Lemon Soda Candy - 76
Zhou Anran froze for a second, then turned to look at him. "Regret what?"
Chen Luobai glanced at her flushed cheeks. "I'd have signed up for an event if I'd known earlier."
Zhou Anran blinked. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
But Chen Luobai changed the subject. "Wait here for me."
"Where are you going?" Zhou Anran asked.
"To buy drinks." Chen Luobai reached out and gently pinched her cheek. "Someone's been cheering so hard she's almost lost her voice."
Zhou Anran covered the spot on her cheek where he'd pinched her, watching as the boy turned and walked away. The corners of her lips curved into a faint smile.
Zhang Shuxian returned after collecting her prize, glancing around Zhou Anran. "Why are you alone? Where's Chen Luobai?"
Zhou Anran instinctively looked back, but his figure had long since disappeared into the crowd. "He went to buy drinks."
"For you, huh? Not bad, our school heartthrob is quite considerate." Zhang Shuxian paused, then looked at her with a teasing expression. "So, when are you two finally going to pierce through this window paper?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Zhou Anran's face warmed, and she deliberately played dumb, quickly changing the subject. "Do you need to rest?"
Knowing she was easily embarrassed, Zhang Shuxian didn't press further. "Why would I need to rest after a standing long jump? Xixi and the others' events are all in the afternoon. Is there any other event you want to watch this morning?"
Zhou Anran shook her head. "I'm fine with anything. I need to wait here for him to come back. If there's something you really want to see, I'll go with you later."
"Why would I need you to accompany me? You should keep him company. I'll go find Xixi and the others later." Zhang Shuxian tugged at her. "But the boys' standing long jump is about to start. I think He Mingyu is participating. Let's watch this while we wait for him."
Zhou Anran nodded. "Okay."
The boys' standing long jump began quickly.
He Mingyu took first place in the preliminary round.
The finals allowed three attempts, with the best result counting.
He Mingyu didn't do very well on his first jump.
Before his second attempt, Zhang Shuxian cheered him on from the side: "Go for it, He Mingyu! You can do it!"
With several events happening simultaneously and participants from Class 2 scattered across different areas, there weren't many people cheering for He Mingyu at the long jump pit. So, Zhou Anran also called out, "You can do it!"
He Mingyu glanced in her direction.
Then he took a deep breath and jumped.
The second jump was much farther than the first, but perhaps he had put too much force into it. As he landed, He Mingyu lost his balance, tumbling forward and scraping a small, bleeding cut on his elbow.
Zhang Shuxian quickly pulled Zhou Anran into the competition area. "Are you okay?"
He Mingyu stood up, his lips pressed together slightly. "It's fine. Just a scratch."
Zhou Anran looked at the cut on his hand and, remembering something, pulled her hand from Zhang Shuxian's grasp and reached into her uniform pants pocket.
She had brought some iodine swabs with her today, just in case, since several of her friends had events.
She pulled out two swabs and held them out to him. "These have iodine in them. Just snap one end to use it."
He Mingyu's gaze lingered on her face for a second, and his pressed lips curved into a slight smile. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Zhou Anran noticed some sand near the wound and added, "You should probably rinse your hand first."
As soon as the words left her mouth, her wrist was suddenly grasped.
Chen Luobai's voice sounded close to her ear, seeming a shade deeper than usual.
"Come with me."
Zhou Anran turned her head and saw the boy's jawline was slightly tense, his expression unhappy.
He stood out everywhere he went.
Many people on the field were now looking in their direction.
Zhou Anran wasn't afraid of being watched, but with many teachers on the field, she was worried he might be called to the office for a talk, or that they wouldn't be allowed to sit together anymore.
"Chen Luobai," she called to him. "Let go of me. Wherever you want to go, I'll follow you."
The tall boy in front of her paused for a moment. He didn't look back, but he obediently released her hand.
Zhou Anran followed him across the sports field, past the gymnasium, all the way to the wall behind the gym before Chen Luobai finally stopped.
