Chapter 9 - The Mysterious Girl, Lu Qinglian

『 Translator – Divinity 』

Evening had fallen, and the light from his phone screen illuminated his face.

Zhang Shutong opened and closed his mouth silently. The news was quite a shock.

How did she end up here?

The cyan robe was too iconic to be mistaken. The girl's posture was quite serious; the kind of low folding stool she sat on would force most people to hunch, yet she sat perfectly straight, just as she did in class. With patches of unmelted snow around her, the scene had the distinct air of a lone fisherman on a snowy river.

Zhang Shutong tried his best to remember. He had long since forgotten many things from his school days, but he could guarantee that Lu Qinglian had absolutely never come fishing with them before.

Which butterfly had flapped its wings this time?

It couldn't have been me, could it?

Zhang Shutong wasn't the type to read too much into things. It was true that Lu Qinglian had come to talk to him after school, but he felt that he had resolved that matter then and there.

He didn't think she was the type to get hung up on things, either. Besides, it wasn't like he was so charming that a single misunderstanding would cause her to cling to him. That seemed highly unrealistic.

But it wasn't that big of a deal. He had spent too long in that damn Forbidden Zone, and his nerves were shot. In reality, the Forbidden Zone wasn't that far from their fishing spot; in the daytime, you could almost see one from the other across the lake.

That was why Zhang Shutong had initially thought Ruoping and the others had run into the killer and met with disaster, which had given him quite a scare.

By comparison, having Lu Qinglian show up was a far more harmless development. He could just leave her to Du Kang.

It was less than a ten-minute bike ride, and he soon arrived at the designated spot.

Moonlight spilled out from between the dense clouds, leaving only a sliver of brightness.

Zhang Shutong parked his bike in the dark and looked down. Through the thick reeds, he could see Ruoping idly scrolling on her phone.

This spot wasn't like the Forbidden Zone; you couldn't just walk to the shore from the road. The lake's surface was much lower here, and you had to descend a dirt slope to get to it. Because of this, the water was very shallow nearby, making it an excellent spot for winter fishing.

The only thing was, you couldn't park your bike on the road. You had to carry it down and hide it in the reeds. This way, you wouldn't have to worry about being caught by a patrolling police officer. With the group sitting behind the reeds, which acted as a natural screen, and the cover of darkness, it was very private, and no one would ever find them.

Strangely, when Zhang Shutong looked around, he only saw two people. The closer one was the short-haired girl playing on her phone.

The girl had a delicate face and wore a flower-petal headband in her short hair. Her bangs were neatly trimmed, and when she wasn't speaking, she actually had the air of a proper, well-bred lady.

But this demure face was paired with a mouth that was just a bit too large. Not that Zhang Shutong could call it a flaw; there were several famous actresses with large mouths, and criticizing it would just reveal his own poor taste.

He remembered a time a couple of years back when the girl had dragged them to see a movie, ‘If You Are the One’, or something like that. It was a romantic art film. After it was over, she had pestered them for their thoughts.

Zhang Shutong and his friends hadn't understood it at all—or rather, it wouldn't have mattered if they had, because their opinions were nowhere near what the girl wanted to hear.

The moment they stepped out of the theater, she had pouted, stomped her foot, and, pointing at Shu Qi on the poster in exasperation, said,

"Who says girls with big mouths can't be beautiful?”

The boys, of course, immediately nodded and showered her with praise, and just as expected, she beamed like a flower.

This was Feng Ruoping—impetuous and full of energy. Zhang Shutong had always thought she had the bearing of a wandering swordswoman of old.

She looked gentle enough, but in reality, she had the shortest temper of them all. The three boys were all scared of her; she was an expert at both picking on people and fiercely defending her own, though the people she picked on and defended were usually the same three boys.

At the moment, the girl was subconsciously chewing on her thumb, her other hand swiping back and forth across a screen, though it was hard to tell what she was doing.

He had assumed she'd immediately call him out the moment she heard him, but she didn't even look up when he came to her side. Just as he was about to speak, Ruoping frowned and shooed him away.

"Go away, go away, we'll talk later..."

