A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Dormitory

◎Solitude◎

Gu Zhu returned to school early. Most students were not back yet, and due to the rain, the few who were staying on campus were almost all in their dorms. With no sounds of classes or play, the school seemed quiet. The light-yellow teaching building was shrouded in a thin, misty haze, and the silence was only broken by a sudden school bell.

It was the bell for lunch break. Since today was Wednesday, a regular school day, all the bells were still playing according to the normal schedule.

Gu Zhu covered her ears and didn’t lower her hands until the bell stopped. The door to the Dean’s office next to her was wide open. The quiet murmur of conversation resumed after the bell ended.

“The timing of this transfer is certainly a factor, but please don’t worry. We don’t care about grades… Yes, this is where our chairman grew up. We have complete faith in your school, and the board has always placed great importance on philanthropy in education, so the donation for the new lab building will naturally…”

Gu Zhu couldn’t make out all the details, but a few words drifting her way made her realize who was standing right in front of her. This seemed to be the very girl everyone in the group chat had been talking so enthusiastically about—the female protagonist.

She blinked and involuntarily sized up the transfer student from head to toe.

A diamond hairpin on her head… but the girl’s hair was all tucked into a green baseball cap. Other than a few strands of brown hair on her forehead, nothing could be seen.

LV clothes… The girl was wearing a white tracksuit with black trim and a simple logo on her chest, but it wasn’t the brand people had mentioned. Gu Zhu couldn’t tell what brand it was.

As for her shoes, Gu Zhu’s gaze fell downward. Beneath the tracksuit were loose shorts, revealing two long, straight legs. These were legs that were perfect for a model. She subconsciously dismissed the thought and then noticed what the girl was wearing on her feet… Crocs. Gu Zhu recognized them—the store across from the school often sold this style. The average price was only around 30 yuan.

Hmm, the transfer student doesn’t seem to be the walking luxury display the group chat described.

Bai Tan didn’t know what Gu Zhu was thinking. Seeing the girl who seemed to be spacing out, she let out a soft “hey” to get her attention. “Pretty girl, you’ve got something on my clothes.”

Gu Zhu was brought back to her senses. Her fingers curled into her palm, belatedly feeling embarrassed. She pushed up her glasses and said, pretending to be calm, “I’m sorry, I didn’t notice you. I have tissues. Can I wipe it for you?” As she spoke, she put down her umbrella, ready to get a tissue from her backpack. To her surprise, the girl waved her hand and said casually:

“I don’t need your tissues. The rainwater is a bit dirty. Can I borrow a restroom?”

Gu Zhu pursed her lips, thinking the girl wanted to wash up. She was about to offer the restroom in the teaching building, but before she could speak, the girl interrupted her:

“Your dorm room is fine, right?”

Gu Zhu had been in the wrong first, so she couldn’t say no.

She pointed in the direction of the Dean’s office and blinked.

Bai Tan understood what she meant and shrugged, indicating that she didn’t need to worry about the people inside. She was more than happy to get away from there. The problem was that she was new and unfamiliar with the area, but now she’d run into an easy mark, so she might as well latch on.

Acting like they were old friends, she picked up the umbrella on the floor, shook it, and was about to open it when a hand grabbed the handle, stopping her.

“No need for an umbrella just yet. Give it to me.” Gu Zhu didn’t like people touching her things. She took the umbrella back from the girl, picked up her shoes, and walked forward. “Follow me.”

Bai Tan followed behind her, not caring whether the people inside could find her later. Her steps were decisive and unhesitating.

The school’s greenery was excellent, but after a typhoon, it looked a bit withered. The leaves drooped listlessly, and some branches had snapped and fallen to the ground. The fruit from the Chinese banyan trees, which fell every spring, was now scattered all over the path. The sanitation workers and gardeners were the first to return to school, and they could be seen quietly and diligently working in every corner.

Gu Zhu led her through the corridor of the teaching building, exiting from another entrance. She reopened her umbrella only when they had to cross the open-air sports field. She stepped to the side, motioning for Bai Tan to come under it.

She hung her bag over her left shoulder, her fingers hooked around her shoes, and held the umbrella in her right hand, leaving the right side empty for Bai Tan.

Bai Tan saw that Gu Zhu would rather struggle herself than let her hold the umbrella, so she didn’t insist. She walked under the umbrella as Gu Zhu had intended, and they walked in silence until they reached the girls’ dormitory building.

Compared to the quiet teaching building, the dorm was much livelier. The dorm auntie was registering the returning students downstairs. Gu Zhu went to sign in and explained that Bai Tan was a transfer student. The dorm auntie had received the news earlier than the students, so she nodded and recorded Bai Tan’s information on a separate line of the form before letting the two of them go upstairs.

High school dorms didn’t have elevators. Each floor had about a dozen rooms and two stairwells, one on the east and one on the west. Gu Zhu’s dorm was in 513, at the very end of the hallway. She led Bai Tan up the right-side stairs, took out the key the dorm auntie had given her, and opened the door to her room.

