"That's an interesting question you're asking," Qingyi caught the key phrase. "Should she have seen it, not could she?"
"I have a bit of a suspicion."
"That's true. Her nanny clearly said she didn't notice anything unusual, but from the kitchen, she could see the dog?"
"Mm." Zhang Shutong nodded. "But there are two things we can't be sure of. First, she might not have actually seen it. It's so dark outside, and that dog is a black dog. And when cooking or washing dishes, people rarely specifically look out the window."
"Second, even if the nanny really did see it," Zhang Shutong frowned here, "what would be her motive for hiding it?"
Qingyi also fell into thought. "If she were in league with the arsonists, she should have just opened the door for them."
"That's why I said it's a discovery that isn't really a discovery."
"How long has that live-in nanny been working there?" Qingyi asked again.
"Since Gu Qiumian's first year of middle school."
"Then there's even less motive. If she wanted to do something, she would have done it a long time ago, unless something happened recently?"
"It's not impossible." Zhang Shutong sighed. The threads were becoming more tangled than ever.
"Then your mission today is quite challenging. It's not just for fun. You have to accompany Gu Qiumian and also try to sort out the clues." Qingyi rarely made a joke.
"It's more than that." Zhang Shutong held up a third finger. "I also have to look out for Ruoping."
He thought of her attitude at school, the couple's outfits, the eagerness to meet her new deskmate. She was like a little devil who was afraid that the world would be too peaceful. He didn't know why, but people always liked to speculate about a romantic relationship between him and Gu Qiumian. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
Teacher Song was like this, and Ruoping was like this... But it was only a headache. He could still handle it.
"Why isn't she back yet, and Gu Qiumian too."
"That's how girls are." Zhang Shutong thought to himself that he hadn't even told him about the clothes-changing incident this morning.
"I'm quite looking forward to how you'll handle it." Qingyi was a little mischievous.
Zhang Shutong ignored him and looked towards the bathroom. The toy store and the restrooms were not far from each other, in a diagonal position. So he hadn't moved and just stood outside the display window chatting with Qingyi. He could appreciate Optimus Prime, and if he turned his head, he could see the entrance.
—Unless something happened to Gu Qiumian in the women's restroom.
But the probability of that was too small. Zhang Shutong had to be prepared, but that didn't mean he was going to be an overthinker. Otherwise, he could also say that there was a possibility that Miss Gu would choke on plain water. Besides, there was a lot of foot traffic in the mall. Who would dare to do anything here?
The entrance was easy to find, but it was crowded today, so it was a bit difficult to go through the crowd and pinpoint a specific person. Zhang Shutong just subconsciously glanced at it. He didn't see the girl in the green dress, so he looked away and continued to analyze: "I estimate that by noon, the police station will have figured it out. We'll see then."
"Right. So don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just play it like a mental game." Qingyi comforted him. "Besides, her family will be back tomorrow. We're not going to places with few people. Nothing should happen today."
"I hope so..." But before he could finish, his phone suddenly vibrated. Zhang Shutong opened it and saw a new message. It was a picture from Ruoping. She was holding a plastic bag containing three... very thick and small pies, a bit like "men ding" meat pies.
"Egg burgers. One for each of us. Try them."
Zhang Shutong had never heard of this. He asked Qingyi, but the other person's focus was not on that: "How do we split three?"
"However you want. I'm not eating. By the way, help me explain later."
"Explain what?"
"About Gu Qiumian. Ruoping is too gossipy, and so are you and Du Kang. Don't make wild guesses."
Zhang Shutong answered casually. He felt it was necessary to urge Qiu Yu Mian Mian a bit. He heard that some girls even re-apply makeup in the restroom, which was truly terrifying.
But as soon as he sent the message, the bag in his hand vibrated. Zhang Shutong remembered that she hadn't taken her phone.
At this moment, Qingyi's eyes lit up and he said: "Whoa, look at this. Is that the Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"
Zhang Shutong knew he was talking about a rare card from the game Yu-Gi-Oh! and glanced at it. "It's fake, right?"
"Of course I know it's fake, but the imitation is well-made. Look at that shiny film and the three-dimensional feel of the design..."
The two of them simply walked into the toy store. Qingyi asked him to put the card against the glass so he could take a picture for a souvenir. Zhang Shutong asked him that since it was a pirated item and not expensive, why didn't he just buy it and take it home.
Qingyi, however, said that this was a man's belief. A fake is a fake. It cannot be taken seriously and cannot be trampled upon.
Zhang Shutong couldn't understand his thought process, but he still nodded and did as he was told.
So, with the bag in one hand, he used his fingers to pinch the top of the card and held it against the glass. His gaze naturally looked forward.
"A little to the left, it's a bit off..." Meng Qingyi was reminding him, but he saw Zhang Shutong's hand suddenly relax, and the card fluttered down.
