Winter Returns

Chapter 46 The Most Terrifying! (Second Update, Seeking First Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)

“That’s an interesting question,” Qingyi caught the key word, “whether it should be seen, rather than whether it can be seen?”

"I do have some doubts."

"That's true. Her nanny said she didn't notice anything unusual, but she could see the dog right from the kitchen."

“Hmm.” Zhang Shutong nodded: “But there are two things we can’t be sure of. First, she might not have seen it at all. It’s so dark outside, and the dog is a black dog. Besides, few people look out the window when they’re cooking or washing dishes.”

“Secondly, even if the nanny really did see it,” Zhang Shutong frowned, “what was her motive for hiding it?”

Qingyi also fell into deep thought: "If she was in cahoots with the arsonist, then they should have worked together from the inside to open the door directly."

"That's why I say this is a discovery that isn't really a discovery."

"How long has that live-in nanny been working there?" Qingyi asked again.

“It started when Gu Qiumian was in the first year of junior high school.”

"Then there's even less of a motive. If they wanted to take action, they would have done it already. Unless, something has happened recently?"

"I can't rule it out," Zhang Shutong sighed, the loose ends just getting more tangled the more he tried to untangle them.

"Then you have a pretty tough task today. It's not just about having fun. You have to keep Gu Qiu Mian company while also trying to sort things out." Qingyi rarely joked.

“That’s not all.” Zhang Shutong held up a third finger. “I also have to watch out for Ruoping.”

Thinking back to her attitude at school, with things like matching outfits and her eagerness to meet her new deskmate, she was practically a little witch who thrived on chaos.
I don't know why, but people always like to speculate about a romantic relationship between themselves and Gu Qiu Mian, which is really annoying.

Old Song is like this, Ruoping is like this... but it's only when they're really overwhelmed that he can still manage.

"Why hasn't she come back yet, and Gu Qiumian hasn't either."

"That's just how girls are." Zhang Shutong thought to herself, "I haven't even told you about changing clothes this morning."

"I'm quite looking forward to seeing how you handle it." Qingyi had a bit of a mischievous streak.

Zhang Shutong ignored him and looked towards the bathroom.

The toy store and the restroom weren't far apart, located diagonally opposite each other, so he didn't move. He stood outside the window chatting with Qingyi, where he could admire Optimus Prime and, when he turned his head, also get a clear view of the entrance.

—Unless something happens to Gu Qiumian in the women's restroom.

However, the probability of such a thing happening is extremely small. Zhang Shutong needs to be fully prepared, but that doesn't mean he's being overly worried. Otherwise, he would have said that Miss Gu might choke even when drinking plain water.

Besides, there are a lot of people in the mall, who would dare to make a move here?

The entrance is easy to find, but today there are so many people that it's a bit difficult to navigate through the crowds and locate a specific person.

Zhang Shutong glanced at the girl in the blue dress subconsciously, but didn't see her, so he looked away and analyzed:
"I estimate that the police station will have a clear answer by noon. We'll see then."

"That's true, so don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just treat it as a game of wits," Qingyi comforted her. "Besides, her family will be back tomorrow. We're not going to places with few people, so it's unlikely that something bad will happen today."

"It would be best if..." But before he could finish speaking, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. Zhang Shutong opened it and saw a new message.

It turned out that the picture was sent by Ruoping.

She was carrying a plastic bag containing three... very thick, small pies, somewhat like door nail meat pies.

"Egg burgers, let's each have one, the three of us."

Zhang Shutong had never heard of this, and when he asked Qingyi, the other party's focus was elsewhere:
How should we divide the three?

"Whatever, I don't want it. Oh, and please explain this to me later."

"Explain what?"

"As for Gu Qiu Mian's matter, Ruo Ping is too gossipy, and so are you and Du Kang. Don't make wild guesses."

Zhang Shutong casually replied, but felt it necessary to urge Qiu Yu Mianmian, as he had heard that some girls would even touch up their makeup in the bathroom, which was truly terrifying.

But just as she sent the message, her bag vibrated, and Zhang Shutong realized she hadn't taken her phone.

At this moment, Qingyi's eyes lit up and he said:
"Oh, look at this, isn't it a Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"

Zhang Shutong knew he was talking about rare cards in Yu-Gi-Oh!, and glanced at him, saying, "It's fake, isn't it?"

"Of course I know it's fake, but the workmanship is quite good. Look at the glitter coating and the three-dimensionality of the pattern..."

The two of them simply went into the toy store. Qingyi asked him to stick the card on the glass so he could take a picture as a souvenir. Zhang Shutong then asked him why he didn't just buy it and take it home to look at since it was a pirated copy and not expensive.
Qingyi, however, said that this was a man's belief; what is fake is fake, it cannot be taken seriously, and it should not be trampled on.

Zhang Shutong couldn't understand his thought process, but she still nodded and did as he said.

So he picked up his bag with one hand, pinched the top edge of the deck with his fingernail with the other, pinned it to the glass, and naturally looked forward.

