Zhang Shutong referred to "that incident" as the Scarf Incident.
It was after a physical education class one day when everyone returned to the classroom, and Gu Qiumian discovered that her beloved scarf had been stepped on by someone. If there had only been one footprint, it would have been easy to explain, but the end of the scarf was almost torn, and there were black handprints on it. Clearly, this wasn't a careless mistake; it was a deliberate act of revenge.
She first gasped in pain and then looked around, her eyes starting to redden. Anger quickly surfaced on her face. She walked quickly to the podium, threw the scarf down, and loudly demanded, "Who did this? Come out right now!"
The classroom suddenly fell silent.
At that moment, a person stood up, hesitating.
"You?" she asked.
"No, I was just going to the bathroom…"
Before the person could finish speaking, Gu Qiumian snapped at them, causing them to sit back down in embarrassment.
The room was completely still. It was the first time anyone had seen her so uncomposed, and everyone seemed shocked. Gu Qiumian had previously been angered by a boy, and although the consequences were severe, she had simply left coldly. People had kept quiet, but sometimes silence could also be a form of ignoring.
Aside from a few who hadn't quite reacted, some others, who still remembered the transfer incident from earlier, thought she was making a big deal out of a small thing, but no one dared to speak up. They kept their heads down, silently protesting.
If it had been any other girl, several close friends would have surrounded her, comforting and standing up for her. But Gu Qiumian had no friends. She stood alone at the podium, biting her lip, wishing she could glare at everyone in the room.
At that moment, Zhang Shutong and Du Kang were gathered together, exchanging glances. Ruoping grabbed Du Kang by the ear and said, "Hey, why are you looking at me? Do you think I would do such a thing, even if I had a grudge with her?"
"Ouch, ouch, I'm sorry, Big Sis. I didn't mean it..." Du Kang quickly apologized.
Ruoping then pouted and said, "Gu Qiumian is throwing a fit now. Someone's going to be in trouble. Qingyi, who do you think it is?"
"Can't guess. Everyone just came back, but I haven't seen anyone absent, so it must have happened before PE class," Qingyi replied.
"Shutong, huh? What's up with you, zoning out?"
Before Zhang Shutong could respond, a boy suddenly stood up. He was one of Gu Qiumian's secret admirers. He pointed at Zhang Shutong and said, "It was Zhang Shutong. I saw him. After stepping on it, he even picked up the scarf."
Zhang Shutong was stunned.
From the moment Gu Qiumian had walked up to the podium, he had been trying to remember something: Had he stepped on the scarf or not?
That day, he was the last one to leave the class. The teacher had asked him to draw up the seating chart during the break. Normally, the class monitor would do that, but the monitor had taken leave, so it fell to him. After finishing the task, he rushed through the aisle and saw the scarf lying on the ground, only half of the tassel showing. He remembered not stepping on it, just picking it up absentmindedly. But he had been in a hurry, and now, being pointed out, he wasn't sure whether his foot had touched it slightly. Even he couldn't be certain anymore.
This was the most helpless situation, as it seemed like it didn't matter, but also like it did. No matter how he explained, it would be hard to clear things up.
Gu Qiumian, remembering he was the 'traitor,' gritted her teeth and asked, her voice rising with anger: "Did you do this?"
"I might have stepped on it… but I didn't tear it," Zhang Shutong replied, feeling his scalp tingle.
"Then tell me! Why did Zhou Ziheng say he saw you do it? Or is he lying?"
Zhou Ziheng, her desk mate, was often warm and caring toward her. His words carried more weight than his own.
"It's definitely him! I just happened to be going back to get something when I saw it."
Zhou Ziheng's voice grew louder.
"Hey, don't blame people without reason. I thought it was your desk mate framing you!" Ruoping stood up as well.
But Gu Qiumian ignored her and walked directly over to Zhang Shutong, throwing the scarf onto his desk.
Zhang Shutong then saw that not only were there footprints on it, but it also had some sticky marks, as if someone had wiped their nose on it.
Gu Qiumian's eyes were fixed on him: "Zhang Shutong, did you do it?"
"...It wasn't me."
"Then why did you say what you did? Now you won't admit it?"
"I'm saying, I might have stepped on it," Zhang Shutong said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "But I swear, I didn't tear it. Just... calm down for a second..."
