A Cold and Aloof Top Student Is Relied Upon - Chapter 68.1

Chapter 68.1: Chance Encounter

◎Hospital◎

The first thing Gu Zhu did upon returning to the capital was to visit Gu Baozhi. She chatted with her about the family’s situation and some work-related matters. Gu Zhu placed the safety charm that Chang Yuehua had specifically asked her to bring under Gu Baozhi’s pillow. “Auntie said she got this from an ancient temple. It’s been blessed and can protect you and help you recover quickly.”

Gu Baozhi let her work, her gaze fixed on Gu Zhu. She saw that her brows and eyes were peaceful and the smile at the corner of her mouth wasn’t as stiff as it used to be. She felt a bit of joy in her heart. “It’s been a long time since you went back. It’s rare to see you so happy. I’m glad your trip went smoothly.”

Gu Zhu’s hand, as she smoothed her mother’s bedspread, paused for a moment before she quickly hid any trace of emotion. She hadn’t told Gu Baozhi about her reunion with Bai Tan, nor had she said they were back together. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but she was afraid of burdening Gu Baozhi. She thought she would tell her slowly after she got a little better.

Perhaps there was still a part of her that was avoiding talking about this with Gu Baozhi. This time, she wouldn’t let go so easily. So, until she had a better understanding of whether Gu Baozhi’s attitude had softened, she chose to keep it a secret for now.

This waiting period lasted from summer to autumn. In October, for the national holiday, Bai Tan took a short break for herself, packed a large suitcase, and came to the capital.

When her plane landed, her voice was full of energy and the joy of an upcoming meeting. “You don’t need to come pick me up. I already have the address. I’ll just take a taxi there.”

Gu Zhu felt a little apologetic, but her experiment was at a critical stage, so she couldn’t go get her. She could only remind her over the phone. “Call me when you arrive. I’ll text you the password later. When you get inside, the room is to the left. You can rest first. If you get hungry, I’ll order you some food.”

It was rare to hear her say so much, and Bai Tan couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, baby, received, baby. I’ll wait for you at home. Don’t worry about me; I’ll take care of myself if I get hungry. You go back to work.”

“Alright, see you later.” Gu Zhu also realized that she had been a little long-winded without meaning to and felt a little embarrassed. As she hung up the phone, she looked up and saw Meng Yuanyi staring at her with a gossipy expression. She quickly composed herself and asked calmly, “What?”

Meng Yuanyi’s hands, which were still covered in rubber gloves, were spread out, but that didn’t stop her from teasing the person who seemed to be single for ten thousand years and only had work on her mind. “Nothing. I just feel like I’ve been deceived.” She tried to get a reaction from Gu Zhu, but the person who had her emotions in check was impenetrable. Feeling a little disappointed, she continued talking. “Some people took leave saying they were going home to visit family and just dumped their work. But what family were they visiting? Was it a romantic rendezvous? Huh, Dr. Gu? Team Leader Gu?”

Meng Yuanyi winked and her words were full of teasing. “So, you guys really got back together?”

Gu Zhu felt a little shy after being asked that. After all, on the night they first reunited, she had been so forlorn in front of her. Although the alcohol played a role, she was still not used to showing her inner self to others. But Meng Yuanyi wasn’t just anyone. Thinking that, she relaxed a little and nodded. “Yeah. She’s coming today.”

Meng Yuanyi was also happy for her and urged her more anxiously than she was. “Then let’s hurry. The sooner we finish, the sooner you can go back and have your date.”

Everyone in the studio, except for those with specific tasks, had taken a vacation. As the head and deputy of the new project team, they had given their staff time off, so they had to take over themselves. She had thought she would be here alone, but she hadn’t expected to be the only single one in the end. Meng Yuanyi worked while also having the presence of mind to sigh. Maybe she should find some time to fall in love, too.

Gu Zhu didn’t know what she was thinking and also immersed herself in her work. They didn’t finish until seven in the evening. After saying goodbye to Meng Yuanyi, she got ready to change and go back.

She had already told Bai Tan she would be late. She first went to visit Gu Baozhi, helped her shower with the nursing assistant, and then, seeing that she was resting, headed back.

The place she was returning to was the dormitory arranged by the studio, a one-bedroom apartment that was convenient for her to rest in when she was busy. The place where Gu Baozhi lived was near the hospital, a two-bedroom apartment that she rented. The two places were far apart, and unless she was staying with Gu Baozhi, she usually lived in the dorm.

As she was getting close, Gu Zhu stopped at a supermarket to buy some daily necessities and two small bowls of Zha jiang mian for a late-night snack. It was already almost eleven o’clock, so it wasn’t a good idea to eat too much.

She went up to the dorm building, opened the door with her fingerprint, and saw the lights on in the living room. Someone was curled up on the sofa, working on her laptop.

The room, though called a one-bedroom apartment, was not very big; it was more like a large studio with a partition. The sofa was less than three meters from the door, and they could look up and see each other.

Bai Tan had already showered and was wearing Gu Zhu’s pajamas, a soft cotton set that made her look gentle and beautiful under the soft light. It was as if she had belonged in this room for a long time, without any sense of strangeness or discomfort.

Seeing Gu Zhu carrying things, she quickly got up, took them from her, and said naturally, “I arrived a little late this afternoon, so I ordered some takeout. I wasn’t hungry after dinner, so I didn’t eat it. Now I’m a little hungry. What did you buy? It smells delicious!”

