Lemon Soda Candy - 55

By the time she reached the classroom, half of Zhou Anran’s ear was still burning, her mind swirling with his words: “I’m already all yours.”

Xie Jingyi and the others had saved her a seat. As she settled in, she noticed that Nie Zizhen was, by some coincidence, sitting right in front of her again today.

With a few minutes left before class, Nie Zizhen suddenly turned around, eyeing her up and down, “Zhou Anran, are you really dating Chen Luobai?”

From last night to now, Zhou Anran had been asked this question countless times.

Though she wasn’t close with Nie Zizhen, Zhou Anran didn’t hide anything and nodded honestly.

Nie Zizhen gave her a sour look and muttered, “You’ve got some serious dumb luck.”

Zhou Anran: “…?”

“Whatever.” Nie Zizhen stared at her for a few seconds, as if steeling herself for something, then saif, “I’ll tell you something, as a thank-you for believing I didn’t spread those rumors before.”

Zhou Anran blinked, caught off guard. “What is it?”

Nie Zizhen hesitated for a moment. “Let me make this clear first: I heard this from someone else, and they swore it’s true. I’m not trying to ruin your relationship with Chen Luobai or anything, just giving you a heads-up.”

Hearing Chen Luobai’s name, Zhou Anran’s heart inexplicably tightened. “What’s it about?”

Nie Zizhen leaned closer, her voice dropping further. “Chen Luobai supposedly had a white moonlight back in high school.”

Zhou Anran: “?”

Something about this felt… off?

Nie Zizhen continued quietly, “You were only his classmate in first year, right? Then you transferred somewhere else for second year?”

Zhou Anran nodded. “Yeah.”

Nie Zizhen: “Then it makes sense you wouldn’t know. My friend’s from your Nancheng No. 2 High School. Chen Luobai wrote a love letter to some girl, but she didn’t accept it and transferred to another city. Apparently, he was pretty down about it for a while and even fell out with a close friend over it.”

Zhou Anran: “…?”

Why did this story sound so familiar, yet not quite right?

Nie Zizhen shot her another sour glance. “I don’t know why he’d go for someone like you, but with your soft personality, if that white moonlight doesn’t stir up trouble, fine. But if she gets jealous seeing Chen Luobai with someone else and comes back to stir trouble, I bet you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Zhou Anran: “…”

Zhou Anran paused for a moment. “It’s fine.”

“You don’t believe me?” Nie Zizhen looked a bit annoyed.

Zhou Anran shook her head. “No, it’s not that, but—”

“But what?” Nie Zizhen cut her off. “You’re throwing in a ‘but’, you totally don’t believe me.”

Zhou Anran confirmed with her again, “Are you sure your friend said he wrote the love letter at the start of second year?”

Nie Zizhen’s face was blank. “So you still don’t believe me.”

Zhou Anran: “I do.”

“If you believe me, then what's with all these ‘buts’ and double-checking details?” Nie Zizhen shot back.

Zhou Anran: “Because—”

“Because what?”

Zhou Anran paused. “Because the person you’re talking about might be me.”

Nie Zizhen: “???”

Xie Jingyi, who’d been eavesdropping on the gossip: “???”

“Didn’t you say you and he were just regular high school classmates?” Nie Zizhen looked utterly betrayed and incredulous.

Zhou Anran: “We were, but—”

“Wait.” Nie Zizhen still couldn’t believe it. “You’re sure you’re the white moonlight I’m talking about?”

Though the details didn’t entirely match, Zhou Anran nodded. “If you’re sure the love letter was written at the start of his second year, then the person you’re talking about is probably me. Plus, didn’t you say the girl transferred schools?”

And he probably never wrote a love letter to anyone else in high school.

Given his personality, if he’d written a love letter, he wouldn’t have kept it a secret. Just like last night, when they’d just gotten together, he openly announced their relationship and confidently brought her into his circle of friends.

If he’d written another love letter, Zhang Shuxian and the others would definitely have known.

Zhou Anran added, “But I’m not his whi—”

Before she could finish, Nie Zizhen interrupted, waving her hand. “Fine, fine, it’s just a misunderstanding. I don’t want to hear you flaunt your love life.” 

With that, she turned around.

Xie Jingyi, who loved gossip, was bursting with curiosity. “She doesn’t want to hear it, but tell me! What’s the deal? Didn’t you say you two weren’t close in high school?”

