Winter Returns

Chapter 82 That Princess-like Girl (Part 1)

"what's up?"

Zhang Shutong asked Gu Qiumian, and could vaguely see her delicate collarbone.

Was she worried that I would sneak into her room?

Speaking of the room, he wondered if he had been too overly familiar with the place. The room hadn't even been assigned to him yet, but he had already come up here on his own initiative.

The corridor was quiet, the door was half-open, and looking out, the dark carpet and patterned wallpaper complemented each other, creating a strong classical atmosphere that made her feel like a princess who had stepped out of an oil painting.

Now the noble princess stands at the bedroom door, questioning the fleeing knight:
What are you doing here all by yourself?

"I was chatting with friends and didn't want to bother you." The knight had a legitimate excuse.

"Is it that important?" the princess asked, exasperated.

"It's quite important."

"Have you finished talking?"

What does it mean to be "finished"?

Zhang Shutong thought for a moment:

"You can go now, I'm going to sleep soon."

Gu Qiu Mian pushed the door open completely without saying a word:

"Who told you to stay here? You're staying downstairs tonight."

"Where is Teacher Song?" Zhang Shutong remembered that there were only two guest rooms on the first floor, one of which was a nanny's room.

He lives on the third floor.

Why is your house all guest rooms?

He underestimated Miss Gu's methods; it would be easy for her to deal with him on her turf.

We had to change the wording:
"I'm a little tired today, sorry."

Then Gu Qiumian fell silent, her face visibly turning cold.
"Then you can stay here by yourself!"

She closed the door and left without looking back.

Her hair wasn't dry yet, and when she suddenly tossed her head, it felt as if a light mist of water splashed onto her face. Zhang Shutong wiped her nose and watched her quickly enter the elevator and go downstairs without saying a word.

The hallway fell silent again, the felt carpet absorbing all the sound. The door was wide open, and only the expensive wallpaper was visible through the door frame, like an oil painting without a subject, leaving only the background.

Then no matter how intricate the pattern, it loses its meaning.

Zhang Shutong closed the door, lay back on the bed, and dialed Qingyi's number.

"What happened just now?"

"Gu Qiumian is here." Zhang Shutong stretched lazily, her whole body feeling like it was falling apart.

"Oh, I forgot to ask, why are you staying at Gu Qiu Mian's house?"

He gave a brief explanation, and Qingyi asked in surprise:
"Then why are you still chatting with me?"

"if not?"

"Of course, go to the movies with her. It's snowing outside, and the light from the TV will illuminate your faces. It will be so romantic."

"She's watching Stephen Chow," Zhang Shutong reminded her.

"Oh, then forget it."

Wait, wait, wait. Zhang Shutong suddenly realized, when did this guy's romance manual include women?
Shouldn't we say that a man's romance is something like taking a walk in the snow?
He sighed:
"Does this make me seem strange?"

"It's more than just strange."

"Gu Qiu Mian seemed to be angry just now."

"No wonder you're angry."

“But I’m not in the mood,” Zhang Shutong said. He didn’t want to move at all. If it weren’t for a few questions he hadn’t figured out, he would have gone to sleep right away. “I know it’s a bit of a bad atmosphere. Everyone else is in high spirits, but you’re looking sour. You look like one of those unsociable little brats, but… never mind, let’s get down to business.”

He asked again:
"What did you just suggest I do?"

"I suggest you keep the key safe first. Her family should have a spare key. Then tell Gu Qiu Mian not to go out at night for a while. There's still the dog, right? Once her dad comes back, things should be fine."

"Maybe." Zhang Shutong rubbed his temples, unsure whether to say that he was thinking too simply, because he had thought the same thing last time, yet Gu Qiumian still ended up being murdered.

“You seem to be under a lot of pressure,” Qingyi said curiously. “I’m treating this as a mental game, but Shutong, why do you give off the feeling that this is bound to happen?”

“I’m a deep thinker,” Zhang Shutong said casually. “Actually, I’m worried that Lu Qinglian might do something to harm her. It’s similar to the dispute on the commercial street. Her family’s temple is going to be demolished, isn’t it? Although there’s no conflict of interest this time, there might be something more troublesome than interests.”

"Let's go see a movie then, relax a bit. Haven't you heard the saying, 'To shoulder everything yourself is a sign of arrogance'?"

Zhang Shutong thought about it and didn't think he was arrogant; it was just a habit.

He didn't really want to talk about this anymore.

But he wasn't very interested in movies, so he chatted with Qingyi about other things. As they talked, he brought Ruoping and Dukang into the conversation. Dukang didn't reply, probably because he was busy, but Ruoping came in excitedly.

"I just watched TV, and the snow here is even on the city news. Shall we go build a snowman tomorrow?"

"No." Qingyi was the first to object, then said, "Do you remember last year when it snowed, you also said you wanted to build a snowman and asked the three of us to help you, and what happened?"

Zhang Shutong also remembered that the three of them were responsible for "building" the snowman, while she was responsible for "putting her hands in her pockets" and taking pictures on the side. She was indeed lending a hand.

"This time I'm more experienced..." Ruoping forced a smile to cover it up.

"Do you have extensive experience in taking photos?"

"Qingyi, you're going to die!"

Zhang Shutong stopped talking and listened to their banter with a smile. He found it very helpful for falling asleep, so he simply turned on the speakerphone, threw his phone next to his pillow, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"I'd like to ski. There's a slope on the back of the mountain that isn't too steep. Shutong said Lao Song's tire blew out. How about we take the tire, nail a plank underneath, and make a sled?"

"Okay, okay, it's perfect to do it after school on Friday, and go on Saturday. Let me think, didn't we say we were going to buy a birthday present on Saturday? How about we buy it in the morning and go in the afternoon?"

He listened as the two of them finished planning their itinerary, and was about to interject when there was another knock on the door.

The chatter beside him drowned out the sound of the elevator doors opening, causing him to react a beat too late.

Zhang Shutong glanced at her phone. Only six or seven minutes had passed. Could it be that Gu Qiumian was still persistent and wanted to drag her down to watch a movie?
He then had a bit of a headache. No matter how good the soundproofing of the villa was, you could still hear the sounds inside from outside the door. He had just finished saying he was a little tired, and then he started chatting with his best friend. To Gu Qiu Mian, it sounded like he was telling a lot of lies.

It's like you invite someone out for dinner, but they say they have a fever and don't want to go. Then, you happen to run into them at a restaurant that night, sitting with other people, chatting and laughing.

Sure enough, the knocking stopped, and the person who came in seemed to hear the excited discussion inside.

Zhang Shutong ended the call, sat up in bed, and reluctantly opened the door. Gu Qiumian's face turned completely cold.

I've been a lackey all this time, and I can tell whether she's really angry or just pretending.

For example, if you ask him to buy you a thermos on the way home, and he acts all cold and aloof, that's just an act.

But it's true now.

(End of this chapter)