Lemon Soda Candy - 14

"Have you made up your mind?" It was Lou Yiqi who answered.

Yin Yizhen responded with a soft 'um'. 

"What about Zong Kai?" Lou Yiqi asked again.

Yin Yizhen paused, "We grew up together, he's just like a brother to me."

"But I always felt like he sees you as more than a sister," said Lou Yiqi. 

Yin Yizhen: "He also sees me as a sister, don't worry about him. Never mind that. Just tell me if I should ask him out this weekend or not."

Lou Yiqi also paused for a moment, "I think it's better if you don't ask him out for now."

"Why?" Yin Yizhen asked.

Lou Yiqi: "Let's talk outside."

A sound of dragging chairs was heard.

With the retreating footsteps, the classroom once again sank into silence.

Zhou Anran, however, was not able to continue her sleep. 

***

Yan Xingxi didn't take anything from the bag of snacks. Zhou Anran brought them home after the evening self study that day.

She cleared out a separate drawer and carefully placed everything inside.

She had no idea if it was picked by him or not. But probably because he was not that familiar with Yan Xingxi, the snacks in the bag looked like they were picked at random from the mini-mart. There were all sorts of things inside; gummies, candies, cookies, chocolates, spicy bars, sodas, milk, and many more. It nearly occupied an entire large drawer.

Unfortunately, none of them could be kept for long.

Zhou Anran gazed at the full drawer for a moment before slowly closing it, as if she was locking away all the tumultuous emotions in her heart along with it.

Afterwards, she pulled the physics test papers from her school bag and spread them out on the desk.

The first monthly exam of this semester is coming up soon.

While she might not possess the same courage and composure as other girls when it comes to approaching him, she should at least fulfill her responsibilities as a student. 

Though it had been proven that attempting to gain his attention by outperforming him in a single subject was a futile idea. She didn't study hard solely because of him.

She, too, has a university she wants to go to. 

However, once the two-day monthly exam on Thursday and Friday concluded and the pressure eased a little. The emotions that had been suppressed in her heart for the past few days, suddenly surged back like a rebounding spring.

Throughout the weekend, Zhou Anran wondered whether Yin Yizhen had asked him out, if she had, would he agree and where would they go. 

But not even a million guesses would give her an answer.

She had no place to ask.

Nor did she dare to ask.

Her heart seemed to be once again wrapped in fine threads, it was so suffocating that it was hard to breathe. Zhou Anran tried to find something to occupy herself.

She ate some candies in the drawer, put the wrappers aside, cleaned them and folded them into flowers, wanting to preserve the only things she had that related to him for a long time. 

She actually wasn't much of a sweet tooth.

And this kind of manual work that didn't require much brain power couldn’t make her stop from thinking wildly.

As the overly sweet candy melted in her mouth, somehow there seemed to be a slight bitterness lingered. 

***

On the way to school that Monday morning, even Yan Xingxi could sense that something was amiss with her.

"Ranran, what's the matter with you?" Yan Xingxi turned her head and observed her closely. "You were confined to your house all weekend and refused to go out. Now you look listless even though it is still early in the morning."

Zhou Anran pursed her lips, "I'm fine, just a little worried about the grades."

Yan Xingxi was confused, "Didn't you say you did fine last Friday? If anything, I should be the one worrying."

Zhou Anran was already feeling guilty for keeping a secret from her and didn't want her to worry about herself. She forced herself to smile and attempted to lighten the mood, "Exactly, I'm worried about your grades."

"Great, you actually made fun of me." Yan Xingxi reached out to tickle her.

The two of them bickered their way to the bus stop.

At school, Zhou Anran had just sat down after cleaning the desks and chairs, when Zhang Shuxian breezed into the classroom. She placed her school bag randomly and turned around to plop down on Yan Xingxi's desk.

"I have news for you guys."

Zhou Anran's heart skipped a beat.

News about Chen Luobai always traveled quickly among the students at school.

With a great curiosity in her face, Yan Xingxi also plopped down on the desk, her eyes sparkled, "Tell me, tell me, what news?"

