Stuttering Big Boss’s White Moonlight - Chapter 3

The plan to approach Gu Miao wasn’t as easy as imagined.

For the entire day, whenever they had breaks in between classes, people would surround Cheng Chu.

They were extremely curious about her and they constantly bombarded her with questions.

Thinking that she will be spending more than a year with these students, Cheng Chu patiently answered their questions one by one.

Yes. Cheng Chu was determined to stay in this class, regardless of whether she’ll have the chance to return to the Special Class or not.

***

In her last life, she was “exiled” to the Ordinary Class. Ever since she was a child, she always had a smooth sailing lifestyle; she never experienced many hardships. But then she was switched out of the Special Class, she felt so angry and shameful.

So during the two months in the class, she focused on studying and didn’t pay much attention nor interact much with her peers.

Thus distanced her and her classmates.

From her faint distant memory, she recognized the class captain and a few particularly active classmates but no one else.

Still their enthusiasm warmed her heart.

***

The end of the school day quickly approached and the last class was a self-study period. As soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of the class period, everyone rushed out of the classroom.

Cheng Chu wanted to turn around and speak to Gu Miao but the homeroom teacher called her to the office.

There were a couple of teachers there.

The homeroom teacher, Lin Yue, pushed up her glasses and asked kindly: “Cheng Chu, how was your first day in class?”

“Very good.” Cheng Chu smiled and nodded: “Everyone is very welcoming.”

“That’s good. I just called you in here to check up on you. I was afraid that you might feel overwhelmed in a new class. It’s late now, you should head home.”

Lin Yue really liked this student. Back when she taught freshman students, she particularly favored Cheng Chu.

By the time Cheng Chu left the office, the sky was painted a crimson sunset glow and soft clouds were layered on top of each other like pancakes. It was like a fairytale world.

Her pocket vibrated twice. Cheng Chu turned on her phone and saw that it was a text message sent from Mrs. Zhao. Her son was sick and she wanted to take two days off.

Cheng Chu replied with her approval. Then she asked if her son was seriously ill and if they needed help.

Mrs. Zhao gratefully replied with her thanks. She said that her son was alright and simply needed someone’s care, nothing too serious.

The cold wind drifted across the campus grounds. Cheng Chu was walking while texting. After wishing Mrs.Zhao a safe trip and ending the conversation, she realized that she had reached the school gates.

At the time, the sky had turned dark, and warm yellow street lights filled the streets.

There were many small eateries positioned across from the school, each shining with colorful LED lights and signs, easily distracting people’s attention.

Among these “inviting displays”, one restaurant was particularly eye-catching. [妖艳贱货– typically used to describe seducing women. Do comment below if there’s a better translation.]

It looked different compared to other diners, that seemed to pour every color imaginable on their signs. This one simply chose a dazzling red color theme, making it look more prominent.

Cheng Chu recognized this diner. She remembered that she ate there once in her second year of high school. The food tasted good but when she wanted to revisit it later, the store had shut down.

Since Mrs. Zhao took the night off, she must settle her dinner plans herself. Without hesitation, Cheng Chu briskly walked into the diner.

The diner was empty. Probably because Cheng Chu left the school rather late so she missed rush hours.

A single guy was sitting lazily in front of the cash register. Only after hearing the sound of footsteps did he put down his phone.

He saw Cheng Chu and his eyes lit up. He immediately stood up and said with a diligent attitude: “Classmate, what do you want to eat?” [They are not classmates. It’s just a friendly term to address another student of their age.]

Cheng Chu looked at the menu and said: “Three Fresh Mei Fun and add a fried egg.”

The guy scratched his head and said slightly apologetically: “Sorry, the eggs are sold out today. Or you can change your topping? Our braised tofu is pretty popular on our menu.”

Cheng Chu normally eats noodles topped with fried eggs and she doesn’t like braised tofu.

“Nevermind, don’t add anything.”

The guy didn’t continue to persuade her but eagerly said: “Okay! Just sit there and wait a bit. The food will be ready soon.”

To keep the air in the dining area fresh, the cash register and the kitchen area were separated by a small window used to deliver meals.

Gu Miao stood in the smoke-filled kitchen and for a moment, he suspected that there was a problem with his ears.

Otherwise, why would he hear her voice here!

He bent down and looked out the small window and saw a figure with a slender back.

The girl took a few tissue paper and was carefully wiping down the table. Her high ponytail swayed side by side as she cleaned, seemingly teasing Gu Miao’s heart.

It’s her!

Gu Miao’s cold dark eyes flashed and his feet turned rigid as if roots grew from under him.

The steam from the kitchen covered Gu Miao’s glasses, turning them cloudy and his vision turned hazy. He simply took off his glasses and slowly approached the small window.

But then a bald head suddenly appeared.

“Hey, are you listening? One order of Three Fresh Mei Fun.”

Gu Miao came back to his senses and as if in a trance, slowly walked back to the stove. He poured noodles into the pot and stirred it back and forth with long chopsticks.

The boiling water brought bubbles to the pot’s surface almost like a small fish playfully blowing bubbles.

Gu Miao’s confused mind gradually came clear. He stared at the rice noodles and suddenly thought back to the girl’s words.

