Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 179: Chapter 77: "A Beauty Saves the Hero

Zhang Shutong was truly baffled.

’Do I look like some kind of villain?’

Usually, a reaction like this meant he’d seen something he wasn’t supposed to in a girl’s room. Although he’d never experienced it firsthand, he knew the type: some girls looked glamorous and polished on the outside, but their private spaces were a total mess, with cosmetics, underwear, and even takeout bags strewn about everywhere.

But Miss Gu’s room was very tidy and definitely didn’t fall into that category. Zhang Shutong even glanced behind him. ’Maybe she can see something I can’t?’

He knocked on the door. "Are you okay?"

There was no response.

There was only the muffled sound of something toppling over on a desk, and then the door quickly opened again to reveal Gu Qiuyan glaring at him.

"What did you just see?" the young lady demanded, ready to launch an inquest.

"A window, a balcony, a desk."

"That’s all?"

"What did you want me to see?"

Gu Qiuyan shot him another glare.

"You’re up to no good!"

Zhang Shutong felt truly wronged. He subconsciously glanced at the desk, trying to figure out what she had hidden. But he hadn’t been paying attention earlier. After a moment’s thought, it seemed... a picture frame was missing?

Oh, a very "mysterious" picture frame.

Zhang Shutong lost interest.

He got back to business, asking if her balcony door had a lock. But Gu Qiuyan just puffed out her cheeks. "Why aren’t you asking what I hid?"

"What?"

"I’m not telling you!" she huffed.

’See? She’s not happy when I don’t ask, but she won’t tell me when I do.’

After throwing a small tantrum, she finally answered his earlier question.

"Of course I lock it. The wind’s been really strong these past few days. If I don’t, it rattles all over the place."

"Do you usually lock your bedroom door when you sleep?"

"No, I’m the only one on this floor. Why are you asking?"

Zhang Shutong just wanted to confirm the real culprit’s movements.

Gu Qiuyan had slammed the door shut just now but hadn’t locked it, which showed it wasn’t a regular habit of hers.

He had traced the path from the side door in the backyard to the elevator, and from the elevator to Gu Qiuyan’s bedroom. He could draw one conclusion:

If the side door wasn’t locked in the early hours of Sunday morning, someone really could have snuck into her villa.

Putting himself in the killer’s shoes, he simulated the route in his mind:

In the dead of night, a person enters the villa from the backyard. The house is completely dark; the bodyguards and nanny are asleep in their rooms. They could probably take off their shoes and tiptoe to the elevator without anyone noticing. Then, they take the elevator to the second floor and abduct the sleeping Gu Qiuyan...

That was probably how it happened.

Now there were two questions:

Why was the body discovered in the restricted area?

And how exactly did the killer get inside the fence?

Both questions were baffling to him.

The second question was particularly baffling. The fence was over two meters high and topped with an electric wire. Even if the killer was some kind of mastermind who used a ladder to get over, how would they have gotten Gu Qiuyan out?

’It’s not like Gu Qiuyan ran out on her own. Who goes wandering around in the middle of the night?’

Besides, it was impossible to investigate something like that. He couldn’t ask the Gu Qiuyan of Thursday why her Sunday self had run outside.

If he could figure out these two questions, the entire case might be solved.

He frowned subconsciously. There was nothing else to investigate here. Next, he wanted to take a trip to the restricted area.

He couldn’t stay here forever; he wasn’t planning on spending the night. He was about to say something to Gu Qiuyan, but she just scoffed and turned to leave. It turned out that by being lost in thought, he’d left the young lady hanging for some time, and now she was sulking.

The two of them took the elevator down. Song was sprawled lazily on the sofa, watching TV.

"All done?"

Zhang Shutong nodded. The other man stretched and held up the mug in his hand.

"Wait for me to finish this. They were nice enough to make it for me."

Then he looked at Gu Qiuyan.

"By the way, Qiumian, is it okay if I come by around 6:40 tomorrow morning? Do you want to eat at home or go out?"

While they were talking, Zhang Shutong went to the entryway, put on his coat, changed his shoes, grabbed his umbrella, and used the moment to run back outside for another look.

The moment he stepped out, he hunched his shoulders against the cold. Looking up, the sky was completely dark. There were no stars, only the light spilling from the house behind him illuminating the flurrying snowflakes.

The inky blackness of the night shrouded everything.

It was the kind of moment that made one feel exceptionally lost and small.

Coming out in this weather was just asking for trouble. If he could, he’d also be curled up on the sofa watching TV, but it couldn’t be helped. What else was there to do?

The villa was built in the middle of nowhere. Beyond the fence was untamed wilderness, which was covered by a thin layer of mist even in the morning, let alone at night.

It was so dark he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face. Fortunately, Zhang Shutong was no stranger to such a scene. He CRUNCHED through the accumulated snow and returned to the main gate.

Zhang Shutong stood there holding his umbrella. This unseasonal blizzard was truly rare, and it showed no signs of letting up. As he watched the snowflakes drift down before his eyes, a strange thought occurred to him. He remembered that in the harshest parts of northeastern China, heavy snow could sometimes bury entire houses.

If a snowstorm that heavy happened here, at this villa, it could cover the two-meter-high fence until only the very top was visible. Then, perhaps, one could easily step right over it.

But that was impossible.

It hadn’t even snowed that night.

Zhang Shutong exhaled a breath of white air and rubbed his stiff hands together. He hadn’t felt this cold when he came from school, but after spending some time inside and getting used to the warm air, he felt as if he’d become more fragile upon stepping out again.

