Lemon Soda Candy - 71

When the second evening self-study session began, Zhou Anran's heartbeat still hadn’t calmed down, even after she had packed away most of the things Chen Luobai had placed on her desk into her schoolbag.  

Zhang Shuxian slid a notebook over to her with a message:  

"Be honest, what’s going on between you and Chen Luobai? He was trying to coax here, wasn’t he?"  

Had he really been trying to coax her earlier?  

Zhou Anran’s mind was still in a daze, her thoughts moving sluggishly.  

Zhang Shuxian, perhaps thinking she was deliberately ignoring her, or just as stunned by what had happened, pulled the notebook back and scribbled another long message before pushing it toward her again.  

"Don’t even think about hiding it from us now. The whole class saw him putting stuff on your desk. You know how much attention he gets, even if we don’t ask, others definitely will."  

"If you don’t spill, I’ll get Xixi and Xiaowen to interrogate you together later."  

Zhou Anran picked up her pen, the tip hovering over the paper for a long time before she finally wrote a single line: "I don’t really know either."  

Zhang Shuxian replied:  

"He wouldn’t just randomly give you stuff for no reason, right? And that ‘Don’t be mad’ earlier, that was totally him trying to coax you. I’ve never heard our school heartthrob speak so gently before."  

"And you actually tried to tell me that chocolate was something he ‘left behind’!!!”

Zhou Anran: "……"  

Had he really…  

been trying to coax her?  

Her heart was in a tangled mess. Slowly, she wrote back: "It’s hard to explain in a few words. I’ll tell you after self-study ends."  

Zhang Shuxian: "You’d better come clean later, or the three of us will ‘torture’ it out of you."  

She even drew an angry emoji next to the words.  

Zhou Anran couldn’t help but smile faintly, replying with a simple "Mm."  

Though Zhang Shuxian temporarily stopped pressing her, Zhou Anran’s mind remained a jumbled chaos. It took her a long time to barely regain her focus, managing to finish all her homework just before the second self-study session ended.  

When the bell signaling the end of evening self-study rang, Zhou Anran figured she wouldn’t have time, or the mental space, to study after going home, so she didn’t pack any books into her bag. She only reached for the cola can on her desk.  

Early September in Nancheng was still sweltering, as if summer refused to leave. Even at night, the temperature stayed high. After sitting through a self-study session, the cola was no longer cold. Zhou Anran wiped off the remaining condensation with a tissue and tucked the can into her bag. Just then, a boy from the front row turned around, his face brimming with gossip.  

"Zhou Anran, what’s the deal between you and Luo-ge?"  

Her hand stilled mid-motion. She didn’t know how to answer.  

She wasn’t even sure herself what the situation was.  

Then a pale, slender hand suddenly braced against her desk, a distinctive brownish mole visible on the wrist.

Chen Luobai’s familiar voice sounded above her, as if answering the boy for her, "If you’re so curious, why not ask me directly?"  

Zhou Anran’s heart, which had just started to settle, sped up again. She couldn’t tell if it was because he was standing by her desk again or because of the unmistakably protective edge in his words.  

The boy in front seemed to pick up on his "back off" tone and chuckled awkwardly. “I was just asking randomly. I don’t need to know anything. Gotta go, Luo-ge. See you tomorrow!”  

With that, he grabbed his bag and bolted.  

But the hand on her desk didn’t move.  

Zhou Anran kept her head down, yet she could still feel his gaze lingering on her.  

And not just his.  

It was like the scene from before the second self-study session all over again, when he had placed item after item on her desk, drawing the entire class’s attention bit by bit. Now, curious glances flickered toward them again, though no one dared to stare too openly.  

Just like now.  

Zhou Anran’s fingers still clutched the cola. She wasn’t sure if it was leftover condensation or sweat making her palm feel damp. Then she heard his voice above her again. 

Low, yet laced with faint amusement.  

"Still mad?"  

Zhou Anran shook her head.

How could she possibly still be mad?  

