A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Dream

◎Awakening◎

When they lay in bed together again, the small space was enclosed by a mosquito net that Bai Tan had bought from who-knows-where. A blackout curtain covered the outside, and the air held only their intertwined scents from the same shower gel, a faint fragrance winding its way into her senses.

The indicator light on the air conditioner couldn’t penetrate the curtains. Before her eyes could adjust, all she saw was a pitch-black expanse. Her breathing quickened for a moment, but then a spinning night light turned on. Its light shone from the bottom, projecting patterns from its film onto the surroundings. In an instant, it became a galaxy-like dreamscape.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Doesn’t it look like that meteor shower you drew? I painted it and made it into a lamp film, so we can preserve the dream forever.” Bai Tan pointed to a nebula. “The hourglass turns over and over again, and time cycles repeatedly. If you could travel through time, which moment would you go back to?”

Gu Zhu took the small night light from her hand. The hourglass-shaped light was delicate, with a metal frame and glass body. The fluorescent sand inside, seen through the gaps in the lamp film, looked like a falling meteor shower. She turned the night light upside down, and the scenery flowed, nebulae shifting, while they remained immersed in the dazzling brightness.

The young mistress was multitalented. She could sing and dance, act and paint. She was truly amazing. Her body seemed to have an incredible vitality, as if there was nothing she couldn’t do.

That meteor shower, which could only be described as rudimentary, had been replicated with such care and even wrapped in a beautiful, exquisite paper. This feeling of being cherished and carefully protected made her involuntarily smile. Her eyes reflected the starlight, like black pearls glowing with a brilliant luster.

Hearing Bai Tan’s question, she thought carefully. In truth, she didn’t want to go back to any moment. In her youth, she feared time was moving too slowly, feared her body was too frail to bear the weight of life. So she always wished to grow up quickly. She had rushed forward, working hard to get to this point. With just one more step, she could cross the chasm of her years and become a true adult. Perhaps then, she would have more power to decide her path.

She had yearned countless times to take that step, but at this moment, she felt it was good to move slowly, to pass through this gently flowing time where she and Bai Tan could rest their heads in the starry river, walking through their shared, warm youth.

“Right now is perfect.” Gu Zhu turned her head and suddenly lifted the night light high, letting the light fall on Bai Tan’s face, revealing her clear features. Her gaze quietly traced her facial features, from her smooth, full forehead, to her long, deep-set eyes, her delicate, high-bridged nose, and her rose-petal-like lips, meticulously storing every detail in her mind.

Bai Tan was flustered by her exposed gaze. She took a deep breath. As Gu Zhu’s face moved closer, she held out a finger and pressed it against her forehead. “What are you doing, baby?”

She started using that nickname again, both intimate and coquettish, as if silently accusing her of seduction.

At that moment, Gu Zhu felt a rare stubbornness rise within her. She didn’t blink, but grabbed the hand that was blocking her and held it under her. “I want to remember you at this moment. I want to remember every version of you in the future. So when I’m old and look back, it will feel like I’ve walked through a complete lifetime with you, from youth to gray hair.”

Bai Tan’s heart fluttered. Her words had created a powerful ripple. She thought, The top student must not know how impactful these words are to someone with ulterior motives. Bai Tan instinctively gripped Gu Zhu’s shoulder, which was propped up on its side. Her eyes were focused and deep. “Then you should have appeared when I was little. That way, you could have remembered me when I was a snot-nosed, whiny kid.”

Gu Zhu had never seen Bai Tan truly cry, but she had seen her throw tantrums many times. Ultimately, if Bai Tan hadn’t latched onto her from the beginning, they wouldn’t have gotten to this point. Thinking this, she felt that being whiny wasn’t a bad trait at all. The young mistress was born to be pampered and grow up without ever getting hurt.

Suddenly, a faint, rustling sound came from outside. Through the glass window, a soft light beam fell into the room, swaying slightly.

The night light was quickly dimmed. Even though they knew the curtain would block the view, they were startled by the sudden check-in. It had only been about ten minutes since the official lights-out time, but the night patrol had made a silent visit.

In that instant, Gu Zhu instinctively laid down, forgetting that her shoulder was still in Bai Tan’s hand. So she was pulled into an embrace, her face buried in a soft place.

Realizing where she was, the breath she had just taken was abruptly held, nearly stopping her oxygen supply. She turned red and had to breathe carefully and slowly, afraid of touching something dangerous.

Only after the footsteps outside faded did Bai Tan let out a sigh of relief. Her gaze dropped to the dark head on her chest. Sensing Gu Zhu’s wordless stillness, she seemed to realize something, and her back stiffened for a moment. She quietly released her hand and whispered, “They’re gone.”

“Mm.” Gu Zhu didn’t dare to nod. She could only make a muffled sound from her throat. Slowly, she turned over and lay flat on her back, then pulled the blanket up to cover most of her face, leaving only her tightly closed eyes exposed. “Goodnight.”

