Lemon Soda Candy - 90

The request he brought up again tonight?

The one about her being on top?

Zhou Anran's face warmed instantly, and all traces of sadness vanished.

"Why do you keep using this move?" Zhou Anran glared at him.

Chen Luobai smiled and pinched her cheek. "As long as it works."

Zhou Anran: "…"

"I'm going to keep looking at the album."

Seeing her mood recover, though her face was still bright red, Chen Luobai couldn't help but chuckle. "Lean back against the pillow. I'll look with you."

Zhou Anran shot him a glance, waited for him to lie flat, then obediently settled back into his embrace.

Because her emotions had been swayed by him, Zhou Anran no longer felt sad as she continued looking. Occasionally, when she flipped to a particular photo, Chen Luobai would casually mention some interesting little thing that happened the day he went to see her.

Scrolling through them one by one, Zhou Anran felt as if she were seeing her high school self, who had secretly paid attention to him.

Only in these photos, their roles were reversed.

After scrolling through another dozen or so photos, her finger paused.

"How did you take this one too?"

The her in this new photo was unmistakably sporting the hairstyle that Yu Xinyue had once described as "only marginally better than a bowl cut."

Chen Luobai glanced down. "What's wrong?"

"It's so ugly." Zhou Anran's toes were already curling with embarrassment.

Chen Luobai took a closer look at the photo on the phone. "Where is it ugly? It's quite cute."

"Where is it cute?" Zhou Anran turned her head to look at him pleadingly. "Can you delete it?"

Chen Luobai: "No."

Zhou Anran: "…"

She was silent for a moment, then reached out, hooked his finger, and gave it a gentle shake.

Chen Luobai's gaze lingered on her slender, pale hand for a second, then his brow quirked slightly. "What's this for?"

Zhou Anran felt a little embarrassed, but she really didn't want to see that hairstyle again, so she still said softly, "Didn't you say if I acted cute with you, you'd agree to anything?"

Chen Luobai saw her face was all scrunched up, looking like she didn't want to glance at the photo again, and found it utterly adorable. He glanced back at the photo on the phone screen. "But the Zhou Anran in the photo is also acting cute with me, asking me not to delete it. What then?"

Zhou Anran: "…"

Zhou Anran immediately let go of his hand.

"No, she's not."

Back then, she was busy with studying and only gave herself a quick glance in the mirror before heading out. If she had looked a few more times, she would definitely have been appalled by her own appearance too.

Chen Luobai hugged her and laughed again. "If you disliked this hairstyle so much, why didn't you get it trimmed back then?"

Zhou Anran mumbled, "...Well, I didn't know you would come see me back then."

Chen Luobai was taken aback for a moment, then his smile widened. "Weren't there plenty of boys at your school? Wasn't there even one you cared about?"

Zhou Anran didn't expect the topic to suddenly veer here. Although she was a little annoyed at being refused, she didn't want him to feel jealous for no reason again. "Why would I care about other boys?"

Chen Luobai's heart softened immensely. "Do you really want to delete it?"

Zhou Anran nodded.

"Alright." Chen Luobai took the phone from her hand.

Zhou Anran watched as he selected all those photos at once.

Probably because his final year of high school was truly busy, and their class schedules mostly overlapped, he hadn't visited her many times, roughly once every two months on average. The number of photos seemed large because he always took several each time.

There were photos of her coming out of the school gate with Cen Yu and the others, photos of her buying bubble tea at a shop.

With crowds coming and going outside the school, the focus of every photo in his phone was only her.

Each one was evidence of the times he had secretly kept her company.

Zhou Anran watched as his hand hovered in mid-air, seeming reluctant to delete them, but because he had promised her, his finger finally moved down—

Just before confirming the deletion, Zhou Anran stopped him again.

"Never mind."

"Why the change of heart?" Chen Luobai looked up.

Zhou Anran wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. "Just changed my mind."

Even before looking at the photos, Zhou Anran had been sleepy. After finishing the album, she chatted softly with Chen Luobai for a while longer before her eyelids grew heavy and drooped shut.

The person in his arms had suddenly gone quiet. Chen Luobai called her name very softly: "Ranran."

The girl lay quietly against his shoulder, her sleeping appearance exceptionally well-behaved.

Chen Luobai gently brushed away the hair sticking to her cheek, reached out to turn off the lamp, and was just about to turn off his phone when Zhu Ran suddenly called. The ringtone sounded abruptly in the extremely quiet bedroom.

Zhou Anran seemed disturbed by the noise, rubbing her face against his shoulder.

Chen Luobai hung up the call and patted her back lightly with his other hand.

The girl had just settled back into quiet when Zhu Ran's second call came through immediately.

This time, Zhou Anran was properly awakened. She seemed extremely tired, unable to open her eyes, her voice blurry with a slight nasal tone. "Who is it?"

Chen Luobai hung up again and smoothly switched his phone to silent mode. "Zhu Ran."

"He might have something urgent." Zhou Anran, eyes still closed, rubbed her face against his shoulder again. "You should answer it."

"Never mind him." Chen Luobai's voice was exceptionally low. "Go back to sleep."

