A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 54.1

Chapter 54.1: The Game

◎Truth or Dare◎

August gave way to September, and soon the sophomores and freshmen returned to school. Not long after, Gu Zhu went to participate in the provincial chemistry competition. After this, the next national final would be in December.

As expected, she came out on top in the official competition, becoming one of the five people in the province to qualify for the finals.

She returned to school with Li Jiajia. It was Thursday, so she didn’t go home but came straight back to class. It was class time, so the school gate and paths were quiet, filled only with the clear, vibrant September sun of the south and the deep, emerald green layers of shady trees.

After saying goodbye to Li Jiajia at the academic building, Gu Zhu prepared to go back to her dorm to drop off her luggage. A faint rustling sound suddenly came from the shady path to the dorms. She stopped, turned, and looked toward the place hidden by the trees.

It was close to a high wall, and a figure was descending from the overhanging branches.

Probably not expecting anyone to be there at this time, the person who suddenly appeared stopped in their tracks and abruptly lowered the hand that was dusting off their clothes.

Gu Zhu was a little surprised to see this not-so-unfamiliar girl. She wore a worn school uniform, her long hair was tangled from the branches during her climb, and her face, still pale, looked thin.

“It’s you!” Her tone was light and a little relieved. The girl had clearly recognized her. After relaxing, she adjusted her clothes and said, “Student Gu Zhu, you’re back from the competition! Congratulations on making it to the national finals. You’re so amazing!” She sounded both a little emotional and a little envious at the end.

“Thank you.” Recognizing her as the girl from the library, Gu Zhu nodded in thanks for the congratulations. She hadn’t expected the results to have spread through the school so quickly. Seeing her there at this time, she was a little confused. “You’re…?”

The girl smoothed her hair, smiling a little sheepishly. “I secretly took a part-time job. I went out during my lunch break, and since this class is P.E., I came back a bit late.” She then glanced at the watch on her wrist. “There’s no time left, I have to go. Student Gu Zhu, please keep this a secret for me. Thank you!”

“Oh, by the way, my name is Su Li. I’ll definitely buy you bubble tea next time!”

Gu Zhu only had time to see her running away and waving. Once the figure disappeared, she continued on her way.

Su Li? She silently repeated the name, unsure of which characters they were. After entering the dorm building, she took the stairs from the other side.

The dorms were built in a circular shape, and she rarely passed by the other side. Slowing her steps, she glanced at the roster on the dorm doors as she passed.

Su Li, Class 7, Grade 11.

She paused slightly in front of a dorm room near the end of the hall. The person in the photo looked a little more naive, showing a pair of tiger teeth. It was probably a photo submitted at the beginning of the school year. After confirming the name, she didn’t linger for long and returned to her own room.

After being away for a few days, the layout hadn’t changed much, but there were heavy traces of another person’s life. The most obvious sign was that her own bedding on the top bunk was still perfectly made, while the bedsheets on the bottom bunk had been taken off and were drying on the balcony.

After she pushed her suitcase into the corner, she saw a handwritten card with a green ripple pattern and a few bamboo leaves on her desk as she put her backpack down. Gu Zhu picked it up, and a small smile appeared as she read the words:

“To the one I miss, though every second feels like a year. Hearing of your great success fills me with overwhelming joy. — Your Misser, Little Water”

The words were poetic and a little cheesy, but her heart stirred. She pulled open her drawer, took out a pen, and added a line:

“No matter where I go or come from, you are the person in my dreams.” There was no signature, only a drawing of a bamboo stalk.

Gu Zhu gently blew on it. After the ink dried, she closed her eyes and randomly took out a book from a neighboring bookshelf, tucked the note inside, and put it back. As if nothing had happened, she began to unpack her luggage.

She planned to go to class after she was done. The first class of the afternoon was just ending, so she would be able to make it to the second class.

After wiping down her body and face to get rid of the dust from her journey, she applied a little bug repellent to her joints, changed into her school uniform, checked her appearance, and then grabbed her umbrella to leave.

