Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 134: Chapter 56: "A Pleasure

In a way, this Saturday had been extraordinarily eventful.

But even the most eventful day must come to an end.

It was almost eight o’clock, and the wail of sirens echoed across the campus at night.

The police had taken the Zhou family’s father and son away. Even if they didn’t find conclusive evidence tonight, the father had left his handprint when gathering his accomplices. The island lacked the technology for fingerprint analysis, but once it was sent to the city, a quick check would reveal everything. The conspiracy to commit arson alone was enough to land him in serious trouble.

As for their final fate, Zhang Shutong didn’t need to worry. Boss Gu would make sure his daughter got her justice.

It was time to part ways.

His three best friends lived in the residential area on the north side of the island. Song Nanshan’s dorm was nearby. Gu Qiuyan’s villa was to the south, and Zhang Shutong needed to head east—toward Cyan Snake Mountain.

In short, the six of them were all going in different directions.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

Song Nanshan was heard making a quick phone call. A moment later, a Land Rover pulled up to the school gate. Its high beams cut through the darkness, illuminating the area for dozens of meters ahead. Two men got out of the car—they were Gu Qiuyan’s bodyguards.

They had rushed back from the provincial capital overnight. They were the "advance party," sent to protect their young miss’s safety.

Zhang Shutong glanced at the Land Rover, then at the two burly, buzz-cut men. ’Oh,’ he thought, ’so the real muscle has finally arrived.’

When the two bodyguards got out, Gu Qiuyan had been speaking softly with him. But then one of the men respectfully handed her a phone, saying, "Miss, President Gu is very worried about your safety..." So Gu Qiuyan went to talk to her father on the phone again.

Zhang Shutong finally breathed a sigh of relief. This meant that the unpredictable Saturday had, at last, been weathered.

But Gu Qiuyan didn’t look happy at all. It seemed the bodyguards’ arrival was more of a shock than a surprise. Zhang Shutong couldn’t understand what she was being so awkward about. Gu Qiuyan simply asked:

"Why don’t you ride with us? I’ll give you a ride home."

Zhang Shutong shook his head, declining. His bicycle was still parked in the bike shed; he hadn’t ridden it since school let out on Friday. The true sign that the battle was over wasn’t defeating a powerful enemy, but driving your own little vehicle back to your own garage after the dust had settled.

There were a lot of people milling about, so the two of them didn’t say much more—perhaps there just wasn’t time. Everyone was chattering and busy with their own things, making phone calls or letting their families know they were safe... The young miss had been out all day; it was time for her to go home.

Gu Qiuyan looked back from the window of the Land Rover, the night wind tousling her hair. But now, when it was coldest, she wasn’t wearing that scarf. Zhang Shutong waved at her, a final farewell.

Only the five of them were left at the school gate.

Their mouths weren’t idle for a second. Du Kang asked Qingyi, "So what gift did you guys get me? I wasn’t going to ask, but since we did something big today, can I get a little preview?"

Ruoping, for her part, asked Zhang Shutong, "So, what’s it feel like, playing the hero and saving the beauty? By the way, I think I saw a romance movie playing in the classroom earlier. You and the young miss getting cozy watching a film while the rest of us were freezing our butts off on the roof... Wow, just wow. How sweet."

Ruoping was also still annoyed about being kept in the dark.

The moment Gu Qiuyan left, she started laying into him.

Zhang Shutong could only take it. A few jabs from her wouldn’t kill him.

Finally, Song asked, "Are you guys hungry? Should we go get a late-night snack?"

Zhang Shutong was the first to back out. All he wanted to do right now was go home and lie down for a bit. He wasn’t particularly tired, but he wanted to find a warm place to just zone out.

His friends weren’t in a rush either. They told Song to go give his statement to the police first. It was only Saturday; they still had all of Sunday to hang out. It’s not like they couldn’t spare the time.

Besides, they had genuinely spent the whole afternoon moving desks and were all exhausted.

After a brief discussion, they made a decision. Song would take Ruoping and Du Kang home, since neither of their bikes were here. Qingyi’s bike had been left by Zhang Shutong at the nail salon, so Qingyi might as well go with them too and come back for it tomorrow.

In the end, he went back alone.

He yawned. Instead of rushing to his bike, he returned to the academic building. When the police had arrived earlier, they had all hurried downstairs, and the projector in the classroom was still on. Zhang Shutong felt his four friends had been busy all day, so he’d told them to go on ahead, saying he would take care of it.

When he got back to the classroom, *Roman Holiday* was nearing its end.

It was just like the plot summary he’d read online—after their brief holiday, the princess returns to her palace the next day. The male protagonist stands below the stage with a group of his colleagues, watching the princess who is at once a stranger and yet so familiar. The two of them pretend not to know each other. But then, unexpectedly, the princess suddenly requests to shake hands with the reporters. Unsure of what she was up to, everyone complied.

Zhang Shutong understood the princess’s intention. She was shaking hands with everyone, but what she really wanted was to hold his hand one last time.

Soon, the moment for their handshake arrived. Zhang Shutong had already moved the mouse cursor over the red button in the top-right corner of the video, but he paused instinctively, wanting to see what the two of them would say.

However, it wasn’t even a full sentence, just a short phrase. And since this was an English film—the homeroom teacher naturally wouldn’t have found a Chinese-dubbed version, wanting to use it for listening practice—the words the princess whispered were even simpler. Just a single word:

"Charmed."

Zhang Shutong clicked the left mouse button.

He folded up the projector and put it away. He habitually checked to see if the classroom windows were shut tight, but then he noticed a plastic bag at his desk. Inside were the snacks from the locker in the library.

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