A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Monthly Exam

◎Low Winning Rate◎

That night, because of the dorm check, Gu Zhu was able to get into bed early. Tucked under her blanket, her mind automatically started reviewing: subject content, experiment topics, procedures, and… the moment Bai Tan swapped her glasses.

In her mind, she automatically sketched Bai Tan’s features—those smiling eyes, which always appeared deep and affectionate when looking at people, flashed numerous times in the darkness.

She must have been very pleased when she put the glasses on her at the end, which was why she laughed so happily when she turned and pulled her to run.

A playful and very good at faking it kitten.

The wind outside grew stronger, and rain started to fall at some point. The window pane, left with a small gap, vibrated gently. She got up, got out of bed, and brought the jasmine plant inside.

Almost all of the jasmine’s leaves had fallen off during the previous scorching heat. Now, only the leaf stems were green. Soaked by the rain, they were dripping wet. She touched the roots, and the soil was at the right level of moistness, so she was relieved and placed it on the desk.

She was very fond of jasmine flowers, but because both Gu Baozhi and she were so busy, they rarely actively kept plants. One day, at an intersection, she saw this pot of jasmine lying on the ground next to a trash can. Its leaves were still hanging on. The lush flowers and straight trees in the green belt next to it made it look small and lonely.

The road was bustling with traffic, and people were walking by, passing it countless times.

Gu Zhu returned home and then turned back, squatted down, and picked up the jasmine plant.

The vitality of plants seemed to be more tenacious. After a winter passed, a touch of spring rain made the green leaves on the branches grow lush. Gu Zhu had thought that this time, she would get to see it bloom.

But some lives are just so unfortunate.

She gently touched its branches, hoping that in the spring and summer of the next year, she could witness its miraculous resurgence again.

…

The next day, she woke up earlier than usual. After a night of rain, the view outside the window seemed moist, and the lush leaves of the trees looked even greener.

She took a deep breath of the fresh air, gently stretched, and once her energy was full, she sat at her desk and started grading the homework Bai Tan had finished yesterday.

At 6:25 AM, she put down her pen and changed into her school uniform. The two pairs of glasses were placed side by side on a shelf. Her hand paused, and she picked up the pair on the left to put on.

At 6:30 AM, there was a soft knock on the dorm door. Gu Zhu picked up her packed school bag, stepped out of the room, and met the person who was yawning. “Good morning.”

After finishing a yawn, Bai Tan, with her eyes half-closed, leaned her forehead on Gu Zhu’s shoulder and started her two-minute “startup” time. She had secretly recited classical poetry under her blanket at 4 AM, but she couldn’t handle it anymore and had a quick nap around 6 AM.

Not being able to handle it was true, but when she thought about the exam next week, and the results coming out, it would be time for Gu Zhu to check on her progress. She couldn’t disappoint Gu Zhu, and she also didn’t want to lose face in front of her.

The young lady also had her pride. At the very least, she couldn’t be at the bottom.

“Good morning.” She successfully “started up.” She looked up and saw Gu Zhu wearing the new glasses.

Last night, to rush for the curfew and distract Gu Zhu, she hadn’t had a chance to observe them closely herself.

What You Lili had complimented as “good-looking” was truly good-looking. The silver frames were thin and light. The transparent lenses didn’t obscure her handsome features; instead, they made her cool and clean aura even more apparent.

With a single look, she had a very effortless kind of beauty.

Bai Tan blinked, a little stunned. Girls with high looks and good temperament were truly eye-catching. She knew that a student like Gu Zhu, who was both academically excellent and beautiful, was probably the unmentionable crush of many people’s youth.

For a moment, she was proud of her taste but also felt a certain unexplainable regret. She even wanted to put the old black-framed glasses, which served as an “appearance-sealing spell,” back on her.

Bai Tan’s hands were itching to move, but her gaze was incredibly focused.

Gu Zhu felt a little uncomfortable under her stare but still kept her back straight, pretending to ignore the overly intense gaze. “Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

They still went to the Kapok Tree Grove in the Koi Pavilion to practice English. This time, Gu Zhu quizzed her on vocabulary. The young lady was quite talented in this area. After a quick review, she had almost memorized the text.

When it was time for breakfast, they headed to the cafeteria. On the way, Gu Zhu quizzed Bai Tan on formulas. When they reached the entrance, Bai Tan let out a deep sigh of relief. A short break!

They didn’t go to a food stall but headed straight to a corner on the left. There, a long table was filled with people—all seven of the girls from dorm 512, with the girls from Luo Minmin’s dorm next to them.

The table was filled with breakfast food, and there were just enough empty seats for the two of them. Someone had already gotten their breakfast for them.

This had been their routine for the past week. Bai Tan would wake them all up one by one, and in return, they would get their food for them at breakfast.

“Our PE class has been canceled again and changed to a self-study session. We have more time to review, but honestly, the more I review, the rustier my brain feels,” Luo Minmin said with a sigh.

