Chapter 244 - 111: An Explanation for Myself

Chapter 244: Chapter 111: An Explanation for Myself

A candle was lit in the center of the coffee table, surrounded by several crystal glasses. Amber liquid shimmered with a mysterious luster in the candlelight. It looked no different from a high-end KTV. The underground structure was no longer as cold as yesterday; it had been completely transformed in just a day. You could feel the bustling, lively atmosphere just from the photo. The girls had started singing at noon and would probably keep going until nightfall.

"Are you going?" Song was smoking, his voice blending with the wind.

"Okay," Zhang Shutong agreed anyway.

...

"But how come you didn’t tell me you were with Qinglian?"

At 12:30 in the afternoon, Zhang Shutong stood outside the mall, keeping Song company while he smoked.

He hadn’t asked his teacher for a ride. After checking with Lu Qinglian, she had said that with her crutches, she could rest anywhere. Besides, she wasn’t adjusting well to the hospital, so Zhang Shutong had brought her along.

There was no hiding the injury on her foot. When Song asked about it, Lu Qinglian just said she’d accidentally sprained it yesterday.

Their close friends hadn’t arrived yet, so she went inside Fox to wait.

Leaving just the two of them chatting outside.

The look in Song’s eyes could only be described as admiration:

"And here I was, worried you’d be all lonely and miserable at home. I didn’t think you’d already have plans."

"It was to the hospital," Zhang Shutong stressed. "And we arranged it yesterday."

"How’s her foot?"

"She didn’t break any bones, but she needs to rest and recover."

Song paused for a moment, then sighed.

"So everything I said yesterday was for nothing, huh?"

It seemed the earlier banter was just a warm-up. He adopted a rare, serious tone:

"Didn’t I tell you to stop obsessing over that whole ’culprit’ thing? This isn’t something a person your age should be worrying about. Why won’t you listen? Dragging Qinglian out early in the morning to play detective again?"

Zhang Shutong was about to speak, but the man waved a dismissive hand.

"Don’t bother trying to argue. You think I don’t know you? You mix truths and lies together, and even when you do tell the truth, you’re selective. The story I end up hearing is completely different from what actually happened."

’Fair enough. My old teacher had me pegged.’

Zhang Shutong could only say:

"But there’s one thing you don’t have to worry about. She really did sprain her foot yesterday, it wasn’t an accident from today."

The man nodded, but he wasn’t about to keep joking around. His brow furrowed.

"And this afternoon?"

"We’ll head back and rest after lunch. We’ll figure out tonight later."

"What do you mean, ’tonight’?" Song was mentally exhausted.

Zhang Shutong was just as exhausted.

"It’s just for tonight."

"Sigh... Look, I’m not trying to criticize you, but do you really expect to find something? Do you think you’re better than all those bodyguards and police officers?"

"I don’t."

"Then why bother?"

"To get some answers for myself?"

Song didn’t say whether he believed him or not, just remarked with a sigh, "I feel tired just on your behalf. Let me guess, on the way here, you were trying to figure out how to explain all this to me, weren’t you?"

’Actually, he hadn’t thought about that. Maybe it was because of his fever, but he hadn’t prepared a script. He’d just figured he would play it by ear.’

’Of course, now it was becoming a headache.’

Song then muttered to himself:

"And after you get past me, you’ll still have to figure out how to explain things to your friends, won’t you? If they try to talk you out of it, you definitely won’t listen. If they want to go with you, you won’t let them. And as for lying... I think you’re starting to hate it by now. Am I right?"

Zhang Shutong nodded in resignation.

"So, I’ll help you out one last time," he said. "If I offered to drive you two around this afternoon, you’d refuse, since you’re being so secretive. So, let me help you cover your tracks instead. In a bit, don’t mention the motorcycle. If there’s any part of the story that might give you away, just blame it on me. Say... let me think... say I took you out to eat, and Qinglian sprained her ankle coming down a mountain, so we had to make a trip to the hospital."

Zhang Shutong was silent for a moment. Song clapped him on the shoulder. "Don’t get all emotional. It’s what a teacher should do."

He thanked him.

"But I thought you would grill me for every detail."

Song said nonchalantly:

"That... well, everyone has things they don’t want to talk about. If you wanted to tell me, you would have by now. Since you haven’t, there’s no point in me asking.

"You said earlier that you needed to get some answers for yourself. To be honest, I don’t understand what a young man like you needs answers for. Maybe I’ve told you too much and influenced you somehow, and that’s not good. But Shutong, do you realize that sometimes, finding those answers for yourself is the hardest thing to do?"

The man’s shoulders suddenly slumped. He stamped out his cigarette butt.

"Do you remember me mentioning yesterday that I once had a girlfriend?"