Chapter 58: Dumped Lu Qinglian? (Bonus Chapter 1)

The woman’s name was right on the tip of his tongue.
It was still Lu Qinglian.
Yet why was it still her?
Zhang Shutong stood frozen in place. The shock of the moment made him forget to notice who was standing behind him. There were countless things he couldn't make sense of since returning to the year 2020, but what baffled him the most—
Why did Lu Qinglian still have to die?
His mind rapidly recalled the information from before. A twenty-four-year-old Du Kang had told him that for all these years, Lu Qinglian had stayed on this small island, guarding that shrine. The night before she died, she had made a phone call to him, and her body was subsequently discovered in a body of water known as the "Forbidden Zone." The official investigation concluded it was an accidental drowning...
Yet Du Kang refused to believe any of it. He insisted stubbornly that someone had murdered Lu Qinglian, citing the fact that eight years ago, on December 10th, Gu Qiumian's body had also been discovered in the Forbidden Zone.
The two of them had died in the same place and on the same day, exactly eight years apart.
Therefore, the content of that phone call was also deemed to be a cry for help.
At the time, he hadn't exactly dismissed it completely, but he hadn't taken it too seriously either. Primarily because eight years was simply too long a span, the circumstances of their deaths weren't entirely identical, and the "killer's" motive was impossible to deduce... Yet how could Lu Qinglian still be dead?
It wasn't that Zhang Shutong thought she was bound to commit suicide by jumping into the lake; rather... if he had lived his life over again starting from eight years ago, even if he couldn't solve everything perfectly, he should at least have had the benefit of necessary forewarning, right?
Just like that vanished missed call on his mobile phone—if it existed, it would mean there was a problem. He could not possibly have known that something was going to happen and remained entirely indifferent.
Yet Lu Qinglian still died.
Why?
Furthermore, since she had made that phone call in the original timeline, it meant she definitely had something to discuss with him at that time.
Yet when he ransacked his current call logs, the two of them apparently hadn't been in contact for a very long time.
Zhang Shutong then thought: since the date of the funeral was still December 12th, according to the customs of the small island, didn't that mean even the date of her death hadn't changed?
A sudden sense of powerlessness welled up within him, simply because things that should have changed on this timeline had not changed at all.
At that moment, the person behind him sighed again:
"Let's go, Shutong. Come outside with me and smoke a cigarette."
Only then did Zhang Shutong remember to look at him. Anyone who could address him as Shutong was definitely an acquaintance, but the newcomer was a middle-aged man in a white shirt and black suit, his hair combed meticulously without a single strand out of place.
He wore a pair of glasses. If not for the bit of un-shaved stubble on his chin, he would have looked very much like an intellectual.
What left the deepest impression was his height of over one hundred and eighty centimeters. Wearing leather shoes with heels, he was almost a fraction taller than Zhang Shutong. A hooked nose, a square chin... wait, Zhang Shutong suddenly recognized who he was:
"Teacher Song?"
He asked in astonishment.
This bespectacled, suit-wearing man of refined temperament was actually Song Nanshan? Their rough-around-the-edges, rugged homeroom teacher?
Hearing this, Song Nanshan squeezed out a faint smile:
"There's no need to look so surprised just because we haven't seen each other in all these years. Come on, let's go outside and have a chat."
When he said this, there was indeed a trace of his former demeanor. Zhang Shutong subconsciously followed his footsteps, looking at his neatly pressed suit trousers, while thinking that in the original timeline, old Song should have resigned to take responsibility for the Gu Qiumian incident. But now, looking so spirited, this must be the butterfly effect brought about by this change.
He felt a slight sense of comfort in his heart.
The two of them walked out of the funeral parlor, took a few steps forward, and leaned against the railing of the lakeside road.
Old Song handed him a cigarette. He lit it and took a puff. There was no coughing, no discomfort, not even a feeling of sudden invigoration—though this wasn't a good sign, as it indicated he had a heavy smoking habit.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say. He watched as old Song smoked more than half of his cigarette in deep, harsh drags before finally speaking:
"No one could have foreseen what happened to Qinglian. Don't be too hard on yourself either."
Zhang Shutong had originally intended to ask what on earth had happened to Lu Qinglian, but he abruptly caught the logical flaw in the other's words:
Wait, being hard on himself?
