A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Discretion

◎Friends◎

Gu Baozhi came to pick up Gu Zhu after all.

It was probably around ten o’clock when they heard the dorm mother knocking on the opposite door and calling Gu Zhu’s name.

At that moment, they were playing a card game, and they were all a little surprised when they heard it. Gu Zhu put down the cards and stood up, saying goodbye to them. “I’ll be going now. See you after the holiday.”

“I’ll see you off!” Bai Tan quickly got up, took the piece of paper off her face, and followed Gu Zhu out. The others also hurried to say goodbye to her, telling her to be careful and wishing her a happy holiday.

Gu Zhu waved to them, and then called out, “Auntie, I’m here.”

The dorm mother, seeing her, let out a sigh of relief. “Student Gu Zhu, the security office said your mother is waiting for you at the school gate. You should hurry and pack up to go home with her.”

“Okay, thank you, Auntie.” She nodded, went back to her dorm to get her already-packed luggage. Since the holiday was only three days, she didn’t take the jasmine plant with her this time. Instead, she had made a simple automatic watering device beforehand. After checking that the device was working, she left.

As she went downstairs, she looked at the person who was following her like a little tail. “You don’t need to see me off. Go back. They’re probably waiting for you.”

Bai Tan blinked, looking at her with a wronged expression. “But we won’t see each other for three days. I’ll miss you. Just let me look at you a little longer!”

Gu Zhu was speechless, wondering if Bai Tan had separation anxiety. But she still gave her permission. Bai Tan walked so close that their shoulders were constantly bumping. Gu Zhu listened to her talk about how much she missed her, even though she hadn’t left yet.

“So, can we hang out during the holiday?” Finally, she revealed her true purpose.

Gu Zhu turned her face to look at her, saw that she was also looking at her, and then turned back. The school path was very quiet, with trees standing tall on both sides. The leaves rustled in the night wind. When they were almost at the school gate, she softly replied, “Probably not. I’m going to my aunt’s house. But maybe you can send me messages.”

“Can we video chat, too?” she asked.

Gu Zhu stopped walking and gave her a small smile. “Yes, we can.” Before Bai Tan could react, she waved to her again. “Go back. I’m leaving.”

She walked to the school gate. Gu Baozhi was waiting on her electric scooter next to the security office. Gu Zhu took the helmet and put it on. Before getting on the scooter, she looked back once more. The slender figure was still waving to her. She curved her eyes slightly and gave her a silent farewell.

“Is that your roommate who came out with you?” Gu Baozhi had rarely seen Gu Zhu so close to anyone. The last person she saw her with was a girl named Luo Minmin. But Gu Baozhi knew Gu Zhu. To be able to walk so close without any distance, they must have a really good relationship.

Gu Zhu simply said, “Mhm,” and didn’t offer any further defense or explanation. She was afraid Gu Baozhi would ask more questions, afraid she would find out Bai Tan was a transfer student with average grades, and therefore not worth being friends with.

Gu Baozhi was a very traditional woman. She had a lot of love for her, but also a lot of restrictions and expectations. Gu Zhu had learned to reconcile with her in her own way.

Gu Baozhi didn’t ask again. It wasn’t until they got home that she gave her a reminder: “There’s nothing wrong with having a good relationship with your roommates, but you should only make friends with those who get good grades. That way, you can communicate and improve together. Those who don’t do well in school can easily lead you astray, do you understand?”

Gu Zhu nodded and went into her room. After a quick tidying up, she went to take a shower. She sat at her desk, with a practice book open, but her thoughts couldn’t focus.

She knew Bai Tan must have messaged her, but Gu Baozhi hadn’t given her the phone yet. She waited patiently in her room for a while. Usually, Gu Baozhi would give her the phone before bed.

It wasn’t until she heard the sound of Gu Baozhi’s door closing that her hand, holding the pen, paused. She got up, opened her door, and saw that it was completely dark outside, except for a nightlight.