Seeing her curled up like a little turtle, the momentary discomfort the young mistress had felt vanished without a trace. She deliberately turned over, facing her, and when she was close enough to her ear, she breathed out, “Goodnight, baby.”

Gu Zhu’s eyelids trembled. She pretended to be asleep and refused to engage with her further. She fell asleep sometime after that. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t been resting well for a long time, she actually fell asleep very quickly.

The night light was turned up a little, placed behind them, leaving just enough faint light to see. Bai Tan quietly watched her sleep. The sleeping Gu Zhu seemed to have lost her waking-state aloofness and looked incredibly obedient. It made her heart melt. Afraid of disturbing her, Bai Tan soon fell asleep herself, praying silently: I wish little Gu Zhu, a peaceful sleep forever.

In the darkness, Gu Zhu opened her eyes. The surroundings were as thick as ink, and a deadly silence prevailed. She couldn’t see any light, couldn’t figure out any direction, and couldn’t find a place to step. She could only stand in place, alone and silent.

Gu Zhu knew she was having the dream again. This recurring nightmare was all too familiar. She even knew what kind of terrifying monster was hiding in the thick darkness behind her. But she couldn’t wake up. No matter how much she struggled, her feet were rooted to the spot, waiting for the monsters to awaken and for the darkness to swallow her.

Scarlet eyes slowly opened in the black sky. Countless pairs of glowing green eyes appeared densely around her. Their gazes had only one target: her.

The monsters were staring at her, scrutinizing her with an icy, stern gaze, as if they were judging her. It felt as if they would tear her to pieces the moment she moved.

She would be torn to pieces by them.

Every time in the dream, this was the final outcome.

The monsters were getting closer. She was about to be suffocated by the impenetrable ring of eyes, and her body would be torn apart.

Gu Zhu’s fingers twitched slightly. Even after experiencing it again and again, she still felt terrified of the swarming monsters. She was afraid to see their true faces, afraid of someone asking her why she had to appear.

Gu Zhu still saw them. The wide-open eyes reflected not herself, but another blurred face. That face was filled with tears, which flowed incessantly like a stream of water, weeping silently.

Suddenly, blood began to gush from the eye sockets. From the spurting blood, a pair of blood-stained hands reached out. The hands were stretched very long, as if they wanted to pull her into a blood-red abyss.

She raised her head, her slender neck gripped by a hand. A sense of suffocating fear washed over her. Just as the black fog was about to consume her, she woke up from the dream.

The moment she woke up in a panic, she began to gasp and convulse. The broken, wheezing sound of her breathing cut through the silence of the night. She coughed hard, the fear of chest compression from lack of oxygen still etched into her bones. She could only clench her hands tightly onto the clothes on her chest.

“Zhuzi, Gu Zhu, take a deep breath. Don’t be afraid, take a deep breath.”

Her nose and mouth were suddenly covered by a hand. A gentle voice patiently repeated the words in her ear. Gu Zhu’s mind was finally pulled back from the dream to reality. Tears slid down the corner of her eyes. Following Bai Tan’s rhythm, her chaotic breathing began to return to normal.

It had actually been a long time since she had an episode like this.

Her strained nerves had long known how to cope, but the nightmare had found an opportunity in her involuntary state of relaxation.

“It’s okay, baby, I’m here. Bad dreams, go away, bad dreams, go away.” Bai Tan held her with one hand and placed the other on her forehead. Every time she said “bad dreams, go away,” she would throw her hand toward the outside of the bed, like some ancient ritual, as if it could truly cast away the nightmares clinging to her.

Held tightly in her arms, Gu Zhu finally calmed down. Her disheveled state felt so insignificant in front of this person. She didn’t have to worry about her image, didn’t have to hide her weakness. When she was in Bai Tan’s embrace, the drowning person had finally found salvation.

“I’m fine, don’t worry.” Gu Zhu’s voice was hoarse. The emptiness in her heart was being filled little by little. This was the first long, dark night she had woken up in, and someone was there to comfort her. This made her feel that in the dark nights to come, she wouldn’t have to be so afraid. She hugged her back, embedding herself into her body, and pulled her to lie down again. “It’s not light yet. Let’s go back to sleep. Just don’t let go of my hand.”

Perhaps it was the peace in her heart, or perhaps Bai Tan’s embrace was too warm, but Gu Zhu fell asleep again. The long night was no longer a torment, passing in just a few blinks of her eyes.

When she woke up again, a glimmer of daylight was visible through the gaps in the bed curtain.

Gu Zhu moved slightly, only to find that she was entangled like an octopus.

She was held tightly in an embrace, and just as she had asked, Bai Tan hadn’t let go for a moment.

See? The sun is out. So breaking through the darkness wasn’t that hard.

Right?

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