It was a single room. The area wasn’t as large as the other dorms. Inside, there was a bunk bed, a metal locker, and a single desk. That was it.

Before they moved in, the school had already arranged for the rooms to be cleaned. Only the bed and desk needed to be wiped down again.

Gu Zhu invited Bai Tan in. The bedding from the school was by the desk; she just needed to put on the sheets and duvet cover she’d brought herself. She set her things down, took out the new slippers her mother had put in the bedding bag, and before she went to wash up, she looked at the person who had sat down on her seat the moment they walked in.

“Your clothes…”

She wanted to ask if the girl needed help washing them, but she didn’t have any other clothes to offer, aside from her school uniform. Besides, she wasn’t comfortable lending her clothes to a stranger, so she hesitated.

To her surprise, Bai Tan didn’t ask her to do anything. She didn’t even mention the excuse of needing to use the restroom. She simply took off her cap, covered her face with it, and waved her hand at Gu Zhu. “Do whatever you need to. Don’t mind me.”

Gu Zhu stood there for a while, pursing her lips. Seeing that the other girl really didn’t intend to talk to her, she turned and went into the restroom to clean herself up.

The sound of running water filled the room. After washing her feet, Gu Zhu came out and prepared to organize her dorm. She liked sleeping on the top bunk, so she took a rag and lightly climbed onto the bed to wipe the bed board. This batch of metal beds was new, and the bed boards were sturdy, unlike the old ones that would shake easily.

She quickly finished wiping the bed board and the desk. After the desk was dry, she put her books from her backpack on it, shook out her clothes, and hung them in the locker with hangers.

During this time, Bai Tan was as still as if she were really asleep, leaning back in the chair.

Gu Zhu had planned to go to the school’s small supermarket to buy some daily necessities. Seeing Bai Tan, she pursed her lips, picked up a book, and sat on the bottom bunk, reading silently.

The rain outside had gotten heavier at some point. It was daytime, but the sky was as gloomy as dusk. Raindrops hit the transparent window pane, quickly forming rivulets. The room was very quiet. The breathing of the two girls didn’t disturb each other.

Gu Zhu didn’t know when the transfer student would leave. She seemed to be reading, but in reality, she had been spacing out for a while.

She wasn’t thinking about anything. Her slight curiosity, which had been piqued by the group chat’s discussion about the transfer student, had completely vanished after meeting her. She was a bit lazy in her thoughts. Since she couldn’t do the other things she was supposed to do, she just let her mind wander.

Bai Tan had not been asleep at all. She just wanted to find a place to be lazy. Although the baseball cap covered her face, she had been observing the girl in front of her the whole time.

Gu Zhu had a mushroom haircut, which was perfect for a “good student.” Her hairstyle was very standard, above her neck. The thin bangs on her forehead were a perfect length, right above her eyebrows. Below that was a round face, a very small one. Bai Tan unconsciously moved her hand and spread her palm, concluding that the girl’s face was not much bigger than her hand. Her nose was round, but she wore thick, black-rimmed glasses. Next was her mouth. Her lips had a very standard shape, thin on top and full on the bottom, with a beautiful cupid’s bow. She loved to purse her lips, and when she did, they looked very soft.

Her thoughts drifted from looks to height. When they were standing together under the umbrella, she was slightly taller, so Gu Zhu must be about 1.65 meters. She was tall and slender.

Bai Tan’s mind was wandering. She was a little bored, but more than being bored, she didn’t want to deal with those people in the office. It was quiet here. The girl in front of her clearly didn’t like to talk either. To prevent her from feeling awkward, she even pretended to be asleep. She’s a very considerate person.

But she lives in a single room. This empty room was clearly moved into midway. Is this girl not as obedient as she looks, but actually a very difficult kid to deal with?

But she quickly dismissed that thought. No, she doesn’t seem like it. After all, I’m occupying her chair, and she didn’t say anything. She’s just quietly reading a book.

But why isn’t there any sound of a page turning?

Bai Tan finally figured out the reason for the excessive quiet. She lifted her cap, revealing a pair of long, narrow phoenix eyes, and looked carefully at the person on the bed.

Gu Zhu’s gaze was no longer on her book. There was a mechanical watch on her left wrist, and she was silently counting the numbers as the hands moved.

“1098.”

Bai Tan read the numbers from her lips, belatedly realizing that she had probably delayed the girl from going out.

Bai Tan stood up. As the girl’s gaze shifted to her, she put her cap back on. As she opened the door to leave, she waved to her. “Thanks for your hospitality. Sorry for the intrusion.”

Gu Zhu watched as she closed the dorm door behind her, still not fully processing what had happened. She got up and walked to the door. A cool breeze blew in, making her shiver. She had a hazy thought:

The rain hasn’t stopped. The transfer student doesn’t seem to have an umbrella.

She went to the corridor, waiting for the other girl’s figure to appear. The girl went down the stairs very quickly. When she reached the third floor, Gu Zhu finally saw her. She opened her mouth to call out but stopped halfway through:

She still doesn’t know the transfer student’s name.

And also, shouting was not allowed in the dorm building.

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