A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Constellations

◎Legend◎

June 7th was a clear day. The air, fresh after the downpour, wasn’t as hot. For third-year high school students, this was their final battle in high school. All levels of society were on high alert during this time to prevent any mistakes.

To help students from other schools find their exam rooms, the school specially recruited a group of local students to volunteer. Gu Zhu and Bai Tan had both signed up for the activity. Early in the morning, before 7 AM, they returned to school for a brief training session. Afterward, they were assigned their roles, put on bright red vests and work IDs, and went about their duties.

Before this, Gu Zhu had returned to her dorm room to check on the jasmine plant that had been battered by the wind and rain. Thankfully, someone from the neighboring dorm had been staying on campus and helped her bring the flower inside, preventing its roots from rotting due to overexposure to water. It had survived, but its branches and leaves were still sparse.

After confirming that it was still alive, Gu Zhu placed it back on the windowsill. The sunlight was good today, perfect for some photosynthesis.

“Let’s go.” After closing the window, she turned to look at Bai Tan, who had been following her the whole time. The young mistress was standing by her desk, holding the pair of silver-rimmed glasses she had given her. When she noticed Gu Zhu’s gaze, she raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly, then put the glasses on herself.

The thin lenses and delicate silver temples shimmered with a soft light. The moment she looked up, a unique, casual allure flowed through the light and settled on Gu Zhu.

Even the tacky red vest couldn’t hide the young mistress’s radiance. Gu Zhu froze for a moment. Her eyes, fleeting and startled like a deer, suddenly leaped and fell into the deep forest. As the young mistress approached, she couldn’t retreat. Bai Tan simply lifted her chin and laughed softly in her ear, “Come back to me, baby.”

It was a subconscious and effortless endearment. Bai Tan herself was a little surprised when it came out, but she quickly accepted it. The girl in front of her was so clean and pure, with a simple, listless gaze that only knew how to stare at her. Wasn’t she just like a treasure?

Bai Tan raised a hand and gently touched her. At some point, she had picked up the black-rimmed glasses and carefully put them on Gu Zhu, her eyes focused. “Wear these today,” she said, with her own subtle thoughts. “I’m afraid you’re too beautiful and will distract the other students during the exam.”

It was a little domineering and even a little unreasonable, but she said it so seriously that it made a person want to laugh and cry at the same time. This was probably the definition of beauty being in the eye of the beholder, or rather, in the eye of a “familiar” person.

Gu Zhu touched the glasses resting on her nose. Her fingertips brushed against her ear, which felt warm, as if she was trying to hold on to that warmth. It had been a while since she wore them, and the heavy glasses felt a little strange. The world looked a bit distorted, viewed through a layer of transparency.

They didn’t linger and quickly returned to their posts, holding signs to guide the students who were asking for directions. The area under the academic building was a restricted zone and would only open for students to enter the exam rooms when the time for security checks arrived. Their job was to guide and maintain order. Sometimes, they would also hand out spare stationery to careless students.

The busy period was concentrated between 8 AM and 8:50 AM. Once most of the students had entered the exam rooms, they finally had time to sit down and rest. They leaned against each other and let out a sigh of relief.

Although it wasn’t the hottest time of the year, all the running around had made them sweat. Most of the students were well-prepared and entered smoothly. But there were a few who had unexpected issues, and although they were resolved, it had made for a chaotic morning.

Sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting dappled shadows on them. Gu Zhu tilted her head back and raised a hand to block the harsh light. A cool breeze blew, brushing against her face. She squinted, rare and relaxed.

The weather was truly beautiful.

Everything was going smoothly.

Bai Tan suddenly sat up straight and held Gu Zhu, who had been leaning into her, in place. Her fingers gently tightened on Gu Zhu’s shoulder. After Gu Zhu sat up straight, she let go. Leaning in, she came closer, and in Gu Zhu’s puzzled eyes, she said in a very serious tone, “The weather report said there’s a meteor shower tonight. It’s from the Lyra constellation. Let’s go watch it, okay?”

Gu Zhu’s eyes widened, clearly reflecting Bai Tan’s face, filled with a hopeful and bright light. Gu Zhu instinctively dodged, blinking, and slightly shifted away from their intermingled breaths. It was a crescent moon tonight, which was indeed a good time to watch a meteor shower, but Gu Baozhi might not be happy with her going out. She hesitated for a long time and couldn’t agree.

Two days had passed since the last incident. Chang Yuehua had convinced Gu Baozhi to start a small food shop with her, but the business would need some initial preparations. So Gu Baozhi had been resting and spending time with her at home these past few days.

“Hmm? Please go! Can we? We’ve never gone out alone together.” Bai Tan gently turned Gu Zhu’s chin, closing the distance between them again and refusing to let her look away. “Please, Zhu-zi!”

The girl, with her soft tone, began to act spoiled. It was like a little cat with a catnip toy, rolling around and begging to be played with, making it hard to refuse. Gu Zhu began to think. She had used her chemistry teacher as an excuse last time. What excuse could she use to agree to the adorable young mistress this time?

After a long pause, she suddenly held up two fingers. In the young mistress’s puzzled expression and pouting lips, she whispered, “Two test sets today.”

Well… the prerequisite for being with a top student was indeed studying. Bai Tan was willing to do anything as long as they could go out together. “Deal!” She reached out and took hold of the two fingers, shaking them childishly. Then she forcefully spread the other fingers, clasping and tightening her hand around Gu Zhu’s. Their hands were pressed tightly together. “A deal is a deal! Let’s go now!”

The young mistress was a person of action. Gu Zhu was a step slow when she was pulled up, and her feet had no choice but to follow along with her running. The exam bell rang again behind them, signaling the 9:15 AM cut-off for entering the exam room. Their work had officially ended.

