Lemon Soda Candy - 80

The small group chat they'd created for the picnic back in their second year of high school had never been disbanded.

On the afternoon the college entrance exam scores were released, the little group was especially lively. As 4 p.m. approached, with the results imminent, the chat speed approached a blur, probably because everyone was nervous.

Zhu Ran, the chatterbox, could single-handedly fill half the screen.

Zhu Ran: [Fuck] 

Zhu Ran: [I'm so fucking nervous] 

Zhu Ran: [How is it only 3:50?] 

Zhu Ran: [I feel like a whole century has passed] 

Zhu Ran: [Is my phone's clock broken?] 

Zhu Ran: [What time is it where you guys are?] 

c: [Your phone's fine. Your brain might be broken.] 

Zhu Ran: […] 

Zhu Ran: [Why are you here] 

Zhu Ran: [I don't want to see you right now] 

Zhou Anran was sitting in her living room at home.

Zhou Xianhong and He Jiayi had specifically taken two hours off work to come home and wait with her for the scores. The two parents had long since booted up the computer and were standing by, fully prepared. Influenced by their tension, Zhou Anran had also been extremely nervous, but watching these two bicker in the group chat finally eased her mood a little.

Zhu Ran: [@everyone] 

Zhu Ran: [Should we kick this Chen guy, who doesn't need to worry about scores anymore, out of the group?] 

Zhu Ran: [He's not on our side anymore] 

Zhou Anran's lips curved up unconsciously.

Chen Luobai had already received calls from the admissions offices of Universities A and B yesterday. The recruitment team from University A had arrived at his house an hour early, and reportedly, the team from University B would be there soon too. While they hadn't revealed his exact score, the fact that both sides were already fighting over him so early indicated his results definitely wouldn't be low.

Zhu Ran happened to be at his house playing yesterday, so he knew, and thus everyone in their little group knew.

Zhou Anran knew he had always favored University A's law school, and she herself leaned toward University A's school of life sciences. The two of them had a private understanding; it just depended on whether her scores would be stable enough.

In the group, Zhu Ran was still spamming.

Zhu Ran: [Let's take a vote] 

Zhu Ran: [ok] 

Zhu Ran: [Unanimous approval] 

Tang Jianrui: [Old Zhu, it's fine if you vote 'approve' on behalf of all of us] 

Tang Jianrui: [But did you forget there's one person in the group who definitely won't approve?] 

Huang Shujie: [That person definitely won't approve +1] 

Bao Kun: [I wonder who that person is?] 

Shao Zilin: [I wonder who that person is?] 

Sheng Xiaowen: [I wonder who that person is?] 

Yan Xingxi: [I wonder who that person is?] 

Zhang Shuxian: [Of course, it's our smart, gentle, and beautiful Ranran baby!] 

Zhang Shuxian: [Ranran, we're going to kick your boyfriend out of the group. Do you agree?] 

Zhou Anran: "…?"

These people had been teasing them since their second year; how were they still not tired of it?

The tips of her ears grew warm. She hid her phone to the side, away from her parents' line of sight, and was just thinking how to reply when his message popped up first.

c: [Alright, that's enough from you all.] 

c: [And here I was going to order milk tea for you all later.] 

Tang Jianrui: [Luo-ge, I was wrong.] 

Huang Shujie: Sorry.jpg

Sheng Xiaowen: [Shutting up now.jpg] 

Yan Xingxi: [Shutting up now.jpg] 

Zhang Shuxian: [Shutting up now.jpg] 

c: [Send me your addresses.] 

c: [Tell me what you want to drink.] 

c: [Zhu Ran gets nothing.] 

Zhu Ran: [It's just a cup of milk tea, you think I care?] 

Zhu Ran: [Okay, fine, I do care.] 

Zhu Ran: [Luo-ge, I was wrong too.] 

Zhu Ran: [Oh, right, forgot you're ruthless and merciless. Begging you is useless.] 

Zhu Ran: [I'll beg someone else then.] 

Zhu Ran: [Sis-in-law, I was wrong! @Zhou Anran] 

Zhou Anran: "…"

This wasn't an apology from Zhu Ran; it was clearly another chance to tease her.

Zhou Anran's face grew warm again.

Zhou Anran: [Don't use the wrong titles, @Zhu Ran.] 

c: [That's not really the wrong title, is it?] 

Zhou Anran: "…?"

Amidst this banter, the final ten minutes finally passed.

As soon as the clock struck four, her parents urged her to check her scores. Zhou Anran placed her phone on her lap, clicked into the official website, but the site traffic was exploding. The website wouldn't open, stuck in a perpetual loading state.

Zhou Anran's heart slowly rose into her throat.

Her phone, resting on her lap, chimed again.

Zhou Anran looked down and saw Chen Luobai had sent her a WeChat message.

Probably his score.

Although she knew his score would definitely secure him a place at Universities A and B, Zhou Anran also knew it was absolutely more than just enough for A and B.

She glanced up at the still-loading website, then looked down and opened his message.