He studied the main gate for a while longer. There was an electronic eye, but it wasn’t for surveillance; it didn’t record anything, only allowed for a real-time view of whoever was at the door.

Zhang Shutong hadn’t planned on going back in yet, but the villa door creaked open with a SQUEAK. He turned to see Gu Qiuyan standing in the doorway.

"Aren’t you cold?" Zhang Shutong asked.

"Of course I’m cold." Just as he’d expected, the moment she was in the cold, it was as if the young lady was subdued. She spoke less, and her tone wasn’t as lively. "Why are you running around when it’s this cold?"

"Just looking around."

"Couldn’t you have just waited in the living room..." she muttered.

The girl stood on the threshold, without a coat or proper shoes. The spot where she stood was like a dividing line between light and darkness.

The wind and snow brushed past her face and poured into the house, sending strands of her hair flying.

"You should go back inside," Zhang Shutong said. "I should be leaving soon anyway."

But she ignored him, instead finding a coat in the closet and bending down to pull on her boots.

Zhang Shutong said helplessly,

"Why are you coming out when it’s this cold?"

"To see you off," she said awkwardly in a small voice, as soft as the whisper of boots on snow.

"I said you don’t have to see me off..." Zhang Shutong knew they couldn’t stay outside. He was more or less done investigating the main gate, and there was no point in the two of them just standing in the ice and snow. He turned to go back inside as he spoke, planning to wait there and come out with Song later.

He subconsciously quickened his pace, but then he was suddenly tripped by something. The snow was soft, and he instantly lost his balance. Zhang Shutong reacted fast, planting one hand on the ground to steady himself just in time, narrowly avoiding a complete fall.

But bracing himself was worse; it seemed he’d twisted his wrist. Gu Qiuyan, who had stopped, ran out again. Zhang Shutong waved his hand to show he was fine.

"I just tripped. There’s something on the ground."

As he said this, he grumbled to himself. It was strange to just trip while walking. He was really regressing. Even the "Tongtong" of his past wouldn’t have done something so embarrassing.

"What about your hand?"

"It’s fine." Zhang Shutong waved his wrist in front of her face. It actually hurt a little, but as Qingyi would say, this was a time when a man couldn’t hiss in pain. It was best not to even let his expression change.

The moment he said that, Gu Qiuyan’s eyes widened, and she started nagging endlessly:

"You need to be more careful! I swear, you’re so stupid, tripping over your own feet. If you had listened to me and stayed inside, you wouldn’t have fallen..."

Zhang Shutong retorted that she was the stupid one, running outside without even putting her boots on properly.

Gu Qiuyan’s face went cold. She gave him a light kick with her half-on boot and picked up the umbrella that had fallen to the side.

"What is that thing?"

"A tree branch, maybe?" Zhang Shutong looked over, puzzled as well. He reached behind him and felt a long, thin object. It was so cold it made his hand ache. He was about to toss it aside, but the light spilling from the doorway allowed them both to see what it really was. Gu Qiuyan cried out in alarm, and Zhang Shutong abruptly let go—

It wasn’t a tree branch at all.

It was a frozen snake.

A snake?

He froze for a second, a thought hitting him almost like a reflex. His expression turned grim. Gu Qiuyan, however, let out a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but run a finger across her cheek.

"You’re such a scaredy-cat. Afraid of dogs, and now snakes. Besides, it’s not even moving. For shame."

This really didn’t sound like something a girl who was afraid of even earthworms would say.

’Besides, who was it that screamed first?’

"You’re not scared?"

Zhang Shutong asked as he got to his feet.

"Mm, well, I used to be," Gu Qiuyan admitted, a bit embarrassed. "But there are a lot of them around here. My house is kind of remote, you know? At first, it wasn’t just snakes, but other animals too. Later, my dad asked someone for a way to repel snakes, and it got a little better."

She laughed again.

"Why else do you think we have a dog? Let me tell you, that Doberman knows how to hunt snakes."

Zhang Shutong picked up the snake again to take a closer look. He couldn’t tell what species it was, or if it was venomous. Gu Qiuyan, however, had had enough. She started pushing him back inside, saying, "Hurry up and throw that snake away! The only reason I’m not scared is because it’s not moving. If you wake it up, you’ll be sorry! You’ll have to pay me back for those two cups..."

When Zhang Shutong got back inside, Song was just putting on his coat.

"What were you two whispering about out there?"

"Some idiot took a tumble." The young lady wiped the smile from her face and adopted a disdainful tone, as if to say, ’Someone this clumsy had better not claim to be my lackey when we’re out.’

Song could tell at a glance that nothing was seriously wrong, so he joined in the teasing.

"Qiumian, let me tell you, this kid is full of tricks. He probably fell on purpose just to get you to run over and fuss over him."

"Who was fussing over him..." Gu Qiuyan immediately pouted.

’Why do you believe everything he says?’ Zhang Shutong thought.

Zhang Shutong felt it was necessary to give his esteemed teacher a heads-up.

"Teacher, can we not go straight back later?"

"What for? You planning on moving in with her?" Song joked, talking nonsense as usual.

He shook his head. "I want to go somewhere. We’ll have to take a detour."

"Where?"

"The rest—" Zhang Shutong began, but caught himself. After a moment’s thought, he rephrased it into something Song would understand.

"I’ve really been through a lot with you, kid. I was wondering why you were being so proactive today. So this is the ambush you laid for your dear teacher," Song sighed. "Fine. It’s not too far, so let’s make the trip."

Then, Zhang Shutong looked at Gu Qiuyan and invited her,

"Want to come with?"

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