Lemon Soda Candy - 42

As Zhou Anran returned to the room and settled into her seat, Xie Jingyi leaned in towards her. 

She gestured to the small bowl in front of her, "The ribs just came out. I saved some for you."

Zhou Anran: "Thank you."

Xie Jingyi then leaned in even closer and whispered, "Lingyun wanted me to tell you, if Gong Yongliang asks again, you can refuse if you want. Don't worry too much."

Zhou Anran let out a sigh of relief and whispered back, "I know."

The topic in the room had already shifted. Zhou Anran picked up a piece of pork chop and chewed it slowly, hoping in her heart that Senior Gong wouldn't ask the question for the second time.

She could never get used to rejecting people in person.

Unfortunately, her hope was clearly not heard.

Just as she finished a piece of ribs, Gong Yongliang spoke up again. 

"Junior Zhou."

Zhou Anran raised her head.

Gong Yongliang shook his phone and asked, "Add me on WeChat?"

Zhou Anran: “…”

She sighed inwardly.

"Sorry." Zhou Anran hesitated. Although that someone's advice seemed unreliable, she decided to believe him this time. "Someone doesn't allow me to add the opposite sex on WeChat.”

Gong Yongliang's expression turned bad for a moment, but he quickly composed himself.

Zhou Anran even wondered if she had imagined it.

She appeared to be quite the well-behaved type.

No one in the room suspected she was lying, at least the boys who weren't familiar with her didn’t seem to doubt it.

A brief silence enveloped the room. 

Then Xie Zihan broke it with a laugh, "So our junior has a boyfriend already."

Zhou Anran: “…”

...It was indeed really unreliable.

She quickly shook her head, her face slightly flushed, "No.”

The boy beside Xie Zihan, who was his roommate and had a good relationship with him, also laughed at this moment, "Then it's still in the ambiguous phase, like Old Xie and Junior Bai before? I was just wondering, if Junior Zhou has a boyfriend, how come we haven't heard anything about it?"

Zhou Anran: “…”

“…No.”

Xie Zihan nodded, "Let's stop teasing Junior Zhou, her face is practically red. If she says no, then it's a no. Let's eat.”

Zhou Anran: “…”

Clearly, he didn't believe her.

Even Gong Yongliang smiled and said, "Looks like I need to act faster next time.”

Zhou Anran: “…”

Oh well.

Anyway, she already denied it.

Zhou Anran bowed her head, picked up another piece of pork ribs, and ate it slowly.

Just then, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Xie Zihan jumped in surprise, "Is it the waiter? Didn't we already receive all our orders?"

He said, turned to the door and called out, "Come in.”

Remembering the phone call just now, Zhou Anran quickly set down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a tissue.

The next second, the door swung open from the outside.

A tall boy stood in the doorway, he was dressed entirely in black today— a black hoodie and matching sweatpants. His expression was neutral, giving him a cold yet handsome appearance.

The girls were seated facing the door.

Xie Jingyi and Bai Lingyun recognized him immediately, even Yu Xinyue had seen several photos of him from Xie Jingyi. When they saw him appear at the door, the three of them were momentarily taken aback. 

The boys, who had their backs to the door, turned around upon seeing this.

Despite all the eyes on him, the boy at the door remained unfazed. He didn’t glance at anyone else, he let go of the door handle, strode over to Zhou Anran, and placed the milk tea he was holding on her table. His other hand, seemingly casually, as if it were second nature, rested directly on the back of Zhou Anran's seat.

His tone was also familiar. 

"It's hot. It might be a bit scalding."

Seeing him actually come to bring her milk tea, Zhou Anran was also a little bewildered. She nodded, not knowing what to say to him, and only managed a simple, "Thank you."

With his hand still resting on her chair, Chen Luobai asked, "What time will you go back to school?"

Zhou Anran glanced at the half-full plate on the table and said, "It might take a while."

"Is that so?" Chen Luobai smiled slightly as he withdrew his hand, "Then I won't wait for you."

Zhou Anran: “……?”

The door to the room closed once more.

The room fell into yet another silence.

Xie Zihan was the first to react.

"This must be the famous school hunk from the law school, right?" He paused, then turned to Zhou Anran, "Junior Zhou, is he the 'someone' who ‘doesn't allow you to add the opposite sex on WeChat'?"

Zhou Anran: “…”

Things have spiraling out of control.

The ‘someone’ is not him, but the lie was indeed his idea. 

She hurriedly shook her head again, "No, he's just my high school classmate."

Xie Zihan shot her a teasing look, not sure if he believed her or not.

Meanwhile, the boy next to Gong Yongliang, who also came to freeload and seemed to be called Fu Xiaofeng, suddenly scoffed, "Him? A school hunk? I think he's average-looking."

