A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Flying Away

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On the third day of the New Year, tourists started to arrive in the scenic area. Gu Baozhi and Chang Yuehua’s snack shop also began its business in the afternoon. Since it was the first day of business for the new year, there weren’t many visitors yet, so they didn’t prepare too many ingredients to avoid waste.

Although the snack shop had been open for less than half a year, its initial marketing efforts had been significant. For example, customers could get a 20% discount on any product at the cultural and creative shop or on Uncle Chang’s water activities by presenting their snack shop receipt. Combined with promotion from popular media outlets, the shop had become a must-visit spot.

Because of its fresh ingredients, unique recipes, and the fact that its roots were well-known, the shop also had many repeat customers from the town. So, even in the off-season, business wasn’t bad.

The holiday was a rare long break, so people from nearby provinces and cities took the opportunity to travel. By evening, the beach was already quite crowded. The next few days were likely to be the peak.

On the morning of the fifth day, to prepare for the day’s guests, Gu Baozhi and Chang Yuehua went out to buy ingredients early. One went to the fishing boats to buy fresh seafood, and the other went to the market to buy poultry and vegetables.

This semester, the start date for seniors was the same as the return-to-work date, on the eighth day of the New Year. Gu Zhu also stayed in town, planning to return to school the day before classes started.

She still woke up very early. She used the morning to fluently recite several texts, both classical Chinese and English. Her spoken English had improved significantly. Her overall fluency and pronunciation were correct; even with a slight accent, it was pleasant to listen to.

At 9:30, she arrived at the shop to help wipe tables and mop the floor. As she opened the door to air out the place, some tourists were already asking for the opening time. Gu Zhu told them it was 10:30 and gave them menus and order forms, telling them they could order in advance to reserve a table.

The groups of tourists happily accepted, wrote down their orders, handed them back, and said they would be back at 10:30 sharp.

She passed the orders to the kitchen and arranged the tables according to the number of people. At the appointed time, Gu Zhu placed the double-sided “Open for Business” sign on the roadside near the entrance. The sign had the snack shop’s name on top and two large lines below:

—Open for business, welcome to taste.

As it approached lunchtime, the crowd slowly grew. The snack shop didn’t just have various snacks, but also noodles, rice, and soups. The soup was made from fresh pork bones, and customers could choose their own toppings, including chewy fish balls, various shellfish, fish, and shrimp. For those with seafood allergies, there were poultry options, and even the offal was cleaned very thoroughly.

In short, it was all about freshness and, of course, deliciousness.

Gu Zhu took orders quickly and delivered dishes quickly. She ran back and forth in the not-so-spacious shop. The weather was nice these past few days, and she only wore a loose-fitting hoodie, but she still broke into a light sweat.

Chang Xiling was young. She had spent the morning playing but automatically ran back when it was time for business. Though she couldn’t take orders, she was happy to help with clearing dishes.

The two of them moved efficiently, and Gu Zhu’s mind was filled with dish names and table numbers, immersed in the varied accents of the tourists.

“Here is your seafood satay noodles. Please be careful, it’s hot.” She served a couple seated by the door. Just as she was about to turn away, she heard someone call her.

“Gu Zhu!”

She turned and was surprised to see Chang Ru, who had appeared out of nowhere. Chang Ru was on her scooter. She took off her helmet, her face looking anxious.

“What’s wrong?” Gu Zhu was a bit confused, unsure why Chang Ru had specifically come to find her. They didn’t have much interaction. During the holiday in town, besides a few times when she and Chang Xiling went to see her friend Wenwen and grabbed breakfast, they had barely spoken.

“You’re asking what’s wrong! Where’s your phone? Don’t you check messages?” Chang Ru started with a series of questions, showing that she was not only anxious but also upset. “I told you to stay away from that transfer student, but you didn’t listen. Now look what happened! You’ve been dragged down by her!”

Gu Zhu knew that the transfer student she was talking about was Bai Tan. But dragged down? She hadn’t been in contact with Bai Tan at all this entire holiday, so how could she have been dragged down?

Frowning, though confused, Gu Zhu first spoke with the other staff in the shop. Luckily, there were no waiting customers now, and the shop was running smoothly. She took off her apron, pulled out her phone from the front desk drawer, and led Chang Ru to a less crowded area.

Seeing her turn on her phone in front of her, Chang Ru finally understood why so many people in their class couldn’t get in touch with Gu Zhu. She controlled her urge to be sarcastic again. Seriously, if you’re not going to turn on your phone or check messages, what’s the point of having one?

Opening her messaging app, Gu Zhu finally understood why Chang Ru was so anxious.

