Lemon Soda Candy - 2
All Tangled to Him
That day, Zhou Anran stood there, red-faced, for what felt like forever.
The skin at the small of her back still burned, like that hot, strong hand was still there, pressed against her through the thin fabric of her late-summer clothes.
Her heart was a frantic drumbeat in her chest.
Her mind was nothing but his face.
She pressed her lips together, then, suddenly, turned and hurried back downstairs.
She went straight to the bulletin board, and starting from the very first one on the class roster, she read carefully, name by name.
When she finally found the three characters that matched to the name she'd heard, and saw they were in her class, it felt like a cosmic miracle, a stroke of impossible luck.
She'd thought high school would be even grueling than middle school. A bleak stretch of time where all that existed was studying and more studying.
Chen Luobai was like a sudden beam of light, cutting through the gray of her youth.
Such a shame that light was so blinding.
To put it mildly, he was single-handedly illuminating the youth of half the girls in No. 2 High.
He was a star you could look at, but never reach.
Being in the same class with him had probably used up all her luck. Later, when seats were assigned, they ended up separated by rows and columns, a whole classroom away. Add her shy personality to the mix, and a month into the semester, she'd barely spoken a word to him.
They were basically strangers who'd happened to cross path a few times.
---
"Sorry about that, Classmate!”
The shout came from the court. It was a guy from their class, Zhu Ran, one of Chen Luobai's closest friends.
Zhou Anran snapped back to the present, remembering she still hadn't thanked him.
She opened her mouth, but before she could get the words out, Zhu Ran was yelling again.
"Chen Luobai! What are you standing there for? Get down here and play!"
Chen Luobai was still holding the ball that had nearly hit her. He gave it another lazy spin, as if from a habit. "Not today. My mom's picking me up.”
"No way, Luo-ge! We were all counting on you for dinner," another guy, Tang Jianrui, chimed in.
Chen Luobai shot him a flat look. "Counting on me for dinner, or counting on me to pay?"
Tang Jianrui grinned without a hint of shame. "Same difference.”
Chen Luobai jerked his chin toward Zhu Ran. "It's still on me. Let Zhu Ran cover it first, I'll transfer it to him later."
"You got it, Luo-ge. Hurry up then."
"Yeah, don't keep your mom waiting."
Chen Luobai tossed the ball back and laughed. "You guys have no shame."
As he threw it, his arm muscles tensed, veins standing out in stark relief, a display of a strength so different from a girl's.
Zhou Anran thought about that hand—the way it had felt, steady against her back that day. Her mind drifted for a second.
When she came back to her senses, Chen Luobai already strode past her. Several steps ahead.
Tang Jianrui caught the ball, dribbled in place a few times, and shouted after him, "See you next week, Luo-ge!"
In the fading sun, Chen Luobai didn't look back, just raised a hand in a lazy wave. The black backpack slung over his right shoulder swayed with the movement, catching the warm, orange light.
Zhou Anran didn't have the courage to call out to him.
The "thank you" on the tip of her tongue was left unsaid once again.
Yan Xingxi looped her arm through hers. "Come on, let's go."
Zhou Anran mumbled, "Mm."
The boy up ahead was all long legs, the distance between them growing with every step.
And growing along with it was Zhou Anran's frustration.
How could she...
Let another chance to say thank you slip by again?
Yan Xingxi also stared at his retreating back for a second, then blurted out, "Ranran, I'm so jealous."
Zhou Anran tried to push her own feelings down. "About what?"
"About Chen Luobai."
Zhou Anran: "?"
Yan Xingxi was a hardcore fangirl, her heart belonging only to her idol. She was one of the few girls in class who was completely immune to Chen Luobai. They hardly ever talked about him.
"Why are you jealous—" Zhou Anran paused. She could have just said 'him' and kept it vague, but a small, selfish part of her wanted to say his name. "of Chen Luobai?"
"You know how they say when God closes a door, he opens a window? Well, I'm pretty sure my little window is boarded up." Yan Xingxi made a face. "But I see God has paved a heaven's path for Chen Luobai."
Zhou Anran couldn't help but smile. "What kind of strange, twisted logic is that?"
"It's not twisted, it's facts! Look, his dad's a big-shot entrepreneur, his mom's a senior partner at the most prestigious law firm in the city, and I heard his grandparents are university professors. The guy was literally born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He beat second place by, like, thirty points on last month's exams. His handwriting was gorgeous in the essay the teacher showed us today. As for his looks, well, he's not my type, but he's definitely our school's heartthrob. He could give some idols a run for their money, and he's got that clean, fresh vibe going for him."
Yan Xingxi paused, counting on her fingers. "Family, brains, looks. Most people would be set for life if they got just one of those. But he got all three. Tell me that's not infuriating."
A knot tightened in Zhou Anran's stomach. She mumbled in agreement, "Yeah."
He's just too dazzling.
That's why it's daunting.
