Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 17: Chapter 5: A Girl’s Red Surpasses All Else (Part 2)

Some also took the opportunity to vent their frustrations:

"She really thinks she’s something special. It’s not like she’s the principal’s daughter..."

"What did you say?"

Gu Qiuyan whipped her head around.

The person didn’t dare to speak again. After a long pause, he finally mumbled under his breath:

"If you’re so capable, why don’t you get your dad to switch your class for you..."

That was the sentence that lit the fuse.

But the explosion backfired on her:

"...Fine. Since you won’t admit it... don’t your parents work for my dad? I’m going to go tell my dad!"

After saying that, she wiped her face, turned, and stormed off.

The moment she left, a few of his friends and other classmates came over to console him;

Ruoping was so angry she started cursing along with them;

Qingyi and Du Kang also stood up and went over to the boy named Zhou Ziheng, complaining:

"What nonsense were you spouting? That’s not how you play the hero. There’s no way Shutong would do something like that..."

He couldn’t remember what else was said, only that it was mortifying. He ended up skipping a class to stay on the rooftop.

It wasn’t because he was wrongly accused, but because that comment about his parents felt like an insult to his younger self, making his face burn with shame.

His parents originally worked at the geology bureau. A few years prior, because Father Gu wanted to develop the small island, he had spearheaded a joint project with the city and established a dedicated survey station on the island.

From that perspective, his transfer to the school on the island was indeed closely related to Gu Qiuyan’s family.

But to say they worked for her dad wasn’t quite right. Logically, her threat should have been the least concerning, yet it stuck with him for a long time.

Perhaps it was because things he had deliberately tried to ignore were suddenly laid bare.

But it was impossible not to worry at all. What if his family was really implicated?

He tried to subtly probe his parents about it a few times, but the "retaliation" he expected never came. Instead, they started looking at him a little strangely.

Going to school felt heavy for the next few days. A young boy’s imagination is boundless; he genuinely considered several possibilities, like being cornered at the school gate by Gu Qiuyan’s lackeys, or being knocked out and thrown into a car by her family’s driver.

Besides, even if she couldn’t get to his family, that didn’t mean she couldn’t get to him at school. Father Gu was well-connected. Considering the fate of that boy who told dirty jokes, it was possible she could get him transferred to another class or sent home for a few days.

But in reality, none of those things happened.

To be honest, Zhang Shutong never figured out why.

Gu Qiuyan came to school the next day. She didn’t come looking for payback, nor did she press him about what really happened. It was as if nothing had occurred.

She was the same as always, always wearing that mended scarf. She would bring lots of snacks, occasionally sharing them with others, and would draw on the windowpanes, laughing at herself when her drawings were too ugly.

The only difference was when they passed each other. She wouldn’t give him a cold look or glare at him. Their relationship went from occasionally exchanging a few words to one of complete indifference.

Zhang Shutong used to be quite stubborn. He had been holding a grudge, wanting to find the real "culprit" and righteously tell her the truth.

But he never imagined that would be the last conversation they ever had. The pent-up frustration in his chest dissipated in an unexpected way, and the conflict became a memory sealed deep in his heart.

All these years later, thinking back on it, it was no longer about being angry. He just felt there must have been a better way to handle it. If he had reached any conclusion, it was that the scarf must have been very important to Gu Qiuyan.

There are some things you carry in your heart for years. You don’t deliberately remember them, but once they pop into your head, you can’t help but rack your brain, thinking about right and wrong, about better ways it could have been handled... trying everything you can think of, to no avail. In truth, you’re not looking for right or wrong, or even a resolution. You’re simply lamenting something that can never be undone.

When Zhang Shutong was a teenager, he developed a method for categorizing people—of course, he doesn’t use it anymore. The specific process was:

If he met someone particularly unique or hard to figure out, he would try to match their words and actions to characters from the novels and manga he had read. If he could find a close match, he would classify them under that template and feel like he basically understood them.

He had once tried to categorize Gu Qiuyan. His conclusion was that she was the "aloof, high-and-mighty young lady" type. But he later realized that wasn’t right. It was more like she didn’t care about most things, and since she didn’t care, she didn’t bother wasting energy on them, which was what made her seem withdrawn.

Just like right now. He kept feeling like Gu Qiuyan was glaring at him, but when their eyes actually met, it turned out that Zhang Shutong was just overthinking things.

There was no surprise on her face, nor any intention of calling him out. She just stood there, expressionless, as if stating the most mundane fact:

"Move your chair so I can get in."

Trying to change seats now would just seem dramatic. Zhang Shutong pulled his stool forward a bit and felt a fragrant breeze waft past him from behind.

