A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: What to Do

◎Good Friends◎

On Friday, Gu Zhu handed Bai Tan the practice tests and a few books with key points marked. Then, she said goodbye, ready to go home.

She carried the empty bottles from the drinks they had shared, and as usual, she chose to walk instead of taking a taxi.

The school gate was bustling with students rushing out. Most parents waiting to pick up their children were on electric bikes, wearing helmets, and parked across the street. Only a few had cars. Gu Zhu walked slowly, step by step, following the crowd out of the school.

When she got home, Gu Baozhi was already there, which was a surprise. As she stepped into the entryway, she smelled the aroma of food from the kitchen. It was the smell of fried ciba, a snack Gu Zhu loved. Ciba is soft and sticky, but these were filled with a savory mixture of garlic chives, dried shrimp, and minced meat.

Hearing the movement, Gu Baozhi peeked out, a pair of long chopsticks still in her hand. She smiled at her. “You’re back, Zhu Zi. Mom made several of your favorite dishes today. Put your things away and then come wash up and eat something.”

Gu Zhu nodded to her. “Okay, Mom.”

She placed the empty bottles on a shelf, then went into her room, hung up her backpack, and was about to draw the curtains when she paused.

Gu Zhu opened the window. The jasmine plant, which had been flourishing, now had yellowing leaves and withered flower buds. She brought the pot inside and felt the soil, which was still wet, so it must have been watered recently. She then touched the yellowing leaves; some were already dry and curled, falling off with a light touch.

Gu Baozhi appeared at the door at some point. She seemed a little awkward, her hands nervously twisting and untwisting her apron. She took a few steps in and then stopped. “Zhu Zi, I’m sorry. This week was so busy. I was out the door early for several days and didn’t get a chance to water the flowers. Can you forgive me? I’ll buy you a new one, okay?”

Gu Zhu shook her head and placed the flower back outside the window. Her rectangular glasses hid her emotions. She seemed calm as she turned her back to Gu Baozhi and said softly, “It’s okay, Mom.” She then closed the window, and the room instantly became dim. “Mom, you’re busy. I’ll change and be out in a minute.”

“Okay, come out when you’re done.” Gu Baozhi felt a slight sense of relief that she wasn’t angry. As she closed the door, she looked at her once more. Gu Zhu’s back was to her, and she was bent over, taking clothes out of her closet.

After starting high school, Gu Zhu had a growth spurt. She became much taller and thinner, but her personality seemed to have become more reserved. Gu Baozhi used to think it was good for a girl to be quiet and gentle, but now Gu Zhu seemed too quiet.

Her hand tightened on the doorknob, and she closed the door without a sound.

During dinner, Gu Baozhi asked her about her studies for the week. Gu Zhu said everything was going well. She put a piece of fish in Gu Baozhi’s bowl with her chopsticks. “Mom, I’d like to visit Aunt Yuehua during the Dragon Boat Festival.”

Gu Baozhi’s eating paused, and she didn’t respond immediately. Gu Zhu didn’t press her, just continued to eat quietly, occasionally putting other meat and vegetables in Gu Baozhi’s bowl, who always only ate vegetables.

They were almost finished with dinner when Gu Baozhi finally agreed as Gu Zhu was clearing the dishes. “Then go. Your Aunt Yuehua is also very busy. Remember to help her out a lot when you’re there.”

“Okay, I will.”

The matter was settled. It had been a long time since Gu Zhu had gone back to the small seaside town that held all of her childhood memories. Aunt Yuehua was her late father’s sister, their only remaining relative.

After dinner, Gu Baozhi had to go back to her employer’s house. She was now a nanny for a wealthy family in the county. Tonight, the family was out for a meal with guests, so she took the opportunity to take a leave to come back and cook for Gu Zhu. “I’ll be back around ten. Go to bed early if you’re tired.”

Gu Zhu saw her off. There were many stars out tonight. In this age of heavy industry, being able to see stars had become a luxury. She walked Gu Baozhi to the intersection, where the streetlights stretched their shadows long. Gu Baozhi was almost fifty, a little plump and strong, but years of hard work had left her with some graying hair at her temples.

“Be careful on the road, Mom.” Gu Zhu waved to her. She watched Gu Baozhi’s retreating figure for a long time before turning back. The old residential area had a long ditch along the building wall, covered in small weeds. Probably to prevent the weeds from growing too thick, the sanitation workers had turned over the weeds in the ditch, leaving a soft pile of soil.

Gu Zhu went back upstairs, grabbed a black bag and a pair of gloves, and came back down. She dug up half a bag of the soil from the ditch.

In her room, she laid a bag on the floor, took the flower pot down, and used a small shovel to gently scrape along the edges. Then she held the jasmine plant by its roots and gently shook it out, placing the whole plant on the bag on the floor.

Gu Zhu discarded the dry soil and replaced it with the new soil she had just dug up, laying a layer at the bottom. After gently patting the old dirt off the roots of the jasmine, she placed it back in the pot, filled it with the new soil, and patted it down firmly. The new soil was moist, so she only watered it a little. The jasmine stood quietly, and she wondered if it would ever bloom again.

Gu Zhu tidied up her room and took a shower. When she came out with wet hair, she saw her phone vibrating on the table. Gu Baozhi had given it back to her before she left. She opened the messaging app and saw a red dot on her contacts list.

