Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 146: Chapter 61: "Ribs

Zhang Shutong looked at the tattoo on his arm again.

Tattooed there was a snake, a stick figure, and a...

...bizarre, circular pattern.

He was still reeling from the news of Gu Qiuyan’s death. He stared at it for a long time but couldn’t make out what it was.

But Du Kang had already looked away, turning his gaze to Ruoping.

"You remember it, don’t you? This circular pattern."

Ruoping also looked at his arm with a complicated expression. She gently pressed his skin with her fingernail, then sighed after a long moment.

"I can’t believe you actually got it tattooed."

Zhang Shutong was just about to ask what the circle represented when Ruoping spoke again.

"But what’s the point of this? It’s just a pattern. You didn’t understand it back then, so what makes you think you understand it after all these years? I remember the police sealed all the files related to the case. You pleaded with Officer Xiong, managed to see a single photo, and then you drew this... When we asked you what it meant, you said it was a unique feature of the killer."

"So, have you found any more leads over the years?" Ruoping finished, then slapped her forehead. "Never mind. I almost forgot your mind is a complete mess right now."

The questions Zhang Shutong wanted to ask died on his lips. ’They don’t even know what my past self discovered back then?’

’What do the three tattoos mean?’

’Who was this killer who suddenly appeared out of nowhere?’

A sudden realization made him break out in a cold sweat.

He had dealt with Zhou Ziheng and his father on Saturday and assumed they were the killers, but were they really the ones who had murdered Gu Qiuyan all those years ago?

’Wait, this seems completely wrong.’

If Zhou Ziheng had instructed Li Yipeng to smash the castle to make his mother let slip their "revenge" plans, thus provoking the arsonists to act early and creating an escape opportunity for his own father...

...then in the original timeline, where the "building block incident" never happened, how did his father get away?

Zhang Shutong knew that man’s personality well. He wouldn’t act without absolute certainty. That being the case, did his father even make a move back then?

’No, let me rephrase the question: was he even the so-called "real killer"?’

In the original timeline, it was very likely that before Zhou’s father even had a chance to act, Gu Qiuyan was murdered by someone else.

’It’s all wrong!’

The air conditioning was on in the shop, but at that moment, Zhang Shutong felt as if he’d been plunged into an icy abyss. This meant that from the very beginning, he had strayed far from the right answer, getting more and more lost in the conflict over the commercial street dispute.

’From start to finish! I never even found a single trace of the real killer!’

Zhang Shutong suddenly asked:

"Was her body found in the forbidden zone?"

Ruoping nodded, which stunned him again.

’How is that possible?’

’With two bodyguards and a nanny, Gu Qiuyan still died in the forbidden zone?’

"Then how did she get out? Were the bodyguards and the nanny harmed?"

"No." Ruoping repeated what she’d said earlier. "Everything related to the case back then was sealed."

He thought back to Ruoping’s tone. She and Du Kang hadn’t known about the tattoo before. Graduation photos were taken in the summer when everyone wore short sleeves, exposing their arms, but in the photo, he looked normal. This meant the tattoo must have been done after middle school graduation.

’When exactly was it?’

He pressed the edge of the tattoo with his hand. It didn’t hurt or itch, nor was it red or swollen. The tattoo itself had faded, as if it had become one with his skin over the many years, proving it wasn’t recent.

Zhang Shutong wondered if it marked a turning point, a change in his attitude that led him to hunt for the "killer." ’So what happened after graduation that made me take up this pursuit again?’

While he was at a complete loss, the table suddenly shook violently.

"Zhang Shutong, I’m just now realizing how damn devoted you are..." It was Du Kang, who had suddenly stood up. He grabbed Zhang Shutong by the collar. He’d had a bit to drink, and now his eyes were bloodshot.

Zhang Shutong could see the blood vessels in the other man’s eyes. Du Kang stared back at him, his own eyes full of rage, and gritted his teeth.

"If that’s the case, then why the hell did you go and get involved with Lu Qinglian?"

"I..."

Zhang Shutong didn’t know what to say. He was only just now realizing that in their eyes, his sins weren’t just deceiving everyone and hurting Lu Qinglian. They also included moving on to a "new flame" just two months after Gu Qiuyan’s death, as if nothing had happened.

Du Kang continued in a low growl:

"Fine, you’re the good guy. You fucking never forgot Gu Qiuyan. You’ve been fucking looking for the killer all these years. Then tell me, what was Lu Qinglian to you? A tool to get over your grief? Someone you could just call and dismiss whenever you wanted? Answer me!"

"Du Kang, sit the hell down! What the fuck is wrong with you now?"

Ruoping cursed as well, slamming the table as she stood up.

"What are you doing? You all have a few drinks and start losing your minds? Tell me, what can you do to him? He can barely remember his own name! Is beating him up now going to get revenge for Qinglian or what?"

"I just want to punch him. He made this huge mess back then, and now he thinks he can get away with it by pretending he doesn’t remember anything?" This time, Du Kang didn’t listen to her. He said viciously, "Besides, are you so sure he’s not faking it? This wouldn’t be the first time he’s put on an act, right? Always with that cold face, never crying, never smiling, not even a shred of humanity. Yeah, we’re all stupid, not as smart as you. We can’t figure out what you’re thinking, that’s for sure. But what the hell do you take us for?"

Du Kang turned back and demanded of Ruoping:

"Did you see him look even a little bit sad at the funeral home just now?"

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