Gu Baozhi wouldn’t give her the phone tonight.

She stood in the boundary between light and darkness, the shadow casting on one side of her face. Her expressionless face looked so dull. Gu Zhu pursed her lips and slowly closed the door. It was probably because her answer just now didn’t satisfy Gu Baozhi. She now hoped that Bai Tan wouldn’t message her, so Gu Baozhi wouldn’t see it.

She barely slept that night. When she woke up the next day, it was already eight o’clock. She got up and sat on the bed, quietly listening to the sounds outside the door. Gu Baozhi had probably left. There were no other sounds outside.

She got out of bed and walked out. Her phone was sitting quietly on the living room coffee table.

Gu Zhu picked up the phone. Just then, Gu Baozhi came back from outside. She must have gone to the market and bought a lot of things. Seeing her, her face hardened. “Playing with your phone before washing up? Not going to eat breakfast?”

Gu Zhu took the things from her and put them in the kitchen. “I’ll go now.”

It wasn’t until they were having breakfast that Gu Baozhi brought up the phone. “Someone messaged you last night. I replied for you. You two should contact each other less from now on. The way you talk doesn’t seem proper. And she wants you to tutor her. You’re a student yourself; you don’t have that much time to waste. In short, you should associate with these people less. They’re just using you because you have good grades.”

Even though Gu Zhu had expected it, she still felt a pang of sadness. She closed her eyes for a moment to suppress her emotions, then calmly said, “She’s my friend. I have discretion.”

“Discretion? Your discretion is for irrelevant people? Gu Zhu, do you think you’re grown up now and don’t want to listen to your mother?”

Seeing her getting angry, Gu Zhu put her bowl down and looked up at her. “No, I promise you that my grades will not drop because of this. Can you trust me, Mom?”

“Just listen to me.” With that, she put her bowl and chopsticks in the sink and left the dining room.

The house was silent for a while, with only the sounds of the two of them tidying up.

At 9:30 AM, Gu Zhu was ready to leave for her Aunt Yuehua’s house. Gu Baozhi packed up some gifts and handed them to her, reminding her before she left to be hardworking and not too casual or rude at someone else’s house.

Gu Zhu agreed to everything, took her things, and said goodbye to her. Over the past two years, the county had developed, and there were now public buses. To get back to the small town, she no longer had to take a private bus; she could just take the public one.

It wasn’t until she got on the bus that Gu Zhu had time to take out her phone and look at the messages from last night.

Bai Tan had sent her many messages. For example, she started missing her as soon as they separated and wished they could meet up during the long holiday.

For example, she said she would continue to study hard for the three days and not let her down, and she would still bug her about the things she didn’t understand.

For example, she knew of a great movie and asked if they could watch it together if they had time.

…

But everything came to an abrupt halt at Gu Baozhi’s reply.

Gu Baozhi’s words were not sharp. She even revealed her identity, saying that Gu Zhu was meant for the top universities and didn’t have much time to spend on irrelevant people. She hoped Bai Tan could understand her struggles as a mother and not disturb Gu Zhu too much.

And Bai Tan had only replied with one sentence: “I’m sorry, Auntie.”

Gu Zhu traced the screen of her phone, wondering what Bai Tan felt when she wrote that. Would she really distance herself from her because of this and no longer be her friend?

She leaned against the bus window, and for some reason, she suddenly felt very sad.

It was as if just the thought of Bai Tan no longer being close to her, no longer being unique, caused a tearing pain in her heart. She actually really liked Bai Tan’s coquettishness, intimacy, and affection toward her.

No one would dislike a passionate person.

She blinked and vaguely saw a familiar figure.

Gu Zhu sat up straight. As the bus drove by, she finally got a clear look at the person.

The bus arrived at a stop. She pushed her way out, rushed back with her things, and stood in front of the person wearing a white shirt and shorts wandering the streets. “Bai Tan.”

Amidst the holiday crowds, they looked at each other.

Support A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon