Chapter 230 - 104: The Sheepdog (Part 2)

Chapter 230: Chapter 104: The Sheepdog (Part 2)

"Then, we should..." Zhang Shutong trailed off.

"Let’s go. Think of it like handing off a shift. We should be leaving once her dad gets here anyway," Song said, trying to comfort him. "Tonight, I’ll treat you and Qiumian to dinner. Get some proper rest. If there were anything to do on this island, I’d even treat you two to a movie. Then you can go home and get a good night’s sleep. Come Monday, you’ll go to school, and things will go back to the way they were. Wouldn’t it be nice to go fishing with your friends like you used to?"

Zhang Shutong said he understood.

He instinctively glanced toward the nanny’s room, where Gu Qiuyan was on the phone.

Just as he turned his head, she hung up the phone and came out.

"How did it go, Qiumian?" Song asked.

"He’s already sent some men to the boat ahead of him. He said he needed to buy something in the city. I told him he didn’t have to..." Gu Qiuyan then asked, "Teacher, what would you two like to eat tonight?"

"Oh, we can’t stay. I just remembered I haven’t hung my laundry out to dry. In this weather, it’s probably frozen solid by now... We’ll leave as soon as your people get here."

At that, Gu Qiuyan looked toward Zhang Shutong.

This time, they truly had nothing to say to each other.

Song tactfully walked away, leaving the two of them alone again. Zhang Shutong opened his mouth but found there was nothing to say. ’Should I tell her I’m still not at ease?’ But what right did he have to say that? This was her own father they were talking about. After a moment’s thought, he just said, "Be extra careful. Make sure you lock the doors and windows when you sleep..." Honestly, it was pointless advice.

"Especially Saturday night, going into Sunday," Zhang Shutong said seriously. "Tell them not to let their guard down for a second. And have them keep a few men inside the house; they shouldn’t all be out on patrol."

Gu Qiuyan gave a slight nod.

But Zhang Shutong could be a stubborn person at times. He hesitated for a moment, then asked:

"Do you want to come with me? Leave the island?"

This time, however, Gu Qiuyan fell silent.

After a long moment, she finally said:

"I know you’ve been looking out for me. Ever since that day at school, you’ve been running yourself ragged. I have to thank you for the matter with Zhou Ziheng, too. But this time, there really won’t be any problems. You should hurry back and get some rest. Besides..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I don’t want to see you this exhausted."

Zhang Shutong understood what she meant.

"Then... be safe," Zhang Shutong said, reminding her one last time. He’d lost count of how many times he’d said "be safe" or "be careful" today.

He returned to the sofa and drank some water, no longer caring whose glass it was. He just picked one up and drank. Zhang Shutong felt himself finally letting out a long, slow breath. ’This murder case isn’t over,’ he thought, ’but at least the end is finally in sight.’

Someone else would be there to grab that tail.

Soon, they heard the roar of engines.

He went outside to look. It was the same Land Rover he’d seen before, followed by a Toyota Prado. Six men got out. They all looked well-trained, and every one of them was bigger than Song.

These were the bodyguards and police officers.

He’d miscalculated earlier. Including Father Gu and the driver, there would be eight adult men in the villa over the next few days.

Zhang Shutong could finally relax.

He instinctively scanned them for weapons. He could see expandable batons. ’I wonder if the police are armed? Probably not, but this is still reassuring enough.’

In that moment, Zhang Shutong truly felt that his mission was complete.

Just then, someone patted his shoulder. He turned to see it was Song.

"Get in the car. I want a word with you." Song Nanshan dangled his car keys. He should have been greeting the bodyguards, but instead, he pulled Zhang Shutong away and made a quick exit.

Zhang Shutong followed the man to the little Ford Focus. His mood was completely different from before. In the past, being in this car meant either chasing a killer or investigating a case. This time, it was just for some small talk.

Zhang Shutong prepared to listen respectfully, certain that Song was about to tell him not to be so fixated. ’But I’m not being stubborn,’ he wanted to say. ’Or rather, being stubborn wouldn’t change anything. From the moment Father Gu stepped off that plane, everything was already decided.’

