Winter Returns

Chapter 96 Mystery in the Snow (Bonus Chapter 1)

Zhang Shutong nodded, signaling her to keep her voice down.

He had already decided to tell a few people.

For example, the figure in the restricted area, that fake Lu Qinglian, Zhang Shutong wasn't sure if his best friends would encounter her.

If we encounter such a situation, what is the probability of us facing danger?

Even if we don't reveal this unbelievable discovery yet, we should at least make them realize that there is a murderer lurking around Gu Qiu Mian; and that there is an extremely strange existence on this island.

He simply typed something on his phone and handed it directly to Lu Qinglian:

"However, whether or not to mention that person's existence requires your consent."

Lu Qinglian shook her head decisively.

She didn't have a phone and couldn't add friends for private chats. Zhang Shutong originally wanted to give her his phone to type, but then he remembered how he had witnessed Qiu Yu Mianmian's one-finger typing, which had already made him very impatient. He estimated that Lu Qinglian would be even slower.

"Never mind," he typed on his phone again. "I'll type, you can nod or shake your head."

Lu Qinglian nodded.

"I felt that if I kept it a secret any longer, it would be exposed."

This time, Lu Qinglian didn't react. Instead, she stared at him expressionlessly. Zhang Shutong seemed to read four words in her eyes:
"Don't talk nonsense."

Ok.

He then said:

“I’m not asking them to get involved, I’m just giving them a heads-up.”

nod.

"Can I tell you about the murderer?"

nod.

"But what about the restricted area?"

Lu Qinglian sighed with a headache, and lowered her voice:

"Zhang Shutong, if you're typing to make communication easier, you'd better use some words that I can understand."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Zhang Shutong said softly.

I almost forgot she didn't know about "forbidden zones".

But I understood after this time.

“This won’t do.” Lu Qinglian’s lips moved slightly.

"Don't want people to discover someone who looks exactly like you?"

nod.

"Then I understand."

Zhang Shutong then opened the four-person group chat:
"There's something I've been keeping from everyone, and I'm sorry."

I also tagged all the members.

Ruoping was listening to music when she suddenly popped up:

"Why are you tagging the entire group when there are only four people?"

"..."

Zhang Shutong just felt that it was very ceremonial.

"I noticed something was off about you a long time ago. Tell me now, or I'll kick you out." The girl was the group admin and had that authority. "Also, I have a feeling you all know something, but you're just not telling me."

"Actually, I don't know anything either," Du Kang said weakly.

"No, I was just helping Shutong out. It's a man's..." Qingyi tried to shift the blame but was silenced.

If Zhang Shutong didn't still have "value" at this time, he would probably be banned from speaking.

"murderer."

He thought for a moment, then simply typed out those two words.

Looking up, everyone's gaze shifted away from their phone screens, staring at themselves in astonishment.

Zhang Shutong continued typing:
"I can tell you all with certainty that this is not a joke. The revenge from Zhou Ziheng's family is nothing compared to what's happening behind the scenes. There is a real murderer behind this."

"And the series of strange things I did today were all to find the murderer, including that pit."

"A trap?!" Ruoping exclaimed.

"Where's the pothole?" Mr. Feng slammed on the brakes.

“No crater… oh no, it’s okay, Dad, just drive carefully.” She replied without looking up, then quickly typed: “So you were actually injured because you fought with that killer?”

Uh, actually no.

Or in a sense, she was right.

Zhang Shutong continued:

"We didn't fight. I originally wanted to use this to ambush the other party, but I failed in the end. I didn't even find any trace of the real culprit on the mountain."

"What should I do?"

"What else can we do? It's related to what we're going to do next," Qingyi said, finally able to explain.

Zhang Shutong then recounted the story about the footprints:
"What is certain now is that an unidentified person went to that mountain road this morning, which is why I asked my uncle to take me there."

"Shall we go and double-check it?"

Zhang Shutong paused, and they seemed to have tacitly agreed to participate in the next operation.

He didn't really want to involve the three of them; ideally, he'd keep them at the level of being aware and alert. But some things are like spilled water—even if he didn't let them participate, their curiosity was piqued, and they might choose to investigate behind his back. As his finger hovered over the screen, he turned his head and saw that Lu Qinglian was also looking at the chat.

After all, she was the only one without a cell phone.

She didn't laugh this time, but Zhang Shutong could tell that her eyes seemed to be observing something interesting unfolding, as if she had anticipated her own hesitation and was therefore watching from the sidelines.

Don't think that not lying is an easy thing. If you choose to tell the truth, you must learn to bear the corresponding risks.

Zhang Shutong had long understood this principle, and before he could answer, Ruoping's questions came one after another:

"How did this matter get involved with Qinglian?"

Zhang Shutong glanced at the girl subconsciously, thinking that she couldn't just sit on the shore now, but given her personality, she would most likely ignore the problem, which would only give him a headache.

Unexpectedly, Lu Qinglian suddenly spoke up: "Because I was the one who discovered that person first."

