Chapter 352 - 155: Hot Pot

Chapter 352: Chapter 155: Hot Pot

The final bell rang.

Students from Class One swarmed the teacher’s podium like a hive of bees, completely mobbing Song.

"Who’s all going to eat? Is it a lot of people?" Zhang Shutong asked Lu Qinglian.

"Not many. Five of us."

Zhang Shutong nodded, then asked in confusion:

"When did this happen?"

’I must still be half-asleep.’ How had he woken up to find Song standing at the podium? This invitation to a meal was awfully sudden.

"During the break after third period." Lu Qinglian looked away from the podium. "As for why no one woke you, Teacher Song told us not to."

"I see..."

Zhang Shutong glanced at his phone. Sure enough, Ruoping had sent a notification to the group chat during the last break. That explained it. He looked back at the podium. He had to admit, Song was incredibly popular. The crowd was chattering and clinging to him; he probably wouldn’t be able to get away anytime soon.

Zhang Shutong slipped out of the classroom. It belatedly occurred to him that Song’s appearance was a complete surprise attack. He even wondered if the man’s body could handle it.

Still, this was a good thing. It was the perfect chance to tell him about the basement.

He recalled what Song had said earlier about wanting to bring their middle school years to a satisfying close. Did this return also represent a final Chapter for Song Nanshan himself? Unfortunately, it was always one thing after another, and life rarely gave you a moment to pause.

Before he knew it, Zhang Shutong had reached the school gate.

The campus was still mostly empty. Their school didn’t have a cafeteria, so there was no mad dash for food the moment class ended, like a stampede of wild horses. Students usually took their time packing up, chatting and laughing, and could easily dawdle for a good while.

A row of trees lined the school entrance. It was December, yet a few withered yellow leaves still clung to the branches—a rare sight. A cold wind blew past, and a leaf twirled down to land on the tip of Zhang Shutong’s shoe.

Next to the trees on the east side was a patch of concrete with a few parking spaces painted on it. Zhang Shutong subconsciously walked over to them. In the past, whenever Song said he was treating them, he and his best friends would wait by the parking lot to watch the man approach from a distance, twirling his car keys.

But the parking lot was empty now. There was no car. ’Human habits are a scary thing,’ Zhang Shutong mused, turning around to continue waiting.

"Are you deliberately pretending not to see me?" someone glared at him.

"Wouldn’t dare." Zhang Shutong turned back around. He didn’t have the heart to say that he didn’t need his eyes to sense her presence anymore.

Gu Qiuyan had appeared behind him at some point. Zhang Shutong looked her up and down, still not quite used to the long-haired young miss.

Actually, Ruoping had already explained in the group chat that since Song no longer had his car, they would have to trouble Gu Qiuyan’s family driver for a ride to the lunch gathering.

Zhang Shutong hadn’t read the details too closely. In any case, it was the kind of thing she could arrange with a single word.

That was why he’d come straight to the school gate after class to wait.

Zhang Shutong had thought he’d left fairly early, but someone had been even faster.

Next came the obligatory daily ritual of seeing her: appreciating the young miss’s wardrobe. Today, she’d finally foregone the leather ankle boots for a pair of knee-highs, paired with black tights. Her top was a beige trench coat he’d never seen before. ’Showing off again, are we?’ Zhang Shutong thought.

In any case, she looked a little cold. She was breathing into her cupped hands, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Her long hair rose and fell with each little hop.

The campus was still quiet, so Gu Qiuyan stood beside him and asked in a low voice:

"What do you want to eat for lunch?"

"Hasn’t it been decided?"

"Teacher Song said he’d let us decide."

Zhang Shutong had just gotten the word "Whatever" out when Gu Qiuyan huffed. Ever since she became class president, she seemed to be growing more authoritative. Zhang Shutong had no choice but to change his tune:

"What about you?"

"Anything’s fine with me."

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, ’Oh, Mianmian, you can’t be such a hypocrite.’

She asked again:

"Are you cold?"

Zhang Shutong said he was fine, unlike someone who was so vain.

His mouth was running ahead of his brain today. He immediately thought, ’Crap,’ and braced himself for another glare, but to his surprise, Gu Qiuyan’s eyes curved into a smile.

"I’ll take that as a compliment. You have good taste."

Zhang Shutong was stunned. It took him a moment to follow her logic. Apparently, she’d automatically filtered out the negative part of "vain," twisting it into a compliment about her being beautiful. He had to admire her interpretive skills.

It was strange, though. Yesterday, Gu Qiuyan hadn’t been nearly this talkative, nor had she been wrinkling her nose or batting her eyelashes. In front of everyone else, she’d maintained a calm and composed demeanor. Now, she was acting more like a little girl. Zhang Shutong was just about to ask if she hadn’t slept well either when a large crowd of students poured out of the academic building. A few familiar faces called out a greeting:

"Class President! I was wondering where you went. You left so early!"

"I have something to do today."

Class President Gu’s words were concise. She never said more than necessary.

As more and more people came out of the building, someone would strike up a conversation with her every few moments. She would smile and reply to those she knew well, and just nod at the others. Zhang Shutong even overheard two boys whispering:

"The Class President is as cool and aloof as ever..."

’She’s not that bad,’ Zhang Shutong thought. Based on past experience, as long as you didn’t make her angry or embarrassed, it was actually quite rare to see the "cool and aloof beauty" version of Gu Qiuyan.

Then, they ran out of time to talk as the campus gradually filled with people. At the same time, a girl with short hair came jogging over, calling out loudly.

