Winter Returns

Chapter 87 Like a Thorn in My Back (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote!)
Looking back, that smile had vanished in an instant.

Lu Qinglian simply nodded at him, then resumed her expressionless demeanor.
Good morning, Zhang Shutong.

It felt like a chance encounter in the morning.

Zhang Shutong felt all the muscles in his body tense up. The person sitting behind him wasn't just a sixteen-year-old girl. Zhang Shutong had seen her kick a poacher away and knew how terrifying the power was hidden in that body. He even forgot to fasten his seatbelt. The warning beeping on the dashboard sounded, but Zhang Shutong seemed not to hear it. He just subconsciously gritted his teeth and looked at the figure behind the driver's seat with extreme vigilance.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the other person is just sitting there quietly; they are like a snake hunting its prey. They lurk behind their prey, their bodies usually supple, but now they are like a fully drawn bow, ready to strike. At this moment, the car bumped, and Zhang Shutong saw Lu Qinglian reach out, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally, and gently place her hand on the headrest of the driver's seat. His pupils contracted, because if he stretched his arm out just a little more, he could touch the driver's neck...

What exactly is she here for?

Why did I find my own car?
If someone suddenly attacks, how can you stop them?
At this moment, Zhang Shutong had too many questions, especially when he recalled the fleeting glimpse he had seen in the restricted area last night: the long-haired woman squatting on the shore, the figure that disappeared quickly into the reeds, the pale face and the frozen water... He immediately considered a plan: if he asked his mother to stop the car now and then pulled her to run quickly, would it be enough time?

But that won't work either...

Lu Qinglian's hand remained on the headrest. Zhang Shutong had no doubt that as long as she reacted, no matter how quickly, Lu Qinglian would harm her mother in the next moment, even faster than the two of them.

So what to do?
Should I conceal my suspicions and avoid conflict with her?
Lu Qinglian had warned herself more than once not to pry into her affairs. As long as she didn't cross that red line, would she be safe and sound?
But if that's the case, what exactly did she come here for today?

Discontinued?
In any case, the only solution is to separate her from her mother.

Anxiety and unease welled up in his heart, but he suppressed them with self-control.

Various countermeasures flashed through his mind until he felt a light tap on the back of his head:
"Someone's greeting you, what are you standing there for?"

Zhang Shutong snapped out of her daze, looked at her mother, and tried her best to control her expression and tone:

"Why...why was she in the car?"

"I went to school this morning and found the classroom empty."

A faint voice came from behind.

"What do you mean?"

Zhang Shutong suddenly turned his head and looked at Lu Qinglian.

But Mom chimed in:

"Weren't you supposed to have classes suspended? The teacher sent a text message to inform you this morning, but Xiaolu didn't have a phone, so she only found out about the suspension when she got to school."

"so?"

Mom said nonchalantly:
"What happened next wasn't hard to guess. We happened to be passing by your school on our way here. I saw her on the small road from the school gate, and she was still wearing the clothes of a temple priest. She looked familiar, so I stopped the car and asked her. It turned out that she really was your classmate. I saw that the snow was so heavy and she was standing there all by herself, her face white from the cold, so I gave her a ride."

My mom's tone was so lively:

"That's why I was delayed on the way. I wanted to give you a surprise, but Tong... Shutong, what's with your reaction?"

As she spoke, she even waved her hand in front of her eyes.

Zhang Shutong checked and confirmed that her mother wasn't being threatened; she was telling the truth.

"How do you know her?"

he said in surprise.

“Who among the parents in our class doesn’t know Xiaolu? She’s always the first one the teacher praises at every parent-teacher meeting. Even though your mom has only seen a picture of her, she can recognize her at a glance.”

My mom was showing off very proudly.

It's as if recognizing his classmate is such a remarkable thing.

Yes, Zhang Shutong knew that she especially liked to pick up pretty girls on the street. She had done it when he was a child and she still did it now, especially his classmates. Last time he went to the mall with Gu Qiumian, she almost "succeeded". And this time, his mother actually set her sights on Lu Qinglian.
Thinking of this, Zhang Shutong's expression turned strange. She wanted to say to her mother, "Do you know how dangerous the person you've brought back is? It's like casting a fishing rod from a small pond, but the one that actually took the bait is a man-eating shark. This is not the kind of good student or obedient girl you think she is. Instead, she is a woman full of mysteries, whose friend or foe is still unclear, and who is precocious beyond belief."

