A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Bed

◎It’s even.◎

In the end, Gu Zhu didn’t call out to Bai Tan. She watched from upstairs as the girl ran out of the stairwell, her figure quickly disappearing from sight. Even so, Gu Zhu didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she stared blankly at the fine rain, a thought occurring to her a bit late: Next time, I’ll have to ask if my rainwater left a stain on her clothes.

If they were expensive, I would have to find a way to earn money to compensate her.

The rain came in waves, and soon it stopped again. Taking advantage of this break, she went back to her dorm, put on her shoes, grabbed her umbrella, and walked out of the building.

There were three dormitory buildings side-by-side. The one closer to the teaching building was for girls, the one at the very end was for boys, and the one in the middle was for faculty. In a way, the students of Sanhai High School were under the watchful eyes of their teachers from every angle.

The small supermarket Gu Zhu wanted to go to was on the first floor of the faculty dorm building, occupying half of the floor. It was quite large and sold a wide variety of goods. With the exception of contraband, it had everything a student could need. The prices were the same as outside, and sometimes they’d even have discounts that would knock off a few cents or yuan.

The supermarket was mostly empty, with only a few people in it. Gu Zhu went to the daily necessities section and picked out a yellow water bucket and a yellow washbasin. She also grabbed some hangers, toothpaste, and a toothbrush. After she had picked out all the necessities, she also bought a few thick, pure-white, unlined稿纸 (draft paper). Once she made sure she hadn’t missed anything, she went to the checkout counter.

“That’s 82.6 yuan in total. I’ll round it down to 80. Are you paying with your student card?” The owner, a woman with a high ponytail, a shirt, and jeans, looked more like someone who worked in a corporation. She was quick and always had a smile on her face. She was very familiar with the students and sometimes even remembered their names.

Gu Zhu nodded. Some students had smartwatches they could use to pay with a QR code, but her allowance was all on her meal card. Besides the one or two five or ten-yuan bills her mother had given her for bus fare, she didn’t carry any other cash.

She tapped her card on the machine. As the owner packed her various items into a bag, she continued to chat. “I haven’t seen you in a while. I heard you were chosen for a competition again this year. How was it? Do you feel confident?”

She knew Gu Zhu, of course, because she often saw her name on the honor roll. This time, however, the girl hadn’t been on the list because she was away for the competition. But that wasn’t the only reason. This child also seemed different from the other students. She always came to buy things alone and had a quiet, distant aura about her.

In addition to these two reasons, there was also a secret between them that couldn’t be spoken of.

“Mhm, first place.” Gu Zhu nodded. Since they were the only two at the checkout, she answered nonchalantly. The news hadn’t been publicly announced at the school yet; only she and the teacher who had led the team knew. Gu Zhu clearly understood the other meaning in the owner’s question and held out her hand. “Give it to me.”

The owner’s mouth split into a grin as wide as a hibiscus flower. From behind the counter, she pulled out a thin box of chocolates with entirely English packaging. Then, she took out a ninth-grade chemistry textbook from a drawer and, with great seriousness, handed their secret to her. “Then I’m counting on you, Xiao Gu~”

Gu Zhu nodded expressionlessly. She opened the chocolate box and pulled out the plastic tray inside. Underneath the individually wrapped squares of dark chocolate were a few red bills. She unwrapped a piece and put it in her mouth, the rich, bitter flavor spreading. She then rewrapped the chocolate, put it and the textbook with the notebook she had bought, said her goodbyes, and carried her things out through the small supermarket’s automatic door.

It wasn’t until she was back at her dorm that she remembered she was supposed to tell her mother she had arrived safely.

Gu Zhu blinked and checked her watch. It was already four in the afternoon. At this time, her mother would probably be preparing dinner, so she wouldn’t be too busy. Gu Zhu walked out of her dorm, heading to the class teacher’s office like an old hand.

With students returning to school, the class teachers, in addition to the subject teachers, were naturally also on campus. She knocked on the office door and, hearing a “Come in” from inside, pushed the door open.

Gu Zhu greeted the other teachers who were there. Just as she reached her class teacher’s desk, she heard her say, “Gu Zhu, your mother just called me. I checked with the dorm auntie earlier, and knowing you had arrived, I explained to her that you were busy tidying up your dorm and hadn’t had time to call her back. She was relieved to hear you were at school. Do you still want to call her back?”

Gu Zhu shook her head and thanked her quietly. “Thank you, Teacher Lin. I’m sorry to trouble you.”