Gu Zhu clicked on it. The profile picture was a white cat with different-colored eyes. When she zoomed in, she saw that the cat was being held under its front paws by a pair of hands. On one of the thumbs was a small reddish mole.

Gu Zhu had noticed the small mole on the transfer student’s hand. It was near the base of her thumb, and it seemed to come alive with her every movement, inexplicably eye-catching. So the young lady really had a cat. No wonder she was so good at playing the victim.

She accepted the friend request. The top of the chat window showed a verification message: “Student Gu Zhu, you have a new order to check. Please accept.” Then, the screen showed that the other person was typing. A second later, a new message popped up:

Cat That Doesn’t Eat Fish: [Homework] [Homework] [Homework] [Image], Student Gu Zhu, I am, trash, save me QAQ.

Gu Zhu opened the pictures and saw that it was one of the comprehensive science tests she had prepared. Almost every question only had the word “Solution” written on it. At most, a few formulas were awkwardly copied down. The last picture showed the young lady with her hands clasped together, her head resting on the desk in a seemingly崩溃 state.

Mhm, a live record of a frazzled cat.

The color and style of the desk looked familiar, and the bed frame in the background was the same blue she knew. She was momentarily stunned before realizing that Bai Tan hadn’t gone home and had stayed in the dorm to do her homework.

She remembered the contentious phone call at the stairwell last time. Gu Zhu’s hand paused as she was wiping her hair. She sat down, grabbed a piece of scratch paper, and began to work through the problems. She solved them quickly, writing one after another without pausing. Then, she took pictures and sent them.

A Bamboo: The steps to the solution, where the content is from. I marked similar problems in the syllabus I gave you. Do more, solve more, and understand the thought process.

Cat That Doesn’t Eat Fish: !!! Academic Master, you are the best [thumbs up] [thumbs up]

A Bamboo: …

Cat That Doesn’t Eat Fish: I left you homework too! Even though it’s the weekend, we can’t give up on our studies halfway. I sent you a BBC news article. Remember to practice it and send me a recording tomorrow. I’ll be watching you O.O!

Then, an English article was sent over. Gu Zhu scanned it. Most of the words were familiar, with only a few new ones. It was clear that Bai Tan had carefully selected it. Bai Tan was indeed very proficient in this area and was also very serious. It seemed that once she was in the role of a teacher, her personality changed, showing an unexpected patience and dedication.

For some reason, she was reminded of what happened in the Koi Pavilion that day.

It was just a movement to correct her pronunciation; her emotions shouldn’t have been so stirred up. Besides, she had allowed it herself. But perhaps it was because she rarely had any physical contact with anyone, which caused her heart to beat erratically.

Gu Zhu put her fingers together, bit them herself, and tried the // sound again. The action was effective, but she didn’t feel anything special. Yet, the other day, it had made her ears turn red.

She sighed softly, setting aside the things she couldn’t understand. In that short moment of emotional wandering, several more messages came from the other side: [Image] [Image] My student ID and meal card have arrived! When we go back to school next week, I’m treating you to a meal!

People who are good-looking always take good pictures. The photo on the student ID had a standard red background and the same blue and white school uniform. Her face was delicate and fair. Even though Bai Tan wasn’t smiling in the picture and even looked a little sharp, it couldn’t hide her youthful charm.

A Bamboo: No need. Consider it an apology for the first day.

She still remembered the water stains on her uniform from that day, a detail she hadn’t forgotten even when she was momentarily upset about the bed.

The other side was silent for a long time.

Gu Zhu scrolled through the chat history. It seemed that without her realizing it, they had been talking for a while. She got up, plugged in her hairdryer, and dried her hair. Then she went to the bathroom, grabbed a mop, and wiped up the remaining water on the floor.

By the time she looked at the messages again, the entire screen was filled with messages from Bai Tan:

Cat That Doesn’t Eat Fish: [Image] Student Gu Zhu, this shirt has been washed a long time ago. There isn’t a single stain. Besides, you taking me in that day was more than enough.

Cat That Doesn’t Eat Fish: Student Gu Zhu, please don’t remember this anymore. If you’re only being nice to me because you feel like you owe me, then I’ll be very, very sad.

Cat That Doesn’t Eat Fish: I really like you, Student Gu Zhu. The kind and wonderful Gu Zhu. You seem a little cold, but you’re actually a super good person. So, can we be good friends?

Cat That Doesn’t Eat Fish: Be the kind of good friends who don’t have to worry about fairness or debts. Can we, Gu Zhu?

…

Cat That Doesn’t Eat Fish: If you don’t reply, I’m going to throw a tantrum… TAT

Gu Zhu stared at the long string of messages, frozen in place. It was just a simple thing, but the other person seemed to care so much, writing all these words so earnestly. “I really like you,” “kind,” and “wonderful”—these were all things Gu Zhu rarely heard.

She had very few friends. Many people thought she was arrogant, as if her good grades made her unapproachable by default. Gu Zhu never tried to break people’s prejudice. She just kept moving forward on the path she needed to take. Only what she could hold in her own hands was truly real.

But she was still moved by Bai Tan’s simple words.

Perhaps some people are born with a burning passion. And she was being burned by Bai Tan’s words.

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