Yan Xingxi suddenly perked up. "Oh, right! I heard the basketball coach tried to recruit him for the school team. And our team is legit, they're always top three in the city league. The main players are all guys with a real shot at going pro. If the coach noticed him, it means he's already on a whole other level."
The tall, lean figure ahead walked with long strides, the increasing distance between them a physical reminder of the gap that would only grow wider.
Even someone as carefree as Yan Xingxi seemed to feel it. She let out a long sigh. "Forget it. I'm just making myself more jealous. Let's go get some milk tea."
Chen Luobai had already disappeared through the school gates.
Zhou Anran looked away. "Okay."
She’d walked a few steps, head down, when she heard Yan Xingxi start humming beside her. "The mountains are steep, the waters are cruel, hardship I've known, bitterness I've chewed, I'll walk the heaven's path of life~"
Yan Xingxi's voice was sweet. The contrast with the old, dramatic theme song was funny.
Zhou Anran laughed, the tightness in her chest loosening a little. "Why are you suddenly humming that?"
Yan Xingxi shrugged. "No idea. It just popped into my head. Maybe because we were just talking about that heaven's path. Old songs are so much better, though. What even is most of the stuff they put out these days?"
Zhou Anran teased her, "And if your idol releases a new song?"
Yan Xingxi groaned. "Don't even. Who knows when that'll be. Could be never.”
---
When Zhou Anran got home, both her parents were still at work.
She dropped her bag on the living room couch, went to the kitchen to wash and start the rice for dinner, then came back, grabbed her bag, and headed to her room.
She pulled out her math homework and a scratch book from the bookshelf. As she flipped it open, her fingers froze at a certain page.
The whole page was covered in poetry. Lines and lines of it, neatly written.
Her eyes went straight to the fifth line, the seventh line, and the ninth.
"White(白) clouds drift homeward / Beneath what eaves does the bright moon land(洛)?"
"New leaves in the woods push out the old(陈) / Wave upon wave, the river flows on.”
"Whose jade flute's hidden notes fly on the wind / Scattering through spring into the city of Luo(洛)?”
She didn't even dare to write his name openly. This was the only way she could show her feelings, tucking them away in plain sight.
The complicated emotions flooded back.
Sour, sweet, and bitter, all mixed together.
All tangled up with him.
Theimage of that retreating back flashed in her mind. She pressed her lips together, pushed the feelings down, flipped to a clean page, and forced herself to focus on her homework.
It's hard. But I have to try harder.
I want to catch up to him. I want to get just a little closer.
Stuck on one problem, she bit her lip, trying to rework it in her head, her pen moving absently across the paper.
When she finally snapped out of it, nearly half the page was filled with the characters for "Heavens Path."
Yan Xingxi had hummed that song the whole way home.
It was just the ending theme from a show she'd watched as a kid.
But because it was now tangled up with him, the words felt different, heavy with meaning.
They were soaked in all that sour, sweet, bitter feelings.
Zhou Anran stared at the page, the tip of her pen just starting a new stroke when her door suddenly flew open.
Her heart lurched. She slammed her hand down on the scratch book, whipping around to face the intruder, a small note of annoyance in her voice. "Mom! You have to knock!"
"Why would I knock in my own house?" Seeing her daughter's guilty flinch, He Jiayi walked over, set a plate of washed fruit on the desk, and stood right next to her. "What were you writing that you had to hide it the second I came in?"
It had been a knee-jerk reaction. Zhou Anran, belatedly realizing there was nothing incriminating on the page, obediently moved her hand.
He Jiayi looked down.
Half the page was numbers and formulas. The other half was covered in "Heavens Path," written over and over.
He Jiayi gave her a look. "?"
"Why are you writing Heaven's Path so many times?"
Zhou Anran curled her fingers into her palm. "No reason. I just... felt like watching Journey to the West all of a sudden."
He Jiayi laughed. "You're a little old for that, aren't you? You're in tenth grade now. Focus on your schoolwork."
Zhou Anran looked down. "I know, Mom."
"Eat some fruit." He Jiayi pointed at the plate. "I'm going to start dinner."
---
After her mom left, Zhou Anran worked for another forty minutes.
She rolled her neck, stiff from hunching over, tidied her desk, and got up to leave her room.
Her dad was home now.
Her parents were both in the kitchen, talking.
The rumble of the range hood covered the sound of her footsteps. They didn't hear her coming.
Their voices drifted out.
"Hey, Old Zhou, guess what I saw on your daughter's scratch book today?" He Jiayi said.
"What?" Zhou Xianhong asked.
"Half a page of ‘Heaven Path.'" He Jiayi chuckled. "You can stop worrying about her dating early now. Your girl's still a kid. Still wants to watch Journey to the West."
Zhou Xianhong laughed. "She is still a kid."
Zhou Anran stopped walking.
She knew her mom hadn't been snooping. But hearing her mom casually tell her dad about something she'd written on her own book still felt like her boundaries didn't exist.
She pressed her lips together and reached for the door.
Her parents finally noticed her.
He Jiayi turned. "Hungry?"
Zhou Anran wasn't really in the mood to talk. She just shook her head, sulking.
