Winter Returns

Chapter 90 Catching the "Snake" (Part 2)
This decision may seem somewhat hasty and impulsive, but sometimes, things happen suddenly, leaving no time for careful consideration.

Once Lu Qinglian stepped into the trap and became trapped in the snow pit, unable to escape, Zhang Shutong didn't believe that he still wouldn't be able to get anything out of her.

Of course, he only wanted to get some information and had no intention of harming her.

As for what to do if Lu Qinglian is truly innocent, that's not something he should be thinking about right now. It's not about shirking responsibility; whether he has to pay compensation or get kicked by her later, that's all in the future. But he can't just do nothing because of this concern and come to the mountain alone. If something unexpected happens, it would be no different from surrendering without a fight.

However, Zhang Shutong wasn't so heartless as to lead her into a trap; it was just a backup plan, and if possible, he didn't want to have to use it.

This reminded Zhang Shutong of his past self on the Cold-Blooded Line. He didn't know how he had managed to build a good relationship with Lu Qinglian, and he couldn't figure it out now. Since that was the case, he had no choice but to think of some other methods.

Thinking of this, Zhang Shutong sighed inwardly.

I am indeed a cold-blooded person at heart.

He must have had some connection with Lu Qinglian back then, a much deeper one than he does now. I wonder what he was thinking when he left her on the island.

Will you hesitate?

Will I regret it?

Will they feel sympathy?

Everything remains unknown.

He only knew that he seemed to be repeating the same mistakes.

To Zhang Shutong's surprise, Lu Qinglian's attitude was more direct than he had imagined after getting out of the car. She no longer hid everything. Although he still didn't get much key information, the two were at least able to have a smooth conversation.

Just like Lu Qinglian just said:
"If you want to be honest, then show the corresponding attitude."

This statement truly made him reflect deeply.

So now that the trap has been dug, his thoughts have also changed somewhat.

Perhaps we don't need to go to such extremes.

Even if we obtain intelligence and eliminate suspicion, it would be equivalent to losing a potential collaborator.

Zhang Shutong does not suffer from paranoia.

If Lu Qinglian maintains the same attitude she had in the car at the beginning, constantly sneering and saying things that make people uneasy, then he wouldn't mind putting her sneering in the pit.

but now……

Zhang Shutong is not a hesitant person, but he must admit that he is starting to hesitate again.

It's hard to say why. Was it because Lu Qinglian's words made him realize that his attitude was problematic? Or did he subconsciously lower his guard? Or perhaps seeing her stroking the fox now made him realize that she is still a sixteen-year-old girl at heart?
"You really like small animals?" he couldn't help but ask.

"It's alright," Lu Qinglian said calmly. "There aren't many animals here anyway."

"It's as if you raised it from a cub." Zhang Shutong couldn't believe that a wild fox could do something like this when he saw the fox expose its belly.

Just as Zhang Shutong was about to go closer to take a look, Lu Qinglian spoke again:

"do not move."

"Uh, I won't scare it."

Seriously, acting like you're some kind of dangerous element.

"Don't be fooled by its current appearance; it's actually quite fierce."

I feel like I've heard something similar before...

Why isn't it aggressive towards you?

"I am the temple keeper."

Again.

Zhang Shutong was speechless.

I thought her attitude would improve, but instead it's this ambiguous, meaningless statement again.

"That's not very interesting."

“I’m not talking nonsense.” She simply looked at the fox and calmly explained, “I have an inexplicable affinity for animals. If you ask why, I can only say that it might be because I’m a temple keeper. Because my grandmother was the same way.”

Zhang Shutong shrugged. Let's assume she was telling the truth.

"Snakes too?"

“The snake too,” Lu Qinglian added. “I broke my promise. You can rest for a while over there. I’ll leave later.”

As she said this, she poked the fox's nose with one finger.

But who was it that just now said in a serious tone, "We're almost there, you'd better not stop again"?

This fickle attitude doesn't seem like that of a dangerous person; it's more like that of a little girl who can't resist cute pets.

Zhang Shutong was too lazy to criticize her, or rather, he didn't have much in the mood to criticize her at the moment. He was just subconsciously thinking about the meaning behind every word Lu Qinglian said.

Her previous statement can only be interpreted as perhaps she wasn't sure if she would encounter the fox here.

What were her feelings when she went up the mountain?

It can bring a faint smile to a girl who rarely experiences emotional fluctuations.

Is it harboring some kind of expectation?
The word "expectation" should be used to describe looking forward to something good, such as a child expecting a birthday present or a boy hoping to sit with a girl he likes when changing seats. Zhang Shutong didn't understand what was so exciting about seeing a wild fox. This fox was far less cute than the ones seen online, especially in winter. It looked malnourished, its fur was not very shiny, and it had a broken ear.

Calling it cute is being too kind, but when applied to Lu Qinglian, seeing it is something to look forward to.

Zhang Shutong had nothing to say.