[Didn’t she say that she wanted to add an egg?]

[All the eggs in the store are indeed sold out, but there is a convenience store on the next street that sells organic eggs.]

[If I run quickly to and fro, I could make it just in time.]

Thinking this, Gu Miao sped out the back door and dash into the night. He was so fixated on getting those eggs that he didn’t even think of removing his apron.

The night wind messed up Gu Miao’s hair. He felt his heart floating in the sky and his feet stepping on fluttering clouds.

He bolted there and back in just a few minutes.

By the time he came back, the cashier guy didn’t even notice that he stepped out.

The noodles in the pot were just about ready. Gu Miao placed the freshly fried eggs on the noodles and rang the bell.

“Huh? There are eggs in the shop? Did you just fry them?” The guy wondered as he leaned against the small window.

Gu Miao pursed his lips and nodded.

The strong fragrance of rice noodles wafts throughout the diner.

“Thank you,” said Cheng Chu.

She took out the chopsticks and then she lowered her head and saw a fried egg in the bowl.

She doubtfully asked: “Eh, didn’t you say there aren’t any eggs left?”

The guy smiled embarrassedly: “Suddenly we have it again so… eh… we got you the egg.”

Generally, a noodle diner shop would fry the eggs in advance, and whoever orders it will take one.

Cheng Chu mixed the noodles in the bowl and said with a grin: “Thank you, chef.”

The shop was spacious and quiet.

Gu Miao stood behind the small window and he could distinctly hear her crisp and sweet voice.

His fingers trembled slightly.

The white mist around him felt as though they turned into affectionate feathers, teasingly brushing against his cheeks again and again.

He felt a feverish itch spreading throughout his body and to his heart, causing his heart to tremble involuntarily.

Cheng chu was the only customer in the store. Gu Miao stood silently like this until she paid her bills and left the store. Only then does Gu Miao come back to his senses.

***

There was a large temperature difference between the day and night time in Haishi city. Only at night does the icy coldness of winter come.

In the darkness, Gu Miao laid on the bed and stared dreamily at the ceiling with the girl’s smile plaguing his mind.

A chilly breeze blew through the window and filled the small room.

In contrast, Gu Miao felt a fire burning in his heart and his body blazing hot.

It had been one year, two months, and three days of secretly in love with Cheng Chu. He finally spoke to her in person, although only in a few words.

The first time he met Cheng Chu was at a new year party for freshman high school students. She sat behind the tall grand piano with her head slightly lowered and the sweet piano music flowed from her fingertips.

She was born to be a star. She only needed to sit there and she attracted everyone’s attention.

Gu Miao stood in the crowd and admired her. She was like the moon hanging in the sky, beyond reach.

They were people of two different worlds and they should never meet.

Still, he couldn’t help but search for her figure. He knew from others that she was a specially admitted music student but she also had very good grades.

Within a month of school, countless boys had already confessed to her.

In the corridor, Gu Miao often saw her surrounded by a group of people. She was the bright moon and others were mere stars.

He always hid in the dark. He didn’t even dare to greet her.

Because he stutters.

He wasn’t born with a speech disorder. Before middle school, although he was a boy with few words, he could still communicate smoothly with others.

But on one ordinary evening, when the fragrance of food usually wafts from the corridor in his house. Gu Miao, who came home from school, stood still in front of the door.

He could only smell blood.

He opened the door to see his parents laying in a pool of blood. They had long lost any signs of life.

He was only a kid in middle school. He was so scared that his whole body shook in fear. His mind went blank and breathing became a difficult task. The neighbors who happened to pass by saw something was wrong and called the police.

Soon, the police caught the criminals. They were a robbery gang that ran into Gu Miao’s parents and accidentally killed them during a fight.

Gu Miao, who saw his parents’ tragic death with his own eyes, was deeply traumatized. He refused to speak for half a month.

Only until his uncle –they weren’t close at all— took him home did he start to speak.

But he spoke in broken phrases.

Gu Miao knew that his psychological trauma was the cause of his speech barrier. His instinctive protection was by retreating into his shell and avoiding talking to anyone.

He was originally ranked first in school but his grades plummeted after the incident. Although he barely got admitted to the Haishi Number One High School, in the end, he failed to enter the Special Class.

At the new school, when he first introduced himself, he immediately exposed his stuttering habits.

Amidst the roaring waves of laughter and mockery, Gu Miao only felt a deeper sense of despair.

The students in the new class isolated him because he stutters and from time to time they would mockingly pretend to stutter as a joke.

There were times when students would collaborate on a project as a group. His groupmates would frown impatiently and urged him to speak faster and sometimes they simply cut him off mid-speech to not waste time.

He had a job in the back kitchen when he was working in the noodle diner shop because it was only physical work. He didn’t need to talk and waste time, other people’s time.

Gu Miao felt as though he was trapped in a bottomless dark hole, a place no light could reach, and wandering around like a ghost.

He could only look at the warm light longingly and enviously while hiding in a distant dark corner.

He never thought that one day that beam of light could break through the dense layers of dark clouds and shine into the bottomless pit where he resides.

Gu Miao lifted his head and looked up at the bright moon in the sky. There was never a moment in his life that made him as happy as now.