Winter Returns

Chapter 21 : Death Threat

Chapter 21 - Death Threat

—GO DIE.

A raw malice was crystallized in those two words. The beautiful, European-style castle model had been shattered.

People around them began to whisper.

"What happened..."

"I didn't see anything..."

"Who came in first?"

"Don't talk nonsense, it has nothing to do with me! It was like this when I got here, if you don't believe me, ask..."

A vacuum seemed to form around the debris of the Lego castle. The crowd stood well back, their expressions a mix of curiosity and shock, but not one of them dared to step closer.

Ruoping went up to take a look, her voice growing complicated.

"Why is she always the target? It was the same with the scarf. Who did she even offend... Hey, where are you going?"

Zhang Shutong had already pushed through the onlookers and knelt by the scattered blocks. He pulled out his phone, click, and then picked up the white paper. After a quick glance, he crumpled it in his fist.

It was just a clean sheet of A4 paper with nothing on it but those two words. He kept his head down, pushing aside the colorful plastic parts on the floor, and that's when he realized it had been more than just smashed—

The Lego minifigure of a princess in a dress, which had once stood charmingly at the castle gate half-hidden by ivy, had been snapped in two at the waist, and its plastic head had been completely crushed.

He glanced at his phone again. In the photo he had just taken, the "corpse" of the princess minifigure had been placed right in the middle of the words "GO DIE."

Zhang Shutong gathered the blocks into a pile, his brow furrowing.

One thing he could be sure of was that this was a variable that had never occurred in his previous life.

Why?

And what was the meaning behind "GO DIE"?

Like the torn scarf, was this just revenge from a classmate, or...

A death threat?

For a second, his mind flashed to the murder that would happen in four days, but how could these two events be connected?

He was trying to sort through his thoughts when Ruoping pushed through the crowd, interrupting him.

"Let's put them in here..."

She had procured a plastic bag from somewhere and, with a sigh, knelt to help him gather the pieces, her expression one of utter exasperation.

"Why are you sticking your nose into this? Haven't you had enough after what happened with the scarf..."

Of course, Zhang Shutong couldn't tell her his suspicions, so he just made something up as he worked.

"What else can I do? She's going to be crying and throwing a tantrum. I'm her deskmate now, so I'll be the one to bear the brunt of it..."

In the time it took to say a few words, they had gathered up all the pieces. He looked up; Gu Qiumian hadn't come back yet.

"That's true. I'd never help her if it wasn't for you," Ruoping said. She always had a sharp tongue but a soft heart.

"So who do you think is doing this? We're all classmates; how could the grudge be this deep?"

But Zhang Shutong didn't reply.

He had spotted someone.

He placed the plastic bag on the bookcase, his eyes fixed on one spot.

"Go find the homeroom teacher first..."

With that, he pushed through the crowd. The other boy saw him coming and tried to slip away, but this time he wasn't so lucky. Zhang Shutong grabbed the boy, Zhou Ziheng, by his jacket and frowned.

"What was it you were talking about this morning?"

Zhang Shutong didn't remember him well; maybe the boy just didn't stand out much. Sizing him up now, he saw he was short and stocky with dark skin. His eyes were dark, with very little white showing. His back was a little stooped, suggesting he usually kept his head bowed.

"What do you want with me? Let go..."

The distance between them closed in an instant. The other boy froze, then struggled to pull free, but couldn't break Zhang Shutong's grip.

Zhang Shutong just stared straight into his eyes.

"If you don't talk now, you'll have to talk to the homeroom teacher later."

The two of them had now become the center of attention, drawing countless stares. Zhou Ziheng said anxiously.

"Let me tell you, Zhang Shutong, don't think you can just... just because you're on good terms with the teacher..."

"Yeah, so what?" Zhang Shutong cut him off cleanly. "So you're the one who did it?"

"What's it got to do with me? Don't talk nonsense..."

"Then tell me. Now."

The other boy finally broke, stammering.

"It really wasn't me! I just saw someone had written Gu Qiumian's name on the stall partition when I went to the restroom this morning..."

"Continue."

"And then her name was crossed out..."

"Which stall?"

"I-I didn't notice..."

"Keep talking."

"There's nothing else! I saw it, and I wanted to tell her, but she didn't believe me! What was I supposed to do? I tried to tell her, but she just thought I was being annoying, and now you're all suspecting me!"

As he spoke, Zhou Ziheng suddenly became agitated. He wrenched his arm free from Zhang Shutong's grasp, his jacket getting pulled askew.

