Zhang Shutong nodded, motioning for her to speak softly.
He had already made up his mind to tell the others.
For example, the figure in the restricted area, that fake Lu Qinglian, Zhang Shutong wasn't sure if his friends would run into her.
If they did, how likely would they be in danger?
Even if he didn't bring up this incredible discovery right away, he had to at least make them aware that a murderer was still lurking around Gu Qiumian, and there was a very strange existence on this island.
He simply typed on his phone and showed it directly to Lu Qinglian:
"But whether or not to talk about the existence of that person, I need your consent."
Lu Qinglian shook her head decisively.
She didn't have a phone, so she couldn't message him privately. Zhang Shutong had wanted to give her his phone to type, but he remembered witnessing Autumn Rain's one-finger typing. That was already very impatient to watch. Lu Qinglian would probably be even slower.
"Never mind." He typed on his phone again, "I'll type, and you just nod or shake your head."
Lu Qinglian nodded.
"I think if I keep hiding it, it will be exposed eventually."
This time, Lu Qinglian didn't react. She just looked at him with a blank expression. Zhang Shutong seemed to read four words from her eyes:
"Don't talk nonsense."
Okay.
He typed again:
"I'm not asking them to get involved. I just want to give them a heads-up."
Nod.
"I can tell them about the murderer?"
Nod.
"But not the thing about the restricted area?"
Lu Qinglian sighed with a headache. She lowered her voice:
"Classmate Zhang Shutong, if you're typing for a more convenient conversation, you'd better use some words I can understand."
"Sorry, sorry." Zhang Shutong also said in a low voice.
He had almost forgotten that she didn't know what the "restricted area" was.
But she would understand after this time.
"No, you can't." Lu Qinglian's lips moved slightly.
"You don't want people to find out about a person who looks exactly like you?"
Nod.
"Then I'm clear."
Then Zhang Shutong opened their small group chat with four people:
"I've been hiding something from you guys, and I'm very sorry."
He also mentioned all the members.
Ruoping was listening to music. She immediately showed up in the chat:
"It's just the four of us. Why are you mentioning all members?"
"..."
Zhang Shutong just felt that it was more of a ceremony.
"I knew something was off with you. Hurry up and tell us, or I'll kick you out." The girl was the group owner and had that authority. "Also, I feel like all of you know something but just won't tell me."
"Actually, I don't know anything either." Du kang said weakly.
"No, I was just helping Shutong with something, a man's..." Qingyi tried to throw him under the bus but was muted.
If Zhang Shutong didn't still have "value" at this moment, he would probably have been muted too.
"Murderer."
He thought for a moment and just typed these two words.
He looked up. The others all looked away from their phone screens and at him in surprise.
Zhang Shutong continued to type:
"I can tell you all responsibly, this is not a joke. The retaliation from Zhou Ziheng's family is far from the end of it. There is a real murderer hiding behind this.
"And the series of strange actions I took today were all to find this murderer, and that includes the pit."
"The pit?!" Ruoping shouted directly.
"What pit?" Father Feng slammed on the brakes.
"No pit... Oh, no, it's nothing, Dad, just drive." She replied without even looking up and quickly typed: "So your injury was because you fought with that murderer?"
Uh, not really.
Or in a way, she was right.
Zhang Shutong continued to say:
"There was no fight. I originally wanted to ambush the other person with this, but it failed in the end. I didn't even find any trace of the real murderer on the mountain."
"Then what do we do?"
"What else can we do? It's related to what we're going to do next." Qingyi, who had been holding it in, immediately spoke up and explained.
Zhang Shutong then told them about the footprints:
"What we can confirm now is that an unidentified person went to that winding mountain road this morning. That's why I asked Uncle to take me there."
"Then let's go and confirm it again?"
Zhang Shutong paused. They had already taken it for granted that they would be involved in the next action.
He actually didn't want to get the three of them involved. It would be best if they just stayed in the know and remained cautious. But some things are like water that has been spilled. Even if he didn't let them participate, their curiosity had been piqued. What if they chose to investigate secretly? His finger paused on the screen. He turned his head and found that Lu Qinglian was also looking at the chat content.
After all, she was the only one without a phone.
She didn't smile this time, but Zhang Shutong could see that her eyes were like she was watching something interesting unfold. She seemed to have anticipated his hesitation and was watching from a safe distance.
—Don't think that not lying is an easy thing. Since you chose to tell the truth, you have to be prepared to bear the corresponding risks.
Zhang Shutong had understood this a long time ago. Before he could answer, Ruoping's question followed:
"Then how is this related to Qinglian?"
Zhang Shutong subconsciously glanced at the girl, thinking, "You can't just sit on the sidelines now." But knowing her personality, she would probably ignore this question, which would give him another headache.
But who knew that Lu Qinglian would suddenly speak:
"Because I was the one who discovered that person first."
She said calmly:
"I'm also looking for him."
"What do you mean? Do you already know the other person's identity?"