What did blaming himself mean?
It wasn't that he had no reaction to Lu Qinglian's death; it was just that bewilderment was currently overriding grief. As someone in the know, using the word "self-blame" might have been appropriate for himself, but why would it come out of Song Nanshan's mouth?
This reminded him of the very first sentence the man had uttered upon meeting:
My condolences.
What did condolences mean?
Back when he attended funerals previously, no one had ever said those two words to him.
Instead, the news of Lu Qinglian calling him had spread, and quite a few gossips claimed her boyfriend had dumped her, leaving him to be reviled by everyone as a "heartless scoundrel."
Yet now that the missed call had vanished, what was the meaning of this expression of condolence?
Or was he just overthinking it, and Song Nanshan was simply offering routine comfort in his capacity as their homeroom teacher?
"I and her..." The words came to his lips, but Zhang Shutong had no idea how to phrase the question.
Old Song, however, didn't offer any excessive explanation, merely patting him on the shoulder:
"I'll go inside first to help out. You can talk when the other classmates arrive later... sit down and have a proper chat. After all, you haven't seen them in eight years. Whatever bad blood there was between you, surely it can be cleared up after all this time.
"By the way, Ruoping called me just now to say she's almost here. Wait a while if you're willing to."
Song Nanshan waved his hand and left. Zhang Shutong stubbed out his cigarette, wondering what old Song meant by "cleared up."
Moreover, he captured yet another piece of new information:
—Haven't seen each other in eight years.
That meant he hadn't returned even once during all these eight years?
He would simply have to ask Ruoping. She was the only person with whom he had never broken contact throughout those eight years.
Although it was bitterly cold outside, he didn't feel much like going back in. The mere sight of Lu Qinglian's funerary portrait made his chest feel constricted, so he stayed right where he was and waited.
Not long after, a white SUV drove up beside the funeral parlor. A young woman with delicate and refined features stepped out of it. She wore her hair short, and her once-neat bangs had been styled into airy, wispy bangs, giving her an air of capable professionalism.
Perhaps because the occasion today was special, the woman was dressed in a black, form-fitting down jacket. Compared to her previous headstrong and fiery temperament, she exuded a slightly cold and striking aura. That young girl named Feng Ruoping had now grown up.
Even so, seeing her still brought a certain sense of reassurance. Zhang Shutong was just about to force a smile and greet her when the woman frowned upon seeing him. Her attitude was lukewarm, and her tone carried a complex emotion as she said:
"You actually came."
Zhang Shutong's smile froze on his face.
He didn't quite understand why she was using such a distant tone. He had prepared himself to be teased by her for a bit, but the other party seemed... not particularly thrilled to see him?
He heard Ruoping continue:
"Since you're here, don't just stand outside in a daze. Du Kang is here today too. Don't you two start anything when you see each other later... sigh."
She sighed, apparently unwilling to say more.
"Where is Qingyi?"
"He's too far away, couldn't make it back in time."
Zhang Shutong nodded. Qingyi was always the most consistent one; he hadn't come back last time either.
He wanted to ask a few more questions, but Ruoping had no intention of elaborating further. With her bag slung over her shoulder, she walked straight into the funeral parlor. It was only then that Zhang Shutong noticed their forms of address were also slightly off.
Whenever he addressed them—just like earlier—he habitually called them "Qingyi" or "Ruoping." Naturally, Ruoping was also accustomed to calling him "Shutong," but this time she had directly switched to the distant pronoun "you."
What on earth was going on? Weren't they just up on the rooftop the day before, taking their frustrations out on him by saying, "You two went to watch a movie and left us out in the cold wind, tell us how you're going to compensate us," before discussing whether or not to go out for a late-night snack? Why had they suddenly started acting like complete strangers?
Right. To him, that was yesterday's event, but to them, a full eight years had intervened.
Yet the Ruoping of back then wasn't like this either. She had even been in the mood to joke around at the time, mocking him with that rumor by saying:
"Oh, little boyfriend, long time no see."
Now, however, she remained tight-lipped. Zhang Shutong watched as she pressed her lips together and walked with brisk steps until she stopped right before the mourning hall. She then bowed deeply three times toward the portrait, and when she straightened back up, the rims of her eyes instantly reddened.
