Winter Time Rendering

Zhang Shutong put his phone away, setting aside the matter with his mother for the time being. The most pressing issue was the conflict between the two girls.

’Ruoping can be a bit petty sometimes, but she always has her priorities straight when it comes to important things. I just need to explain the situation with the Gu family and it should be fine.’

The one who actually worried him was Gu Qiuyan. He couldn’t begin to guess what she might say. She was a bona fide princess, and expecting her to be the first to reconcile was impossible. It was far more likely she would haughtily declare:

"What makes you think I can’t be here?"

Or, to be even more blunt:

"My family owns this mall. Shouldn’t you be the one to leave?"

Zhang Shutong was certain Ruoping would turn and walk away on the spot, and then the situation would become truly hostile.

He had to snuff out the fuse before it was lit. But just as Zhang Shutong took a step forward, the two girls spoke in unison:

"You, be quiet!"

Then they looked away from him, their eyes meeting.

Then Zhang Shutong watched as Gu Qiuyan walked up to him. Her lips parted, but the words that came out weren’t haughty at all. Instead, it was...

"Let me hold that."

Just those four simple words, and they were directed at Zhang Shutong.

Only then did Zhang Shutong’s gaze fall to his own hands.

He was holding a handbag—the very one she had pushed on him before going to the restroom. Zhang Shutong had completely forgotten about it.

Gu Qiuyan casually took the handbag from him and looped it back over her arm.

She then nonchalantly smoothed down her hair, though it wasn’t the least bit messy, and suddenly exuded an air of unruffled composure.

Beyond that, there was no other exchange.

And yet, with just those four words, the battle seemed to have been decided. It was as if the handbag were some crucial prop, and victory belonged to whoever held it.

Ruoping’s gaze remained fixed on the handbag, which she hadn’t noticed until now. She blinked, then turned to Zhang Shutong with a look of pure shock, her mouth opening silently:

"That fast?"

He could recognize the words from the shape of her mouth.

Then, Ruoping sighed. She had always been the leader of their little group, the type whose word was law.

This time, though, it felt as if one of her underlings had suddenly declared he was marrying a girl from a rival family. Their two "gangs" had been feuding for ages, but what’s done is done. How could she possibly break them up now?

All she could do was swallow her pride and admit defeat:

"Welcome."

Ruoping squeezed the word out through gritted teeth.

’So this is how women fight their battles.’

Zhang Shutong was in awe.

But he knew Gu Qiuyan had cheated. That handbag wasn’t proof of some special relationship at all; she’d just needed her hands free to go to the restroom.

Ruoping, however, had no idea about the context. To her, it must have looked like their relationship had progressed to the point where he’d hold her handbag for her, and her imagination had clearly run wild with the implications.

’I’d hold your bag for you if you went to the restroom too,’ Zhang Shutong wanted to say. But in a way, this was a pretty good solution, so he willingly let Gu Qiuyan hitch him to her war wagon and pretended he hadn’t seen a thing.

’What a clever move.’

’And who said Gu Qiuyan was dumb?’

Zhang Shutong mentally roasted Song for his terrible judgment. This girl wasn’t dumb in the slightest. What he didn’t expect, however, was what happened next. Gu Qiuyan walked over to Ruoping. He assumed she was about to make a victory speech, but instead, the "princess" stuffed the chocolate bar her mother had given her into Ruoping’s hand and said softly:

"I was in the wrong before. Let’s share it."

Only then did Zhang Shutong recall that their feud had started over a bag of chocolate—

They must have been only thirteen or fourteen at the time, in their first or second year of junior high. Ruoping had offered to share a bag of chocolate coins with Gu Qiuyan, but unfortunately, Qiumian hadn’t been impressed and had coolly rejected the offer.

Of course, it wasn’t that she looked down on Ruoping, just on chocolate made with cocoa butter substitutes. In fact, she’d even brought a bunch of high-end chocolates the next day, perhaps hoping to make friends. But while she could tell the difference between types of chocolate, she couldn’t read people’s feelings. Her attempt backfired, leaving Ruoping deeply hurt.

Naturally, the result was that Ruoping and her friends started treating Gu Qiuyan like she was invisible.

She didn’t feel good about it either, but how could a "princess" like her endure being ignored? After school, her eyes red from crying, she ran behind the classroom and threw the entire bag of fancy chocolates away.

Her cold war with Ruoping had lasted all these years.

’But why the sudden change of heart from Gu Qiuyan now?’ Leaving aside who was right or wrong, Zhang Shutong never thought she’d be the one to bow her head and apologize. And yet, he couldn’t detect the slightest hint of reluctance in her voice. In fact, it sounded like she genuinely wanted to make peace.

Ruoping was also a little surprised. She was the type who responded to kindness, not coercion. She seemed at a loss for a moment, her face flushing slightly, before she too whispered an apology. She then unwrapped the chocolate and broke it in half.

Zhang Shutong watched, gratified, as the two made up, only for Ruoping to shoot him a glare.

"Why are you acting like you’re just an innocent bystander? You think this has nothing to do with you?"

"How am I involved?" Zhang Shutong asked, puzzled.

"This was obviously between me and Qiumian, so who asked you to get involved and take her side back then? If she’d offered you the chocolate and you’d just eaten it, everything would’ve been fine! Did I say you couldn’t eat it or something?"

Her words jogged his memory. That day after school, it had been his turn for classroom cleaning duty. Gu Qiuyan hadn’t thrown the chocolates out right away; she had first asked him if he wanted them. Feeling he couldn’t betray his friend for a girl, he had shaken his head and refused.

Zhang Shutong knew she wasn’t truly blaming him. She was just a bit embarrassed and was also helping her new friend vent a little. After all, hadn’t she already started calling her "Qiumian"? A big sister like her would naturally pick on one of her own "underlings" first.

Zhang Shutong was happy to play the scapegoat. Besides, he also felt that his own emotional intelligence had been a bit low back then; he had only escalated the conflict. So he smiled, nodded in apology, and gave Ruoping a graceful way to back down.