Lemon Soda Candy - 74

The two days of the monthly exams passed in a flash.

The weekend flew by just as quickly.

By Monday, the temperature in Nancheng had dropped, with the high falling below 30 degrees Celsius, finally hinting at the approach of autumn.

Zhou Anran arrived at school early as usual. Yan Xingxi didn’t accompany her back to Classroom 2 that day.

The two parted ways at the stairwell. Zhou Anran entered the classroom alone, walking past her own seat after coming through the front door, and finally stopped beside Chen Luobai’s desk.

She fiddled with the small rabbit charm dangling from her backpack strap, drew a deep breath, and let her fingers hover over the zipper.

Quite a few people were already in the classroom; the boarding students always arrived particularly early.

Everyone seemed to have their heads down, studying, but Zhou Anran inexplicably felt eyes on her.

A moment later, she exhaled in quiet frustration and retreated back to her own desk.

After several days away, she wasn't in a hurry to sit down. First, she pulled a disinfectant wipe from her desk drawer and began meticulously cleaning the surface of her desk and chair.

Just as she was finishing up, her backpack was tugged from behind again.

Zhou Anran: “?!”

Why is he here so early today? Thank goodness I didn’t try to put anything on his desk just now, or he might have caught me red-handed.

But it seems like he didn’t pull the main strap today; the pressure seemed to come from the slanted back corner of her bag.

Zhou Anran couldn’t help turning around.

Then she saw the rabbit charm he had given her, hanging on the side of her backpack, now clutched in the boy’s long, elegant fingers. It was crumpled tightly in his grasp, its connecting string pulled taut, looking like it might snap with just a little more force.

A jolt of panic shot through her. She nearly reached out to pry his hand loose. “Don’t pull it, you’ll break it.”

The girl’s soft, gentle voice seemed to tickle his ears, and Chen Luobai’s fingers twitched in response. He gave the rabbit charm another squeeze. “What’s the worry? If it breaks, I’ll just buy you another one.”

Zhou Anran really felt the rabbit was about to be ruined by his playing. “But it wouldn’t be this one anymore.”

Chen Luobai glanced up, noting her furrowed brow, and a faint, amused smile touched his lips. “Seems you really like it, huh.”

Zhou Anran’s heart gave a heavy thump.

As she grew closer to him, her guard seemed to drop lower and lower.

But since he gave her a gift, it should be okay if she revealed just a little bit, right?

“It’s just… genuinely very cute,” Zhou Anran grabbed the string, trying to rescue the little rabbit from someone’s grasp. “Besides, did you give it to me just so you could tug on it like this?”

Chen Luobai: “That’s not it, it’s just—”

He paused.

Zhou Anran: “Just what?”

Chen Luobai’s gaze moved from her slender, pale fingers back to the rabbit in his hand. He pinched the rabbit’s face, then looked back up at her. “It really does look quite like you.”

Zhou Anran: “……?”

Yan Xingxi and the others had said the same thing, but for some reason, hearing him say it felt profoundly different.

Especially since, as he said it, he kept pinching and playing with the rabbit.

Her ears grew warm. Taking advantage of his loosened grip, she pulled the rabbit back and changed the subject. “Why are you here so early today?”

Chen Luobai watched as she simply took her backpack off and hung it on her chair, clearly defensive against him pulling her rabbit again. He couldn’t help but laugh. Then he swung his own backpack to the front, pulled out a carton of fresh milk, and placed it on her desk before replying leisurely, “Just learning from my new front deskmate.”

Zhou Anran’s heartbeat quickened several paces. Because of his phrase “my new front deskmate,” and because of the milk carton now sitting on her desk.

On the second day of the monthly exams, he had passed one to her through the window too.

Including this one, it was already the third carton.

It couldn’t be that he’d accidentally brought an extra carton of milk three days in a row, could it?

Zhou Anran shot him a glance and couldn’t help asking quietly, “Why are you giving me milk again?”

Chen Luobai: “What do you think?”

