Lemon Soda Candy - 66

Zhou Anran’s eyes were still red, but the corners of her lips unconsciously curved upward.

“Finally smiling.” Chen Luobai chuckled and pinched her cheek again. “If you keep crying like that, your neighbors are gonna come out and stare.”

Zhou Anran: “!”

Still wrapped in his down jacket, she poked her head out to take a quick look.

Winter days are short, and it was already completely dark outside, but the streetlights in the neighborhood were plentiful, casting ample light. Sure enough, quite a few people were curiously glancing their way.

Zhou Anran hurriedly ducked her head back. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Chen Luobai laughed heartily. “Now you’re shy? You were crying so hard earlier, I didn’t have the mind to care about anyone else.”

Zhou Anran buried her face in his chest, saying nothing.

“There, there.” Chen Luobai coaxed her in a low voice. “You’ve been wrapped in my jacket the whole time. As long as no one comes too close, nobody can see your face.”

Zhou Anran mumbled softly, “But I have to go back home soon.”

Chen Luobai continued to soothe her. “I’ll give you my jacket to wear. Put the hood up, keep your head down, and walk. It’s so dark out, no one will notice.”

“Won’t you be cold if I take your jacket?” Zhou Anran looked up at him.

Chen Luobai’s fingertip gently brushed her cheek. “Don’t you know whether I’m afraid of the cold? Who was it that always burrowing into my arms at campus whenever it got chilly?”

Zhou Anran: “…”

Not always, surely. Maybe once or twice at most.

At the time, she sometimes still felt like she was dreaming and didn’t dare act too boldly affectionate with him.

Besides, if they were outside, she’d be too embarrassed to be clingy anyway.

Zhou Anran refused to admit it. “I didn’t.”

The girl tilted her head slightly, her eyes a bit swollen from crying, but the way she looked at him was as clear and loving as if washed by water.

Chen Luobai’s heart stirred, and he suddenly felt an urge to lean down and kiss her.

But seeing how shy she was just from crying in his arms, if he kissed her here, she’d probably be too shy to leave the house for a week.

Chen Luobai suppressed the urge and called her softly, “Ranran.”

Zhou Anran: “Yeah?”

“Wanna go back to Nancheng tomorrow?” Chen Luobai asked.

Zhou Anran blinked. “Why suddenly go back to Nancheng?”

“Didn’t Tang Jianrui and the others invite you to a gathering before?” Chen Luobai paused, giving her a teasing, half-smiling look. “As the ‘sister-in-law,’ you can’t go back on your word, can you?”

Zhou Anran’s ears warmed at hearing “sister-in-law” from him for the first time. “I said I’d go if I had time.”

Chen Luobai’s voice softened again. “So, do you have time tomorrow?”

Zhou Anran hugged his waist and nodded gently. “Yeah, I do.”

Back home, Zhou Anran changed her shoes at the entrance and stepped into the living room, only to see He Jiayi sitting quietly on the sofa.

Perhaps hearing her, He Jiayi turned to look at her, expression unreadable, her tone was flat. “Done talking with him already?”

Zhou Anran let out a soft “mm” and walked over to sit beside her.

“Didn’t you have something to tell me?” He Jiayi asked.

Zhou Anran felt a slight pang of nervousness, worried her mother might object, though she was certain she wouldn’t break up with him. “I wanted to tell you that I’m with him now.”

Seeing no reaction from He Jiayi, Zhou Anran grew even more uneasy.

“Mom, you’re not against it, are you?”

He Jiayi glanced at her. “What if I am?”

Zhou Anran grabbed her arm, gently shaking it. “Mom, he’s really good to me.”

“You’re so young, how would you know what’s truly good?” He Jiayi seemed skeptical.

Zhou Anran thought for a moment. “Do you know why I was crying today?”

He Jiayi said flatly, “Isn’t it because of him again?”

“It’s because of him,” Zhou Anran said, still holding her arm, “but not because he made me upset. It’s because Cen Yu told me today she first approached me because someone asked her to look out for me and help me settle into the new class. And half of the gifts she gave me over the years were actually from someone else.”

He Jiayi finally showed a hint of surprise. “He did all that? How does he know Cen Yu?”

Zhou Anran shook her head. “He doesn’t know Cen Yu. His cousin is in the same band as Cen Yu’s cousin, so his cousin asked Cen Yu’s cousin to pass on the request. You’ve met his cousin, Mom, the senior Yu who picked me up on the first day of college to help with registration, the one you said she was cold-faced but warm-hearted.”

