Lemon Soda Candy - 30

The sun was shining brightly during registration day. 

As Zhou Anran approached the campus entrance, her phone vibrated with a new WeChat message from Cen Yu.

Cen Yu had done well on the exam and was accepted into another 985 university in Nancheng, she also registered today.

Zhou Anran unlocked her phone under the sunlight.

Cen Yu: [Have you arrived?]

Cen Yu: [My cousin and his friends are already waiting for you at the entrance.]

Cen Yu: [I sent him your picture. Just wait by the entrance when you get there, he'll come to find you.]

A few days earlier, Cen Yu mentioned she had a cousin who is a third-year student at University A and that she would ask him to help her register.

Zhou Anran was someone who didn't like to inconvenience others, but she couldn't resist Cen Yu's enthusiasm, and eventually agreed dazedly.

She lowered her head and replied: [I'm here.]

The moment Zhou Anran sent the message, she noticed a figure appear in front of her, accompanied by an unfamiliar male voice.

“Are you Junior Zhou? Xiaoyu's friend?"

Looking up, Zhou Anran saw a boy wearing glasses standing in front of her. He was slightly plump and had a very friendly appearance that matched the person in the photo that Cen Yu sent.

This must be Xu Hongliang, Cen Yu’s cousin.

She nodded, "Hello, senior.” 

Xu Hongliang greeted Zhou Xianhong who also came to see her off, "Hello, uncle and auntie. I'm Xu Hongliang, the cousin of Junior Zhou’s friend.”

He reached out to take the luggage from Zhou Xianhong, then suddenly turned and called out, "Sister Qin, she's here."

Sister Qin?

Cen Yu seemed to have mentioned just now that her cousin will come to pick her up with his friends.

Zhou Anran also turned to look.

A tall, slender girl emerged from the shade of a large tree near the campus entrance. She was dressed in black with her hair tied back in a neat ponytail, the sunlight revealed hints of purple highlights at the tips of her hair. Like the photo on the No. 1 High School bulletin board, her features may not have been conventionally perfect, and her single eyelids were more pronounced in person, but together they formed a distinctive beauty.

The girl stopped before her, she had no expression on her face, her voice cold as she introduced herself, "Yu Bingqin."

Zhou Anran didn't expect that Cen Yu’s cousin’s friend would be the famous former science top scorer of No. 1 High School. She was stunned for a moment before she remembered to greet her, "Hello, Senior Yu."

Yu Bingqin nodded at her, then calmly greeted her parents.

Another boy suddenly appeared, he greeted her warmly and took the luggage from He Jiayi.

Still feeling a bit dazed, Zhou Anran watched as Yu Bingqin gestured towards the entrance, saying, "Let's go. I'll take you to register.”

Inside the campus, Xu Hongliang and another senior led Zhou Xianhong and He Jiayi to the parent waiting area to rest, while Yu Bingqin took Zhou Anran to complete the formalities.

Yu Bingqin was mostly quiet, she only said one sentence to her on the way, "I'm also from the Faculty of Biological Sciences."

Zhou Anran had never met someone so effortlessly cool before. After trying to contain it all the way, she couldn't resist sneaking another glance at Yu Bingqin as they approached the registration office.

But she was caught by Yu Bingqin.

"Is there something on my face?" she asked, her tone still flat, yet her voice was very pleasant, low and tinged with a metallic resonance that was both striking and appealing. 

Zhou Anran quickly looked away, her ears turning slightly red. She wanted to compliment the senior on her beauty, but was too embarrassed to do so, in the end she just shook her head awkwardly.

She heard Yu Bingqin chuckle softly.

Zhou Anran had not seen Yu Bingqin show any expression throughout the whole journey, let alone smile. She turned her head and asked quietly, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The smile on Yu Bingqin's face faded away, replaced by her usual expressionless look, "Let’s go inside.”

***

After registering, Zhou Anran was surprised to discover that she was the first one to arrive at the dormitory.

Her dorm was located on the third floor, with the help of Xu Hongliang and another senior, all her luggage was moved up in a single trip.

Once they set down her belongings, Xu Hongliang said he had other commitments and politely declined Zhou Xianhong's offer to treat them to a meal as a thank you. He then left the dormitory with another senior. Yu Bingqin also left with them.

Zhou Anran actually wanted to get to know this cool senior, but she didn’t have the courage to call her.

However, shortly after, while she was making the bed with her parents, she saw Yu Bingqin returning.

The girl had an extra bag in her hand. She pulled out two bottles of drinks and handed them to Zhou Xianhong and He Jiayi. Finally, she tossed a bottle of Coke into Zhou Anran's arms, her tone still indifferent.

"Write down my phone number?"

Zhou Anran was momentarily taken aback but quickly nodded, a smile forming on her face, revealing the faint dimples on the corners of her lips.

She quickly grabbed her phone and noted down the number Yu Bingqin gave.

"This is also my WeChat number. Make sure to add a note when you send me a request.” Yu Bingqin said briefly, "I live on the fifth floor. Call me if you need anything. I'm off now."

The girl's figure swiftly disappeared outside the door.

He Jiayi smiled and sighed, "This girl looks cold, I didn't expect her to be warm-hearted. Is she also Xiaoyu's friend?"

Zhou Anran shook her head, she had been wanting to tell them this, "She's a friend of Xiaoyu's cousin, and also a senior from our No. 1 High School. She was the provincial science top scorer from No. 1 High School two years ago."

He Jiayi was surprised, “That's impressive." 

Zhou Xianhong was much calmer, chimed in with a smile, "Don't you realize where this place is?"

Before long, Zhou Anran's other three roommates arrived one by one.

Just like what Zhou Xianhong said, none of Zhou Anran's roommates were ordinary.

One had placed third in science in Province C this year, another was a recommended student from a biology competition, and the last one surprised Zhou Anran the most— the number one student in Wucheng this year, Yu Xinyue, the petite girl who always ranked first in No. 1 High School.

Zhou Anran was aware that Yu Xinyue had also entered the Faculty of Biological Sciences at University A, she just didn't expect they would be assigned to the same dormitory. 

Zhou Xianhong and He Jiayi both took time off from their busy work to send her here because they were worried about her. After seeing that she met a friendly senior and became roommates with a student from the same high school, they both put their minds at ease. They soon left and flew back to Nancheng that same day.

During her time in high school, whether at No. 2 High School or No. 1 High School, Zhou Anran often heard about conflicts among boarding students in their dormitories.

As it was her first time living in a dorm, she was a little nervous before coming.

However, she might have been lucky this time, all her assigned roommates were easy to get along with.

Yu Xinyue, her close friend from No. 1 High School, was only focused on her studies. On the second day after starting school, she spent the entire day in the library and didn't return until evening. She was hardly seen, let alone having a conflict.

Bai Lingyun, who placed third in Province C, had a personality similar to Cen Yu's—very cheerful and generous.

The girl who participated in the biology competition was called Xie Jingyi. Despite her glasses and nerdy look, she was actually more gossipy than Zhang Shuxian.

Zhou Anran first witnessed her gossiping skills on the first day of military training.

On the night before the military training, Zhou Anran didn’t sleep well and woke up several times throughout the night.

Freshmen from all faculty are gathered together in the same place for military training, there was a chance she might run into Chen Luobai. 

Zhou Anran wanted to see him, yet was also afraid to see him.

Perhaps she and him really had no fate. When she arrived at the training ground the following day, she discovered that the Faculty of Law was the farthest from her faculty.

She didn't dare to get closer, but found herself glancing in that direction whenever she could. 

In the end, however, she couldn't spot him among the sea of camouflage uniforms. 

She wasn't sure if it was due to the distance or if two years had changed him so much that he was no longer the familiar figure in her memory.

During dinner that day, Zhou Anran realized that both of her guesses were wrong.

The people in their dormitory were sitting together to rest. Xie Jingyi came back from buying water and sat down next to them with a disappointed look, "The top science student from your province didn't come to the military training. I wonder why. I was looking forward to seeing how handsome he is."

Zhou Anran tightened her grip on the water bottle.

Typically, freshmen don't skip military training without special reasons. 

Is...something wrong with him?

"By the way." Xie Jingyi continued, "Have you seen him?"

Yu Xinyue shook her head, not looking very interested, "Ranran and I are from Wucheng No. 1 High School, not in the same city as him."

Xie Jingyi pressed the bottle of mineral water against her face, "When I went to the competition, I met students from Nancheng No. 2 High School. They were raving about Chen Luobai, calling him the unrivaled school hunk. Before he came to No. 1 Middle School, the so-called school hunks were all self-proclaimed or only recognized by a small circle. In most cases, it was just chickens fighting each other. But after he came, everyone—boys and girls alike— acknowledged his status as the school hunk. Once he showed up, the rest stood no chance."

"Is it that exaggerated?" Bai Lingyun seemed skeptical.

"I also have my doubts, that's why I want to see what he really looks like." Xie Jingyi said, noticing that Zhou Anran kept her head down, "Ranran, are you okay?"

Zhou Anran came back to her senses, "I'm okay, just a little tired."

"Yeah, I'm really exhausted from all this intense exercise. I hope I will lose the ten pounds I gained over the summer." Bai Lingyun lamented, squeezing Zhou Anran's arm, "Ranran, you're so thin, do you have any tips for losing weight?"

Zhou Anran was a bit lost. She tried to think for a moment, "I guess it's because I don't like sweets at all?"

Bai Lingyun: “…”

"Never mind. I could never give up sweets in this lifetime. Just pretend I didn't ask."

They started talking about weight loss.

Zhou Anran held the water bottle tightly.

Forget it.

She had no way of finding out what happened to him anyway.

Even if she did find out, there was nothing she could do to help.

Keeping her distance and not disturbing him was the best thing she could do now.

By the time she heard from Chen Luobai again, class had officially started.

It was the first day of classes. After the afternoon classes, Xie Jingyi went to dinner with her high school friends at another university, while Zhou Anran headed to the cafeteria with two others.

After dinner, Yu Xinyue went to the library as usual.

Zhou Anran had two pairs of shoes to wash and returned to the dormitory with Bai Lingyun.

Once she washed her shoes and hung them out to dry on the balcony, Zhou Anran entered the dorm and saw Xie Jingyi come in looking very excited.

"Damn." Her eyes sparkled, she grabbed Zhou Anran's hand as soon as she came in. Not sure what made her so excited that she even cursed. "I just saw the top science student from the Southern Province. He's so fucking handsome. It's the first time I've seen someone look so good even while limping.”

Zhou Anran's heart skipped a beat at the mention of him, and she tightened her grip when she heard the last sentence,”Limping? Is he injured?"

Xie Jingyi nodded, "Yeah, he didn't participate in the military training because of a leg injury."

Zhou Anran was concerned, "Is it serious?"

"It doesn’t seem too bad," Xie Jingyi replied. "If it were really serious, he would have taken more time off and wouldn’t be attending classes."

Zhou Anran felt relieved a little, then she realized she had asked a rather silly question.

Luckily, Xie Jingyi was still caught up in the excitement and didn't notice anything. She continued to talk about Chen Luobai, "He's ridiculously handsome. Those people from Nancheng No. 2 High School aren't exaggerating one bit."

Bai Lingyun who was sitting in her seat listening to the audio test, had just removed her headphones and only heard the last part of the conversation, "What are you talking about?”

"Chen Luobai, the science top scorer from the Southern Province." Xie Jingyi let go of Zhou Anran's hand and rushed over to Bai Lingyun. "I saw him this afternoon. He was so damn handsome."

"What does ‘so damn handsome’ even mean?" Bai Lingyun asked.

Xie Jingyi pondered for a moment, "How should I describe it to you? You know those unedited photos of celebrities and regular people? It's that kind of feeling. I saw him near the basketball court this afternoon. There was a huge crowd around him, but he immediately stood out and I could only see him. Do you get what I’m saying?”

Bai Lingyun: "Is it really that exaggerated? Now I want to see him for myself."

"Why?" Xie Jingyi winked at her, "You don't want your Senior Xie anymore?"

A few days ago, Bai Lingyun bumped into a senior from her school in the cafeteria, after saying sorry, the two added each other on WeChat, and soon there were some signs of ambiguity between them.

Bai Lingyun rolled her eyes at her, "If he's really as stunning as you say, I wouldn't stand a chance. I just want to take a look."

***

In the next period of time, Zhou Anran was very busy.

With the start of the new semester, the student union and various clubs began their recruitment activities.

Zhou Anran wasn't interested at first, but recalling Ms. He's advice not to be too introverted and try to be more cheerful like her friends. She decided to go to the club recruitment area with her roommate.

Yu Xinyue was determined to only focus on studying, and didn't join them.

As they entered the recruitment area, Zhou Anran, Xie Jingyi, and Bai Lingyun had only taken a few steps when a boy in a red jersey approached them.

"Freshman, interested in joining our basketball club?"

The mention of the basketball club caught Zhou Anran stunned, another tall figure in a red jersey flashed through her mind.

"Fill out this form if you're interested."

Xie Jingyi and Bai Lingyun exchanged glances.

The other party sounded like he was asking the three of them, but his gaze was fixed solely on Zhou Anran, and the form was also handed to Zhou Anran.

It's obvious at first glance that he had ulterior motives. 

Zhou Anran is beautiful, the kind of beauty that is both innocent and graceful. 

During military training, many people asked for her WeChat ID, but although she looked easy to talk to, she declined all of them.

This was the first time that Xie Jingyi saw her staring at a boy in a daze. Just as she was about to say something, she saw Zhou Anran suddenly come to her senses, shook her head, and said sorry.

The boy looked at her for a couple of seconds before walking away without pressing further.

Xie Jingyi finally let out a sigh of relief and whispered, "That guy is Du Yizhou, the president of the basketball club. He looks decent, but he's quite the player. I've heard he switches girlfriends as easily as flipping a page. When I saw you staring at him in a daze just now, I thought you were also bewitched by his face."

Zhou Anran blinked.

She didn't even notice what the person looked like.

"I wasn't staring at him."

Bai Lingyun was puzzled, "Then why were you in a daze just now?"

Zhou Anran: “…”

She didn't know how to explain, simply made up an excuse, "I just suddenly couldn’t remember if we locked the door or not.”

"Is it locked?" Xie Jingyi also became a little uncertain.

Bai Lingyun had an expression of ‘I'm impressed by both of you’, saying, "It's locked."

Following the little episode, Bai Lingyun and Xie Jingyi continued to look at the various recruitment posters.

Zhou Anran was lost in thought and accidentally got separated from the two.

Standing alone at the bustling recruitment area, she suddenly became hesitant.

When she was a child, she had participated in various interest classes, yet for some reason, she never stuck to any of them. Zhou Anran looked around and couldn’t find anything that particularly piqued her interest. She also felt a bit intimidated by the enthusiastic seniors, and the idea of introducing herself to a group of people made her scalp tingle. She began to regret not going to the library with Yu Xinyue.

Just as she was about to turn back, a pleasant female voice suddenly sounded in her ears.

"Want to join our club?"

Zhou Anran recognized the voice instantly. Although she wasn't familiar with the person, the voice was so distinctive that it stuck in her memory. She turned around in surprise, "Senior Yu."

Since the registration day, Zhou Anran hadn't seen her again.

Although Yu Bingqin left her a number and told her she could contact her if she had any problems, Zhou Anran was too embarrassed to reach out on her own initiative.

Yu Bingqin still had no expression on her face, "Come to our club?"

Zhou Anran: “…Huh?”

***

It was not until lunchtime that Zhou Anran finally met her two roommates in the cafeteria.

Bai Lingyun and Xie Jingyi joined two clubs each. Once they're done eating, Bai Lingyun asked casually, "Ranran, you left so early. Did you join any clubs?"

Zhou Anran replied, "I joined the guitar club."

"Is it the big guitar club?" Xie Jingyi asked.

Zhou Anran looked at her confusedly, "What big guitar club?"

Is there also a small guitar club?

Xie Jingyi explained, "Our campus has two guitar clubs. One is the big guitar club, which has been around for a long time and is the main guitar club here.The other one is the band run by our senior Yu for fun. It has only a few members and doesn't actively recruit. However, it's said that those who can get in are very talented, that's why I asked if you joined the big guitar club."

Zhou Anran was even more confused.

Senior Yu have a band?

“It seems not.”

Xie Jingyi: “?”

Bai Lingyun: “!”

They both raised their heads and looked at her with a hint of awe.

Xie Jingyi: "Wow, Ranran! I had no idea you were a guitar prodigy! Why didn’t you tell us?”

"No, no." Zhou Anran's chopsticks paused, "I can't play the guitar at all."

Xie Jingyi thought of the basketball club president who had ulterior motives in the afternoon, and looked at the well-behaved roommate in front of her, "Ranran, have you been tricked? Did some guy sweet-talk you into joining?”

"No." Zhou Anran shook her head again, "Senior Yu recruited me."

Xie Jingyi: “……?”

"That can't be right. Did I get the wrong information?”

Zhou Anran didn't know if Xie Jingyi's information was right or wrong.

But after Yu Bingqin said that she would notify her if there were any club activities that day, Zhou Anran never heard from her again.

Bai Lingyun and Xie Jingyi also joined the student union, and were very busy.

Zhou Anran joined a club, yet it felt like she didn't. Still, she was not idle either.

She had just entered university and was not familiar with the new learning system. Surrounded by so many amazing people, she felt a little pressured and didn't dare to slack off. After classes, she would head to the library with Yu Xinyue. 

Once she got busy, she had no time to think about Chen Luobai.

Zhou Anran herself couldn't tell if she had no time to think about him because she was too busy, or if she was deliberately keeping herself busy to avoid thinking about him. 

Maybe it was both.

Regardless, she still occasionally received news about him from Xie Jingyi. 

She didn't know how Xie Jingyi managed to find so much information.

From the start of the semester until the week before the National Day holiday, Zhou Anran had at least heard four or five times from Xie Jingyi about girls asking him for his WeChat ID or confessing their love for him.

And according to Xie Jingyi, there was one sophomore girl who continued to pursue him even after being turned down. It was said that she consistently delivers meals to him during this period.

Zhou Anran thought that after two years, she would be more composed when hearing such news about him again.

Yet, she still felt like her heart was tangled by an invisible thin thread, leaving her feeling uneasy and suffocated.

Despite receiving so much news about him, Zhou Anran had never met him once.

She still had no idea how much he has changed since high school.

Of course, University A is big, several times bigger than No. 2 High School. Students from different faculties attend classes and take breaks in different buildings, it was not unusual for them not to cross paths.

But it wasn't that big either; after all, they were still in the same university, and even Xie Jingyi had seen him.

Perhaps, they were just not fated.

In a way, Zhou Anran was glad that she could still hear bits and pieces of his whereabouts and news from Xie Jingyi, at least she knew that he was doing well.

The National Day holiday was just around the corner.

Zhou Anran had never been away from home for such an extended period before. Feeling a bit homesick and missing her friends, she chose not to stay at campus or travel during the holidays and made plans with Yan Xingxi and others to go home together.

It just so happened that Zhou Xianhong and He Jiayi didn't have to work late this time, Zhou Anran finally returned to Nancheng to stay for a few days after a few years.

She met Zhang Shuxian who stayed in Nancheng, and spent her time resting at home and reading. The vacation days flew by quickly. 

On the day she was set to return to campus, Zhou Anran specially brought back some local specialties and tiger skin chicken feet made by He Jiayi.

Hearing that Zhou Anran brought food, her roommates who didn't go home during the holiday rushed to the dormitory before 8:30 in the evening. Even Yu Xinyue, who usually stayed in the library until closing time, came back early.

They gathered at Xie Jingyi's table and watched a movie while eating.

Although they were supposed to be watching a movie, two of them were distracted.

Bai Lingyun seemed to be chatting with that Senior Xie, sweet smiles appearing on her face every now and then.

Xie Jingyi was busier than her, juggling conversations in multiple group chats. She was munching on a chicken foot with one hand while typing furiously with the other.

As they were finishing up their meal, Zhou Anran was about to remove her gloves and tidy the table when Xie Jingyi suddenly exclaimed, "Damn.”

She appeared surprised and excited, the chicken feet paused in front of her mouth, "That sophomore girl went to Chen Luobai's dorm downstairs to confess her feelings publicly. How bold!”

---

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