Looking again, the hint of a smile had vanished in an instant.
Lu Qinglian just nodded at him, her expression returning to a blank slate:
"Good morning, classmate Zhang Shutong."
It was as if it was just a chance encounter in the morning.
But Zhang Shutong felt all the muscles in his body tighten. Sitting behind him wasn't just a sixteen-year-old girl. Zhang Shutong had seen her kick a poacher away with one foot and knew what terrifying power was hidden within that body. He even forgot to fasten his seatbelt. The warning sound from the dashboard chimed, but Zhang Shutong didn't seem to hear it. He just subconsciously gritted his teeth, looking at the figure in the back of the driver's seat with heightened vigilance.
Don't be fooled by her just sitting there quietly. She was like a snake that was hunting. They lay in wait behind their prey, their bodies usually soft, but now they were like a fully drawn bow, ready to strike. At this moment, the car jolted, and Zhang Shutong saw Lu Qinglian extend her hand, as if intentionally or unintentionally, and gently rest it on the headrest of the driver's seat. His pupils contracted. All she had to do was extend her arm a little further to reach the driver's neck...
What exactly was she here for?
Why did she find his family's car?
If she suddenly made a move, how could he stop her?
At this moment, Zhang Shutong had too many questions, especially when he recalled the fleeting glimpse of her in the restricted area last night: the long-haired woman squatting on the shore, the figure that quickly disappeared into the reeds, the pale face and the frozen water surface... He immediately considered a plan. If he asked his mom to stop the car now and he pulled her and ran, would it be fast enough?
But it wouldn't work...
Lu Qinglian's hand remained on the headrest. Zhang Shutong had no doubt that as soon as he reacted, no matter how quickly, she would immediately act against his mom. She would be faster than both of them.
So, what should he do?
Should he first hide his suspicion and avoid a conflict with her?
Lu Qinglian had warned him more than once not to pry into her affairs. If he didn't cross that red line, would it mean he was safe?
But if so, what was she here for today?
To intimidate him?
No matter what, the only thing to do was to separate her from his mom first.
Anxiety and unease welled up in his heart, only to be suppressed by his self-control.
Various countermeasures flashed through his mind until the back of his head was flicked, not too hard and not too soft:
"She's saying hello to you. Why are you so dazed?"
Zhang Shutong came back to his senses and looked at his mom, trying his best to control his expression and tone:
"How is she... Why is she in the car?"
"I went to school this morning and found no one in the classroom."
A faint voice came from the back again.
"What do you mean?"
Zhang Shutong twisted his head sharply again to look at Lu Qinglian.
But his mom took over the conversation:
"Didn't you have school canceled? The teacher sent a text message early this morning, but Little Lu's family doesn't have a phone, so she only found out about the cancellation when she got to school."
"So?"
His mom said nonchalantly:
"It's not hard to guess what happened next. Our house is on the way to your school. I saw Little Lu at the school gate. She was still wearing her temple keeper's clothes, and she looked familiar, so I stopped the car and asked. It turned out she's your classmate. I saw the snow was so heavy, and she was standing there all alone, so cold her face was white, so I gave her a ride."
His mom's tone was very lively:
"Otherwise, why would I have been delayed on the way? I wanted to give you a surprise, but Tong... Shutong, what's with your reaction?"
As she spoke, she even had the leisure to wave her hand in front of his eyes.
Zhang Shutong confirmed it. His mom was probably not being threatened. What she said was true:
"How do you know her?"
He asked in surprise.
"Is there any parent in our class who doesn't know Little Lu? Every time we have a parent-teacher conference, the first person the teacher praises is her. Even though your mom has only seen her in photos, I can recognize her at a glance."
His mom showed off proudly.
As if recognizing his classmate was a big deal.
That's right, Zhang Shutong knew she loved to pick up pretty girls from the street. She was like this when he was little and she was like this now, especially his classmates. Last time with Gu Qiumian at the mall, she almost "succeeded." And this time, his mom had actually set her sights on Lu Qinglian?
Thinking of this, Zhang Shutong's expression couldn't help but become strange. He really wanted to tell his mom, "Do you know how dangerous a person you've picked up?" It was like casting a fishing rod into a small fish pond, but what bit the hook was actually a man-eating shark. This was not the good student or the good girl she thought she was, who was number one in her grade. This was a woman full of mysteries, and he couldn't even tell if she was a friend or a foe, and she was ridiculously mature.