Zhou Anran was truly exhausted. As soon as the ringing stopped, she drifted back into a hazy sleep.

Chen Luobai glanced at his phone. Zhu Ran's third call was coming through.

He hung up again and sent a WeChat message.

C: [You'd better have a real emergency]

The reply came quickly.

Zhu Ran: [Nothing that urgent really]

Zhu Ran: [Just giving you a heads-up]

Zhu Ran: [You might have to call me 'brother-in-law' from now on]

Chen Luobai: "…"

C: [Piss off]

Since they had planned to rest the next day anyway, neither Zhou Anran nor Chen Luobai set an alarm. They slept until eleven before getting up. After lunch, the two settled in the living room to watch a movie.

Just as the opening credits finished, Chen Luobai's phone on the coffee table rang again.

The caller ID showed Zhu Ran.

Chen Luobai picked up the phone with an expressionless face and, without a moment's hesitation, swiped to decline.

A few seconds later.

Zhu Ran called again.

Chen Luobai declined again.

His phone finally fell silent, but within moments, Zhou Anran's phone rang.

The caller ID was still Zhu Ran.

Chen Luobai narrowed his eyes, picked up her phone too, and smoothly declined the call.

Zhou Anran blinked. "Could he have something urgent?"

"What urgent matter could he possibly have?" Chen Luobai tossed both phones aside on the sofa.

Zhou Anran vaguely recalled the events before falling asleep last night. "Did he call you several times last night too?"

Chen Luobai uttered a casual "Mhm." "Said I should get ready to call him brother-in-law."

Zhou Anran's eyes widened suddenly. "H-he and Qin-jie are together? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Don't know if they're together or not." Chen Luobai found her look of shock, which made her seem a bit dazed, utterly adorable, and pulled her onto his lap. "I didn't pay him any mind."

Once seated on his lap, Zhou Anran was still amazed. "Does Qin-jie like him too?"

Chen Luobai: "She certainly doesn't dislike him. Otherwise, my sister definitely wouldn't have let a chatterbox like him hang around her for so many years."

Zhou Anran wrapped her arms around his neck, picturing Yu Bingqin's incredibly cool retreating figure from last night. "It's a bit hard to imagine what Qin-jie would be like in a relationship."

Chen Luobai reached up and pinched her cheek. "Why are you so concerned about her?"

Zhou Anran was taken aback for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh again. "Why are you always jealous of Qin-jie?"

"Because your eyes light up whenever you mention her." Chen Luobai pinched her cheek again. "I should've known better and picked you up myself on your first day at University A."

The corners of Zhou Anran's mouth gradually curved upwards. Seeing he genuinely seemed a bit put out about it, she couldn't resist leaning in to kiss him.

Chen Luobai's brow quirked slightly. "What's this for?"

Zhou Anran fiddled with the fabric at the shoulder seam of his T-shirt, her face slightly red. "Don't be jealous, okay?"

The corner of Chen Luobai's mouth also lifted, but he suppressed it with effort. "No. You can't always use the same method to coax me. Show sincerity, you should at least use your tongue?"

The tips of Zhou Anran's ears grew hot. Hearing the phone still ringing, she turned her head away. "Answer the phone first. If it's nothing, he'd only look for you, not call me."

Chen Luobai's gaze lingered on her lips for a second, then he reached for the phone and handed it to her.

Zhou Anran took it, feeling slightly relieved inside.

The next second, she heard him continue leisurely, "We'll settle this after you answer."

Zhou Anran: "…"

She pretended not to hear and answered Zhu Ran's call.

Chen Luobai put it on speakerphone.

Zhu Ran's voice immediately came through. "Zhou Anran, did Qin-jie say anything to you when she left?"

Zhou Anran was puzzled. "You mean last night?"

"No." Zhu Ran said. "This morning."

Zhou Anran: "No. She told us early on not to see her off at the airport or say goodbye."

Otherwise, she and Chen Luobai would have definitely gotten up to see her off this morning.

Zhu Ran fell silent.

Chen Luobai chimed in leisurely at this point. "What, she didn't leave a single word for you when she left this morning?"

On the other end of the line, Zhu Ran was silent again.

The corner of Chen Luobai's mouth was hooked, his tone clearly gloating. "Who was it that sent a message in the middle of the night saying I should get ready to call him brother-in-law?"

Zhu Ran instantly bristled. "I'm calling Zhou Anran. What are you eavesdropping for?"

Chen Luobai chuckled again, as if Zhu Ran's anger only amused him more. "You do realize you're calling my girlfriend. If you were calling someone else, I couldn't be bothered to listen."

Zhu Ran clearly couldn't be bothered with him anymore and switched back to his original addressee. "Zhou Anran, can I treat you to a late-night snack tonight?"

Chen Luobai: "No."

"I was asking Zhou Anran." Zhu Ran was clearly angered by him again. "What's it to you?"

Chen Luobai laughed. "You, having no reason, want to treat my girlfriend to a late-night snack. How is that not my business?"

