Lemon Soda Candy - 41

It was almost half past nine.

The dormitory was bustling with activity downstairs.

Yet, at this moment, the people passing by and the surrounding sounds seemed to suddenly fade into a surreal blur. All Zhou Anran could see and hear was the boy standing before her and the sound of her own heartbeat quickening with each passing second.

This was her biggest regret in high school.

Due to her timidity, she didn't dare to step forward and help him personally.

In the end, she could only watch as he thanked Yan Xingxi afterward.

But now, the boy she liked for a long time was standing right in front of her, quietly asking if she was willing to give him a chance to make up for it even if it was two years late.

A dream come true wasn't enough to describe how she was feeling at this moment.

This was a scenario she had never even dared to dream of.

Zhou Anran felt a sudden tingle in her nose, this time it wasn't from sadness.

She didn't want to lose her composure in front of him again and forced herself to suppress her emotions. Subconsciously, she gave him a nod, but then she remembered that she had already said yes to Bai Lingyun's invitation and quickly shook her head.

Chen Luobai’s fingers curled slightly in his pocket, feeling the tension in his chest rising again. He inexplicably found her reaction a little endearing and couldn't help smiling, "So, do you agree or not?"

Embarrassed, Zhou Anran lowered her eyes to avoid his gaze, "My roommate's boyfriend is treating everyone in my dorm to dinner at Yueting tomorrow."

"Is that a thing?" Chen Luobai paused, "He's treating everyone in your dorm?"

Zhou Anran didn't quite hear his first sentence. She was still a little flustered and didn't think much about it. She just instinctively answered his second question, "His roommate will be there too."

Chen Luobai's gaze lingered on her obedient and innocent face for a moment, "Your roommate's boyfriend's roommate?"

"Yes." Zhou Anran nodded and looked up at him.

The boy still kept one hand tucked in his pocket, his eyes fixed on her.

Her heart trembled slightly, "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing." Chen Luobai replied softly, "Let's change it to next Saturday then? Zhu Ran has something to do tomorrow."

Zhou Anran tugged at her bag and nodded at him.

***

When Zhou Anran entered the dorm, none of her three roommates had returned.

The midterm exams are coming next week. Xie Jingyi had gone to the library after a meeting.

Zhou Anran took a seat, hoping to use the time to study, yet she just couldn't bring herself to focus. After trying to concentrate for a while and failing, she decided to give up and set her alarm for 4:30 tomorrow morning, intending to wake up early and catch up on her studies. 

After washing up and lying in bed early, Zhou Anran heard her phone ringing.

She unlocked the screen and saw that it was Yan Xingxi @ing her in the groupchat.

Yan Xingxi: [I can’t focus on studying QAQ]

Yan Xingxi: [Ranran, I'm coming to your school tomorrow to study with you @ZhouAnran]

Yan Xingxi's midterm exams this semester are scheduled for the same week as Zhou Anran's.

Sheng Xiaowen's exams will be the following week, so their schedules don't match.

Zhou Anran: [Okay.]

Zhou Anran: [But I don't think I can have dinner with you tomorrow.]

Yan Xingxi: [Why not?]

Yan Xingxi: [Don't tell me you have a date tomorrow night?]

Zhang Shuxian: [What!]

Zhang Shuxian: [Ranran has a date tomorrow?]

Sheng Xiaowen: [There's some development?!]

Zhou Anran: [……]

Zhou Anran: [My roommate’s boyfriend is inviting everyone in my dorm to dinner tomorrow night.]

Sheng Xiaowen: [Everyone disperse!]

Zhang Shuxian: [I’m going back to read.]

Zhou Anran: “…”

Yan Xingxi: [Never mind then.]

Yan Xingxi: [If someone is treating you to dinner, it will definitely take a while. You won’t be able to accompany me for at least two or three hours.]

Yan Xingxi: [I’ll just come over to play after my exams next week.]

Yan Xingxi: [No one's treating you to a meal next Saturday, right? ]

Zhou Anran's fingertips paused.

Zhou Anran: [Actually, someone is.]

Zhou Anran: [But I should be able to bring you along next Saturday.]

Yan Xingxi: [What do you mean you can bring me along?]

Yan Xingxi: [Who's treating you next week?]

Zhou Anran touched her ear that had inexplicably grown warm again.

She didn’t know Bai Lingyun’s boyfriend well, so it was difficult for her to bring up any requests. But for next Saturday, surely bringing along someone he knew would be fine, right?

Zhou Anran hesitated for a while before finally typing the name that had been in her mind: [Chen Luobai.]