"Have you ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf?" To his surprise, Song brought up a completely unrelated topic.

’The boy who cried wolf? Of course, I’ve heard it. Who hasn’t heard that famous fable?’

Zhang Shutong thought to himself.

He thought he understood what Song was getting at. ’He’s implying I’m the boy who cried wolf—constantly warning everyone about a killer and danger when I haven’t even seen a shadow of one.’ He thought back to Gu Qiuyan’s reaction just now. ’She probably doesn’t believe me anymore.’

That was a little depressing.

But he had no idea how to explain how the killer had gotten into the villa. It wasn’t that he was trying to hide anything; he desperately wanted to stress how impossible it all seemed, but they had turned the entire area upside down and still found no clues.

He couldn’t convince anyone without an explanation, but since he didn’t understand it himself, how could he possibly explain it?

"What are you overthinking now, kid?" Song said, leisurely lighting a cigarette. "I never said you were the boy who cried wolf. Everyone actually believes you."

"Gu Qiuyan doesn’t," Zhang Shutong sighed.

But Song acted as if he hadn’t heard him. Squinting, he said, "I wasn’t bringing up the boy who cried wolf to talk about the consequences of lying. It’s just that the story came to mind, and the theme felt appropriate. But that’s not actually what I wanted to talk about."

"Then what is it?"

"The story of the sheep and the sheepdog."

"And?" He was getting tired. He didn’t feel the need to be formal around Song, so he reclined the passenger seat and lay back.

Song began his tale with flair:

"Once upon a time, on a vast meadow, there was a flock of sheep. And in this flock, there was one little lamb. A sheepdog circled her day in and day out, terrified that a wolf would eat her."

Zhang Shutong got the picture.

He was speechless. ’What a terrible metaphor,’ he thought. ’All that beating around the bush just for this.’ Still, Gu Qiuyan did like sheep, so comparing her to a lamb was fitting. He, on the other hand, had gotten a raw deal.

’I’m a dog.’

"You’re insulting me," Zhang Shutong said, rolling his eyes.

"What’s wrong with being a sheepdog? They’re loyal, smart, and brave. And you’re complaining?" Song argued forcefully.

"Just keep going. Don’t get sidetracked."

"At first, the lamb trusted the sheepdog completely. She did whatever he said. The sheepdog would say, ’The wolf is coming! Quick, hide on the eastern slope!’ and she’d go scampering over. Then the sheepdog would say, ’The wolf’s on the slope now! Quick, get down to the meadow!’ and the lamb would follow him there, too. And finally..."

"Hold on, hold on." Zhang Shutong’s head was starting to ache. "What are you trying to say? Seriously, can you please drop the metaphor? It’s getting weird."

"Aren’t fables supposed to be more effective at making people think?" As he said this, Song seemed to realize how childish it sounded and gave a wry chuckle. "Really, all I’m trying to say is that eventually, the lamb stopped listening to the sheepdog."

"So?" Zhang Shutong immediately thought, ’So it *is* just the boy-who-cried-wolf story after all.’ "Because the wolf never actually came, and after a while, the lamb stopped believing him?"

But Song said that wasn’t it.

"The thing is, she never really believed there was a wolf in the first place. Or maybe she was skeptical. Or maybe... the point was never about the wolf at all."

"What do you mean?"

"She just believed *the sheepdog*. If you said there was a wolf, then there was a wolf. If you said there was no wolf, then there was no wolf. Even if you were lying—saying, ’A wolf is coming, let’s run!’ when all you really wanted to do was goof off and run around the meadow—she’d still have run with you."

"But she doesn’t believe me now, does she?"

"How should I put this... It’s not that she doesn’t believe you. But the little lamb can’t just follow you around all day, can she?

"And you know, the girl isn’t a real lamb, and you’re not a real sheepdog. The moment you apply this to people, things get complicated. Especially with young people your age."

"Then why?"