Zhou Anran blinked.

Suddenly, his hand rose, reaching toward her.

Her eyes widened slightly as she watched his hand draw closer and closer. Her heart rose higher and higher in her chest until his hand stopped an inch away from her forehead…

They hovered there.

Then, slowly, his hand moved sideways back to rest on his own shoulder.

“You’re barely even reaching my shoulder.”

Zhou Anran: “……”

Her highly suspended heart plummeted back down with a thud.

She retorted quietly, “I’m 162 centimeters tall now.”

It’s just that he’s too tall, okay?

Chen Luobai’s eyes swept over her appraisingly. “Really 162?”

“Don’t believe me? Fine.” Zhou Anran felt a little annoyed, though she wasn’t sure if it was because of her earlier mistaken assumption or because of his skeptical tone. She gave the last corner of her desk a final wipe. “I’m going to wash my hands.”

After washing her hands, Zhou Anran entered through the front door, keeping her head down and not looking at him, though her peripheral vision caught that he had already returned to his seat.

She settled into her seat and pulled out her English textbook and planned to memorize some vocabulary.

As soon as the English book was laid open, a chocolate bar was tossed from behind, landing right in the middle of her book.

Zhou Anran: “……?”

Why is he throwing chocolate at me again?

A moment later, a small, crumpled paper ball followed.

Zhou Anran picked it up and smoothed it open.

On the crumpled paper, the boy’s handwriting was still elegant.

“Don’t be angry.”

The corners of Zhou Anran’s lips curved up.

Remembering something, she picked up the backpack hanging on her chair, unzipped it, and felt around inside until her fingers closed around a small box.

She hadn’t expected him to give her anything on the day they returned after the National Day holiday. Whether out of politeness or personal desire, she wanted to give him a small gift in return. Over the weekend, she’d gone shopping with Yan Xingxi and the others.

The small box now felt immeasurably heavy in her palm, as if weighted with lead.

Fine beads of sweat coated her palm.

That afternoon, she had spent a long time choosing and finally settled on a red wristband.

Sheng Xiaowen had said at the time that what she chose wasn’t important; what mattered was whether she dared to give it to him.

Little did she know her words had proven prophetic—Zhou Anran really didn’t dare.

Annoyed, she puffed out her cheeks again.

Perhaps because he hadn’t received a response from her, the boy behind her started throwing things onto her desk again.

One chocolate bar.

Two.

Three.

…

The corners of Zhou Anran’s lips curved upward again, as if she had found some courage to support herself. She quickly took the box from her bag and, without turning around, tossed it backward onto his desk.

Chen Luobai’s voice immediately came from behind. “What’s this?”

Zhou Anran’s face and ears burned fiercely. She opened her mouth but didn’t have the courage to say it out loud. Throwing the gift at him might have already used up all her courage for the day.

She re-hung her backpack and buried her burning face in her arms on the desk.

Her chair was gently nudged from behind.

“Zhou Anran.” Chen Luobai’s voice called her name.

Zhou Anran bit her lip, picked up a pen, scribbled a few words on the same crumpled note he’d sent, and tossed it back without turning around.

Chen Luobai picked up the small paper ball on his desk and unfolded it.

Below his handwriting were five small, neat, cute characters from the girl—

“The rabbit’s return gift.”

***

Thanks to the teachers who had worked overtime grading papers over the weekend.

That afternoon, the exam papers for each subject were handed out one after another, and the overall grade rankings were released early.

Zhou Anran’s ranking had climbed two places since the final exam last semester. In English, she’d even tied for first place in the grade with a certain someone.

After coming back from dinner with Yan Xingxi and the others in the afternoon, she had just returned to her seat when He Mingyu came over with his English test paper to ask her about a problem.

Zhou Anran leaned over, explaining it step-by-step. When she looked up, she found He Mingyu’s gaze wasn’t on the paper but seemed fixed on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

He Mingyu: “You—”

He said one word, then suddenly stopped, his gaze shifting past her to look behind her.

