Lemon Soda Candy - 22

It was scorching hot outside, Zhang Shuxian sealed the cap on her soda bottle and pressed the cool, water-soaked bottle against her face to relieve the heat.

After cooling herself, she snuggled under Zhou Anran's umbrella and sweetly wrapped her arms around Zhou Anran's, "Obviously, I'm super excited to have a vacation, but it bums me out to think about not seeing you for two months. I'll walk to the East Gate with you today.”

Zhou Anran's mood also cooled down a little.

That's right.

She can't see her friends for two months.

She can't see him either.

Sheng Xiaowen held an umbrella in one hand and used the other hand to fan her face, "Our homes are pretty close to Provincial Library. How about we study there during the summer vacation? We can go early in the morning when it's not too hot,”

Yan Xingxi objected, "Do you really need to work that hard? I was hoping to invite you all to hang out during the summer vacation, all you think about is studying.”

Zhou Anran reminded, "Your idol's CDs and merchandise are still with Aunt Song.”

Yan Xingxi immediately clenched her fist and said, "Fine, I'll go. It's just some reading.”

Sheng Xiaowen added, "We don't have to study every day. We can still go out and have fun. My birthday is coming up, I'll treat you all to karaoke.” 

"Sounds good," Zhang Shuxian agreed, "It's a plan then.”

Outside the school gate, Zhou Anran and Yan Xingxi got on different buses from Sheng Xiaowen and Zhang Shuxian at the bus stop.

After entering the residential area, Zhou Anran and Yan Xingxi separated downstairs and each went into their own building. 

During dinner, He Jiayi couldn't help asking, "Ranran, what's with you today?"

Zhou Anran blinked, "Me?"

He Jiayi pointed at the dimple on her lips, "You've been smiling nonstop since you got home. What made you so happy today?”

Zhou Anran: "......"

When it came to Yan Xingxi and the rest, she either didn't know how to tell them or was too embarrassed to say anything.

But with her parents, she simply didn't dare to let them know her thoughts.

Zhou Anran casually took a piece of food with her chopsticks and used the moment to come up with an excuse, "I felt that I did well in the exam today, and Xixi told me a joke on our way back,” 

"What joke?" Zhou Xianhong asked curiously, "Share it with dad too.”

Zhou Anran recalled the joke Yan Xingxi told a few days ago, "Why is Doraemon's world so dark?"

Zhou Xianhong: "Why?”

Zhou Anran's lips curved up again, the dimples on her cheeks faintly visible, "Because Doraemon doesn't have fingers*."

(*Since Doraemon's hand is round, he can't see anything when he stretches out his hand. 伸手不见五指 is also an idiom for pitch-dark, where visibility is so limited that you cannot even see your own hand in front of you.) 

He Jiayi: “…”

Zhou Xianhong: “…”

For the first month of the summer vacation, Zhou Anran spent most of her time studying in the provincial library with her friends. Occasionally, when Sheng Xiaowen and Zhang Shuxian were busy, she and Yan Xingxi stayed at home to do homework together.

Zhou Anran also purchased a calendar online and placed it on her desk beside a jar wrapped with paper flowers.

Each day, as she turned a page, she was one day closer to the start of the new school year, one day closer to seeing him again.

Zhou Anran thought that the entire summer vacation would pass peacefully just like this.

She forgot that life is not static and from time to time unexpected changes would arise.

Less than a month before school started, she made an appointment with her friends to go to the Provincial Library to read books as usual. However, at two o'clock in the afternoon, there was a sudden power outage in the Provincial Library due to a malfunction.

The study room in the Provincial Library has ample natural light, so the lack of electricity does not affect the lighting.

But on a summer afternoon, with no air conditioning or fans, the room was no different from a sauna.

Without discussion, all four of them agreed to go home early.

It happened to be the weekend.

Zhou Anran arrived home before half past two.

Normally, at this time, Zhou Xianhong would be watching TV and sleeping on the living room sofa. Afraid of disturbing his sleep, Zhou Anran tried to open the door as silent as possible.

Upon opening the door, she heard sounds of explosions coming from inside, it seemed that her parents were watching some historical war drama.

Since she couldn't see the living room from the entrance, she wasn't sure if Zhou Xianhong was asleep or awake. She continued to move quietly as she stepped through the doorway.

Just as she was about to close the door, she heard Zhou Xianhong talking. 