“So that Senior Yu picking you up that day was also because of him?” He Jiayi asked.

“I haven’t asked him, but probably.” Zhou Anran shook her arm again. “Isn’t he good to me?”

He Jiayi lowered her eyes.

Earlier, she noticed that Zhou Anran had run out without a jacket and chased after her with one.

At the neighborhood entrance, she saw the tall boy immediately pull open his down jacket, wrapping her impulsive, yet usually meticulous daughter into his embrace.

Later, after returning, she stood by the window, watching from afar as Zhou Anran, wearing his jacket, was led back hand-in-hand.

It was a bit dark, but she couldn’t mistake her own daughter.

He Jiayi tucked a strand of hair behind Zhou Anran’s ear. “Your taste isn’t bad.”

Zhou Anran’s heart eased, a shallow dimple appearing on her cheek. “So you’re not against it, right?”

He Jiayi smiled faintly at her daughter’s excited expression. “When did I ever say I was against it?”

Zhou Anran: “…You looked so serious just now.”

He Jiayi laughed softly. “Actually, your dad and I have always felt a bit guilty. We didn’t ask for your opinion properly and rushed to decide on your transfer.”

Zhou Anran shook her head. “I really don’t blame you. You both seem so much happier here than when Dad was working with Uncle. And besides, I’m with him now, aren’t I?”

“That’s good then.” He Jiayi paused, as if recalling something. “Oh, by the way, that video you took of him playing basketball, Mom didn’t actually delete it. It’s saved on your dad’s computer.”

Zhou Anran’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

He Jiayi: “You’re that happy about it?”

Zhou Anran nodded, a bit shy. “That video means a lot to me.”

“Alright, I’ll have your dad send it to you later,” He Jiayi said.

Zhou Anran remembered something too. “Mom, I’m going back to Nancheng tomorrow.”

He Jiayi: “To see him?”

Zhou Anran: “…”

Seeing him was definitely a big reason, but she was too shy to admit it.

“There’s a class reunion.”

“Alright,” He Jiayi nodded.

Zhou Anran let out a breath of relief, then heard her mother speak again, slowly.

“But you need to be careful. You’re studying biology, so I shouldn’t need to say much, but Mom’s not ready to be a grandma just yet.”

“...?”

Zhou Anran’s face flushed instantly, and she quickly changed the subject.

“Have you eaten yet? I'll make you some noodles.”

He Jiayi pulled her back. “I’ll do it myself. Don’t mess up my kitchen.”

After standing up, He Jiayi turned back. “By the way, he didn’t see me today. Bring him up to visit sometime when you get the chance.”

Zhou Anran nodded. “Okay.”

After eating dinner with He Jiayi in the dining room, Zhou Anran returned to her bedroom. She turned on the electric heater, sat at her desk, and stared at the pile of gifts on the table for a few seconds. The corners of her mouth slowly curved up again as she picked up her phone and sent him a message.

Zhou Anran: [Are you home?]

A second later, a video call popped up from him.

Zhou Anran answered, and the boy’s sharply defined face appeared on her screen, along with his room’s decor.

He must have already returned to his room. Having video-called him a few times recently, Zhou Anran had grown familiar with his room.

Like his Beicheng apartment, it had a dark gray color scheme, with a few basketball star posters on the walls, a very boyish room, but much cleaner than most boys’ rooms.

“I'm home,” Chen Luobai said.

Zhou Anran leaned on her desk. “I have something to tell you.”

Chen Luobai: “What is it?”

Zhou Anran played with the little bunny keychain he’d given her. “My mom saw you this afternoon.”

Chen Luobai seemed to freeze for a moment. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I forgot.” Zhou Anran said. Her mind had been so caught up in the fact that he’d secretly arranged for someone to look after her and sent her gifts for two years, she hadn’t thought of anything else.

The usually cocky guy seemed, for once, a bit nervous. “If I’d known, I would’ve gone up with you to say hi. But maybe not—I didn’t bring anything today.”

Zhou Anran’s lips curved again. “It’s fine. She understands you didn’t see her. She even said I should bring you up to visit sometime.”

The hint of nervousness in Chen Luo Bai seemed like her imagination. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow, his tone deliberately teasing. “Already planning to bring me to meet your parents, huh?”if 

“Who’s bringing you to meet my parents?” Zhou Anran’s ears heated up. “When does the reunion start tomorrow?”