But Gu Qiumian had already stopped listening to him.
"Why would you do such a thing? This scarf... it was my mother's..."
"I didn't do it."
"All I want is an apology. I won't tell the teacher, but I hate it when people don't admit their mistakes!"
"..."
"Disgusting!"
"I said, it wasn't me," Zhang Shutong said, each word firm.
That was how he was back then, stubborn and unyielding. He believed that the truth would clear him, and he wasn't the type to comfort others. At first, when Gu Qiumian came over, he felt somewhat inferior as half an involved party, but her questioning tone had rubbed him the wrong way.
Looking at it from this angle, saying he was 'aloof' back then wasn't wrong. While Gu Qiumian's face was cold as ice, Zhang Shutong's face was even colder.
As she spoke, her eyes began to redden again: "I never did anything to offend you, did I?"
"I never did anything to you either."
"Then why…"
"Are you done yet?"
They each spoke their minds, both of them seething. Some students, sensing the tension, tried to intervene: "Why don't you just talk to Mr. Song about it, Qiumian?"
"Yeah, the class is about to start. There's no point in dragging this out…"
Some students took the opportunity to vent their frustrations: "Does she think she's such a big deal? She's not the principal's daughter…"
"What did you say?"
Gu Qiumian immediately turned her head.
The student froze, unsure of what to say. After a long pause, he muttered, "With all that power, why doesn't your dad just change your class for you…"
That comment ignited the powder keg.
And it exploded in her face.
"…Fine, since you don't admit it, your parents work for my dad, right? I'll tell my father about this!"
With that, she wiped her face and turned to leave.
She had just walked out when several friends and other classmates gathered around Zhang Shutong to comfort him.
Ruoping cursed angrily, and Qingyi and Du Kang stood up to approach Zhou Ziheng, scolding him: "What were you talking about? Don't try to act like a hero, Zhang Shutong would never do such a thing…"
Zhang Shutong didn't remember exactly what was said, only that it felt incredibly awkward, and he ended up spending the next period on the rooftop.
It wasn't because he had been wronged, but because of that remark about his parents, which felt like an insult. It made his face burn with embarrassment.
His parents had worked for the Geological Bureau, and a few years ago, they had partnered with Gu Qiumian's father to establish a project on the island. From this perspective, the reason Zhang Shutong had transferred to this school had a lot to do with Gu Qiumian's family.
But to say he worked for her father was a stretch. That comment wasn't even truly offensive, but it stuck with him for a long time.
Maybe it was because certain things he had deliberately overlooked came to the surface at that moment.
But still, he couldn't help but worry. What if it really affected his family?
After a few attempts to get more information from his parents, the expected "retribution" never came. Instead, they began to look at him strangely.
The following days at school felt heavy. He imagined all sorts of possibilities, like being ambushed by Gu Qiumian's minions at the school gate, or having her father's driver knock him out and take him away.
But nothing happened.
In fact, when Gu Qiumian came to school the next day, she didn't seek revenge or ask any more questions. It was as though nothing had happened.
She was the same as always: wearing her scarf, carrying snacks, occasionally sharing them, and drawing funny faces on the glass when she felt like it.
But when they brushed past each other, there was no cold stare, no glaring. In fact, they even exchanged a few words. Their relationship had shifted into one of complete indifference.
Zhang Shutong had once been stubborn, thinking he could find the "real culprit" and tell them the truth. But unexpectedly, that was the last time they ever spoke. The anger he had been holding onto dispersed in an unexpected way, and that conflict became a sealed memory.
Years later, when he reflected on it, he realized that it was no longer about anger. It was about regret—about something that had been buried in his heart for so long, something he never meant to remember. But once it resurfaced, he couldn't help but think about how he could have handled it better.
There was no right or wrong in the end. What remained was the feeling of regret for something that cannot be fixed.
Zhang Shutong had once developed a system for categorizing people, but he didn't use it anymore. His method was simple: when dealing with complicated or hard-to-understand individuals, he would try to match them to characters he had read about in novels or comics. If it fit closely enough, he would categorize them and think he understood them.
He had tried this with Gu Qiumian, concluding that she was the aloof, high-class type. But over time, he realized she wasn't really like that. She just didn't care about most things, and since she didn't care, she didn't waste energy on them, which made her seem solitary.