Zhang Shutong had a sudden epiphany: it wasn't just his relationship with Lu Qinglian that had changed; they had all changed as well.
Because of that night when they caught the poachers, Ruoping had even started calling her "Qinglian, Qinglian." Even if they hadn't necessarily become intimate confidantes, their bond had definitely taken a massive leap forward compared to before.
Under such circumstances, feeling grieved over Lu Qinglian didn't seem strange at all.
Therefore, he also said softly to Ruoping:
"My condolences."
Ruoping, however, fell silent for a moment, simply casting a glance at him without replying.
"Anyone can say those words, but you are the absolute last person who should!"
At that moment, a male voice rang out from behind. The man seemed to be forcefully suppressing his anger. Zhang Shutong turned his head to see that the newcomer was a young man with a buzz cut and a baby face—who else could it be but Du Kang?
Zhang Shutong was stunned for a moment before confirming that these words were directed at him. He then heard Du Kang roar angrily:
"Is this how you protected her? Zhang Shutong, I can't believe you feel nothing at all! Offering condolences, you..."
Numerous gazes turned toward them. Ruoping stepped right between the two men, raising her voice as well:
"Enough! What are you two arguing about now? If you guys were so eager to play the hero, where were you when it mattered?"
As she spoke, she grew somewhat emotional as well:
"Now you're starting to lose your tempers right here at Qinglian's funeral. If you have the guts, go outside and have a fistfight. Don't stand around here being an eyesore and making yourselves a laughingstock for others. If you don't care about losing face, I certainly do!"
Du Kang fell silent upon hearing this. He slowly let out a turbid breath, turned around, and walked away.
Zhang Shutong sensed that the atmosphere was wrong. No, it wasn't just that the atmosphere was wrong—the relationships among them had completely broken down. He asked Ruoping in a low voice:
"What's wrong with Du Kang?"
Ruoping's gaze grew even stranger, tinged with a nameless, profound disappointment:
"Are you seriously asking me that?"
"I'm just a bit... a bit perplexed."
"Zhang Shutong, you are still as cold-blooded as ever." Ruoping's words struck like a sharp blade.
"......I'm sorry." Zhang Shutong choked on her words.
This apology softened Ruoping's attitude slightly. She stopped looking at him, lowered her gaze, and stared silently at Lu Qinglian's funerary portrait for a long while before finally saying:
"What's the use of apologizing to me? After all these years, I know what kind of person you are, and I didn't hold any expectations for you anyway. But back then... you shouldn't have treated Qinglian that way."
Zhang Shutong was completely baffled. When, and how on earth had he treated Lu Qinglian badly?
"Let's go outside and talk." Ruoping dropped those words.
His mind grew even more chaotic. He had just gone outside with old Song a moment ago, and now, not long after coming back in, he was turning right back around again. The two of them arrived at the roadside guardrail. Just as Zhang Shutong was about to ask what had happened, Ruoping unexpectedly changed the subject entirely:
"Are you still dating your high school girlfriend?"
"Who?"
"That upperclassman girl, or are there others besides her?" Ruoping sneered.
For the very first time, Zhang Shutong learned that he apparently had a girlfriend, only to hear Ruoping speaking on her own accord:
"You couldn't have forgotten, right? Back in the first semester of our freshman year, we went to the city to visit you. We didn't tell you beforehand because we wanted to give you a surprise, but we ran right into you and that upperclassman walking on the street together. When we all bumped into each other, Du Kang froze on the spot..."
Hearing this, Zhang Shutong froze as well. The deviation was far too severe. He simply stopped trying to fish for information passively and asked bluntly, "All these years have passed and I've forgotten everything—what actually happened back then?"
Sure enough, Ruoping's gaze grew even more disappointed:
"You dumped Qinglian in less than half a year. Not only did you turn around and pretend you didn't know her, but you immediately got together with someone else. How do you even have the face to ask me what happened?
"Oh, of course, you can always claim that the two of you never officially defined your relationship from start to finish, so it doesn't count as dumping her. But the rest of us—especially Du Kang—took it seriously!"
Zhang Shutong's mouth slowly drifted open.
Wait, what did she mean by "dumped Lu Qinglian"?!