Xie Jingyi was fighting the urge to gossip with Zhou Anran, but finally couldn't resist herself when she heard this, "Chen Luobai is considered average-looking?"

Fu Xiaofeng: "He does look pretty average, I don't get what he's so arrogant about.” 

Gong Yongliang smiled and chimed in, "He's the top science scorer in Southern Province this year, a little arrogance is understandable."

"This is University A, top science scorers are everywhere." Fu Xiaofeng sneered again.

Xie Jingyi almost rolled her eyes and was about to retort when a soft, gentle voice sounded.

"They're not everywhere." Zhou Anran set down the chopsticks she just picked up. "There are a total of 34 provinces in the country. Even by this standard, there are only 34 provincial top science scorers each year. Our province has a high number of college entrance exam takers, everyone knows how tough it is. His raw score this year was over ten points higher than the second place in the province. Anyway, It's something I can only dream of.”

Zhou Anran slowly raised her gaze, "But since Senior Fu said that, I wonder which province's top science scorer are you? How many points did you get in the college entrance exam?"

***

Once the dinner ended, Xie Jingyi pulled the girls in the opposite direction of the school, claiming they were going to buy stationery. As soon as she was away from the boys, she burst into laughter, "Hahahahahahaha, Fu Xiaofeng's expression just now is something I could laugh at forever!" 

"That was pretty funny," Bai Lingyun followed them instead of her boyfriend. "Ranran, how can you be so sure he wasn't the top scorer in his province last year? Did you keep tabs on the results from different provinces?”

Zhou Anran held the cup of milk tea that someone had brought her and drank it slowly, tasting the sweetness filling her mouth.

What a coincidence.

The extra cup he bought happened to be less sugar.

Had it been full sugar, she would be reluctant to throw it away and would definitely force herself to drink it all.

"I didn't know. I just figured if he was also a provincial top scorer, he'd probably say something like 'This is University A, top scorers are everywhere, I was one of them last year'."

"Hahahahahaha." Xie Jingyi continued to laugh, "Right? He even had the audacity to call Chen Luobai average-looking. Such confidence isn't something ordinary people can have. I was ready to keep arguing with him, but I didn't expect Ranran to speak up first."

Now that Zhou Anran has regained her composure, she was a little embarrassed. She looked at Bai Lingyun, "I couldn't resist myself earlier. I hope it won't cause any issues for you and Senior Xie."

"Not at all. Xie Zihan barely knows him. Even if he did, if he gets upset with me over something that his friend is wrong about, then it's better not to have this boyfriend." Bai Lingyun replied, pausing to smile, "Besides, I can finally see you being angry with others, it's worth it even if Xie Zihan gets mad."

Zhou Anran: “…”

She actually didn't expect herself to lose her composure and speak up like that.

It seems that...she just couldn't tolerate anyone talking about him in such a belittling tone.

Xie Jingyi came closer and nudged Zhou Anran with her elbow, "I've been dying to ask you all night! It was difficult to bring it up in front of those guys. So, can you tell the truth now? Who's this 'someone' who doesn't allow you to add the opposite sex on WeChat? And what's the deal with you and Chen Luobai? Don't tell me it's really him?”

Zhou Anran: “…”

If she had known this would happen, she wouldn't have used the excuse he suggested.

"It's not him. There's no such person. I made it up. He's just a high school classmate. I told you already."

Xie Jingyi glanced at the drink in her hand, half gossiping, half skeptical, "A high school classmate who specially brought you milk tea?"

Zhou Anran felt her ears heat up, but thankfully her hair was down and it was dark, so no one would notice. "He was just nearby with a friend and had an extra cup. He said it'd be a waste to throw it away, so he brought it to me.”

"Even if he didn't want to waste it, why not give it to someone else, why must it be you?" Bai Lingyun was clearly not buying it.

Zhou Anran fell silent.

She didn't know why either.

She was just as curious about it.

"Maybe..." She paused, "It's because I'm his only female high school classmate in University A."

"Indeed." Xie Jingyi thought it made sense. “Me and that girl from the Chinese department barely knew each other in high school. It was a few days after entering college, I still haven't gotten close to you guys yet. But when I saw that girl, I felt a connection to her and we quickly became friends."

"Same." Bai Lingyun agreed. "The other day, a high school classmate I wasn't close with said he was visiting Beicheng this weekend and wanted to visit our school with another classmate. I was so happy when he asked if I wanted to join them for a meal. We shared the same classroom every day back then, but it never hit me how much I’d miss my old classmates until after graduation."

Even Yu Xinyue added, "Reuniting with an old friend in a new place is one of the four great joys in life. Didn't Ranran and I also only truly get to know each other in college?"

