A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Training Camp

◎Meeting◎

When it was time to go to the high-speed rail station, Gu Baozhi personally rode her electric scooter to take her there. The newly built station was on the outskirts of the county, next to a large expanse of open land. For convenience, a new concrete road had been built, extending from the station entrance. They had set off early and weren’t in a hurry, so the scooter’s speed was steady and leisurely.

Li Jiajia was already waiting for them at the ticket gate. Before entering the station, she and Gu Baozhi chatted for a few minutes and promised to stay in touch and notify each other of any news.

Gu Baozhi nodded and took a bag from the scooter to hand to her. “I made this myself. You can eat it on the way. Teacher Li, I’m entrusting our Gu Zhu to you.”

Li Jiajia waved her hands in embarrassment. “No, no, you don’t have to! This is our duty, and besides, Gu Zhu is bringing honor to our school. We’re overjoyed! You’re too kind!”

Afraid her teacher would be embarrassed, Gu Zhu took the bag from Gu Baozhi. “I’ll hold this for you, Teacher. Mom, we’re ready to go in. Please be careful on your way back.”

It had rained heavily the day before, and the road was still a bit damp. The spacious station plaza was sparsely populated. Perhaps the emptiness made her feel lonely, or maybe the events of the previous day had been too tumultuous, leaving her feeling hollow and lost under the weight of the truth. Gu Baozhi still felt her chest tighten as Gu Zhu was about to say goodbye.

For years, the kite string in her hand had been held too tightly, and it was still difficult to let go. But her child had clearly grown up, her tender wings impatient to spread. Gu Baozhi thought, Maybe I should try to let her fly on her own, instead of trapping her forever.

This was the first step she was taking, and she couldn’t show her fear. She forced a small smile and straightened the collar of Gu Zhu’s shirt. “Go on, don’t be late. Take good care of yourself outside and try not to cause any trouble for your teacher.”

“Mm, I know.” Gu Zhu nodded. She opened her free hand. “Can I have a hug, Mom?”

In that moment, Gu Baozhi felt as if she were seeing a vision of a young Gu Zhu reaching out for a hug. The child she once had to bend down to hold was now taller than her, and had to bend down to embrace her.

A sense of melancholy swelled like fermenting bread. She allowed Gu Zhu to hug her and listened as she whispered in her ear, “Mom, I’ll be back.”

The words felt like a safety cushion, wrapping around her. Gu Baozhi thought, Letting go isn’t as difficult as it seems. She gently pushed her toward the entrance. “Go on, have a safe trip.”

“Okay.” The two girls waved goodbye to her. As she entered the station, Gu Zhu looked back and saw Gu Baozhi still standing there, watching her. She tiptoed and waved again. “Be careful on your way back.” She mouthed the words. Only when she saw Gu Baozhi finally turn and prepare to leave did she swipe her ticket and enter the station.

The high-speed rail ride from here to Shengcheng only took a little over an hour. Their train was at 1:30 PM, so they would arrive just in time to check in. The timing was perfect.

Sitting in the waiting hall, Li Jiajia explained the things to remember at the training camp. It was mostly the same as last year’s camp. Throughout the summer camp, students were not allowed to leave on their own except for scheduled outings. “After you get there, be prepared for the training. I’m not sure if they’ll confiscate phones the whole time, so be sure to let people know beforehand if you need to.”

That’s right, they had to turn in their phones. Gu Zhu’s hands, which were typing, paused. The screen showed her chat with Bai Tan. After their hasty goodbye the day before, she hadn’t had a chance to say much. And now she was leaving for Shengcheng, which meant they wouldn’t be able to see each other for two weeks.

If they can’t even text, the young mistress will be sad, won’t she?

Gu Zhu’s mind kept replaying the moment Bai Tan knocked on her window with the little axe. The world she had built for herself had been easily breached, letting in the scent of wind and sunshine, and helping her regain her courage.

She actually wanted to be held by her, to feel the warmth of her palm gently patting the back of her head. It would make her feel safe.

It had been a long time since she had left home, and not just Gu Baozhi, but she too felt a bit of separation anxiety.

The air conditioning in the waiting hall was strong, making her feel a little chilly and cold. And her heart felt like a desolate mountain valley, empty and echoing with the sound of a strong wind carrying sand and stones.

Bai Tan’s messages kept popping up. Sometimes they were careful reminders, and other times they were sighs of her working hard. “I’m going to sue them for abusing high school students, for enslaving soon-to-be seniors, and let them be judged by justice! Give me back my wonderful holiday!”

Her words suddenly made Gu Zhu smile. Her gaze softened, as if she could see the cute young mistress pouting and fuming. She didn’t want to break the lighthearted atmosphere of their chat and waited until they were on the train, out of the station, and in a taxi to their destination, without ever mentioning that she might have to turn in her phone.

After signing in at the check-in desk and receiving her key, she went to her assigned dorm room. The summer camp’s conditions were good—two people per room. When she entered, her roommate was already there. They exchanged a brief greeting and started tidying up. During this time, she had one earbud in, the other end of which was connected to Bai Tan, who was also busy with her own things.

Later, a broadcast announced that they had to gather for a meeting, so Gu Zhu had no choice but to hang up the phone.

The meeting was about a few important points, mostly similar to what Li Jiajia had told them. However, there was some good news: in order to show humanitarian care and allow them to balance work and rest for better results, they would only be collecting phones during the day. In the evenings, there would be a study room, and students could choose to study or rest according to their own needs. So, after dinner, their phones would be returned to them.

Gu Zhu felt relieved and happy that she wouldn’t be cut off from Bai Tan. After the meeting, everyone received a schedule and a timetable. The organizers were very thoughtful and even provided a map of the school, marking the dorms, cafeteria, and other areas where they could move around freely.

