A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Farcical Outburst

◎Showing Her Power◎

To “bribe” the little kid, Bai Tan also contributed her skills to the guitar lesson. She had learned a number of instruments, and she had also systematically learned the guitar, so she was an excellent teacher.

She strummed the strings and conquered Chang Xiling with a single lyrical English song.

She also conquered Gu Zhu.

Gu Zhu watched the young lady sit on the floor, leaning lazily against the couch with one leg bent, her fingers plucking the strings and her voice singing a lazy song. She felt that the young lady was glowing again.

She lowered her head, browsed the page, and on a whim, she turned on the camera. The camera was aimed at Bai Tan. The young lady, whose hair was tied up in a bun, had some loose strands in front that added to her relaxed look. The lines of her side profile were fluid, and her slightly parted lips were pink and delicate, like a rose with dewdrops in the morning.

She watched quietly for a long time. The girl with her head down suddenly looked up at her. Gu Zhu hastily avoided the camera’s gaze, but her thumb pressed down without thinking. A photo of Bai Tan seemingly staring at her with deep affection was now on her phone screen.

Her eyelashes fluttered. She turned off her phone, saw the young lady turn back and hold Chang Xiling’s hand to teach her how to strum the strings, and then slowly let out a breath.

The living room looked out onto an open-air courtyard, a unique feature of the local houses. It had been renovated, and the interior was no longer gray tiles and mud walls. The white paint was smooth, and a plaque was engraved, like a family legacy. This small village was settled by people with a different surname from the mainstream. Tracing back, their ancestors might have moved here hundreds or thousands of years ago for various reasons, and they took root and gradually became a part of this place.

A swallow landed on the bamboo pole, looking up at the clear blue sky, singing a summer marching song. Gu Zhu rested her chin on her hands, also sitting on the floor with a mat spread out. The fan above whirred, and in her ears, Chang Xiling’s guitar strings, though not yet skilled, were no longer jarring.

She didn’t find it noisy; in fact, it was surprisingly peaceful. She emptied her mind, and it felt as if all her worries had temporarily left her.

…

In the afternoon, Gu Zhu also helped Chang Xiling with her homework. She gently pinched the little girl’s pouting lips, which could have hung a teapot. “Finish your homework first, then you can go play.”

Bai Tan wasn’t doing any better. She had been gloating that the elementary school student had to do homework during the holiday, but then the academic star pulled out a test paper. She didn’t know where she found the time and effort to even prepare a test paper for her.

The older and younger girls sat across from each other, looked at each other, and sighed with a sense of shared misery.

—There’s no other way. To be the academic star’s best friend, I can only keep working hard!

Not until Gu Zhu finished correcting her work and nodded in approval did the two of them jump up from the desk. Their deflated bodies finally felt re-energized. “This is great! Let’s go for a walk!”

Gu Zhu organized the study materials in her hands. They were filled with dense notes, various equations, and analysis charts, all written by her. The lines were drawn neatly, and even the circles were perfectly round. Not a single piece of scratch paper was wasted, to the point where it would be impressive to look at.

She put the materials and test papers into her bag, checked that everything was in order, zipped it up, and placed it to the side. Only then did she look at the two girls with hopeful, glistening eyes. She checked the time. It wasn’t too late. They could take a stroll to the beach, say goodbye to Chang Yuehua, and then go home.

“Let’s go.” She nodded, and the two excited girls went out the door.

The afternoon weather was a little warm. It seemed to be waiting for the evening. There weren’t many people on the beach at this time, just a few scattered families with kids.

Chang Yuehua’s stall was set up, but there was no one there. She was in the rest area with other business owners, drinking tea and cooling off. When she heard Chang Xiling’s voice, she realized they had arrived at the entrance.

She was about to go out when someone inside spoke up. “That must be the child your sister-in-law picked up. She’s gotten so tall and big!”

