A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Acquaintances

◎Encounter◎

The holiday was only three days long. The day before, Chang Xiling’s interest in the guitar reached its peak because of Gu Zhu’s excellent performance on stage. Early in the morning, she was already lying in front of Gu Zhu’s door, waiting for her to wake up.

Gu Zhu was always an early riser, and this time was no exception. She carefully freed her hand from Bai Tan’s tight grip. Perhaps because they had exhausted their energy before bed, they had slept surprisingly soundly, and she woke up to find herself held down by Bai Tan’s limbs like an octopus.

She looked at the person who was still in a deep sleep, tiptoed out of bed, grabbed her toiletries, and left. She shushed Chang Xiling when she saw her, and then the two of them went to Chang Xiling’s room and used her bathroom.

“Sister, are you going back tonight? Can you stay with me for one more day?” Chang Xiling lay on her bed, hugging a life-sized dog pillow, pouting her pink lips. Her little girl’s voice was soft and sweet. “I got third place in my class this time. Aren’t I awesome?”

Gu Zhu splashed some water on her face, gently wiped it with a towel, and came out of the bathroom to answer her. “I can’t stay too long this time. I’ll find time to come back during the summer. What do you want as a gift, Lingling?”

Chang Xiling jumped off the bed, ran over, hugged her waist, and blinked her round eyes. “Can you take me to eat rice noodles at Wenwen’s house?”

Gu Zhu looked at her silently for a few seconds and put a hand on her forehead. “You’re a sneaky one.”

Chang Xiling covered her forehead, thinking, I’m not sneaky. I’m a kind and adorable little girl.

Gu Zhu didn’t wake Bai Tan. It was only seven o’clock, and perhaps only energetic kids didn’t like to sleep in. She woke up on time because of her internal clock.

She left a sticky note on the nightstand, said goodbye to Chang Yuehua, put on her helmet, and drove her electric scooter with Chang Xiling to the “Changlai Breakfast Shop” in the town market. It was a busy time for breakfast, so she parked her scooter at the street-side parking shed and walked in with Chang Xiling.

The breakfast shop occupied two storefronts. It was originally run by a husband and wife, but the husband lost his leg in a car accident two years ago, and the wife had been running the shop by herself ever since.

As they got closer, Chang Xiling eagerly ran over. “Wenwen, I brought my sister to have breakfast!”

Wenwen, the girl she was talking about, was the same age as her. They were in the same school and class and were about the same height. She had two small braids and immediately came over when she heard Chang Xiling’s voice. “Lingling! My sister is here too. Come on in!”

They were the “Sister Alliance.” Their biggest wish was to take their sisters out to play together and then proudly announce to the world that they had sisters who were smart, beautiful, and loved them very much! Unfortunately, the two sisters didn’t seem to get along and almost never hung out together, so they were committed to making the two sisters get along.

Gu Zhu walked into the shop and, of course, saw Chang Wen’s sister, Chang Ru. She was serving a meal and was surprised to see her. Gu Zhu nodded at Chang Ru and sat down across from the two kids.

“Well, well, the academic star. It’s a rare sight to see you during the holiday. You must be quite free. What would you like to eat?” Chang Ru was wearing an apron, and her hair was in two braids, just like Chang Wen’s. The two sisters looked very alike, and they also looked a lot like the busy owner who was making breakfast at the stall.

Gu Zhu was used to Chang Ru’s occasional jabs. Because they were from the same town, their complicated relationship could be traced back to elementary and middle school. Chang Ru was always second place, and she was always ahead of her. Over time, the other person made her an opponent. They were in a state of competition all the way until their first year of high school. This balance was broken when she withdrew from the national chemistry competition last year.

“Two signature rice noodles, please.” Gu Zhu picked up a pair of disposable chopsticks, rubbed the tip of a chopstick for Chang Xiling, and pretended not to notice Chang Ru’s scrutiny.

The shop was busy, so Chang Ru didn’t stay long. She wrote down the order and the table number, stuck it on the glass window of the stall, and then went back to serving and clearing tables.

Being from the same town, they actually knew a lot more about each other. For example, Chang Ru knew that Gu Zhu’s mother had accumulated a lot of debt to treat her husband’s illness. She was slowly paying it off, but their family wasn’t well-off. She also knew that Gu Zhu wasn’t the biological child of her mother. She was supposedly an abandoned baby.

