Lemon Soda Candy - 92

In the first semester of their senior year, Chen Luobai began an internship at the Supreme People's Court.

The Supreme People's Court regularly accepts a group of interns from universities across the country each year, mostly current master's or doctoral students in law, along with a small number of exceptionally outstanding upper-level undergraduates. The number of intern spots each year is limited, and the competition is quite fierce. Chen Luobai was the only undergraduate from University A selected that year.

Both of them had participated in their university's graduate recommendation summer camp during the break, and their graduate school placements were practically guaranteed.

Zhou Anran would, of course, be studying under Professor Song.

Chen Luobai had chosen criminal law as his focus, and his advisor was also one of the highly renowned figures in Chinese criminal law.

This Supreme Court internship lasted from September to January the following year, a total of five months. Because it required full-time participation throughout, Chen Luobai moved into his off-campus apartment for the commute convenience.

Zhou Anran still hadn't officially moved in with him.

She was juggling the lab and her studies, and living on campus saved more time. So, Chen Luobai had stayed with her on campus all along. Even during his internship at the district procuratorate last summer, he hadn't chosen to live outside.

But this internship's workload was relatively heavier, and it lasted longer. It was Zhou Anran who persuaded him to move to the apartment.

Yet, once he actually moved out, she inexplicably felt extremely unaccustomed to it.

Actually, his apartment wasn't far from campus. During their freshman year, when they were less busy, they often walked there. But for some reason, once he moved out, she felt he had instantly become so much farther away from her.

To make matters worse, Zhou Anran was also exceptionally busy during the first few days of the semester.

There were just the final steps left for the graduate recommendation process. Professor Song now basically treated her as one of his graduate students in advance, and thus didn't hold back when assigning tasks like before.

In the first few days of the semester, Zhou Anran didn't even get to see Chen Luobai face-to-face.

By Thursday afternoon, she finally had a bit of free time. Coincidentally, Chen Luobai had to work overtime that day.

So, Zhou Anran didn't disturb him either. After showering and getting into bed that night, calculating that he should be finished with work, she sent him a WeChat message: [Are you done showering?]

The reply came quickly.

C: [Yes]

Knowing he had been incredibly busy these past few days too, she couldn't bear to keep him chatting. [Then get some rest early?]

C: [Can't sleep]

Zhou Anran quickly asked: [What's wrong?]

C: [Missing my heartless girlfriend who, after saying one sentence, impatiently wants me to go to sleep.]

Zhou Anran: "…"

The corners of her mouth turned up unbidden.

Zhou Anran: [That's not true.]

C: [Then pick you up tomorrow night?]

Zhou Anran: [I'll go over by myself tomorrow.]

The next afternoon, Zhou Anran originally planned to go over and wait to have dinner with him, but Chen Luobai needed to work overtime again. He sent a message in advance telling her not to wait for him on an empty stomach. So, she had dinner with her roommates in the cafeteria, then rode her scooter to his apartment.

After entering, Zhou Anran half-lay on the sofa, opened a pre-downloaded thesis on her phone, and planned to read while waiting for him. But she had been extremely busy herself these past few days. After reading for a short while, she unknowingly fell asleep.

She woke up feeling someone picking her up.

Zhou Anran opened her eyes and saw the tall boy standing beside her, half-bent.

His usual style leaned towards sportswear, but today, returning from work at the Supreme Court, his attire was relatively formal. His black dress pants were sharply pressed, leading up to a black belt cinching a lean, narrow waist. The white shirt was filled out by his broad shoulders, creating fluid lines. Perhaps because he had come to check on her the moment he entered, the buttons on his shirt were still all fastened, adding an inexplicable touch of restraint.

Zhou Anran couldn't look away.

The boy she had fallen for at first sight seemed to have grown, under her witness, into a steady, reliable adult who still shone brightly.

Chen Luobai had originally intended to carry her back to the bedroom to sleep, but seeing she was awake, he let go and gently tapped the tip of her nose. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

As he said this, the corner of his mouth lifted, and that vibrant youthful spirit seemed to resurface.

Zhou Anran wasn't fully awake yet. Perhaps the last bit of drowsiness suppressed her natural reserve, or maybe it was the dependence cultivated over time. She grabbed his wrist, sat up, and leaned entirely into his embrace, her voice soft. "I missed you so much."