With the entire school gathered on the field, this spot was somewhat removed and relatively quiet.
Zhou Anran glanced up slightly.
The boy still held her jacket and a supermarket shopping bag, presumably containing the drinks he had bought, in one hand. His other hand was shoved into his uniform pants pocket. His jawline remained taut, his thin lips pressed together.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Why was he in a bad mood after going to buy some things?
Chen Luobai looked down at her. "Zhou Anran."
Zhou Anran blinked.
Chen Luobai's gaze slowly lowered, settling on her hand. "You're giving something you gave to me to another guy too?"
??
"What thing?"Zhou Anran was confused for a second, then, somehow, suddenly understood. "You mean the iodine swabs? He Mingyu got hurt, didn't he?"
Chen Luobai's tone was flat. "The school has set up several first aid kits on the field, and the school doctor is on standby. If he's injured, why do you need to worry about it?"
The boy's tone was uncharacteristically sharp.
Yet, Zhou Anran felt inexplicably happy, along with a twinge of guilt.
"I didn't think that much about it just now."
Chen Luobai gave a perfunctory nod. "So, when he gets hurt, you get so flustered you can't think straight? You cheered for him, you explained problems to him, you smiled at him... Oh, right, and he was your first back deskmate."
Zhou Anran: "……?"
When did she smile at He Mingyu?
Chen Luobai paused, his dark eyes direct and sharp as he looked at her. "Don't tell me you like him?"
Zhou Anran: "??"
She hurriedly shook her head.
Chen Luobai pressed on. "What does shaking your head mean? You don't like him?"
Zhou Anran sensed he might be a little jealous but couldn't understand how his jealousy had led him to this conclusion. She explained seriously, "No, I don't. We're just friends."
A smile finally touched Chen Luobai's lips.
Zhou Anran breathed a small sigh of relief.
Then she heard him ask, suddenly, "What about me?"
It was as if something exploded in her brain. Zhou Anran felt she hardly understood the meaning of his words.
Yet, she seemed to understand, because her heartbeat suddenly accelerated beyond control.
The boy abruptly moved closer. Unlike usual, he didn't leave a safe distance this time. That face, which made her heart flutter uncontrollably, was instantly within close reach. His clean, refreshing scent seemed to carry a certain aggressiveness, enveloping her completely.
"What are you dazing out for? Weren't you answering quickly just a moment ago?" His voice was low.
Zhou Anran's mind went blank. Instinctively, she took a step back, her back meeting the wall behind her.
But Chen Luobai didn't let her off. He continued to press closer. The hand that wasn't holding the bag came to rest on the wall beside her head. Though he was careful to avoid actual physical contact, the pose almost caged her within his arms as he continued his interrogation. "What are you hiding from?"
"Is this question really that hard to answer?"
Zhou Anran could almost feel the warmth of his breath.
The fingertips of her free hand curled slightly.
Earlier, when Zhang Shuxian asked when they planned to pierce the window paper, she had changed the subject not just out of shyness. Another reason was that she could never be entirely sure.
The notion that "Chen Luobai also liked her" was like a little progress bar in her heart.
Starting from an initial, completely unthinkable 0, it had risen through their daily interactions, eventually stalling at 99.
But as long as he didn't tell her outright himself, that 1% of uncertainty always lingered in her mind.
It made her occasionally ask herself repeatedly: could there still be a chance she was wrong?
Zhou Anran wanted an answer from him first.
In the past, she would never have dared to ask him.
But that 99% progress bar, the jacket and drinks he currently held in his hand, and the hair tie of hers still worn around his wrist—all gave her the courage she needed to speak up.
She slowly tightened her fingers, not daring to look at him directly, and lowered her eyes. "What about you?"
Chen Luobai let out a soft laugh close to her ear, as if amused by her response.
"Zhou Anran, I've made it obvious enough, haven't I? I thought the whole school already knew I like you."
I thought the whole school already knew I like you.
The whole school knows I like you.
I like you.