“Baby,” Chen Luobai chuckled, “that topic change was way too obvious.”

Zhou Anran: “…”

He knew she was dodging the topic and still called her out on it.

He was pretty spot-on about loving to tease her.

Zhou Anran pinched the rabbit pendant. “Can’t I just want to talk about this now?”

“Of course you can.” Chen Luobai said, still smiling. “My girlfriend calls the shots.”

Zhou Anran couldn’t help but laugh. “So when does the reunion start?”

“I’ll pick you up at one tomorrow afternoon?” Chen Luobai asked.

Hearing that he’d come to pick her, Zhou Anran felt a spark of joy but didn’t agree right away. “I can just take the intercity train. It’s such a hassle for you to go back and forth.”

“No hassle,” Chen Luobai said. “I’ll drive to get you.”

Zhou Anran was surprised. “You can drive?”

She’d never heard him mention it before.

The boy on the screen raised an eyebrow, brimming with youthful vigor. “What’s so hard about driving?”

Zhou Anran: “I don’t know how yet.”

“I’ll teach you later,” Chen Luobai said, steering the conversation back. “Is one p.m fine for you?”

Zhou Anran nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine. But what’s the plan for the reunion? Does it start at two or three?”

It was just over an hour’s drive from here to Nancheng.

Chen Luobai gave a soft “mm.” “They want to visit the school first, play a game at the court, then see Old Gao, and grab dinner nearby.”

Zhou Anran hadn’t expected this plan.

Chen Luobai called her again just then.

“Ranran,” he said, looking at her steadily through the screen. “Wanna watch me play a game at No. 2 High School again?”

At No. 2 High School.

At the third court in the first row, as his girlfriend, watching him play again?

Zhou Anran’s mood suddenly soared, her lips curving, she nodded eagerly. “I do.”

The next day at 12:50, Zhou Anran went downstairs.

As she reached the neighborhood entrance, she saw Chen Luobai already waiting.

The boy was dressed all in black again, leaning lazily against a black G-Wagon with his head down, playing with his phone. Passersby seemed invisible to him, exuding a cool, untouchable vibe.

When she got closer, he seemed to sense something, looked up, and saw her. His lips curved into a smile, and that youthful energy burst out all at once.

Zhou Anran reached the car, Chen Luobai opened the passenger door for her.

She climbed in.

Chen Luobai went around to the driver’s side, got in, and glanced at her. “Seatbelt.”

Zhou Anran nodded, reaching for it.

“Let me,” he said suddenly.

Zhou Anran’s lips curved, and she let go of the seatbelt.

Chen Luobai leaned over to fasten it for her but didn’t pull back right away. His dark eyes lingered on her face, his voice low. “The windows have privacy film.”

Zhou Anran blinked, not quite catching on.

The next second, Chen Luobai leaned down and kissed her.

It was a gentle kiss.

He brushed her lips lightly at first, then sucked on her lower lip a few times before gently pinching her chin.

After nearly three months together, Zhou Anran knew what this meant and obediently opened her mouth.

His tongue slipped in, grazing her palate and entwining with hers, kissing her slowly and deeply.

It wasn’t as breathless as usual, but it left her heart soft and melting.

After a long moment, Chen Luobai pulled back slightly, his forehead against hers, voice still low. “I wanted to kiss you last night.”

Zhou Anran: “…?”

Last night, they were at the busy neighborhood entrance.

“Miss me?” Chen Luobai asked softly.

Zhou Anran pursed her lips, too shy to answer.

Chen Luobai’s breath grazed her lips. “Didn’t miss me?”

Zhou Anran shook her head.

“What does shaking your head mean? You really didn’t miss me?”

Seeing his dark eyes narrow, looking a bit displeased, Zhou Anran’s fingers tightened. Gathering her courage, she leaned forward and lightly kissed his lips, her voice soft. “I did.”

Chen Luobai’s gaze darkened for a moment, and he leaned in to kiss her again.

This kiss was much more intense than the last.

By the time they were ready to leave, it was past 1:10.

Zhou Anran’s face was still flushed, her tongue slightly numb. She steadied her breathing and turned to him. “We won’t be late, will we?”

“No,” Chen Luobai said, hand on the steering wheel, his distinct knuckles looking even paler against the black. “I planned extra time.”

Zhou Anran: “?”

Extra time?

For what?

