Chapter 197 - 86: Like Thorns on One’s Back

But as soon as he said it, his mom flicked him.

"You can't just leave her halfway. I'll take you home in a bit."

"Thank you, ma'am," Lu Qinglian replied politely.

His mom, beaming, said it was no trouble at all.

She was certainly a people person, but that just put all the pressure on Zhang Shutong.

His mom, as if determined to stir up trouble, added:

"Oh, right. I just found out you all switched seats on Wednesday and that Xiaolu sits right in front of you. Why'd you write her name on that piece of paper?"

Zhang Shutong whipped his head around in astonishment. 'How does she know about that, too?'

Lu Qinglian seemed to read his mind.

"Your mom asked me for some interesting stories about you at school. For the moment, that's all I could think of."

"A man has to own up to what he does." His mother made a fist to encourage him, though she was clearly trying not to laugh. "Thanks to Xiaolu, I had no idea you were so bold..."

'Wait a minute, when did she become "Xiaolu"?'

Zhang Shutong just realized the nickname was completely off.

Zhang Shutong had never inherited his mother's social skills. He couldn't fathom how the two of them had gotten so chummy after just a short time in the car. 'Shouldn't Lu Qinglian be the type to say something cryptic like, "You can interpret it that way for now"?'

But the atmosphere was truly bizarre. The car swayed along the snowy road. If he turned his head, he could see slush kicking up from the wheels. His mother was laughing her heart out, the girl in the back was perfectly calm, and he sat silently in the passenger seat. It was an oddly harmonious scene; anyone who didn't know better might have thought they were a family on a planned winter vacation.

But Zhang Shutong didn't let his guard down. He refused to treat the "chance encounter" at the school gate as a mere coincidence.

Lu Qinglian was an extremely goal-oriented person.

Even if his mom had kindly and proactively offered her a ride, she never would have accepted without some underlying reason.

Lu Qinglian wasn't the type to get involved in things, nor was she someone who would readily accept help from others.

And yet...

'So why did she?'

'Was it because of our chance encounter in the restricted area last night?'

'Or does this have something to do with Gu Qiuyan?'

'And that teasing smile she gave when she got in the car.'

That smile was what made Zhang Shutong feel the most uneasy.

It gave him a sense of powerlessness, as if he couldn't escape her control no matter what he did.

He thought for a moment, then found Song Nanshan on QQ and sent three messages in quick succession: "Would Lu Qinglian have gone to school today? I ran into her. How would she normally handle this situation?"

"Yeah," Song replied instantly. "Oh, crap. Now that you mention it, I just remembered—her family doesn't have a phone. Did she really go all the way to school just to find out classes were canceled?"

"Pretty much."

Zhang Shutong sent the reply and turned off his phone's screen.

He glanced at Lu Qinglian in the rearview mirror and saw that she was looking at him, too.

But she didn't look away when he caught her gaze. Instead, she continued to stare calmly. He met her eyes—impassive as a deep well—and felt a chill rise from the bottom of his heart.

"Did you need me for something?" Zhang Shutong ventured.

"Be careful," Lu Qinglian said quietly.

'Be careful of what?'

The thought had barely formed when his body suddenly pitched forward.

The car screeched to a halt. His mom yelped as Zhang Shutong threw his hands against the dashboard, the seatbelt digging sharply into his chest. When he looked up, he saw that a bicycle had suddenly toppled over in front of them.

His mom had been following it at a slow pace, so she reacted in time and braked smoothly, leaving a good distance between them. It was a close call but ultimately harmless, yet it still gave Zhang Shutong a shock.

Lu Qinglian had spoken, the bicycle had fallen, and the car had slammed on its brakes—the three events occurred almost simultaneously. It was all so seamless, so natural, as if her "Be careful" had simply been a warning to brace for the stop.

But Zhang Shutong knew better. Though his focus had been on Lu Qinglian, he'd still been watching the road in his periphery. He was certain that when she had said "Be careful," the bicycle was still moving along just fine.

'So was her "be careful" about the bicycle, or was it a warning about something else?'

A new question surfaced. Just then, his mom said the person on the bike was an acquaintance and that she was getting out to check on them. The car door shut, leaving the two of them alone in the small space.

"What did you mean by that?" Zhang Shutong asked, waiting until his mom was a good distance from the car.