She hadn’t even been truly mad in the first place, just a tiny bit annoyed.

Chen Luobai: "Didn’t bring your phone?"  

Huh?  

Why was he suddenly asking about her phone?  

Zhou Anran usually didn’t bring her phone to school. She nodded instinctively, then remembered she’d brought it today for a family birthday banquet. She quickly shook her head.  

Chen Luobai chuckled at her flustered reaction. "So which is it, did you bring it or not?"  

Zhou Anran couldn’t help but look up at him. “I don’t usually bring it, but I did today.”

The faint smile on Chen Luobai’s lips froze for a moment. “You brought it but didn’t reply to my messages?”

Zhou Anran: "……?"  

"You texted me? I had it on silent."  

She finally let go of the cola can and reached to unzip her bag, intending to check her phone. But the hand that had been resting on her desk suddenly lifted, then landed lightly on top of her head, ruffling her hair.  

Zhou Anran froze.  

Her thoughts screeched to a halt.  

She looked up at him, dazed.

Chen Luobai’s lips seemed to curve again. The hand that had just ruffled her hair slipped back into his uniform pocket. His bag, slung over one shoulder, swayed slightly with the motion. “Check it when you get home. I’m heading out.”

By the time the second self-study session ended, it was already late. Sheng Xiaowen, after hearing about the night's events from Zhang Shuxian, didn’t linger at school either. The two agreed to interrogate Zhou Anran online after getting home, then went their separate ways. Yan Xingxi, acting as the enforcer, came straight to Zhou Anran’s house to spend the night.

Zhou Anran hadn’t planned to keep anything from them, she just didn't know how to bring it up. That night, she took the chance to explain things roughly to them.

Yan Xingxi listened, then pinched Zhou Anran’s flushed cheeks. "Ohhh, so that’s why! I always wondered why you suddenly started watching CBA games with Uncle Zhou last year when you’d never cared about basketball before. It was because of him, wasn’t it? And you hid it from me all this time!"  

Zhou Anran, her face red, pleaded, “I was wrong, okay? I was too shy to say anything.”

Yan Xingxi finally released her, though not without a condition. "I want milk tea tomorrow."  

Zhou Anran covered her face. "I’ll buy it for you guys tomorrow."  

A message popped up in their group chat from Zhang Shuxian: [So the situation is: you’ve liked him for a while, but you’re not sure how he feels, right?]  

Zhou Anran, half-leaning against the headboard, replied: [Mm.]  

Sheng Xiaowen: [I think he might like you back, at least a little.]  

Sheng Xiaowen: [Chen Luobai’s always been so careful about keeping his distance from girls. There’s no way he didn’t realize how ambiguous his behavior was tonight.]  

Zhou Anran’s mind was still in chaos.  

Zhou Anran: [But so many pretty, amazing girls like him.]

Zhou Anran: [How could he possibly…]

Zhang Shuxian: [Baby, you’re plenty pretty and amazing too, okay?]  

Zhang Shuxian: [And liking someone isn’t about qualifications—it’s about feelings.]  

Zhang Shuxian: [Also!!]  

Zhang Shuxian: [He patted your head tonight!!!]  

Zhang Shuxian: [How can anyone not overthink that?!?!]  

Zhou Anran’s face, which had just cooled down, heated up again.

It felt like she could still feel the lingering warmth of his hand on her hair.  

Zhou Anran: [But I don’t dare to overthink it.]  

She hadn’t even fully adjusted to the idea of being his friend yet.  

How had things suddenly sped up so much?  

Sheng Xiaowen: [Then don’t overthink it for now.]  

Zhang Shuxian: [?]  

Zhang Shuxian: [Why the sudden change of attitude?]  

Sheng Xiaowen: [I just think Chen Luobai’s not the passive type.]

Sheng Xiaowen: [If helikrs Ranran, he’ll make a move.]

Sheng Xiaowen: [Ranran, just wait and see.]

They chatted in the group for a while longer, until it was nearly midnight, before logging off to sleep.