But it seems he was overthinking things. He had assumed the frozen snake was like a messenger, and although he didn't understand the mechanism, it wasn't impossible for the snake to find his car and follow him. But now it seems like it was just a coincidence.

Despite this, Zhang Shutong remained vigilant, as Lu Qinglian's hand on the headrest never loosened. He exhaled a breath of stale air, fastened his seatbelt, and rubbed his stiff face.
"So where are you going, back up the mountain?"

Zhang Shutong stared at the rearview mirror and asked again.

"Aren't you going home to change your clothes?" Lu Qinglian didn't answer the question directly, but said calmly.

But her meaning was self-evident—

Zhang Shutong frowned slightly, but declined.

"I have plans to meet up with some friends later, so I won't take up your time. I can find a nearby place to drop you off."

As soon as the words left my mouth, my mom flicked my wrist again:
"Who leaves someone halfway home? I'll take you back later."

"Thank you for your trouble, Auntie," Lu Qinglian replied politely.

My mom smiled and said it wasn't troublesome.

She was very popular, but all the pressure fell on Zhang Shutong.

My mom always seems to thrive on chaos:

"Oh right, I just found out you changed seats on Wednesday. Xiao Lu was sitting in front of you. Why did you write her name on the paper?"

Zhang Shutong turned her head in astonishment. How did she know about this?

Lu Qinglian seemed to have guessed his thoughts:

"My aunt asked me some interesting things about your school life, but that's all I can think of for now."

"A real man should be brave and responsible." His mother clenched her fist to encourage him, but she was actually laughing so hard she almost burst out laughing. "Thanks to Xiao Lu, I really didn't know you were so brave..."

Wait, wait, when did it become a "small path"?

Zhang Shutong then realized that this form of address was completely incorrect.

Zhang Shutong never inherited her mother's social skills and couldn't understand how the two of them became so familiar after spending some time in the car. Shouldn't Lu Qinglian have said, "You can understand it that way for now"?

The atmosphere was really strange. The car swayed and bumped along the snow. Turning my head, I could see snowflakes flying along the wheel rims. The woman was laughing heartily, the girl in the back seat had a calm expression, and I was sitting silently in the passenger seat. It was quite a harmonious scene. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the family had planned a winter trip.

However, Zhang Shutong did not let his guard down and genuinely regarded the "chance encounter" at the school gate as a coincidence.

Lu Qinglian is a person with a very strong sense of purpose.

Even if her mother kindly offered to help her into the car, she would never agree without any "reason".

Lu Qinglian is not someone who likes to join in the fun, or someone who would easily accept help from others.

but……

What the hell is that?
Was it a chance encounter in the penalty area last night?
Is it still related to Gu Qiu Mian?

And then there was that playful smile she gave when she got on the bus.

What bothered Zhang Shutong the most was that smile. It conveyed a sense of powerlessness, a feeling that no matter what she did, she couldn't escape its control.

He thought for a moment, found Song Nanshan's QQ account, and sent three messages in a row:
Is it possible that Lu Qinglian will go to school today? I ran into her. How would she usually handle this situation?

"Yes," Old Song replied instantly. "Oh no, now that you mention it, I just remembered, she doesn't have a phone at home. Did she only find out today's classes were canceled after she got to the school?"

"almost."

Zhang Shutong replied and turned off his phone.

He glanced at Lu Qinglian in the rearview mirror again and found that she was looking at him too.

But after being discovered, the other person did not look away, but stared at him calmly. Meeting those calm and unwavering eyes sent a chill down one's spine.

"Did you need something from me?" Zhang Shutong asked tentatively.

"Be careful," Lu Qinglian said calmly.

Be careful about what?
The moment he had this thought, his body suddenly lurched forward.

The car braked suddenly, and at the same time, her mother cried out. Zhang Shutong braced her hands on the dashboard, feeling a sharp pain in her chest. Looking closely, she realized that a bicycle in front of her had suddenly fallen over.

The mother was driving slowly behind it, but she reacted quickly and stopped steadily from a considerable distance. In the end, it was a close call, but it gave Zhang Shutong a scare.

As soon as Lu Qinglian finished speaking, the bicycle fell over, and then the car braked suddenly. These three things happened almost at the same time, all so coincidentally and naturally, as if the word "be careful" was just a reminder to sit tight.

But Zhang Shutong knew that wasn't the case. Although his attention was on Lu Qinglian, he was also looking at the road ahead out of the corner of his eye. He was certain that when she said "be careful," the bicycle was still riding normally on the road.