It was a post. The cover was a picture of two girls kissing, and the title was eye-catching:

—Lesbian reality check: The fated love between a top student and a transfer student.

The photo was of no one else but her and Bai Tan. Because of their excellent bone structure, they were easily recognizable even from a profile view.

Gu Zhu froze. She had clicked on a screenshot that Luo Minmin had privately sent her. Below it was a message saying that the post in their group chat had been deleted and the discussion closed, but she might not be able to stop it from spreading through other channels. She was told to think about who she might have offended so they could find the poster and handle the situation.

The post was a segmented story. Below each segment, people commented and followed the thread. At first, there wasn’t much traffic, but the poster then intermittently inserted several half-censored photos. The blurry pictures showed girls with high-value faces and school uniforms, which immediately attracted more people.

Strangers might not recognize them, but anyone familiar with them would know instantly. Fortunately, the forum was quite niche, a gathering place for a small group. It was likely reposted now because they had an eye on the timing of school starting.

Not too early, not too late. By posting it now, during the holiday, when many people had their phones, more people would see it. The peak of the discussion would coincide with the start of the semester. When she returned to school, Gu Zhu would have to face public opinion and strange looks.

First place in the year, a cool and arrogant student, being outed for a lesbian relationship, and with a transfer student no less—it was an explosive news story.

Luo Minmin said that she had contacted the poster in the group chat, but it wasn’t the actual person. The account had been hacked. It seemed that this was how the post was being spread throughout the school. Now, the post had been taken down, but many people probably had screenshots. It still needed to be dealt with quickly.

Gu Zhu first thanked Luo Minmin. Then she exited the chat. On the main page, a message from the person she had marked as a special contact popped up:

[Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.]

Her heart thumped, more panicked and pained than when she had seen the post. There was no casual joking or gentle, intimate comfort like before, just a cold but firm message.

Isn’t this the result she wanted?

Clenching her phone, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. So the person who deleted the post must have been Bai Tan. At this moment, she couldn’t do anything but respond with silence.

Liking Bai Tan, having a secret relationship with her, kissing her—these were all facts. She had nothing to deny.

She didn’t care about others’ discussions, opinions, or anything else.

Her only concern was Gu Baozhi.

“So, were you and Bai Tan together or not?” Seeing that she had finally finished reading, Chang Ru couldn’t help but ask. “If not, I suggest you clarify it right now. It would be better.”

She put her phone away. Looking at Chang Ru’s earnest, worried face, Gu Zhu pursed her lips and said softly, “There’s nothing to say about this.”

Whether they were together or had broken up, it was a matter between her and Bai Tan. She didn’t want to deny their past, nor did she want to say the words that they had separated.

Nothing to say is basically an admission! Chang Ru felt a blockage in her heart. Her face alternated between green and white for a moment. Unwilling, she asked, “Do you really like her?”

Silence. The other person’s continued silence. That beautiful, exquisite face seemed to be cast in a dim shadow at this moment. Her long eyelashes lowered, as if speaking silently.

“Do you know what you’re doing, Gu Zhu? Please think about the environment you’re in, the timing. Is this something you should be doing right now? Do you think this will only spread in the school? Soon, the entire town will be filled with rumors!”

“You can resist one or two comments, but what about ten, or a hundred? What about your mom? Your aunt, your sister? Have you thought about that?”

“You’re always so smart. Why are you so confused at a time like this? If you hadn’t gotten involved with that transfer student, would this have happened?”

The small town was backward, and secrets were hard to keep. She knew Chang Ru was right, but she still couldn’t help but think: Is my liking Bai Tan really such a heinous crime?

In everyone’s eyes, is liking a girl of the same gender unforgivable, a disgrace, disgusting, a sickness?

“It’s the last semester of senior year, Gu Zhu. Think about it yourself.” Perhaps hurt by her repeated silence, Chang Ru didn’t wait for her reply. She turned, got on her scooter, and left.

As expected, the matter didn’t stay hidden from Gu Baozhi. The entire incident was clearly targeted at her, so how could the other side let the people around her go?

In the afternoon, when the snack shop closed, she was called by Gu Baozhi.

The wind outside had picked up at some point. Not far away, the waves rushed toward the beach, breaking one after another. The boats that had been out fishing gradually returned, and people who had been by the shore moved away.

The tide was rising.

Stopping Chang Yuehua from coming back with them, Gu Baozhi dragged her back to the old house. The heavy front door slammed shut, followed by the thud of Gu Baozhi’s phone hitting her.

The words and pictures still stung Gu Zhu’s eyes.