Kissing her?

Zhou Anran decided not to ask.

“Let’s go.”

Wucheng to Nancheng was a short drive, just over an hour. Zhou Anran chatted with Yan Xingxi and the others who were also attending the reunion, the G-Wagen soon pulled up at No. 2 High.

To her surprise, Zhou Anran saw Yan Xingxi and two others waiting together at the gate.

Chen Luobai stopped the car and glanced at her, lowering his voice. “You go in with them first? I’ll pick up Zhu Ran up ahead; he lives nearby.”

Zhou Anran, who hadn’t seen her friends in days, nodded, unbuckled her seatbelt.

As she reached for the door, she suddenly, for some reason, reached over and tugged his hand.

Chen Luobai froze, caught off guard.

Zhou Anran’s face heated up, and before he could react, she quickly opened the door and got out.

Zhang Shuxian spotted her and immediately rushed over for a hug.

Zhou Anran asked curiously, “How did you three end up together? Why didn’t you go inside?”

They hadn’t mentioned this in the group chat.

Sheng Xiaowen nodded toward the G-Wagen driving off. “Someone told us to wait for you at the gate.”

Zhou Anran glanced back at the G-Wagen, suddenly regretting that she’d only tugged his hand earlier.

“Shall we go in now?” Zhou Anran asked. “But we’ve graduated. Can we still get in?”

Yan Xingxi took her hand. “Don’t worry, your boyfriend already cleared it with the school. We can go in freely today—just register at the gate. Tang Jianrui and the others are already inside.”

Zhou Anran: “Let’s go then.”

Perhaps because it was the closest route, Chen Luobai had parked just outside the east gate. A short walk in, and there was the basketball court where she used to secretly watch him play.

Over two years later, the school hadn’t changed much.

Every blade of grass, every tree, still felt familiar.

But it was the holidays, so there were no students milled about in blue-and-white uniforms, making the campus feel empty and vast.

Zhou Anran glanced at the equally empty court. “Where’s Tang Jianrui and the others?”

He’d said the plan was to play a game first, so she’d assumed they’d be at the court.

“They said they’re in the classroom,” Zhang Shuxian said. “Let’s go check it out too.”

Zhou Anran nodded.

The four girls held hands, walking along familiar paths to the classroom, as if time hadn’t passed, as if they were still eating and going to school together, always just a glance away from each other.

At Building 2, they entered the teaching block and headed straight to Class 2’s first-floor classroom.

Sure enough, Tang Jianrui and the others were there.

Besides Tang Jianrui and Huang Shujie, Bao Kun and Shao Zilin were there too—both were studying out of town and absent from the last Beicheng gathering.

Seeing her, they grinned. “Yo, our sister-in-law’s here.”

Zhou Anran still wasn’t used to the title, her ears warming as she smiled and nodded at them. “Why are you all sitting so far apart?”

Tang Jianrui: “We’re sitting in our old seats. It’s a rare trip back to school, so we’re reminiscing about our long-gone youth.”

“How sappy can you get?” Huang Shujie rolled his eyes.

Zhou Anran vaguely remembered their seating arrangement. At first glance, she hadn’t noticed, but now it seemed they were indeed in their old spots.

Tang Jianrui rolled his eyes back. “Then don’t sit there.”

He turned to Zhou Anran. “Sister-in-law, wanna try sitting in your old seat too?”

Zhang Shuxian eagerly nodded. “Yeah, I was just thinking about that.”

Sheng Xiaowen: “Me and Xixi transferred to the liberal arts class in Grade 11.”

Huang Shujie: “Doesn’t matter. Once a Class 2 member, always a Class 2 member. Just sit in front of Sister-in-law. Those seats are empty anyway.”

“Alright,” Yan Xingxi agreed.

Zhang Shuxian pulled Zhou Anran to their seats, grinning. “Gotta wipe down the desks and chairs, right? I figured we might come to the classroom, so I brought wet wipes.”

She pulled out a pack, handing two wipes to Yan Xingxi and Sheng Xiaowen, then used one to clean Zhou Anran’s desk before wiping her own.

“Do we really need to wipe them?” Bao Kun asked from behind.

Zhang Shuxian didn’t look back. “Of course. The classroom’s usually cleared out during holidays, nothing covering the desks, so they get dusty in a few days.”

“Crap,” Bao Kun said. “It’s all on my pants then.”

