Zhang Shutong couldn't quite understand, but it didn't prevent him from turning a corner according to Gu Qiumian's instruction.
Now they were getting further and further away from places where people gathered, riding under the stars and moon the entire way.
A cycle computer was fitted on his bicycle handlebar, its small LCD screen displaying the time. Unknowingly it was already past nine o'clock. This time was not very good; even if her father was away on a business trip, Nanny Wu ought to be worried.
Zhang Shutong told this discovery to Gu Qiumian, but she said getting home before ten would do.
"Ten o'clock—does it have some special meaning?"
"Because today the mall closes at ten. Nanny Wu will definitely think I'm playing until closing time."
Zhang Shutong felt he had still underestimated Gu Qiumian. On the surface she was very willful, embarking on a trip at the drop of a hat, but in truth she always had a plan in her heart.
They were riding in the direction of the northern part of the island. Arriving at a certain spot suddenly, Gu Qiumian called a stop. Zhang Shutong squeezed the brakes, looking around, yet there was nothing. The surroundings were pitch-black, long grass like undulating waves submerging a small half of the wheels:
"What on earth do you want to see?"
Gu Qiumian hopped down from the bike:
"Originally there was nothing."
"What do you mean originally there was nothing?" Zhang Shutong was a bit confused.
"I originally never said where I was going, ah. You were guessing blindly."
Alright, looks like his job tonight was a driver. Inside the bumper cars he was, and on the bicycle he still was.
"Walk around with you?"
"No need." Gu Qiumian shook her head instead. "I just wanted to find a quiet place to stay for a bit. Wait for me."
After saying this sentence, she closed her eyes, her thick eyelashes overlapping together, as if making a wish to the moon.
Zhang Shutong looked at her back, still unable to figure out why Gu Qiumian, on a whim, had him take her wandering around, only for the destination to be a patch of deserted wasteland.
After a long time, Gu Qiumian opened her eyes quietly:
"Alright."
They embarked on the return journey.
The final stop was naturally that villa. After riding not far, Gu Qiumian asked him if he was cold. Zhang Shutong understood her meaning this time, saying to see a good deed through to the end—since he brought her out, he would send her back.
He had thought so during the avalanche incident as well. That time he brought Gu Qiumian out from the villa, but when she went back, he fell asleep himself. Although it was beyond his control, Zhang Shutong would occasionally act stubborn, so he stopped Gu Qiumian's move to call the driver, vowing to make up for his fault.
"Though can we go home first?"
After a good while, Zhang Shutong asked quite embarrassingly.
Rushing from the northernmost part of the island to the southernmost part, even though the island wasn't large and Gu Qiumian wasn't very heavy, it truly was a bit exhausting.
"Hmm?" Gu Qiumian dragged out a long tone, eyeing his face suspiciously. "What bad thoughts are you thinking?"
"Where?" Zhang Shutong cried foul.
"Then why are you going home?
"Switch to the motorcycle, ah," Zhang Shutong said innocently. "Otherwise it'll take at least half an hour to get to your house."
This distance took twenty minutes even by bus, let alone riding a bike.
"What did you think it was?"
Gu Qiumian was dazed for a moment, poking his back frantically with her finger.
Zhang Shutong felt a bit ticklish from the poking, so he put one hand behind his back to block her hand. The bicycle thus rode wobblingly all the way down to his residential building.
Not long after, each wearing a thick padded coat, they were fully equipped and ready to set off on the motorcycle.
"Off we go."
Zhang Shutong gave a reminder, then twisted the throttle, plunging into this patch of night sky.
Now he habitually viewed all things with a skeptical eye—the motorcycle keys had originally been confiscated by his mom, worried he'd go wild outside—yet this time they were left behind along with the house key.
Zhang Shutong suspected this was a prop specifically left for him by his mom, but her old ladyship was bound to be disappointed: in the end, this motorcycle didn't do any earth-shattering grand events either, merely sending a girl home simply and purely.
Zhang Shutong came to that villa once again.
The lights were still burning inside the villa. Just as he was about to turn the bike around, Gu Qiumian pulled him discontentedly: "Come in and drink a glass of water! I already told Nanny Wu."
Zhang Shutong found it hard to decline. Before long, under the woman's beaming gaze, he braced himself and entered the main gate. Here was bright all over, the central air conditioning blowing comfortable warm air, everything still in its familiar state.