Zhang Shutong glanced at her screen and saw a fat red chicken... or maybe a bird, under her finger. The bird was perched on a slingshot, its eyes wide. As Ruoping finished speaking, the bird flew out with a twang and slammed pitifully into a concrete barricade, leaving only the green pigs inside to snicker happily.

Level Failed.

—These two large words appeared on the screen.

"ZHANG! SHU! TONG!" The girl snapped her head up, gritting her teeth just like one of the Angry Birds.

Zhang Shutong raised his hands innocently.

"Shutong, just ignore her. She's been stuck on this level for a few days," a calm voice drifted over from ahead of them.

The owner of the voice was a boy.

The boy was wrapped in a khaki wool overcoat, a pair of fluffy earmuffs pressing his choppy black hair down over his forehead. He sat by the water's edge, holding a fishing rod in one hand and, amazingly, a book in the other. Paired with his deadpan expression, the whole look was impeccable.

Out of a possible ten, Zhang Shutong would give the outfit an eight.

"That's because you've been wearing those earmuffs and haven't said a word since you arrived! What else am I supposed to do besides play games on my phone? Go catch turtles?" Ruoping immediately redirected her fire, demanding furiously.

"And what's with the earmuffs in this weather? Are you cold?"

The boy turned his head away and said nothing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruoping whipped her head around.

"He can't hear you," Zhang Shutong translated for her.

"Huh?"

"To be more precise, he's committed to his persona. He feels that his current getup makes it impossible for him to hear you."

Qingyi suffered from a severe case of eighth-grade syndrome, with a moderate side of literary-hipster pretentiousness.

He was never without a book. You could see him with anything from a trendy magazine or an old manga volume to a hardcover novel. He usually wore a deadpan expression and didn't talk much, but that was because he was immersed in his own world.

Zhang Shutong had always felt that with such a prime example right there, the "aloof and cool" label could never truly apply to him.

Checking his social media feed eight years in the future, it looked like he'd become a department head at a major corporation—a quintessential tech elite.

Sometimes he would post pictures, but they could hardly be called landscape photos. They were usually taken from inside an office tower dozens of stories high, looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows. The city was lively at night, with pedestrians like ants below and the flowing traffic like a ribbon of colored light.

On rare occasions, he would post a group photo from a company dinner. The young women always seemed to gather around him, but even amidst the feasting and glamour, his face remained deadpan.

He also raised a golden retriever, and would occasionally post a selfie with it. Only then would that eternally unthawing face of his crack a rare, faint smile.

More often, though, he would post some deep, philosophical quote with the caption, "From a book I'm reading, highly recommend." Zhang Shutong never fell for his proselytizing; he would just 'like' the post. Qingyi would then reply with the smile emoji—the one from the WeChat sticker pack that looks incredibly passive-aggressive.

They had kept in touch like this for many years, never chatting directly, their interactions confined to their social media feeds. It was like a duel between experts, brief and to the point, and there was a certain tacit understanding in it.

In a way, it had been the same eight years ago.

"Which book is it today?" Zhang Shutong asked, walking over to his friend and looking at the book in his hand.

"The Haunting of the Headless. It came out last year. It's a classic mystery."

He didn't really need to explain so much; it wasn't like Zhang Shutong had heard of it anyway. The only detective stories he was familiar with were ‘Conan’ and ‘Sherlock Holmes’.

But that didn't stop Zhang Shutong from giving him a thumbs-up.

"Cool."

In the darkness, the other boy returned the thumbs-up.

"But can you really see the words in the dark?"

"...To be honest, no."

"I give up," Ruoping sighed, facepalming. "A true case of eighth-grade syndrome."

Qingyi immediately whipped his head around to glare at her, his book forgotten.

See? That's eighth-grade syndrome for you. Its greatest weakness is the term itself.

Four stools had already been set up by the water. Zhang Shutong sat down on one and watched the other two bicker.

Ruoping, having had enough, ripped off his earmuffs. Qingyi sighed and tried to bargain for their return. Ruoping grinned like a demon king and said,

"Fine, but you have to beat five levels of Angry Birds for me..."