He found a relatively clean stone step, brushed the snow off with his gloves, sat down, rested his chin on his hand, and watched the interaction between the pretty girl and the not-so-pretty fox.

A girl named Lu Qinglian squatted in the snow on a winter mountain path. The snow under her feet looked like solidified clouds, and her scattered green robe looked like a blooming blue lotus. The fox was dark red, like a ball of flame. The scene was simple and pure.

If only everything were that simple.

He also hoped to have such a simple student life, running up the mountain with his best friends to have a snowball fight. Local legends say that there are mysterious girls and foxes that randomly appear on the mountain. If you encounter them, it's like going to play on a hillside and finding a lucky four-leaf clover from the endless grassland. You would be very satisfied and would sleep soundly that night.

Unfortunately, it can never be that pure.

Zhang Shutong then shook his head.

He recalled what he had witnessed in the penalty area yesterday.

Since the other party ran away immediately, it meant that what she was doing absolutely could not be discovered by him. The reason he had not asked this question was because the two of them were full of suspicion towards each other. A little misunderstanding would lead to more serious suspicion, and these suspicions were almost uncontrollable, even depending on the uncertainty of a certain tone or expression.

Therefore, he wanted to wait a little longer.

Perhaps this result will determine the course of today's events.

Now that her guard had lowered somewhat, Lu Qinglian's attitude began to soften.

For Zhang Shutong, this opportunity may have arrived.

He watched as the girl stroked the fox, and then, incredulously, slowly sat back down.

To be precise, it wasn't that the opportunity had arrived.

But something even more unexpected happened at lightning speed.

This made Zhang Shutong's heart skip a beat.

……

The fox had lost an ear; the wound was scabbed over, and dried blood was still visible.

But that's normal. If you think about it carefully, it hasn't been long since it was injured. Today is Friday, and the poachers were caught on Wednesday, so it's very likely that it happened on that day.

So the fox's wound has not yet healed.

Don't expect wild foxes to be very smart. It just nuzzled Lu Qinglian's sleeve affectionately with its head. Perhaps the scabbed wound was a little itchy, or perhaps for some other reason, the wound soon reopened, and faint bloodstains were clearly visible on Lu Qinglian's green robe.

So the girl gently pushed its head.

The fox wouldn't give up and kept rubbing against me.

When Zhang Shutong first saw the helpless expression on her face, the girl rolled up one sleeve and covered her robe and sweater completely, so that she wouldn't have to worry about getting her clothes dirty.

Her exposed forearm was like a work of art, every line smooth and soft, every inch of skin a flawless porcelain white.

Zhang Shutong stared blankly at that arm, and for the first time understood the meaning of the idiom "well-proportioned flesh and bone".

However, the only drawback is...

On this exquisite work of art.

There is something glaring, yet impossible to ignore—

It was stained by a birthmark.

Zhang Shutong saw a coin-sized, bright red mark on Lu Qinglian's arm.

It might be a birthmark.

Oval shape.

An oval-shaped birthmark.

What kind of mark it is is not important.

The important thing is.

It represents an oval shape.

One thing that always left him clueless.

Guess and guess.

And it was tattooed on his arm—

Oval shape.

Green snake.

Petty person.

Round...

Green Snake

Temple keeper.

birthmark……

Green snake, temple keeper, birthmark.

—Lu Qinglian.

Lu Qinglian teased the fox with her bare arm. Her movements were agile, always managing to make the little creature jump up and down, yet she could never touch it. A faint smile appeared on the girl's lips, a gentle smile different from the playful or subtle ones she used to have, though it was very faint.

With her other hand, she reached into the pocket inside her blue robe and pulled out an item.

Zhang Shutong was sitting on the stone steps below, not far from them, so it was easy for her to see what it was.

It is a red, stick-shaped object.

He knew it had been bought not long ago. From a small shop at the foot of the mountain.

Ham sausage.

Ham sausage...

A dog that was easily poisoned to death.

alert.

Very fierce.

Affinity.

villa.

photo.

Are the people who smashed flowerpots and poisoned dogs the same person?
Creating a disturbance and eliminating a disturbance are contradictory.

Some people want to stop the development of the island.

A disheveled figure suddenly appeared in the restricted area.

She squatted on the shore.

disappear suddenly.

Previous inferences.

Maybe it's all wrong.

Zhang Shutong simply stood up without saying a word.

……

After the fox finished eating the sausage, it ran off into the distance. The girl in the green robe stood there, watching it happily disappear into the distance.

So when she lowered her sleeves, the boy wearing the scarf walked up to her and asked:

"Is that red one a birthmark?"

"Yeah, it's ugly."

"It's alright," Zhang Shutong said, only uttering a few words. "It's time to go."

This time, he took the initiative to walk in front of the girl and lead the way.

He was slowly walking towards the right front.

Zhang Shutong knew what was next to the third tree from the left in the grove of trees to his right.