Zhang Shuxian pretended to be secretive, "Guess."

"How can I guess this?" Yan Xingxi said, "C'mon, don't keep us waiting in suspense."

"Then, I'll tell you~" Zhang Shuxian deliberately dragged out her tone.

Zhou Anran's fingertips clenched at her sides, fearing she would hear the name that she usually wanted to hear in the following sentence.

Zhang Shuxian paused dramatically before continuing, "I heard that two seniors were doing that thing at school last Friday."

Zhou Anran let out a quiet sigh of relief. 

"What thing?" Yan Xingxi asked curiously.

Zhang Shuxian glanced around, when she saw that no boys were paying attention to them, she lowered her voice and said, "Kiss, obviously." 

Yan Xingxi appeared disappointed, "Just kissing? I thought it was something more."

Zhang Shuxian: "Wait up, it didn't just end there. Kissing is no big deal, sure. But when they were kissing, they were caught in the act by several students and the dean. I heard their parents were called and they both received demerits. It seems that there will be an announcement today criticizing them too."

"Is it that serious?" Yan Xingxi was surprised.

Zhang Shuxian sighed, "I guess they're using this accident to set an example, they're afraid others will follow. After all, our school has always been strict when it comes to this matter."

Zhou Anran was still preoccupied with other thoughts, she pressed her lips together and inquired quietly, "Is there anything else?"

"What else?" It took Zhang Shuxian a moment to comprehend before she reacted, "Are you asking if there is any other news? Ranran, when did you become interested in gossip?"

She was so astonished that she even reached up to pinch Zhou Anran's face.

"Ranran, your face is so soft."

Zhou Anran: "......"

Zhang Shuxian leaned over Yan Xingxi's desk and gazed at her, "Hey, Ranran I realize that you're very pretty."

Zhou Anran covered her cheek that had been pinched, feeling a slight warmth in her face for no apparent reason.

At that moment, Lou Yiqi, who had been sitting in front of her without engaging in the conversation, looked back at her and then turned around again. 

Yan Xingxi rolled her eyes, "You just realize that now?" 

"Well, I usually only look at the handsome guys. Why would I stare at other female classmates?" Zhang Shuxian reasoned, "Besides, Ranran always keeps a low profile. Before I started sitting here with you guys, I didn't really notice her much." 

Zhang Shuxian conveniently omitted the fact that their class happened to have an outgoing and decent-looking Lou Yiqi who could discreetly dress up. There was also a stunning school grass whose presence could overshadow anyone. Such an overly quiet girl like Zhou Anran was indeed quite easy to unintentionally miss people's attention. 

Zhang Shuxian rested on Yan Xingxi's desk and continued to gaze at Zhou Anran. The longer she looked at her, the more she realized how stunning she was.

She had that pure and captivating beauty that you can't get tired of.

She has fair skin, big eyes, and two small dimples that appear when she smiles. She just has a little baby fat on her face. 

"Ranran, let's have lunch together again today."

Suddenly there was a loud noise from the front row, Lou Yiqi seemed to have strongly slammed a book onto the desk.

Yan Xingxi blinked her eyes in surprise.

On the contrary, Zhang Shuxian acted as if nothing had happened, "Can I?"

Zhou Anran nodded, "Sure, but you need to stop staring at me."

"No." Zhang Shuxian said with a smile, "Staring at beautiful women is good for our overall well-being."

Zhou Anran: "..."

Chen Luobai entered the classroom right before self-study began.

Seeing that only Zhu Ran was following behind him, Zhou Anran breathed a sigh of relief again. But the next morning, she was still a little worried.

She was afraid she would see Yin Yizhen come to see him alone, or to hear any gossip about them.

Sometimes she thought that if he really had feelings for Yin Yizhen, it would be better if she'd find out sooner. This way, she could let go of her own feelings earlier.

But it was nothing more than a mere fleeting thought.

'Fear' clearly prevailed.

That noon, she accidentally ran into him in the cafeteria. 