Zhou Anran took another slow sip of her milk tea.

Is this why?

Is he being so nice to her simply because she’s his only female high school classmate at University A?

***

As the midterm exams loomed closer, Zhou Anran and her roommates arrived early at the library the next day. The four of them sat at a large table for six.

Zhou Anran took a seat at the edge and opened her book. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone pulling the empty seat across from her. It appeared to be a boy, but she didn't pay much attention.

It was Xie Jingyi who nudged her and said, "Your classmate."

Zhou Anran looked up to see He Mingyu standing across from her.

Their eyes met, He Mingyu smiled and, trying not to disturb anyone, whispered, "What a coincidence.”

Zhou Anran smiled back and replied quietly, "What a coincidence."

He Mingyu was never a talkative person. After this exchange, he settled into his seat and began to focus on his studies

Zhou Anran was also a quiet person. Throughout the day, even when they sat at the same table, the two didn't say much to each other.

It was almost nine o'clock in the evening when He Mingyu said he had a few questions to ask her.

Zhou Anran nodded in agreement.

To avoid disturbing others, she followed him into the corridor outside. After answering his questions, she was about to return to her studies when He Mingyu called out to her again.

"Zhou Anran."

Zhou Anran blinked, "Do you have more questions?"

"No." He Mingyu tightened his grip on the pen he was holding, "Are you free for lunch tomorrow? I’d like to treat you to a meal.”

Zhou Anran: “……?”

Why was he suddenly asking her to lunch?

"I've got classes all day tomorrow, I might not have time for lunch," she replied, puzzled, "But why are you suddenly inviting me to a meal?"

He Mingyu gestured to the book in his hand, "You've helped me with so many questions since high school. I feel like I should treat you."

For some reason, Zhou Anran felt relieved.

So that's why.

"Don't worry about it. I’m learning just as much while helping you with the questions. You really don't need to treat me."

"But I might need your help again in the future. I can ask others for English, but no one else can help me with your major. If you don't let me treat you, I'd feel embarrassed asking for help again." He Mingyu pressed his lips together, "Let’s just grab a bite at the cafeteria. It won’t cost much and won’t take up too much of your time. Think of it as a casual catch-up between old classmates. We've been in college for a while, but we haven’t really talked.”

After he said that, Zhou Anran couldn't refuse anymore.

"Alright, but I really can’t do it tomorrow.”

"How about Tuesday at noon?” He Mingyu asked her.

Zhou Anran nodded, "Sure."

Back in the library, Zhou Anran stayed with her roommates until closing time.

Tomorrow was packed with classes, and once they got back to the dorm, they didn't do anything else.

Zhou Anran washed up, got into bed and checked her phone, which she had tossed aside earlier. She noticed a new message.

It was sent twenty minutes ago.

C: [You and He Mingyu go to the library together today?]

Zhou Anran's heart skipped a beat.

She somehow felt a little guilty.

Obviously, she has no relationship with him.

Maybe he was just asking out of curiosity, not really caring if she went to the library with other boys.

Yet, that guilt lingered.

Perhaps this is what it's like to like someone.

Though you don't know what they're thinking, you find yourself not wanting them to have the slightest chance of misunderstanding about yourself.

Zhou Anran quickly clarified: [No, we just met by chance.]

Her fingers lingered over the screen before she typed another message: [How did you know?]

He had even gone out of his way to bring her milk tea.

It wouldn't be too much for her to ask one more question, right? 

Two seconds later.

The phone buzzed.

C: [Yuan Song saw it.]

Yuan Song?

Zhou Anran thought. 

That must be his roommate, the boy who called her ‘Chen Luobai's female classmate’.

Zhou Anran stared at her screen, unsure of how to respond.

Sometimes she hated herself for being so boring and unable to come up with any interesting and appropriate topics to chat with him.

But it was rare for him to contact her like this.

She didn’t want to let the conversation end this way.

In her hesitation, her phone vibrated again.

C: [Are you going to the library tomorrow?]

Zhou Anran's heart raced faster. 

Why did he ask her this all of a sudden?

Zhou Anran: [I have full classes tomorrow, so I probably won’t.]

She bit her lip and couldn’t resist asking another question: [Why?]

Chen Luobai didn't answer her question.

Instead, he asked another question.

C: [What about the day after tomorrow?]

Zhou Anran: [I should go in the morning the day after tomorrow.]

Zhou Anran felt as if her heart was dangling in the air, held by an invisible string in his hand.

She couldn't help but ask again: [What's the matter?]

C: [Nothing.]

Her heart sank down.

Zhou Anran lowered her eyes, exhaling softly.

Just then, her phone buzzed again.

C: [Meet you by chance too.]

---

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