But for now, it seemed he had overthought things. He had thought that the frozen snakes were a way to alert the other party. Although he wasn't clear about the principle, it was not impossible for her to follow the snakes to their car and then follow them all the way. But now, it seemed it was a real coincidence.
Even so, Zhang Shutong didn't let his guard down, because Lu Qinglian's hand on the headrest never left. He exhaled a mouthful of stale air, fastened his seatbelt, and rubbed his stiff face:
"So where are you going? Back up the mountain?"
Zhang Shutong asked again, looking at the rearview mirror.
"You're not going home to change clothes." Lu Qinglian didn't directly answer the question but said indifferently.
But her meaning was self-evident.
Zhang Shutong frowned a little and just said in a deferential tone:
"I've made plans to hang out with friends later, so I won't waste your time. I can drop you off somewhere nearby."
As soon as he said that, his mom flicked him again:
"How can you leave someone in the middle of the road? I'll drive you back later."
"Thank you, Auntie," Lu Qinglian replied politely.
His mom smiled and said it was no trouble.
She had a good relationship with others, but all the pressure was on Zhang Shutong.
His mom seemed to thrive on chaos:
"By the way, I just found out that you guys changed seats on Wednesday. Little Lu is sitting in front of you. Why did you write her name on paper?"
Zhang Shutong turned his head in shock. How did she know about this too?
Lu Qinglian seemed to have guessed what he was thinking:
"Auntie asked me about some interesting things about you at school. This is the only thing I could think of for now."
"A real man should have the courage to take responsibility for his actions." His mom clenched her fist to cheer him on, but in reality, she was almost laughing. "Thanks to Little Lu, I never knew you were so bold..."
Wait, wait. When did it become "Little Lu"?
Zhang Shutong just realized that this name was completely wrong.
Zhang Shutong had never inherited his mom's social skills and couldn't understand how the two of them became so familiar after being in the car for a while. Shouldn't Lu Qinglian have said, "You can understand it that way for now"?
But this atmosphere was really strange. The car swayed as it drove on the snow. He turned his face and could see snow spraying along the hubcaps. The woman was laughing, the girl in the back seat had a calm expression, and he was sitting in the passenger seat silently. It really seemed like a happy family planning a winter trip.
But Zhang Shutong didn't take this lightly and didn't see the "coincidence" at the school gate as just an accident.
Lu Qinglian was a person with a very strong "purpose."
Even if his mom was kind and offered her a ride, she would never agree without a "reason."
Lu Qinglian was not someone who loved to join in on the fun or would easily accept help from others.
But...
Then why did she?
Was it the chance encounter in the restricted area last night?
Or was it related to Gu Qiumian?
And the playful smile she showed when she got in the car.
What made Zhang Shutong feel the worst was that smile.
He felt a sense of powerlessness, as if no matter what he did, he couldn't escape her control.
He thought for a moment and found Song Nanshan's QQ, sending three messages in a row:
"Is it possible for Lu Qinglian to go to school today? I ran into her. How would she usually handle this kind of situation?"
"Yes." Old Song replied instantly. "Oh, no, now that you mention it, I just remembered. Her family doesn't have a phone. Did she run to school and only found out it was canceled today?"
"Something like that."
Zhang Shutong replied and turned off his phone.
He looked at Lu Qinglian in the rearview mirror again and found that she was also looking at him.
But when she was discovered, she didn't look away. Instead, she watched him with a calm expression. He met her eyes, which were as still as an ancient well, and it made a chill rise from the bottom of his heart.
"Are you looking for me for something?" Zhang Shutong asked, trying to probe.
"Be careful." Lu Qinglian said indifferently.
Careful of what?
As soon as this thought came to him, his body suddenly lurched forward.
The car braked suddenly. His mom also let out a cry. Zhang Shutong put his hands on the dashboard. His chest was tightly constricted by the seatbelt. He looked up and saw that a bicycle in front had suddenly fallen.
His mom had been driving slowly behind it and reacted quickly, stopping steadily from a long distance away. It was a close call, but it also made Zhang Shutong's heart jump.
Lu Qinglian's words, "be careful," the bicycle falling, and the car braking sharply happened almost at the same time. Everything was a perfect and natural coincidence, as if that "be careful" was a reminder to sit tight.
But Zhang Shutong knew it wasn't. Although his attention had been on Lu Qinglian just now, his peripheral vision was also on the road ahead. He could be sure that when she said "be careful," the bicycle was still riding normally on the road.
