A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Studying

◎Study Partner◎

After learning that Gu Zhu was an academic powerhouse, Bai Tan couldn’t help but start looking into her impressive achievements.

It turned out that Gu Zhu had been a famous top student in the city since middle school, with outstanding results in various competitions and advanced placement exams. In high school, she was a highly sought-after student by several top universities. In the end, due to a matter of distance, Sanhai High School got a great deal.

Gu Zhu not only received a full three-year tuition waiver but also extra scholarships and other benefits. And she lived up to Sanhai High School’s expectations, consistently topping the honor roll since her first year. When the classes were restructured in her second year, some people wondered if they could surpass her, but that possibility didn’t exist; after switching to the science track, the gap between her and the second-place student only widened.

Everyone was in awe. This wasn’t just a top student; it was an academic deity, a star of literature descended to Earth. Bai Tan was completely convinced and impressed.

In contrast, she felt embarrassed by her own slacker ways. She had chosen the pure science track simply because she was too lazy to memorize large chunks of text. With so many escape routes available to her, she kept challenging herself with a self-destructive path. No wonder her dad always said she was worse than a piece of barbecue pork.

But now, she genuinely felt she didn’t want to continue like this. It might have been the impact of Gu Zhu, or perhaps something else buried deeper.

She rubbed the tip of her nose, planning how to get Gu Zhu to help her.

Gu Zhu also noticed that Bai Tan was looking at her more often. She touched the back of her head, wondering if she had a cat toy attached there that was attracting this young lady.

Bai Tan really seemed to have latched onto her. Probably because her first attempt at playing the victim was successful, when Gu Zhu returned from the lab just before lights out, she found the “victim-playing kitten” at her door again.

Bai Tan had probably just showered. She was wearing a green, floral-print short-sleeved pajama top with matching shorts. Her long legs shone brightly in the dim light of the hallway corner, just like the first time they met. Gu Zhu still thought they were legs perfect for a model.

Bai Tan was also the perfect height, nearly 1.7 meters, with an excellent nine-head body proportion. She said her long hair was naturally curly and even its color was a birthright. You could say that from head to toe, she was as lush as a peony.

“Slap!”

The peony was beautiful from head to toe, and mosquitoes particularly loved her, buzzing around her non-stop. Bai Tan slapped at them, leaving a red, vivid palm print on her skin, showing no mercy.

A series of ellipses briefly flashed in Gu Zhu’s mind. She was speechless at the girl’s persistence. What could be so important that she’d wait here, feeding mosquitoes? The south was notorious for its snakes, rodents, and insects. As the weather warmed, the mosquitoes were eager to come out and hunt.

“Is something wrong?” Gu Zhu asked softly. To prevent another scene, she spoke before Bai Tan could. “Keep it short.”

Sometimes Bai Tan felt that Gu Zhu was warm and caring, but other times, she was hit with a Siberian cold front of indifference. This time, Bai Tan didn’t sit down on the floor. She was too busy scratching, twisting and turning, her words choppy. “It’s, it’s about the monthly exam. Can we, can we, talk about it—slap—”

Afraid she would ruin her legs, Gu Zhu had no choice but to open the door and let her in. “Come in.” She walked to her desk, opened a cabinet, and pulled out a bottle of mosquito repellent. “Do you want some?”

“Yes, yes!” Bai Tan nodded enthusiastically. “Thank you. I’m bothering you again.”

Gu Zhu sprayed her from front to back, left to right. The repellent was cool and the scent wasn’t overpowering, even a little pleasant. But to prevent the smell from becoming too strong, she left her door ajar to air out the room.

Bai Tan finally let out a sigh of relief. If Gu Zhu hadn’t come back, she was afraid the mosquitoes would have carried her away. She had just sat down to soothe the itching on her body when Gu Zhu spoke.

“Tell me your plan.” Gu Zhu pushed up her glasses and leaned against her bed frame, giving her a chance to speak.

In this posture, she had a certain presence, a bit like a dean of students interrogating her, which made Bai Tan sit up straight. “You know, every place and every school’s curriculum is a little different, and I joined in the middle of the semester, so the pressure is pretty big,” she said, holding her fingers a short distance apart. “Within your free time, could you help me a little? In exchange, I’ll help you practice your spoken English. My old school taught all classes in English, and I’ve also taken the IELTS exam, so my English speaking is solid. If you don’t believe me, I’ll recite a tongue twister for you.”

As if afraid of being rejected, she immediately launched into a performance.

Her pronunciation was pure British English, the kind of RP sound used by BBC broadcasters. It was as if she had really studied abroad. At that moment, the young lady had an extra charm; her beautiful appearance became a mere backdrop.

Gu Zhu straightened up. She really needed someone to correct her pronunciation. A recording was always too mechanical; it couldn’t provide real-time, intelligent feedback. She thought for a moment, agreed to the proposal, and nodded. “This week, I’ll try to put together a few practice tests for you. Do them over the weekend and give them to me. I need to assess your level.”