"The snow on the road is very thick today," Lu Qinglian said, abruptly changing the subject.

"What are you trying to say?" he asked with a frown.

"Classmate Zhang Shutong, did you happen to find a snake frozen in the snow today?"

"You..."

'I knew it!'

'She really did know about the snake.' Zhang Shutong was about to call her out on it, but Lu Qinglian didn't give him an opening, continuing:

"But a frozen snake isn't necessarily dead. It'll spring back to life once it warms up. What I mean is—"

She gave that same teasing smile again, so faint it was almost imperceptible.

"You'd better be careful you don't get bitten."

The moment he heard that, Zhang Shutong yanked the car door open. But just then, by another coincidence, his mom returned and explained:

"That was a friend of mine. She's wearing thick clothes, so she's okay. But it would have looked bad if I didn't go over and ask..."

Zhang Shutong's heart sank again.

'Her timing was perfect. Again.'

He was completely caught up in her rhythm.

When his mom got out, he'd had a perfect chance to escape the predicament. But he hadn't taken it. Her "be careful" had made him suspicious, and he'd wanted to use the opportunity to figure out where she stood.

But the meaning of her words had turned out to be the complete opposite of what he'd hoped. It wasn't a warning; it was a threat. So he'd decided to get out of the car, even if it meant making a scene, and just get his mom away from there. But Lu Qinglian seemed to have calculated the exact rhythm of their conversation. The moment she finished speaking, his mom pulled open the door.

"What were you two just talking about?"

"The snake," Lu Qinglian said pointedly.

"Oh, that frozen snake! Too bad I tossed it," his mom said, looking at him curiously. "Should you have brought it to your friends? Qingyi and Du Kang might have been interested."

Zhang Shutong froze again.

"You told her about that, too?"

"We were just making small talk! Xiaolu said she saw one, too, on her way down the mountain today. I told her not to be afraid, since those snakes aren't venomous."

'...Would she really be afraid of a snake?'

'In other words, would she really just happen to find a frozen snake on the mountain and share the story as a fun little anecdote?'

'Not as the Temple Priestess of the Cyan Snake Temple.'

Zhang Shutong could only fall silent.

The car started up and soon entered the city proper, where the roads were a bit smoother. Lu Qinglian finally moved her hands, resting them on her knees. She turned to look out the window, saying nothing.

Zhang Shutong, however, felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

She clearly had no intention of explaining her purpose.

More and more questions swirled in his head—the snake, the restricted area, her motives—but every time he started to ask, he forced the words back down.

She had chosen the perfect angle of attack.

Now he was even hesitant to ask the simplest question.

The rest of the ride was silent—at least on Lu Qinglian's part. His mom asked a few questions now and then, to which Zhang Shutong gave distracted answers. He managed to send his mom a text telling her to be more cautious and not so naive, but she was driving and never looked at her phone. He had no choice but to wait patiently. Once they got home, he could create an opportunity to speak with her alone.

His fingers drummed unconsciously on the armrest of the car door. As time ticked by, he sent another message, this one to his homeroom teacher, asking her to check the yard for any other snakes.

After sending it, Zhang Shutong put his phone on silent. He glanced at the rearview mirror again. Even though he knew she couldn't possibly read his screen from that angle, he still felt a faint unease.

He then started to think: 'From Lu Qinglian's perspective, what intelligence has she gathered so far?'

'I went to the villa.'

'My homeroom teacher was there, too.'

'Ring Mountain Road is almost completely blocked.'

'Father Gu has left the island and hasn't rushed back yet.'

'Right, and the commercial street dispute we talked about in class yesterday. I got those guys locked up.'

'Whether she saw it with her own eyes or my mom let it slip, this is the intel she should have.'

'What can she do with this information? And how can I use it against her?'

He mulled this over in silence until the car came to a stop in front of the dorm building.

But he'd have to wait until they got home to say any of this.

His excuse would be going upstairs to change his clothes.

So he asked his mom where his thick winter coat was. In reality, Zhang Shutong didn't own a thick winter coat. He could only pray that his mom, who was usually so good at reading his mind, would catch on quickly.

But at that moment, Lu Qinglian, who had been silent for so long, suddenly asked:

"May I come up for a cup of hot water?"

Her expression was impassive.