The moment Gu Qiumian entered the house, she immediately walked toward the restroom, maintaining her image as an eldest young lady with her last shred of effort. In truth, on the motorcycle just now, she had been twisting her body from time to time. Foreshadowing was buried everywhere in life: Zhang Shutong thought, not long ago the way you drank half a bottle of mineral water in one gulp looked very dashing, but coming out to mess around still has to be paid back.
Girls were just like this, though—one moment elegantly stepping in high heels arm in arm with you, and the moment they entered the house, their true form was revealed, kicking off high heels to pounce onto the sofa like a sloth. Who told home to be the warmest place?
Zhang Shutong waited in the living room, taking the hot tea Nanny Wu brewed. Even the cup was still the one he used originally. In the past, Zhang Shutong was clearer about this place than his own house; now surveying the spacious living room, he suddenly felt something was not quite right.
Was it too familiar?
Zhang Shutong thought with delayed realization that if it were usually like this, there was nothing wrong with it, but today was Christmas; shouldn't Gu Qiumian dress her home up properly?
In his expectation, a fir tree several times larger than the one in the classroom should be hauled into the living room with effort by black-clad bodyguards. No, even the stern bodyguards would take off black suits and put on festive red coats like Santa Claus. Zhang Shutong didn't doubt in the slightest that if the eldest young lady had that disposition, he would see a live deer in the yard.
Today's villa had nothing, however; everything remained in its original state. The nanny, Nanny Wu, was a meticulous woman, keeping everything tidy and organized. Zhang Shutong raised his eyelids; even the tissue box on the coffee table hadn't changed position.
In the past, Zhang Shutong felt this place was a building like a palace, but everything feared comparison. Formerly it was prosperous, warm, and bright, yet today it had suddenly turned desolate—when clearly nothing had changed.
There was no tune here, no Christmas tree, not a shred of festive atmosphere. Only Nanny Wu sat on the opposite sofa, her eyes curling as she asked:
"Where did you two go play today? Having fun?"
Zhang Shutong said it was pretty fun. This auntie was very kind, yet for some reason he felt a sense of being interrogated, sitting uncomfortably for a time. Zhang Shutong shifted the subject:
"Didn't decorate much for Christmas this year?"
He guessed that in the past, Gu Qiumian went on vacation, so the villa naturally had no need for decorations. Now, although she spent Christmas on the island, the power of habit was strong, so her family didn't put much heart into it either.
"Mianmian didn't tell you?" Nanny Wu said with some surprise. "Our family doesn't celebrate Christmas."
"Doesn't celebrate?" Zhang Shutong was stunned, thinking to himself, hey, hey, Auntie, don't joke around, almost making me think the timeline changed again. If not celebrating Christmas, what was up with the Christmas tree at school? What was up with that apron-wearing eldest young lady tonight?
Following that, he caught that she said "our family" doesn't celebrate, not Gu Qiumian doesn't celebrate.
"Uncle doesn't like it?" Zhang Shutong tested the waters.
Like among his parents' generation, there were still many people unaccustomed to celebrating foreign holidays.
Nanny Wu shook her head, saying nothing.
If others didn't speak, Zhang Shutong couldn't very well press further. He didn't have much to chat about with Nanny Wu, merely waiting poker-faced for Gu Qiumian to return. Zhang Shutong turned his head and saw a long box on the TV cabinet, very familiar—precisely the Christmas gift he gave Gu Qiumian.
Why was it here?
A question popped up in Zhang Shutong's mind. Had Gu Qiumian returned home? Hadn't she met up with her best friends as soon as school let out? Nanny Wu explained:
"Had the family driver bring it back at noon."
Zhang Shutong nodded.
Nanny Wu added:
"Should be something given to Mianmian by other kids."
Zhang Shutong thought to himself, the other kid is right here.
"Though for her to actually bring it back..." The woman was somewhat puzzled as well. "I remember she hasn't received a gift in many years."
Zhang Shutong felt another wave of confusion. How could that be? This is an eldest young lady with super good popularity; would she worry about a single gift?
He could instantly find many examples as proof: for instance, someone gave Lu Qinglian lots of apples and chocolates; for instance, Ruoping received many small gifts from friends too. The current Gu Qiumian was only stronger than them, not weaker. Reasonably speaking, she should have called the driver at noon to specifically drive a car to haul the gifts away.
Yet the fact was, Zhang Shutong looked at that necklace box he gave; it just lay there lonely like that.
"Is there only this one?"
"You can ask Mianmian ah," Nanny Wu actually teased him with a smile, then added, "Though even if she accepted it, it should be given by that little girl named Xu Zhiruo."
Zhang Shutong thought to himself, my mom will find out tomorrow that I changed my name.