Zhou Anran moved her fingertips and added another name: [And Zhu Ran.]

Yan Xingxi: [!!!]

Yan Xingxi: [@ZhangShuxian @ShengXiaowen]

Yan Xingxi: [Get back here!!]

Yan Xingxi: [Chen Luobai is inviting you, what are you bringing me along for?? ]

Yan Xingxi: [Do I look like someone so ignorant that I would want to be a light bulb???]

Zhou Anran: “…”

She had anticipated this would be their reaction.

Zhou Anran: [Nonsense.]

Zhou Anran: [Zhu Ran will be there too.]

Zhang Shuxian: [!!!]

Zhang Shuxian: [So on what occasion is our school hunk Chen inviting you this time?]

Zhou Anran: “……?”

Can't they see the name ‘Zhu Ran’ there?

Zhou Anran: [He said he wanted to treat me to make up for helping him during that basketball game in our first year.]

Yan Xingxi: [!!!]

Zhang Shuxian: [So he did hear what Xixi said that day.]

Zhang Shuxian: [He heard it, remembered it, and now wants to treat you to make up for it?]

Zhang Shuxian: [Is this really the school hunk Chen who always keeps his distance from girls??]

Yan Xingxi: [Oh, I see how it is.]

Yan Xingxi: [He just sent me away with a bag of snacks back then.]

Sheng Xiaowen: [Ranran, I think you can think more about it now.]

Zhou Anran pursed her lips.

How could she not think more about it at all? 

Just like in their second year of high school, when he suddenly took the initiative to talk to her and bought her a Coke, she had thought about it then too.

However, after experiencing a glimmer of hope only to suddenly plunged into despair, she really didn’t want to go through that again.

So she didn't dare to let her imagination run wild.

The phone vibrated again.

Zhou Anran pulled her thoughts back to the present.

Yan Xingxi: [I just remembered I have something to do next week]

Yan Xingxi: [I won’t be going, let’s meet another time]

Yan Xingxi: [I hope Zhu Ran suddenly has something coming up too and can’t go next week.]

Zhou Anran couldn't help but slightly curl up the corners of her lips.

***

At six o'clock in the evening the following day, Zhou Anran, Xie Jingyi and Yu Xinyue set out for Yueting, which was located outside the school.

Bai Lingyun and Senior Xie had already gone to the restaurant in advance to arrange things.

The three of them didn't put on any makeup. First, they were just there to serve as companions and enjoy a free meal. Second, they really had no time to, after leaving the library they only went back to the dorm to drop off some things and then set off directly.

When they entered the private room booked by Bai Lingyun, Zhou Anran saw that in addition to Bai Lingyun, there were six boys inside.

However, Bai Lingyun mentioned that Senior Xie also lived in a four-person dorm.

Sensing their confusion, Bai Lingyun took the opportunity as she poured them drinks to quietly explain, "The other two are from the dorm next to Xie Zihan’s. Knowing he was treating us today, they tag along with his three roommates. They didn’t inform us beforehand and we couldn’t just tell them to leave.”

"It's no big deal." Xie Jingyi said indifferently, "We’re all strangers here; three or five more people won’t make a difference."

Bai Lingyun still felt a bit awkward about it, "I'm afraid it will affect the dinner atmosphere."

"It's alright." Zhou Anran took her hand, "Don’t let it bother you."

Xie Zihan was also a member of the Student Union. He was a very talkative boy. He controlled the pace of the conversation, there was never a dull moment in the room. 

Zhou Anran was never good at dealing with this kind of situation with many unfamiliar people. She couldn't get a word in, nor did she have any interest in doing so. As the dishes were served, she just buried her head in eating like Yu Xinyue.

During the meal, she suddenly heard someone calling her.

"Why hasn't Junior Zhou said anything?"

Looking up, Zhou Anran saw a boy across from her staring at her.

Xie Zihan had introduced him just now. He was one of the two people from the dorm next door. His name seemed to be Gong Yongliang.

Bai Lingyun helped her answer, "Ranran tends to keep quiet during meals, she's the same when she eats with us."

"But I didn't see Junior Zhou say much before the meal either." Gong Yongliang stared at Zhou Anran without looking away. "If Junior Zhou is always this introverted, it will be tough for her later on. I've been in school a year longer than you, and I’m in the Student Union too. How about we add each other on WeChat? I can take care of you in the future."

Zhou Anran felt her grip on her chopsticks tighten.

