shakespearean poem.

"Are you scared now?" He patted Zhang Shutong on the shoulder.

"Fortunately."

"I have to admit you're a natural at showing off, kid. You did a great job tonight." Old Song took another sip of coffee and stood beside him in the corridor. The two looked at the drizzle in front of them, and after a long while, he said, "However, as your teacher, I still have something to say to you."

Zhang Shutong nodded to indicate that he was listening.

Old Song suddenly became a little serious:
"Although you're smarter than me, and can anticipate any situation, making all sorts of plans and preparations—I think you've got two or three backup plans—you're much better than me, and I'm very proud of you, but Shutong..."

Zhang Shutong suddenly remembered a test-taking tip he had shared in class that day: if someone adds a "but," it means that what follows is what they really want to say.

"I understand that reasoning and solving cases can be very exciting, but have you ever heard the saying, 'Too clever by half'? I'm not saying you'll definitely suffer in the future, but rather that just because you're smart doesn't mean you can only be calculating."

Old Song scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed:
"Well, we're all living, breathing human beings. We can't live like machines that only know how to calculate. If we lose all our humanity... You're smart enough to understand what I mean."

Before Zhang Shutong could speak, Song Nanshan patted his shoulder to stop him, his voice becoming somewhat deep:

"Although the incident was resolved smoothly in the end, much better than the teacher just driving around aimlessly, I still have to say it was too risky."

"Why did you insist on leaving Qiu Mian at home? I know your reasons are valid—you wanted to catch the culprit in one fell swoop; you even anticipated the murderer would come tonight, and you called the police in advance without telling me, but..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Shutong's phone suddenly rang.

He held his phone, pretending not to hear, and simply said to Song Nanshan:
"Feel sorry."

Old Song was stunned for a moment:
"I'm not lecturing you. What's the use of apologizing to me? Just tell Qiu Mian later, she'll be down soon. Okay, you can take this call now..."

As he spoke, the man sneezed loudly, his resolute demeanor vanished, and he walked away with his arms hunched over.

Zhang Shutong watched him walk away before closing the French window door.

Then press the answer key.

That was a phone call he had been waiting for.

A boy's voice came from the other end of the phone:

"Sorry, I was reading a book and I muted my phone to avoid being disturbed."

"Then what does this subject lack?" Zhang Shutong was in the mood to chat with him.

"Yes, I just finished watching it in one go. Let me tell you, the biggest trick is really brilliant, it's the man..."

"Stop, stop." Zhang Shutong pinched the bridge of his nose. "Have you found out yet?"

"Yes, I searched for photos from back then, and it's not."

"Sure?"

"It's confirmed. Gu Qiumian's dad's car is an Audi A8L. The car you mentioned that killed someone in a car accident was a Passat. They both look like black sedans, but they're actually very different. You could buy several Passats for that price."

"Well, I only found two photos of the scene at the time, one of which didn't even show the car, but I don't know anything about cars, so I specifically asked you."

"Of course, I searched for it with great difficulty. I even climbed over the wall to find it, and then it took me a long time to confirm it." Qingyi's voice sounded like he was holding a pen in his mouth. He asked in a slurred voice, "But why are you looking this up? Isn't the 07 car accident too long ago? It happened near the amusement park in the city. A car was driving under the influence at night. Let me see... Oh, it killed a woman."

"Exclude some things."

Zhang Shutong thought for a moment and then said.

"what?"

"Well, I was going to share this with you, but why did you have to check your messages so late?"

"Ah, I never thought I'd be kept in suspense like this. Shutong, you've had quite an eventful night," Qingyi said enviously.

"More like being frightened." Zhang Shutong shrugged.

That was just a thought that suddenly came to him after he saw the dog that had been poisoned.

In his past life, before the murder occurred, after Gu's father left the island;

A teacher named Song Nanshan was given a task: to take care of a girl in his class.

He is warm-hearted, responsible, and cares about his students.

But he knew nothing about what happened to the girl over the weekend.

Even on Monday, they didn't report it to the police.

