A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Good Friends

◎A Hug◎

On Sunday, Gu Baozhi had a night shift and had to go to her employer’s house in the afternoon. She worked on a rotation with someone else. She had wanted to swap shifts to make dinner for Gu Zhu before she returned to school, but Gu Zhu refused, telling her not to worry and that she would go back to school on her own and have dinner in the cafeteria.

Seeing her insistence, Gu Baozhi relented and added money to her meal card online. “Then remember to eat more. The balance on your card is sufficient, so don’t try to save money.”

“Okay, thank you, Mom.” Gu Zhu nodded and hung up the phone. When it was nearly time to leave, she picked up the side dishes Gu Baozhi had prepared on the dining table. Inside were also some of the fried snacks from lunch. She had originally wanted to refuse, but when Gu Baozhi said she could share them with her roommates, she inexplicably nodded and didn’t refuse again.

Gu Baozhi didn’t know she had a single room, but now Gu Zhu genuinely felt she had someone she could share with.

Gu Zhu thought of Bai Tan’s passionate and straightforward words. Her heart was always touched by them, like a kitten playing with a ball of yarn, gently rolling around inside.

Around four in the afternoon, Gu Zhu hesitated about whether to send Bai Tan a message saying she was heading back to school. The last message on the page was her own “Okay” and Bai Tan’s exaggerated emoji of a pie falling from the sky.

In the end, she didn’t send any messages. She turned off her phone and put it in a drawer in Gu Baozhi’s room. She checked the windows and the gas, left a sticky note on the refrigerator—their usual farewell ritual—and then locked the door, grabbing her thermal bag to head back to school.

The weather was nice. The traffic in the small county was starting to pick up. The golden sun hung red at the edge of the sky. The setting sun’s glow was no longer scorching but warm. Gu Zhu still preferred to walk through the small alleys, as it saved a lot of time. She always left the liveliness of the main streets behind, but this time, the glow of the sunset seemed to follow her, making her steps feel light.

She walked all the way back to school, passed through the teaching building corridor, and was slightly out of breath as she climbed the stairs to the fifth floor.

She had returned quite early, and there weren’t many people in the hallway. The door to the adjacent dorm, 512, was closed, but she could occasionally hear faint sounds from inside. Gu Zhu held the two straps of her thermal bag, walked closer, and was about to raise her hand to knock when she suddenly heard a familiar voice from inside.

“To thank you all for your special care this past week, especially Student Qin Tian’ai for her passionate rescue during English morning reading, tonight, I’m treating everyone to dinner!”

“Oh, it’s nothing! We’re all roommates, no need to be so polite! But! We definitely have to eat! A grand celebration for our complete gathering in 512!”

…

The back-and-forth laughter continued. Gu Zhu lowered the hand that was about to knock and adjusted her sliding glasses. She wasn’t surprised. After all, Bai Tan had never said she would only be friends with her.

It was perfectly normal for a girl like Bai Tan to have many, many friends.

She turned to go back to her own dorm, but just as she reached the stairwell, Luo Minmin, who had just returned, called out, “Zhu Zi~”

Luo Minmin ran over, got close, and sniffed. “It smells so good! What delicious food did you bring?”

Gu Zhu hadn’t expected Luo Minmin’s nose to be so sharp. She froze and then lifted the thermal bag in her hand. “Do you want to come eat together?” she offered quietly. It doesn’t really matter who I share with, right?

She ignored the sudden gloom in her heart. The kitten was too mischievous, and the ball of yarn was all over the floor, tangling her heart.

“Really?!” Luo Minmin was overjoyed and spun around her. This was the first time Gu Zhu had ever invited her on her own!

Just as she was about to follow Gu Zhu into her dorm, the opposite dorm door suddenly opened. “Gu Zhu, you’re back!”

The person bounced out and ran over. Her long hair was tied into a fluffy, soft bun on top of her head. With her long legs, she covered the distance in three strides and reached Gu Zhu, wrapping her in a big hug. “Zhu Zi, I missed you so much!”

Gu Zhu froze in place, her hands still holding the bag suspended in the air. Her eyelashes trembled, and she was momentarily bewildered. No, they had only been apart for less than two days, or to be precise, 44 hours and 52 minutes. Why did it feel like they had been apart for two months?

And, with all the excitement in her dorm, did she really miss me?

Gu Zhu tried to move but couldn’t. The girl’s sweet scent involuntarily drifted into her nose. Bai Tan’s hands were long and surprisingly strong, hugging her waist and pulling her completely into her embrace.

This feeling of being completely hugged was foreign and made her feel awkward. Her blood rushed, and a blush crept up her cheeks and ears.

Bai Tan wasn’t satisfied and rubbed her face against Gu Zhu’s, like a kitten that had finally remembered its good friend and was begging for affection. This caused Gu Zhu’s glasses to be pushed crooked. Gu Zhu had to tilt her head back to prevent them from slipping off completely.