She detoured to the small supermarket to buy two teas. The owner was also very surprised to see her and kept congratulating her, refusing to take her money. As Gu Zhu walked out, she quietly scanned the QR code. Mixed in with the “Welcome” was a message that read, “Your account has received 12 yuan.” She pursed her lips slightly, opened her umbrella, and in the midst of the owner’s “Hey, hey,” she turned off the phone she had been carrying for her trip, put it in her backpack, and headed toward the classroom.

When she reached the senior building, the class bell rang. Students rushed past her in twos and threes, running toward their classrooms. Gu Zhu also quickened her pace and met the teacher at the back door. She greeted him and slipped inside.

As the teacher entered the front door, the noise from inside gradually died down. Their attention was diverted, and no one noticed her quiet arrival.

Including the person with her head bent over her notebook.

The new deskmate was a young lady with a stack of books as tall as her eyebrows. The half-covered face occasionally revealed her sharp nose and the graceful curve of her cheek. Even the small shadows cast by her long eyelashes made her think of those rippling, deep eyes.

Leaning in, she was just about to catch a glimpse of the lines being drawn on the notebook when the seated person seemed to sense her presence. The notebook was quickly covered by a hand, and she looked up, her gaze fixed on Gu Zhu.

She clearly saw the surprise in Bai Tan’s eyes, and her slightly parted lips seemed about to say something. Looking at the face that was frozen in place, Gu Zhu looked away, placed a bottle of tea on her desk, and with a seemingly detached expression, pulled out her chair and sat down in the spot that had been empty for many days.

She could feel Bai Tan’s lingering gaze on her face, the intense stare that felt as if she were being devoured. Gu Zhu finally couldn’t pretend to be detached anymore. Her rapidly beating heart made her take a deep breath. She picked up her pen, tapped the textbook in front of Bai Tan, and whispered, “Pay attention to the class.”

Bai Tan couldn’t focus. The teacher’s voice became background noise. Every brief separation deepened the anxiety caused by her longing. Bai Tan often wondered why there were so many things in this world that had to interrupt their time together.

But she also knew that the time they had together was a part of the world, a crack they had created in their lives.

That’s why she was always so anxious. Anxious that their time was too short, but also anxious that the time was too long.

Perhaps, separation anxiety was born of this.

“Pay attention to the class,” the person next to her reminded again, but this time, the tapping pen was put down, and a slightly smaller hand was placed in her palm.

Bai Tan finally turned her attention back to the blackboard, and in the corner of the desk where no one could see, she gripped the top student’s hand tightly. The moment her palm was filled, it felt as though her empty heart had finally been filled as well.

When class ended and the bell rang, Bai Tan was quickly pulled away. Gu Zhu’s eyes widened in surprise. She was pulled downstairs and into the shade of the kapok trees. When she was finally embraced, Gu Zhu also slowly wrapped her arms around her, holding her close.

The fiery red kapok flowers of spring had already withered, and the branches were covered in dense layers of leaves. Only a few strands of sunlight filtered through the gaps. Cicadas chirped endlessly, and birds sang, but none of it was as loud as the thumping heartbeat in her ears.

The seasons were moving in order. They had already passed through spring and summer. The long southern summer had made her forget that autumn had already arrived. Soon, winter would come, and she would enter the eighteenth year of her life, ushering in a new year. The future, with its countless years, no longer seemed so distant. In this moment, a wish sprouted in her heart:

She hoped to be with Bai Tan forever. If forever was too much to ask for, then at least, they should walk through every season together.

They would see the spring, know the summer, pass through the autumn, and go through the winter. They would enjoy the beauty of the four seasons, travel to the four corners of the world, and taste the food of every season. They would… be complete.

A brief hug wasn’t enough to completely soothe their feelings of separation. Every minute and every second, when they couldn’t be intimate in the crowd, made their longing grow.

Their hands had to be held. They had to brush against each other when no one was looking. They had to find opportunities to hug. Even making eye contact felt too intense, afraid it would give them away.

So they had to avoid each other’s gazes, only catching each other in their peripheral vision. And the words on the homework seemed to have a will of their own. Every character linked up to form the other’s name, and every stroke of the pen felt like a forced confession, reluctantly writing down other symbols.

