Chapter 220 - 97: Gu Qiuyan Picked the Wrong Opponent

Chapter 220: Chapter 97: Gu Qiuyan Picked the Wrong Opponent

Zhang Shutong knew that bringing such a large group along for a visit was a bit inappropriate.

Fortunately, the young lady humored him, though her tone was anything but friendly:

"Weren’t you supposed to be hiking?" she asked coldly.

"I’m back now."

"Oh. Didn’t you eat on the mountain?"

"There was no food on the mountain, so I came back..."

Then, sounding exasperated and annoyed, she said:

"You’re such a pain... Where are you now?"

"We’re right downstairs from your place. We’ve been standing here for quite a while."

Zhang Shutong glanced up at the second floor. ’Logically, she should be able to see me.’

"I’m in the basement."

’No wonder.’

He could hear some faint background noise from her end of the call.

Soon, the background noise vanished. Gu Qiuyan’s voice was impassive:

"You could have at least given me a heads-up if you were bringing people over. Just wait... I’m on my way up."

He could hear the SLAP, SLAP, SLAP of slippers, then the sound suddenly stopped.

"I’ll have Aunt Wu... no, she’s in the middle of cooking. I’ll just give you the code. Let yourselves in. Hanging up."

Gu Qiuyan rattled off a string of numbers. Zhang Shutong walked to the metal gate—one he’d stared at countless times before. He entered the code, and the gate swung open.

However, just as things were settled with Gu Qiuyan, a disagreement broke out among his close friends.

The sole dissenter was Ruoping.

"Are we really going in?" the girl asked, hesitant. She had, after all, told her dad they were just visiting.

"Let’s just hang out for a bit," Du Kang said, ever the easygoing one. "Otherwise, we’ll have to walk all the way back down. Besides, Song is here. No outsiders."

"What do you mean, ’no outsiders’?" Ruoping glared at him. "Shutong can go in by himself. It’s not like she invited *us*. We should just go back."

Knowing she and Gu Qiuyan still had some unresolved tension between them, Zhang Shutong was more tactful this time. He tried to reason with her, saying they were here on important business and shouldn’t lose their nerve. It wasn’t like they were trying to suck up to her or anything, right?

Only then did she reluctantly agree.

Du Kang and Qingyi were indifferent; they’d heard tales of the young lady’s villa for a long time and were more interested in a tour than a social call.

Lu Qinglian always faded into the background in group settings like this. She went along with whatever was decided, unless it involved something serious.

So, Zhang Shutong led his grand procession of four into the villa.

Song opened the door.

The teacher and his students stood face-to-face for a moment. Finally, Ruoping was the first to sigh.

"Are we actually on suspension or still in school? We’re all here together. How is this any different from a regular school day?"

Song’s expression was just as awkward. Running into his other students at a student’s house—and a whole flock of them, at that. The crucial part was that he wasn’t the master of this house, so he couldn’t play host. All he could do was say:

"Come in, everyone, come in. Weren’t you just on the road a minute ago? If you’d said you were already here, I’d have come out to meet you."

"Nah, we were in the patch of wasteland out back looking for someone. It didn’t occur to us to call you."

The housekeeper also heard the noise and rushed over.

"This is Aunt Wu, Qiumian’s housekeeper," Song introduced.

They all said hello. After a few brief pleasantries, the housekeeper went to pour them some water.

Song finally found a moment to pull Zhang Shutong aside.

"What in the world are you up to, kid?" the man asked, lowering his voice. "On the phone, you kept telling me how dangerous everything was. Why did you drag them all up here?"

"It’s a long story," Zhang Shutong said, his own head throbbing. "I feel like a tour guide. There’s strength in numbers, so I brought them all along. I came in Ruoping’s family car."

"So, did you find her?"

"Nope." Zhang Shutong sighed. "She probably went home. But the problem now is that I don’t know who ’she’ even is."

"It’d be weirder if you did know."

Song sighed as well.

"Shutong, seriously, just think about everything that’s happened lately. Yesterday, it was Zhou Ziheng and the police station. Then last night, you had me drive you all over creation. This morning, you insisted on heading down the mountain, only to come right back up. And what’s going on with Qinglian? She wasn’t very clear on the phone... Look, I’m not trying to lecture you. It just feels like a dream. Like I woke up and the whole world’s changed. What is even happening?"

Zhang Shutong repeated what he’d said in the car, telling Song the whole story again.

"This is huge. You didn’t tell Qiumian?"

"I was just about to. Where is she?"

"Didn’t she go upstairs when you left this morning? She probably caught up on some sleep. A little while later, she told me she was going to the basement to watch a movie."

"Oh, right. You mentioned it wasn’t safe for her to be upstairs alone, and I passed that on to her. But when she went to the basement, I figured that would be safe enough. ’I mean, the killer can climb walls, but they can’t exactly dig a tunnel, can they?’ Plus, you said you were almost here, so I didn’t bother her. But then, just now—right before I opened the door for you all—she went back up to the second floor. I was just about to call for her when you knocked..."

At this, Song slapped his forehead.

"Oh, my head’s a mess. You called her, didn’t you? That explains how you got in. I guess with so many people showing up, she probably wanted to change her clothes and freshen up a bit."

"Well, find a moment to tell her what’s going on. I’ll get the others settled in first..."

With that, Song turned back to the others, ushering them toward the sofa. He slipped into his teacher persona, expertly managing the situation. He went down the line, asking if they were cold and what they’d been up to all morning...

The three friends had been a little stiff upon entering, likely awed by the grand villa—much like Zhang Shutong had been at first. But with Gu Qiuyan nowhere in sight and Song consciously guiding the conversation, they began to relax.

The housekeeper returned to ask them what they would like to eat.

"Qiumian just called. She’s a little tied up at the moment but will be right down. Please, make yourselves comfortable. Feel free to watch TV or look around. Don’t be shy, and please let me know if there are any foods you can’t eat."