It wasn’t just Gu Zhu who was stunned. Luo Minmin and the seven people who had come out of dorm 512 were all frozen in place.

Their cool, aloof top student was being hugged like a zombie, her face flushed, yet she wasn’t pushing the transfer student away.

Oh, wait, the point is, when did the transfer student secretly get together with their top student behind their backs?!

It had only been a week, and she had already won over their unapproachable academic star. It was unbelievable!

“Ugh!!! Why?!” Luo Minmin was the first to stomp her foot. “I want to hug Bamboo too! Bai Tan, get away! Let go of her!” She reached out and tried to pry them apart, but couldn’t find a seam to open.

Gu Zhu was starting to feel flustered by the crowd watching them. Her neck, which had been tilted back, was getting sore. She reminded her helplessly, “You can let go now.”

Bai Tan lifted her head but didn’t let go of her. Her eyes were sparkling, and the wisps of hair on her forehead were fuzzy. “Can we eat dinner together tonight?”

Gu Zhu saw that she wouldn’t let go unless she agreed. She said softly, “You can let go now.”

Seeing this, Bai Tan had no choice but to release her, but she didn’t move away, keeping her body in a close but not quite touching position. “Can we?”

Gu Zhu adjusted her crooked glasses with a silent sigh. “Yes.”

“Great! Let’s hurry up and go before curfew!” Bai Tan hooked her thumb through Gu Zhu’s backpack strap and announced happily to the others.

But without realizing it, she had offended everyone present. She received no response from the crowd. Gu Zhu, on the other hand, was met with a barrage of stares, like a pack of wolves who hadn’t eaten in a long time, their eyes glowing.

“But, we want a hug too,” someone said suddenly, in a mournful voice. “We haven’t even had a hug yet. Why does the transfer student get priority?”

Gu Zhu was reminded of Luo Minmin’s tradition of “hugging the top student for good luck on exams.” Maybe in their eyes, she was like a merchant praying to Guan Gong or a worker praying to the God of Wealth, a source of magical power.

“Exactly. She’s our class’s treasure, the flower of our class. Even if you’re a transfer student, you have to follow the order of things.”

All of a sudden, a conflict almost broke out within dorm 512 over a single hug. Seeing that Bai Tan was about to be attacked by the group, Gu Zhu held up the thermal bag and shook it at them. “Let’s all go eat together.”

An invitation from the top student was an offer they couldn’t refuse.

Luo Minmin immediately claimed the other side of Gu Zhu. “Let’s eat, let’s eat! I heard there’s a new fig chicken pot restaurant nearby. Let’s go try it!”

No one objected. But as they were leaving, Qin Tian’ai suddenly said, “So, can we get a hug during the exam, academic star?”

Eight pairs of eyes stared at her pleadingly. Before Gu Zhu could answer, Bai Tan hugged her and blocked them. “No, you’re only allowed to pray, no hugging!”

Luo Minmin was furious. “Why? You’re a modern academic daji!” Damn it, can she do whatever she wants just because she’s pretty?!

“Because we’re good friends now!” she said triumphantly, showing off a perfect smile. “Bamboo and I are super, super good friends now!”

“Academic daji!” the crowd cried out indignantly.

After everyone had finally gone back to their respective dorms to get ready, the internal squabbling began again in dorm 512, with everyone accusing Bai Tan of “stealing home.”

Bai Tan scoffed. “That’s because you guys couldn’t do it. I’m not going to be polite about something you gave up so easily. But on a serious note, why didn’t you guys seem to get along with Gu Zhu before?”

“Hmm, probably because she’s so beautiful and aloof, and her grades are so good. She’s like a high-altitude flower, so we always feel inferior when we get close to her.”

This answer didn’t surprise Bai Tan. People who are overly excellent always command a certain reverence. Perhaps it was because she came from a different social circle. She had seen too many excellent people who were born to be worshipped and placed on a pedestal.

Compared to those people, seventeen-year-old Gu Zhu was beautiful and slender. Even with a strong heart, she still yearned for warmth and companionship. Bai Tan thought, Perhaps the reason I got close to her faster than you is simply because I’m not afraid of any risks. And maybe, this is a kind of fate.

The group set off together after getting ready. As usual, Gu Zhu was flanked by Bai Tan and Luo Minmin, but with a difference: Bai Tan’s arm would often brush against hers as they walked, unlike the more reserved Luo Minmin.

For a moment, Gu Zhu had a sense of déjà vu, like two elementary school students proudly walking hand in hand, wanting to announce their friendship to the world with unrestrained joy and affection.

The people around them chattered about the new restaurant, crowding around them animatedly, with a few comments here and there accusing the transfer student, their words filled with a fierce determination to make her pay for the meal.

When they arrived at the new restaurant, everyone was pushing and shoving, unwilling to be the one to order.

Finally, Bai Tan waved her hand and ordered one of every signature dish on the menu.

Gu Zhu’s eyes curved into a smile. The young lady was showing her true colors.

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