A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Separation

◎Goodbye◎

The next day, they set out according to their planned schedule.

Their first stop was a time-honored restaurant outside the old city tower. People were already queuing early in the morning. They arrived around 8:30 a.m., which was still early, and only had to wait a short time for a table.

Shrimp dumplings, chicken feet, steamed buns, barbecue pork buns, rice rolls, and boat congee… they ordered one of every signature dish. With a pot of chrysanthemum pu’er tea, their energy for the day was already full.

The temperature was quite high today, and they were both sweating as they ate, their lips bright red. They clinked their teacups together in a toast. Bai Tan’s eyes were filled with smiles. “To a smooth date. Cheers.”

The blue-and-white porcelain cups touched, and the tea inside swayed gently, just like Gu Zhu’s heart at that moment, with ripples spreading across the surface like a breeze stirring the clear water of a mountain stream.

At ten o’clock, they arrived at Shengcheng’s largest amusement park. The various rides were dazzling. There were no less than five types of roller coasters alone. Bai Tan, a seasoned pro, took Gu Zhu to the most thrilling one first: the suspended roller coaster. As they waited in line, they could hear the high-pitched screams from above.

“Once you get through this heart-stopping ride, the other attractions will be easy,” Bai Tan said, pointing at the roller coaster speeding through the air. “Up there, you can scream as much as you want. No one will laugh at you. It’s perfect for releasing emotions and stress.”

They looked at each other, the meaning in their eyes self-evident. They had both been through a lot recently. This was a good opportunity to vent and release their pent-up, unhappy feelings.

Gu Zhu had never been on a ride like this before. She felt fine while waiting in line, but when it was their turn and the staff checked the safety restraints, she began to feel a sense of unease, a feeling of not being grounded.

When the staff member said, “Ready to go,” they instinctively grabbed each other’s hands. The initial speed wasn’t fast, but the feeling of slowly climbing higher and higher made her body panic instinctively.

The wind blurred her vision, and she could only see the scenery around her through a tiny gap. The sky and clouds felt very close at that moment. The ground, covered with forests and rivers, was a low expanse beneath her feet. As the speed got faster and faster, and her whole body seemed to lift into the air, Gu Zhu finally couldn’t help but scream.

Air roared out of her chest in a continuous stream. Her mind was blank, her emotions seemingly hollowed out. Other than the howling wind and the thrill of weightlessness, she could think of nothing else.

There was no life to worry about, no studies to consider, no future to fret over.

In that moment, she suddenly understood why some people pursued danger and excitement. The adrenaline rush made their minds dizzy with emotion, making them forget everything else.

Just as Bai Tan had said, after they finished the most thrilling ride, the others weren’t so scary. After round after round of unrestrained release, they leaned against each other on a bench, taking a short break while waiting for the next ride.

“I’m going to get some ice cream to refuel,” Bai Tan said, pointing to a dessert stand to the east.

“I’ll go get some snacks and drinks over there,” Gu Zhu said, pointing to a small shop behind them.

They agreed to meet back at the same spot after buying their things, and then they went their separate ways.

The food at the amusement park was on the expensive side. Gu Zhu looked at the price list, decided what she wanted, and then stood in line. In her chat app, she sent a list of the things she was getting to Bai Tan, asking if there was anything else she wanted to eat.

Bai Tan replied quickly, approving of her choices. Grilled sausage and fish balls were her favorites.

It was soon her turn. In addition to those two items, Gu Zhu also added a serving of cart noodles and two bottles of sugar-free tea. She paid and, holding the packaged items in plastic bags, turned to head back to their meeting point.

Just then, someone suddenly approached her. Gu Zhu instinctively looked up and took a step back, accidentally bumping into the counter. After apologizing to the shop owner, she moved two steps to the side and looked up, seeing an unexpected person.

Ye Shuyang stood there with her arms crossed, wearing a wide sun hat and exaggerated geometric earrings. Seeing Gu Zhu look at her, she raised a hand and smiled. “We meet again, fellow student Gu Zhu.”

“Do you have a moment to talk?”

Gu Zhu hadn’t expected this person to corner her at the amusement park. Not wanting to let her day be ruined, Gu Zhu remained expressionless. As she walked past, she said coldly, “No, I don’t.”

Refused so directly, Ye Shuyang’s face fell. She reached out to grab Gu Zhu, but Gu Zhu was prepared. She easily dodged the grasp with a slight sidestep, then patted her shoulder as if brushing off something disgusting.

“Five minutes. Say what you need to say, then leave and don’t appear in front of her again.” Guessing she wouldn’t give up, Gu Zhu offered a condition.

“What gives you the right to talk to me and make demands? Do you think you’re worthy?” Ye Shuyang scoffed. “When I’m being nice, I’d suggest you don’t get too arrogant. You know, for people like us, it’s very easy to make someone’s life difficult.”

It was a very old-fashioned threat, the kind of thing a villainous side character from a cheesy soap opera from ten years ago would say. Gu Zhu was completely unmoved and even found her a little childish. She simply said, “Oh,” and started to walk away without looking back.

Stunned by her unhesitating actions, Ye Shuyang gritted her teeth. What kind of strange personality is this? Is Bai Tan blind? Why doesn’t she like me and instead likes someone like this?

This thought made her even more furious. How could Bai Tan, who is so smart, be deceived? Is Gu Zhu’s deception too clever, or is Bai Tan willingly being fooled?

This thought was even harder for her to accept. Her chest heaved. Ye Shuyang felt an indescribable rage about to erupt from her. She couldn’t accept Bai Tan being cheated like a fool, and she absolutely couldn’t accept Bai Tan willingly being a fool. She moved closer, grabbing Gu Zhu’s chin by surprise. “Do you think she’s serious? She doesn’t even like girls. She’s not a lesbian, she’s just playing with you. Do you know what happened to the last person she played with?”