People in a small town always loved to gossip. This was true for Gu Zhu’s family and for theirs. A family without a male child seemed to have no roots, like an original sin, and could never escape gossip.

For families like theirs, there was no other way out but to work hard to get to the top.

Chang Ru’s goal was very clear. She wanted to get into a top university, leave this small town, and earn a lot of money to lessen her mother’s burden and raise her young sister.

In the past, she and Gu Zhu were neck and neck, and she thought they were the people who understood each other the most in the world. But later, she suddenly felt that wasn’t the case. A person who could easily give up a hard-earned opportunity might not be as determined as she had thought.

It felt like a betrayal, and a feeling of “hate iron for not becoming steel.” Even though Gu Zhu was still ahead of her, she could no longer look up to her.

The rice noodles came quickly. They barely spoke again. Gu Zhu packed one more portion to go. With a look of disappointment and reluctance from Chang Xiling, she got back on her electric scooter and took her home.

The rearview mirror reflected the “Changlai Breakfast Shop” from a distance. She saw the busy Chang Ru in the mirror, lowered her eyes, and only started the scooter slowly after Chang Xiling hugged her waist.

No need for pity. She understands her own self-reliance and resilience.

When they returned, Bai Tan was already up. The young lady was sitting on the steps outside the door, looking out expectantly. Seeing Gu Zhu, she quickly stood up. “You’re back!”

Chang Xiling ran into the house first. Gu Zhu parked the scooter, took off her helmet, and handed her the packed rice noodles. “You were sleeping soundly this morning, so I didn’t call you.”

Chang Yuehua was out. It was said that for the Dragon Boat Festival, the investors had organized a community gathering and were preparing comfort gifts for the businesses while also conducting some research.

Bai Tan rubbed her cheek. For some reason, it felt very hot. She pursed her lips, not knowing what to say. Should she tell her that she had barely slept last night because she saw her without a bra, and then had some messy dreams, which was why she slept so soundly this morning?

Just saying it made her feel like she was sick in the head.

She felt uneasy. Her blood seemed to be flowing in a disordered way, as if it hadn’t gotten enough energy. Her heart also felt heavy, with an indescribable restlessness.

They sat down in the living room. Bai Tan was speechless, only knowing how to slurp her rice noodles with her head down. The rice noodles were smooth and perfectly soft. All the meat, sausage, and meatballs were cleaned very well. It was indeed a delicious bowl of rice noodles.

Gu Zhu was tuning Chang Xiling’s guitar, occasionally glancing at the silent Bai Tan. The usually quiet girl was a bit hard to get used to.

Chang Xiling came out of her room with a music score, her voice excited. “Sister, Wenwen said her sister is taking her to the county library next weekend. Can I go too?”

Gu Zhu thought for a moment. Seeing Chang Xiling’s expectant and excited expression, she felt a little reluctant to refuse. “If your aunt agrees, you can.”

“Mom will definitely agree! So it’s a deal. We’ll go together next weekend. You can’t lie to me!” Chang Xiling held out her pinky finger. “Pinky promise. A sister who lies will have a nose as long as an elephant’s.”

Gu Zhu linked her pinky with hers. “Mhm.”

Hearing them talk to themselves and even confirm their plans for next weekend, Bai Tan, who had been quietly eating her breakfast, finally couldn’t help but speak up. “Who is Wenwen? Is her sister very familiar with us? Can I go with you next weekend too?”

Before Gu Zhu could answer, Chang Xiling had already jumped in. “Wenwen is my good friend, and her sister is Sister Chang Ru. We’re very close! You can’t come next weekend unless you have a sister too. Only then can you join us!”

Chang Ru? Is it the Chang Ru I’m thinking of?

When did they get so close? They’re clearly not as close as me, okay!

And I’m an only child. Where would I get a sister? And why can’t I go? Your sister didn’t even say anything!

Bai Tan was speechless. She puffed out her cheeks and looked at Gu Zhu with a look of accusation in her eyes.

Gu Zhu quietly turned her head and started teaching Chang Xiling the guitar, not saying a word.

Bai Tan took a big slurp of rice noodles.

I’m so mad! You little brat!

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