When she saw the content of the photo he sent, Zhou Anran froze abruptly. A couple of seconds later, as if finally processing it, she, with rare outward emotion, hugged He Jiayi beside her.

"Mom, I got 700."

Quite a bit better than she had expected.

He Jiayi was also stunned. "What 700? Didn't the website not load yet?"

Zhou Anran's nose felt inexplicably sore. "700 points. My classmate checked it for me."

Chen Luobai had her ID number and exam candidate number memorized backwards and forwards.

Chen Luobai hadn't checked his own score first; he had checked hers for her.

Even though she knew she must have done well, the moment the score was confirmed, she finally felt the solid sense of everything falling into place.

She really could attend the same university as him!

After sharing the joy with her parents, Zhou Anran picked up her phone again, intending to ask if he had checked his own score yet, but his message popped up first.

Zhou Anran opened the new screenshot he sent. Her eyes immediately went to the total score at the bottom.

1. 

It was definitely very high.

But…

As if guessing what she wanted to know, Chen Luobai sent another message right after.

c: Number one in the province.

Zhou Anran nearly dropped her phone. She immediately hugged He Jiayi again.

"What's wrong now? Why are you hugging Mom again?" He Jiayi's eyes were still moist, and she patted Zhou Anran's back with a smile. "Are you this excited about getting a good score?"

"No, it's our class—" Zhou Anran was a bit incoherent. "My classmate, he got the top science score in our province."

"He's that impressive, huh?" He Jiayi said in surprise.

Zhou Anran added silently in her heart.

He's just that impressive!

After that, Yan Xingxi, Sheng Xiaowen, Zhang Shuxian, Zhu Ran… everyone's scores were gradually checked.

Some had performed beyond expectations, some had performed as expected, but within their little group, no one had underperformed.

None of their hard work had been in vain.

After that came filling out applications, waiting for acceptance letters… Once everything was settled and the mountain named "College Entrance Exams" was lifted from their heads, suddenly there was only the intensely hot summer and a long, seemingly endless vacation to spend freely.

So, a graduation trip naturally came onto the agenda.

The picnic group chat became lively again. Dong Chen and He Mingyu were also added.

Someone suggested going south to see the ocean.

Vetoed.

Nancheng was already unbearably hot; going further south would surely mean death by sun.

Someone else suggested going north to see the ocean instead.

Also vetoed.

The summer after the college entrance exams seemed like it should involve doing something a little crazy.

They finally settled on a crazy self-drive trip through Sichuan and Tibet.

Of course, they couldn't actually drive themselves.

None of them had gotten their driver's licenses yet.

In the end, Chen Luobai's family helped arrange a professional team to guide them.

Because the team was experienced and well-prepared, none of them suffered from severe altitude sickness throughout the journey.

Severe altitude sickness had been Zhou Anran's biggest worry before coming, but fortunately, apart from feeling slightly unwell for a brief moment at the very beginning, she adapted very well for the rest of the trip.

Their journey happened to coincide with a meteor shower.

So, the final stop was set at Yuzixi.

The group of twelve booked four tents.

That night, the twelve of them sat in a row in front of the tents.

The view here was expansive; looking up, a dense blanket of stars glittered in the night sky.

It was breathtakingly beautiful even before the meteor shower began.

Zhou Anran had never seen such a magnificent starry sky and couldn't bear to blink. Thus, when the first meteor flashed by, she noticed it immediately.

Without thinking, she directly tugged Chen Luobai's hand and pointed upward. "A shooting star!"

Chen Luobai didn't look up. His gaze fell on her, thinking only that her eyes were brighter than the stars.

He squeezed her hand back, then let go, saying with a soft laugh, "Aren't you going to make a wish? Hurry up."

Zhou Anran turned her head to look at him too.

Then she clasped her hands together and made a wish.

The meteors that night were brilliant and dazzling.

When the meteor shower ended, Zhou Anran felt the boy beside her lean closer. His refreshing scent washed over her as his voice sounded very near her ear.

"What did you wish for?"

The tips of Zhou Anran's ears warmed. She glanced at him sideways and said in a small voice, "It might not come true if I say it out loud."

Chen Luobai: "Then don't say—"

Zhou Anran relaxed slightly.

Then she heard him slowly add, "...what you specifically wished for. Just tell me if it was related to me or not."

Zhou Anran's face grew warm too, but she still nodded honestly. "I made two wishes related to you."

Under the night sky, the boy's lips curved up very noticeably.

Zhou Anran couldn't help asking him quietly in return, "What about you?"

Chen Luobai looked at her without speaking.

Zhou Anran blinked.

The boy reached out and pinched her cheek, his tone still as audacious as ever. "Do you even need to ask? I can make my other wishes come true myself. I only made wishes related to you."

Zhou Anran's lips curved up then too.

Zhu Ran's voice sounded not far away: "What are you two whispering about over there?"

Chen Luobai leaned back against his seat, lazily raising an eyebrow. "If you know we're whispering, how do you have the nerve to interrupt?"