Zhang Shutong was unaware of what had happened during that period.

But just as he was trying to cut Friday night out with a salami-slicing tactic...

The reason is that if Gu Qiumian had an accident on Friday night, even if Song Nanshan is a rough person, he wouldn't go an entire weekend without making a single phone call.
He suddenly realized a problem.

Why do you have to make a phone call?

Or rather, why should we assume his position?

The girlfriend of a teacher named Song Nanshan died in a car accident.

Zhang Shutong searched for pictures of the time of the incident while in the car.

The vehicle involved in the accident was a black sedan, which looked very similar to the car he had seen that morning that had taken Gu Qiu Mian away.

So a few tens of minutes ago he sent the picture to his best friend and asked him to compare it;
A dozen minutes earlier, he had considered whether the person who poisoned the dog and the murderer were the same person;
A few minutes ago, he heard someone say that he was almost obsessively keeping Gu Qiu Mian at home.

And when asked not long ago what "third-line preparations" are, I chose to remain silent.

Even the reason why she asked Du Kang to call the police, she refused to tell the man in the driver's seat.

Zhang Shutong had never struggled internally for so long;
But now these doubts may be easily resolved—

He said the murderer had made two preparations to lower their guard;

Although Zhang Shutong himself was clueless about many issues at the time, it did not prevent him from making three preparations in advance.

The first thing to do is go to the commercial street.

The second option is to call the police.

And that so-called third party—

This meant leaving Gu Qiu Mian in the villa, completely separating her from the man;

This is Zhang Shutong's third contingency plan in preparation for the worst-case scenario.

Although it ultimately proved useless, and it turned out he had overthought things, it didn't stop Zhang Shutong from smiling and saying to Qingyi:

"This is all your fault."

"How to say?"

"If you had seen my message earlier, I wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble."

"Men are sometimes late, you know," Qingyi said lazily.

"Oh, and I've wronged an innocent person."

"Who?"

"Secret."

As he said this, Zhang Shutong silently uttered that person's name in his heart.

—That was the teacher he respected most throughout his entire student life.

So when the two were talking in the hallway, the other person misjudged one thing.

The "sorry" I just said was never meant for Gu Qiu Mian.

It was something I told him on purpose.

However, Old Song will probably never understand what it means.

Zhang Shutong gazed at the night scene before him for a while longer.

At this moment, Qingyi reminded him on the phone:

"Don't forget to meet up tomorrow morning. We need to prepare for the birthday party, so don't be late. By the way, I heard from Du Kang that you called the police again. What happened to Gu Qiu Mian this time?"

"Yes, yes, I guarantee it will arrive." Zhang Shutong said with a smile, "Gu Qiumian is fine, but those people who had a grudge against her family that we talked about today have finally been caught."

"Then you're quite efficient."

"It's alright, but he looks like an idiot, having done a lot of work."

"It doesn't matter if a man is misunderstood sometimes, as long as he gets things done."

"Thanks to you all too."

"I think you sound like you're outside?"

"Ah."

"Wait, you're not at Gu Qiumian's house, are you...?"

Zhang Shutong's smile froze, and he immediately hung up the phone.

The rain is still falling.

The night remains unchanged.

Everything became quiet.

It's so cold outside; no one in their right mind would stay out here. So he stretched and rubbed his numb hands, about to go inside, when he heard a crisp voice descend from the sky:

"Idiot, what are you standing there for? Aren't you cold?"

Zhang Shutong was taken aback, and he looked up;

I saw Gu Qiumian's bright and beautiful eyes.

She looked like she had just come out of the shower, with a few strands of hair sticking to her face, and she was wrapped in a burgundy nightgown.

Fine raindrops fell in front of them. In this cold yet clean rainy night, they each leaned out halfway and met each other's gaze.

I'm posting this late today. The plot is nearly 10,000 words long. I'm worried I'll get scolded for leaving it out. Although I should have saved up some chapters since it's going to be published soon, I'll post it all at once for everyone's reading experience.

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(End of this chapter)