His group of friends arrived before hers. Zhang Shuxian chose to sit at the table directly behind them. He and Zhu Ran had their backs turned towards her, while Yin Yizhen and Zong Kai were facing her.

None of them, including the new addition of Sheng Xiaowen, were familiar with his group of friends. They didn’t go to say hello and instead focused on eating.

Halfway through the meal, Zong Kai asked. 

"Why did you two suddenly go to D City this weekend?"

Zhou Anran, who was about to take a bite of ribs, stopped. 

It was Zhu Ran who responded, "AhLuo received a few CBA tickets from his relatives. Initially, we wanted to invite you along, but in the end, we decided not to. We didn't call you since you mentioned that you would go shopping with Yin Yizhen on weekend." 

"Why didn't you call us?" Yin Yizhen asked angrily.

Zhu Ran: "There are only three tickets, and it's supposed to be a guys' outing, it would be troublesome to bring a girl."

"I never asked you to take me," Yin Yizhen replied.

"The tickets belong to AhLuo, he also thinks it's troublesome to bring a girl," Zhu Ran nudged Chen Luobai with his elbow, "Isn't that right, AhLuo?"

The boy chuckled softly, "It's quite troublesome indeed."

Yin Yizhen shook Zong Kai's hand and said, "Zong Kai, they're bullying me."

Zong Kai rubbed her head, "Zhu Ran is right this time. If AhLuo didn't find girls troublesome, he wouldn't still be single now."

Zhang Shuxian put down the duck bone, wiped her hands with a paper towel, whispered in a gossipy tone, "I don't believe our school grass think girls are troublesome; he probably just hasn't found the one he likes yet."

Yan Xingxi nodded, "I think so too."

"Hey——" Zhang Shuxian continued to gossip, "What kind of girl do you think our school grass Chen would like? He didn't like those pretty girls who confessed to him before. And he doesn't seem to be interested in sweet and coquettish girls like Yin Yizhen either." 

Sheng Xiaowen: "No idea. I feel like he's more interested in basketball and studying than girls."

"If I were him-" Zhang Shuxian pondered, propping her chin up, her gaze shifting towards Zhou Anran, "I'll like a pure and gentle girl like Ranran."

Even though Zhou Anran was aware that she was just talking nonsense, her heart still couldn't help but beat faster.

Yan Xingxi glanced across the room and seemed to realize something, she suddenly changed the topic, "Huh, Lou Yiqi isn't with them."

The smile on Zhang Shuxian's face faded, "Yin Yizhen doesn't call her every time."

Sheng Xiaowen: "You two still haven't made up?"

"Made up for what?" Zhang Shuxian pursed her lips, "She will forget about me as soon as Yin Yizhen calls her anyway." 

***

The following day, the results and rankings for the monthly exam were announced.

Zhou Anran's rankings remained unchanged from the last semester's final exam

Although her ranking did not improve, Zhou Anran was not overly disappointed. After all, No. 2 High School is renowned as one of the top high schools in the province. The students at the top of the rankings were all exceptional straight-A students. The higher you rank, the more difficult it becomes to move up the rank. 

Yan Xingxi, on the other hand, failed the math exam again this time, her rank in class dropped a few places.

Fortunately, she had always been open-minded and optimistic, and was not too upset about it.

However, that evening, not long after Zhou Anran arrived home, there was a knock on the door. Ms. He went to answer it and saw Yan Xingxi and her mother, Song Qiu.

Zhou Anran had not yet gone to her bedroom, she heard Song Qiu saying that a friend sent over some cherries and she came to deliver a box to their home.

Having been friends with her for decades, Ms. He was not polite and took the box, remarked,"Why did you make the trip yourself? You could have just asked Ranran to bring them over from your house. Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"

Zhou Anran came out from the living room and greeted Song Qiu, "Auntie Song."

Song Qiu entered the house and changed into slippers, smiling and nodding at Zhou Anran, "I'm also here to get something from Ranran."

Curious, He Jiayi asked, "Get something from Ranran?"

Yan Xingxi was also puzzled, "Mom, what do you want to get from Ranran?"

