Lemon Soda Candy - 69

After returning to her bedroom, Zhou Anran’s heart was still pounding fiercely.

She set her schoolbag aside and sat at her desk, too distracted to work on her assignments. Instead, she pulled out her phone and opened WeChat. A new chat window had appeared at the top of the main interface.

The username was a single capital letter: C.

The profile picture was a silhouette of an NBA player’s back.

Zhou Anran tapped on the profile picture, her heart still grappling with the surreal feeling.

She had actually added Chen Luobai’s WeChat.

Yet tonight’s dream didn’t seem to have ended. 

Her phone suddenly buzzed.

A new message had come in. 

Zhou Anran lingered on his profile picture and blank profile signature for a few seconds before reluctantly exiting the chat.

Back on the main interface, her heartbeat grew erratic again.

The new message was from the top chat window.

From him.

C: [Are you home?]

Zhou Anran: [Yeah]

After sending it, she felt the single “Yeah” sounded too curt. She thought for a moment and added a small rabbit nodding emoji.

The chat window soon showed “Typing…” at the top.

Zhou Anran pressed her lips together, unconsciously holding her breath.

A second later.

C: [Alright, I’m heading back to grab late-night snacks with Zhu Ran.]

C: [See you next week.]

Zhou Anran slumped onto her desk, the corners of her lips slowly curling up.

Zhou Anran: [See you next week.]

Because of his “See you next week,” time suddenly seemed to drag on unbearably, each minute and second stretching endlessly. Thankfully, she had plenty of homework to keep her occupied, and the next day, Zhou Anran went with her parents to visit her cousin’s family, which distracted her a little.

The following morning, Zhou Anran, her cousin, and Ms. He took Tuantuan to the supermarket.

As soon as they entered, the little girl dragged them straight to the candy aisle.

Zhou Anran’s eyes immediately landed on a pack of soda candies. She reached for it, hesitated for a moment, then put it back.

She had finally gotten a bit closer to him, and even if he likely didn’t remember what those candies looked like, she didn’t dare risk the slightest chance of exposing herself.

By Monday, Zhou Anran woke up early and headed downstairs to wait for Yan Xingxi.

Most of Yan Xingxi’s idol CDs and merchandise were still under her mom’s control, so she didn’t dawdle too much this semester. She came downstairs soon after, catching a glimpse of the faint dimples at the corners of Zhou Anran’s lips, and asked curiously, “What’s up? Why do you look so happy today?”

Zhou Anran: “…?”

Was it that obvious?

“I had a good dream.”

Yan Xingxi looped her arm through Zhou Anran’s. “What kind of good dream?”

Zhou Anran opened her mouth but felt too shy to mention Chen Luobai. She shook her head. “I don’t really remember. How about I treat you to breakfast?”

Yan Xingxi tugged her along. “Let’s go, then!”

At the school building, Yan Xingxi headed upstairs to her own class, while Zhou Anran returned to her classroom alone.

As soon as she entered through the front door, her eyes instinctively darted to the sixth desk of the second row.

But Zhou Anran hadn’t expected Chen Luobai to arrive so early today.

Her gaze landed on him, and there he was, dressed in his summer school uniform, his pale, slender fingers idly twirling a black pen. A bottle of milk sat on the edge of his desk, and he leaned back lazily in his chair, his eyes lifting toward the doorway.

Their gazes collided in midair.

Caught off guard by the moment, Zhou Anran was entirely unprepared. Her heartbeat stumbled out of rhythm again. Afraid her eyes might betray something, she hurriedly lowered her head and rushed back to her seat.

Chen Luobai’s brow quirked slightly.

He’d assumed that after sending her home last Friday, exchanging contact info, and being classmates for a year, they couldn’t still be considered “not close,” right?

So why did she still look jumpy every time their eyes met?

Chen Luobai stared at the girl’s delicate back for a few seconds, about to look back to read his book, when he noticed a boy named He Mingyu, holding a test paper, sitting down in the empty seat in front of her, seemingly to ask her a question.

From his angle, he could only see half of her fair profile.

The girl seemed to smile faintly, her dimples barely visible, then she lowered her head to calmly explain the problem to He Mingyu, her demeanor completely different from when she faced him.

Chen Luobai nudged Zhu Ran, who was sitting next to him. “Is she close with He Mingyu?”

“Who’s close with He Mingyu?” Zhu Ran looked puzzled by the abrupt question, looked up and followed Chen Luobai’s gaze. He immediately understood. “You mean Zhou Anran? How would I know? I’m not close with either her or He Mingyu.”

He paused for a second, eyeing Chen Luobai curiously before leaning in and lowering his voice. “What’s the deal? You sent her home last Friday, and now you’re asking if she’s close with another guy. Since when have you been so interested in a girl?”