Qin Tian’ai: “Seriously? Teacher Liu’s leave is getting long. Besides running and morning exercises, I haven’t been on the sports field this month. I kind of miss it.”

Luna: “Exactly. It’s good to relax a bit. Doesn’t everyone say that relaxing before an exam makes it easier? It’s just a monthly exam, what’s there to be afraid of!”

“You two have good grades, so of course you’re not afraid. I’m different. If I don’t do well, I’ll not only lose my pride, but my stash of novels and comics will also be gone. You have no idea how hard I’ve been trying to protect my rights!” You Lili said, taking a furious bite of her pancake.

Li Ruoruo: “Says the one who doesn’t work hard. Look at our top student. She has 99% talent and uses the remaining 1% for hard work. Do you dare not to work hard?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Gu Zhu. As she looked back at them silently while drinking her porridge, they all sighed in unison. Alright, let’s study. What else can we do?

Not to mention Gu Zhu, but the young lady has also been working hard for the past two weeks. People with money are one in a hundred, and people with talent are one in ten thousand. While they might not be either, they could still compete in terms of effort!

“What’s the point of having talent if you don’t use it well and take responsibility for yourself, and instead put all your effort into irrelevant people? It’s all a waste.”

Just as they were getting motivated again, they heard someone making sarcastic remarks, full of criticism. “This time, can you guarantee that you’ll still be first? Do you think that just because you passed the city preliminaries, the provincial competition is a sure thing? Don’t you think you’re wasting your own opportunities by spending your time on irrelevant people?”

They looked over and weren’t surprised to see that it was Chang Ru. Sometimes, You Lili even wanted to ship a “rivals to lovers” couple, but she was afraid it would be too much. So, she just quietly watched.

The first to speak up was Luo Minmin. She and Chang Ru were practically sworn enemies, but they had a very new kind of roommate relationship, where they would bicker all the time but sometimes also sit down and have a meal together. “Seriously, Chang Ru, are you sick? Why are you always so concerned about other people’s exams and competitions? They can do whatever they want. Even if your family lives by the sea, there’s no need to be so nosy!”

“I wasn’t talking to you. Shut up.” Chang Ru shot her a sideways glance and continued to stare at Gu Zhu. “You say something.”

Bai Tan put down her soy milk, a cold smile on her lips. The young lady’s eyes were sharp. She knew from the moment she transferred that this person had always been giving her a strange look. It turned out she genuinely had an issue with her. “I think…”

Before she could really speak, Gu Zhu beat her to it.

“Yes. I feel. It’s not a waste. Thanks for your concern.” She picked up her empty tray and stood up. “I’m done eating. I’ll be going now.”

Bai Tan was stunned for a moment, then realized that Gu Zhu was answering Chang Ru’s previous questions. She looked at Chang Ru’s face, which was as constipated as if she had eaten a handful of rocks, and smiled slightly, saying insincerely, “Thank you for your concern for Bamboo and me, but I think you should just worry about yourself. It saves you unnecessary trouble for yourself and others, don’t you think?”

“I’ll return that sentiment to you. Don’t cause unnecessary trouble for others,” Chang Ru said, looking directly at her.

Bai Tan’s expression didn’t change. Smart people’s words were indeed sharp. “But she’s happy to,” she shrugged, spread her hands, picked up her tray, said goodbye to the others, and followed Gu Zhu out.

The others looked at each other and chose not to get involved. Only Luo Minmin was fuming at Chang Ru. “You’re just jealous!”

Chang Ru rolled her eyes at her, finished the last few bites, and didn’t forget to threaten her before she ran off. “I’ll quiz you on formulas later. You better eat fast. Maybe you can save some time to hug a god’s leg.”

“Her!” Luo Minmin pointed at Chang Ru’s retreating back, her expression accusing her to the others.

The others: “We can’t help you. Amen!”

During the morning reading session, the threatened Luo Minmin was not called up. This time, the random number generator finally spared her, but it did not spare Bai Tan.

After the previous time when she deliberately called on Gu Zhu and Luo Minmin, and was met with Luo Minmin’s chanting siege in the dorm, Chang Ru decided to use the app. With some mystical “sincere thoughts,” she at least managed to get one person.

When Bai Tan went to the front of the classroom, the two of them looked at each other, and it was as if countless sparks were flying.

In the end, Bai Tan got half of the six questions right, with three of them wrong due to minor details. She went back to her seat, her eyes a little droopy and wronged.

Chang Ru, who had just smiled a little after winning a small victory, saw Gu Zhu turn around and pat the transfer student’s head to comfort her, and her smile immediately fell.

Especially when the transfer student sent her a defiant look, she tightened her grip on her textbook. “The ones you got wrong, you’ll rewrite a hundred times. Hand them in before evening study hall tonight!”

Bai Tan: …

Oh no, this victory was too small.

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