“Don’t talk nonsense in front of a child, or you’ll regret it!” Chang Yuehua knew how petty and gossipy the villagers were, especially since their family had become more successful in recent years, which had made many people jealous. They might be smiling and friendly on the outside, but who knows what they were saying on the inside.

She wouldn’t stoop to the level of these uneducated villagers, but when they talked about her family, she had no problem with tearing off the friendly facade. Besides, Gu Zhu had just come back for a visit. What if she heard something upsetting and it ruined her mood?

She knew it wasn’t easy for Gu Zhu to come back. Sometimes, when she was really in a bad mood, she would come to the beach to go out to sea, feel the breeze, and dive to vent her frustration. Chang Yuehua was about ten years younger than Gu Baozhi, and she had also gone to college. In the past, she was considered a rare college student in the village, and she was much more worldly than most people there.

Perhaps because of this, she had a good relationship with both Gu Baozhi and Gu Zhu. After her brother passed away, she decisively married a man who had no living parents and had him move in with her to support the family.

In this area, families without a man were bullied. Even if she and Gu Baozhi were strong-willed, they would never be as strong as a man. This was a natural disadvantage. Chang Yuehua never complained. She assessed the situation and knew what was best for her.

Now, her husband provided the strength, and she managed the household. They lived better than anyone else in the village, and that was enough.

“That’s the truth! Why be afraid of people talking about it? An unwanted girl, who was finally raised, and has some looks. She should find a rich man to marry while she’s young, and then your family will be the ones who benefit. Why are you acting like a big shot?”

The person’s voice was loud and deliberately open for those at the entrance to hear. Gu Zhu did hear it. She didn’t even look at her. She had heard such things many times when she was a child. If she took everything to heart, it would just give these people what they wanted.

But while she didn’t say anything, someone else couldn’t tolerate it. Bai Tan saw the person deliberately staring at Gu Zhu and wasn’t dumb. She knew who the words were directed at. She raised a hint of a sarcastic smile, her eyes slightly curved but cold. “What kind of relic is spewing such nonsense? You feudal remnants should just go sink in the sea. What are you looking for a sense of existence for here? It’s disgusting.”

After saying that, she fanned her nose. Her dismissive and contemptuous attitude instantly angered the other person.

Just as the person, furious, ran over as if to tear Bai Tan’s mouth off, Chang Yuehua grabbed her and started spouting a torrent of local slang. Instantly, the two of them were spewing insults at each other. People who were friends with either side came out to join the fight. The others were caught in the crossfire, and it quickly turned into a chaotic scene.

Bai Tan blinked innocently. She hadn’t expected a single sentence from her to cause such a commotion. She had now seen what it meant to have a fierce and tough local culture.

Seeing the out-of-control situation, Gu Zhu threw a sleeve-rolling Chang Xiling into Bai Tan’s arms. She was about to go in and protect Chang Yuehua, but Bai Tan grabbed her hand and pulled her back. Stumbling a few steps, she saw that Bai Tan had already picked up a hose from a nearby faucet, turned on the water, and was spraying people.

She was stunned. She saw Chang Yuehua being protected behind her, and after warning Chang Xiling not to go in, she turned and ran to find the patrol team.

It just so happened that the investor and the resort manager were conducting an inspection. Seeing Gu Zhu and a few security guards running in front, they followed, afraid something had happened.

The battle had already moved from the rest room to the outdoors. The two groups were spraying each other with hoses while yelling various local slangs. The noise was maddening.

The manager directed a few security guards to separate the two groups. To have such a fight break out in front of the investor made him furious. “What’s the meaning of this! Can’t you talk things out? There are so many people here, and there are kids. What if someone gets hurt, huh?!”

“You’re all grown-ups, and you’re still fighting like this. Can’t you consider the situation!”

Seeing that a single manager had tamed everyone with a few words, Bai Tan secretly stuck out her tongue at Gu Zhu. She was also soaked in water, with her hair plastered to her face and water dripping from her sun-protection jacket. But her face still had an excited expression.