Yan Xingxi, always carefree, complained a bit more about Zhou Anran keeping her in the dark for so long, then quickly fell asleep after Zhou Anran turned off the light.

Zhou Anran, however, couldn’t sleep at all.  

She switched her phone to silent mode and reopened his chat.  

Earlier, Yan Xingxi had dragged her back to grab pajamas before coming to her house. After showering, the three of them had launched into their interrogation, so she hadn’t had a chance to properly check the messages he’d sent during the evening.

C: [Still mad?]  

C: [What other snacks do you like? I’ll bring them tomorrow.]  

C: [Really not talking to me?]  

These three messages had been sent during self-study, each spaced several minutes apart, as if he’d been waiting for her reply.  

There was one more, sent over an hour ago.  

C: [Did you eat the stuff?]  

Zhou Anran’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. Glancing at the time, already past midnight, she hesitated.  

But remembering how his mood had seemed to dip earlier when he mentioned her not replying, she typed out a response after a brief internal struggle.  

Zhou Anran: [Not yet.]  

His reply came instantly.  

C: [Still awake?]  

Zhou Anran: [Mm.]  

Zhou Anran: [Why aren’t you asleep?]

Even if she didn’t read too much into it…  

Given his behavior tonight, asking this shouldn’t be out of line, right?  

C: [Did a practice test.]  

C: [Also…]  

Zhou Anran waited a few seconds, but no follow-up came. Curious, she typed: [Also what?]  

C: [Also wanted to see how long someone would finally reply to me.]

Her heart skipped.  

Was he talking about her?  

Zhou Anran: [Sorry…]  

Zhou Anran: [Yan Xingxi’s staying over tonight. We were just chatting.]  

The moment she sent it, regret prickled at her.  

What if he wasn’t talking about her?  

Thankfully, his reply came before she could spiral.  

C: [I was the one who made you mad. Why are you apologizing?]  

She exhaled quietly.  

Because I really, really like you.

I don’t want you to be upset, and I don’t want there to be even the slightest chance you misunderstand me.

But Zhou Anran wasn’t sure of his feelings yet, and she didn’t dare take even the slightest risk.  

She pursed her lips and changed the subject: [The ice cream melted.]

After his coaxing earlier, the class bell had rung. She didn’t dare eat it during self-study, and by the time she took it out, it had completely liquefied.  

C: [So what if it melted?]  

His tone sounded nonchalant.  

A tiny pang of disappointment flickered in her chest, though she wasn’t sure why.  

Before she could dwell on it, another message appeared.  

C: [I’ll buy you another one next time.]  

In the dim bedroom, Zhou Anran caught her own reflection in the phone screen, her lips curving upward, little by little.  

---  

Perhaps because many had overheard his unmistakably protective words that night, when Zhou Anran arrived at the classroom the next day, she could feel curious or speculative glances from her classmates, though no one approached her to gossip directly.

The days that followed passed much like before—one class after another, endless homework and practice tests piling up.

Yet something was undeniably different.  

Like one afternoon when she returned from lunch and sat down to do her homework, a cup of milk tea suddenly appeared in front of her. The hand holding it had distinct knuckles and a familiar mole on the wrist.

His voice carried that lazy, familiar tone.

“Bought too many. Help me drink one?”

Or the time she passed by the second row with her water bottle to the back door, only for a long leg to stretch out and block her path. When she looked up, she met a pair of dark, smiling eyes.  

His eyes drifted slowly down her face, landing on her hand.

“Going to get water?”

Zhou Anran nodded.

Chen Luobai picked up his empty bottle and held it out to her. “Fill mine too?”

Zhou Anran nodded again, reaching for it.

But he pulled his hand back.

Just as she widened her eyes in confusion, wondering if he was teasing her again, his lips curved slightly. He stood up, bottle in hand, and tilted his chin toward the door.

"Let’s go together."  

Or one evening after self-study, as she walked out of school with Yan Xingxi, someone tugged her backpack from behind. The force made her stumble back two steps, nearly colliding with a familiar chest.  

She didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.  

"What are you doing?"  

Chen Luobai let go of her bag, falling into step beside her.

Under the moonlight, his features looked even more striking, heart-stoppingly handsome as always.  

His tone was lazy, tinged with amusement. “What else? Just saying hi.”  

Who says hi like that?

Zhou Anran grumbled silently to herself.

But the night air seemed inexplicably sweet.  

Zhou Anran could sense she had somehow become someone special in his world.  

Special enough that, eventually, her classmates stopped staring curiously when they interacted, as if it had become normal.

But whether this specialness went beyond friendship…  

She still couldn’t be sure.  

September slipped away in a flash, leaving only its final days behind.  

The day before the National Day holiday, Nancheng’s heat was still oppressive.  

Zhou Anran’s lunch had been too salty, and the water she’d filled at noon was already gone by the end of the first afternoon class. Zhang Shuxian was busy catching up on homework, her own bottle still full, so Zhou Anran didn’t bother her. As she headed out the back door, her gaze instinctively drifted to his spot in the sixth desk.

He wasn’t there.

She didn’t think much of it and made her way to the water room.  

Perhaps because class was about to start, the water room was nearly empty, only one person was inside.  

Zhou Anran paused when she saw who it was, Lou Yiqi.  

Lou Yiqi had just finished filling her bottle. She turned off the tap, then turned around.  

Zhou Anran gave a slight nod and moved to pass her, but Lou Yiqi suddenly spoke.  

“What’s your relationship with Chen Luobai now?”  

Zhou Anran met her gaze and saw a complicated look in Lou Yiqi’s eyes.

For the past weeks, aside from schoolwork, nearly all her spare thoughts had been occupied by a certain someone. Only now did it occur to her that she hadn’t seen Lou Yiqi hanging out with Yin Yizhen this semester.  

Yin Yizhen hadn’t shown up in their classroom again either, and Zong Kai appeared less and less around Chen Luobai.  

When Zhou Anran didn’t answer immediately, Lou Yiqi’s expression darkened, her gaze growing even more complex.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? You don’t think him buying you a few things means he likes you, do you?”

Zhou Anran could vaguely guess what Lou Yiqi was feeling. Having experienced a hopeless crush herself, she wasn’t particularly angry at the comment, though it didn’t make her happy either. She pursed her lips and said evenly, “We’re not exactly close, are we?”  

Lou Yiqi seemed taken aback by the retort—one that essentially said ‘Whatever’s between him and me is none of your business’. She faltered before forcing out, “I’m just warning you not to get your hopes up.”

With that, she strode out.  

But just a few steps beyond the doorway, Lou Yiqi froze.  

A tall boy leaned lazily against the wall outside the water room. His usual smile was absent, his deep-set eyes looked especially dark and cold.  

His voice was cold.  

“Whether I like someone or not, how do you seem to know better than me?”

Lou Yiqi’s heart sank. Her lips moved, but no defense came out. In the end, she could only lower her head and hurry away.

Back in the water room, Zhou Anran finished filling her bottle and slowly turned off the tap, her chest inexplicably heavy.  

Though she’d countered Lou Yiqi, she knew there was truth in her words. Even if Chen Luobai gave her snacks or treated her differently from others, it didn’t necessarily mean he liked her.  

She was about to leave when her water bottle was suddenly plucked from her hand.  

She didn’t need to look to know who it was, only one person would do something like this.  

Sure enough, a familiar empty bottle was pressed into her hand, and his familiar voice sounded behind her.

"Fill this for me too."  

Zhou Anran let out an “oh” and obediently took his bottle, turning the tap back on.

Once his bottle was full and capped, he took it back.

Zhou Anran slowly turned around, not looking up, and reached for her own bottle.

But Chen Luobai’s hand darted to the side.

Zhou Anran looked up at him. “What are you doing?”

“Finally willing to look at me?” His brow quirked slightly. “I thought we were ‘not that close’ again.”