It wasn't that she has never been asked for her WeChat, but until now, those requests had always been asked to her in private, and she usually refused directly. This was the first time she was asked for her WeChat in front of so many people.

She wasn't too concerned about upsetting anyone; sometimes adding the wrong person could cause more trouble than simply refusing from the start. However, she was uncertain about Gong Yongliang’s relationship with Xie Zihan and how it might impact Bai Lingyun.

While she was contemplating, Zhou Anran suddenly heard her phone ring.

She had recently changed her ringtone to ‘You Give Love A Bad Name’, the song that Yu Bingqin sang last time.

As if she had found a savior, Zhou Anran pulled her phone from her bag in a hurry, saying, "Sorry, I have to take this call."

With that, she dashed out of the room without even taking a look at who was calling.

She didn't care who called; it was most likely a scam call. All she wanted was an excuse to come out and find a moment to think of how to refuse.

As she opened the door, her thoughts somehow drifted to Chen Luobai.

If it were him, he would have handled the situation effortlessly.

Last time at the KTV, when that senior asked for his WeChat in public, he did gave her a smooth way out.

Outside the room, the phone continued to ring. Realizing it might not be a scam call after all, Zhou Anran lowered her head to take a look.

The next second, her steps froze. 

The caller's name on the screen only displayed three capital letters—

CLB.

Why is he calling her?

This was the number she had saved when he asked for her WeChat. That day, instead of scanning her code, he directly asked for her phone number. In her daze at that time, she just gave him whatever he asked.

After giving him her number, he gave her a call. His tone sounded casual as he said, "Save my number so we can contact each other if you need anything."

When Zhou Anran saved his number, she wrote his full name at first.

But she felt that using his name was too ostentatious. After all, not long after he entered the school, the title of school hunk had fallen firmly on his head.

Ultimately, she decided to save it as just his initials.

This was the first time he called her since they exchanged numbers.

Obviously, they had gotten along several times in private before, but when she received his call, she still felt inexplicably nervous. Afraid that he would hang up if she took too long to respond, she took a deep breath and answered right outside the door of the private room.

"Hello."

The boy's voice echoed close to her ear, still carrying the usual lazy tone, "Which room are you in?"

Zhou Anran was walking along the corridor. Hearing this, she froze for a moment, not quite understanding, "What?"

"Aren't you having dinner at Yueting?" He sounded casual. "My roommate and I are nearby. I bought an extra cup of milk tea. I'll bring it to you.”

Zhou Anran felt like she understood, but also like she didn’t. Or maybe she understood, but was afraid that she might have misunderstood, “You're bringing me milk tea?”

Chen Luobai hummed, "I'm too lazy to take it back to school. It’d be a shame to waste it. Which room are you in?”

The room was on the second floor.

Zhou Anran strolled down the corridor and stopped by the window, thinking that something was off.

He said he was too lazy to take it back to school.

But wouldn't it be more of a hassle to call her to ask for the room number and then bring it to her?

Plus, from what he said, he was with his roommate, it was just a cup of milk tea, if he was too lazy to bring it, couldn't his roommate help him with it?

Zhou Anran's heart was pounding.

Could she really think more about it?

Maybe she should test him a bit?

Zhou Anran pursed her lips and asked him in a low voice, "Can you help me with something?"

"Is everything okay?”His voice suddenly dropped, "Are you in trouble?"

"No, it's just...how do you usually turn down—" Zhou Anran stopped mid-sentence. She had never done such a thing before and suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

Chen Luobai's voice suddenly rang in her ears, "Did someone confess to you?”

Zhou Anran knew that he was extremely smart, but she was surprised by how quickly he figured it out. Caught off guard, she instinctively replied, "No—”

But as soon as the denial left her mouth, she bit her lip in frustration, then sighed resignedly in her heart.

Never mind.

Before she could even gauge his reaction, she was already worried he would misunderstand.

Although they weren't in a relationship at all right now.

She simply can't do such a thing.

Zhou Anran decided to tell him everything. Since her attempt to test him has failed, she really needed his help. After all, he was quite adept at navigating these kinds of situations.

"Someone asked for my WeChat. He's a classmate of my roommate's boyfriend. It happened in front of everyone, so I felt too awkward to say no."

"What’s so awkward about saying no? Just tell him—"

Chen Luobai paused.

Zhou Anran felt her heart race.

"Tell him what?"

The boy's voice sounded very close to her ear, "Just tell him that someone doesn't allow you to add the opposite sex on WeChat."

Zhou Anran: “……?”

---

← Previous | Table of Contents | Next →

0