“We weren’t,” Zhou Anran explained. “That love letter wasn’t written to me.”

Nie Zizhen slowly turned back again.

Xie Jingyi glanced at her. “Didn’t you say you don't want to heat it?”

Nie Zizhen’s expression faltered for a moment before she shrugged it off. “Curiosity is human nature. So how come the love letter wasn’t written to you?”

The second question was directed at Zhou Anran.

Zhou Anran: “He wrote it for someone else, but it got slipped into my book, so it caused a bit of a misunderstanding.”

“How did a letter he wrote for someone else end up in your book?” Xie Jingyi asked, intrigued.

Zhou Anran paused.

She hadn’t asked him for the full details back then.

But last night, in that group chat, she hadn’t seen Zong Kai.

Still, regardless of what Zong Kai might have done, Yin Yizhen was likely completely innocent. So Zhou Anran didn’t go into too much detail.

“It was something like a prank, I guess. Anyway, Chen Luobai just helped write it, it wasn’t really his letter, and it wasn’t meant for me.”

Nie Zizhen: “…”

Nie Zizhen felt like her intelligence had been insulted.

She knew rumors could be wildly off, so why had she believed it just because someone swore it was true?

The girl behind her paused for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled at her. It was as if she didn’t think Nie Zizhen was dumb for believing such a rumor at all. Her smile was extra sweet, with two shallow dimples on her cheeks. “But thanks anyway.”

Nie Zizhen: “…”

Damn.

She was starting to see why Chen Luobai fall for her.

“No need,” Nie Zizhen said, turning back around. “It didn’t help you anyway.”

---

Over the next few days, both of them were busy, only managing to meet up in the cafeteria or the library. Sometimes they’d grab dinner together in the cafeteria before heading to the library.

Zhou Anran noticed Chen Luobai seemed to have a thing for playing with her hand.

Every time they entered the library, he wouldn’t immediately settle down to study. Instead, he’d always pull her hand over first.

When Zhou Anran turned to ask him about it, he’d grin and say it was “recharging.”

At first, she’d get shy. But after a few times, she kind of got used to it. She stopped asking and just let him hold her hand.

Anyway, he always knew his limits. He wouldn’t tease her too much or disturb others. Usually, after two or three minutes of playing, he’d let go and focus on his books.

On Friday afternoon, the Law School had a basketball game.

Zhou Anran had class at the time and couldn’t go, but she and Chen Luobai had made plans to go to the Live House that evening to watch Yu Bingqin and her band rehearse.

After dinner with her roommates, Yu Xinyue headed to the library as usual. Zhou Anran needed to drop off some things, so she returned to the dorm with Bai Lingyun and Xie Jingyi.

In the dorm, Zhou Anran set her things down but didn’t leave right away.

Chen Luobai had just finished his game and was eating with his teammates. He’d gone back to his dorm to shower.

Zhou Anran sat at her desk, planning to squeeze in some reading, when Xie Jingyi spoke up.

“So you two are heading out for a date tonight, huh?”

Zhou Anran nodded.

It wasn’t her first time going to a rehearsal with him, but it was her first time going as his girlfriend. So, yeah, it counted as a date, right?

Bai Lingyun chimed in, “Yup.”

Zhou Anran opened her book.

A moment later, Xie Jingyi’s voice rang out again.

She dragged out a long, teasing “Ooh.” “Bringing face wash for a date, huh?”

Bai Lingyun cleared her throat. “So, uh… I’m not coming back tonight.”

Zhou Anran turned around, still thinking about her study notes, and didn’t quite catch on. “Lingyun, you’re not coming back tonight? Are you pulling an all-nighter with Senior Xie?”

Xie Jingyi and Bai Lingyun both looked at her.

Xie Jingyi burst out laughing, standing up from her seat. “I’m a single dog and I got it instantly. How’s Ranran, who’s in a relationship, so clueless?”

Bai Lingyun stopped packing and walked over, pinching Zhou Anran’s cheek. “Ranran, how far have you and our campus heartthrob Chen gotten?”

Zhou Anran realized her mistake the second the words left her mouth.

But it was clearly too late now.

Xie Jingyi came over and pinched her other cheek. “Have you kissed yet?”

