Chapter 321 - 139: "Butterfly

Chapter 321: Chapter 139: "Butterfly

Zhang Shutong squinted, mimicking Lu Qinglian.

’Who knew there’d be an unexpected bonus?’

The second mix-up of the day had also been incidentally resolved—

It turned out this fellow had been the one to pick up the rooftop key.

He was stunned for a moment, but on second thought, it made sense. Sometimes, changes you believe to be deliberate are merely the flap of a butterfly’s wings.

’In the original timeline, there was no class transfer, nor was Gu Qiuyan the new class president. So, he must have found the key by chance. He probably just wanted to share a funny story with everyone and brought it to the dinner party to... show off?’

Zhang Shutong couldn’t see what was so brag-worthy, but then he reconsidered. ’If I had been the one to make such a discovery back then, I probably would have shown off to Ruoping and the others, too.’

Someone nearby joked,

"Kong Yihui, you haven’t been drinking, so how are you drunk? Who in their right mind would go up to the freezing rooftop just to get blasted by the wind?"

’Well, actually, there are.’

’Two of them, in fact.’

Someone else asked curiously,

"Where did you find it? Isn’t that door always locked?"

Kong Yihui said,

"That’s exactly why I want to go up and see it! Because it’s always locked. We’re about to graduate, and we still don’t even know what the rooftop looks like. We can all hang out there when we have free time. You know, a secret base nobody else has found. Doesn’t that sound cool?"

"Who wants to hang out on the rooftop? What’s wrong with the library...?"

"We’ve got nothing to do when we go back anyway." Kong Yihui waved his hand dismissively. "What about you, Class President? It’s your call. Where are we going after dinner?"

Gu Qiuyan was completely uninterested.

For some reason, a faint, chilly glint had also appeared in her eyes.

"Oh," she said coolly, then immediately shut him down. "Why would we go to the rooftop?"

Zhang Shutong observed her from a distance—and he could *only* observe from a distance. The two of them had started out sitting far apart. Perhaps because it had been too noisy and hard to talk, they had drifted closer together as they chatted.

Then, this fellow’s sudden remark had interrupted them, and they had both instinctively sat up straight, restoring their original distance.

Zhang Shutong glanced at the guy again. ’He seems desperate to share something with Gu Qiuyan,’ he thought, ’which is why he keeps trying to make his presence felt.’

Meanwhile, Zhang Shutong felt a headache coming on. ’A party? Don’t use someone else’s private spot for your gathering, if you don’t mind. My classmate Lu still has to eat on the rooftop.’

Of course, that was just a joke. Although Zhang Shutong rarely used this hideout anymore, he still didn’t want the key falling into anyone else’s hands.

The Justice League doesn’t throw parties in the Batcave, after all.

So, after a moment’s hesitation, he chose the most efficient method.

"That key is mine."

Zhang Shutong sent to Gu Qiuyan in a message.

Gu Qiuyan blinked.

Zhang Shutong had no choice but to explain his cringey teenage past, concluding with:

"I like to go up there sometimes to get some air. I don’t like it when other people are there."

"No wonder."

"No wonder what?"

But Gu Qiuyan’s fingers had already left the screen. She typed slowly, so it was easier to just talk.

Zhang Shutong saw Gu Qiuyan mouth something to him. They were a bit too far apart for him to see clearly, but he got the gist of it:

"No wonder... It’s from all that cold wind."

Just as Zhang Shutong was about to ask what she meant, Gu Qiuyan turned away. She lifted her chin and asked the boy,

"Are you sure it’s the rooftop key?"

The guy, having just been rebuffed, had already picked up his chopsticks to eat. At her question, he mumbled without even swallowing the food in his mouth,

"Mmph, yeah, definitely. I found it in the stairwell. You’re interested, Class President? In that case..."

"Nope," Gu Qiuyan said curtly. "The rooftop is too dangerous. Give me the key. I’ll return it to a teacher this afternoon."

Her tone was calm, but it carried an authority that left no room for argument.

Zhang Shutong watched as the enthusiastic fellow turned into a dejected one. He hung his head and agreed, placing the key on the table and dutifully spinning the lazy Susan to send it over to Gu Qiuyan.

The key to the hideout was his, just like that.

Gu Qiuyan glanced at the time and added casually,

"Everyone eat up. Stop chatting for now, we have to get back for class."

Everyone agreed. The more perceptive ones, sensing she was ready to leave, announced they were finished eating and asked, "How about we head out now?"

Gu Qiuyan said there was no rush and that they could wait another ten minutes.

Zhang Shutong used those ten minutes to continue his battle with the sea cucumber.

Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the meal. Perhaps because his nerves had been so tense earlier, he was content to not have to think for a change. As Zhang Shutong followed the boisterous crowd out of the private room, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. It was as if he’d just eaten a meal for no reason and was now leaving for no reason.

The staff bowed as they saw them out. In the main hall, some men who looked like bodyguards or chauffeurs stood up. To his surprise, there was more than one.

Next, Gu Qiuyan arranged cars to take everyone back. Everyone followed her instructions. Zhang Shutong got back into the Volkswagen, only to realize a new problem:

Gu Qiuyan had gotten the key back for him, but she hadn’t said anything about giving it to him.

’I’ll just have to wait until we’re back at school,’ he thought.

The car was a bit more lively on the way back. Du Kang, who always liked to offer his opinion whenever they ate out, was completely won over this time. He muttered,

"That was a real eye-opener. It’d be great if I could open my family’s restaurant in a mall like this someday."

Qingyi offered,

"You could talk to your dad about it. I saw a ’For Rent’ sign outside earlier."

"Just dreaming. Our place is all regulars; my dad would never be willing to move."

Zhang Shutong couldn’t help but chime in,

"You could strike out on your own in the future. Open a branch in the city, rent a place with a rooftop."

"Shutong, I’m starting to realize you have a real thing for rooftops," Du Kang said with a laugh. "By the way, I thought you hid that key really well. How did someone..."