Gu Zhu glanced at the person who had sent the message to Gu Baozhi. It was not a very surprising person: Lin Ye. Because they hadn’t met often, Gu Baozhi hadn’t recognized who she was at first and had even asked Lin Ye about her identity and family.

[She’s the new transfer student in our class from last year and my cousin. I’m so sorry, Auntie. You had just forgiven me for the previous incident, and now my cousin has done something like this. All the mistakes are our family’s fault. Please don’t be angry, Auntie.]

After Lin Ye said this, Gu Baozhi remembered who she was. She had seen this person at the Lin family’s banquet. She had been exceptionally young, yet the people at the banquet had been very polite and respectful to her, which had left a strong impression.

It was clear that this was a girl from a wealthy and powerful family with a brilliant background.

Gu Baozhi was breathing heavily. She didn’t understand why not one of them could live a normal life. Gu Baolin was like this, and now Gu Zhu was too.

What does this world want from her? Does it have to take away all her loved ones?

“Give me your phone. Until the college entrance exam, you’re not allowed to have your phone, and you’re not allowed to contact her.”

Without resisting, Gu Zhu took her phone from her pocket and handed it to Gu Baozhi. “Mom, please don’t go look for her. It’s all my fault. I won’t have any contact with her anymore. Please don’t go look for her, okay?”

Gu Baozhi ignored her plea. She found a thin needle in the room, took the SIM card out of Gu Zhu’s phone, and without hesitation, broke it and threw it into the trash can. Her eyes were bloodshot, her entire mind filled with the terrifying thought of Gu Zhu being a lesbian, of Gu Zhu having the same sickness as Gu Baolin.

The thought made her head dizzy. She felt a surge of rage, as if she would explode if she didn’t do something.

She had lost Gu Baolin. Was she going to lose Gu Zhu too?!

“Why can’t you just be a good girl? Why can’t you just listen to your mother? I shouldn’t have let you make friends so freely, I shouldn’t have let go so easily. You’re still young, you don’t understand anything. It’s my fault for not protecting you.”

“Stay here. Don’t go anywhere! Do you hear me?”

The room door was pulled shut, and the heavy door was locked. The wind from the long alley swept through the house, and a cold emptiness climbed up her limbs. A pain spread from her heart, making her clutch her chest, almost unable to breathe.

…

Gu Baozhi drove her moped straight away. The road from Xiaoshanli Town to the county was not far. The winter wind was still fierce, blowing the gray hairs on her temples out from her hairline.

She was not unfamiliar with the wealthy area of the county, so after Lin Ye sent her an address, she quickly found it.

This New Year, Bai Tan’s family had all come back. They had a low-key ancestral worship ceremony. They had originally planned to leave on the third day, but the clan elders said they wanted to renovate the ancestral hall and rewrite the family genealogy, hoping Bai Tan’s father could stay for two more days to discuss it.

Bai Yingtǐng was not an arrogant man. He always gave face to his relatives, so he stayed for two more days.

This day, Bai Tan also learned about the post. It wasn’t hard to guess who was behind it. The person who knew about them and disliked them could only be Ye Shuyang.

Besides, Ye Shuyang had once tried to transfer to their class but was intercepted by Luo Ning, who found out in advance, so the transfer didn’t happen.

She just didn’t expect Ye Shuyang to pull a stunt like this. It was her own carelessness.

The auntie at home said there was a guest at the door who claimed to be Bai Tan’s classmate’s mother. At that moment, Chen Xuelian and Bai Yingtǐng were about to leave. Hearing the message, they exchanged a look, instructed the driver to put the luggage in the car, and sat back down.

Bai Tan also froze. Guessing who it was, she stood up to go out, only to see Gu Baozhi walk in.

Seeing Bai Tan’s whole family was there, Gu Baozhi smoothed her hair at her temples to avoid looking cheap or pathetic. She said, “I’m here today because I want to ask you for something.”

“My daughter is a very well-behaved and excellent girl. She should have a clean and bright future and shouldn’t walk down a crooked path.”

“I know you are of noble status, and have power and influence. For you, any kind of life is possible, but we are not like that. For ordinary people, besides studying hard and having a decent job in the future, there is no other way out.”

“So please, I beg you, let my daughter go. She is not a game for you rich people, not a plaything for you to trample on. She’s still so young. Please, I beg you, will you let my daughter go?”

Gu Baozhi knelt down. She could be proud of her daughter and also break her own back for her daughter. As long as they would let Gu Zhu go, they would have a way to live.

She didn’t want to see another life disappear before her eyes one day.