After handing over their vests and signs and saying goodbye to the teacher in charge, they walked out of the school and went straight to the bus stop without any hesitation. They swiped their cards, got on the bus, and headed straight for the library.

There were computers and a self-service printer on the first floor. Gu Zhu downloaded two test sets and led Bai Tan up to the second floor. Since it was the middle of the week, the study room was sparsely populated, with only a few people. This time, she didn’t run into the young part-time worker.

After crossing out the unnecessary questions, while Bai Tan worked seriously on the tests, Gu Zhu went to the reference room to find the supplementary books she needed. She sat across from her and immersed herself in her own studies.

Bai Tan’s progress in her studies was visible to the naked eye. The knowledge she had recently acquired felt much easier to work with. Her logical skills were excellent, and she could apply what she learned to many different problems. The basic questions were no longer a challenge for her. But no matter how hard the young mistress worked, some of the things she had forgotten couldn’t be learned overnight.

Sometimes, she would start tapping her index finger on the table, a profound and inscrutable expression on her face. Someone who didn’t know better would probably be fooled into thinking she was completely confident. Only Gu Zhu knew that the young mistress had run into another problem.

Gu Zhu turned a page in her book and used a hand to cover the smile on her lips. Her peripheral vision still secretly admired the way the young mistress was deep in thought. The serious young mistress lowered her eyes as if she was trying to burn a hole into the test questions. She had a very special kind of cuteness, like a little cat that had been tangled up in its own toy, lying on its back with a ball of yarn, an expression of utter despair on its face.

When it was time to check their work, Gu Zhu looked at the stubborn “Solution” written in Bai Tan’s handwriting, with the last stroke stretched out into a long tail. She couldn’t hold it in. Afraid of being discovered by the young mistress, Gu Zhu lowered her head and tightly pursed her lips.

But her little actions didn’t escape the young mistress’s sharp eyes. Bai Tan got up, came closer, and took hold of the skin on both sides of her cheeks, gently pinching them. “Investigation complete. We have a bad little bamboo.” Then she sat back down, propping her chin on her hands. “Go ahead and laugh. I’m happy for you to laugh at me.”

Gu Zhu froze. She felt her ears suddenly get hot, and she felt even more embarrassed to laugh out loud. She just tried to pull herself together and focus her thoughts, preparing to explain the problem to her.

At noon, they went home separately, agreeing to meet up later that night. Gu Zhu hadn’t thought of an excuse yet, but Gu Baozhi told her that she would be going to town to discuss the business with Chang Yuehua that afternoon and might not come back that night.

Gu Baozhi had originally wanted Gu Zhu to go with her, but Gu Zhu politely declined, saying she had volunteer work the next morning. Her mother didn’t insist, only telling her to stay home and study and not to run around.

Gu Zhu nodded and went back to her room to delete the message she had planned to send to Li Jiajia. She lay her head on her desk, closing her eyes and placing a hand over her heart, which was beating very fast.

She buried her face in her arms, her hair hiding her expression. She thought she was a truly bad kid. A Pandora’s box was hidden in her heart.

Gu Baozhi had left. In the evening, she called to say that she wouldn’t be coming back. Gu Zhu said “okay” and left when it was time to meet Bai Tan.

They weren’t going out alone. Bai Tan’s driver, Xiao Zhang, was with them the whole time. The best place to see the meteor shower was on a mountain ridge. The hill wasn’t high, and there was a temple on top. During festivals, pilgrims would come from far away. Slowly, the winding road had been paved with cement, making it smooth and safe.

When they reached the top of the mountain ridge, there was an open space in front of the temple. There was a row of stone benches along the mountainside, which made for the best viewing platform. Xiao Zhang was tactful and stayed a distance away from them, sitting down in a place where he could still ensure their safety.

They sat on one of the benches, their shoulders touching, and looked up at the sky, quietly waiting for the meteors.

The crescent moon was slightly covered by clouds. There were more stars on the mountain than in the city. They dotted the night sky. In the surrounding quietness, the sounds of frogs and cicadas became even more lively.

Bai Tan hadn’t forgotten to bring her equipment—a small astronomical telescope. After a brief look, she set up the telescope, adjusted the angle, and then called Gu Zhu over, giving up her spot. “Do you see the Big Dipper? Follow the handle, and a bright star is Arcturus. Go in the direction of Arcturus, and the star with a similar brightness is Vega. From Vega, find a shape that looks like a seven-stringed lute. That’s the Lyra constellation. That’s our coordinate for watching the meteor shower tonight.”

Gu Zhu followed Bai Tan’s description and found the legendary star Vega and the shape of the Lyra constellation. She didn’t know much about astronomy. The only thing she knew about Vega was the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. From ancient times to now, humans have always had endless curiosity and a desire to explore this starry sky.

While waiting for the meteors, Bai Tan told her about many other constellations, such as Arcturus in the Boötes constellation, and Draco, Hercules, Vulpecula, and Cygnus next to the Lyra constellation. Each one had its own story and legend.

“The most famous celestial body in the Vulpecula constellation is the Dumbbell Nebula. Because it looks like an hourglass, it’s called the ‘cosmic hourglass.’ It represents the cycle of time and life, and the fox is the guardian of this nebula.”

“The Dumbbell Nebula is 1,360 light-years away from Earth. So, perhaps over countless light-years, we have already met countless times.”

The night was gentle, and Bai Tan’s voice was also soft and delicate as she told her story. Hearing the line “met countless times,” Gu Zhu instinctively turned her head, looked up, and stared at Bai Tan, who was also looking at her.

The wind lifted her hair. Bai Tan’s long, deep eyes were like the fox guarding the Dumbbell Nebula. In this moment, Gu Zhu felt as if she was being guarded by Bai Tan as well.

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