He suddenly thought of the killer's dark red, rough face. Was the other person wearing a scarf at the time?
Even further, was that scarf Gu Qiumian's?
After she was murdered, where did that scarf go for the next eight years?
If the person who killed them both was indeed the same person, then the killer had a chance to get their hands on this scarf.
But if it was just for the purpose of covering their face, why would they choose this one?
Zhang Shutong also remembered the transfer student in the graduation photo, who was also wearing a red gauze scarf. But he was too focused on thinking about Gu Qiumian's death and the tattoo at the time and overlooked this "variable."
The cold-blooded timeline was even more complex than he thought.
Zhang Shutong still didn't understand why he would erase all the information in that timeline.
Based on Zhang Shutong's understanding of himself, unless he considered the possibility of not being able to Rewind after being killed and was worried that the information on his phone would be leaked? Discovered by the killer?
But Gu Qiumian and Lu Qinglian were both dead. Who was he trying to protect?
He finally sighed.
He picked up his chopsticks and continued to get some food. The way his friends looked at him had also changed. They felt that he was having delusions today, and each of them asked if he was scared by the poachers yesterday. Zhang Shutong just nodded and said he needed a sip of Nutri-Express to calm his nerves.
He still had to eat. While pondering these things, he chatted with his friends. They talked about the castle being smashed. Zhang Shutong said casually, "Is it possible that it was Li Yipeng? Look, he's in another class, so it would be easy for him to do it, and he used to have a grudge against Gu Qiumian."
"That's actually possible. The problem is there's no surveillance. What if he doesn't admit it?" Du Kang asked.
Zhang Shutong said, "That's easy. We just need to go to the commercial street and buy a scarf, then swap it and wait for him to fall into the trap." He then explained his plan, which made Qingyi nod in approval, earning him a round of admiring looks.
But whether it was Li Yipeng, the arsonists, or the Zhou family father and son, these were all things that could be solved easily. He had a better way now:
For example, he could go to Li Yipeng and say that the person who wrote the names on the bathroom stall confessed and that he would be so scared he would admit it on the spot;
Or he could go to Zhou Ziheng and say that Li Yipeng confessed and that he would also be dumbfounded... It was a little evil, but it was practical.
Of course, to ensure they could successfully catch the arsonists, he had to time it just right.
Speaking of which, Teacher Song was probably still in his office, smoking in frustration.
Zhang Shutong now really wanted to go to the Gu family's villa to check out the route. He had never walked it seriously before. What happened on the way from the villa to the Forbidden Zone was also an important point of doubt.
He sighed again, feeling that there were so many things to do that his scalp was tingling.
"Wait, since when are you and Gu Qiumian so close?" Ruoping said suspiciously. A woman's intuition was truly terrifying.
"We're just so-so."
"Then why are you suddenly so concerned about her?"
"We're deskmates."
The few of them seemed to have already set a trap and were just waiting for him to fall into it. Ruoping said, "See? I got him to talk. I told you he wasn't up to any good with Gu Qiumian as his deskmate."
Zhang Shutong didn't want to explain anymore. He was a little exhausted. At this time, the owner brought out the last dish. He planned to eat it and leave. This time, he didn't plan on acting tough and treating everyone, because he didn't bring enough money. He'd do it next time for sure.
As he thought this, he sped up his pace of eating. The boy from Gu Qiumian's table suddenly stood up:
"Boss, why aren't you serving us yet? We've been waiting for so long, and there are only a few of them?"
As he spoke, he looked at their table with a very provocative expression.
Look, the familiar lines were here again.
It seemed that the boy had a crush on Gu Qiumian and wanted to be her bodyguard. He felt that since their table was full of Gu Qiumian's classmates, he had to vent his frustration. That was about it.
Zhang Shutong thought calmly that the professional ethics of this group of sidekicks were truly terrible. They would be fired sooner or later. No wonder Gu Qiumian didn't want to bring them to the mall on Saturday.
And next...
He remembered that Du Kang would throw down his chopsticks and was about to retort but was held back by Ruoping.
"Hey, no, I'm just asking, who the hell are you, kid? You're acting all tough just from eating a meal?" Du Kang immediately stood up.
Zhang Shutong was stunned. "Wait a minute. I remember very clearly that Ruoping held this guy back. What's going on now?"
He saw that Ruoping had just reacted and was pulling on Du Kang's shirt to get him to sit down.
Zhang Shutong was deep in thought. He had underestimated the influence of his "butterfly."
Last time, they didn't discuss anything too important at the dinner table. It was mostly small talk, so Ruoping had time to keep an eye on Du Kang.
But now, he had drawn the tattoo, talked about the class reunion, and most importantly, he had lightly explained the whole story of the "castle incident." Ruoping was listening with her ears perked up the whole time and was caught off guard, so she didn't manage to hold Du Kang back.