Was that "be careful" about the bicycle, or was it another kind of reminder?
New questions arose. At this time, his mom said that the person who fell was someone she knew and that she was going to go down and check. The car doors closed, and only the two of them were left in the small space.
"What did that mean just now?" Zhang Shutong asked after his mom had walked away.
"The snow on the road is very thick today." Lu Qinglian suddenly brought up an unrelated topic.
"What do you want to say?" He frowned.
"Classmate Zhang Shutong, have you encountered any frozen snakes in the snow today?"
"You..."
As I thought!
She really knew about the snakes. Zhang Shutong was about to reveal it directly, but Lu Qinglian didn't give him a chance to interrupt and immediately added:
"But a frozen snake doesn't mean it's dead. It will regain its vitality when the temperature rises. What I mean is—"
She showed that playful smile again, so shallow that it was barely noticeable:
"You have to be careful not to get bitten."
Zhang Shutong quickly pulled the car door open. However, by coincidence, his mom came back at this time and explained:
"It's a friend of mine. She's wearing thick clothes, so she's fine, but it would have been rude not to go and ask..."
Zhang Shutong's heart sank again.
The timing was perfect once again.
He was completely trapped in her rhythm.
When his mom got out of the car just now, it was a good opportunity to get out of danger. But the reason he didn't get out immediately was that the "be careful" had led to more speculation. He wanted to use the opportunity to test her stance.
However, the meaning of that sentence was the opposite of what he understood. It was not a reminder at all. It could even be considered a threat in a way. So when he heard that, he wanted to get out of the car. He didn't care about looking pathetic. He was just ready to take his mom and leave. But Lu Qinglian seemed to have timed the conversation perfectly. As soon as her words fell, his mom opened the car door:
"What were you two just talking about?"
"That snake." Lu Qinglian said meaningfully.
"Oh, that frozen snake. It's a shame I threw it away," his mom looked at him curiously. "Should I have brought it to your friends? Qingyi and Du kang might be interested?"
Zhang Shutong was stunned again:
"You told her about that too?"
"It was just casual conversation. Little Lu said she also ran into one when she came down the mountain today. I told her not to be afraid. That kind of snake is non-venomous."
...Would she really be afraid of snakes?
In other words, would she really encounter a frozen snake in the mountains and share it as a funny story?
As a temple keeper of the Green Snake Temple.
Zhang Shutong could only remain silent.
The car started and soon entered the city. The road was a little smoother. Lu Qinglian finally moved her hand from her knee and looked out the window without saying a word.
But Zhang Shutong felt a prickly sensation.
She wasn't going to explain her intentions.
More and more questions lingered in his mind, such as the snakes, the restricted area, and her purpose. But every time he wanted to ask, Zhang Shutong would force the words back down.
The other party had chosen a perfect entry point.
He was now even hesitant to ask the simplest questions.
The entire trip was without a word, specifically from Lu Qinglian. Only his mom occasionally asked him a few questions. Zhang Shutong just answered distractedly. He took a moment to text his mom, telling her to be more cautious and not so carefree, but his mom was driving and didn't look at her phone at all. Zhang Shutong could only wait patiently until they got home, where he could create an opportunity to be alone.
His fingers subconsciously tapped the armrest of the car door, waiting for the time to pass bit by bit. He then sent a message to his homeroom teacher, asking him to check if there were any other snakes in the courtyard.
After doing all this, Zhang Shutong turned his phone to silent. He looked at the rearview mirror again. Although he knew it was hard for the other person to see the content on the screen, Zhang Shutong always felt a faint sense of unease.
He then thought about it. From Lu Qinglian's perspective, what information has she obtained so far?
He went to the villa.
His homeroom teacher was also at the villa.
The winding mountain road was almost completely blocked.
Father Gu was off the island and had not yet returned.
Oh, and the commercial street dispute they talked about in the classroom yesterday. Those people were sent in by him.
Whether seen with her own eyes or revealed by his mom, this should be the information she already knows.
What could she do with this information, and what could he, in turn, do with it?
He thought about this question and remained silent until the car stopped in front of the dorm building.
But he could only say these words after they got home.
The reason would be to go upstairs to change clothes.
He then asked his mom where his thick coat was. In reality, Zhang Shutong didn't have a thick coat. He prayed that his mom, who could always guess his thoughts, would react quickly.
But at this moment, Lu Qinglian, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked:
"Can I come upstairs for a cup of hot water?"
Her expression was indifferent.