"Why should I be suspected when I was trying to be a good person? Who the hell did I piss off? I told her, didn't I? She's the one who brushed it off, isn't she? And now that something's really happened, what the fuck has it got to do with me?!"

"Then why'd you run this morning?" Zhang Shutong asked, ignoring the rest of his outburst.

Zhou Ziheng clenched his fists, staring at the blocks in the bag, his dark face flushed red. He then looked at Zhang Shutong resentfully and shouted.

"And who the hell do you think you are? Who are you to Gu Qiumian that you get to come over here asking all these questions just because something happened to her? What if I just don't want to talk about it? If she wants to ask, she can come ask me herself. What, are you the only one in the world allowed to play the hero?”

After yelling his piece, Zhou Ziheng turned to leave, but he had barely taken a step before he found his path blocked by two other boys.

"What the hell, now you're the victim? Are you dense? It was a simple thing, you could have just said it straight. This only got messy because you were acting so guilty."

Du Kang had popped up from nowhere and immediately jumped in to back up his friend, regardless of the facts. He was the type to help his own, not the truth.

Qingyi stood there silently, his face a mask, his dead-fish eyes radiating pressure. The two of them flanked Zhou Ziheng, looking very much like a pair of bullies.

This was when Zhang Shutong started to get a headache. He didn't give a damn what Zhou Ziheng said, whether the boy felt wronged or was just blowing off steam. He could sense the malice in his words, but his focus wasn't on him. He couldn't care less about this guy.

It was his friends' actions that were likely to escalate things. He waved a hand, signaling that he didn't need them to interfere.

Zhou Ziheng promptly fled. Du Kang watched him go and cursed under his breath.

"Shutong, didn't you notice? That guy only looks harmless. What he just said was pure malice, trying to put you on the spot..."

Of course he'd noticed. But silence was the best response. What else could he do, beat the guy up? Confront him? He didn't really care, but his two friends were clearly annoyed, and he would have had to waste time placating them.

He was suddenly exasperated. He insisted he was fine, and the three of them went to the restroom, where they found Gu Qiumian's name in the third stall. He took a photo and even compared the writing to the note, but it yielded no results.

Right now, Zhang Shutong only wanted to confirm one thing—

Was this act of revenge connected to the murder case?

And why hadn't this happened in the original timeline? Why had it appeared only after his regression, and what was the catalyst?

While he was mulling over these important questions, Du Kang sidled up with a crafty smile.

"So you really do like her, man. A classic damsel-in-distress situation. Qingyi and I have got to help you."

Qingyi nodded sagely and opened his mouth to declare that a man's mission was... Zhang Shutong quickly told both of them to shut it, praying for the bell to ring and put an end to his misery.

As if the heavens had heard his plea, the bell rang at the next moment. The two waved, still not quite finished, and after lingering in the restroom for a bit longer, Zhang Shutong also returned to his seat. To his surprise, Gu Qiumian was there too.

He had expected the girl to be on the podium throwing a tantrum, just like with the scarf incident, demanding to know who had done it.

Or she might have gone directly to the homeroom teacher, which would have made things serious. If only the castle had been destroyed, the "perpetrator," if caught, could have explained it away as an accident. But the addition of the words "GO DIE" elevated it beyond a simple school dispute.

But Gu Qiumian wasn't throwing a tantrum, nor was she reporting it. She didn't even have red-rimmed eyes like last time. Instead, she was sitting at her desk with a cold expression, arranging her materials for the next class as if she were still immersed in the dull, ordinary life of a student.

It was almost the same as when she had been chatting with her friends during the morning reading.

Or had no one told her at all?

As he thought this, he glanced again at the plastic bag on the bookcase. Even if no one mentioned it to her, she was bound to notice that a castle that large was missing.

He then realized the teacher wasn't at the front of the room. Everyone was quietly discussing the incident, gossiping included, and the class president's repeated calls for order had been useless.

Zhang Shutong actually wanted to ask Gu Qiumian directly if she had any leads, like if she'd had a conflict with anyone recently... Perhaps he could deduce something from that.

But even he knew how tactless that would be. You had to consider the victim's feelings, and Gu Qiumian was hardly an easy person to approach to begin with.

He was just trying to think of a more tactful approach when he saw Song Nanshan walk in with a grim expression.

He strode in so quickly he seemed to bring the wind with him, slamming the door shut with a bang that startled everyone into silence.

