Chapter 240 - 110: The Crippled Duo (Part 2)

Chapter 240: Chapter 110: The Crippled Duo (Part 2)

"It’s not that I’m feeling fragile, just a little tired."

"I understand."

’What do you understand?’

Zhang Shutong gave her a strange look, but just as he was about to ask, Lu Qinglian spoke:

"How about I ask you a question instead? The dream you had—what’s the latest point in time it showed?"

Zhang Shutong was surprised. One second she seemed to be comforting him, and the next she was hitting him with such a sharp question.

"You actually believe me?"

"If I can believe you saw someone who looks exactly like me, why wouldn’t I believe you had a dream that predicts the future?"

"It went up to early Saturday morning."

"Is that so..." Lu Qinglian gazed at the lake’s surface. "So that’s why you came looking for me on the rooftop that day?"

"More or less."

"I see." She nodded slightly. "One more question. How many times have you had a dream like this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don’t play dumb. On Wednesday, December 5th, you wrote my name on a piece of scratch paper. Other people might fall for the excuse you made up, but you can’t fool me."

Lu Qinglian glanced at him.

"You had a dream that day, too, didn’t you?"

A cold sweat began to form on Zhang Shutong’s back. He’d almost forgotten about that. ’She’s incredibly sharp.’

Zhang Shutong thought for a moment and decided not to deny it.

"Yes, I had a dream."

"What was it about?"

"I dreamed about my future self, I guess."

"And where was your deskmate at that time?" she asked, quickly zeroing in on the key point.

Zhang Shutong was silent for a moment.

"She was killed, too."

"So that’s the second time," Lu Qinglian said, as if confirming something. "Last question. Under what circumstances do you have these dreams?"

"When else? When I’m sleeping." Zhang Shutong’s heart skipped a beat.

But she didn’t press the issue, only saying softly, "Your sleep quality must not be very good, then."

"...It’s okay."

Lu Qinglian changed the subject.

"You asked why I’m helping you. It’s because if you fail, it means I fail too. Let me give you an example. Do you like to fish?"

Zhang Shutong nodded.

"Someone comes to the water to fish, and a very big fish is about to take the bait. If it gets off the hook right before being reeled in, it’s incredibly frustrating."

Zhang Shutong couldn’t help but roast her internally. ’You learned how to fish from me. Can you not talk like you’re some kind of fishing grandmaster?’

"I think I get it. You’re worried that fish will disappear for good, right?"

"Wrong."

"Then what do you mean?"

"It means I might never have known that fish existed at all. If it happened all over again, would that person still come to the shore to fish? The person knows, the fish knows, but I wouldn’t know."

Zhang Shutong didn’t understand.

"It’s fine if you don’t understand. To put it another way, I’m still a little interested in observing you."

"You said something similar before, didn’t you? Yesterday, when we were coming down the mountain. Why?" Zhang Shutong asked, the realization dawning on him late.

’Come to think of it, he and Lu Qinglian hadn’t interacted much, but her attitude toward him was definitely special. At least she didn’t call him ’that kid’ at the drop of a hat like she did with others.’

"You want to know?"

"I’m a little curious."

"Get me a bottle of water, please," she said politely.

Zhang Shutong walked back to the motorcycle and handed her a bottle of water.

He expected some kind of profound answer, but instead:

"You’re not like other people," she said, twisting open the cap. Her delicate lips pressed against the mouth of the bottle, the corners of her mouth curving into a subtle arc.

"What do you mean by ’other’? People our age?"

"Everyone else."

"Uh..." Zhang Shutong said, confused. "First off, I’m not a narcissist or anything, but doesn’t that sound a little weird?"

"Interpret it however you like," Lu Qinglian said nonchalantly.

"Fine, don’t tell me then." Zhang Shutong shrugged, suspecting she’d just wanted an excuse to make him run an errand.

’Actually, talking with her was pretty interesting. They were both speaking in half-truths anyway, so there was no mental baggage. Besides, most of the time she didn’t feel like a girl his age; she was mature and composed.’

"Want to go fishing again after this is all over?" Zhang Shutong had learned to give himself things to look forward to—a better life just around the corner. "It’s not just me. Ruoping and Du Kang want to ask you to come along, too."

"No," Lu Qinglian rejected him coolly, to his surprise. "Thank them for me."

"That’s a little heartless."

"Are you thinking that once this is resolved, you can go back to a normal life?"

Zhang Shutong nodded instinctively.

"For you, returning to a normal life means going fishing," she paused, then said calmly, "but for me, it’s the exact opposite. If I weren’t trying to find that person, I wouldn’t have spent so much time down here at the foot of the mountain."

Zhang Shutong thought he understood.

’Normally, she would be switching between her roles as a student and a Temple Priestess. Sitting by the water in a coat, chatting with him like this, was the exception.’

’It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but that she couldn’t.’

"You know, you could try to change things up a bit," Zhang Shutong suggested.

"Classmate Zhang Shutong, my interest in observing you does not include being your chat buddy."

"Well, we’ve already been talking for so long."

"And now you’re pushing your luck?" She chuckled softly.

"Wow, so you can laugh like that."

But when he looked again, Lu Qinglian had already returned to her usual aloof expression.

"Your cold must be bad enough to cause hallucinations."

He glanced at the time again and realized they had unknowingly sat there until eleven. It was silent all around—a desolate scene of melting snow and swaying reeds.

Still no sign of anything.

It was as if Lu Qinglian’s words had cast a spell. The cold wind made his head spin. The cold medicine was supposed to be taken twice a day, so his evening dose should have been enough, but it didn’t seem to be working. All he felt was dizzy and drowsy.