December 8, 2012. Saturday morning.
Zhang Shutong opened his eyes with a yawn. He hadn't slept well last night. He was someone who had trouble sleeping in new places. He had just gotten used to sleeping at his own home for two days, and then he moved again last night.
The mattress here was very soft, and his body would sink into it slightly, which he wasn't used to.
He pulled open the curtains, and the morning sun of winter made him squint his eyes slightly. The air was misty, and there seemed to be water droplets remaining on the artificial turf. Only now could he see the true appearance of this mountain villa.
He opened the window and took a breath. The coolness refreshed his mind. It was a morning that made him feel good.
So he quickly finished washing up, pushed open the door, and the scenery in the hallway was completely different from the one outside the window. This was a completely sealed and narrow space. When he looked down, he saw the deep brown wool rug, which was calmly laid there, filling his entire field of vision; and when he looked up...
It was a girl.
A girl with a noble appearance and demeanor walked out of the classically-styled hallway. But she seemed to have just woken up and hadn't washed yet. She was squinting the eyes that were usually so bright, her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her hair was a little messy. A few strands naughtily clung to her rosy lips.
She was still in that velvet robe. The deep red fabric formed a stark contrast with her snow-white skin, but the robe was not as neat as it was last night. It was now wrapped diagonally around her body, but it didn't hide the girl's graceful figure. Only her chest looked plump.
"Morning." Zhang Shutong nodded to Gu Qiumian. This scene reminded him of the bright scenery he had seen outside the window a moment ago. The stuffiness in the hallway seemed to disappear in an instant.
"Mm... morning." Miss Gu replied vaguely, and then suddenly stopped.
Time seemed to stand still. He saw the girl's eyes slowly widen. The cherry lips with hair clinging to them also slowly opened into an O shape, as if she had seen something incredible. At the same time, her startlingly pale face flushed at a visible speed, accompanied by a gasp. Gu Qiumian quickly hid back inside the door.
The noble girl seemed to have instantly turned into a fleeing princess, and Zhang Shutong was like a knight from a rival kingdom who had come to hunt her down, making Miss Gu lose her helmet and armor.
The heavy door slammed shut, and the hallway returned to silence, which led to two thoughts for Zhang Shutong:
First, no wonder her skin was so white and smooth like congealed fat. It was because she had thin skin, physically thin.
Second, she... seemed to have forgotten that he was staying here after she woke up?
So silly.
Zhang Shutong had heard of morning grumpiness, but it was the first time he had seen morning stupidity.
He took the elevator downstairs and saw Teacher Song chatting with the nanny. He was already dressed neatly, and his white shirt was more perfectly ironed than ever before, making him look like an elite. The man occasionally laughed heartily.
Teacher Song really didn't look bad when he was tidied up.
"Shutong, how did you sleep last night?"
Unfortunately, in the next moment, he gave himself away. The homeroom teacher winked at him and smiled slyly.
"So-so."
"That's definitely so-so. I think it shows great willpower that you could even fall asleep."
As he spoke, he showed the kind of profound smile that an adult would show a kid. Then he put on a serious face and questioned him with great moral integrity: "By the way, why did I just hear Qiumian scream? What bad thing did you do, kid? This is in her house. As your teacher, I have to keep a close eye on you."
But Zhang Shutong felt that these words were all wrong, as if he was saying that he could do bad things as long as it wasn't in her house. So he calmly explained: "She seems to have forgotten that we're staying here."
If Qingyi and the others were here, Zhang Shutong would use a more vivid metaphor: It was pretty much like a Pokémon trainer waking up in the morning and seeing Squirtle had evolved into Wartortle, and their face turned red in surprise.
Teacher Song showed a "that's it?" expression. The nanny on the side, however, took over and explained with a light laugh, "Mianmian has a little low blood sugar. She's easily dizzy every morning. Did she scare you?"
The nanny was a woman in her early forties, not very tall. There were already wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, giving people a quiet and kind feeling.
"Not at all," Zhang Shutong was a man of few words, but he wasn't impolite, especially when he saw his own washed clothes on the sofa. "I forgot to thank you last night, Auntie. The noodles were delicious."
"No problem. If you want to eat them again in the future, just tell Mianmian. You and the teacher can chat for now, I'll go up and check on her."
She nodded to Teacher Song and left. Only the teacher and student were left in the living room.
Zhang Shutong was thinking that the relationship between Gu Qiumian and her nanny might be very good, otherwise she wouldn't call her by a nickname.
Then he and Teacher Song chatted about some serious matters. Song Nanshan said that the police had called back this morning. It was indeed done by the people from the commercial street, and he was going to the police station to give a statement later.
"We didn't run around for nothing yesterday. This time, we succeeded greatly." Teacher Song stretched. "I heard that the city's leaders were even alerted. With the example of those five people, even if there are others on the street who are unhappy with her family, they'll have to think twice before doing anything in the future."
Zhang Shutong nodded. This was indeed a case of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys.
He then asked Teacher Song how he planned to deal with the five people. Teacher Song said, "Well, that's what I was about to tell you. They're definitely guilty of attempted arson. I heard they want to get a more serious sentence for them, but the specific result will depend on what Qiumian's dad says when he comes back."
"Her dad called back?"
"Yeah, he called back this morning. Actually, after I told him about the commercial street yesterday, he had already sent someone he trusted back. The fastest they can arrive is tomorrow. He himself will be a little late, but he booked a ticket overnight and said he won't be talking about business anymore."
"Business?" Zhang Shutong lowered his voice strangely.
