Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 9: Chapter 3: The Young Lady and the Penguin on the Island

His trip down memory lane was cut short.

’Perfect timing,’ Zhang Shutong thought. ’I’d forgotten my deskmate’s name anyway. I’ll just say hi to the new one after we switch.’

It was the second period of the afternoon. There was a long break coming up, which usually meant going outside for a run.

But with snow on the field, it had been changed to free time for each class to manage on their own.

His class switched seats once a month. He turned to look around. Some students were already prepared, while others were slowly closing their homework, just waiting to pack their bags.

’So I guess I’m the last one to know.’

With a sense of understanding, he started getting busy. He only paused to think when his eyes fell on the piece of scratch paper with the name written on it.

He’d think about it more at home tonight. It was always better to be cautious. He grabbed a thick exam prep book and tucked the paper inside. It was a habit born of his personality—for a boy his age, this was safer than carrying it on his person.

Just as he was about to stuff a pile of things into his backpack, Zhang Shutong suddenly found himself in a predicament.

His backpack was stuffed with exam papers, textbooks, workbooks, and folders. Materials from every subject were jumbled together, and he had long since forgotten how they were supposed to be organized.

He had been living alone for years. People who live by themselves generally fall into two categories:

either they live in total squalor,

or they keep their lives in perfect order.

Zhang Shutong was the latter. He was even a little obsessive-compulsive and couldn’t bear the thought of just stuffing everything in haphazardly.

With this in mind, he walked over to the bank of cubbies on one side of the classroom, planning to just stash his things there for now.

The bank of cubbies was long, taking up an entire wall. Each student had their own slot, and every classroom had a set.

The cubbies themselves had nothing to do with Gu Qiuyan’s family—the school wasn’t that cheap—but the items placed on top of them did.

As mentioned, she had never made any friends in class and kept her distance from everyone. So, the great Miss Gu simply formed a circle of one.

She didn’t bother others and didn’t like others bothering her. Of course, she wasn’t a bad person by nature, so she never did anything too outrageous. She was, at most, a bit of a maverick.

For instance, she loved building with authentic Legos—the kind that were ridiculously expensive. As for why Zhang Shutong knew about this hobby, the reason was right here—

Every classroom was decorated with a few potted plants set on top of the cubbies—usually devil’s ivy or snake plants. Only their class had an additional castle made of building blocks. It was one of the pieces from Gu Qiuyan’s collection.

He even remembered that his cubby was right below the castle. The castle was about the size of a bathroom sink, built in a European style, with a little Lego person in a dress standing at the gate.

Tucked away among the green leaves and branches, it looked just like a princess secluded in a forest. Such were the privileges of the young heiress.

He glanced again at her seat by the window. He had no idea how many doodles had been layered on the glass. It was impossible to tell what Gu Qiuyan had even drawn.

She seemed to realize this herself. She frowned, propping her chin on her hand as she stared at it for a long moment. Eventually, the sprawling, chaotic pattern made her laugh. She wiped it clean and went back to her homework, and the charm at the end of her hair swayed slightly.

Zhang Shutong’s gaze lingered on the charm before he turned to look around the quiet classroom. Sometimes the wind would howl past, slamming against the windows and making the glass tremble, giving it an unnervingly fragile feel.

The world outside was dim. The fluorescent tubes overhead had a yellowish tint, but they cast a warm glow.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this relaxed.

But only he knew that in just five days, this peaceful scene would be shattered.

He recalled the details of the murder case. Given Gu Qiuyan’s special status, he had heard two versions of what happened:

One was that the culprits were desperate for money and kidnapped her for ransom, but the negotiations broke down, ending in tragedy.

The other claimed it was one of Father Gu’s enemies, that he had done something vile and wicked while building his fortune, and the sins had been visited upon his child. This version was more widely circulated, and some people actually cheered it on.

But Zhang Shutong didn’t really believe either theory. Whether it was for money or revenge, neither provided a reason to harm Lu Qinglian eight years later.

Since neither theory was useful, he could only fall back on the information Du Kang had once leaked to him.

"The killer in that case was never caught. We had a few statements from some fishermen, who said that before the incident, they saw someone over by the restricted area..."

It wasn’t the clearest of clues, but it was better than nothing.

By the time he finished gathering his things, he had the rough outline of a plan.

Of course, that didn’t mean he was going to rush into action right away.

His 16-year-old self had been a lone wolf. Harboring a world-shattering secret, he would have definitely skipped class and pedaled furiously to the "restricted area" without a moment’s hesitation.

But things were different now. To put it bluntly, he had become somewhat cold and detached over the years. That was just the truth of the matter:

The incident was still several days away, and panicking wouldn’t help. Besides, calling the police was a better option than trying to handle it alone.

And even if he did call the police, he’d do it after school. Half a day wouldn’t make a difference.

If life were a video game with a main quest, his would be to cherish this second chance he’d been given.

Unmasking the killer and getting a "happy ending" was just a side quest he could complete along the way.

As for getting involved with the two girls or trying to get closer to them for this purpose, Zhang Shutong had no interest whatsoever.

He barely knew them eight years ago, and he saw no reason for that to change this time around.

At the end of the day, he hated complications. It would be best to resolve the matter discreetly, without arousing anyone’s suspicion.

If he had that kind of free time, he’d much rather go fishing with his buddies.

Just as he was wondering if his skills had gotten rusty after so many years away from a fishing rod, the dismissal bell rang.

Yawns, complaints, laughter... The once-quiet classroom suddenly erupted in a wave of noise.

Students rose from their seats one by one, figures blurring in front of him. The rubber soles of their shoes scuffed against the terrazzo floor.

As he took in the scene, the world finally began to feel real again.

Zhang Shutong felt an inexplicable urge to stretch. It was a strange sensation, as if a physical memory, dormant for years, had been reawakened, and his mind felt much more alive along with it.