"I met Mr. Jiang from Mingsheng this morning. He said that their company is planning to open a branch in Wucheng and offered me to be the general manager.”

Zhou Anran's hand holding the door handle paused.

The noise from the TV had drowned out the sound of her entering the house, her parents in the living room hadn't noticed her arrival.

Zhou Anran heard He Jiayi's voice, "Have you agreed? You won't just be there for a short period, what about me and Ranran?”

“Not yet." Zhou Xianhong responded, "Mr. Jiang mentioned that if I agree, he will arrange a job for you there and also help Ranran to transfer to Wucheng No. 1 High School.”

"How is No. 1 High School?" He Jiayi asked.

Zhou Xianhong: "It's not inferior to the affiliated high school. The provincial science champion from last year came from their school,”

"It's a good school then." He Jiayi questioned further,"What about the salary?”

Zhou Xianhong reported a number.

"It's much higher than your current salary, and Mingsheng is a nationally renowned company, why are you hesitating?" He Jiayi said, "I've put up with your sister-in-law for years. She always acts like you only have your job because of your brother, as if you haven't contributed to the company's success all this time and we're begging for food from them. If your brother wasn't a decent person, I would have urged you to quit a long time ago, even if it meant earning less somewhere else.”

Zhou Xianhong sighed softly, "Ranran is about to enter her second year of high school. I worry that if she suddenly moves to a different city and school, she may struggle to adjust. With her reserved nature, it will definitely take her a long time to adapt to new environments. What if it affects her studies? I can still have more job opportunities in the future."

"That's true." He Jiayi also sighed, "Then let's think about it again.”

The two went on to talk about other topics.

Zhou Anran took advantage of another explosion sound to quietly slip out of the door again. As she unlocked the door for the second time, she deliberately made her movements louder, pretending as if she had just returned home.

When Zhou Anran re-entered the room, her parents had already stopped their conversation. 

She changed her shoes, walked from the entrance, and found He Jiayi and Zhou Xianhong seated next to each other on the sofa in the living room.

"Why are you back so early today?" He Jiayi asked with concern.

Zhou Anran lowered her head, "There's a sudden power outage at the Provincial Library, we decided to come back early.”

“There's watermelon in the fridge." He Jiayi pointed to the refrigerator, then as if remembering something, she suddenly stood up, "It seems that it hasn't been cut yet. Put your things down and wash your hands. I'll go cut the watermelon.”

Zhou Anran declined, saying, "If you want to eat it, you can cut it now. If not, you can do it later. Mom, I need to go to my room and finish the paper I didn't complete today first.”

He Jiayi sat down again, "Let's cut it later then.”

Zhou Xianhong watched Zhou Anran's hurried walk to the room and felt compelled to say, "You're on vacation. Don't push yourself too hard. It's fine to take a nap and finish it later.”

Zhou Anran's nose felt sore, she responded without looking back, "Got it, Dad.”

Back at her room, Zhou Anran switched on the air conditioning, retrieved the test paper from her school bag, and spread it out on the desk. Yet she couldn't concentrate on any of the questions.

She rested her head on the desk.

Zhou Xianhong and He Jiayi never shared the hardships they faced in their work or life with her.

But, when she was younger, they had not yet actively avoided discussing these matters in front of her, and it would often come up during conversations when relatives visited their home.

So Zhou Anran Zhou Anran had some knowledge about it.

When her uncle Zhou Xianji made his first fortune; his vision, courage and luck indeed played a part. Her uncle didn't have a high level of education, the reason he was able to grow his business this big was also due to her father’s contribution.

Her father didn't want to get involved in her uncle's business at first.

However, in order for her to go to a better school in the future, he wanted to buy a house in the school district, and needed additional funds. It was her uncle who took the initiative to lend him money without hesitation.

Hence, after her father helped her uncle expand his business, he didn't request dividends from the company. Instead, he just took the standard salary based on his position.

For this reason, her aunt felt that their family had greatly taken advantage of her family.

After the company got on track, her father considered resigning, but ultimately her uncle convinced him to stay.

Over the last two years, her aunt had become increasingly hostile. Whenever they met, she would make condescending comments to show off her sense of superiority.

That's why Zhou Anran pretended not to hear anything just now. 

Even though she was reluctant to leave the city where she had lived for over ten years, reluctant to part ways with her friends, and even more reluctant to lose the chance of seeing him again in the future, she knew she shouldn't selfishly expect her parents to make sacrifices for her.