Song Qiu glanced at her, "Don't think I don't know that you've hidden a bunch of CDs and merchandise here at Ranran's place. Hand everything over honestly this time. I won't scold you."

Zhou Anran: "..."

Yan Xingxi: "..."

"Mom–"

Yan Xingxi was just about to whine, but was interrupted by Song Qiu.

"Don't even try. I let you keep some last time, and look at what your grades have regressed to. If you refuse this time, I will even confiscate your phone." 

Yan Xingxi shut up and didn't dare to say anything.

"Auntie Song." Zhou Anran looked at Yan Xingxi's unhappy face and tried to help speak for her, "I-"

Song Qiu also interrupted her, "Ranran, it's no use to plead for her this time. If you really want to help, help Auntie tutor her in math when you have time. If she can bring her rank back up to where it was before it dropped, I'll naturally return her stuff."

Zhou Anran nodded.

Yan Xingxi hurriedly chimed in, "You have to keep your words."

Song Qiu got angry, "First, get your ranking back to where it was before it dropped, then we can talk. There will be a parent-teacher meeting after the midterm exam, you should at least give me some face."

This time, Song Qiu made sure that Yan Xingxi couldn't pull any tricks. She personally collected everything in the drawer that Zhou Anran had reserved for Yan Xingxi, leaving nothing behind, not even a small sticker. 

Seeing Yan Xingxi's dejected expression, Zhou Anran quietly asked her, "Do you want to stay at my place tonight?"

Yan Xingxi, who had a lot of grievances she needed to vent, eagerly nodded.

Zhou Xianhong is working overtime at the company and hasn't returned yet. After collecting all the stuff, Song Qiu didn't leave right away. Instead, she stayed to chat with He Jiayi in the living room.

Zhou Anran accompanied Yan Xingxi to the building across the street to get her school bag and clothes for change.

While changing shoes at the door, they overheard Ms. He consoling Song Qiu, "She's still young. It's only her first year of high school, you don't have to be so strict with her."

"The first year of high school will be over soon, and the following two years will pass by swiftly." Song Qiu sighed, "You're lucky you didn’t have to worry about Ranran."

Ms. He: "Ranran is a bit too introverted, it would be nice if she can be as lively as Xixi."

Yan Xingxi opened the door.

As soon as they stepped outside, she rolled her eyes, "They always repeat the same thing everytime they talk about us. Don't they ever get tired of it? Even I grow tired of hearing it. Adults are such hypocrites."

Zhou Anran closed the door and grabbed Yan Xingxi's hand, somewhat absent-minded.

Is being introverted really a weakness?

But she couldn't change no matter how hard she tried.

It was much more difficult than studying.

For some reason, as she pondered on this, she was reminded of the question Zhang Shuxian asked earlier today, a question that had crossed her mind countless times.

What about him?

What kind of girl would he like?

***

Yan Xingxi spent the whole night venting out her grievances. But she quickly recovered her spirit the following morning.

The moment she arrived at school, Yan Xingxi immersed herself in her desk and drafted a plan, which she later titled 'Save Idol Project'. She also shared a copy to Zhou Anran and asked to help supervise her. 

The classroom was always a bit noisy before the morning self-study session, with various sounds of studying, walking, and chatting blending together. 

Zhou Anran took the opportunity to glanced back as the homework was being passed from the back seat to the front, just in time to see Chen Luobai walk in through the backdoor. 

After the wave of late spring cold last week, the weather in Nancheng was warming up again.

The boy was wearing a loose summer uniform, holding his school bag in his hand. However, his usual relaxed smile was absentvand his jawline appeared tense. He seemed visibly unhappy.

Suddenly, the boy sitting behind her spoke up, "Zhou Anran, is there something wrong with my paper?"

Zhou Anran came to her senses and did not dare to continue staring, "No, I thought I had a different answer than yours to one of the questions, but I was mistaken."

She turned around, took out her paper and handed it to Lou Yiqi in front of her. Her mind was preoccupied with only one question -

Did something happened to him? 

---

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