Ruoping was like a machine gun, these words had been pent up inside her for a long time, and the more she spoke, the angrier she got:
"The entire second semester of your last year of junior high, you two were together almost every day. You kept saying that you weren't interested in Lu Qinglian, but you were with her behind our backs. What were we supposed to think? Wasn't Du Kang sad for a long time? One was his best friend, and the other was the girl he had a crush on. What was he supposed to think?
"But he thought that you were very affected after that incident, so he kept it all inside. I still remember that night when he brought a bottle of wine to find Qingyi and me. He was almost crying, but he deliberately pretended to be nonchalant, saying that he was voluntarily withdrawing from the competition to make his best friend happy. I even lectured him, 'You didn't even compete, so how can you withdraw?'... So, back then, no one blamed you, Shutong, but you shouldn't have turned your back on her as soon as we graduated."
Ruoping seemed to be completely immersed in her memories. She continued in a lonely tone:
"Her grandma wouldn't let her go to high school. We were all trying to find a way, looking for teachers, for the school, for the education bureau... This should have been something you did, but do you remember what you said back then?
"You said that we didn't need to interfere and that you had a plan. I thought that you would be like you were before. Although you liked to be mysterious, you always managed to arrange everything. But it wasn't until school was about to start that we found out that you were actually lying. You lied to everyone. By the time we realized it, school had already started, and the best time for mediation had passed. And what about you? What did you do? We still thought you must have had your own reasons and waited for you to give us an explanation. Didn't we say that we would all go to high school in town together? But when school started, we found out that you had quietly left for the city."
"Okay, I can not blame you for the school thing. I can also not blame you for ignoring Lu Qinglian!" She became more and more agitated, pointing at the funeral home entrance with her manicured finger. "But why did you lie to us back then? Don't you know that because of this, Qinglian, her whole life, from birth to death, never even left this small island? She stayed in that temple her whole life!"
"And then? What happened after that? We still thought you weren't that kind of person and that there was some hidden reason. But when we went to the city, we found that you were with that senior of yours!
"Now, tell me again, how do you have the nerve to say 'my condolences' to me?"
Zhang Shutong subconsciously took a step back, completely at a loss for words.
He could only try to sort out the sequence of events:
From the second semester of junior high, he and Lu Qinglian were together every day. And from what they said, it didn't seem like they were just friends. Then, after junior high graduation, he went to the city with his parents because of a job transfer, not to the high school in town. Everyone had originally agreed to go to high school in town, but he not only didn't keep his promise but also lied to all of them;
Not only that, Lu Qinglian's grandma wouldn't let her go to high school on the island. They could have found an educational organization to mediate, but he interfered and completely destroyed her future;
And that wasn't all. Besides turning his back on them, when he got to the city, he went and dated that senior of his?
But this was completely wrong. Leaving aside that he didn't have any feelings for Lu Qinglian, just in terms of time, from the second semester of junior high, he came back in December, and school started in February. In just two months, he and Lu Qinglian became a couple?
It was true that he wanted to enjoy a normal life, but it couldn't have been like this. Besides, why would he go to the city just to date a senior?
It was true that Zhang Shutong had a crush on her before, but after all these years, that feeling had long since disappeared. He asked himself, this really didn't seem like something he would do. But he wanted to defend himself, but he suddenly remembered the call log he just saw on his phone. He had just chatted with a woman named "Su Yunzhi" last night. What was going on?
In just two months, he completely became a different person?
What puzzled him the most was his relationship with Lu Qinglian. She was not his type at all. He wouldn't date her even if he dated anyone else. And why would he harm her?
But Du Kang was about to get angry just now, and Ruoping's eyes turned red as she spoke. It seemed that his friends had no reason to lie to him... But could they still be called "friends" now? Zhang Shutong suddenly felt a bit lonely. He had thought that after starting over, he should cherish this relationship more, especially when he found their numbers in his phone. He had a faint feeling of joy.
But now, it seemed that their relationship was even worse than in the original timeline. Back then, they just hadn't been in contact for a long time, but when childhood friends met, they still felt close. But now, one was nowhere to be found, one was almost an enemy, and another one was willing to say a few words, but her tone was completely unfamiliar.
Why did it turn out like this?
Zhang Shutong lit another cigarette. He seemed to understand why his current self was addicted to smoking.
His life hadn't changed. He was still the person who deliberately isolated himself from the outside world...
His friends were also like strangers...
Lu Qinglian still passed away in the end...
It was a complete mess.
This life was even worse than the last one. What did he even change?
"Calm down on your own."
Ruoping left a cold sentence and walked into the funeral home.
Zhang Shutong watched her leave and stood there for a while. He looked at the dark blue lake, slowly slid down the railing, and squatted down.
But then Ruoping came out of the funeral home again. They were far apart. She suddenly threw something at him. Zhang Shutong subconsciously caught it. It was a car key.
"Take this and wait in the car. Don't embarrass yourself by standing outside," she frowned. "And don't smoke in my car."
Just as Zhang Shutong was about to thank her, she had already gone back in.
He held his freezing body and opened the door of the SUV. There was a faint scent in the car. Zhang Shutong sat in the passenger seat and reclined the seat a little.
He stared at the car's ceiling, physically and mentally exhausted. To be honest, he really wanted to just fall asleep and not think about anything, but that was running away. He had to at least figure out what had happened first.
He found Qingyi's number and his finger lingered on the dial button, but at this time, a man rudely squeezed into the car. He turned to look and saw that it was Song Nanshan.
He had a meticulously combed haircut, but when he opened his mouth, he gave himself away:
"You know what? Ruoping really knows about cars," Teacher Song patted and touched everywhere, praising it. "Toyota cars are indeed good. They don't break."
