Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 128: Chapter 54: Roman Holiday (Part 2)

In truth, both protagonists knew this day would eventually end.

This Oscar-winning film was, from start to finish, really about one thing:

If you knew something was inevitably coming to an end, and you couldn’t change the outcome, what would you do?

If they hadn’t spent this day together, the thought of confessing to each other would never have crossed their minds.

But it was precisely because they spent this day together that they used up all their precious time. By the time they wanted to confess, it was too late. The princess was already back in her palace, and the brief Roman holiday was over.

The tabloid hound was no longer a tabloid hound; he returned to his post, still just a poor reporter.

Zhang Shutong was captivated by *Roman Holiday*, but he wasn’t sure what was more impressive: Gu Qiuyan or the film itself. The former had found a movie with such a thought-provoking plot in a split second, while the latter had transcended fifty-nine years to deliver a message:

Some things are a mistake the moment they’re said, but if some things are left unsaid, the chance is lost forever.

"So... there’s something I want to tell you..." Gu Qiuyan said in a low voice.

Zhang Shutong nodded to show he was listening, but she didn’t continue. After a moment, she said, "Maybe I should wait until the movie is over..."

"Okay."

Zhang Shutong didn’t press her.

He took out his phone and glanced at it again. It was just after seven. Movies usually ran for about two hours, so they weren’t even halfway through.

His iPhone was down to its last one percent of battery. He checked the time one last time, then simply turned the phone off, pushed aside all his complicated thoughts, and quietly watched the movie.

Time passed, second by second. On this silent night, a figure appeared on the empty athletic field below the school building.

Zhang Shutong spotted the figure.

They never finished the movie.

And this was something he had known all along.

...

So Zhang Shutong gave Gu Qiuyan a gentle nudge, prompting her to look down with him.

The sky had turned completely dark. A few small buildings in the distance were lit up, and farther beyond were the black silhouettes of mountains. The night crept into the classroom, enveloping everything. In the darkness, the girl asked:

"That’s him, isn’t it."

"Yeah. That’s him."

In that moment, she was once again the smart girl, not asking in a panic who it was, but directly guessing the identity of the culprit who had masterminded the whole affair.

"We’ve been waiting for him all day?"

"More or less."

’Actually, waiting for him was just secondary,’ Zhang Shutong thought to himself. ’The main thing was that I didn’t want you to die today, so I took you out.’

That was what Zhang Shutong had planned to say—before watching *Roman Holiday*. Now, he felt he was a rather incompetent guide.

"Will you be okay?"

Gu Qiuyan asked with concern.

Her eyes had been reflecting the black-and-white film, but when she turned to ask her earnest question, they reflected something else in the faint light.

Their eyes met, and Zhang Shutong told her he could guarantee that nothing would happen.

"Danger, but no harm?"

"Not even any danger."

"You’re being mysterious again..."

Zhang Shutong led her out of the classroom. Their steps were unhurried. He didn’t bother turning off the projector, just letting it continue to play. In the hallway, they could still hear the dialogue between the male and female leads. Perhaps it had reached a slow-paced scene; the princess and the protagonist were laughing and talking softly, their speech clear, their gentleness hiding a torrent of emotion. They were the very model of a gentleman and a lady, like a slowly flowing, subterranean river.

There were no motion-activated lights above, so they walked down the long, narrow, pitch-black hallway as if carried forward by that subterranean river.

So Zhang Shutong wasn’t in a particular hurry. He led Gu Qiuyan down the hall and stopped in front of a glass window. Looking at the figure below, he breathed on the pane and casually drew a silly face. "Look, the sheep has arrived."

But he really had no sense of humor. The girl wasn’t amused. Instead, she wrinkled her nose. "You’re the one who looks like a silly face!"

But then she couldn’t help but ask:

"Can you tell me now? I want to know."

Zhang Shutong nodded. There was no point in hiding it from her any longer. Their last bit of time was meant for this.

...

So he started from the beginning, explaining chronologically, from the anomaly he noticed while washing dishes in the morning to the suddenly absent arsonist.

"...I had Du Kang ride his bike to your house because I was worried that person would go straight there and wait."

"...We went to the commercial district to find the mastermind."

"...Qingyi and Ruoping went back to the supermarket to confirm our suspicions about the man who sells cooked food."

"No wonder you suddenly said the plan had changed, and bought masks and hats..." Gu Qiuyan quickly connected the dots.

"But how did you come to suspect Aunt Wu? You even smashed the flowerpot I was using." As she spoke, she pouted. "Oh well, I forgive you."

"Only forgiving me now?"

"I want to hear your reasoning! Hurry up and tell me, or I’ll take my forgiveness back!"

Zhang Shutong tapped the window.

"Do you know why he didn’t show up last night?"

"Why?"

"He wanted to distance himself from it. Think about it. He gathered all those other people, but when it came time to act, he was the only one who didn’t go. That way, he could..." Using the word ’revenge’ right now would kill the mood, so Zhang Shutong changed his phrasing. "He could do the dirty work, but afterward, he wouldn’t have to worry about the police or, you know, your dad and his people, finding out. He’d stay hidden behind the scenes the whole time, fanning the flames. Isn’t he just the worst?"

"The worst!"

"But being bad didn’t help him. His whole rhythm got thrown off starting last night, because there was one thing he didn’t expect." Zhang Shutong pointed again to the small, dark figure below, who was about to enter the school building. "I had those five arsonists taken care of before they could even make a move."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!