Lemon Soda Candy - 53

Even though she had already held his hand moments ago, even though she had sensed it coming—when Zhou Anran truly heard him say those words aloud, her nose instantly stung with an overwhelming ache.

A blink, and tears spilled over.  

This was the third time Chen Luobai had seen her cry.  

The first time, he had been oblivious, treating her as just another classmate. He hadn’t understood why his attempts to comfort her only made her cry harder that day, or why her smile toward him had been so forced.

Yet it was from that day onward that he began to notice her.  

The second time, he had been too slow to realize his own feelings. After being called to the teachers office, he hesitated instinctively, unwilling to reveal the truth about the love letter—unwilling to let her face embarrassment again.

Because of that hesitation, he had been a step too late. He watched as she stepped in front of him, as she slowly crouched down, her voice trembling with tears as she said, “How could he possibly like me?”

In that moment, he couldn’t name the emotion tightening his chest—only that he would never forget that scene for the rest of his life.

This was the third time.  

She cried silently, beautifully.  

Chen Luobai’s heart clenched with a sudden, sharp ache. He raised a hand to wipe her tears, fingers hovering just shy of her cheek before pausing uncertainly.  

The boy who never showed a hint of nervousness, even when called out by a teacher for sleeping in class, now spoke with a trace of nervousness in his voice.  

"Don’t cry. If you’re not ready yet, I can wait."  

Zhou Anran’s vision blurred. She shook her head instinctively.  

From the day she transferred out of No. 2 High School, she thought their paths would never cross again.

His dazzling, vibrant life would keep drawing new people in, while she remained forever a silent spectator in the shadows.  

Yet, somehow, he had appeared on her path, waiting for her.  

It still felt unreal.  

Like a dream.  

Zhou Anran looked at his slender hand, blurred by her tears, she reached for it on impulse, as if grasping for proof.  

Chen Luobai Chen Luobai lowered his gaze to the delicate, pale hand clutching his fingers. The heart that had been suspended in air finally settled, and his other hand dared to rest gently at the corner of her eye.

His voice carried a smile, as if teasing her, but because it was soft and low, it felt more like coaxing.  

"Zhou Anran, you haven’t said yes to be my girlfriend yet. No holding hands until we're official."  

She shook her head again, torn between laughter and the ache in her throat.  

"I didn’t say no."  

How could she?  

She liked him—so, so much.  

Even if this were just a dream, she wanted to stay in it forever.  

---  

After leaving the classroom, Zhou Anran walked beside him, still feeling like she was walking on clouds, weightless, each step unsteady.

She stole a glance at him.  

The boy’s jawline was sharp and smooth, his nose high and straight. Both his features and bone structure were strikingly handsome, his profile like a painting.

This boy who had once lit up the youth of half the girls at No. 2 High School.

This boy she had only dared to watch secretly from the crowd.

He had really become her boyfriend.

It still didn’t feel real.  

Zhou Anran quietly watched him, unaware that she was inching closer. The back of her hand accidentally brushed against his. The autumn breeze was chilly, and her fingers had gone cold, but his hand was warm.

As if scalded, Zhou Anran instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but in the next second, he swiftly caught it.

Unlike earlier in the classroom, when he had slowly, carefully interlaced their fingers, giving her time to react or pull away, this time his movements were bold and decisive. Before she could process it, their fingers were interlocked, their palms pressed tightly together.

Chen Luobai’s gaze shifted to her, amusement glinting in his dark eyes. “How many times have you looked at me on this walk?”

Zhou Anran: “…”

Maybe it was the tight grip of their hands that gave her unprecedented confidence and courage. Her ears grew warm, but for once, she didn’t look away. She softly countered, “Can’t I look?”

“Of course you can.” Chen Luobai smiled at her, his thumb traced the back of her hand lightly. "Want me to stop so you can stare properly?”

Whether from his teasing or the intimacy of the gesture, Zhou Anran’s face flushed redder. Unable to keep up, she averted her gaze. “N-no… no need.”

Chen Luobai let out a soft chuckle. “Alright, we’ve got time. You can look all you want later."  

The late autumn wind carried a biting chill, but Zhou Anran’s heart felt submerged in warm, bubbling springs.

Her lips curved into a slight smile.

Outside the dormitory, the flow of passing students drew curious glances their way.

It wasn’t the first time he’d walked her back to her dorm, but it was the first time he’d held her hand while doing so. Her ears, which had just cooled down, began to burn again, yet she didn’t pull away. She only said softly, “I’m here.”

Chen Luobai gave a quiet “mm.”