At this moment, he thought Gu Qiumian was glaring at him. But when their gazes finally met, he realized he had complicated things unnecessarily.
Her expression wasn't surprised, nor was she looking for him to confess. She simply stood there, with a neutral expression, as if saying something completely ordinary:
"Move the chair. Let me in."
At that moment, trying to change seats would have seemed like an affectation. Zhang Shutong simply moved his chair forward, feeling a slight breeze from behind him.
Looking back at Gu Qiumian, she returned to her old spot. Her new desk mate was a boy she barely knew, and considering the unresolved tension between them, she seemed less than pleased.
She simply placed her bag on the desk and quietly started organizing her things.
She didn't speak, and Zhang Shutong enjoyed the peace. Some girls were easy to read, while others were a mystery, no matter their age. Gu Qiumian was one of the latter. So, Zhang Shutong decided not to waste any more brainpower on her.
Besides, he had something more important on his mind.
He had promised Du Kang he would help him, but Lu Qinglian's seat, both in front and next to her, had already been taken. However, the seat directly in front of her was still vacant.
Fortunately, most of the top-ranked students were girls, and for now, no one had their eye on that spot.
Though it had started as a trivial promise, Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "Well, I promised him, so I'll have to follow through."
He looked toward the front door, noticing a boy who hadn't yet been assigned to a seat. With a smile on his face, the boy quickly called out to the teacher:
"Mr. Song, can I sit next to Ding Xiaoxiao?"
Ding Xiaoxiao was the girl sitting in front of Lu Qinglian.
Mr. Song glanced at the roster and replied, "Just speak up if you have something to say."
"I've been having trouble seeing the board lately... I think I'm nearsighted. I'd like to sit closer to the board," the boy explained.
"Go sit by the wall then, there's an empty spot over there. If that doesn't work, grab a chair and sit by the podium."
The boy just chuckled awkwardly and remained silent.
Zhang Shutong couldn't help but laugh. The idea of sitting next to Lu Qinglian had become a coveted spot for every student. It was as though, by proximity, one's experience would improve faster.
However, when Gu Qiumian suddenly spoke up, Zhang Shutong's attention shifted back to her:
"What are you doing here?"
Her tone was calm, but there was always a ripple when she spoke.
Why did girls always have to dig deeper?
Zhang Shutong thought to himself.
But since he couldn't figure her out, he simply replied casually:
"Afraid of the cold."
"Stop pretending."
"Pure coincidence?"
"Ugh."
Gu Qiumian muttered in frustration, almost as though she had been waiting for him to ask what she meant.
Zhang Shutong didn't have time to inquire further. He was focused on the front door, as the teacher had already called another name, and another boy was quickly heading for the empty seat.
He raised his hand, knowing it was time to make his move:
"Mr. Song, I have something to say."
"Oh, it's you, Shutong. Go ahead."
Zhang Shutong took a deep breath and said:
"I've been tutoring Du Kang, and I promised him a seat closer to the front so I can help him with the problems."
Mr. Song laughed upon hearing this.
"You two are tutoring? That's like going fishing together."
He waved his hand casually.
"Go ahead. As long as you don't throw paper airplanes in my class."
Zhang Shutong casually tossed his school uniform toward Ding Xiaoxiao's seat. She was startled as it landed next to her, and the boy who had been called earlier froze in his tracks.
Now, he was caught between a rock and a hard place. He didn't want to give up, but at the same time, the seat was already taken.
With resentment in his eyes, he walked off and found another seat.
Zhang Shutong just pretended not to notice.
He thought he could hear the boy muttering, "How did Du Kang get away with this? Mr. Song, look at Zhang Shutong!"
But Zhang Shutong couldn't shake the feeling that it sounded like a royal decree: "Both of them are wolves in sheep's clothing; they cannot remain silent. They must be exterminated!"
Mr. Song shrugged, equally innocent:
"If they want to study, so be it. If you want, I can find someone to tutor you too. Why don't you stay after school?"
"I won't say anything more…" The boy quickly shut up.
Zhang Shutong silently mourned his misfortune.
Although things weren't as straightforward as they seemed, Du Kang had initially planned to sit near the front, and now he had no reason to mind sitting just a little closer. After all, there was always the next month's exam.
Next time for sure.