"I don’t know either," Song said nonchalantly, flicking the ash from his cigarette. "I just know there are naive girls and smart girls. But some people aren’t actually naive; they’re smart. It’s just that before, they were willing to play naive. Now that she doesn’t want to pretend anymore, you can’t fool her."

Zhang Shutong thought back to their conversation on that rainy night.

But back then, Song Nanshan had clearly said Gu Qiuyan was a naive girl. And his definition of naive versus smart was knowing what you want. Zhang Shutong had remembered those words and taken them to heart, and it had really come back to bite him.

Now, he no longer dared to think of Gu Qiuyan as a naive girl.

A smart girl wouldn’t just believe everything he said and leave the island at his word. And you couldn’t say she was just being emotional, because now she was surrounded by bodyguards. She really didn’t have to worry about her personal safety. Staying in the villa was a pragmatic choice. To keep pushing her would just be irritating.

"Alright, alright, I’ve said my piece," the man said, rolling up the window. "If I keep going, I’ll sound like some kind of pervert. As long as you get the gist of it. Of course, don’t you go getting a hot head and deciding not to leave now. I only said all this because you looked a little down earlier. I was just trying to comfort you."

"Was I?" Zhang Shutong sat up in the passenger seat, puzzled.

"I’d say so. Or maybe not down, but... lost?" The man suddenly ruffled his hair. "I get it, you know," he said comfortingly. "It must’ve been tough coming down the mountain today, right? Did your shoes get soaked? Were your feet cold? And going up wasn’t easy, either. Ruoping told me you got hurt, that you have bruises on your chest and arms. And after all that, you had to rush back here... It’s like a sheepdog that’s run its whole life with its tongue hanging out, covered in wounds and scars, only to be made obsolete at the finish line by security cameras and an electric fence. Anyone in that position would feel lost."

Zhang Shutong felt the large hand on his head, messing up his hair. He was suddenly at a loss for words. All he could do was repeat that he was not a dog.

"You know, Shutong, I had a fiancée once. We were about to get married," Song said out of the blue.

Zhang Shutong froze. ’Why is he bringing this up himself?’ he wondered.

He knew that Song’s girlfriend had died in a car accident. Although the version of him in this timeline wasn’t supposed to know that yet, Zhang Shutong sat up straight out of respect.

"And then?"

But Song was quiet for a long time. After a good while, just as Zhang Shutong was starting to think he had zoned out, he finally spoke:

"And then we broke up. What, you thought this was some cheesy romantic drama?" The man chuckled, but his smile was lonely, fitting for a bachelor. "Do you know why I’ve believed you these past couple of days? Even though you’re always so jumpy and act a little nuts sometimes?"

’Isn’t it because of the bond between a teacher and his student?’

Zhang Shutong wanted to make a joke to lighten the mood, but he had a feeling he knew what Song Nanshan was going to say, so he kept quiet.

"Because I see a bit of my past self in you."

The large hand on his head moved away, landing firmly on his shoulder for a hard pat.

"When you have the power to hold on to something, don’t let it go. Otherwise, you’ll regret it one day."

’Will I regret it?’

’Maybe.’

Zhang Shutong stared blankly at the roof of the car. But this wasn’t a matter of having the power to hold on and choosing not to. It was a matter of someone more powerful having arrived.

In the end, Song never said what really happened.

Zhang Shutong had been starting to share in his sadness, but then the man clapped him on the shoulder again, his carefree demeanor returning.

"That said, the reason I haven’t forgotten her after all these years is because we were about to be married. But what I don’t get is why you’re so invested, kid. Love at first sight?"

"No."

"A secret crush, then."

"That’s not it either."

"Then what is it?" Song asked, confused.

Zhang Shutong found the question strange as well.

’Why does saving a girl have to involve romance?’

’She was going to die. If she really died in front of me, I’d never get to see those lively, beautiful eyes again. That silver pendant would be buried with her in the cold ground. That would be a terrible shame, wouldn’t it?’

Just as that feeling arose, he realized he was getting ahead of himself.

’Because what happened next was no longer his concern.’