She said calmly:

"I'm looking for him too."

"What do you mean? Do you already know the other party's identity?"

"do not know."

"Then how..."

“He damaged some things in the temple,” she lied without batting an eye. “After discussing it with my classmate Zhang Shutong, we believe they are the same person.”

"It's not just related to Gu Qiumian's family..." Ruoping glanced at her father before changing her words, "It's also related to the temple?"

"That's a reasonable way to understand it for now."

“By the way,” Lu Qinglian suddenly took over the conversation, and with a maturity beyond her years, she instructed, “If you want to come along later, then follow my instructions and don’t run around.”

"It's a deal!" The three best friends readily agreed.

After saying that, they shut their mouths tightly and started discussing in the group chat.

Only Zhang Shutong was stunned for a moment:
"you……"

"You have too many things to worry about."

"Thanks……"

Zhang Shutong didn't expect her to take the initiative to shoulder some of the pressure for him.

"Ah."

Lu Qinglian remained noncommittal.

What was originally a major headache for Zhang Shutong was resolved so easily in the end.

The group happily made the agreement, leaving only Mr. Feng completely bewildered:
"What are you guys plotting now?"

"It's a secret. Oh, and Dad, just wait for us in the car."

Zhang Shutong mentioned in the group chat earlier that Lu Qinglian hopes as few people as possible know about this.

He looked out the window again. The car was almost at the Gu family villa. Zhang Shutong leaned out and pointed out a few intersections that were easy to turn at. He looked at his friends, who looked excited as if they were about to embark on a great adventure.

Well, the four of them were crammed into a small car, and they were indeed on their way to an adventure, but the outcome was unknown.

We soon arrived at the entrance to the mountain road. As the car drove by, we could still see the tire tracks my mother had left that morning.

This discovery put everyone on edge again.

"Oh no, it seems there's more than one person, and they even have a car."

Du Kang pressed his face against the glass, looking nervous.

Zhang Shutong could only tell him not to scare himself, that it was just that Lao Song's tire had burst and he was calling someone to bring a tire.

"Why is Old Song here too?"

“Gu Qiu Mian’s father was away on a business trip. He came because he was worried about her. I discussed it with him.”

"You're quite attentive," Ruoping remarked habitually, earning another round of strange looks from Mr. Feng.

“I said he’s almost at the doorstep, how could he not care?” Du Kang chuckled.

That being said, when Zhang Shutong first called her, he said he wanted to go to the vicinity of Gu Qiumian's house. He was worried that she would disagree, but Ruoping was always clear-headed when it came to important matters. She was sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, and she came over with her father without saying a word.

Amidst the chatter, the car came to a stop. Zhang Shutong thanked the man again and followed closely behind Lu Qinglian as she got out of the car.

Where are the footprints you mentioned?

"It's right up there, just a few steps away."

They walked at the front without pausing for a moment, then switched from walking to running.

Ruoping was still calling out to them from behind, "Slow down, I'm wearing gloves..." But the two of them couldn't care less. Lu Qinglian walked even faster than them. Zhang Shutong realized that he didn't need to give directions at all, because there were only two sets of footprints in his sight. One set was left by him when he came down the mountain, and the other set was found this morning.

"Look, it disappears up ahead..."

Zhang Shutong spoke as he walked.

One side of the mountain road is a cliff, and the footprints disappear right there.

"I guess they came to scout the area first?" Zhang Shutong analyzed again, "and then turned back because they found the snow was too heavy."

He looked around with some disappointment, but found nothing else. He didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed.

He came down from Huanshan Road in the morning, which should have been the closest he got to the real culprit. Lu Qinglian was also in the car at that time, but his attention was drawn to her because of that.

Looking back now, the "crime scene" has been destroyed by the tire tracks left by my mother and the auto repair shop owner, making it impossible to tell where they went.

"Wait a minute." Lu Qinglian frowned.

"how?"

“The footprints you left are not right; she is following your footprints upwards.”

Zhang Shutong immediately turned his head, only to see that as soon as he finished speaking, Lu Qinglian had already taken a quick step.

"Follow."

She left those two words and ran upstairs.

Zhang Shutong's heart skipped a beat. In the short time it took to say a few words, he leaned closer and saw that there was an even smaller footprint on top of his own.

The thing I was most worried about happened.

"What's wrong? What's the latest discovery?" At this moment, his best friends also came over.

Zhang Shutong didn't have time to explain further; his body reacted as he spoke.
"Someone."

By this time, Lu Qinglian was already a few meters away. Zhang Shutong solemnly uttered a sentence and then began to sprint at top speed.

His vision was a blur of white due to the violent shaking. He had changed his shoes and only needed to run along his old footprints, where the snow had been compacted. He thought he would be much faster, but he found that the distance between him and Lu Qinglian was getting farther and farther.

At this moment, there was no sign of injury on her feet; only the hem of her green robe and her high ponytail were swaying behind her.

"How about it?"

Zhang Shutong couldn't help but shout.

"Still moving forward."

(End of this chapter)