Instinctively, Zhou Anran turned to follow his gaze.

Chen Luobai happened to be coming in through the back door, followed by Zhu Ran and that large group of guys.

Their eyes met briefly across the room, and her heart, utterly uncooperative, beat a little faster.

She turned back to He Mingyu. “What were you going to say just now?”

He Mingyu stared at the small dimple that had unconsciously appeared by her cheek. “Nothing, just wanted to say thank you.”

Zhou Anran: “You’re welcome.”

Without another word, He Mingyu picked up his test paper and returned to his seat.

Zhou Anran pricked up her ears to listen for any movement behind her but didn’t hear him laughing and joking with Zhu Ran as usual.

She was hesitating whether to sneak another glance back when she saw the boy’s long, bony hand land on her desk. He leaned sideways against the edge of her desk, his voice cool as it sounded above her head.

“What were you talking to him about?”

“With who?” Zhou Anran looked up at him. “He Mingyu?”

Chen Luobai was expressionless. “Yeah.”

Zhou Anran inexplicably felt he seemed a little unhappy.

It couldn’t be because he was jealous she was talking to He Mingyu, could it?

She didn’t dare entertain the thought, but she also didn’t want him to misunderstand. “He came to ask me about a couple of English questions.”

Chen Luobai: “Which questions?”

“The last question of the cloze test and the first question of the second reading comprehension.” Zhou Anran couldn’t help softly asking another question. “What’s wrong?”

Chen Luobai: “Explain them to me too?”

Zhou Anran: “……?”

“You need me to explain them to you?”

Chen Luobai looked at her lying on the desk, so well-behaved and cute as she spoke to him, and his brief irritation evaporated. “Then shall I explain them to you instead?”

Huh?

Zhou Anran asked, puzzled, “You explain them to me?”

Chen Luobai made an affirmative sound. “For every question you get wrong, if I know it, I’ll explain it to you. Do you want me to?”

Zhou Anran’s heartbeat quietly quickened again. She gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. Then, hesitantly, she asked, “Won’t it delay your studies?”

“How could explaining a few questions to you delay me?” Chen Luobai tapped her desk with a bent knuckle. “Give me your math, physics, and chemistry test papers first.”

Zhou Anran found the test papers and handed them to him.

The boy’s other hand, which had been resting at his side, lifted up. Only then did Zhou Anran see he was holding something—it looked like an ice cream. Chen Luobai placed the ice cream on her desk. “Eat this first. I’ll call you in a bit.”

Tang Jianrui and Huang Shujie walked over from behind, slinging arms over each other’s shoulders, their voices laced with teasing.

“Brother Luo, how come you never explain questions to me?”

“No wonder Brother Luo grabbed an extra ice cream—wouldn’t give it to me no matter how much I begged.”

Chen Luobai pulled out his chair and lazily glanced at them. “Are you my front deskmate?”

Tang Jianrui: “But I used to sit diagonally in front of you, and I never got that kind of treatment.”

Huang Shujie: “Sitting diagonally in front isn’t enough; you have to have the surname ‘Zhou’—”

Chen Luobai aimed a light kick at him, a laugh mixing with a scold. “Don’t you two have anything better to do?”

Tang Jianrui and Huang Shujie ran off again, laughing and joking.

The tips of Zhou Anran’s ears warmed once more. She carefully opened the lid of the ice cream.

Zhang Shuxian passed a note over from the side.

“If Chen Luobai doesn’t like you, I’ll write my surname ‘Zhang’ upside down from now on.”

Zhou Anran: “……?”

That really won’t be necessary.

She took a spoonful of ice cream and ate it. The sweet, refreshing flavor instantly filled her mouth.

Perhaps because he was only looking at the questions she got wrong, Chen Luobai went through the test papers extremely quickly. Zhou Anran hadn’t even finished her small cup of ice cream when she heard his voice from behind, seemingly speaking to Zhu Ran.

“Switch seats with her.”