He glanced at Gu Qiuyan. The great Miss Gu had returned to her old spot, only to find her new deskmate was a tactless boy—not to mention one with whom she had some bad blood. Her mood was probably less than cheerful.

She just placed her backpack on the desk and began organizing her things without a word.

She wasn’t talking, and Zhang Shutong was happy for the peace and quiet. With some girls, he could tell what they were thinking at a glance. Others were impossible to figure out, regardless of their age. Gu Qiuyan belonged to the latter category. So, he wanted to save his brain cells.

Besides, he had something more important on his mind—

He couldn’t keep his promise to Du Kang. The seats next to and directly in front of Lu Qinglian were already taken. But the seat two rows in front of her was still empty.

Luckily, the top students in the class were all girls, so for the moment, no one was eyeing that spot.

Though it had been a bit of a joke from the start, he had made a promise.

Besides, as long as it was empty, Zhang Shutong had a way.

He looked toward the front door again and saw a boy who hadn’t been assigned a seat yet. The boy shamelessly called out to the homeroom teacher:

"Teacher, can you put me next to Ding Xiaoxiao?"

Ding Xiaoxiao was the girl sitting two rows in front of Lu Qinglian.

Song Nanshan’s gaze lifted from the rankings list. He glanced at the boy.

"If you have a reason, state it."

"I’ve been having trouble seeing clearly lately. I think I might be nearsighted, so I want to be closer to the blackboard."

"Get lost. You think I don’t know what you’re up to? If you can’t see the board, go sit by the wall. There’s an empty seat over there. If that doesn’t work, grab a chair and sit next to the podium."

The boy gave an embarrassed smile and fell silent.

Zhang Shutong almost laughed watching this. He felt that Lu Qinglian was like a cultivation treasure from a martial arts sect; the closer you got, the faster your experience points increased. The seats around her were becoming a battleground for all the disciples.

Just then, he heard Gu Qiuyan finally manage to squeeze out a question after a long silence:

"What are you doing over here?"

She had a habit of adding particles to the ends of her sentences. Her tone was clearly nonchalant, but her words always seemed to carry a certain weight.

’Why do all girls like to get to the bottom of things?’

Zhang Shutong thought to himself.

But since he couldn’t figure her out, he gave a casual reply:

"I’m afraid of the cold."

"Stop pretending."

"A complete accident?"

"Tch."

Gu Qiuyan made a small "tch" sound, as if waiting for him to ask what she was "tching" about.

Zhang Shutong didn’t have time to ask her.

He was focused on the action at the front of the room. Although he didn’t want to have to pull strings, the teacher had just called another name—and it was a boy.

The boy’s eyes lit up when he heard his name, and without a moment’s hesitation, he hurried toward the empty seat.

He raised his hand. He knew he couldn’t wait any longer; he had to play the familiarity card.

"Teacher Song, I have something."

"Ah, Shutong. Speak." Song didn’t even look up, like an emperor listening to a beloved minister’s report.

Zhang Shutong rarely spoke at such length:

"I’ve been tutoring Du Kang recently. I want to save a closer seat for him to make it easier to go over problems."

The homeroom teacher chuckled when he heard that:

"The two of you, tutoring? More like going fishing."

Despite saying that, he casually added:

"Go on, go on. Do as you like. Just don’t pass notes in my class."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shutong balled up his school uniform jacket and tossed it forward. The jacket flew in a parabola and landed right next to Ding Xiaoxiao, startling the girl.

Meanwhile, the boy whose name had just been called was only a few steps from the seat. He froze on the spot, caught in a dilemma.

He didn’t want to give up and not go, but if he went over, there was already a jacket saving the seat. Wouldn’t that expose his own intentions?

In the end, he resentfully went to find another seat.

’Sorry, sorry.’

Zhang Shutong could only pretend not to see.

He could almost hear the supposedly nearsighted boy asking indignantly, "Then how come Du Kang gets to? Teacher, look at Zhang Shutong!"

But Zhang Shutong felt like he was actually saying, ’Your Majesty, you absolutely must not! These two have treacherous ambitions, they must not be allowed to remain, they must be executed!’ And then he would just be rubbing his hands together, waiting for the signal to purge the court.

Song shrugged, looking equally innocent. "He said they need to study. How about I find someone to tutor you, too? Don’t leave after school today?"

"Pretend I didn’t say anything..." The boy immediately went quiet.

Zhang Shutong offered him a few seconds of silent mourning.

Although it wasn’t exactly what he had promised, Du Kang had been planning to sit in the rows near him anyway. He probably wouldn’t mind being a little further forward. Besides, there was always the next monthly exam.

’Next time for sure. Yep, definitely next time.’