"It's mainly about business. The other stuff is just a bonus. Come, let's go outside to talk." Teacher Song simply took him outside. "How should I put this? A man with her dad's wealth... basically no one can control him. Moral constraints are meaningless in reality. And how should I put this, you see he hasn't remarried all these years. Even if 'that something' happens, it's just something that happens when he's out of town on business. In a sense, it's a statement. His daughter is the most important thing in the world."
Teacher Song started talking about men again: "The same person has different identities. A man can sometimes be a scoundrel, but when he's a father, he's still reliable."
Zhang Shutong could understand. To summarize, his daughter was still the most important thing in Mr. Gu's heart, which made him feel relieved for no reason.
He then heard Song Nanshan say: "I guess Qiumian's own attitude towards this is also very complicated. In any case, just don't ask what you shouldn't ask."
That was a given. Zhang Shutong nodded again.
But who knew that Song Nanshan would suddenly say with a profound meaning: "Don't you ever become such a bastard, kid."
Zhang Shutong rolled his eyes and turned back into the house, not wanting to deal with this boring question. He didn't know how it got to be about him. Besides, did he really think it was so easy to be a bastard? First, a girl had to appear in front of him.
...
The next time he saw Gu Qiumian was at breakfast. She was sitting across from him.
Unfortunately, perhaps because she had been seen in her "messy" state in the morning, Miss Gu felt she had lost face and was glaring again.
Breakfast consisted of fried bacon and meat patties, as well as a few cold dishes. It was a mix of Chinese and Western food. She was now back to being a noble young lady. The way she held her knife and fork was very elegant, but she was always struggling with the meat patties. They had clearly been cut into strips, but she was dividing them into even smaller pieces.
This was their last meal at the Gu family's villa. After eating, they should leave.
Teacher Song had originally wanted to take the two of them off the island to have some fun, but now that the crisis was completely resolved and Gu Qiumian was safe, he no longer insisted. Besides, he had to go to the police station in the morning and could just drop Zhang Shutong off in the city later.
As for Zhang Shutong himself, he was also very busy this morning. Ruo Ping had already been rushing him on QQ, saying that they had to meet in front of "Beiyi Mall." They were going to buy things and go shopping. She had sent countless messages and had to keep it a secret from Du Kang, not mentioning it in the small group chat.
Because today's activity was only for the three of them: her, Qingyi, and himself. She said it was to give the other person a surprise. Even though it was Du Kang's birthday, he was mercilessly excluded.
Zhang Shutong felt that everyone was actually in on it. Take Du Kang, for example. On a normal weekend, he would have been yelling in the group chat, but today he wasn't even sending panda head emojis or chatting in the group. He was extremely calm, as if he was saying, "You guys go ahead, I don't know anything."
Today was calm. Zhang Shutong ate the most lavish breakfast he had since the regression. He stuffed a piece of bacon into his mouth, freed up one hand to type, and then heard Gu Qiumian ask, "Who are you chatting with?"
Zhang Shutong said it was a friend, but she huffed and said, "I think it's Feng Ruoping. What, she's the one who asked you to go out with friends?"
A woman's intuition was truly terrifying. Zhang Shutong nodded, admitting that it was, but Gu Qiumian stopped talking.
"What about you? What are you doing today?" Zhang Shutong asked in return.
"I haven't decided yet. I'll just be at home, I guess." She rolled her eyes. "What else is there to do?"
"What about your little friends?"
"I don't want to see them."
"I thought you were going to go out with them, like you normally do."
"I'm not in the mood today."
So this was a symptom of low blood sugar.
Zhang Shutong stopped talking, finished his breakfast, and habitually went to the sink to wash his plate and put it away. He could also see the artificial turf from the kitchen window. The difference was that the dark figure he had seen last night was gone—the poisoned guard dog had been taken away by the police.
The lawn therefore looked very clean. Looking into the distance, there was a lonely field with withered grass. A cold, thin fog quietly enveloped it, making it impossible to see the end.
Only at this time—even though the villa had everything—did Zhang Shutong remember that it was built in the most secluded part of the small island.
December 8, 2012, Saturday. The morning is the best time of the day. The morning hadn't even passed yet, but the few of them had already planned out their day.
Teacher Song was going to the police station to give a statement. He was going shopping with his best friends. Gu Qiumian was going to stay alone in the villa. At least, that's what it sounded like from her.
After looking at the scenery outside the window for a while, he had long lost the habit of watching TV and went back to the dining table to sit down.
—Teacher Song had just gone out to answer a call. He had just started eating and would be a while before he could leave.
At this time, Gu Qiumian was also eating absent-mindedly. She chewed in small bites and ate in silence, with the poise of a refined young lady.
Zhang Shutong was bored waiting. He rested one arm on the table and asked her: "Have you thought about what you're going to do at home?"
"Play the piano, or find a movie to watch."
"The egg yolk is running out." Zhang Shutong reminded her. It was a waste to cut the fried egg with a knife.
"Why are you always watching me eat?"
Zhang Shutong said "oh" and simply stared at the lawn outside.
The decorations and furnishings in her house were complete, but the only downside was that there were not many magazines. In such a remote place, he couldn't get a newspaper either, which made it really boring.
Zhang Shutong propped his chin up in boredom: "Speaking of which, I have a few movie recommendations."
"You don't need to recommend any. I don't have time to watch."
"Very busy?"
"Very busy." She continued to struggle with the meat patty on her plate.
"Then don't be so busy."
He took one last look at the field covered in thin fog outside the window. The boy moved his gaze away and invited the girl across from him: "Come with me later."