Bai Lingyun’s gaze drifted downward, lingering at her chest. “Or, you know… anything else?”

Zhou Anran: “?!”

What were they even talking about?

Why were her roommates suddenly so bold?

Zhou Anran shook her head vigorously.

“What’s with the head-shaking?” Xie Jingyi wasn’t letting her off the hook. “No kissing, or no—?”

Zhou Anran’s face burned crimson, she hurriedly interrupted her. “…Neither.”

“Huh?” Bai Lingyun looked shocked. “Didn’t you come back past ten a few times this week? And you’re saying nothing happened?”

Zhou Anran: “…The library closes at ten.”

Xie Jingyi was equally shocked. “Chen Luobai’s got that much self-control?”

Her gaze drifted downward too. “Even I couldn’t resist.”

With that, Xie Jingyi actually reached out.

Zhou Anran: “!”

Zhou Anran silently scooted her chair back.

Xie Jingyi collapsed onto Bai Lingyun’s shoulder, laughing. “Sorry, I got ahead of your boyfriend. But, as a flat chest, I've been so curious about it.”

Zhou Anran was overwhelmed by these two. “Don’t you have a meeting to get to? And aren’t you supposed to be on a date with your boyfriend? Why are you still here?”

Xie Jingyi: “Meeting’s not for a while. No rush.”

“I’m not in a hurry either,” Bai Lingyun added. “Xie Zihan can wait as long as I want tonight.”

Zhou Anran: “…”

“Oh, right, Ranran.” Xie Jingyi saw Zhou Anran’s head practically buried in her chest from embarrassment and decided to ease up, switching to a less spicy question. “What does our campus heartthrob usually call you?”

This topic was way safer than the last one. Zhou Anran let out a small sigh of relief. “Just my name.”

“Like us, calling you Ranran?” Bai Lingyun asked.

Zhou Anran shook her head. “No, my full name.”

“Full name, like first and last?” Xie Jingyi sounded a bit surprised.

Zhou Anran: “Yeah, why?”

Xie Jingyi: “Ask Lingyun what Senior Xie calls her.”

“Mostly Yunyun,” Bai Lingyun answered proactively. “Sometimes ‘babe’ or ‘darling’.”

“…”

As Chen Luobai held her hand on the way to the Live House, Zhou Anran was still mulling over why he always called her by her full name.

It wasn’t that she thought it felt distant.

She just felt like Chen Luobai seemed to like saying her name.

So many times, even when he was already looking at her and didn’t need to call her, he’d still say her name in that low voice before talking to her.

Zhou Anran couldn’t help but glance at the boy beside her.

He’d just showered, his hair trimmed short a couple of days ago. A few strands falling over his forehead, the faint scent of his shower gel lingering.

Should she ask him?

But he’d been getting less and less serious around her lately.

If she asked, not only might she not get a straight answer, but he’d probably tease her to no end.

She hesitated the whole way until they reached the Live House entrance. Stepping through the first door, Zhou Anran couldn’t hold back anymore and called out to him. 

“Chen Luobai.”

Her soft voice slipped into his ear. Chen Luobai paused mid-step, turning to look at her, his gaze deepening. “That’s the second time you’ve said my name.”

Only the second time?

Zhou Anran thought back.

It seemed true.

She’d barely ever said his name before.

The only other time was on the school rooftop, when she’d called out to him to say thank you.

Maybe because, during those long years of her secret crush, the name ““Chen Luobai” had been the shorthand for all her hidden feelings.

Saying it out loud felt like her secret might spill out with it.

But now, he wasn’t her secret anymore. He was her boyfriend, someone she could hold hands with and hug openly.

And she could finally say his name with confidence.

“Say it again,” Chen Luobai said suddenly, his voice low.

Zhou Anran looked up at him.

The Live House wasn’t open yet, and the space between the two doors was dim, lit only by faint light filtering from outside and inside, softly outlining the sharp contours of his face.

A face that, no matter how many times she saw it, still made her heart skip.

Zhou Anran softly called his name again. “Chen Luobai.”

The moment the final “bai” left her lips, she saw the boy in front of her suddenly lean down. That face, which haunted her dreams, drawing close.

Then something brushed her lips, light as a feather.

It took Zhou Anran two seconds to realize—

What had just touched her lips was a kiss, as light as a feather.

Chen Luobai had just kissed her.

---

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