Chapter 33: The Master of Emotions

Gu Qiumian’s detached villa stood four stories tall, surrounded by a spacious yard enclosed by an iron fence. Built in the middle of nowhere, it overlooked a lake below. Perhaps the scenery would be pleasant on a clear day, but in the current weather, it felt only gloomy and eerie.

Old Song was surprisingly thoughtful. Knowing to keep an umbrella in the car, he handed it to Gu Qiumian. When the young girl asked the two if they would like to come inside for a sit-down, the teacher and student waved her off in unison, saying it was getting too late and she should hurry inside to have dinner, adding that they would stay in touch.

They watched as she walked into the light drizzle, pausing for a moment before the black iron gate. To their surprise, it was an electric gate, which opened with a soft beep. Gu Qiumian waved at the small car, turned, and disappeared into the villa. The lights were on inside; with a nanny at home, being able to step through the door to a warm meal was a true luxury.

Zhang Shutong had been quite farsighted, grabbing a steamed bun at the school gate earlier, but Old Song had it rough. He clearly hadn't eaten well at lunch, and his stomach was growling loudly. Zhang had expected him to quickly find a restaurant, but instead, Old Song pulled the handbrake, rolled down the window, and killed the engine.

"Let’s have a smoke before we go." The homeroom teacher held up his cigarette case, clearly having been holding back for the entire ride. "Come to the front seat, why are you still squeezing in the back? There’s another umbrella under the car door."

Zhang Shutong also felt cramped, though he didn't need the umbrella. He braved the rain to switch seats. With Gu Qiumian gone, the two men felt a bit more relaxed.

"Actually, I really do have something to tell you. I wasn't joking at lunch." Song Nanshan struck his lighter, and a small flame flickered in the dim space. "I contacted Gu Qiumian’s father this afternoon, but he can't make it back. The earliest he’ll be here is Monday, so for these next few days... hey, kid, why are you zoning out?"

Zhang Shutong was busy recalling Du Kang’s words. He remembered Du Kang saying that Gu Qiumian had gone "missing" on Monday, but the official report wasn't filed until Tuesday. He had never understood why there was a day's delay, but now he had his answer.

"What did her father say?"

"He anticipated this. He’ll have things arranged."

"Anyone else besides the nanny?"

"No one else. Qiumian doesn't like having too many strangers around. He probably already gave word to the commercial district or the police. Think about it—he’s a big boss who has weathered many storms; he knows a lot more than I do, and certainly more than you."

Zhang Shutong remained silent.

"Anyway, stop worrying about it. That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. Why didn't you take the opportunity I gave you earlier?" Old Song nudged him with his shoulder, looking at him with exasperation. "I even volunteered to take you both out tomorrow. You should have just said yes."

"She said she didn't want to go," Zhang Shutong replied absentmindedly, his thoughts elsewhere.

"That’s because you weren't proactive! A girl waits a long time before saying something like that; you have to pursue them." Old Song had suddenly turned into a relationship guru. "You want to bet? If I call her right now and you ask her again, she might just say yes."

"Let's just forget it."

"Don't you ever tell anyone you learned this from me once you're out in the world. What a waste of that handsome face," Old Song grumbled in disgust.

Zhang Shutong finally came back to his senses, asking with curiosity why his teacher was so obsessed with playing matchmaker.

Old Song took a drag of his cigarette and said, "Your mind is truly impure. When did I ever talk about romance? I’m talking about you two making friends. Friends, get it?"

Zhang Shutong pursed his lips but said nothing.

Before the cigarette was finished, Song Nanshan began to wax nostalgic about his youth. He recalled that when he was a student, boys and girls had to be strictly guarded just to exchange a few words. If he could have shared a car with a pretty girl, he would have been over the moon—let alone a car, he would have been thrilled to share a donkey-drawn cart. "And you, you don't even cherish it."

Zhang Shutong found it strange to be lectured on romance by him. It wasn't that their status made it inappropriate, but rather that Old Song was single himself. If he really had that kind of ability, he wouldn't be bothering with Zhang; he would be out driving around with a girl himself. He didn't say this aloud, however, keeping the thought to himself.

He urged Old Song to get to the point, as he still needed to head to the commercial district later.

"You really intend to investigate this yourself?"

"Might as well take a look." Zhang Shutong saw no need to hide it from him. If Old Song knew, he would surely tag along, and having an extra hand wasn't a bad thing.

He planned to visit the Nanhu Fish Restaurant again. This time, with a clearer direction, there was no need to beat around the bush; he could just be direct. And with the homeroom teacher’s intimidating presence, it might actually work to get some answers.

"Sigh, day after day, I'm just here keeping you kids company in your mischief," Song Nanshan said, scratching his head. "But tell me, what are you even aiming for? I can understand if you like Gu Qiumian, but take that scarf incident—you did it, but you didn't even take credit."

"Less trouble. Isn't it fine as it is?" Zhang Shutong replied distractedly.

"You'll regret it sooner or later, kid."

"If I really regret it, then I'll let my future self deal with the headache."

"Stop talking in riddles with me," Song Nanshan laughed and scolded. "But tell me, what do you think of Qiumian as a person? Answer honestly, and I don't mean in a romantic way."

Zhang Shutong really wanted to tell him to stop asking, promising that if he asked one more question, he would fill his teacup with boiling water every chance he got. *Can't you just maintain your persona as a rough-and-tumble guy? Why do you have to be so gossipy?*

"Actually, she seemed to be in quite a good mood today," Song Nanshan said, flicking the ash off his cigarette.

"Really?" Zhang Shutong asked, puzzled. "She didn't seem to smile much in the car."

"You're so dense. Let me tell you, you don't tell if a girl is happy by whether she smiles or not. Even I could tell. Look for yourself—"

As he spoke, Song Nanshan pointed at the passenger-side window. Zhang Shutong turned to look and realized that Gu Qiumian had drawn a shallow, silly ghost face on the fogged-up glass.

"Even though I can't tell what she was drawing, she was definitely in a good mood."

Zhang Shutong tilted his head and stared at the ghost face for a few seconds. It was truly ugly. "I saw her with her friends during the break, chatting and laughing, so I suppose that's not surprising."

What he found strange was that her mood had been so poor yesterday, only to suddenly turn from cloudy to sunny today.

Zhang Shutong thought for a moment. "Is she the type who is a bit thick-skinned?"

"Nonsense!" Old Song ruffled his hair roughly. "I think you’re the one who’s thick-skinned!"

"Then why?"

"Why is there always a 'why' with girls? Some are just easily satisfied." Old Song began his lecture. "Technically, this isn't something I should be teaching you, but since the opportunity has presented itself, your teacher will impart some wisdom. My girlfriend back in the day was much the same—silly, in a way."

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, *Don't think I can't hear what you're saying. Isn't it a bit arrogant to be labeling her as 'silly' right outside her villa? Besides, Gu Qiumian isn't silly.*

"Isn't she quite smart?"

"Wrong again. She’s clearly just a silly girl, too."

But Zhang Shutong couldn't connect the word "silly" to Gu Qiumian at all. He listened as Old Song continued to hold court.

"This 'silly' isn't about intelligence. It’s distinguished like this: a shrewd girl knows exactly what she needs, but a silly girl... they just can't tell the difference."