Zhu Ran looked up and glanced forward, his tone teasing. “Why should I?”

Chen Luobai dropped his gaze to Zhu Ran’s feet. “Because of those new sneakers you’ve got your eye on.”

“Switch seats? Say no more.” Zhu Ran immediately changed his tune. “However you want to switch, for as long as you want. Want me to permanently vacate this seat next to you for her?”

Chen Luobai’s gaze shifted slightly forward, landing on the girl with her head bowed low, and a faint smirk touched his lips. “Not necessary for now. If she moved over now, her view would probably get obstructed.”

Zhou Anran was about to eat the last bite of ice cream when she paused at his words.

So was that why he brought her fresh milk this morning?

Zhu Ran had already walked to her side. “Zhou Anran, care to switch seats?”

Zhou Anran ate the final bite, stuffed the cup into the small trash bag hanging at her desk for disposal later, made an affirmative sound, and stood up. As she did, she tidied her desk, pulled out a scratch pad and notebook, then gave up her seat.

Chen Luobai looked up to see Zhu Ran settling into her seat, his dark eyes narrowing slightly.

Zhou Anran walked to his side and saw his chair was pushed almost against the desk behind him, leaving no space to pass. She reminded him quietly, “I can’t get in.”

Chen Luobai’s gaze slowly returned, swept past Zhu Ran’s seat, and finally settled on her. “Sit in my seat.”

From the front row, Zhu Ran let out a soft, knowing “Tch,” exchanging a look with Zhang Shuxian.

In unison, the two pushed their own chairs forward slightly.

To give a little more space for the two behind them, and also to avoid being subjected to another display.

Zhou Anran blinked.

Why is he having me sit in his seat again?

But Chen Luobai didn’t seem to be asking for her opinion. After speaking, he moved into Zhu Ran’s vacant seat himself.

Zhou Anran had come over to listen to him explain questions, so she was naturally willing to accommodate him.

Of course, she herself also preferred sitting in his seat.

It’s just that while there was still a desk between the front and back rows, sitting next to him as a deskmate meant there were no more barriers between them.

He had never shared a desk with a girl before. Zhou Anran worried he might be uncomfortable with her being so close.

Chen Luobai arranged the test papers. When he looked up again, he saw she was practically sitting on the edge of his desk.

He almost laughed in exasperation. “Why sit so far away? Want me to yell to explain the questions to you?”

Zhou Anran: “……”

It was a little too far, she supposed.

But—

“You wouldn’t need to yell,” she retorted quietly.

Chen Luobai lifted his chin expressionlessly. “Come closer; it’ll disturb others.”

Zhou Anran said, “Oh,” and obediently moved a little closer.

“A bit more.”

“Oh.”

Before she knew it, she was close enough to catch the fresh, clean scent on him.

Zhou Anran’s heart felt like a vigorously shaken bottle of soda, countless tiny bubbles fizzing relentlessly upward.

She stole a sideways glance at the sharp line of his profile, then quickly lowered her head before he noticed, watching as he idly spun his pen a few times before tapping its point against a math problem.

“This multiple-choice question you got wrong and the second-to-last problem are essentially the same type.”

This was the first time Zhou Anran had heard him explain a problem.

Actually, more than half the class had asked him for help with questions at some point, even students from other classes frequently sought him out.

But she had never dared to ask him before.

Chen Luobai’s explanations were exceptionally logical, and his focus was different from the teachers’. The teachers taught them how to solve problems; he specifically dissected why she got each question wrong, the traps she’d fallen into, and the flaws in her reasoning.

It was enlightening.

Zhou Anran quickly calmed her mind.

She thought his explaining questions to her this time was just a whim.

But from that day onward, whether for routine homework or minor quizzes, for every problem she couldn’t solve, he would explain it to her in detail.

Subsequently, during breaks and self-study periods, Zhou Anran began frequently swapping seats with Zhu Ran. Yet, Chen Luobai never let her sit in Zhu Ran’s seat, always insisting she sit in his.