This sentence reminded him, however. Even if other people didn't give things, Xu Zhiruo ought to give one, but Zhang Shutong recalled carefully and found there wasn't one either. He thought of other possibilities again—for instance, what others gave were all snacks, but Gu Qiumian wasn't short of these things, so she distributed them on the spot for others in class to eat, as usual treating those lackeys under her.
Yet he met Gu Qiumian twice today: once at noon, when her side was empty; once at night, when she had already left the school.
What's more, someone ought to give something besides snacks—like Zhang Shutong.
Zhang Shutong thought of that Christmas tree at school again. Gu Qiumian had the classmates in class hang their prepared gifts up. When he was searching for clues from the paper slips, the gifts on the tree were basically taken clean, meaning inside there was neither what Gu Qiumian wanted to give nor what was given to Gu Qiumian.
Also, he hadn't seen her holding things like chocolates and apples either.
Now Zhang Shutong realized something was not quite right:
"Uh, why? I mean is there some hidden story?"
Nanny Wu hesitated for a moment:
"Has Mianmian said anything to you these past few days?"
Zhang Shutong shook his head.
"Maybe she doesn't really want to say it, so Auntie's side isn't in a position to pry too much either," Nanny Wu said with difficulty.
Zhang Shutong felt it was indeed making things a bit difficult for the other party. Although she treated Gu Qiumian like a daughter, Nanny Wu was ultimately a nanny; whatever words spoken or actions done required extra consideration.
"Was it just the two of you tonight?" The woman asked curiously again.
Looks like every woman possessed a heart for gossip, regardless of age.
Zhang Shutong then recounted today's events, casually lodging a complaint against Gu Qiumian before Nanny Wu, saying she was a bit wicked-hearted, clearly having accepted his gift yet insisting she wasn't free.
"Oh, actually that gift was given by me." Zhang Shutong accidentally let slip of his mouth, so now he confessed honestly.
"Is that so," the woman said thoughtfully. "Then she must be very satisfied."
"Actually not very satisfied either," Zhang Shutong said helplessly. As things stood, it wasn't a problem of who brought it over, but that the box wasn't unwrapped at all. "Look, just tossed on the TV cabinet."
"No," the woman said seriously. "Since she accepted it, she won't be dissatisfied."
"Maybe."
"Yesterday was her mother's memorial day."
"Oh..." Zhang Shutong was suddenly stunned. These words were like throwing a bomb into the water, detonating in silence, catching one completely off guard.
"Originally Auntie shouldn't pry, but if it's you, she probably won't blame you."
Zhang Shutong didn't know what to say, however.
He was a bit incoherent:
"Memorial day... Auntie's?"
"Mm, precisely on Christmas Eve."
"But why..." Zhang Shutong's mind was very messy. Why hadn't he seen the slightest clue? She acted as if nothing had happened, seemingly never revealing a sad expression during this recent period.
"Mianmian is a girl who strives to be strong, ah," Nanny Wu let out a soft sigh. "Actually it's not this simple either. Before coming to the island, she was pretty withdrawn. On this day, she would stay at home without going anywhere, not coming downstairs even when called for meals, only showing her face at night with her eyes cried red and swollen."
"Oh..."
Zhang Shutong subconsciously looked in the direction of the restroom, keeping even the degree of his nod very light, deeply afraid of bringing up her sad past. He suddenly understood something:
"So that's why she went off-island every Christmas?"
"Mm. Mianmian's mother's grave is right on the island. What's more, when she came to the island, it had already passed the third year. So every year after paying respects at the grave, Boss Gu simply took her off-island to wander around. That's the thing: people around her knew what was going on, but those friends of hers didn't."
The woman recalled:
"Mianmian made many new friends after coming to the island. That day happened to be Christmas Eve, and those friends of hers naturally wanted to call her to go play together—shopping, eating. But how should she put it? Actually saying anything was inappropriate. She couldn't very well say nothing on that day and cry at home alone, right? I guess Mianmian thought so, which was why in the first year she went out somewhat reluctantly. We naturally encouraged her to go out and clear her head, and in the second year it got a bit better again—probably in the eyes of you classmates, nothing could be seen. She was always happy and cheerful.
"This girl likes to hide many things in her heart, though. Her not saying it definitely doesn't mean it didn't happen. I don't know how you guys view it, maybe feeling her surroundings are very lively, and she definitely won't have worries, free of cares and troubles. But..."
Nanny Wu said suddenly:
"Making lots and lots of friends comes with a price too, ah."