Chapter 278 - 122: Night of Falling Rain and Drifting (Part 2)

Chapter 278: Chapter 122: Night of Falling Rain and Drifting (Part 2)

Zhang Shutong smiled. He knew she was exhausted. She’d been singing all day and was just about to go to sleep when he suddenly brought her out.

The small room felt safe and reassuring. He turned down the volume on the TV. Zhang Shutong was exhausted too, his eyelids gradually drooping shut.

The next moment, however, he was startled awake by a sudden chill.

Deck.

Ferry.

The lake’s surface.

Zhang Shutong was stunned.

’Wait, wasn’t I asleep? In the hospital observation room... How did I suddenly end up here?’

He studied his hands, then looked around in a daze. ’What the hell is going on? Did I rewind eight years again? How is that possible? Gu Qiuyan was right beside me. Besides, I know the signs of a rewind: the world starts to vibrate, followed by an out-of-body sensation... But this time, I just closed my eyes, and when I opened them, I was here.’

’This doesn’t feel like a rewind. It’s more like a dream.’

Zhang Shutong noticed more things that were wrong. He was alone on the deck. The distant sky was dim, with heavy, layered clouds. Rolling thunder brewed within them. The lake was shrouded in a thick fog, making it impossible to see where the ferry was headed.

The world had completely changed. ’Is this... really the ferry back to the island?’

The rain came down in a sudden, violent torrent.

A man holding an umbrella emerged from the cabin.

"Just as I thought." The man sighed softly. "You’ve forgotten."

"You’re..." The voice sounded familiar to Zhang Shutong. His clothes were soaked in an instant. As he clumsily wiped the water from his face, he asked in surprise, "Qingyi?"

"This is an extra chance." Qingyi’s face was hidden beneath his black umbrella.

"What do you mean?"

"I can’t say. If I tell you, you’ll never be able to go back." The man fell silent after that. A moment later, he spoke again. "Gu Qiuyan."

’Gu Qiuyan?’

Zhang Shutong didn’t have time to ask why he had suddenly brought up Gu Qiuyan. His heart leaped into his throat. "Did she die again?"

The man said softly, "She didn’t die. But she hasn’t had an easy life these past few years."

"What happened to her..."

"This is an extra chance."

’What chance? What are you talking about? Can you be any clearer? Hey, buddy, you’re supposed to be some edgy teen, not the Riddler.’ Zhang Shutong wanted to crack a joke, even in a dream, but his temples were throbbing violently, his head threatening to split open. Suddenly, a wave of profound sadness washed over him as images flashed through his mind: a snowy night, a bicycle, a mansion, a young girl’s sobs, a man and a woman lying in a pool of blood, a bullet hole in the man’s temple with a pistol still clutched in his hand, then a black-and-white funeral portrait, a grand funeral... ’What the hell is all this?!’

But before he could recall anything else, Qingyi spoke again.

"In the early hours of December 9th, 2012, you made a choice that wasn’t wrong, but wasn’t entirely right, either. Now, you’ve paid a price and found other uses for ’it.’ As a result, you asked me to relay a message."

"What message?" Zhang Shutong asked instinctively.

Then, Qingyi’s tone changed abruptly. He said coldly:

"Go to the dorm."

’Go to the dorm!’

A bolt of lightning cracked overhead.

Zhang Shutong’s eyes flew open.

He shot up from his chair, but a wave of profound exhaustion washed over him. Lacking the strength to stand, Zhang Shutong stumbled back down, his heart pounding in his chest.

His vision cleared, revealing the familiar hospital observation room. He was back. A black-and-white movie played on the small television, the AC blew warm air, and the smell of antiseptic filled his nostrils. In his hand was a nearly empty bag of breakfast crackers, and beside him, a girl slept peacefully. The night was serene, and all was as it should be. Everything was as it had been.

Zhang Shutong immediately checked his phone. The time was 11:21 PM. It really did seem to have been a dream. He’d just dozed off for a moment. But damn it, what a nightmare it was, full of all sorts of chaotic nonsense. It wasn’t a real rewind; time in the real world had passed normally. Still, an unspeakable dread had taken root in his mind.

He remembered the message.

"This is an extra chance."

’An extra chance? Or have I just been on edge these past few days? So much so that even my dreams are getting all cryptic and weird?’

Zhang Shutong rubbed his face in frustration. He thought about Du Kang’s phone call again. ’Did I miss a clue? No, that’s not it. It’s more like I subconsciously felt I should go check the dorm, and that’s why I dreamed about it, right?’

Song had said it was urgent. It was the very first thing the person had asked for after waking up, which said everything about how important it was.

It seemed the early morning hours were truly a critical time. His choice would determine the course of the future.

’What does it mean, a choice that’s neither right nor wrong?’

’Is this my subconscious trying to tell me something?’

’But am I supposed to just leave Gu Qiuyan here by herself and go to the dorm?’

The hospital was safe, of course, but Zhang Shutong felt like it wasn’t enough.

But soon enough, he no longer had to agonize over the decision.

He heard a commotion in the hallway and rushed out. A young nurse was struggling with a man, who turned out to be a drunkard. For whatever reason, the man was completely fixated on her, refusing to let go.

He was about to step in and help—the drunk was already cursing and getting handsy. The nurse was a good person; by all rights, he should help her. And yet, in the next moment—

THWACK! All he saw was the nurse execute a perfect high kick, her tight-fitting uniform riding up her thigh as she sent the drunkard flying straight into the wall.

THUD. The man slid to the floor.

’Whoa, whoa, did that just happen?’ Zhang Shutong stood frozen in place.

’Is this really a hospital? Or maybe the better question is, are nurses really allowed to treat patients like that?’

’Wait, am I still dreaming?’

"Don’t go reporting me, okay? For the sunflower seeds’ sake."