But she also couldn't simply disregard everything and tell her parents that they didn't need to consider her no matter what decision they made. Not after that little interaction she had with him, and knowing how difficult it would be for her to adapt to living in another place. 

In the end, all she could do was act as if she hadn't heard anything and leave the decision to her parents.

Whether to stay or not is up to them to decide.

Zhou Anran spent the entire August feeling anxious.

Each day, she fears her parents will suddenly tell her that they're going to change jobs, move to Wucheng, and she has to transfer schools.

Yet, as the school term approached, the things she was worried about did not happen.

Zhou Anran had a vague guess, but she didn't dare to be sure about it.

The uncertainty was very uncomfortable. Two days before school began, Zhou Anran finally decided to probe her parents' stance.

That day was Monday.

Zhou Xianhong was called back to the company to work overtime, He Jiayi was the only one at home.

That afternoon, Zhou Anran was reading a book absentmindedly, all she could think about was the possibility of transferring schools. She walked to the living room under the pretence of getting some fruit and sat beside He Jiayi. 

She forked a watermelon and took a bite, trying to sound casual as she said, "Mom, school is starting soon.”

"I know that." He Jiayi replied, glancing at her,"Why, are you tired of studying and want to rest for a few days?”

"No." Zhou Anran paused, then turned to look at Ms. He, "Should I ask Xixi to go to school with me this time as well?"

Amused, He Jiayi looked at her, "When have you not gone with Xixi?”

"No. 2 High School picked an odd time to start school this year." Zhou Anran commented quietly,"After two days of classes, it'll be the weekend again.”

He Jiayi smiled, "Aren't you glad to have the weekend off? You can come with us to visit your cousin's house and meet Tuantuan.”

Zhou Anran couldn't even force a smile.

After this conversation, she was completely certain of her parents' decision.

While she hoped that they would eventually decide to stay, she couldn't help feeling sad knowing that her father had given up a great opportunity for her.

"Mom."

He Jiayi: "Why are you suddenly calling me?"

Zhou Anran buried her face into her shoulder and rubbed against it.

She didn't tell them that she had overheard their conversation, so it was difficult to thank them now.

Moreover, the closer the person and the more important the matter is to her, the more awkward she becomes in expressing her feelings.

A simple thank you didn't feel like enough to convey her current emotions.

I will treat you very well in the future.

Zhou Anran made a silent promise to her mother in her heart.

He Jiayi stroked her hair and said with an obvious smile on her face, "What's going on with you today? Why are you suddenly acting like a little kid with mom?”

Zhou Anran wasn't sure if it was because the month-long tension in her heart had finally been relieved or if it was because she had kicked off her blanket in her sleep, she caught a cold the next day, her throat was slightly inflamed, it had not fully recovered even by the time school started.

On the first day of school, Zhou Anran and Yan Xingxi arrived at the school walking arm in arm and chatting as usual. When they reached in front of their old teaching building, they remembered that they had moved to a new teaching building.

The teaching building before them is now used by the first-year high school students.

The two of them laughed, turned around, and headed to the second teaching building for second-year students.

After arriving at their teaching building, Zhou Anran and Yan Xingxi had to part ways.

Zhou Anran's new classroom was on the first floor, while Yan Xingxi, who had switched to liberal arts, had her classroom on the sixth floor.

Yan Xingxi held her hand tightly and didn't let go, "Huhu, I don't want to be separated from you. If I had known, I should've just insisted on studying science.”

If Zhou Anran hadn't overheard her parents' conversation a month ago, she probably would be as reluctant as Yan Xingxi now. However, after enduring weeks of uncertainty about potentially changing schools, she now felt that it was already a blessing and lucky to still be in the same school as Yan Xingxi. 

"But you excel in liberal arts, and Xiaowen is in the same class as you." Zhou Anran comforted her, "I'll wait for you to come to me for a meal after class, we'll just be separated for class.”

"It's a deal then." Yan Xingxi, still holding her arm, chatted with her for some more times before reluctantly going up the stairs.

Fortunately, except for a few people who transferred to the liberal arts, all the students in Class 2 were familiar faces. Upon entering the room, she instinctively glanced towards the sixth seat of the second row before recalling that the seating arrangement had changed for the new semester.

Zhou Anran walked to the podium with her school bag on her back.

Just as she lowered her head to look at the seating chart, she heard someone calling her from below.

"Ranran." Zhang Shuxian waved at her from the fourth seat of the first row. "Stop looking. Sit here, we're deskmates.”