"Slightly to the left, it's a bit off..."

Just as Meng Qingyi was about to remind him, Zhang Shutong suddenly loosened his grip, and the card floated down lightly.

Then, for the first time, he saw such a rich range of expressions on his best friend's face—the two were quite similar in some ways, one with a blank expression and the other with a cold one, rarely showing surprise or anger on their faces. But this time was different.

Meng Qingyi stared at Zhang Shutong's face, watching as the latter slowly widened his eyes, a complex expression forming on his face. Fear? No. Panic? A little. But it was more like something completely out of his control, something Meng Qingyi knew was most frustrating for people like them.

The boy wasn't stupid; he immediately looked over as if by reflex, and through the glass, he saw that it was right where the toilet entrance was located.
"what happened?"

"broken!"

Before he could even finish saying the word "了", Zhang Shutong had already rushed out of the store.
The scene not far away had completely exceeded his expectations. Even the worst-case scenario he had imagined was no worse than this!

Now he just wishes he could teleport there.

However;
It's too late—

……

Time goes back a few minutes.

A slight noise came from behind her, and the girl named Gu Qiumian subconsciously turned her head. Of course, there were people coming and going in the mall, so she shouldn't have heard the noise behind her. However, a faint fragrance wafting from behind her gave her away.

She was a woman wearing sunglasses and a mask, dressed fashionably, with a slim waist and long legs;
She had long, wavy chestnut hair and wore tall boots, and seemed to be taking something out of her bag.

Gu Qiumian took a step back, and everything happened in an instant, leaving the woman's outstretched hand empty-handed.

However, the woman didn't give up and leaned closer to ask again:
"Girl, I saw you shopping with your classmates just now?"

Although the woman's face and age are unclear, judging from her voice, she should be smiling right now.

"Don't panic, don't panic, Auntie isn't a bad person." The woman adjusted her sunglasses with her finger and winked playfully. "What's your name?"

Judging from her eyes, she was a beautiful woman. Before Gu Qiu Mian could speak, the woman reached into her bag again, rummaged around for a while, and when she reappeared, a piece of chocolate was already between her fingers, which were painted with red nail polish.

"Take it and eat it."

The woman's fingers were white and slender, but somewhat rough, with calluses visible on the sides. She waved the chocolate in front of Gu Qiu Mian's eyes and added cheerfully:
"Don't worry, I'm not kidnapping a child. I just feel really close to you, young lady. Sometimes it's all about fate. Auntie forgot her phone, could you lend me yours to make a call?"

Aside from her slightly odd attire, she's actually quite approachable; it's just that her demeanor reminds one of a wicked witch who thrives on chaos.

"I didn't bring my phone either," Gu Qiumian replied coldly and warily, refusing the chocolate.

"Oh dear, that would be terrible. My child is still waiting for me at home. Let me tell you, he's only this young."

The woman had initially gestured with distress towards her legs, but then seemed to become excited again when talking about her child:

"He's so cute. If you pinch his cheek, he won't say anything, he'll just roll his eyes and glare at you. But he can't even cook a meal. If I don't call home right away, he'll definitely cry."

Gu Qiu Mian thought for a moment:

"How about I take you to the service desk, Auntie?"

"No, no, I couldn't possibly accept that."

"But my phone is with my classmate, so you can come with me."

"That's not good, it's too much trouble for you..." The woman looked around as if she was afraid of being discovered, but asked familiarly, "But is your classmate male or female, what is their relationship? Do you need me to help you check them out?"

She seemed to have an easy grasp of the rhythm of the conversation.

Gu Qiumian glanced in a certain direction subconsciously, then shook her head in refusal.

Strangely, she didn't feel any ill will towards this woman, even though the other woman's attitude was a bit too... enthusiastic. If the woman hadn't been so well-covered up, she might have actually felt the urge to say a few words to her.

So Gu Qiumian simply repeated the matter about the phone.

"You really didn't bring it?"

Gu Qiumian nodded.

Upon seeing this, the woman's beautiful eyes instantly filled with disappointment, like a child who couldn't get their favorite toy, and even her tone became somewhat dejected.

Perhaps she wasn't lying; that child really does miss his mother when he's home alone.

I thought the woman would give up, but to my surprise, she pulled something out of her bag again, this time a small notebook. She held the notebook with both hands, looking very serious.

"Hey girl, could you write down my phone number? If I run into a classmate later, could you send me a text message?"

This wasn't a difficult request, and Gu Qiumian was about to nod in agreement when she saw a figure running towards them from the opposite direction. The figure moved quickly and was already in front of them in the blink of an eye.

Gu Qiu Mian blinked, looking at the "new peach charms and old charms" with confusion. Before she could react to what was happening, the young man had already stepped forward and shielded her behind him.

He was panting, his scalp tingled, and he blurted out—

Of course, it was aimed at that big witch wearing sunglasses:
"Mom, what are you doing here?"

This is the second update. There will be more today, but please allow me to take a nap before writing. Please vote with your monthly tickets!
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(End of this chapter)