"Class is canceled! What's the point of even coming to school if you can't learn to be a decent person!"

Zhang Shutong could tell that his homeroom teacher was genuinely angry.

He could vaguely guess the reason. It wasn't because of any pressure from Gu Qiumian's family background, but because he was deeply disappointed that one of his own students was capable of doing such a thing.

Then Song Nanshan called out three names: Gu Qiumian, Zhang Shutong, and Zhou Ziheng.

Perhaps word of what had happened between him and Zhou Ziheng during the break had reached Song Nanshan's ears.

"You'll all have a study period. Class president, you're in charge. I'll be right in my office, and if I hear a single peep, that person can get out, too!"

He snapped, his face grim, and summoned the three of them out. Zhang Shutong made a point to watch Gu Qiumian's reaction. The girl simply stood and left the classroom, indifferent. Many people stared at her, but she met no one's gaze and didn't utter a single word.

In the office, Song Nanshan questioned Zhang Shutong first. He explained briefly—there really wasn't much to say. Zhou Ziheng's so-called clue was just the name on the stall partition.

Song Nanshan asked them a few more questions before his tone softened, and he looked at Gu Qiumian.

"Qiumian, look, I promise I'll find out who's responsible, and I won't let them off easy. Don't work yourself up over it. Let me just give your father a call..."

But Gu Qiumian shook her head coolly.

"No need. He's out of town, and I'm fine."

"Well, have you had a fight with anyone recently... I mean, do you have any suspects?"

"No."

"This morning, when Zhou Ziheng told you..."

"Only that sort of person would do something like this," Gu Qiumian cut in, her face impassive. "Teacher Song, I told you, I'm fine. I have dozens of toys like that at home. It's not a big deal."

"What about the note?" This was the part that worried him most; he didn't even know how to approach the subject. "You may not have seen it, but what was written on it..."

"I don't know what was written on it either."

Gu Qiumian continued, unconcerned.

"I'm sure it wasn't anything nice, so why would I want to upset myself over it? You don't have to tell me."

"But last time..."

"I know. But the two situations aren't comparable.”

Zhang Shutong guessed that the "last time" Song Nanshan was referring to was the scarf incident. He remembered that during their argument, Gu Qiumian had said the scarf was her mother's... but he'd cut her off before he could hear the rest.

He then saw Song Nanshan let out a breath of relief. Putting himself in the teacher's shoes, he realized that since he didn't know about the murder that was to come, it would be hard for him to associate the words "GO DIE" with a real threat to someone's life; he would just see it as a vicious act of revenge.

And with Gu Qiumian so calm right now, it would make things a bit easier for the teacher to manage—but only a bit.

"Zhang Shutong, you come over too. Since it's come to this, we might as well clear the air today."

Song Nanshan hadn't forgotten to play the mediator. He beckoned him over and said to Gu Qiumian.

"I know you two have had issues before, and I just haven't had a chance to talk to you about it. Now you're sitting next to each other, so you need to get along. Are you listening, Zhang Shutong? I'm talking to you!"

Song Nanshan glared daggers at him, as if accusing him of being slow on the uptake. There was no point in being obstinate about this, so he was about to say something, but then he noticed that Gu Qiumian was acting as if she hadn't heard a word.

It was as if she hadn't heard the teacher at all. She just stared at Song Nanshan's face, not even glancing in his direction.

"Teacher, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and left. Song Nanshan looked helpless, but he still had to go and interrogate the class, so he just waved for Zhang Shutong and Zhou Ziheng to head back.

There's one thing you're not accounting for, Sir. The scarf incident is still fresh, and on top of that, I angered her again this morning over Ruoping. With new resentment piled on old, there's no way she's going to be nice to me.

But now wasn't the time to say that. When Zhang Shutong left the office, he saw that Gu Qiumian hadn't gone back toward the classroom at all. She was standing at the top of the stairs.

Their backs were turned to each other when he suddenly heard the girl's level voice.

"Were you the one who picked up the blocks just now?"

He grunted an affirmative, not quite sure where she was going with this. He waited for her to say more, but all he heard was the clacking of her boots on the stairs behind him.

She had already gone down the stairs. There was no reply, making him wonder if she had even heard him.

He returned to the classroom. The entire next period was spent amidst Song Nanshan's furious questioning.

But it was fruitless.

By the time school let out for lunch, Zhang Shutong still hadn't seen Gu Qiumian return.