Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 168: Chapter 72: The Heavy Snow from 4 Years Ago

The otherworldly Zhang Shutong pursed his lips. "I promised Gu Qiuyan I’d take her to dinner."

Song was surprised again.

’In truth, only Zhang Shutong himself knew this was an extra precaution. It might not be necessary, but if the "real culprit" still hadn’t surfaced by then, getting off the island to avoid the calamity seemed like the safest bet.’

Song nodded. "Okay, that’s fine with me. The real question is whether Qiumian is willing..."

As they spoke, the two rushed out of the academic building. There was no telling when the snow would stop; the world was a vast expanse of white. The older and younger man hugged their arms against the cold and ran to the parking lot—

—which was really just a bare patch of concrete. Yingcai Middle School didn’t even have an official vehicle. If Song’s car weren’t so small, it probably would’ve been commandeered all the time.

Song opened the trunk and tossed a towel to Zhang Shutong, telling him to wipe the side mirrors. He then took out a long-handled brush and started sweeping the snow off the front windshield. The teacher and student worked quickly. "Where are the other teachers?" Zhang Shutong asked, his breath fogging in the cold air.

"Just the Dean of Discipline went over. He has a car, so he already left with Zhou Ziheng," Song said, clicking his tongue. "You know it too, having a police car on campus really doesn’t look good. But don’t worry, Qiumian was very firm. She demanded an explanation, and even the principal couldn’t say a thing."

"That’s good." Zhang Shutong breathed a sigh of relief. ’This is another butterfly effect,’ he thought. ’Last time, I didn’t say anything to Gu Qiuyan, and she... well, it seems she didn’t really get involved. She probably didn’t want to ruin her mood and just left it for others to handle. But this time, the two of us planned it out in the library. Aside from that one line she added herself, everything else went smoothly.’

"You have no idea. Qiumian is pretty intimidating when she puts on a serious face. It gives off that vibe of someone from a truly rich family, you know what I mean? She didn’t even have to say a word, and the Dean was there, forcing a smile, asking her if this was all right, if that was all right..." Song grinned as he spoke. "You’d better be careful from now on, kid. Don’t pull stunts like what you did this afternoon. Otherwise, if real trouble comes, I won’t be able to protect you. Got it?"

But Zhang Shutong said he didn’t get it.

He tried to picture Gu Qiuyan’s intimidating side—

—but he found it hard to imagine. Or perhaps Zhang Shutong was just too bold, but he simply couldn’t associate that word with her.

"Alright, get in."

Song tossed the brush back into the trunk, and Zhang Shutong got into the little Fox again. The seat was dry this time, but the heater wasn’t very effective. They let the car warm up for a good while, but the cabin still wasn’t getting any warmer.

"The heaters in Japanese cars work better. I should’ve bought a Civic," Song muttered, pulling his head into his collar.

’The man was an expert not only in the field of romance, but in automobiles as well.’

"Hey, Shutong," Song Nanshan said as he glanced at the engine temperature gauge and shifted into gear. "I just remembered—what did you mean earlier when you said you wanted to learn to drive? You weren’t kidding, were you?"

Zhang Shutong nodded.

Song looked pleased. "Right. As a man, you’re at that age where you start getting interested in cars. Let your teacher here break it all down for you..."

Zhang Shutong resignedly listened to him lecture on all sorts of car-related trivia. In truth, he wasn’t interested in cars; he just needed a reliable vehicle. He couldn’t keep wandering around on his bike in this freezing weather.

The little car pulled smoothly out of the school gates. The streets were quiet today. As Song expertly worked the clutch and stick shift, he explained the basic principles and what to watch out for. Zhang Shutong started listening intently. He was a quick study and had a general grasp of it after hearing it just once. But Song said, "Understanding it and actually being able to do it are two different things. You’ll find out when you get behind the wheel and try it yourself."

Zhang Shutong gazed at the snowy scenery outside the window and asked, "Are we going to have to shovel snow again tomorrow?" Song Nanshan replied, "Depends on if it stops snowing. The weather forecast isn’t reliable, so who knows how long this will last."

"Why did it suddenly start snowing like this?" This was the question that still puzzled Zhang Shutong the most. He watched the snowflakes fall and muttered to himself.

Zhang Shutong didn’t expect Song to have an answer; he was just making small talk.

"The heavens are unpredictable," Song Nanshan said with a calm smile, his face a picture of masculine composure.

’Could you say something more auspicious for a change?’ he thought. ’An "unpredictable" event is exactly what I’m afraid of.’

Still, the question had come out of nowhere, so Zhang Shutong just shut his mouth and let the warm air from the vents blow on him.

But Song continued:

"This is nothing. Have you forgotten four years ago? Around this same time, we had a bigger one. It snowed so hard that parts of Profound Nether Lake completely froze over. Even the boats couldn’t get out. It made the national news..."

Zhang Shutong thought for a moment. "How come I don’t remember that?"

After comparing notes, they realized that Zhang Shutong hadn’t even transferred to the school yet when that big snow fell.

"Oh, right, I forgot you and Qiumian came in the spring semester," Song recalled. "That was my first year here, my very first winter. Back then, I kept thinking, ’What the hell kind of godforsaken place is this?’ It was the middle of nowhere, with nothing but snow. At night, I’d just huddle under my blankets eating instant noodles by myself. Damn, I regretted my decision so much. I thought I had to get out of there as soon as possible. But then the administration told me the school was short-staffed. ’Xiaosong,’ they said, ’just hang in there a little longer.’ And I thought, ’Fair enough.’ Our class was the first one I ever taught. I couldn’t just bail on you guys halfway through, right? So I toughed it out. I never expected that I’d end up staying all the way until now. Xiaosong’s been here so long, he’s just ’Song’ now..."

As he spoke, Song Nanshan lowered the window. Gazing at the drifting snow, he subconsciously pulled out a cigarette and lit it, remarking with emotion:

"My fourth winter here."

He reached out and casually caught some of the fine snow in his palm. He glanced at it for a moment, but his gaze ultimately came to rest on the Bulbasaur figure on the center console.

’Zhang Shutong knew what the man was reminiscing about. But this time was different. Song hadn’t been talking about girls, so he didn’t bring up that old story again.’

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