It took them a while to settle down.

The two of them sat down on either side of Zhang Shutong. Qingyi handed him his fishing rod, asking him to fish for him for a bit while he battled the green pigs.

Zhang Shutong was about to ask if there was anything to drink when Ruoping suddenly leaned in and said, "If it weren't for you, I would've passed that level already. Don't forget, you owe me five levels too."

He encouraged her in return, "You should try staging a scene like that in class tomorrow. I guarantee you won't have to play a single level; you'll get your phone confiscated and can just uninstall the game then."

At that, Ruoping got angry and shot out her demonic claws. Zhang Shutong failed to dodge, and his hair was thoroughly ruffled.

Messing up their hair was her favorite thing to do, and since he felt that a man's hairstyle was sacrosanct, she had a firm grip on his weak spot.

She didn't like fishing, either. She'd just prop her face in her hands and watch them, acting as their referee. Sometimes Zhang Shutong felt it was a bit hard on her, always having to run around with a bunch of boys.

But Ruoping had a weakness for handsome faces. Once, when he'd asked her about it, she had covered her mouth with her hand and giggled:

"Because you and Qingyi are handsome, of course."

At times like that, all he could do was shrug, unsure of how to reply.

Then he heard her ask:

"Where did you just go?"

He couldn't answer that. After a moment's thought, Zhang Shutong said,

"My mom called and asked me to deliver something for her, so I had to make a quick trip."

"You must have been flying. Haven't you eaten? I brought crackers, want some?"

"Sure."

"Want some water?"

"Perfect, if you have any."

Zhang Shutong found it hard to describe the relationship between the guys and Ruoping. They were all only children, but he imagined that if any of them had an older or younger sister, it would be a lot like this.

Sometimes she was like their big sister—a bit of a nag, yes, but always looking out for them. She was always managing everyone, chattering and asking about this and that, but no one ever got annoyed. They just let her take charge.

Other times, she was like their little sister. Once, some upperclassmen made her cry. She came running back, her eyes red, and gave them all a fright. She was wiping her tears away, upset that no one was comforting her, but when she looked up, she saw the three of them with grim faces, getting ready to grab their weapons. Startled, she quickly said,

"What do you think you're doing?"

They were at their "base" at the time—a treasure chest hidden inside a large, abandoned drainage pipe. The gear inside was something else. The three of them put on their motorcycle helmets and, looking fierce, were about to hop on their bikes to go settle the score.

But when Ruoping saw this, she couldn't help but laugh through her tears and told them she'd already chewed out the other person until they were crying.

She had won, but on the way back, she started thinking her insults hadn't been vicious enough. If only she'd said this and that, it would have been a truly soul-crushing victory. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, until she had worked herself up into tears...

What could anyone even say to that?

Later, he and Ruoping lost touch. He didn't know if the fiery girl was doing well.

These were the kinds of stories they shared on the island. Eight years later, living alone in a rented apartment, whenever he thought of the past, these memories would always occupy an important place in his heart.

The bobber twitched. Zhang Shutong lifted his rod, and a small fish leaped from the water.

The fish was only as long as his index finger, hardly counting as a real "trophy." He tossed it back in.

I'll let you go today. Don't forget to return the favor when you're all grown up.

In reality, a fish that's been hooked once is much harder to catch a second time. It's just like people. Growing up is like being a fish; every time you get hooked, you learn to be a little smarter.

Eventually, you become a wary and cunning old fish, wise in the ways of self-preservation. You're the biggest one around, free to roam the entire body of water as you please. But where have all the little fish who used to swim alongside you gone? There's nothing to be done, except to slow the process down as much as you can.

And so, he let out a sudden, emotional sigh.

"It would be nice if things could just stay like this forever.

His casual remark made both Qingyi and Ruoping nod. He wasn't sure who brought it up first, but they started talking about the future. In the long term, there was high school; in the short term, the winter and summer holidays. Today was Wednesday, so there were plans for the weekend, trips off the island, vacation destinations…

The outside world was always full of possibilities.