Chen Luobai lazily glanced at him, pushing his head away, “You don’t know anything, yet you’ve got the nerve to gossip? Get lost.”

“Damn.” Zhu Ran dodged his hand. “You jerk.”

Because of that morning’s eye contact, Zhou Anran didn’t dare glance in his direction for the rest of the morning, terrified of revealing anything more.

The second class in the afternoon was P.E.

Zhang Shuxian was on her period, so after free activities, Zhou Anran went to the school store to buy her a soda.

Inside the store, Zhou Anran reached the cooler but hadn’t yet opened it when a group of boys from her class suddenly swarmed in, crowding around the cooler. Tang Jianrui, leading the pack, yanked open the door, and seven or eight hands reached in at once.

Zhou Anran was pushed to the side by the crowd.

She eventually stepped over to the freezer, giving the boys the entire space in front of the cooler to pick first.

A low, familiar voice suddenly sounded near her ear.

“What do you want to drink?”

Zhou Anran’s head snapped up, her eyes once again meeting those smiling black eyes.

The boy had just played ball during class, and with the heat, sweat glistened on his forehead and neck. Yet his blue-and-white school uniform and his smile were crisp and clean, the youthful energy and hormones clashing in a way that was irresistibly magnetic.

Her heartbeat quickened unconsciously, but she forced herself not to seem too nervous. “What do you mean, what do I want to drink?”

“They made me treat them,” Chen Luobai said, nodding toward the group of boys who had grabbed drinks and were now raiding the snack aisle. “Didn’t you help me out last Friday? Pick something to drink, I’ll cover it.”

Zhou Anran hadn’t expected that after turning down his offer to treat her to late-night snacks last Friday, she’d get another chance to be treated by him.

But…

“But I didn’t really help you with anything last Friday.”

Chen Luobai: “Then call it a bribe.”

Zhou Anran blinked, confused. “A bribe for what?”

Chen Luobai tilted his chin toward the cooler. “Go over there first.”

Zhou Anran wasn’t sure what he was up to but obediently murmured, “Oh,” and followed him to the cooler.

He opened the cooler door, and a blast of cold air hit their faces.

Chen Luobai grabbed a can of cola and held it out to her. “This okay?”

Zhou Anran glanced up at him, then lowered her eyes, quietly reminding him, “You still haven’t said what the bribe is for.”

Chen Luobai had noticed her standing by the cooler earlier, seemingly about to open it to grab something, only to be pushed back by the group of boys who rushed in. She’d retreated again and again until she ended up in the corner between the freezer and the wall.

She didn't say anything, just stood there quietly, her slim frame made even more delicate by the oversized school uniform and the boys around her. She looked so well-behaved it almost made him want to tease her.

Chen Luobai pressed the cola into her hands.

Zhou Anran hurriedly caught it.

But he didn’t let go right away, his fingers still gripping the can as he leaned down slightly, closer to her.

Zhou Anran could almost see her own reflection clearly in his dark eyes.

Amid the clamor of her racing heart, she saw Chen Luobai flash her a sudden smile. His clear voice lowered, almost like a whisper.

“Don’t tell the teacher about me skipping class.”

Zhou Anran’s breath hitched.

He was still keeping some distance, about the same as when she’d helped him apply medicine last Friday.

But last Friday, she’d been looking down at his hand. Now, he was the one leaning in, his face, the one she thought about day and night, suddenly so close. His voice felt like it was right by her ear, and for a second or two, her mind went completely blank.

Chen Luobai looked down, catching the girl’s fair face flush pink, her lashes trembling noticeably. 

“Don't want to?”

Zhou Anran snapped back to reality, quickly shaking her head. “No, I won’t tell the teacher.”

Chen Luobai: “…”

How did she seem so completely without temper?

The distance was probably a bit too close, he could even see the fine fuzz on her small face, her delicate earlobes turning pink. Chen Luobai’s throat bobbed, and he let go, stepping back. “Anything else you want to drink?”

Zhou Anran quietly exhaled in relief, her brain finally starting to function again. “I need to get a bottle of orange soda, but it’s for my friend. I’ll pay for it myself.”

As she reached for the soda, he closed the cooler door before she could.

?

Zhou Anran had to look up at him again.

“Zhou Anran.”

Zhou Anran, softly: “What’s wrong?”

Chen Luobai leaned toward her again, this time even closer, his voice tinged with a hint of irritation.

“Look closely.”

“At what?”

Chen Luobai enunciates each word, “Does my face say ‘stingy’ on it?”

Zhou Anran: “…?”

She quickly shook her head.

Chen Luobai slowly pulled back, leaning against the cooler again, his tone still carrying a trace of irritation. “Do I look like I can’t afford one bottle of soda?”

Zhou Anran: “…”

Sensing he was upset, she didn’t refuse again, saying softly, “Thanks, then.”