Who else could it be but Xu Zhiruo.

"Hello, Senior!" She’d learned her lesson today, waving a greeting as soon as she saw him.

Zhang Shutong returned the greeting, unsure of the girl’s intentions. ’Is she trying to freeload a meal, too?’

As it turned out, he was overthinking it. Xu Zhiruo was just there to chat with Gu Qiuyan for a bit. Girls always had an endless supply of things to talk about. The three of them stood neither too close nor too far apart, but it was obvious they were a group. Zhang Shutong listened to the two of them whispering about something. Sometimes the little secretary would point at him, and Gu Qiuyan would cover her mouth and giggle. The gesture was elegant, but the laugh wasn’t quiet. Zhang Shutong rolled his eyes at her, and she, not to be outdone, rolled them right back.

A Range Rover pulled up to the school gate. Gu Qiuyan said goodbye to Xu Zhiruo and then turned to him. "There’s only one car today, but we should be able to fit if we squeeze in. It’s Teacher Song’s fault for not giving any warning."

Zhang Shutong did the math. There were six people in total. With Song in the front passenger seat, could five people really squeeze into the back?

To which Gu Qiuyan matter-of-factly informed him that the car had three rows of seats.

Zhang Shutong learned another piece of useless trivia.

Soon, Song and the others arrived. As they got closer, Zhang Shutong noticed how awful Song’s complexion was. His strong, resonant voice at the podium had clearly been a front. His face was sallow, and despite the cold weather, a thin layer of sweat slicked his forehead. Before Zhang Shutong could say anything, Song caught sight of him and feigned anger, exclaiming, "You scoundrel of a student! How could you abandon your master and run off on your own?"

Zhang Shutong knew he was deliberately changing the subject, which left a bitter taste in his mouth. Gu Qiuyan also asked with concern, "Teacher, how are you?" Song waved his hand.

"It’s nothing, nothing. It’s normal for my complexion to be poor right now. It’d be strange if I recovered immediately. I just talked a little too much earlier, I’ll be fine after a short rest. Oh, right, Qiumian, I still haven’t thanked you for having your father help me contact the department head at the city hospital."

’So that happened, too,’ Zhang Shutong realized.

"Let’s get in the car first. We’ve decided, we’re going for hot pot." Song gestured grandly, full of the same commanding spirit he used to have at the podium.

Zorro didn’t come.

The five people were himself, his two best friends, Gu Qiuyan, and Lu Qinglian.

Naturally, everyone exchanged greetings before getting into the car.

Zhang Shutong felt their group dynamic was a bit strange. He watched Gu Qiuyan talk with Ruoping. Although she was smiling on the surface, it was as if a thin film separated them. And yet, of everyone in the group, Ruoping was the one she knew best.

Qingyi was a given; he never got involved in "girl talk."

Gu Qiuyan and Lu Qinglian’s relationship was also just so-so. Before, they could only be called classmates. Now that they were in different classes, they were "former classmates." Zhang Shutong thought back and realized the two of them had barely interacted in their four years of middle school.

As for Lu Qinglian, Zhang Shutong couldn’t tell who she was close to. Her relationship with Ruoping could be considered decent, but "decent" only meant that when Ruoping spoke to her, she would offer a quiet reply.

’Sometimes,’ he thought, ’it’s a strange thing, bringing a group of people together who don’t know each other all that well.’

The hot pot restaurant Song chose was a place they used to frequent.

As they pushed open the restaurant door, a cloud of white steam rushed out to greet them, blurring everyone’s faces.

Gu Qiuyan stretched first, then let out a sigh of relief:

"He’s finally gone..."

Zhang Shutong knew she was talking to him. If Xu Zhiruo had been there, he might have wondered, but since she wasn’t, he was the only possible audience.

"You mean the driver?"

"Mhm," Gu Qiuyan said, taking off her scarf and coat. "One of the guys my dad hired. Look outside. He’s still in the car, watching."

Zhang Shutong didn’t need to turn around to know. It was the same man who had bumped into him after school yesterday. The one with the bushy beard. He wouldn’t comment on his other qualities, but as a bodyguard and driver, the man certainly had an intimidating presence.

Earlier, Song had made a polite offer to the man, but he had just shaken his head in refusal and remained in the car to wait.

This meal was more than just a simple get-together.

Some were happy, others were worried.

Song was the happy one. He said they should treat it as a celebration of his discharge from the hospital. "To survive a great disaster means great fortune will follow," he declared. He was still naively under the impression that everyone thought he’d been in a car accident, and he told them to order whatever they wanted.

Ruoping and Qingyi, on the other hand, clearly had something on their minds. Qingyi was doing a better job of hiding it, merely ticking the box next to the napa cabbage before discreetly pushing the menu to Ruoping. Ruoping, for her part, checked off the winter melon while distractedly typing on her phone:

"How should we tell him about the dorm?"

"After we eat," Zhang Shutong replied. "I’ll find a moment to tell him."

Some things, once said, would make everyone put down their chopsticks. Zhang Shutong felt there was no need to ruin the atmosphere of the meal.

Ruoping pushed the menu to Lu Qinglian, leaning over to discuss what to order with her.

In the end, after the menu had made a full circle, it returned to Song’s hands filled with nothing but vegetables, meatballs, and tofu. Everyone was trying to save him some money. Half-amused and half-exasperated, Song waved his hand and ordered six plates of lamb to start.

The meal went by quickly.

They took the Range Rover back to school.

The group parted ways. Song Nanshan turned back.

"Shutong, did you have something you wanted to say to me?"