Chen Luobai's movement to hug her back paused.

"Zhou Anran."

"Hmm." The girl responded with a slight nasal tone.

Chen Luobai's breathing deepened slightly. He looked down at her. "You know I can't handle you saying things like that to me, right?"

Zhou Anran blinked and looked up to meet his gaze.

After being together for several years, often without her having to speak, he knew what she wanted.

Just like now, without him having to speak, she knew what he wanted to do.

Chen Luobai raised his hand and undid the top two buttons of his shirt, also undid the two cuff buttons on his sleeves, rolling them halfway up to reveal forearms with well-defined muscles.

His gaze remained on her the entire time, slightly dark, carrying a familiar, hook-like quality.

But he only spoke to her again now, his words seemingly completely unrelated, yet also like he was confirming with her: "You had dinner, right?"

Zhou Anran's heartbeat quickened intensely.

As the sleepiness receded, she had actually started to feel shy, but she still nodded at him.

Chen Luobai's hand, which had just been undoing buttons, cupped the back of her neck.

The living room instantly fell quiet.

Only faint, fragmented sounds remained.

After a good while, a girl's voice, half-embarrassed, half-annoyed, sounded.

"Chen Luobai!"

"I said no biting this mole in the summer."

Chen Luobai lifted his head. The hem of his shirt had long been pulled out of his trousers, hanging slightly open to reveal thin yet powerful abdominal muscles. The corner of his mouth lifted again. "You only said no biting. You didn't say no kissing, right? What is not forbidden by law is free, Baby."

Zhou Anran: "…?"

"Is 'what is not forbidden by law is free' supposed to be misused like that?"

"Why can't it be used like that?" Chen Luobai laughed. "Aren't you my fundamental law?"

Zhou Anran glared at him, then for some reason started laughing again. "Well, no kissing today either."

"Fine, no kissing then."

Chen Luobai's free hand braced against the sofa beside her, the veins on his forearm slightly prominent. He leaned close to her ear, as if he kissed it, or maybe not, his warm breath brushing against her ear.

"Hold you sitting up?"

Zhou Anran understood his meaning in an instant, her heartbeat racing again.

She averted her gaze, but then still nodded.

Chen Luobai withdrew his other hand and reached over to lift her.

Zhou Anran looked down and saw a glistening wetness on his long fingers. Her face flushed crimson instantly. She nudged him with her foot as a reminder. "My dress."

Chen Luobai looked down and saw she was wearing a little black dress similar to the one she wore the day she brought him medicine in their second year of high school.

"Keep the dress on?"

Zhou Anran: "…?"

Once she was straddling his lap, Zhou Anran immediately buried her face completely in the crook of his neck.

Chen Luobai seemed to take a soft breath, his voice low in her ear. "Relax a bit, Baby."

Zhou Anran's face was still buried in his shoulder. It was hard to tell if it was from the unbearable sensation or just wanting to act spoiled with him. She mumbled, "It feels so full."

Chen Luobai chuckled again. "How are you still not used to it?"

Zhou Anran: "…"

How could anyone get used to this?

He's so…

This person was always excessively wicked at times like this. Not hearing her answer, that still slightly damp hand moved to her chin, gently yet insistently forcing her to lift her head and meet his eyes.

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

Feeling both shy and annoyed, Zhou Anran simply lowered her head and bit his lip.

"So you wanted me to kiss you." The scoundrel's brow quirked slightly. Smiling, his hand moved back, gently pressing the nape of her neck, and he really kissed her in this position.

The sky outside gradually darkened.

The afterglow faded completely, dusk settling heavily.

Until the last trace of daylight disappeared, and the city was lit up again by neon lights.

Zhou Anran's eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness. Looking down, she could see fine sweat on his pale neck. She buried her face against it again, feeling a slight dampness. Her still-unsettled heartbeat and breathing were terribly erratic.

It was hard to tell if it was hers or his.

Chen Luobai's hand intermittently touched her slightly sweat-dampened hair. After a moment, he spoke. "Were you tired from doing experiments these past few days?"

"Not tired." Zhou Anran's hand clutched the already badly wrinkled shoulder seam of his shirt. She reminded him in a small voice, "You should… come out first."

