Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 28: Chapter 9: Mysterious Girl Lu Qinglian

Zhang Shutong had always felt that, with the other guy as a shining example, the words "cool and aloof" could never be pinned on him.

Looking at his Moments eight years later, it seemed he was a department head at a big corporation—a quintessential STEM-elite man.

Sometimes he’d post photos, but you could hardly call them scenic shots. Instead, they were taken from an office building dozens of stories high, the shutter pressed against a floor-to-ceiling window. The city nights were bustling, pedestrians looked like ants, and the streams of traffic resembled flowing, colorful ribbons.

On rare occasions, you’d see a group photo from a company dinner. The young women always seemed to gather around him, but amidst the glitz and glamour, his face remained just as stern and unsmiling.

He also had a Golden Retriever. He’d occasionally post a selfie holding the dog, and only then would a rare hint of a smile crack his perpetually stoic face.

More often, he would post excerpts of profound, philosophical quotes, adding a comment like, "From a book I’m reading lately, highly recommend." Zhang Shutong never took him up on his recommendations, just liking the post each time. The other guy would reply with a smile emoji—the one from the WeChat sticker pack that looks particularly passive-aggressive.

Their connection had been maintained like this for years without breaking, but they never actually chatted. It was confined to Moments. Their interactions were like a duel between masters—a light touch, and no more—with a certain tacit understanding between them.

In a way, it was the same eight years ago.

"What book are you reading today?" Zhang Shutong asked, walking up to his close friend and looking at the book in his hands.

"*The Haunting of the Headless*. It just came out last year. A classic whodunit."

’He really didn’t need to explain all that. It’s not like I’d ever heard of it anyway. The only mystery works I was familiar with were Conan and Sherlock Holmes.’

But that didn’t stop Zhang Shutong from giving him a thumbs-up.

"Cool."

In the darkness, the other guy returned the thumbs-up.

"But can you really see the words on the page when it’s this dark?"

"...To be honest, no."

"I give up," Ruoping sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. "Such a classic case of chuunibyou."

Qingyi immediately stopped reading and shot her a glare.

’See? That’s chuunibyou for you. Their biggest weakness is the term itself.’

Four stools were already set up by the water. Zhang Shutong sat down first, watching the other two bicker.

Ruoping couldn’t take it anymore and snatched his earmuffs. Qingyi resignedly started negotiating with her. Grinning like an arch-villain, Ruoping said, "Fine. You have to beat five levels of Angry Birds for me..." It was quite a while before they finally quieted down.

The two of them sat down on either side of Zhang Shutong. Qingyi handed him the fishing rod, asking him to fish for a bit while he battled the green pig heads.

Zhang Shutong was about to ask if there was any water to drink when Ruoping suddenly leaned in close. "If it weren’t for you, I would’ve passed that level ages ago," she said. "Don’t forget, you owe me five levels too."

He encouraged her, "You should try pulling a stunt like that in class tomorrow. I guarantee you won’t have to play a single level. When you finally get your phone back, the game will probably already be uninstalled."

At that, Ruoping got mad. She reached out with her demonic claws, and Zhang Shutong couldn’t dodge in time. She messed up his hair.

’Messing up their hair was her favorite pastime, and since he believed a man’s hairstyle was very important, she had him right where she wanted him.’

She didn’t like fishing either. She’d just rest her chin on her hands and watch the guys fish, acting as their referee. Sometimes, Zhang Shutong felt it must be tough on her, always running wild with a bunch of boys.

But Ruoping was a sucker for a handsome face. When he asked her about it once, she covered her mouth, giggled, and said, "Because you and Qingyi are good-looking, duh." At that, all he could do was shrug, not knowing how to reply.

Then he heard her ask again:

"Where did you just go?"

There was no way to answer that question truthfully. Zhang Shutong thought for a moment. "My mom asked me to deliver something for her, so I had to bike over."

"Wow, you must’ve biked fast. Haven’t you eaten? I brought some cookies, want some?"

"Sure."

"Want some water?"

"If you have some, that’d be perfect."

’Zhang Shutong found it hard to describe the relationship he and the others had with Ruoping. They were all only children, but he imagined that if he’d had a sister, it would be a lot like this.’

’Sometimes she was like a big sister, the leader of their pack. She could be a bit of a nag, but she was a mother hen who worried about everyone. She kept them all in line, always chirping away, asking about this and that. But nobody minded; they just let her take charge of everything.’

’Other times, she was like a little sister. Once, an older student made her cry. She came running back with red-rimmed eyes, startling all of them. After wiping her tears for a while, she got annoyed that no one was comforting her. But when she looked up, she saw the three boys, stone-faced, getting ready to grab their "weapons." Startled, she quickly asked, "What do you think you’re doing?"’

’Back then, they were in their "base"—an abandoned drainage culvert where they’d hidden a treasure chest. Now *that* was what you’d call fully equipped. The three of them put on their motorcycle helmets, looking fierce. They were about to hop on their bikes to go settle the score when Ruoping, unable to hold back, burst out laughing through her tears. She told them she’d already cussed the other person out so badly that *they* were the one who ended up crying.’

’She had actually won the argument. But on her way back, she started thinking that her insults hadn’t been vicious enough. She thought of all the things she *should* have said—truly soul-crushing remarks. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, until she worked herself up into tears...’

’What could you even say to that?’

’Later on, he and Ruoping lost touch. He often wondered if that fiery, energetic girl was doing well.’

’These were the kinds of stories that filled their days on the small island. Eight years later, living alone in a rented apartment, memories of the past would surface, always occupying an important place in his heart.’

The bobber twitched. Zhang Shutong lifted his rod, and a small fish leaped from the water.

The fish was only about the length of his index finger, hardly counting as a "catch." He tossed it back into the water. ’I’ll spare you today,’ he thought. ’Don’t forget to come back and repay the favor when you’re bigger.’

’In reality, a fish that’s been hooked once is hard to catch again. It’s just like how people grow up. The process of growing up is like being a fish in the water; every time you get hooked, you learn to be a little smarter.’