Then, for the first time, he saw such a rich fluctuation of emotions on his best friend's face—they were somewhat similar in a sense. One had a poker face, and the other had a cold face. Even if they were surprised or angry, it was rarely reflected on their faces. But this time was different.
Meng Qingyi looked at Zhang Shutong's face and saw his eyes slowly widen. A complex expression appeared on his face. Was it terror? No. Was it panic? A little. But it was more like something had completely gone out of his control. Meng Qingyi knew that this was what agitated people like them the most.
The boy was not an idiot. He immediately looked over by reflex. Through the glass, he saw the entrance to the restrooms: "What's wrong?"
"Shit!"
Before he could finish the word, Zhang Shutong had already rushed out of the store. The scene not far away had completely exceeded his expectations. Even the worst-case scenario he had imagined was not this bad. No, it was even worse than bad! Now, he wished he could teleport.
However, it was too late—
...
Rewind to a few minutes ago.
A subtle sound came from behind her. The girl named Gu Qiumian subconsciously turned her head. There was, of course, a crowd of people in the mall. She shouldn't have been able to hear the sound behind her, but a faint scent that wafted from behind revealed the other person.
It was a woman wearing sunglasses and a mask. She was dressed fashionably, with a slim waist and long legs. She had long, wavy chestnut-colored hair and wore a pair of knee-high boots. She also seemed to be taking something out of her bag.
Gu Qiumian took a step back. Everything happened in an instant, and the hand the woman reached out missed.
However, the woman didn't give up. She leaned in and asked: "Miss, I saw you were shopping with your classmates just now?" Although she couldn't see the woman's face or determine her exact age, from her voice, she should be smiling at this moment.
"Don't panic, don't panic. Auntie isn't a bad person." As she spoke, the woman used her finger to lift her sunglasses and winked playfully. "What's your name?"
From her eyes, she was a beautiful woman. Before Gu Qiumian could speak, the woman's hand went into her bag again, fumbling around for a while. When it reappeared, she was holding a piece of chocolate between her fingers, which were painted with red nail polish: "Take this to eat."
The woman's fingers were pale and slender, but a little rough. She could see calluses on the side. She held the chocolate and wiggled it in front of Gu Qiumian, and then added in a cheerful tone: "Don't worry, I'm not a child kidnapper. I just think you're a very kind girl. Sometimes people just have a connection. Auntie forgot to bring her phone, so can I borrow your phone to make a call?"
Besides her strange attire, she was actually quite amiable. It was just that her demeanor reminded one of a little devil who was afraid the world would be too peaceful.
"I didn't bring my phone either." Gu Qiumian didn't take the chocolate and just replied coldly and cautiously.
"Oh, that's too bad. My kid is waiting for me at home right now. I'm telling you, he's only this big." The woman had originally been troubled and gestured to her leg, but when she spoke of her child, she seemed to become excited again: "He's so cute. He doesn't say anything when you pinch his face, he just glares at you with his eyes rolled back. But he can't even cook. If I don't hurry and call home, he's definitely going to cry."
Gu Qiumian thought for a moment: "Why don't I take you to the service desk, Auntie?"
"No need, no need. How could I bother you with that?"
"But my phone is with my classmate. You can come with me."
"That's too much trouble. You're being too nice..." As she spoke, the woman looked around, as if she was afraid of being discovered, but she also asked in a familiar tone, "But is your classmate a boy or a girl? What's your relationship? Do you want Auntie to help you check him out?"
She seemed to be able to control the rhythm of the conversation very easily.
Gu Qiumian subconsciously glanced in a certain direction and shook her head, refusing.
What was strange was that she didn't have any ill feelings towards this woman. Although the other person's attitude was a little too... enthusiastic, if she hadn't covered herself up so tightly, she might have actually had the desire to say a few more words.
So Gu Qiumian just repeated the part about the phone again.
"You really didn't bring it?"
Gu Qiumian nodded.
When the woman saw this, her beautiful eyes instantly filled with disappointment, like a child who couldn't get her favorite toy. Even her tone became a little sad. Maybe she wasn't lying. That child was really at home alone and missed his mother very much.
She had thought the woman would retreat after this, but who knew she would take something out of her bag again? This time it was a small notebook. The woman held the notebook in her hands with a serious attitude: "Then, can you write down my phone number, and help me send a text message to my classmate later?"
This wasn't a difficult request. Gu Qiumian was about to nod and agree when she saw a figure running from the opposite side. His steps were fast, and in the blink of an eye, he had rushed in front of the two of them.
Gu Qiumian blinked, looking at "Xin Tao Jiu Fu" in confusion. Before she could react to what was happening, she saw the boy quickly shield her behind him. He was out of breath. His scalp was tingling. He blurted out—of course, it was directed at the little devil wearing sunglasses: "Mom, what are you doing here?"