Zhou Anran couldn't continue to look at the chart. 

She took a quick glance and spotted the name she wanted to see.

He was still in the sixth seat of the second row.

Once or twice may be a coincidence.

His seat has been in the same spot for three times now, it couldn't be just mere coincidence.

Did he personally ask the teacher for it?

Well, he is tall and has long legs. Sitting in the last row might have been more comfortable for him since he didn't need to be cramped by the seat behind him.

As Zhou Anran made her way from the podium, she took another glance at the sixth seat of the second row.

It was empty.

He hadn't come yet?

During her vacation, she looked forward to the start of school every day.

But now that school had actually started, she wanted to go back home.

His parting words that day were likely just a passing remark, he probably didn't really mean it when he said he was looking forward to seeing her again this semester.

Maybe in these two months, he might even already forget their brief interaction that day, and they would revert back to being regular classmates who are no different from strangers.

Zhou Anran was so nervous that she almost walked past her seat.

It was Zhang Shuxian's words that barely stopped her.

"I've wiped the seat for you, you can sit down directly." Zhang Shuxian said with a smile.

Zhou Anran put her schoolbag aside and took a seat, "Thank you.”

"What are you thanking me for?" Zhang Shuxian took her hand, "We're pretty lucky this semester. You and I are deskmates, and Xiaowen and Xixi are in the same class."

Zhou Anran lowered her head and smiled, "Yeah.” 

Sitting at the same table with her close friend seemed to ease many of her uneasiness.

Moreover,

This time, her seat was not too far from him. 

Zhang Shuxian leaned in closer and gestured her chin towards the second row. Speaking in a hushed tone, "Thank god, I no longer have to share a table with that person. It's not that I have any issues with her, but I can tell that she has some with me.”

Zhou Anran glanced over.

Lou Yiqi's seat was actually very close to them.

It was in the third seat of the second row, just across an aisle from her.

"I think she genuinely wants to reconcile with you." Zhou Anran replied in a low voice.

Zhang Shuxian answered sceptically, "How is that possible? She was so bitter and resentful towards me last semester, acting like I owed her tens of thousands of dollars. Never mind her. Let me tell you, I heard some gossip about our school grass Chen.”

Zhou Anran's heart skipped a beat, "What gossip?"

Zhang Shuxian lowered her voice, "He rejected Yin Yizhen."

Zhou Anran felt a sense of relief then asked, "Anything else?”

"About Chen Luobai?" Zhang Shuxian responded nonchalantly.

Zhou Anran nodded, at the same time, she was afraid that Zhang Shuxian would see through her thoughts. She still hadn't figured out how to tell them about her feelings.

Zhang Shuxian seemed to think that it was natural for everyone to be curious about Chen Luobai's gossip, she continued, "No more gossip on him. Hey... what kind of girls Chen Luobai likes is still a mystery. Though I do have some gossip about others, want to hear?"

Zhou Anran was not interested in other people's gossip, but seeing Zhang Shuxian's enthusiasm, she didn't refuse, "Sure."

Zhang Shuxian then started to share other gossip with her.

Zhang Shuxian likes using a lot of hand gestures while speaking. Zhou Anran hadn't really noticed this when she was sitting in front of her before. However, now that they are sitting at the same table, as they were chatting, she felt Zhang Shuxian's hand accidentally brush against her chest.

Zhou Anran: “…”

"Wow—" Zhang Shuxian paused, not feeling embarrassed, and instead leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Ranran, so big?”

Zhou Anran was momentarily stunned, her face flushed, "I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going to get some water.”

She had forgotten to bring soy milk today.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Zhang Shuxian asked teasingly.

Zhou Anran quickly shook her head.

Zhang Shuxian lay on the desk and laughed.

Taking out an empty bottle from her bag, Zhou Anran walked towards the back door, stealing a glance at the vacant seat in the sixth row.

Why hasn't he come yet?

Zhou Anran was preoccupied in her thoughts, when she reached the back door, she almost bumped into someone.

The refreshing scent of laundry detergent wafted into her senses, she glanced up, and caught sight of the person who had been on her mind day and night.

But as they passed by each other, Chen Luobai seemed to not notice her at all.

Despite this, Zhou Anran was not as depressed as she thought she would.

The expression on the boy's face at this moment was almost identical to the day she secretly gave him candy, and she even felt that he was in a worse mood than back then.

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