Chen Luobai: "Let's chat like this for a bit first."

Zhou Anran: "…"

Who chats like this?

She couldn't help but lower her head and bite his neck.

Chen Luobai let her finish biting before chuckling by her ear. "Seems you really like this outfit I'm wearing today. This is the first time you've actually bitten me tonight."

Zhou Anran did really like how he looked in formal wear today.

But his current statement clearly had a deeper, more suggestive meaning.

Her face flushed. "That's not true."

Chen Luobai: "Then who was it just now—"

Guessing he was surely about to say some nonsense again, Zhou Anran hurriedly interrupted. "You're not allowed to say it."

Chen Luobai hugged her, laughing uncontrollably, his chest vibrating noticeably.

Zhou Anran felt a bit shy and annoyed again. "And no laughing either."

"Fine." Chen Luobai obediently stopped laughing. "Any other commands from my girlfriend?"

The corners of Zhou Anran's mouth turned up unbidden again. "Then carry me to take a shower."

By the time they returned to the bedroom from the bathroom, it was deep into the night.

Chen Luobai reached out and turned off the light, his other arm naturally pulling her into his embrace.

Zhou Anran felt his hand intermittently touching her hair, just like before. Then she heard him call her name very softly.

"Ranran."

Zhou Anran also responded softly. "Yeah?"

"I think I've roughly decided." Chen Luobai said.

Zhou Anran: "Decided what?"

Chen Luobai: "In the future, I'll probably take the central selection exam* to directly enter one of the 'Two Supremes'**. Which one specifically, I'll decide after interning at the Supreme People's Procuratorate next year."

(*A highly competitive recruitment program where the central government selects outstanding graduates from top universities for civil service positions, often involving a special examination process.) 

(**A term referring collectively to the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the two highest judicial organs in China.) 

Zhou Anran suddenly remembered the day she found out he planned to intern at the Supreme People's Court. Out of curiosity, she had looked up the Court's official website. As soon as she opened it, she saw a line of large characters at the top:

"Striving to let the masses feel fairness and justice in every judicial case."

She also remembered that year in their freshman year, when they were trapped in a convenience store by rain. They weren't together yet then. She was leaning on the table, listening to him say, "My mom and others always say there are still many shortcomings in our country's current laws. I hope that in the future, no matter what I do, I can contribute to improving those shortcomings."

The Supreme People's Court was soon to issue a judicial interpretation.

He was assigned tasks related to some auxiliary work for the formulation of that judicial interpretation and would participate in the entire process.

In just three short years, he seemed to already be realizing those once seemingly idealistic words.

Even if an intern's participation was limited, it was just as he had said back then: as long as they're still burning, they would first strive to shine brighter. 

Zhou Anran said softly, "You'll definitely get in."

Chen Luobai chuckled again. "Still have so much confidence in me?"

Zhou Anran's face warmed again.

Chen Luobai seemed to guess she was blushing. His hand touched her cheek affectionately. When he returned to the previous topic, his voice still held a smile. "But the salaries at the 'Two Supremes' don't seem high. In the future, you might have to support me."

Zhou Anran had heard from Zhu Ran's gossip that he was quite wealthy.

Not that his family was wealthy, but that he himself was wealthy.

He said that when Chen Luobai turned eighteen, his grandfather had transferred shares to him. Also, the various bonuses and New Year's money he had received since childhood were all managed by someone specifically for financial planning. Zhu Ran's tone was exaggerated back then, saying the money probably kept multiplying, and who knew how many digits it had reached now.

Zhou Anran had listened to it just for fun at the time. Later, after marrying Chen Luobai and him handing all his cards over to her, she realized Zhu Ran hadn't exaggerated in the slightest.

But now, even though Zhou Anran knew full well he was joking, she still played along. "Okay."

"Zhou Anran." Chen Luobai suddenly called her name again.

Zhou Anran blinked. "What is it?"

The laughter in Chen Luobai's voice became more pronounced. "Does this mean you're agreeing to marry me in the future?"

Zhou Anran: "…?"

Why did he jump to that topic all of a sudden?

Zhou Anran couldn't bring herself to say "no," but she was also too embarrassed to say "yes" to him right now.

She wrapped her arms around the boy's waist and buried her face in his chest. "I'm sleepy. Let's go to sleep."

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