Chen Luobai glanced at her for a second without responding.

Zhou Anran’s heart sped up again.

Was he still upset?

Why wasn’t he saying anything?

Chen Luobai opened the cooler again, grabbing a bottle of orange soda and handing it to her.

Zhou Anran, seeing he didn’t seem upset anymore, quickly took it. Then she watched as he grabbed another can of cola.

His pale, slender index finger hooked the pull-tab, the other four fingers gripping the can. When he pulled, faint veins stood out on the back of his hand, and the small bead on his wrist glinted slightly.

The tab popped open. Bubbles fizzed out.

Chen Luobai tilted his head back to take a sip, his sharp Adam’s apple bobbing with the swallow. Then, in a slow voice, he asked, “Any snacks?”

Zhou Anran’s mind was still stuck on the effortlessly cool way he’d opened the can single-handedly. It took her a moment to register his question about snacks. She shook her head. “No need.”

Worried he’d think she was calling him stingy again, she quickly added, “It’s too hot. I really don’t feel like eating.”

Her voice was no longer as hoarse as it had been last Friday, returning to its usual soft, slightly grainy tone that slipped pleasantly into his ears. Chen Luobai’s grip on the cola can tightened slightly.

“Then head back with us?”

Zhou Anran: “?!”

Back where?

To the field?

Walking back with him would definitely draw attention.

And for some reason, maybe because he’d leaned in twice just now, her heart was racing so fast it felt like it might explode. Spending any more time with him might push her over the edge.

Most importantly, Zhang Shuxian was still waiting for her.

Zhou Anran held up the orange soda he’d just given her. “My friend’s waiting for me.”

Chen Luobai’s gaze lingered on her slender, fair hand for a moment. “Alright.”

Leaning against the cooler, he called out to the cashier, “Uncle Zhang, I’m drinking this cola now. The two bottles she’s holding are on me too.”

Zhou Anran saw him point at her with a smile, looking quite familiar with the store owner.

The owner responded back with an acknowledgment.

But the group of boys inside suddenly started making a ruckus.

“Wait, what’s going on?”

“Did I hear that right? Luo-ge’s paying for someone?”

Chen Luobai glanced back, the corner of his mouth still curved. “What’s with the noise? Keep dawdling, and you’re paying for yourselves.”

Zhou Anran’s ears, which had just calmed down, heated up again.

Chen Luobai turned back, his cola in hand, his eyes landing on her reddened ears. His brow lifted slightly. “Not leaving yet? Changed your mind about coming with us?”

Zhou Anran: “?”

He was being teased, and he was still joking with her?

Shouldn’t he be keeping his distance from her?

But her mind was a mess, too jumbled to think clearly. She glanced at him, then lowered her head. “No, I’m going.”

Chen Luobai leaned against the cooler, watching as she scanned her items at the counter and hurriedly left, her slim figure disappearing through the doorway.

For some reason, a thought flashed through his mind.

If he hadn’t caught her in time last Friday, would she have vanished like this, leaving him with nothing but a fleeting glimpse of her back?

He might not even have known it was her who brought him the medicine that day.

“Still staring?” Zhu Ran’s voice suddenly broke in. “She’s long gone.”

Chen Luobai gave him a lazy glance. “Can’t even shut your mouth with snacks?”

“Shutting my mouth won’t help,” Zhu Ran said, gesturing behind him with his eyes. “You were so obvious just now, leaning in to talk to her, buying her drinks. They all saw it. Good luck explaining.”

Sure enough.

Once the bill was settled and the snacks and drinks were in hand, the “pay for yourselves” threat lost all power. As they left the store, Tang Jianrui and the other boys crowded around Chen Luobai, gossiping eagerly.

“Luo-ge, what’s going on? Why’d you suddenly treat a girl to drinks?” Tang Jianrui slung an arm over Chen Luobai’s shoulder, his tone dripping with curiosity.

The others chimed in.

“Did anyone see who it was? Luo-ge was blocking her, I couldn’t see her face.”

“Zhou Anran, right? She’s in our class. Pretty.”

“Pretty? Why don’t I have any impression of her?”

“She keeps a low profile, I guess? I just know she gets good grades.”

“Hold up, have some tact, guys. You’re discussing whether the girl Luo-ge’s into is cute right in front of him? She might be your sister-in-law soon.”

“He’s really into her?”

Chen Luobai knew they’d react like this. He brushed Tang Jianrui’s hand off, his tone a mix of exasperation and amusement. “None of your business.”

Tang Jianrui let out a knowing, drawn-out “Oh.” “Alright, alright, it’s none of our business. So it’s fine if we all go talk to Zhou Anran later, right?”

Chen Luobai tossed his empty cola can into a nearby trash bin, then suddenly hooked an arm around Tang Jianrui’s neck. “You guys got nothing better to do?”

---

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