Gu Zhu changed into her slippers, went into the room to change into a set of casual clothes, and came out. As she used a claw clip to put up her hair, she said, “Beijing Zha jiang mian. It’s from an old restaurant that’s been open for more than twenty years. You should try it.”

Bai Tan cleared the table, saved the document on her computer, and put it under the table. The sofa was a two-seater, just big enough for both of them. She opened the takeout bag and took out their noodles. “You should eat first before you shower, or the noodles will get clumpy.”

Gu Zhu “mhmmed” and sat down. As they ate their noodles, they would occasionally chat. Bai Tan must have been really hungry, eating her noodles heartily and praising them as she ate, saying that it really lived up to its reputation as an old restaurant and was very authentic.

Gu Zhu looked at her, her eyes smiling a little. The young mistress had eaten everything, but she was never picky. When she found something delicious, she would praise it sincerely. In essence, she was a very easy person to please.

This was their first day living alone together again after so many years. There was no awkwardness or boredom as Gu Zhu had expected, but a natural warmth, as if they had been living together for a long time.

All of Bai Tan’s reactions quietly soothed the silent anxiety in Gu Zhu’s heart. The small room was filled with their conversation and the sound of running water, and the coldness of her past seemed to be filled up.

When Gu Zhu finished her shower and came out, Bai Tan patted the sofa and held up a hairdryer with a smile. “Come here. Let me give you a taste of a senior ‘Tony teacher’s’ skills.”

Gu Zhu’s hair was very long now. She hadn’t intentionally styled it. The bangs she had in high school had been grown out because she found it too troublesome to maintain. But perhaps beauties were always favored by heaven. Her hair was long and straight, and when it hung naturally, combined with her cool and distant气质, it made her seem even more elegant and ethereal.

Especially in the light, her eyes, as clear as black pearls, made people feel inexplicably intoxicated.

After carefully combing her long hair and making sure it was dry, Bai Tan put the hairdryer away. As Gu Zhu watched her silently, she finally couldn’t resist. She cupped her face and kissed her beautiful eyes.

Gu Zhu’s thin eyelids trembled slightly as a ticklish feeling spread. She unconsciously wrapped her arms around Bai Tan’s waist. As Bai Tan’s lips moved away, her upward-gazing posture was as if she were asking for a kiss.

So Bai Tan showered her with countless kisses. Every kiss was very light, filled with unspoken cherish and tenderness.

The next day, Gu Zhu still had work. She wanted to catch up on the progress so that she could be single-mindedly focused on Bai Tan later.

Bai Tan left with her. This time, she had been given a task by Chen Xuelian to come to the capital. Apparently, a certain aunt who had held her as a child, who was also Chen Xuelian’s university classmate, was sick in the hospital, and she was to visit her on her mother’s behalf.

Chen Xuelian had wanted to come herself, but she was currently abroad and couldn’t make it. Knowing that Bai Tan was coming to the capital, she told her to make a stop to visit her first, and she would come herself later when she was free.

Bai Tan readily agreed. While Gu Zhu was busy, she figured she would get the task done first. She bought a beautiful bouquet of roses from a flower shop and, following Chen Xuelian’s advice, bought some of the woman’s favorite fruits to make a fruit basket. Then she took a taxi to the hospital.

There were many people at the hospital, and a lot of people at the front desk asking for information. She waited for a while, found an opening, asked for the room number, and after confirming it, she knocked on the door and went inside.

At that time, Gu Baozhi was walking in the hallway with the nursing assistant. She walked slowly to prevent her muscles from atrophying from lying down for too long. When she looked up, she saw the person holding roses not far away and felt she looked a little familiar.

She looked like the person in her memory, but also a little different. Maybe it was because this person was more mature, taller, and had a stronger presence than the little girl in her memory.

Her heart fluttered. She thought back to Gu Zhu’s joyful mood after returning from her business trip and became a little silent. In fact, she had had some suspicions back then, guessing that the two of them had met again, which was why Gu Zhu was so happy.

But since Gu Zhu didn’t bring it up, she didn’t ask. The rain from that year hadn’t just drenched Gu Zhu; it had made her own life damp and gloomy from then on.

She had watched Gu Zhu live a repressed and painful life, as if she were burning her life in solitude. Later, when Gu Baozhi saw that Gu Zhu had finally learned to smile, she wished she hadn’t. That made her feel as if Gu Zhu was a soulless puppet, who had only learned because she needed to, because she had received new instructions from life.

She felt tormented and pained by this.

Gu Baozhi wondered, is this the safe and happy life I wanted her to have?

She had thought about it for many years. Every year she didn’t see Gu Zhu, she would think, it’s okay, after a long time, Gu Zhu will understand. She will know what is right and what is good. But when she saw Gu Zhu, she would feel a sense of doubt. Is this right? Is this the result I wanted?

She was filled with apprehension until that night when Gu Zhu returned, rambling on, and showed her a genuine, relaxed smile. Her heart felt both bittersweet and enlightened. Wasn’t this what she had always hoped for?

In truth, she only hoped that Gu Zhu would be well, that she would have a good life, and that she would be happy.

The nursing assistant saw her standing still and thought she was tired. She came over to help her back to the room to rest, but heard her say, “Please take me over there to sit for a while.”

She was truly a little tired and couldn’t walk anymore, so she had to ask the nursing assistant for help.

After who knows how long, the door to the patient’s room finally opened again.

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