The woman's name was on the tip of his tongue.
It was Lu Qinglian.
But why was it still her?
Zhang Shutong stood frozen. The shock of this moment made him forget to pay attention to who the person behind him was. Since he came back to 2020, there were countless things he couldn't figure out, but the one thing that bothered him the most was—
Why was Lu Qinglian still dead?
His mind quickly recalled the information from before. The 24-year-old Du Kang told him that Lu Qinglian had been staying on this small island and guarding that temple for many years. The night before she died, she called him. Afterward, her body was found in a body of water called "Forbidden Zone." The investigation concluded that she had slipped and fallen into the water...
But Du Kang didn't believe any of it. He was adamant that someone had killed Lu Qinglian, because on December 10, eight years ago, Gu Qiumian's body was also found in the Forbidden Zone.
They both died at the same location, on the same day, eight years apart.
Therefore, that phone call was also deemed a cry for help.
At the time, he didn't take it too seriously. It was mainly because eight years was too long, and the results of their deaths were not identical. The "culprit's" motive could not be deduced... But why was Lu Qinglian still dead?
It wasn't that Zhang Shutong thought she had to commit suicide by jumping into the lake. It was that... if he had relived his life from eight years ago, he should at least have given her a necessary warning, even if he couldn't solve the problem perfectly, right?
Just like the missed call that had disappeared from his phone. If it was there, it would mean there was a problem. He couldn't have just stood by and done nothing, knowing what would happen.
But Lu Qinglian still died.
Why?
And she had called him in the original timeline, which meant she had something to tell him at that time.
But he had looked through his current call log, and they should have not been in contact for a long time.
Zhang Shutong then thought that since the funeral was still being held on December 12, according to the customs on the island, didn't that mean that even her date of death hadn't changed?
He suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness, just because the things that should have been changed on this timeline hadn't been changed.
At this time, the person behind him sighed again:
"Let's go, Shutong. Come outside and have a smoke with me."
Zhang Shutong then remembered to look at him. Anyone who called him "Shutong" must be someone he knew. But the person was a middle-aged man with a white shirt and a black suit. His hair was meticulously combed.
He was wearing a pair of glasses. If it weren't for some stubble on his chin that he hadn't shaved, he would look a lot like an intellectual.
What was most impressive was his height of over 1.8 meters. With his dress shoes, he was slightly taller than Zhang Shutong. A hooked nose, a square jaw... Wait, Zhang Shutong suddenly realized who he was:
"Teacher Song?"
He asked in astonishment.
This man wearing glasses and a suit with an elegant demeanor was Song Nanshan? Their crude homeroom teacher?
Song Nanshan squeezed out a smile when he heard this:
"It hasn't been that long. Don't be so surprised. Let's go out and talk, you and me."
When he said this, he had some of his old vibe. Zhang Shutong subconsciously followed his steps and saw his neatly ironed suit pants. He then thought that in the original timeline, Teacher Song should have resigned because of Gu Qiumian's incident, but now he seemed to be in high spirits. This must be the butterfly effect of the change.
He felt a little relieved.
The two of them walked out of the funeral home, walked a few steps forward, and leaned on the railing of the ring road around the lake.
Teacher Song handed him a cigarette. He lit it and took a puff. There was no coughing, no discomfort, and not even a sense of refreshment. But this was not a good sign. It meant he had a heavy addiction to smoking.
He didn't know what to say. He saw Teacher Song fiercely smoke most of a cigarette before he said:
"No one could have predicted what happened to Qinglian. Don't blame yourself too much."
Zhang Shutong originally wanted to ask what happened to Lu Qinglian, but he suddenly caught a slip of the tongue in the other person's words:
Wait, "blame yourself"?
What does "blame yourself" mean?
It wasn't that he had no reaction to Lu Qinglian's death. It was just that the shock had now overshadowed the grief. As someone who knew about it, the word "blame yourself" was appropriate for him to use, but why would Song Nanshan say it?
This made him remember the first thing the other person said when they met:
"My condolences."
What does "my condolences" mean?
No one had ever said those two words to him when he attended the funeral before.
On the other hand, the news of Lu Qinglian calling him had spread. Many people who liked to gossip said that he had broken up with her, and he became a "heartless man" that everyone despised.
But now that the missed call had disappeared, what did "my condolences" mean?
Or was he overthinking it, and it was just Song Nanshan comforting him as a homeroom teacher?
"She and I..." The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Zhang Shutong didn't know how to ask.
Teacher Song didn't explain much. He just patted him on the shoulder:
"I'll go in and help. When you see the other classmates... sit down and chat. After all, you haven't seen them for eight years. There's nothing you can't talk about after all these years.
"By the way, Ruoping just called me and said she'll be here soon. If you want to wait, just wait for her."
Song Nanshan waved and left. Zhang Shutong pinched out the cigarette. He was wondering what Teacher Song meant by "nothing you can't talk about."
And he also caught a new piece of information:
—Haven't seen them for eight years.
So, he hadn't returned even once in these eight years?
He could only ask Ruoping. She was the only one who hadn't cut off contact with him in the past eight years.
Although it was very cold outside, he didn't want to go in. Seeing Lu Qinglian's photo made him feel a bit choked up. He waited where he was.
Not long after, a white SUV drove up to the funeral home. A beautiful young woman got out. She had short hair, and her neat bangs had become air bangs, giving her a capable vibe.