“Okay! It’s a deal!” Bai Tan was so happy she jumped. She hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. “Then it’s settled, Gu Zhu. From now on, we’re study buddies, learning and improving together!”

Gu Zhu looked at her bright, sparkling eyes and the hand she held out, seeing the unconscious hope in her gaze. She slowly extended her own hand.

The moment her hand was clasped, Bai Tan squeezed it tightly and shook it excitedly. After letting go, the tingling sensation as the blood rushed back made Gu Zhu unconsciously clench her hand.

“Goodnight, Gu Zhu!” Bai Tan waved goodbye after they had set a time.

“Goodnight.” This time, she responded to her retreating figure.

…

The next day, even earlier than yesterday, the door to room 512 opened. A sleepy, swaying person squeezed out, walked across the hall, and practically plastered herself to the opposite door. Her eyes were closed, and she was only knocking by sheer willpower.

When Gu Zhu opened the door, she was met with a person in her arms. Gu Zhu blinked in a daze, her glasses askew.

Compared to Bai Tan, who was so tired she was questioning her life, Gu Zhu was obviously well-rested and neatly put together. Gu Zhu was knocked back a step. With a sigh, she held Bai Tan in place with her hand. “I really can’t get up…”

Before she could finish, she was immediately interrupted. The sleepy-eyed person instantly stood up straight. “No, I can get up. I just take a little longer to boot up. Give me two minutes.”

She stomped her feet and shook her arms in place, as if she were about to perform an aerobics routine. Finally, she shook her head. “Boot-up complete! Let’s go!”

It was not yet six-thirty, and the hallway was almost empty. They tiptoed downstairs and headed straight for the “Koi Pavilion” behind the third-year building. The morning air was fresh, and birds were chirping in the trees. There was a row of stone benches there, and a few figures were already there for morning reading.

They found a less-crowded corner near a grove of kapok trees. That way, they didn’t have to worry about disturbing others even if they were a little louder.

When Bai Tan was serious, she looked the part. She had Gu Zhu start with the 48 International Phonetic Alphabet sounds, correcting her pronunciation from scratch.

Making mouth shapes and sounds one by one in front of someone was a bit awkward. Gu Zhu looked at the person waiting for her to speak and couldn’t help but purse her lips. “You turn around first.”

Bai Tan was confused for a moment and tilted her head. “Huh?”

Gu Zhu had to repeat herself. “You turn around first and listen without looking.”

It sounded like a good idea. Bai Tan instinctively turned around without thinking much of it. Only when she heard a faint sigh of breath and a hesitant sound did she realize that the person behind her was probably embarrassed.

Her eyebrows curved in a faint, unconscious smile. The top student looks cool and detached, but she has a lot of hang-ups.

…

Gu Zhu’s long vowels were all fine, but the problems started with two similar-sounding short vowels. Bai Tan, still with her back to her, reminded her, “Those two are wrong. Listen to me. For the first one, your mouth should be flatter. For the second one, you need to open it a little wider.” She demonstrated the sounds for her.

Gu Zhu listened carefully, changing her mouth shape and pronunciation according to Bai Tan’s instructions, but the sounds still weren’t quite right.

“I’m turning around now,” Bai Tan announced. She turned and moved closer, bending down slightly to look at her mouth. “Now, do it one more time.”

Gu Zhu’s lowered eyes trembled slightly. She subconsciously pursed her lips again. The distance was too close, so close she was afraid her breath would hit the other person’s face.

But Bai Tan didn’t seem to notice. She was still urging her on seriously. “One more time, Bamboo.” She no longer used her full name, but instead instinctively called her nickname. Bai Tan paused. When Gu Zhu didn’t speak for a long time, her eyes lifted slightly, meeting Gu Zhu’s gaze.

That moment was short yet long. Bai Tan watched Gu Zhu’s eyelashes tremble involuntarily. The lenses of her glasses obscured most of her emotions, but Bai Tan could still sense her nervousness. She stood up straight, a gentle smile in her eyes, and lightly brushed her hair. “Look at my mouth. Don’t worry.”

Gu Zhu looked at her serious expression, and her hands, which had been tightly clutching her textbook, finally relaxed. So she tried again.

Bai Tan watched her mouth and realized the problem. As Gu Zhu was about to make the second // sound, she suddenly put her index and middle fingers together and gently pressed them to her mouth. “Bite down, and say it again,” she instructed.

In that moment, Gu Zhu, as if entranced, used her teeth to gently bite down on the two slender fingers. Following the other’s instruction, she lightly pressed her tongue and finally made the correct sound.

Bai Tan looked at her, pleased. “That’s right! Remember that feeling.”

Gu Zhu stepped back, took her fingers out of her mouth, pursed her lips, and nodded softly. “Mhm.”

A gentle breeze rustled through the treetops and across the pond, lifting the hair on both sides of Gu Zhu’s face. Two faint blushes there caught Bai Tan’s eye. She belatedly curled her hand that had been bitten, as if she could still feel the warm, soft touch of Gu Zhu’s tongue.

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