Huang Shujie scoffed. “Girls are particular because they’re naturally tidy. You? Your pants are probably dirtier than the chair.”

“Hey, slander’s illegal, Huang Shujie,” Bao Kun retorted.

Tang Jianrui, sprawled on his desk, laughed. “Just think of it as cleaning for the junior.”

Bao Kun glanced at Huang Shujie. “See how much better he puts it?”

The boys behind them erupted into laughter.

Amid their banter, Zhou Anran sat back in her familiar seat.

Some habits were ingrained. As soon as she sat down, she instinctively wanted to glance back at the sixth seat in the second row.

Just as she started to turn, Yan Xingxi, sitting in front, turned around and placed a book on her desk.

“Ranran, your English book. I accidentally left it at my place when I helped pack your things.”

Zhou Anran stared at the still-pristine book, momentarily stunned.

She knew it wasn’t an accident, knowing Yan Xingxi’s carefree nature, it was probably deliberate, or maybe Sheng Xiaowen or Zhang Shuxian had reminded her, worried Zhou Anran might get emotional. Back then, she’d been afraid of that too, so He Jiayi had packed her things, and she hadn’t noticed the missing book.

But why hadn’t Yan Xingxi given it to her when she visited a few days ago?

Given Yan Xingxi’s personality, Zhou Anran figured she probably only remembered because of today’s reunion.

The boys behind were still joking, their laughter ringing out.

Zhou Anran’s fingers rested on the book, about to flip it open, when another hand landed on it—long fingers, distinct knuckles, with a small brown mole on the wrist.

When did he get here?

Zhou Anran’s eyes lit up as she looked up at him.

The boy beside her still had that heart-fluttering look in his eyes, but he was no longer wearing the black outfit from this morning.

At some point, Chen Luobai had changed into No. 2 High School’s autumn uniform.

Seeing her look up, he raised an eyebrow, his youthful energy bursting forth, still the spirited boy from back then.

“Zhou Anran from Class 2, Grade 11.”

Chen Luobai flipped open the English book before she could, holding an envelope in his other hand, slowly tucking it inside.

Zhou Anran stared, stunned.

The boy in the school uniform looked at her with a tenderness and affection she’d never seen in this classroom before.

She seemed to understand something, her heartbeat roaring, her nose suddenly stinging.

Zhou Anran slowly turned back.

Tang Jianrui, Huang Shujie, Bao Kun, Shao Zilin, and Zhu Ran—who’d slipped into the classroom at some point—were all sitting in their first-semester Grade 2 seats, somehow all wearing the same blue-and-white autumn uniforms.

Zhou Anran turned back again.

Beside her, Zhang Shuxian, and in front, Sheng Xiaowen and Yan Xingxi, were peeling off their winter coats, revealing No. 2 High School’s autumn uniforms underneath.

At that moment, it didn’t feel like a reunion.

It was as if they’d truly gone back to Grade 11.

The boy beside her, also in the autumn uniform, slid the English book to the edge of her desk, just like back then, teetering on the brink of falling.

Then Chen Luobai asked softly, “Not gonna open it?”

Zhou Anran fought down the sting in her nose and reached to flip open the book. Just like that day, because something was tucked inside, it opened right to that page.

There was an envelope.

On it, Zhou Anran saw that achingly familiar handwriting again.

His handwriting.

It read, “To Zhou Anran of Class 2, Grade 11.”

Time seemed to rewind to that sweltering early autumn, when summer still lingered.

Sunlight hid behind clouds, but the weather was stiflingly hot. The school’s camphor trees stayed evergreen, cicadas chirping endlessly.

That day, she and her friends had gone out to eat. Back at the teaching building, Yan Xingxi and Sheng Xiaowen headed upstairs to the liberal arts classroom, while Zhang Shuxian was stopped by a friend outside.

She’d walked into this classroom alone, noticing her English book wasn’t in its usual spot.

That day, she’d flipped it open and found a note inside, written in that bold, familiar handwriting: “Thanks for the medicine that day. I like it a lot, and I like you a lot too.”

Back then, she couldn’t believe it, couldn’t fathom that the love letter was from him to her.

 

But today.

Chen Luobai had really written her a love letter.

Her vision blurred quickly, and she heard him call her again.

“Zhou Anran.”

She looked up, tears shimmering, and saw Chen Luobai leaning against her desk, gazing down at her.

Then she heard him say softly—

“Chen Luobai from Class 2, Grade 11 likes you.”

---

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