Lemon Soda Candy - 93

Zhou Anran met Chen Luobai's mother under entirely unexpected circumstances.

Back when they had first started dating in their freshman year, Chen Luobai had mentioned that his mother had long wanted to meet her. But the mere thought of meeting his parents made Zhou Anran exceptionally nervous. For once, she succumbed to procrastination. Chen Luobai, familiar with her personality, and considering they were still in university with no immediate rush, had temporarily shelved the meet-the-parents plan.

The unexpected meeting with Chen Luobai's mother occurred during the winter break of their senior year.

The day before the Little New Year, Zhou Anran had arranged to go shopping at the downtown mall with Yan Xingxi and the others. After several rounds of browsing, the girls had bought a large pile of things.

Afterwards, Yan Xingxi and the others needed to use the restroom. Zhou Anran, laden with numerous shopping bags, sat on a bench in the center of the mall's first floor to wait for them.

At one point, a young girl ran past her.

Whether she was running too hurriedly to notice or accidentally twisted her foot, the girl suddenly pitched forward.

Zhou Anran stood up to grab her.

She wasn't particularly strong and only managed to barely catch the girl. The girl didn't fall, but most of the bubble tea in her hand splashed out.

The girl seemed to be in a great hurry. Without even turning her head, she uttered a "thank you," ignored the spilled tea on the floor, and rushed off again.

Zhou Anran had a pile of bags to watch over and couldn't easily go find a mall cleaner. She was just about to sit back down and wait for Yan Xingxi and the others to return when she saw a woman walking towards her.

The woman wore a black coat of excellent quality and looked very young. Her strides were long, the hem of her coat flapping, giving off a cool and commanding presence. However, she was looking down at her phone while walking.

Seeing the woman was about to step on the large puddle of spilled bubble tea, Zhou Anran, worried it would be slippery, couldn't help but speak up to warn her.

"Excuse me, there's spilled bubble tea ahead. It might be slippery."

The woman stopped, lifted her gaze from her phone, and settled it on Zhou Anran's face. "Thank you."

For some reason, Zhou Anran sensed an aura with strong pressure. She shook her head. "You're welcome."

After speaking, she noticed the other's gaze remained fixed on her face, not moving away.

Zhou Anran blinked. "Is there something else?"

The woman stared at her for another moment, then suddenly smiled at her.

With that smile, the previously cool, aloof demeanor and the noticeably pressuring aura vanished together.

"Being direct might be a bit presumptuous, but if I don't say it, I'm afraid you might feel awkward when you see me later."

It was a rather abrupt statement. Zhou Anran didn't quite understand and was about to ask if the woman was speaking to her when she heard her continue slowly—

"I'm Chen Luobai's mother."

Zhou Anran was completely stunned. It took several seconds for her to react before she hurriedly greeted, "H-hello, Auntie."

Looking more closely, Zhou Anran realized there was some resemblance to Chen Luobai in her eyes and brows.

It was just that she hadn't dared to stare too long before, and because the other woman looked so young and beautiful, she hadn't even considered the possibility.

But how did his mother recognize her?

Zhou Anran's brain was still a bit muddled, and she directly voiced the question: "Auntie, how do you know who I am?"

Fang Jin smiled again. "His phone is full of your photos. He even printed two and put them in his bedroom. It'd be hard not to recognize you."

Zhou Anran detected the teasing tone in these words, and the tips of her ears grew warm.

Fang Jin seemed to notice and, smiling, changed the subject. "Are you shopping alone?"

"No." Zhou Anran shook her head. "I came with my close friends. They went to the restroom."

Zhou Anran was still nervous inside, but for some reason, perhaps because the other's demeanor now seemed very approachable, she didn't feel as tense as she had previously imagined. She even managed to ask a follow-up question: "What about you, Auntie?"

Fang Jin: "Not shopping. I came to pick up some documents from someone."

Zhou Anran quickly asked, "Then I haven't delayed you, have I?"

"No." Fang Jin looked at her and seemed to smile again. "But I do have something to do today."

Zhou Anran: "Then you should go ahead with your business."

"It's not that urgent; a minute or two won't matter." Fang Jin continued, "His father and I have been wanting to arrange a meeting with your parents. Since I've run into you today, and you two are about to graduate soon, could you help me ask your parents when you get back? If it's convenient, perhaps our two families could have a meal together in a few days?"

Zhou Anran obediently nodded. "Okay, I'll ask them when I get home."

"Then I'll be going now." