Lemon Soda Candy - 40

Zhou Anran's heart skipped a beat.

It seems that it's impossible to conceal one's feelings for someone.

Like a game of whack-a-mole, those little thoughts, if you suppress one end, another pops up. Now one had popped up, if she hesitated to push it down, he surely would notice it.

What if after he found out, he would distance himself from her, just like he did to other girls who liked him.

The air in the Live House stagnated. 

Zhou Anran's heart trembled under his gaze, yet she couldn't look away. Doing so would only make her appear more guilty. She tried to hold on, retorted sheepishly, "What explaining? Weren't we just chatting?"

Chen Luobai raised an eyebrow, as if he didn't quite believe it, "Is that so?"

Zhou Anran's heart beat faster, her palms resting on the chair began to sweat. 

Just then, the doorbell rang, like some kind of savior.

Zhou Anran sighed in relief, seizing the chance to look away, then glanced back again, "That must be the courier, I'll go get it.”

However, as soon as she got up, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist.

The firm grip pulled Zhou Anran back into her seat. 

In fact, he was very measured and didn't touch her directly; he just held her loosely through the layers of her autumn clothing.

Yet it still felt burning.

The wrist he held felt like it was on fire.

Even her face started to feel hot.

Zhou Anran stared at him in a daze.

Chen Luobai was also staring back at her.

The girl had pale skin, even in this dim light, the blush on her cheek was noticeable, there was confusion and panic in her eyes.

He shifted his fingers, releasing her wrist. “Stay here, I’ll get it.”

Zhou Anran murmured a soft ‘Oh’ and lowered her head again.

The gaze that was staring at her left along with the sound of footsteps.

Zhou Anran glanced down, her fingertips lightly brushing the spot where he had just held her, and quickly pulling back as if it had also been burned.

Her heart was racing uncontrollably.

After a while, Chen Luobai returned with a large box.

Seeing how easily he lifted it, Zhou Anran didn't get up to help.

They had only stayed behind to help Yu Bingqin with the package. After Chen Luobai set the items down and went to wash his hands, Zhou Anran left the Live House with him.

On their way back, Zhou Anran was worried he might continue asking her the questions just now.

But the boy didn't say much along the way.

She couldn't tell if she was disappointed or relieved.

As they walked, the blowing cold wind suddenly brought a few drops of rain to her face.

Zhou Anran halted in her tracks.

Chen Luobai also stopped beside her, "What's wrong?"

Zhou Anran extended her hand, "It's raining."

Just when she finished speaking, the rain suddenly intensified.

She withdrew her hand and looked around, spotting a convenience store about 40 to 50 meters away. She was about to suggest they go there to escape the rain when she noticed the boy in front of her suddenly start to...

…take off his clothes?

He was dressed in almost all black again tonight; black trousers, black jacket, with only a white T-shirt underneath.

Now, he was taking off his outer jacket.

Zhou Anran looked at him in confusion.

The next second, the jacket enveloped her with the boy's warmth and scent.

Zhou Anran was still processing what was happening when he grabbed her wrist again.

Amidst the night rain, the boy's voice softly fell into her ears.

"Why are you in a daze? Not running?"

He pulled her along as they ran forward. While she hurriedly tried to adjust the jacket he had draped over her head, she couldn't help but glance at him.

The hem of the white T-shirt of the tall boy running in front was blown up by the wind.

In that fleeting moment, Zhou Anran felt like she was back to that rainy day when she registered for her first year of high school.

She was standing in place, watching him run up the stairs, the hem of his white T-shirt billowing in the wind.

He didn't even glance at her back then.

But this time.

He was holding her hand.

Perhaps it was because her heart was beating too fast, or perhaps it was because his steps were too big that she had to run a little too fast. When she stopped under the eaves of the convenience store, Zhou Anran was breathing heavily.

Chen Luobai turned to look at her, and the sound of her soft panting reached his ears, resonating all the way to the bottom of his heart, like a gentle caress.

"Why is your stamina so low?"

His tone was similar to the one in the afternoon, familiar yet teasing.

Zhou Anran lifted her gaze and looked at him.

The girl's long, dark eyelashes fluttered like delicate brushes. His coat draped over her head has slipped down to her shoulders, loosely covering her all the way to her thighs. Beneath his coat was the loose sweater she was wearing today, despite its fit, it couldn't hide the curve of the girl's chest that rose and fell with her rapid breathing.

Chen Luobai averted his gaze and shifted the topic, "Let's go inside.”

Zhou Anran's cheeks were still slightly flushed from his earlier teasing, she replied softly, "Okay.”

Chen Luobai took a step forward but then paused, only now realizing he was still holding her wrist. He turned back to her.

The girl seemed to notice it too, her gaze staring at his hand on her wrist, a deeper blush crept across her cheeks.

Chen Luobai released her wrist, "Sorry."

"It's fine." Zhou Anran replied softly. 

They both fell silent.

A second later, they both began to speak at the same time.

"Let's—"

"Let's—"

And stopped talking at the same time. 

Feeling her ears heat up, Zhou Anran said, "You first.”

"It's raining too hard." Chen Luobai asked quietly, "How about we go inside and grab something to eat? We can leave once the rain stops.”

Zhou Anran nodded, looking at the water droplets on his arm, she added softly, "Buy a towel first.”

Chen Luobai didn’t quite hear it this time, "Huh? What did you say?"

Zhou Anran looked up and saw that his hair was also wet, with damp hair clinging to his forehead, "I said we should buy a towel first, your arms and hair are wet."

Chen Luobai studied her for two seconds, then broke into a smile. "Alright.”

The convenience store was quite spacious, there was a long table facing the floor-to-ceiling window.

Chen Luobai took a bottle of Coke and warm milk, placing them on the table. Zhou Anran was holding his coat in one hand, she put down the small bowl of oden in her other hand on the table, then sat down next to him.

She noticed that the water droplets on his hands had been wiped away, a black towel casually draped around his neck, and though his hair was a bit tousled, it didn't detract from his appearance. Zhou Anran handed him the jacket,"Put this on first, don't catch a cold."

Chen Luobai reached to take it.

As he was about to put it on, he caught a faint fragrance, not sure if it was the scent of her shampoo or the scent of her body. He paused for a moment before quickly putting on the jacket.

Chen Luobai settled into his seat, pulled out a straw for the warm milk, inserted it, then handed it to her.

Zhou Anran accepted it, bit the straw, and took a sip. She saw him shifting the Coke in front of him and habitually used only one hand to open the can. The moment his fingertips applied pressure, the veins on the back of his hand slightly protruded.

Remembering that this hand had just held her wrist, the tips of her ears began to feel hot again.

At this moment, Chen Luobai suddenly turned his head.

Zhou Anran's gaze was caught by him.

The boy's eyebrow seemed to raise slightly, "What are you looking at?"

Zhou Anran hurriedly shook her head, "Nothing."

They were the only two customers in the convenience store.

It was pouring outside, and there was no one else around. The clerk was leisurely watching a TV show on his phone. From the dialogue it sounded like a TVB legal drama.

Perhaps she wanted to change the subject out of guilt, or perhaps his behavior tonight gave her some courage she never had before. Zhou Anran listened to the dialogue in her ears and decided to ask a question she had been curious about, "Are you studying law to become a lawyer?"

Chen Luobai: "It's a possibility, I'm not completely sure yet.”

Zhou Anran was surprised and blurted out, "You're actually unsure?"

After saying this, she realized that this sentence might have revealed some of her little thoughts, but it was too late to take it back.

Zhou Anran thought he would follow up with a question like he did in the Live House, or tease her like he did this afternoon and just moments ago at the door.

Instead, the boy picked up a Coke can, tilted his head to take a sip, then answered her question very seriously.

"I'm still deciding, but I will probably take the legal exam¹." Chen Luobai's gaze dropped slightly, sounding more serious than usual. "My mother and others often mention that there are still many flaws in our country's laws. I hope that whatever path I choose in the future, I can help improve these shortcomings."

(¹: Examination administered by the Ministry of Justice. Those who serve as judges, prosecutors, lawyers, notaries, legal advisors, legal arbitrators, and government officials involved in administrative matters must pass the legal professional qualification exam.) 

Zhou Anran's mind drifted back to the basketball game against Class 10 during her first year of high school. Back then, she felt that the boy seemed to shine brightly on the court.

Yet, it doesn't seem to be as dazzling as him at this moment.

The rain blurred the city, turning the neon lights outside the window into a flickering spot of colors. 

She was stuck in a convenience store with the boy she liked, listening to him talk about his dazzling dreams.

After Chen Luobai finished speaking, he lowered his gaze to her.

The girl was leaning on her arm and looked at him, meeting his eyes, without her usual avoidance.

"Don't you think it's too idealistic? When I mentioned it to Zhu Ran before, he laughed at me for a long time."

Zhou Anran quickly denied, "Not at all."

The convenience store fell into another silence, only the dialogue from the drama remaining.

Chen Luobai looked at her silently, not responding right away.

Zhou Anran worried that these three words might come off as dry and unconvincing.

She bit her lip and added softly, "If you think that's idealistic, then let me tell you—I chose Biological Sciences because I want to do scientific research. Isn't that overestimating my own abilities? My mother was initially against it; she believes girls should choose departments like economics and management so that they can take the civil service exam or do other stable jobs in the future. But my father argued that since I won’t need to support them in the future anyway, I should choose the major I like."

As she spoke, a wave of anxiety washed over her. Aside from a few close friends, she had never told this to anyone else.

Would he think she was being overly ambitious and talking too much?

The boy's voice reached softly into her ear, what he said next was something she hadn't expected.

"No." He lowered his gaze, his eyes steady on her, "I believe you can do it."

Zhou Anran froze, somewhat in disbelief, feeling as if something in her heart had been tugged gently, "You believe me?"

"Zhou Anran." Chen Luobai called her softly.

Zhou Anran blinked.

"You've been accepted into one of the top universities. Even saying you're one in ten thousand is not enough to describe your excellence. You shouldn't underestimate or put too much pressure on yourself—”

Zhou Anran rested her head on her arms in a daze.

The sound of rain hitting the window was deafening, making the boy's voice sound particularly soothing.

"As long as we're still alive, let's strive to shine as brightly as we can.”

***

The rain that night lasted for almost half an hour before it finally stopped.

After the unexpected downpour, the wind felt slightly colder than before. She couldn't tell if it was because of the bowl of oden and the cup of warm milk, or because of his words, but Zhou Anran didn't feel cold at all.

They walked back to school together.

When they passed by the stadium, Chen Luobai turned his head and glanced at her, as if he suddenly remembered something, he asked her casually, his tone somewhat relaxed.

"Can you pass the physical test?"

Zhou Anran recalled his teasing at the door of the convenience store, her ears beginning to warm up again.

"I can pass." She replied softly, "My stamina is not that bad."

It might be a little difficult, but it should be no problem to pass.

"I see—" the boy trailed his words. 

Zhou Anran couldn't help but to look at him.

Chen Luobai met her gaze, his tone playful but also a little regretful, "Then it seems you won't need my help."

Zhou Anran: “……?”

Is it too late for her to regret now?

Even after he sent her all the way to the dormitory building, she never dared to take back her words. 

Once they reached the dormitory entrance, more eyes started to look at him.

Zhou Anran was a little reluctant, but she still didn't want to cause him any trouble. She pointed towards the dormitory door, "I'll head in first."

"Zhou Anran." Chen Luobai called her again.

Zhou Anran blinked.

With one hand tucked into his trouser pocket, Chen Luobai could still vaguely smell her scent on the collar of his jacket. He stared at her for a few seconds, "Do you have time tomorrow night? Zhu Ran wants to treat you to a meal."

Zhou Anran let out an ‘Ah’, and looked at him in confusion, "Why would Zhu Ran want to treat me?”

Chen Luobai continued to stare at her.

After a few moments, Zhou Anran heard him speak.

"That basketball game in our second semester of high school, Yan Xingxi accidentally let slip that it was you who actually helped us—" Chen Luobai paused.

Zhou Anran felt her heart race.

This was the first time he had mentioned high school in front of her.

Or so to say, mentioning the things that were enough to reveal that she liked him.

He did remember it.

He remembered, yet he still added her on WeChat, invited her to dinner, and held her hand.

Did he really not realize her feeling, or—

In the darkness of the night, Zhou Anran noticed his jawline tensed for a moment before he spoke again.

“So it's actually me who wants to treat you.”

Chen Luobai paused once more.

"It's two years late; will you still give me the chance?”

---

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