"No."
"Then how..."
"He broke some things in the temple," she said without changing her expression. "After discussing with classmate Zhang Shutong, we believe they are the same person."
"Not only is it related to Gu Qiumian's family..." Ruoping said this and then glanced at her dad, changing her words. "It's also related to the temple?"
"You can understand it that way for now."
"By the way," as she was speaking, Lu Qinglian unexpectedly took control of the conversation. She gave instructions in a tone that was more mature than her age. "If you guys want to follow, then you have to listen to me. Don't run around recklessly."
"It's a deal!" The three friends agreed readily.
After saying that, they tightly closed their mouths and started discussing in the group chat.
Only Zhang Shutong was stunned:
"You..."
"You have too many concerns."
"Thanks..."
Zhang Shutong didn't expect her to take the initiative to share a part of his burden.
"Mmm."
Lu Qinglian didn't comment.
A matter that had been giving Zhang Shutong a headache was resolved so easily.
The group happily made their agreement, leaving only Father Feng completely confused:
"What are you guys planning now?"
"It's a secret. Oh, by the way, Dad, you can just wait for us in the car later."
Zhang Shutong had mentioned in the group chat just now that Lu Qinglian hoped that as few people as possible would know about this.
He looked out the window again. The car was about to reach the Gu family's villa. Zhang Shutong leaned forward and pointed out a few turns that were easy to miss. He looked at his friends, and they all looked excited, as if they were about to go on a big adventure.
Well, the four of them were squeezed into a small car, so they were indeed on their way to an adventure, but the outcome was unknown.
They soon arrived at the entrance of the winding mountain road. As the car drove by, he could still see the tire marks his mom had left this morning.
This discovery made everyone nervous again.
"Oh no, it's not just one person. They even have a car."
Du kang said nervously, his face pressed against the window.
Zhang Shutong could only tell him not to scare himself. It was Old Song's tire that had burst, so he called someone to deliver a new one.
"Why is Old Song there too?"
"Gu Qiumian's dad is on a business trip. He didn't feel at ease, so he went. I discussed it with him."
"You're quite concerned." Ruoping said with her usual sarcastic tone, and she received another strange look from Father Feng.
"I said he's almost at her doorstep. How can he not be concerned?" Du kang also laughed.
Speaking of which, when Zhang Shutong first called her and said he was going to be near Gu Qiumian's house, he had been worried that she would disagree. But Ruoping was always clear-headed when it came to important matters. She had a sharp tongue but a kind heart. She came with her dad without a second thought.
The car stopped amidst their chattering. Zhang Shutong thanked the man again and got out of the car right behind Lu Qinglian.
"Where are the footprints you were talking about?"
"Right up there. Just a few steps away."
They walked in front. Their steps did not slow down at all. Then, they started to run.
Behind them, Ruoping was still shouting for them to slow down, that she was putting on her gloves... But the two of them no longer cared about that. Lu Qinglian was walking even faster than he was. Zhang Shutong found that he didn't even need to point the way because there were only two sets of footprints in his sight. One was his from when he came down the mountain, and the other was the one he had discovered this morning.
"See? They disappear up ahead..."
Zhang Shutong said as he walked.
One side of the winding mountain road was a cliff, and the footprints disappeared right there.
"Maybe they came to scout the place first?" Zhang Shutong analyzed again. "They saw that the snow was too heavy and went back the way they came."
He looked around in disappointment. There were no other discoveries. He didn't know whether to feel lucky or disappointed.
When he came down the mountain this morning, it should have been the closest he had ever been to the real murderer. Lu Qinglian was also in the car at that time, but his attention was on her.
Now, when he looked again, the "crime scene" had already been destroyed by the tire marks of his mom and the car repair shop owner. There was no way to tell where the other person had gone.
"Wait." Lu Qinglian, however, frowned.
"What is it?"
"The footprints you left are wrong. She was following your footprints up the mountain."
Zhang Shutong immediately turned his head. As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Qinglian had already started running at a high speed.
"Keep up."
She left him with these two words and ran up.
Zhang Shutong's heart also skipped a beat. In just a few words, he got closer and found that his footprints also had a smaller footprint on top of them.
The thing he was most worried about had still happened.
"What is it? What's the new discovery?" His friends also walked over at this time.
But Zhang Shutong didn't have time to explain more. As he spoke, his body had already reacted:
"Someone's here."
At this time, Lu Qinglian's figure was already a few meters away. Zhang Shutong said the words with a serious face and then started sprinting at his fastest speed.
With the violent movement, his vision was a blurry white. He had changed his shoes, and all he had to do was run along his old footprints. The snow there had already been packed down. He had thought he would be much faster, but he found that the distance between him and Lu Qinglian was getting farther and farther.
At this time, there was no sign of her ankle being injured. Only the hem of her green robe and her high ponytail were fluttering behind her.
"How is it?"
Zhang Shutong couldn't help but shout.
"Still moving forward."