"But this is pretty nice too," Zhang Shutong said.

"Yeah."

"Just the few of us," Ruoping added with a smile.

The three of them stopped talking and just stared quietly at the water, which rippled from time to time. In the background, they could hear the caws of birds smashing into pigs.

After a long silence, Zhang Shutong suddenly asked:

"Hey... are we missing someone?"

Ruoping was startled into realizing it too.

"Hey, that's right. Where's Du Kang?"

……

Ruoping suddenly looked a bit sheepish, since she had been the one to say, "just the few of us is pretty nice."

Zhang Shutong had only just remembered the issue himself and quickly asked why there were only two of them.

"Don't change the subject. I still want to ask you what was going on today. How did you suddenly end up sitting next to the Young Lady? And what about that scratch paper..."

"Didn't Du Kang tell you?"

"You think I'd believe him?"

Qingyi piped up, intrigued. "So you like Gu Qiumian? We saw her after school. Want us to help you ask her out this weekend?"

Zhang Shutong rolled his eyes at them.

"Hurry up and tell us!"

Ruoping's future boyfriend is going to have his hands full.

Just as he was trying to think of a way to change the subject, Qingyi suddenly spoke up in a mysterious tone:

"It's better if you don't ask. What makes a man a man is that he will always have a forbidden sanctuary in his heart, a place no one else can touch."

Dude, where on earth did you find that cringey quote? But at that moment, Zhang Shutong grabbed onto it like a lifeline.

"Agreed."

"Fine, don't tell us."

Ruoping didn't get along with Gu Qiumian anyway.

Zhang Shutong breathed a sigh of relief.

"So where did Du Kang go? I saw his bike is still here."

"Oh, him?" Ruoping smiled mysteriously.

"He's probably off somewhere grinning like a fool. Oh, right, did you see the photo I sent?"

"Lu Qinglian? Right, what's she doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Me?"

"Who else would it be? You're the one who was writing her name all over the place. I can't think of any other explanation."

Zhang Shutong pretended he hadn't heard and asked again:

"What happened?”

"So, after school, we were going to head to dinner without you, but Du Kang forgot something and had to run back. When he came out again, he was dragging his feet like you wouldn't believe. I asked him why he was being so coy, and guess what happened?"

Ruoping laughed as she said this.

"I saw him move to the side, and it turns out there was a girl hiding behind him—Lu Qinglian was right there. Du Kang told us that when he went back to the classroom, she had asked him if she could tag along for fishing."

Zhang Shutong raised an eyebrow, curious.

"So things are finally happening between them?"

Ruoping just gave him a sarcastic little laugh, ignored the question, and went on.

"I always thought Lu Qinglian was totally unconcerned with worldly things, so I was surprised she was interested in fishing. We figured, why not? We told her where to go, ate dinner, and came here first. She arrived a little while after."

Zhang Shutong looked around.

"So she fished for a bit and then went home? Du Kang saw her off?"

"Not quite. We'd just taught her how to cast—it was right when I sent you that photo. Then she said she suddenly remembered something and would be back after she took care of it. Didn't say where she was going, just put down the rod and left, with Du Kang still sitting here looking stunned..."

At this point, Qingyi picked up the story.

"We had to tell him, 'It's getting late, aren't you going to go check on her?' Only then did he think to run after her. Not long after he left, you showed up, Shutong."

Zhang Shutong pieced the whole story together, but still couldn't come to a conclusion.

So, after all that, he still had no idea what Lu Qinglian was doing here.

She couldn't have really come just to fish, right?

He found the girl's way of doing things somewhat familiar, a lot like his past self. Sometimes he'd be in the middle of something with friends or family when a regression would trigger. Not being good at making up excuses, he would just hastily say he had something to do and run off.

Other times, he would butt into a situation he wanted to interfere with, even if the people involved didn't know him from Adam. He would just force his way in, and while others stared at him in surprise, he would feel like a superhero making his grand entrance.

He wanted to ask something else, but then he saw Ruoping waving at someone behind them.

"Over here, over here... They're back. If you have any questions, just ask them directly.”