Maybe because today was a special occasion, the woman was wearing a black, fitted down jacket. Compared to her fiery personality from before, she now had a cold and glamorous aura. The girl named Feng Ruoping had also grown up.
Even so, seeing her still gave him a sense of security. Zhang Shutong was about to try to squeeze out a smile and say hello, but the woman frowned when she saw him. Her attitude was lukewarm, and her tone was complicated as she said:
"You actually came."
Zhang Shutong's smile froze on his face.
He didn't understand what this distant tone was all about. He was prepared to be teased by her, but she seemed... not very happy to see him?
He heard Ruoping continue to say:
"Since you're here, don't just stand outside. Du Kang is also here today. When you two see each other later, don't... sigh."
She sighed, seeming unwilling to say more.
"Where's Qingyi?"
"He's too far away and couldn't make it back."
Zhang Shutong nodded. Qingyi was the most stable one. He hadn't come back last time either.
He wanted to ask a few more questions, but Ruoping wasn't going to say more. She had already walked into the funeral home with her bag. Zhang Shutong then realized that their forms of address were also not quite right.
He was used to calling them "Qingyi" and "Ruoping." Ruoping was also used to calling him "Shutong." But this time, she had directly changed it to "you."
What on earth was going on? They had just come down from the rooftop the day before, complaining about how they had to freeze while he and the young miss watched a movie, and asking for compensation. Then they were discussing whether to get supper. Why did they suddenly become like strangers?
Right. For him, it was just the day before, but for them, eight years had passed.
But the Ruoping from back then wasn't like this. At that time, she was even in the mood to joke around, teasing him about the rumor:
"Hey, little boyfriend, long time no see."
But now she was silent. Zhang Shutong watched her purse her lips and walk quickly. She didn't stop until she reached the mourning hall. She then bowed three times deeply to the photo. When she stood up straight again, her eyes were a little red.
Zhang Shutong then suddenly understood. It wasn't just his relationship with Lu Qinglian that had changed. They had also changed.
Because of the incident of catching the poachers that night, Ruoping had started calling her "Qinglian, Qinglian." It wasn't that they had become close friends, but their relationship had definitely taken a big step forward.
In that case, it wasn't strange for her to be sad for Lu Qinglian.
So he also said to Ruoping softly:
"My condolences."
Ruoping was silent for a moment. She just glanced at him and didn't respond.
"Anyone can say that, but you shouldn't!"
At this time, a male voice suddenly rang out from behind him. The man seemed to be suppressing his anger. Zhang Shutong turned around. The person was a young man with a crew cut and a baby face. Who else could it be but Du Kang?
It took Zhang Shutong a moment to confirm that the words were directed at him. He then heard Du Kang say angrily:
"This is how you protect her? Zhang Shutong, it looks like you don't feel anything at all! 'My condolences,' you..."
Many eyes turned to them. Ruoping stepped in between them, and her voice also rose:
"Alright, what are you two arguing about now? If you wanted to act like a hero, what were you doing before?"
As she spoke, she also became emotional:
"Now you're losing your temper at Qinglian's funeral. If you have the guts, go out and fight. Don't stay here and be an eyesore. Don't you guys feel embarrassed? I'm embarrassed for you!"
Du Kang then fell silent. He slowly let out a sigh and turned away.
Zhang Shutong sensed that the atmosphere was wrong. No, it wasn't just that the atmosphere was wrong. It was that their relationship had completely gone wrong. He asked Ruoping in a low voice:
"What's wrong with Du Kang?"
Ruoping's gaze was even stranger, with a hint of an indescribable disappointment:
"Are you sure you're asking me?"
"I just... I'm a little confused."
"Zhang Shutong, you're still as heartless as you were before," Ruoping's words were like a sharp knife.
"...I'm sorry," Zhang Shutong was choked up.
These words made Ruoping's attitude soften a little. She no longer looked at him. Instead, she lowered her gaze and stared silently at Lu Qinglian's photo. After a while, she said:
"What's the use of apologizing to me? It's been so many years. I know what kind of person you are. I don't have any expectations of you, but back then... you shouldn't have done that to Qinglian."
Zhang Shutong was completely bewildered. When did he do anything to Lu Qinglian?
"Let's go outside and talk," Ruoping said, leaving him behind.
His mind was even more muddled. He had just gone out with Teacher Song, and now he was turning back after just a short time. The two of them came to the railing of the highway. Zhang Shutong was about to ask what had happened, but Ruoping just changed the subject:
"Are you still dating your high school girlfriend?"
"Who?"
"That senior. Is there anyone else?" Ruoping said with a cold laugh.
It was the first time Zhang Shutong had ever heard that he had a girlfriend. He then heard Ruoping say to herself:
"You probably haven't forgotten, have you? In the first semester of our first year of high school, we went to the city to find you. We didn't tell you. We wanted to give you a surprise, but we happened to see you and that senior of yours shopping. When we ran into you, Du Kang was stunned..."
Zhang Shutong was also stunned when he heard this. The deviation was too big. He simply stopped passively trying to get information and asked directly, "So much time has passed, and I've forgotten everything. What exactly happened back then?"
Ruoping's eyes showed even more disappointment:
"You hadn't even broken up with Qinglian for half a year, and you turned your back on her and got together with someone else. Do you have the nerve to ask me what happened now?
"Oh, of course. You can say that you two never officially dated, so it wasn't a breakup, but we, especially Du Kang, took it seriously!"
Zhang Shutong's mouth just opened slightly.
Wait, what do you mean he "dumped Lu Qinglian"?!