The overly strange atmosphere made a few of their close friends mistakenly believe they had an argument. Why else would the two of them be so quiet all day, unwilling to even look at each other?

The seven of them were divided into four groups. Gu Xiaoxi and Gu Xiaojuan sat in the front row of the first group. Behind them were Lu Na and You Lili. Further back were the taller Li Ruoruo and Huang Tingxi. As for Qin Tian’ai, she was on duty today and was sitting at the front of the lecture hall, watching their secretive gestures of winks and notes.

“Who knows what’s up with them?”

“I don’t know. Didn’t the top student just come back? They were fine in the afternoon. They went out for a bit in the middle, and when they came back, they were acting weird.”

“Maybe the couple just loves each other in their hearts but can’t say it. There’s probably nothing wrong. Are you guys being too sensitive?”

Someone drew a big [X] on the next line, then wrote furiously, “Although I usually ship them too, we should be realistic. The way they’re acting now, they really must have had a fight.”

“Ahem,” Qin Tian’ai cleared her throat, reminding them not to be too obvious. A teacher was patrolling the classrooms outside. The friends received the hint and quickly turned their heads back to their homework. Only when they saw Qin Tian’ai give a secret “OK” signal did they continue their plan.

“Exactly. The young lady and the top student are great, but now is the time to be realistic. We should think about how to help them make up.”

“How about tonight, after we get back to the dorms, we secretly have a small event? I heard the principal and the dean went to another school for a conference, so they definitely won’t be checking on us tonight.”

“Then I’ll order some midnight snacks, and we’ll sneak them in from the usual spot?”

**[1]**6

The suggestion was unanimously approved. As the only one who had a hidden phone, You Lili took on the important task of ordering takeout. She raised her hand to indicate, and as she left the room, she took the opportunity to pass the note to Qin Tian’ai on the podium. Considering Qin Tian’ai’s unique status as a “straight-shooter,” they only told her the plan and not the message itself. Seeing her give an “OK” sign after reading it, You Lili nodded and then snuck to the bathroom to execute the plan.

Unaware of their friends’ conspiracy, the two of them were focused on hiding in their dorm room after class to enjoy their time together. When the bell rang, Bai Tan, who had already packed up, immediately got up. Just as she was about to ask Gu Zhu to leave, they were surrounded by their friends.

“Let’s walk together!”

The two of them exchanged a glance, then looked away. They couldn’t refuse, so they were surrounded and squeezed by their friends, unable to even hold hands.

As they were enveloped and guided down the small path, they were both, perhaps because of the secret in their hearts, unusually quiet. Their deliberate avoidance of each other made their friends misunderstand even more, convinced that they were truly in a fight.

The friends winked and gestured to each other, as if to say they would definitely make them friends again. When they reached a place with no one around, a few of them chuckled. “Wait, wait!”

“You guys be on the lookout. Tingxi and I are going to get something.” After saying that, You Lili pulled Huang Tingxi away.

Seeing the two disappear into the bushes, while the others looked around nervously, Bai Tan looked bewildered. She glanced at Gu Zhu and asked, “What are they getting? What are you guys doing?”

“Shhh! You’ll know in a minute!”

Soon, You Lili and Huang Tingxi ran back. “Hurry, hurry! A teacher and a security guard just passed by outside the wall. We have to get out of here!”

Their footsteps were loud and noisy. The group, all terrified, started running, urging themselves and each other. “Faster, faster! Run faster!”

The night wind rustled through the treetops. The two of them, unaware of what was happening, were forced to run, but they finally had the chance to hold hands. Bai Tan ran in front, with Gu Zhu a step behind. They were both a half-step behind the others, so from this angle, Gu Zhu could see the smiles on their faces as they looked back.

A bright, vibrant, and unrestrained smile.

They finally stopped when they reached the dorm entrance, catching their breath. They looked at each other and started giggling uncontrollably. Even the dorm aunt was infected by their laughter and couldn’t help but smile. “The curfew hasn’t started yet. Why are you all running so fast?”

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