"Like we want to be fed dog food," Zhu Ran rolled his eyes and stood up from his seat. "Can't be bothered being annoying third wheels anymore. I'm out."

Sheng Xiaowen pretended to yawn: "So sleepy. Xixi, Shuxian, let's go to sleep too."

"Let's go, let's go." Tang Jianrui also stood up. "Let's go inside and play some cards for a while."

The remaining boys also went into the tents. He Mingyu was last, glancing back once before immediately and restrainedly withdrawing his gaze.

In the blink of an eye, only Zhou Anran and Chen Luobai remained outside the tents.

Chen Luobai reached out and brushed aside her hair, tousled by the wind, his voice very low. "Sleepy?"

Zhou Anran shook her head.

Chen Luobai opened his arms to her. "Then come here, let me hold you?"

Zhou Anran stood up and walked in front of him.

They had hugged many times before, but sitting on his lap like this was a first. Zhou Anran felt a little shy and wanted to turn around to see if the tourists from the other tents were still outside.

The moment she turned her head, a large hand encircled her waist, and she instantly fell into the boy's embrace.

Chen Luobai hugged her, laughing heartily. "Don't look. Almost everyone's gone inside."

Zhou Anran, her face red, let out an "Oh" and buried her head in the crook of his shoulder.

"Ranran." Chen Luobai called her name softly.

Zhou Anran: "Yeah?"

Chen Luobai still kept his voice light, almost hypnotic. "Aren't you going to look up at me?"

Zhou Anran couldn't help but lift her head.

Before she could clearly see his face, the boy's lips were already pressed against hers.

Zhou Anran's fingers, clutching his windbreaker, abruptly tightened.

This wasn't the first time she had kissed him.

The first time he kissed her was on the Ferris wheel the night their exams ended.

The second time was at the graduation banquet. The whole class had gathered in a large private room, the noise barely contained by the closed door. He had lured her out midway, and they shared a very brief kiss in the pitch-black fire escape.

During this trip, he had kissed her several times too.

But her heartbeat still accelerated wildly in an instant, beyond comparison.

Above them was a vast sea of stars.

They kissed quietly under the starry sky.

After a long time, Chen Luobai pulled back slightly.

The corners of the boy's lips held a hint of a smile, seemingly still glistening slightly, as he called her name in a low voice.

"Zhou Anran."

Zhou Anran's face was burning hot, her breath ragged, her mind a mess, everything was chaotic. After a few seconds, she managed a soft response. "Mm."

Chen Luobai rested his forehead against hers. "I want to hear you say that sentence to me yourself, out loud."

Zhou Anran guessed what he wanted to hear and realized, to her surprise, that her face could apparently get even hotter. She played dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Is that so." Chen Luobai pinched her flushed cheek lightly. "Then how about I teach you, word by word."

Zhou Anran: "…?"

Chen Luobai: "I."

The boy looked down at her from very close, making his dark eyes seem exceptionally deep and focused.

Zhou Anran couldn't tell if she was bewitched by him or if she actually wanted to tell him herself. She followed along, whispering, "I."

Chen Luobai: "Like."

Zhou Anran: "Like."

"…You."

"…You."

Chen Luobai's lips curved up, his voice soft as if coaxing her. "Now say it all together."

Zhou Anran opened her mouth, but she still felt too embarrassed to say it completely.

"Fine if you won't say it." Chen Luobai paused, his gaze seeming to land on her lips for another second. "Then open your mouth and let me kiss you."

Zhou Anran: "…?"

"I'll give you three seconds to choose."

"Three."

"Two."

Zhou Anran: "!"

Her brain seemed to automatically choose the slightly less embarrassing option between two very embarrassing choices.

The words burst from her lips: "I like you."

The moment the final "you" left her mouth, Chen Luobai lowered his head again, his tongue slipping past her teeth. As if afraid of startling her, it lightly, restrainedly, touched the tip of hers. It probably lasted less than a second before he withdrew again.

Zhou Anran's face instantly burned even hotter. She wrinkled her nose. "You cheated again."

Chen Luobai's eyes were full of laughter, his tone matter-of-fact. "Who told you to lie to me back then?"

Zhou Anran: "?"

How could he turn the tables like that?

"When did I lie to you?"

Chen Luobai gave her cheek another not-too-light, not-too-heavy pinch. "It was obviously you who helped me during the basketball game, but you lied and said it was Yan Xingxi. You never told me you were the one secretly putting candy in my desk. And that day you brought me medicine, if I hadn't grabbed you in time, were you planning to run away?"

Zhou Anran began to feel guilty, her voice weakening. "That was so long ago."

Chen Luobai suddenly lowered his head and bit her lip again. "But do you know how much it scares me, the thought of what if? What if I had never found out?"

This was the first time Zhou Anran had heard him say the word "afraid."

Her heart instantly felt both sore and soft, as if suddenly filled with a new kind of courage. For the first time, she actively reached out and held him tightly, resting her head on the boy's shoulder, and said softly, "There is no 'what if.' You did find me."

You found me.

And you like me too.

The best dream of my youth came true.

---

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