Zhou Anran didn’t want to part with him, and she was a little afraid to, but seeing the tiredness in his eyes, she couldn’t bear to let him stand in the cold wind just to keep her company.

“I’ll head up now. You should rest early."  

The girl in front of him kept her head slightly lowered, her fair ears tinged with a faint red again. Her lashes fluttered, and her soft, pink lips were gently pressed together.

Chen Luobai’s gaze lingered on her lips for a second before releasing her hand. "Mm."  

Just a single “mm”?

Zhou Anran felt a pang of disappointment but quickly scolded herself for being greedy.

Being walked back to her dorm while holding his hand was something she never dared to dream of before. She pushed down the odd sense of loss. “Alright, I’m going in.”

Just as she turned, she heard Chen Luobai call her name.

“Zhou Anran.”

She turned back.

Under the dim streetlights, the tall, handsome boy spread his arms. “No hug for your boyfriend before you go?”

Zhou Anran froze.

Chen Luobai didn’t wait for her response. He reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her in.

Zhou Anran stumbled into his embrace, his hands settling on her waist, tightening slowly. Her face pressed against his firm chest, his familiar scent enveloping her, his heartbeat as rapid as her own.  

Slowly, her pulse steadied.  

Chen Luobai held her there, in full view of the dormitory traffic.  

Just before letting go, she felt him lower his head slightly, his breath warm against her ear, his voice soft and low.

“Goodnight, girlfriend.”

As soon as Zhou Anran entered the dorm, Xie Jingyi and Bai Lingyun squealed and rushed toward her.

"Ranran! You and Chen Luobai are really together?!" Xie Jingyi vibrated with excitement.

Zhou Anran was startled. “How did you know?”

Bai Lingyun: “You two were hugging downstairs for two or three minutes. We’re not blind. Everyone in this dorm saw it, and it’s probably spreading around already. By tomorrow, the whole school will know.”

Zhou Anran: “…”

Her face felt like it might actually start steaming.

“Not bad, Ranran.” Xie Jingyi pinched her cheek. “You managed to snag a god-tier guy like Chen Luobai. How’d you do it?”

Zhou Anran touched her ear. “I don’t know.”

Since their reunion, it seemed like he had always been the one taking the lead.

For some reason, Yu Xinyue hadn’t gone to the library tonight and wasn’t joining in the frenzy. She grabbed something from the balcony and, upon coming back, looked at Zhou Anran. “Ranran, Chen Luobai’s still downstairs.”

Zhou Anran blinked, confused.

She tossed her book onto the desk, grabbed her phone, and hurried to the balcony.

Xie Jingyi and Bai Lingyun followed to watch the excitement.

Zhou Anran leaned over the balcony and saw the tall, lean boy still standing where they’d hugged. As if sensing her gaze, he looked up.  

 

Their eyes met in midair, and Zhou Anran’s heart skipped a beat.

She lowered her head to text him: [Why are you still here?]

C: [Wanted to see you one more time.]

Zhou Anran’s fingers paused, her heart racing: [You’ve seen me now.]

C: [Mm.]

C: [Leaving now.]

Zhou Anran looked up from her phone.

Below the balcony, the tall, slim boy pocketed his phone, raised his hand, and gave her a casual wave, then walked into the night.  

Only when his figure completely disappeared did Zhou Anran return to the dorm.

Xie Jingyi trailed behind her. “Ugh, now I want to fall in love too.”

“Falling in love isn’t the same for everyone,” Bai Lingyun chimed in. “When Xie Zihan and I got together, he dropped me off at the dorm and bolted.”

“True,” Xie Jingyi sighed. “Even if I found someone, he wouldn’t say stuff like ‘wanted to see you one more time.’"  

Zhou Anran: “…?”

They weren’t lamenting about wanting to fall in love—they were teasing her.

Zhou Anran, cheeks red, reached out to tickle Xie Jingyi. “Jingyi, you peeked!”

Xie Jingyi dodged, laughing. “I only saw that one message, don’t be mad! Chen Luobai was everyone’s campus heartthrob, free for all to admire. Now he’s yours alone, so it’s not too much for me to sneak a peek at your lovey-dovey moment, right?”

Zhou Anran, thin-skinned, couldn’t out-tease them and decided to escape. “I’m going to wash up.”

After washing up, Zhou Anran climbed into bed early with her phone and the two lemon soda candies he’d given her.

She lay flat, opened the group chat with Yan Xingxi and the others, hesitated, then flipped onto her stomach.

The two lemon soda candies sat by her pillow.

Zhou Anran glanced at them, touched her ear, and typed: [So…]

Zhou Anran: [I have something to tell you guys.]