Zhang Shutong wasn't in the mood to ask him where his Focus car was. He put his phone away. Teacher Song asked, "Are you guys fighting again? You're too old for this."
Yes, they were too old for this. Or rather, the word "fighting" shouldn't exist in the adult world.
Teacher Song was still rambling, talking about Japanese cars, American cars, BBAs, and the three moms.
Zhang Shutong wasn't sure what he wanted to say, but it wasn't bad to have someone rambling in his ear, so he just kept his mouth shut and listened patiently to his homeroom teacher.
"Shutong, this kind of defeat doesn't suit you."
Song Nanshan suddenly said.
Zhang Shutong was stunned. He thought, "Teacher, you're wrong this time. I haven't been doing well all these years. The only time I wasn't defeated was during those four days, and you remembered all of it."
Song Nanshan, however, seemed to be relieved. He had a look of recollection:
"I still remember how you were that night. Do you remember? The time we were looking for a van. It was also winter, not long ago. It was raining, and we were both soaking wet. I was so anxious my face turned pale, but you had everything arranged... I didn't want to bring it up, but in my heart, you're already very impressive. Don't blame yourself."
Zhang Shutong opened his mouth soundlessly, wanting to apologize to him. He wasn't as impressive as he thought he was, and he seemed to have really failed everyone's expectations, although he didn't understand why it turned out like this.
"You're the student your teacher is most proud of."
His homeroom teacher said again.
Song Nanshan patted him on the shoulder, just like he did when he was teaching him how to chase girls. He took out a piece of paper from the inner pocket of his neatly pressed suit jacket and handed it to him. It was a photo:
"This is our graduation photo. You didn't want it back then, so I kept it for you. I brought it with me today, thinking I might run into you. Take it."
After saying that, he got out of the car. Before leaving, he made a joke:
"I already paid for the photo printing. You don't have to pay me back."
Then the car door closed heavily. He was like a sharp swordsman. He seemed to have said a lot, but what he really wanted to say was only three sentences. It was like he drew his sword and swung it countless times, but only three strikes were needed to seal the throat.
In the enclosed space, Zhang Shutong silently took the photo.
It was their junior high school graduation photo. The banner above their heads read, "Class of 2012 Yingcai Middle School Graduates."
Teacher Song moved a stool to the front and sat in the middle. He was the homeroom teacher, sitting casually with his legs apart.
He was in the fourth row on the right. His friends were all around him. Du Kang was striking a very exaggerated pose. A faint smile appeared on Qingyi's face, which was usually expressionless. Ruoping was behind him and Qingyi, making bunny ears behind their heads. He happened to have discovered her and was turning his head to roll his eyes. This scene was captured by the camera.
He also saw Lu Qinglian, standing at the back, expressionless as always, but at least she looked like a girl. Or rather, it was at least a color photo... He held this photo in his hand after eight years. In fact, the faces in this photo were the ones he was most familiar with.
The surface of this photo was already sticky. Teacher Song was still that crude man at heart, and his memories were as viscous as water. Zhang Shutong leaned back in the passenger seat and stared at it in a daze.
He didn't know how long had passed. The sky was getting darker. He heard people talking outside the car. It turned out that Teacher Song had put his arms around Ruoping and Du Kang and was walking over.
He laughed and said, "Alright, alright. What are you young people doing standing around at a funeral home? Hurry up and go eat before it gets dark. You two used to be so close you were inseparable. After so many years of not seeing each other, just say whatever's on your mind and get drunk."
Then Ruoping sighed, as if she had turned back into that fiery young girl from back then who was always getting a headache from the three boys. She opened the car door. Du Kang was still a bit unwilling, but Ruoping glared at him:
"Why are you more difficult than me?"
Du Kang then got into the back seat with a sullen face. He deliberately gave his seat to Teacher Song. It used to be that the homeroom teacher would drive them four around in his Focus car, and they would all be squeezed together, smelling the smoke. But now it was the other way around.
But Song Nanshan said, "I'm not going. I don't want you guys to feel uncomfortable with a teacher around. Whether you cry, laugh, fight, or curse tonight, just be happy."
The three of them finally got in the car. Ruoping also became a cool driver. She drove the SUV onto the ring road. The scenery outside the window quickly retreated. She glanced at Du Kang in the rearview mirror, breaking the silence:
"Your place?"
"My restaurant is closed for a few days," Du Kang grumbled. "The usual place."
Ruoping nodded and then fell silent again.
Everyone knew what "the usual place" meant. Zhang Shutong said something to Ruoping, and she rolled down the window a little. The lake was outside. He let the wind blow on his face, as if he could see the backs of four young people fishing on the shore.
The car drove into the city. There were more private cars on the small island now. The city was a bit more prosperous than it was eight years ago, but only a little. The three of them were all too familiar with this road. He watched Ruoping take a shortcut, and sometimes she would ask Du Kang if she was unsure. The car finally slowed down at the entrance of the commercial street. There really weren't many people today. It was still as quiet and cold as ever.
The car could drive inside. The SUV finally stopped in front of the "Jianan Huyu" restaurant.
Zhang Shutong unbuckled his seatbelt. He got out of the car and looked at the shops around him. This street was almost the same as before. Most of them were two-story storefronts, but the shops had basically been replaced.
The night when he and his homeroom teacher went into the rain to look for a van was still vivid in his memory, but now, he could no longer find the hat and scarf shop.
"Be content, city boy. What do you want, something more high-class? It's a miracle that this Huyu restaurant is still in business." Ruoping saw that he wasn't going in and said sarcastically. She then took Du Kang inside to order.
But when he heard her words, Zhang Shutong's heart suddenly clenched.
He finally realized where the subtle sense of incongruity he had felt since the Rewind came from:
Why was this commercial street...
Still here?