She only had Gu Zhu left!

Everyone was shocked by her actions. Bai Yingtǐng and Chen Xuelian didn’t know what had happened, but seeing Bai Tan’s rare look of speechlessness and shock, they were taken aback.

What had happened without their knowledge?

“I sent you back to this town. Was it for you to cause trouble here, too?” Bai Yingtǐng was the first to get angry. He remembered what had happened before Bai Tan transferred schools. Now a parent had come to their door again. Whose problem could it be but Bai Tan’s?

“How did I raise such a shameless, arrogant, and good-for-nothing person!”

Slap—!

Her head was turned to the side by the unexpected slap, and she accidentally bit her lip. The taste of blood spread in her mouth. She didn’t offer any defense. The usually quick-witted person now appeared numb and dazed.

“You’re coming with me today. I don’t believe I can’t discipline you anymore! Auntie Li, take her up and pack her things!”

Bai Tan didn’t object. As she was about to go upstairs, she looked down and said, “I’m sorry, Auntie.”

Chen Xuelian had already helped Gu Baozhi up. “Our child may have been pampered since she was young, but her heart has always been genuine. I apologize for the trouble she has caused you.”

Bai Yingtǐng came closer. “Madam, I will be taking her with me tonight. The two of them will not have any further contact. If you need any further compensation, please feel free to say so.”

Gu Baozhi pulled her hand away. “I appreciate your understanding. I don’t want anything from you. Just stay away from my daughter, that’s enough. I’m sorry to have bothered you today. I hope we don’t have to meet again in the future.”

With that, she left.

Chen Xuelian finally gave Bai Yingtǐng a glare and walked upstairs to find Bai Tan. She felt for her daughter. It was probably for the best that she was leaving. She wasn’t at ease with her staying here alone anyway.

…

Gu Zhu didn’t know what Gu Baozhi had said to Bai Tan. She only knew that Bai Tan had transferred schools again. Just as she had arrived abruptly, she left silently.

The second semester of senior year officially began. Luo Minmin had changed classes, Bai Tan had left, and the seat next to hers was empty.

She could feel the subtle glances from others. The school had explicitly forbidden them from discussing it, saying it was all just rumors and a prank by some people, and that all students should focus on their studies and not be distracted by irrelevant matters.

Overt discussions could be forbidden, but the whispers and strange looks couldn’t be. Especially not with Bai Tan’s sudden transfer.

Even without a complete story, people could still make up their own.

“Bang!” A school bag was suddenly thrown onto the desk. Not only was Gu Zhu startled, but others also turned to look.

Gu Zhu looked up and saw someone standing beside her. Qin Tianai pulled out the seat, and as she sat down, she remembered to ask, “From today on, I’ll be sitting here. Is that okay?”

Gu Zhu was stunned. She nodded, and before she could say anything, she was called again.

“Gu Zhu, there’s a question I don’t quite understand. Can you explain it to me?” It was You Lili.

“Me too, me too! Please explain it to me, top student!” It was Li Ruoruo.

“I heard the cafeteria has a new dish today. Let’s go eat together after class!” It was Gu Xiaoxi and Gu Xiaojuan.

“Okay, okay! I’m a fast runner. I’ll go save seats for you all as soon as class is over!” Huang Tingxi showed off her muscles.

“Mm-hmm, I’ll go buy drinks for you all. I got so much red envelope money. Don’t be shy!” Luna shook her meal card.

Gu Zhu was suddenly surrounded. Her gaze rested on each of their faces for a few seconds. Seeing their sincere and honest smiles, she finally nodded. “Okay.” She paused, then added, “If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can all ask me.”

At the front of the classroom, Chang Ru clapped her hands on the podium. “Those who haven’t handed in their chemistry homework, hurry up! The college entrance exam is coming, and you’re still not being proactive. Have you all been granted early admission, or are you all getting into Tsinghua and Peking University? You all have too much time on your hands.”

As if awakened, the previously strange and tense atmosphere in the class suddenly flowed smoothly again. Someone wailed, “Ah! I forgot my homework! Quick! Lend it to me to copy! Save me!”

“A friend in need! I haven’t finished either. Which buddy will lend me theirs to copy?”

The strange looks and gossip no longer revolved around Gu Zhu. She gripped her pen, then let go, and looked out the window.

The holiday had just ended. In theory, it was already spring, but the bitter winter seemed reluctant to leave. A cold snap had arrived again.

Outside the window, there was only the howling wind. That unique, passionate, and vibrant summer had died. The cicadas’ song had faded, and the trees were silent.

Her summer migratory bird had flown away after all.

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