Once, before evening self-study, he was explaining a problem to her when they were coincidentally caught by the dean of academics.

But at that time, he was explaining seriously, and she was listening intently; neither of them noticed the classroom had suddenly gone quiet.

By the time he had finished explaining all the problems, the classroom had long since returned to its noisy state.

Zhang Shuxian turned around from the front row to look at her.

“The dean of academics was just here.”

Zhou Anran: “?”

“The dean was here?” Her heart jumped in alarm. “When?”

Zhu Ran also turned around. “About ten minutes ago. Old Zhao stood behind you two with a serious expression for a long time. He’ll probably call you to the office later.”

Chen Luobai casually tore off a piece of scratch paper, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it at him. “Stop scaring her. Don’t you know she’s timid?”

Zhu Ran dodged the paper ball with a laugh, his tone teasing. “How would I know if she’s timid or not?”

Chen Luobai couldn’t be bothered with him. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on the girl’s fair profile. “Don’t listen to him. With Old Zhao’s temper, if there was a problem, he would’ve said something right then.”

Zhou Anran thought about it and agreed.

She relaxed slightly.

He was helping her with studies; she’d hate to be the cause of any reprimand for him.

Zhang Shuxian, leaning back over her chair, suddenly started laughing uncontrollably for some reason. “Actually, Zhu Ran wasn’t completely lying. Old Zhao really did stand behind you two with a serious expression for a long time at first. But then he heard you two were just discussing problems the whole time, so focused you didn’t even notice he was there. In the end, he left looking very pleased.”

Zhou Anran: “……?”

***

The school’s annual autumn sports meet was scheduled for early November.

That day happened to be sign-ups for the various events.

Perhaps seeing they had finished explaining problems and were chatting, Tang Jianrui came over at that moment to persuade them. “Brother Luo, just sign up for any event, high jump, long jump, running, anything.”

Chen Luobai: “Not interested.”

“Come on, Brother Luo.” Tang Jianrui refused to give up. “I know you find the sports meet noisy, but isn’t basketball noisier? If you sign up for something like the high jump, it won’t bother you for more than a few minutes. I’ll buy you a drink that day.”

Chen Luobai shot him a lazy glance. “Do I look like I need you to buy me drinks?”

Tang Jianrui: “This is about winning glory for the class!”

Chen Luobai: “Haven’t I won enough glory for the class already?”

Tang Jianrui was left speechless. He was on the verge of conceding defeat when his eyes fell on the girl beside Chen Luobai, as if he had found a lifeline. “Zhou Anran, how about you try persuading Brother Luo?”

Zhou Anran glanced at the sign-up sheet in his hand. “How about I sign up for something?”

“Thank—” Tang Jianrui’s gratitude halted mid-word, realizing something was off. “Huh? You? Sign up?”

Zhou Anran nodded. “Is that okay? Are the girls’ events full already?”

Tang Jianrui: “No, none of the girls’ events are full. Feel free to sign up for anything you want.”

Zhou Anran took the sign-up sheet and looked at it.

Actually, she wasn’t good at any sports event; endurance events like long-distance running were completely out of the question.

In the end, she reluctantly chose the 50-meter dash.

Tang Jianrui’s persuasion had failed, but not entirely. In the end, he didn’t try to persuade further, just walked away with a mournful expression.

Once he was out of earshot, Chen Luobai turned sideways to look at the girl next to him, his voice low. “Why didn’t you try to persuade me to join?”

Zhou Anran said, “Ah?” and also turned to look at him. “Why would I persuade you to do something you don’t want to do?”

Chen Luobai didn’t reply, just stared at her quietly.

Zhou Anran grew flustered under his gaze, starting to wonder if her words had revealed something again.

But.

She really didn’t want to persuade him to do something he didn’t want to do.

Chen Luobai suddenly laughed.

“Not joining works out just right.”

Zhou Anran: “……?”

“What works out?”

“Works out for me to accompany you while you run.”

---

← Previous | Table of Contents | Next →

0