Sure enough, the boy also stood up, not to be outdone:
"You're in Gu's class, right? Let me tell you, I've had enough of you. What are you going to do about it?"
"Damn it, who are you?" Du Kang was shocked. "You're always saying 'Sister Gu,' do you really think you're something just because you hang around Gu Qiumian all day?"
At this age, it was a time for competition. As soon as Du Kang finished speaking, the boys and girls at Gu Qiumian's table all stood up.
Then Qingyi stood up, and Ruoping also stood up. Zhang Shutong was dumbfounded.
He usually referred to them as "sidekicks" for convenience, but now it was really turning into a gang fight?
The "Little Secretary" also stood up to mediate, saying, "Everyone, sit down. We're eating." She watched Gu Qiumian's expression, neither stopping nor encouraging.
Anyway, everyone was standing up. For a moment, the main hall was filled with the sound of chairs scraping against the floor. Only two people hadn't stood up. One was Zhang Shutong, and the other was Gu Qiumian.
Zhang Shutong was thinking about how he had been a sidekick just a few days ago, and now he was an enemy. Life was truly unpredictable and filled with irony.
Gu Qiumian then put down her yogurt:
"Sit down."
She spoke two words faintly, and the people around her sat down in unison.
It was hard for Zhang Shutong to connect her to the girl who talked to Tom Cat, but it was nice to see the young miss acting cool for once.
Gu Qiumian continued to drink her yogurt with a cold face. The rim of the cup was level with her eyes. She wasn't looking at anyone. At this time, the "Little Secretary" knew where she stood and started to scold the boy first.
The owner had rushed out to mediate, but when she saw this scene, she froze on the spot.
Du Kang also sat down unhappily, muttering that the bastard deserved to be taught a lesson. Ruoping then scolded him, "Why are you getting into a fight with these kids? Besides, there are more than ten of them. If we really get into a conflict, we'll be the ones who lose."
Qingyi said nonchalantly, "They won't fight. Didn't you see Shutong is here?"
Zhang Shutong felt that he really couldn't beat a dozen people. It would be difficult to control the situation.
Qingyi then said, "Didn't Shutong help her pick up her building blocks during the break? That's still a favor he's owed."
Zhang Shutong had almost forgotten about it himself.
It seemed that the two of them still had some "old ties." And based on his understanding of Gu Qiumian, she didn't like to owe people favors. The two big bags of snacks she bought him on Saturday were a good example.
He could now eat in peace. He waited until the plates were almost empty and looked at the time. He remembered that last time, it was at this time that he went to the bathroom and heard the conversation between the owner and his wife, which revealed the conflict on the commercial street.
Zhang Shutong was wondering if he should go and eavesdrop again, and also record it. Although not recording it wouldn't affect the outcome, he now wanted to intentionally speed up the process. Maybe it would be useful. At the very least, if he sent it to the police, it would get their attention.
Besides, it wouldn't take much time.
Thinking of this, Zhang Shutong told his friends, "Give me the money. My stomach feels a bit upset. You guys go outside and wait. I'll pay the bill and come out later—"
There was another benefit to this. After he recorded the couple's conversation, he could pretend that he "accidentally" overheard the conflict on the commercial street while in the bathroom.
When he played the recording for his friends, he wouldn't have to make up another excuse and they would realize the seriousness of the situation, which would only benefit their next actions.
The three of them didn't suspect anything. They just said they would find a store to wait in and would contact him later.
Zhang Shutong took the money and went to the bathroom. He quietly turned on the voice recorder on his phone and heard the owner's wife go into the kitchen to urge her husband. The content of their conversation was similar to what he had heard before.
But he remembered that not long after, he heard the boy shouting to pay the bill outside, and the owner's wife rushed out.
But this time, he didn't wait.
What was going on?
He then thought that maybe the small conflict earlier had caused Gu Qiumian's table to eat a little slower, and even the time to pay the bill was delayed.
There were too many small changes like this.
The owner and his wife couldn't keep complaining forever. After all, Gu Qiumian was eating outside. The two of them started talking about daily life. Zhang Shutong had heard enough and was about to turn off his phone when he heard someone pull the door of the stall. This was a simple bathroom stall made of plywood. He had the door locked, of course, but he was still startled by the sudden noise.
He said, "Someone's in here." The stall door was pulled again. The person outside didn't say anything, as if pulling the door was some kind of secret signal. Zhang Shutong thought helplessly, "How could my butterfly effect even affect someone going to the bathroom? It's too powerful."
He had nothing to do staying inside, so he opened the door and went out, only to be stunned again.
The person standing outside was no one else but Gu Qiumian.
The girl was holding her stomach, her brows were slightly furrowed, and she was biting her lips. A look of pain flashed across her face. She looked a little weak, but when she saw him, she subconsciously straightened her face, as if she didn't want him to see her in this state.
"Uh..."