He Jiayi gestured at a plate on the counter. “Not hungry? Take these chicken feet to Xixi. Two more dishes and dinner's ready. Should be done by the time you're back."
Zhou Anran walked over.
Four dishes were already laid out on the counter.
All her favorites.
Her mom's job wasn't easy. On weekdays, when her parents weren't working overtime, they'd often just throw together a simple noodle dish for dinner. But on weekends, when she eats dinner at home, her mom would spend an extra hour cooking for her.
The little flicker of annoyance, just... vanished before she'd even fully felt it.
---
After dinner, Zhou Xianhong put the dishes into the kitchen, then went straight to the living room and turned on the TV.
"You're just going to leave them in the sink?" He Jiayi's voice was sharp with disapproval.
Zhou Xianhong picked up the remote. "It's CBA opening night. I'll wash them after the game.”
Zhou Anran had been about to offer. At this, she swallowed the words and went to sit beside him. "Dad, I'll watch with you."
He Jiayi, who was on her way to the balcony to get the laundry, stopped. "Done with homework?"
Zhou Anran nodded dutifully. "Finished."
"Then go preview tomorrow's lessons. You're in high school now, why are you watching TV?"
Zhou Xianhong cut in. "She's only a first-year. She can have a break after dinner. And it's a basketball game, not a drama. They have PE, don't they? Maybe she'll learn something."
He Jiayi considered this. "Fine. Half an hour."
Zhou Xianhong protested, "Half an hour isn't even enough for half a game!"
He Jiayi glanced at her daughter's small, delicate face. "Forty-five minutes. And that's final."
A small smile touched Zhou Anran's lips, but it vanished when her dad suddenly spoke again.
"What's with the sudden interest in watching with your old man? You were never into this before."
A tall figure running across a basketball court flashed through Zhou Anran's mind. The words were out before she could stop them. "It's cool."
Zhou Xianhong put the remote down, one eyebrow raised. "What's cool?"
Zhou Anran: ...
Liking someone is hard to hide.
It always finds a way to leak out through some tiny crack.
She scrambled to cover it. But she'd never paid attention when her dad watched CBA. Her mind raced through the only player's name she knew. "Yi Jianlian."
Zhou Xianhong smiled. "Good taste. But Guangdong isn't playing tonight.”
Zhou Anran had no idea who or what 'Guangdong' was. Her heart was still hammering. She just nodded vaguely. "Then I'll just... watch with you anyway."
---
One autumn rain brings a spell of cold.
After a heavy downpour on Sunday, the temperature in Nancheng plummeted by Monday morning.
When Zhou Anran and Yan Xingxi arrived at school, they saw that almost everyone had already switched to their fall uniforms just like them.
They reached the classroom at exactly seven.
Yan Xingxi sat down and immediately started frantically copying her math homework.
Zhou Anran sat beside her, pulled out her English book, and was about to startmemorizing vocab when a classmate, Wang Qintong, came over and asked quietly, "Zhou Anran, can I switch seats with you for a bit? I have a few physics questions for He Mingyu."
He Mingyu was the physics class rep.
Zhou Anran nodded, grabbed her English book and a notebook, and stood up to give Wang Qintong her seat.
As she walked toward Wang Qintong's desk, her heartbeat began to accelerate.
Wang Qintong's seat...
Was diagonally in front of Chen Luobai's.
His seat was empty, exactly as she'd seen it on Friday.
Zhou Anran glanced at it, then quickly looked away and sat down.
Morning self-study at No. 2 High was optional, but as one of the experimental classes, almost everyone in Class 2 showed up early.
The period hadn't started yet, but more than half the students were already there.
Monday mornings after a break always felt a little more restless than the rest of the week. Even an experimental class wasn't immune.
The room buzzed with low chatter.
But none of it was as distracting as the empty seat diagonally behind her.
It took her longer than usual to focus.
She worked through her vocab in order, listed out the ones with the same prefixes and suffixes to analyze them, and finally copied the ones she always mixed up with other words into a designated notebook.
Once she was fully absorbed, the noise around her seemed to fade away.
Until a name cut through.
"Chen Luobai."
Like a spell. It yanked her out of her focused state, and all the sounds of the room came rushing back.
People talking.
People moving.
Chairs scraping against the floor.
Is one of those footsteps his?
A part of her wanted to turn around and look.
But that would be too obvious.
She didn't need to, though. She found out soon enough.
The chair behind her moved. The scrape was close. And that clean, familiar scent she'd caught on Friday wafted into her senses.
She'd never sat this close to him. Her back went rigid.
Then Zhu Ran's voice rang out from right behind her.
"Chen Luobai, you look wrecked. What'd you do last night?"
Zhou Anran's pen froze.
The boy diagonally behind her didn't answer. But after a brief pause, Zhu Ran kept going, his voice dropped, taking on a knowing tone. "Don't tell me you were up all night chatting with that gorgeous senior from last week?"
Zhou Anran's pen slipped. A sharp, ugly line gouged across her notebook.
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