“I have another question to ask,” he suddenly said, “Why were you so indifferent to me on the rooftop yesterday, but today you seem like a completely different person.”

"I overheard you talking to some friends about things on the commercial street, and I happen to be a bit interested myself."

really.

wrong.

Maybe it's all wrong.

He was misled by Ruoping and Dukang's information.

Perhaps the cold-blooded self and Lu Qinglian were never really partners.

There has never been any "betrayal" or "turning one's back on someone".

Graduation season is in the summer.

Summer is the season for wearing short sleeves.

Arms will be exposed.

Why keep these three tattoos?
The circle shape is a characteristic of the murderer.

What about the other two?

Green snake and villain.

Don't you think it's too simplistic?

Why would someone carve information that's immediately clear into their arm?

If that's the case, and if "green snake" really refers to a green snake and "villain" really refers to a temple keeper, aren't they redundant in some sense?
What do the three tattoos represent?

Or is it that only one person was mentioned from beginning to end?

Did he really not discover the murderer who killed Gu Qiu Mian in the eight years he was alive?
Or did you already know who it was?

That person had actually always been by his side.

Zhang Shutong closed his eyes. He had slowed down now and didn't need to worry about his footing.

I started to recall the last piece of information I received.

Three tattoos.

A photo from a phone's album shows the interior of the temple.

A photo, sent by a senior student, shows a long-haired woman captured by surveillance cameras.

"Is your daily life... very tiring?" Zhang Shutong opened her eyes and asked again.

He doesn't really want to talk about the murder case anymore.

"got used to."

"So you're a little tired?"

"Fortunately."

"It must be tough to always be number one in your grade."

"It's not bad."

"Teacher Song said you really enjoy going to school."

"very funny."

"Can I interpret your warning as a form of protection?"

“Okay,” Lu Qinglian said again. “I told you, it’s best not to doubt me.”

"I'm sorry," Zhang Shutong sighed.

He saw the third tree.

"One last question: Are there many things we are not in control of our own lives?"

“I am the temple keeper,” she said again.

Zhang Shutong was silent for a moment, then smiled:
“My mom says we have a pretty good rapport. Even though she’s always jumping around and seems very enthusiastic to everyone, she’s never actually said that to anyone.”

As he spoke, he turned around and took a plastic bag out of his pocket, which contained apples that had been soaked in salt water.

My mom always thinks things through carefully, so that bag of apples hasn't oxidized yet, and the flesh is still as fresh as ever.

"Would you like something else? You seem to enjoy it."

Lu Qinglian frowned:

"Have you been stalling since the very beginning?"

As expected, Mom was always right; the two of them had a certain unspoken understanding. Lu Qinglian could always guess his intentions.

Therefore, Zhang Shutong did not deny it, as denial would be meaningless.

He simply nodded.

Then;

He turned and ran away.

"you……"

The last glimpse in my field of vision was Lu Qinglian slightly frowning and lifting her leg.

He knew how fast Lu Qinglian was; the speed at which she disappeared in the restricted area last night was a testament to that. If she were caught, he would completely lose the initiative, and he wasn't even sure if he could go back.
So he just ran forward without a care in the world. His hiking boots came in handy at that moment. Snowflakes flew everywhere, and the rubber soles had an incredibly strong grip. Every nail was firmly fixed to the snow. He even took off his scarf beforehand, just in case it became a hindrance.

In comparison, Lu Qinglian's reaction was already a beat slower. She was also wearing cloth shoes, and no matter how fast she went, she couldn't escape the constraints of objective conditions. Her green robe made her run with a gust of wind, which wasn't very convenient. Even so, Zhang Shutong felt a sinking feeling as he listened to the wind getting closer and closer behind his ear.

The distance between the two is closing.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. He had already run more than ten steps forward, until he strode across a certain spot, at which point Zhang Shutong stopped and turned around.

Yu Guangli is like a patch of snow that has been perfectly covered.

There are two intersecting tree branches on the snow.

He simply stared at the two branches, held his breath, and his heart began to beat faster involuntarily.

Zhang Shutong counted silently in his mind.

One.

Lu Qinglian took another step, the hem of her long robe fluttering behind her.

She has a pair of long, slender legs, which are usually hidden by her robes, but she can actually run very fast.

two.

The figure in the green robe drew even closer in almost an instant.

Zhang Shutong underestimated Lu Qinglian. She was not simply strong as he had claimed; her physical abilities far surpassed those of girls her age.

However, no matter what, she was still very close to that intersecting branch.

three.

His only concern now was whether the other person would imitate him and take a step in a similar manner. For this reason, he even stopped early so that Lu Qinglian would subconsciously stop the moment she touched him.

Chances of winning?

not sure.

Probability?

We can only guess.

But sometimes that's how it is; to catch a beast that's fiercer and calmer than a human, you have to gamble.

Even if it means betting myself—

a step far.

(End of this chapter)