At dinner, she took a picture and sent it to both Gu Baozhi and Bai Tan, sharing the environment with them. Gu Baozhi replied quickly, first complimenting the food and then giving her some words of advice. Gu Zhu tapped her index finger on the screen, then typed out a sentence. She deleted and retyped it several times before finally sending it:

“Mom, when I get back, I want to eat the fried sticky rice balls and cuttlefish cakes you make.”

Just as she wanted to feel secure, Gu Zhu thought, Maybe I should also give Mom more of a sense of security, and let her know that she is just as important in my heart.

“Okay, when you get back, I’ll definitely make you lots of the things you want to eat.”

Looking at the final blushing smiley face emoji, Gu Zhu couldn’t help but smile faintly. Maybe we can all have a chance to change our destinies. As long as you take the first step, everything doesn’t seem so difficult.

Lights out was an hour earlier than in a normal high school. Gu Zhu slept on the top bunk. Her roommate on the bottom bunk was also not a very talkative person, so they had very little interaction. They only said “I’m going to sleep” to each other when they turned off the lights and then didn’t say anything else.

Her mind was clear. The unfamiliar environment made it hard for her to adapt, and with the presence of another person, she found it even harder to fall asleep. Afraid of disturbing the person below, she even restrained herself from turning over. She just covered her head with her blanket, hugged her phone, and looked at the cat-icon chat interface.

Since dinner, the other side hadn’t replied to her message. The last thing Bai Tan had said was that she was preparing to meet a very important client.

It was already ten o’clock. What kind of client was Bai Tan meeting that it had to be so late? She didn’t even have time to reply to her.

An inexplicable anxiety settled in her heart. She felt uncomfortable, and more than anything, she was worried.

Her mind kept racing with guesses. Was Bai Tan meeting the client alone, or were others with her? Would she be drinking? Would she accidentally get drunk?

Bai Tan, now eighteen, had already tried many kinds of alcohol: wine, brandy, rum, or sorghum wine. Sometimes, Bai Tan would send her pictures of wine tasting, meticulously describing the origin and taste of various wines.

“My grandma buried some ‘Daughter’s Red’ for me before she passed away. She said I could dig it up when I become an adult. When you’re old enough to drink, I’ll take you to dig it up and drink it together.”

“Little Gu Zhu, when that happens, I’m going to get you drunk and secretly sell you.”

The person who could drink always liked to subtly show off. Her words, both on and off the surface, were full of the smugness of being a year older than her. At that time, to prevent her from getting too full of herself, Gu Zhu simply replied, “Oh, I don’t like drinking.”

So the other person silently withdrew her previous message.

Because the person wasn’t right in front of her, she couldn’t help but smile. After sending several kneeling emojis, she slowly replied, “But, I can try it first.”

Time slowly passed. Her hand was still holding the phone. Sometimes, her consciousness would blur and she would show signs of falling asleep, but then she would suddenly wake up. After opening her eyes, she would look at the messages again, but the interface remained unchanged.

Gu Zhu was in this state all night. As soon as the sky began to get light, she quietly sat up from her bed. Soon after, her roommate’s alarm clock rang, and she took the opportunity to get out of bed and get ready.

Right before they had to turn in their phones for morning training, Gu Zhu took one last look at the message interface, which still had no response. She pursed her lips. Under the teacher’s urging, she turned off her phone, put it in an envelope, wrote her name on it, sealed it, and placed it in a box.

The first morning of the training camp was an exam. At noon, the teachers would rush to grade the papers and hand them back in the afternoon, starting with the questions and then extending to different knowledge points.

Because all the students were top chemistry students, the explanation of the questions was fast, almost skipping around. If you weren’t careful, you couldn’t keep up and had to stay highly focused. In this busy time, Gu Zhu had little room for other thoughts.

Only occasionally, in the margin of her notes, would she unconsciously write down the name Bai Tan.

In the evening, just as she was leaving the classroom to go to dinner, a teacher came in and told her that a family member had come to bring her something and was waiting at the entrance.

Gu Zhu was momentarily stunned. Where would I have family in Shengcheng? Could it be Zhu Li? She frowned, not wanting to go at all, but the teacher next to her was urging her on. She couldn’t very well refuse, so she responded, grabbed her books, and slowly walked toward the entrance.

It wasn’t the person she expected.

Gu Zhu stopped in her tracks, staring at the person who had been silent on their chat app for a day, suddenly appearing right in front of her. She blinked, trying to figure out if she was hallucinating.

In front of the main gate was a large marble monument with the school’s motto engraved on it. The girl stood with her hands behind her back, bending over slightly, looking quite at ease as she read the words.

Bai Tan had a small messenger bag on her back, with a small wooden charm hanging from it. The green tassel swayed gently at her waist with her movements. With her excellent eyesight, Gu Zhu could even make out the small words carved on the charm.

As if she felt Gu Zhu’s gaze, Bai Tan looked up and saw the girl with the books quietly watching her from a distance. She straightened up, raised her hand, and gave a brilliant smile. “Hi! Gu Zhu, my classmate, we meet again~”

Then, as if she couldn’t wait, she ran over and hugged her. “I was supposed to come this morning, but I heard you had already started your training, so I didn’t want to bother you!”

As she was embraced, that empty feeling instantly disappeared. Gu Zhu gently rested her forehead in the hollow of Bai Tan’s shoulder and whispered, “Why did you come here?”

“Because I missed you so much~”

“Yesterday’s missed meeting has to be made up for today, and tomorrow’s unstarted day has to be prepared for in a hurry. I want to see you every day.”

My dear Gu Zhu, no matter how many days pass, I want to see you.

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