The progress bar stalled at 99 finally advanced one more step.
It should have brought a settled, steady feeling, but instead, it felt like being suspended among the clouds, wrapped in a sense of unreality.
Zhou Anran couldn't help but lift her gaze. In his eyes, she saw amusement, she saw her own reflection, and she saw a certain tender, lingering affection.
The corners of her lips finally curved into a slow smile. "But you never told me," she said softly.
"You know now. Can you answer my question?" Chen Luobai looked down at her from very close, pausing slightly before his voice dropped again. "What about me?"
Zhou Anran's heart raced under his gaze, flustered and frantic. She lowered her eyes again, then gave a very light but very firm nod in his direction. Her voice was soft. "En."
That quiet sound traveled from his ear straight into his heart. Chen Luobai felt as if the softest part of him had been gently scratched. His Adam's apple bobbed. He lowered his gaze, his eyes tracing from the girl's lightly trembling eyelashes down to her small, upturned nose, then finally settling on her pink, soft lips.
Chen Luobai lowered his head and slowly drew nearer.
Zhou Anran's breath caught abruptly.
The distance between Chen Luobai and her grew smaller and smaller.
An autumn breeze brushed past her cheek.
When only a final inch remained, the boy turned his head aside, resting his forehead against the wall next to her. His voice sounded frustrated, as if he were suppressing something.
"Never mind. I promised Old Gao."
Zhou Anran took a couple of seconds before her breathing evened out again. She turned to look at him, puzzled. "You promised Teacher Gao?"
Chen Luobai also turned his head slightly. "Yeah. I promised him I wouldn't affect your studies, that I wouldn't officially date you or do anything I shouldn't before graduation. Otherwise, why do you think he was willing to let me sit behind you?"
Zhou Anran was taken aback. "So that day, Teacher Gao really did talk to you about us. And you lied to me, saying it was good news."
A smile tugged at Chen Luobai's lips. "How was that a lie? Isn't what's between us good news?"
Zhou Anran's heart gave a little jump.
Chen Luobai turned around and leaned against the wall beside her, shoulder to shoulder. He first pulled a can of soda from the shopping bag, opened the ring pull with one hand, and handed it to her. Then he opened his own can of cola and took a long drink.
After the cold liquid slid down his throat, he turned to look at her again.
"Zhou Anran, aim for the same university as me."
Zhou Anran had just brought the soda can to her lips. Hearing this, she also turned to look at him.
"Or I'll aim for the same one as you," he added.
Chen Luobai leaned against the wall, looking at her. His smile was both lazy and tender.
"If that doesn't work, we can pick from the two universities, A and B. They're close to each other anyway."
Zhou Anran took a sip of the orange soda. The icy, sweet taste filled her mouth.
"I might not test in."
"Who says you can't?" The boy's tone was as confident as ever. "Besides, don't you still have me, your back deskmate?"
Zhou Anran's lips curved upward again. She responded softly, a promise to herself and to him: "I'll work hard."
Chen Luobai watched her, his head tilted. He saw the shallow dimples in her cheeks as she held the can to her lips, taking small, careful sips.
"Is the soda good?" he asked suddenly.
Zhou Anran blinked.
Why was he asking that now?
It wasn't like he'd never had it before.
Before she could voice her question, the soda was taken from her hand, and his cola can was pressed into her palm.
"Let's swap."
Zhou Anran held his cola, staring at him in a daze.
Sunlight spilled over the top of the wall, outlining the impossibly handsome lines of the boy's profile. Dust motes drifted finely in the air. A light wind blew, rustling the leaves of the trees outside the wall, shattering the light and shadow on the ground into pieces.
Chen Luobai lifted the soda she had just been drinking to his own lips, tilted his head back slightly as if taking a drink, his sharp Adam's apple bobbing twice.
From the sports field, cheers erupted with unusual fervor, as if someone else had just won a championship.
The sunlight, too, felt intensely hot.
The girl's cheeks flushed a deep red in an instant.
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