Zhu Ran: "Who says I have no reason? I need Zhou Anran's help with something." For some reason, perhaps a habit carried over from high school, Zhou Anran had always quite enjoyed watching the two of them bicker. It was only now that she finally asked with a smile, "What do you need my help with?"

"Um—" Zhu Ran hesitated before speaking. "Tonight, after Qin-jie arrives over there, could you ask her what she's thinking for me?"

Chen Luobai interjected, "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"None of your business." Zhu Ran stuck to his line.

Chen Luobai laughed heartily. "Just say it if you don't dare. It's not like anyone doesn't know what you're like."

Zhu Ran clearly had no desire to engage with him further. "Zhou Anran, control your boyfriend."

Zhou Anran couldn't help but smile too. She looked at the boy holding her and mouthed, "Shall we go?"

Chen Luobai twirled the ends of her hair around his finger and nodded.

"What time tonight?" Zhou Anran then asked Zhu Ran.

Zhu Ran's tone brightened again. "So you agree? Is 10 p.m. okay? Qin-jie will probably arrive around 10:30."

Zhou Anran agreed. "Sure."

After hanging up, Zhou Anran didn't continue watching the movie. A certain someone spent the entire afternoon "settling accounts" with her on the sofa.

In the evening, after showering, they had a simple dinner together before returning to the now-tidied sofa to finish watching the movie.

At 9:30 p.m., Zhou Anran and Chen Luobai went out to meet Zhu Ran.

At the late-night eatery, Zhu Ran ordered a whole table of food but barely ate any himself. He was even quieter than usual.

As soon as the clock passed 10:30, Zhou Anran saw him looking over eagerly. "Qin-jie should have landed by now. Can you ask her if she's arrived yet?"

Zhou Anran nodded, put down her chopsticks, opened WeChat, and sent a message to Yu Bingqin: [Qin-jie, have you arrived yet?]

A reply came quickly.

Yu Bingqin: [Yes]

Zhou Anran looked up at Zhu Ran again. "She says she's arrived. How do you want me to ask her?"

Zhu Ran hesitated. "Just ask her directly what she's thinking for me."

Zhou Anran looked down and sent another message: [Zhu Ran said you didn't even say goodbye to him when you left this morning. He asked me to help him ask what you're thinking.]

Her phone chimed again quickly.

Yu Bingqin: [Tell him to ask me himself.]

Zhou Anran looked up and relayed the message to Zhu Ran.

Zhu Ran picked up his own phone, his face still full of hesitation. He muttered, "I should've had you call her. You can't tell the tone from WeChat. Don't know if she's angry or not."

Seeing him like this, Chen Luobai couldn't help but snort derisively. "Where's the courage you had last night, staking out her apartment? You don't even dare ask her directly, and you still want to be my brother-in-law."

"Who says I don't dare?" Zhu Ran, still somewhat easily provoked, stood up from his seat, phone in hand. "I'll be right back."

The private room door closed behind him.

Soon, it opened again.

When Zhu Ran had left, his face was full of anxiety. When he returned, he couldn't hide his delight.

Zhou Anran was actually a little curious, but it didn't feel right to ask proactively.

Chen Luobai, on the other hand, kept his head down, wearing gloves as he unhurriedly peeled shrimp for her, not even sparing Zhu Ran a glance.

It was Zhu Ran himself, being completely incapable of keeping things to himself, who placed his phone on the table. "Aren't you going to ask me what she said to me?"

Chen Luobai glanced up at him lazily, placed the peeled shrimp in Zhou Anran's bowl, and casually tossed out three words: "Don't want to."

Zhu Ran: "…"

"Well, I fucking don't want to tell you either."

Zhou Anran was indeed curious. Although Zhu Ran hadn't gone into detail, it wasn't hard to guess that he had probably stayed at Yu Bingqin's apartment last night. Plus, Zhu Ran currently looked like he was about to burst from keeping the words on the tip of his tongue and was being driven mad by her boyfriend. After eating the shrimp in her bowl, she asked with a smile, "What did Qin-jie say to you?"

Zhu Ran: "She told me to visit her during the National Day holiday."

Zhou Anran blinked. "Congratulations."

The corners of Zhu Ran's mouth kept turning upwards. "Save the congratulations for when it's officially confirmed."

As he said this, he shot another glance at Chen Luobai. "By then, a certain someone might really have to call me brother-in-law."

Chen Luobai didn't even acknowledge him, instead turning to Zhou Anran and asking in a low voice, "Do you want any more?"

Zhou Anran shook her head. "I'm full."

Only then did Chen Luobai lazily look over at Zhu Ran. "Finished? If you're done, I'm taking her home."

Zhu Ran rolled his eyes. "You think I enjoy talking to you? If it weren't for Zhou Anran's sake, do you think you'd get this late-night meal? You should be grateful. You must have saved the galaxy in your past life to find such a good girlfriend."

The corner of Chen Luobai's mouth lifted. "You're right."

Zhu Ran, who had expected a retort, was momentarily stunned. "What am I right about?"

Chen Luobai took the hand of the girl beside him. "I really must have saved the galaxy in my past life.”

---

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