Was the warning "Be careful" referring to bicycles, or something else?
A new problem arose. At that moment, Mom said that the person who fell was someone she knew, and she wanted to go down and check on them. The car door closed, leaving only the two of them in the small space.

"What did you mean by that just now?" Zhang Shutong asked after the woman had walked away.

"The snow on the road is very thick today," Lu Qinglian suddenly brought up an unrelated topic.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" He frowned.

"Zhang Shutong, did you encounter any frozen snakes in the snow today?"

"you……"

really!

She did indeed know about snakes. Zhang Shutong was about to bring it up directly when Lu Qinglian didn't give him a chance to speak, and immediately added:
"But a frozen snake doesn't mean it's dead. It will regain its vitality once the temperature rises. What I mean is—"

She gave another playful smile, so subtle it was almost imperceptible:
"Be careful not to get bitten."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shutong quickly opened the car door. Coincidentally, his mother returned at that moment and explained:

"It's a friend of mine. She was dressed warmly and seemed fine, but it wouldn't be good if I didn't go and check on her..."

Zhang Shutong's heart sank again.

The timing was perfect.

He was completely caught up in the opponent's rhythm.

When Mom got out of the car, it was actually a good opportunity to escape danger. The reason he didn't get out immediately was because his words "be careful" aroused more speculation. He wanted to take the opportunity to test the other party's position.
However, the meaning of those words was exactly the opposite of what he understood. Far from being a reminder, it could even be considered a threat. So, upon hearing this, he prepared to get out of the car, even if it was a bit embarrassing, to get his mother away first. But Lu Qinglian seemed to have anticipated the rhythm of their conversation; just as she finished speaking, his mother opened the car door.

What were you talking about just now?

"That snake," Lu Qinglian said meaningfully.

"Oh, that frozen snake. It's a pity I threw it away," Mom looked at herself curiously. "Shouldn't you take it to your friends? Qingyi and Dukang might be interested?"

Zhang Shutong was taken aback again:
"You told her about this too?"

"We were just chatting. Xiaolu said she encountered one on her way down the mountain today. I told her not to be afraid, that kind of snake isn't poisonous."

...Is she really afraid of snakes?
In other words, would she really encounter a frozen snake in the mountains and share it as an interesting anecdote?
He served as the temple keeper of the Green Snake Temple.

Zhang Shutong could only remain silent.

The car started and quickly entered the city. The road surface became smoother, and Lu Qinglian finally moved her hands away, placing them on her knees. She turned her face to look out the window without saying a word.

Zhang Shutong felt like he had thorns in his back.

She was not prepared to explain her purpose for coming.

More and more questions lingered in his mind, such as the snake, the forbidden zone, and her purpose, but every time he wanted to speak, Zhang Shutong forced himself to swallow his words back.

The other party chose an excellent entry point.

He's now hesitant to even ask the simplest questions.

The journey was uneventful, especially with Lu Qinglian. Only his mother occasionally asked him a few questions, to which Zhang Shutong answered absentmindedly. He took a moment to text his mother, telling her to be more careful and not to be so carefree, but his mother was driving and didn't look at her phone at all. Zhang Shutong had no choice but to wait patiently until they got home, hoping to create an opportunity to be alone together.

His fingers tapped unconsciously on the car door handle. As time passed, he texted his homeroom teacher, asking him to check if there were any other snakes in the yard.

After doing all this, Zhang Shutong turned off his phone and mute it. He glanced at the rearview mirror again. Although he knew it would be difficult for the other person to see the content on the screen, Zhang Shutong still felt a slight unease.

He then thought, from Lu Qinglian's perspective, what intelligence has been obtained so far?

He went to the villa by himself.

The homeroom teacher was also at the villa.

The ring road around the mountain was almost completely blocked.

Gu's father has left the island and hasn't returned yet.

Oh, and about the commercial street dispute we talked about in the classroom yesterday, those people were sent there by him.

Whether it was seen with my own eyes or revealed by my mother, this should be information that the other party already knew.

What can she do with this intelligence, and what can she do with it in return?
He pondered this question without saying a word until the car stopped downstairs at the dormitory building.

These are things that can only be said at home.

The reason given was simply to go upstairs to change clothes.

He then asked his mother where he had put his thick coat. In reality, Zhang Shutong didn't have a thick coat at all, hoping that his mother, who usually knew what he was thinking, would realize it quickly.

But then, Lu Qinglian, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked:

"Can I come upstairs for a cup of hot water?"

Her expression was indifferent.

(End of this chapter)