Even Chang Yuehua looked like she hadn’t had enough fun. Chang Xiling, with her sleeves rolled up and her hands on her hips, looked exactly like her mother.

Gu Zhu held her forehead. Seeing that they were all fine, her anxiety faded. She was both amused and annoyed at the few of them, but her heart felt like a soft cloud had landed in it, light and warm.

She, of course, knew who they were all doing it for.

The manager scolded them for a few minutes and then started to appease them. Seeing that the two sides, though still resentful, had finally quieted down, he was about to let out a sigh of relief when he heard the girl in the front suddenly ask in fluent Cantonese, “Chen Group from Hong Kong? Is this your territory?”

The quiet woman behind the manager walked forward. “You recognize me?” Chen Li saw her staring at her and knew she was the one being addressed. “What’s your name?”

“My surname is Bai. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you.” Bai Tan extended her hand first and shook hands with her. “I didn’t expect to meet Miss Chen here. Please excuse the scene.”

Hearing this, Chen Li was quickly surprised. She hadn’t expected to meet a member of the southern Bai family in this remote small town. “It’s a pleasure. It seems our hospitality has been lacking.”

Bai Tan appreciated her being so quick on the uptake. She deliberately switched to Mandarin so that everyone else could understand. “It certainly is lacking. The service awareness of some of these businesses is not up to par. You need to strengthen the training. Otherwise, it will embarrass you as the investor and make people laugh.”

“Yes, Miss Bai is right. If this doesn’t work out, we can always open up the bidding again. There will always be better options.”

Hearing them casually deciding their fate, those who were fighting were choked up. Only then did they realize they had stepped on a hard rock. It was unfair. How did Chang Yuehua’s family get all the benefits?

Chang Yuehua pulled Gu Zhu’s hand and quietly asked her, “What’s your friend’s background? She’s so powerful. The investor is even speaking up for her.”

Gu Zhu shook her head. She only knew that Bai Tan’s family was indeed not ordinary, but she didn’t have a clear idea of what they were like. The young lady wasn’t as delicate as she had imagined. She didn’t dress up in a flashy way and never complained about the school, the dorm, the cafeteria, the always-congested traffic, and so on. She could eat street food and snacks with her, take the bus with her, and sell bracelets. She was down-to-earth and natural, making it difficult to feel any distance from her.

It wasn’t until this moment, facing a much more mature businesswoman, that her natural conversation and casual demeanor made people realize she was the young lady of the rumors. There was no sense of a child pretending to be an adult; there was only a sense of being accustomed to it.

Gu Zhu blinked. The distance between her and her was less than two meters, but at that moment, it felt like two separate worlds.

The matter was settled. The manager, understanding what they meant, gave a warning. It was likely that from then on, those people wouldn’t dare to cause trouble or provoke Chang Yuehua’s family.

Because she was happy, Chang Yuehua closed her stall early, planning to take them to the most famous seafood restaurant in town. She didn’t pry for details. She just praised Bai Tan for her clever use of the hose, which gave them the advantage in the fight.

Bai Tan was smug and turned to seek praise from Gu Zhu. They walked along the coastline. The vast sea was not far away. The waves crashed onto the shore, and a thin layer of seawater rolled over their feet. Gu Zhu’s hair was messy from the wind. She walked quietly beside her, not talking much as usual, but Bai Tan was keenly aware of her less-than-happy mood.

She grabbed her hand and stopped walking.

Gu Zhu was pulled to a stop, her palm cupped by the other person. She had no choice but to stop, turn to look at her, and saw the young lady staring intently at her, her lips pursed as she asked, “Are you unhappy?”

The sand beneath their feet was being washed away by the seawater. The footprints they had left were already gone, leaving behind a smooth beach. There were boats slowly approaching the harbor, and gulls soaring gracefully with their wings spread.

In that moment, Gu Zhu suddenly wished that the young lady’s intuition wasn’t so sharp. That way, she could have shaken her head and said, “Not at all,” just as she had countless times in the past to everyone else who had asked if she was okay.

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