Lin Qingmei put down her work and pointed to a chair by the desk, motioning for her to sit down. “It’s no trouble. This is your first time living at school, right? It’s only natural for your mother to worry. If there’s anything you’re not used to, you must tell me, okay?” She stood up and poured a cup of water for her. “This was my oversight, which resulted in you having to live in a single room. I’m very sorry. If you’re afraid, please tell me. Don’t feel embarrassed.”

Gu Zhu shook her head again, pursed her lips, and said, “Being alone is fine. I’m not afraid. Thank you, Teacher.”

“Good, then. You must have worked hard for the competition. When you get back, make sure to catch up on any missed lessons. If there are no other issues, you can go back and rest.”

Gu Zhu nodded. She drank the water from the paper cup, threw it in the trash, and said, “Thank you, Teacher. Goodbye.”

She left, closing the office door behind her. Inside, a few of the other teachers began to chat with Lin Qingmei. “You don’t worry about your top student going to competitions again this time?”

Lin Qingmei nodded with a sigh. “What student doesn’t make a teacher worry? The last time was an accident, and the school’s selection process is fair. The best we can do is pay more attention to her.” She hid her worries, not wanting to air Gu Zhu’s business. She just smiled and said, “She’s so motivated and her grades are excellent. As teachers, we should encourage her more.”

Gu Zhu didn’t know she was being talked about as a student of special concern. Since she was already in the teaching building, she wasn’t in a hurry to go back. She simply went to her classroom to catch up on the homework she had to turn in tomorrow.

The classroom was empty at this time. She turned on the lights, took out her textbook, twirled her pen in her fingers, and began to work on the problems. She worked quickly and finished just in time for dinner. She went to the cafeteria for a simple meal and was back at her dorm building when the streetlights had already turned on. The wet, cement road reflected the light like fish scales, a dazzling, shimmering expanse.

By now, most of the students had returned. The entire building was filled with the clear, lively sounds of girls laughing and playing. Gu Zhu counted the steps as she climbed the stairs, floor by floor, back to the fifth floor.

Her class had a total of 56 students, with 24 girls. Each dorm housed 8 people, so three of the dorms on this floor belonged to her class. Gu Zhu walked past 510, 511, and then to 512. The dorm door was wide open, and the people inside were talking loudly:

“Let’s all welcome our two new roommates! Give them a big round of applause!” Then came a series of cheers. “Let’s interview them. Qin Tianai, what are your feelings about moving into dorm 512, and what do you want to say to your new roommates?”

“Ahem! First of all, I want to thank everyone for your support and encouragement. You’ve made us feel the warm atmosphere of this dorm. I believe that from now on, we will work together to create a civilized, clean, safe, and fun dorm!!!”

“Woooooo~!” The atmosphere was electric. After another round of applause and shouts, the first girl continued to ask, “And what about our Qin Tianai?”

“Everyone’s cheer is my cheer! I’m so, so, so happy to be living with you all! Of course, we’ll work together in the future, study together, and skip class together!”

“I love that speech! I’ll tell you a secret…”

Gu Zhu couldn’t hear their deliberately hushed voices. She was just curious about the lively atmosphere, so she leaned against her door and listened distractedly. Suddenly, the voices got louder:

“Wait a minute, we have 8 beds, but why are there only 7 of us? Who else hasn’t arrived yet!”

Then came the sound of a dorm door hitting the wall. The group had probably come out and were checking the name list on the wall by the door:

“Gu Xiaojuan, Gu Xiaoxi… You Lili, Qin Tianai… Who’s bed is empty? Don’t we have 24 girls in our class?”

“Ooh, ooh, ooh!” Suddenly, one voice rose excitedly. “I know! I remember, our class has a new transfer student!”

“Are you saying the transfer student is going to live in our dorm?”

“But that’s not right, there’s still one person missing.”

“I think the transfer student is the most likely candidate. Otherwise, the information would have been posted a long time ago.”

“Then who else from our class hasn’t moved in? Could it be…”

“Ahem, don’t worry about it. I think it’s the transfer student, it has to be!”

“That’s great!” “Noooo!” Both happy and wailing voices rang out at the same time. The people outside started arguing again, listing the pros and cons of having a transfer student. Every so often, they would turn to guessing the transfer student’s identity, appearance, and personality.

Gu Zhu listened to them and walked back into her dorm. Hearing the click of her door’s latch closing, she realized in a daze that this was the reason her class teacher had apologized. The person who was originally supposed to live in the next dorm was probably her, but because she was away for the competition at the time, or perhaps for some other reason, the transfer student ended up living in the next dorm instead of her.

Gu Zhu vaguely thought, So she took my dorm bed.

Then I don’t need to ask her about her clothes anymore.

We’re even now.

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