Zhang Shutong truly didn't know what to say. The girl was indeed thin-skinned, especially when it came to this kind of thing. Putting himself in her shoes, even he would be embarrassed. But the bathroom here was built later. He originally wanted to point to the "For urination only" sign on the wall as a subtle reminder, but he saw something clutched in Gu Qiumian's hand and suddenly realized.
He quickly went out of the way to make space. He saw Gu Qiumian walk in quickly, not even having much strength left to close the door.
It turned out that she knew he was inside but was too embarrassed to say it, so she just pulled the door to urge him to come out.
Zhang Shutong also remembered that day at the supermarket, when she was hesitating in front of the spicy snacks for a long time;
He told her to buy them if she wanted to, but Gu Qiumian said she couldn't eat anything spicy these few days.
Zhang Shutong, of course, understood the girl's subtle way of saying she was on her period. He was just wondering why this had also happened earlier. Maybe it wasn't earlier. After all, it was only Thursday today and that was Saturday, so it wasn't a big difference. But... why was she showing it now?
Some girls have a strong reaction, while others have a mild one. Gu Qiumian was undoubtedly the former. She was in a lot of pain. Her lips were even bitten until they turned white. It seemed that no matter how cool she was on the surface, she was actually a soft person.
Zhang Shutong really wanted to say, "If you're in so much pain, why did you drink so much yogurt on a cold day?" But the point wasn't the yogurt. It was why this kind of thing also changed?
He couldn't figure it out, so he went to the counter to pay. He coincidentally ran into that boy, who was putting a few hundred-yuan bills on the counter.
He had thought that this time he had enough money, so the other person wouldn't have an excuse to start a fight. But this time, he was carrying change, and his friends had also given him change. For a student his age, it was very rare to have a stack of hundred-yuan bills like Gu Qiumian.
As Zhang Shutong was counting his coins, the boy leaned over:
"Hey, buddy, you don't have enough money. How much are you short? I'll cover it for you."
Zhang Shutong sighed. He felt that this person had a strong presence. Everything else had changed, but he hadn't. He was still like a fighting rooster.
He replied without looking up, "It's enough," showing his attitude. But maybe because of the new conflict that had just happened, the boy's words were filled with more aggression:
"I saw that you were the only one who didn't stand up. Are you a coward? But you don't have to be afraid. We were just trying to scare you guys. We weren't going to do anything. Can we just let this go?"
Zhang Shutong just didn't want any trouble, but that didn't mean he had no temper when a rooster-like person was chirping in his ear. For the first time, he gave the other person a cold glance:
"Shut up."
But before he could finish, a cold female voice also rang out at the same time. Their "shut up" was almost in unison.
Zhang Shutong turned around and saw that Gu Qiumian had walked over. The boy was immediately choked. He couldn't believe that the words were directed at him. Zhang Shutong looked at Gu Qiumian and saw that her face was still a little pale. But no matter how the timeline changed, she seemed to always come to his rescue.
Of course, every time she saved him, she would turn and walk away, flicking the pendant on her hair.
The boy squeezed out a smile and tried to call her, but Gu Qiumian completely ignored him. She had already returned to her seat and pointed to their table. She wasn't in the mood to say more, or maybe she didn't have the strength. The "Little Secretary" immediately ran over, grabbed the boy, and left.
"I..."
"That's enough. Don't come here anymore. Qiumian just said that she doesn't want to deal with anyone right now, and she told me to tell you. "
"No, I just..."
"Stop talking nonsense. Didn't I tell you? He's Qiumian's deskmate. You'd better hide your little thoughts. Do you really think no one can see them?"
The boy looked for help from the people at the table, but the boys and girls who had just been fighting with him had now changed their stance. Some of them even started to scold him, saying, "It was already cold today, and Qiumian wasn't feeling well. Are you annoying or what? We already told you not to cause trouble. What's the point of acting cute now?"
Zhang Shutong was too lazy to pay attention to what happened next. He just thought that Gu Qiumian's words carried a lot of weight. A moment ago, she seemed frail, but now she was authoritative and full of presence.
Speaking of which, did this count as her paying him back for the building block incident?
Zhang Shutong didn't know why she was so obsessed with paying him back. He originally wanted to solve it once and for all, but Gu Qiumian had to interrupt him.
But she meant well.
He had other things to do, and he was going to find someone on the rooftop, so he hurried out of the restaurant and then sneezed.
Leaving the warm restaurant, the cold air hit him in the face. His nose felt a little sour. The snow, like dust, fell from the sky. The world outside was almost all white. The scene on the commercial street was even more desolate. The pedestrians were walking in a hurry. Zhang Shutong also froze on the steps, his eyes widening.
He suddenly remembered a small action Gu Qiumian made when she entered the restaurant: she was wiping the water from her hair;
He also suddenly understood why she was not feeling well today and why her period had come early;
These were all details that had never happened before. Now everything seemed to have an answer;
But this still couldn't explain—
Why...
Was it snowing on this timeline today?