Zhou Anran: “…”

She was getting greedy, wasn’t she?

Before, just being his friend had been enough to make her happy.

“No way,” she mumbled, reaching for her bottle again. “Give it back.”

Chen Luobai raised it high. “Promise me something first.”

She looked up. "What?"  

His hand lifted higher, she’d have to jump to reach it now.  

Why was he being so unfair?

Chen Luobai: “After school, I’m staying to play basketball with Zhu Ran and some others, then we’re going to Qingting for dinner. Come with us? You can bring your friends too.”  

Qingting?  

The name sounded familiar. Wasn’t that where they’d gone after that basketball match last semester?  

Zhou Anran was tempted but shook her head. “I promised my mom I’d eat at home tonight.”  

"You’ve got seven days of National Day break to eat at home," Chen Luobai lowered her bottle, dangling it in front of her. His dark eyes fixed on her. “Come with me to Qingting tonight?”  

From "come with us" to "come with me"—just a slight rewording, yet the pull intensified tenfold.  

Zhou Anran almost nodded. But the last shreds of reason held her back. She shook her head. "My mom woke up early to go to the market just to buy my favorite dishes today."  

“Is that so? Well, your bottle—” Chen Luobai held it out to her.

Zhou Anran reached for it.

But he pulled it back again. “I’m keeping it hostage."  

Zhou Anran: "……?"  

Why did he love teasing her so much?  

"Chen Luobai!"  

The moment the name left her lips—soft yet drawn-out with complaint—his teasing motions abruptly stilled.  

Zhou Anran, still reaching for the bottle, hadn’t expected him to stop. Her hand accidentally brushed against his.  

Her palm pressed fully against the back of his warm hand.  

The air in the water room seemed to still for a second.  

The next moment, Zhou Anran yanked her hand back as if burned, her head dropping, her face flushing, her heart racing.  

For several seconds, neither spoke.  

Just as Zhou Anran thought her heartbeat might betray her, his voice broke the silence.  

"That’s the second time you’ve called me by name."  

Zhou Anran thought back.  

…He was right.  

She’d only ever dared say his name in her thoughts before. Even now, with their relationship closer, she still habitually avoided addressing him directly. That slip had been out of frustration.

But her face was definitely red right now. If she admitted she remembered exactly how many times she’d said his name, wouldn’t that be too obvious?  

She still wasn't sure of his feelings.  

Biting her lip, she kept her voice light, neither confirming nor denying. "Is it?"  

She didn’t hear him respond.

A flicker of unease stirred in her chest. She wanted to look up but didn’t dare.  

Then the water bottle was held out to her again.  

Unsure if he was teasing again, she hesitated before reaching for it. This time, he didn’t pull away, but after letting go, the hand she’d accidentally touched didn’t retreat. Instead, it lifted slightly—  

And landed on her head, ruffling her hair again, this time with slightly more pressure.  

“What are you doing?” Zhou Anran finally looked up at him.

His expression clearly spelled ‘Not happy’ and he ruffled her hair again.

“Who told you to have such a bad memory?”  

Her heart gave a tiny leap.  

Was he upset because of her vague response?

Before she could ponder further, Chen Luobai’s lips curved into a sudden smile. His hand left her hair, and his gaze swept over her.

"You’re pretty cute with your hair all messy like this.” 

Zhou Anran: "?!"  

"Chen! Luo! Bai!"  

He laughed, playing innocent despite his teasing. “That’s the third time. What did you call me?”

"Nothing." She scowled, smoothing her hair as she walked out. "Class is starting soon. I’m going back."  

Footsteps followed her.  

"Zhou Anran."  

For some reason, she couldn’t stay mad at him. "What?"  

Chen Luobai caught up beside her, his water bottle in hand. "Really not coming to dinner with me this afternoon?"  

"Really not."  

"Then—" He paused.  

Zhou Anran glanced at him. "Then what?"  

The playful edge faded from his expression, leaving something more intent.  

"Then do you want to come watch me play basketball this afternoon?"  

---

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