Winter Time Rendering

"So, we’re going to the commercial street to look?"

Song was no fool.

He had shed the lazy posture he’d had while driving earlier. Both hands gripped the steering wheel, and his back was even slightly arched, like a giant shrimp.

"Right. There aren’t many vans on the island, so it should be easy to identify. But I didn’t get a clear look at the license plate," Zhang Shutong said regretfully. He didn’t know much about cars, so he could only refer to it as a "van."

"I’d be more surprised if you *did* remember the license plate. That’s not deduction; that’s being an accomplice." A faint smile finally broke across Song’s face. "It was a Jinbei van. I forget the model—a Haise or something—but it shouldn’t be too hard to find."

"Actually, there’s another way to look at it," Zhang Shutong said thoughtfully. "Even setting aside the conflict at the commercial street, people buy vans to haul goods, right?"

"You think the guy owns a supermarket?" Song asked immediately.

"Not necessarily. I’m just saying, places like supermarkets and restaurants are likely to use a van. And the only place on the island where those kinds of shops are clustered together is the commercial street."

"Then there’s just one last question. What if they didn’t drive back there?"

"I doubt it." Zhang Shutong glanced at his phone again. "I was just there last night, and a lot of shops were still open. They’re all mom-and-pop operations; they can’t afford to be short-handed, especially places like restaurants. That’s why I’m saying we can still find them if we go now."

"Alright then. I’ll drive a little faster. I guarantee we’ll be there in ten minutes, tops." The engine’s RPM spiked. Song was a crack driver; in his hands, the little Fox felt like a rally car.

They were speeding along a mountain road at night. Some of the turns were so sharp it took an extra beat for the road ahead to come into view. Zhang Shutong’s heart hammered in his chest. ’Please don’t let me die out here before anything even happens to Gu Qiuyan.’

"We can spare a few minutes. Please, just slow down..."

"Relax. I’ve driven faster than this. If it weren’t raining, I could go even faster." With his line of thought clear, Song Nanshan’s mood lightened considerably. "Not bad, kid. I always thought you were a bit of a blockhead. How’d you suddenly get so sharp? Learn that from Qingyi?"

Zhang Shutong rolled his eyes.

’The only thing you can learn from him is "a man’s mission."’

To his surprise, Song grinned.

"Looks to me like that’s exactly what you’re missing right now."

The serious man from a moment ago had vanished, as if a Mega Venusaur had suddenly devolved. He was back to his usual self—a carefree, coarse man.

"So, is your heart racing? Need your old teacher to sing you a song? An occasion this romantic can’t go without a soundtrack."

"Romantic?"

Zhang Shutong was truly shocked—more shocked than when he’d seen the poisoned black dog. ’What’s so romantic about this?’ He was starting to feel cold. He’d been so focused on the killer that he only now realized his shoulder was soaked through, rainwater trickling down his neck.

Zhang Shutong knew some high-end cars had heated seats, but Song’s Fox was obviously not so equipped.

He could only scoot his seat far forward, curl his legs up, and hug his shoulders in front of the heater vent while listening to Song Nanshan spout his nonsensical philosophy.

"This is what it’s all about—rescuing the girl you love. For thousands of years, this has been the pinnacle of male romance. The only difference between then and now is that they used to be on horseback, and now we’re in cars. The essence is the same, I think. It’s all about racing forward like your life depends on it. Call it a mission, call it fate... you might be bleeding, but to the woman you love, a man’s scars are his medals. A song doesn’t matter at a time like this. What matters is the wind."

As he spoke, he rolled down the window, eager for a touch of that romance. But a blast of cold wind flooded the car, making the two drenched men—master and apprentice—sneeze violently. So much for romance; it was nearly their heroic demise.

After a moment, he muttered:

"Looks like you really don’t have feelings for Gu Qiuyan."

Since there was nothing else to do but drive, Zhang Shutong asked why he’d brought that up again.

Song’s answer was simple. "Because you sneezed."