Without waiting for Gu Zhu to answer, she answered herself, “She dragged her family down, went bankrupt, dropped out of school, and even ended up in a mental hospital. You’re just an ordinary person. Your fate will be even worse. Gu Zhu, are you willing to bet?”

“Even if you don’t care about yourself, you have to think about your mother, your aunt, your little niece, and all those other people, right?”

“Gu Zhu, I’m telling you, run away before she gets tired of you.”

Gu Zhu forcefully pushed her hand away. Her expression hadn’t changed throughout the exchange, only her gaze had grown colder. “Five minutes are up. You can go now.” As she turned to leave, she suddenly pulled out her phone and shook it at her. “I have recorded everything you’ve said. Perhaps you’d like to bet on who she will come after?”

“You!” Ye Shuyang was shocked that Gu Zhu had turned the tables on her. She stomped her foot and let out a forceful “humph” at her departing back. She was furious. Sure enough, a dog that bites doesn’t bark. She had underestimated this person. But she wouldn’t give up. She wouldn’t let Bai Tan have anyone else by her side!

Gu Zhu hadn’t actually recorded anything. She had only said it to scare her. Her lips were pressed into a tight line. Even if Ye Shuyang’s words were just a furious outburst, they still allowed her to glimpse a truth.

Being sent back to her hometown to study, fighting with her family, causing trouble… connecting these events with the words and the testimony of a “childhood friend” who had played with her since childhood, a picture of a wronged person seemed to surface.

Perhaps for Bai Tan, proving her innocence wasn’t difficult. What was difficult and disappointing was her family’s lack of trust and the betrayal of an eighteen-year friendship.

Her palm was sore from where she had dug her nails into it. Gu Zhu stood in place, trying to calm herself down. She didn’t want to ruin the young mistress’s mood, nor did she want to tear open her wounds and make her sad.

When she felt calm enough, she took a deep breath and returned to their agreed-upon spot.

The young mistress was already there, holding two ice creams in her hands and looking in the direction she had left. Seeing her, she immediately ran over and handed her the vanilla ice cream in her left hand. “Hurry and eat, it’s melting.”

Taking the ice cream from Bai Tan’s hand, Gu Zhu lowered her head and held the tip in her mouth. The coldness made her gasp. In the young mistress’s smiling eyes, she also gave a little smile. “There were a lot of people, so I had to wait in line for a while. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“It’s okay. I just got back here myself after waiting a bit. It’s perfect timing. We’re not late at all.”

They sat down and opened the snacks she had bought. Seeing her still slurping her matcha ice cream, Gu Zhu paused, staring at it. Under Bai Tan’s blinking eyes, she said, “I want to eat the matcha one.”

Bai Tan froze, instinctively offering the ice cream in her hand. As Gu Zhu took it and put it in her mouth, Bai Tan just stood there in a daze, unable to say a word.

Finally, Gu Zhu held up the other ice cream in Bai Tan’s hand, the vanilla one that should have been hers, and pushed it toward her. “It’s melting.”

Mmm~

Bai Tan took a big bite.

Sigh, summer ice cream is so sweet~

After resting, they chose a few more rides. Since it was summer break, there were many tourists, and the lines were long. They didn’t finish until almost 3:30 p.m.

The safari park closed at 5:30, so it was too late to go now. Plans always change. Bai Tan sighed and had no choice but to cancel the tickets she had already booked. “I won’t be able to let you see the red-crowned cranes and giant pandas today.”

“It’s okay, we can just go next time,” Gu Zhu comforted her.

Perhaps it was the “next time” in her words that moved her, because Bai Tan immediately perked up. “Yes! There will be a next time! The next time you come, I’ll take you again. We can go to other fun places too, and I’ll show you all of Shengcheng’s splendor!”

Gu Zhu’s expression softened, a gentle smile on her face. “Okay.”

Because they had to cancel their plan to go to the safari park, they had some extra time, which they could use to play with Bai Yi Bai. So the two of them agreed to go back home.

Their luggage was already packed. Entering the air-conditioned apartment, they felt as if they had come back to life. Both of them collapsed onto the mat.

Just as they settled on the sofa, the woken-up Bai Yi Bai stretched, jumped down from the cat tree, rubbed against Bai Tan for a few moments, and then settled down on Gu Zhu.

Little Bai Yi Bai was a very considerate cat. No one could resist a cute, fluffy creature.

Once they were home, they didn’t go out for dinner. The aunt was very happy they were staying, and she immediately went to prepare an evening meal.

The precious time together slipped away, and the moment they had to leave arrived. Gu Zhu pulled her suitcase, changed her shoes, said goodbye to the aunt, and then hugged little Bai Yi Bai, whispering goodbye to her too.

Shengcheng’s high-speed rail station was a vast area. From the entrance to the ticket gate, they had to take a long escalator up to the second floor. Standing in the middle of the station, the rows of waiting chairs and the dense crowd of people made it feel like there was no end in sight.

She was swept up in the crowd, surrounded by a stream of people. Every single person was a stranger to her.

After just a minute of separation, she already began to miss her. A train ticket, it turned out, could carry an endless amount of longing.

When the announcement for her train number was made, Gu Zhu followed the crowd to the gate. As she sat on the train, she whispered in her heart, “Goodbye, Bai Tan.”

Outside the station, Bai Tan checked her watch. She knew Gu Zhu was already on the train. She got into her car.

“Goodbye. Remember to wait for me.”

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