She waited a few seconds.

No response in the group.

But just twenty minutes ago, Yan Xingxi and Zhang Shuxian had been chatting in there.

Were they all busy now?

Zhou Anran pursed her lips and typed out: [Chen Luobai and I are together.]

The moment the message sent, the group lit up with replies.

Sheng Xiaowen: [Twenty minutes.]

Zhang Shuxian: [Do we forgive her?]

Yan Xingxi: [Let’s give her a chance to explain.]

Zhou Anran: [?]

Zhou Anran: [What are you guys talking about?]

The three ignored her, continuing their own conversation.

Sheng Xiaowen: [But Zhu Ran knew twenty minutes before us.]

Zhang Shuxian: [Unforgivable.]

Yan Xingxi: [But it’s not like she told Zhu Ran.]

Zhou Anran: [What’s going on?]

Zhou Anran: [Pitiful.jpg]

Yan Xingxi: [Go check Moments.]

Zhou Anran was puzzled.

She opened Moments, refreshed, and quickly found Zhu Ran’s latest post.

Zhu Ran: “Can that Chen guy be any more whipped?”

Attached was a screenshot of a WeChat conversation.

Zhu Ran: [I’m coming to your school this weekend.]

C: [Don’t come. I’m busy.]

Zhu Ran: [Don’t you just have one game this weekend? How are you busy?]

Zhu Ran: [Too much homework this week?]

C: [Spending time with my girlfriend.]

Zhu Ran: [???]

Zhu Ran: [!!!]

Zhu Ran: [You’re with Zhou Anran?]

C: [Mm.]

C: [So don’t come.]

Zhu Ran was his best friend, so it was no surprise he’d told him.

But seeing “spending time with my girlfriend,” Zhou Anran’s lips curved into a smile again.

She long-pressed the image to save it, then returned to the group chat. The earlier cryptic conversation now made perfect sense.

She felt a little guilty.

Zhou Anran: [I saw it.]

Sheng Xiaowen: [So, explain.]

Zhang Shuxian: [How long have you been together?]

Yan Xingxi: [Zhu Ran knew, and we didn’t?!]

Zhou Anran: [Not long.]

Zhou Anran: [Just tonight.]

Zhang Shuxian: [?? Tonight?]

Zhou Anran: [After second period tonight, he confessed.]

Zhou Anran: [I told you guys right after I washed up.]

She just hadn’t expected him to tell Zhu Ran even faster.  

Sheng Xiaowen: [Second period ends at 8:30, right? So it’s only been an hour?]

Zhou Anran: [Yeah.]

Yan Xingxi: [Fine, we’ll forgive you.]

Zhang Shuxian: [Since you told us pretty quickly.]

Sheng Xiaowen: [What I mean is…]

Sheng Xiaowen: [It’s only been a little over an hour, and Zhu Ran posted just half an hour after you got together.]

Sheng Xiaowen: [Someone couldn’t wait to show off, huh?]

Yan Xingxi: [Oh, true.]

Zhang Shuxian: [!!]

Zhang Shuxian: [Blind spot! You found the key point!!]

Zhang Shuxian: [Med school’s ruining me!!!]

Zhang Shuxian: [Back in the day, I wouldn’t have missed this tea.]

Sheng Xiaowen: [Ranran, looks like Chen Luobai likes you even more than I thought.]

Zhou Anran: “…?”

Was that true?

Zhang Shuxian: [But with Zhu Ran’s post, it’s basically half-official. Get ready—people will probably start asking you about it soon.]

As if on cue, Zhou Anran’s phone pinged.

She thought Zhang Shuxian was right and someone was already asking, but when she checked, it was Chen Luobai.

C: [Just took a shower.]

C: [Saw Zhu Ran’s Moments post.]

C: [Do you mind?]

Zhou Anran was confused: [Mind what?]

C: [Mind that our relationship went public so soon?]

Zhou Anran: “…”

He’d hugged her publicly downstairs—it was already pretty much a declaration.

And how could she mind? She was glad he was open about it.

Zhou Anran: [I don’t mind.]

C: [Then I’ll post too.]

Zhou Anran: [Post what?]

Zhou Anran: [On Moments?]

C: [Mm.]

C: [Zhu Ran’s post got a lot of people asking. Too lazy to reply one by one.]

So…

He was going to announce it himself?

Zhou Anran was curious about what he’d post.

She opened Moments, refreshing repeatedly, her heart racing with anticipation as no new posts appeared.

Until a minute later, his profile picture finally popped up—

C: “Stop asking. It’s Zhou Anran from our high school. I chased her. Been thinking about her for a long time.”

---

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