Zhang Shutong had no idea what kind of siren Gu Qiuyan was. ’Could it be that anyone who falls for her is blessed by Magic Power, to the point they can’t even feel the cold?’

But then Song nodded. "If that was really the person you wanted to protect, you’d be running on pure Magic Power right now. You wouldn’t feel a thing. But you’re not, which is why you sneezed."

Zhang Shutong’s first instinct was to call bullshit, but for some reason, it also felt like there was a kernel of truth to it. He’d never experienced anything like that growing up, and frankly, he hoped he never would.

’Experiencing it once outside a delivery room would be more than enough.’

’But what hospital is drafty?’

Hospitals might not be drafty, but walls could be.

"Secrets always get out," Song suddenly mused. "Do you think the guy is stupid or just plain evil? What’s the point of poisoning a dog just because Gu Qiuyan’s dad is out of town? He’s going to suffer for it later. Does he really think these big bosses are merciful?"

"What if they go after Gu Qiuyan herself?" Zhang Shutong countered.

"...Then he’s not stupid or evil, he’s just insane." Song was taken aback for a second. "I reckon the worst he’ll do is smash a window while no one’s home for these couple of days. No major crimes, just petty stuff to tick the family off every day. Anything more extreme, like... throwing shit... that used to happen back in my hometown, but where would you even find that stuff nowadays? You’d just make yourself sick first."

"Even a cornered rabbit will bite, though, right?"

"Technically, it’s not impossible. Li Yipeng’s situation is an exception, though. There really are people whose entire families depend on their shops to live. And you can’t expect the demolition compensation to be very generous; these aren’t valuable commercial properties in a big city. A lot of these shops don’t even have proper ownership deeds. They might be illegal structures from years ago that the government just turned a blind eye to."

Song thought for a moment.

"Now that you put it that way, our scope of investigation has narrowed. We should be looking for someone from a poorer family, the kind that’s been pushed to the brink."

Zhang Shutong was about to launch into his own analysis, but Song, who seemed to be on a roll today, spoke again.

"You remember, right? That kid Li Yipeng mentioned, the one who put him up to it? He also has a grudge against Gu Qiuyan’s family. Maybe we’ll make a bonus discovery on this trip."

’Let’s find the van first.’ Zhang Shutong thought Song was being an optimist.

"But what if we don’t find it tonight? No matter how sound your reasoning is, plans can’t always keep up with reality."

Song suddenly changed his tune, growing pessimistic. He said in a grave, earnest voice:

"Shutong, can you please just listen to me this time? Stop trying to play detective. I know I shouldn’t discourage you—as your teacher, I’m proud of you, really—but this isn’t something a person your age should be doing.

"Listen to me. In a bit, either take Qiumian to your place, or I’ll take you two out somewhere. We don’t need to be picking a fight with some commercial street. Just getting through this weekend is a victory. Leave the rest for her dad to worry about."

It wasn’t that Zhang Shutong didn’t want to.

He didn’t want to pick a fight with the commercial street, either. Ruoping was still asking him to go to Du Kang’s birthday party. This first weekend after the regression was supposed to be for relaxing at home or hanging out with his best friends. His mindset had unconsciously grown younger. Song had mentioned that the Tender Beef Pentagon was delicious, and Zhang Shutong actually wanted to find time to try it. Those carefree days of youth were fleeting; once they were gone, they were gone for good.

Taking Gu Qiuyan off the island to escape the danger was an option, but that would only be a temporary fix. The clue he’d brought back from eight years in the future was minuscule, and there would be no more regressions. If he didn’t seize this chance to pull this thorn from his side, when would he get another?

’Should he deal with it once and for all, or let it fester into a problem that was a pain to manage and a bigger pain to ignore?’

He was a contradictory person at times. He couldn’t just stand by and let Gu Qiuyan die, but the thought of having to be her constant protector was a hassle.

’So it was best to just get it over with once and for all.’

He just nodded, remaining noncommittal.

Seeing this, Song Nanshan sighed.

Fortunately, they were almost at the commercial street.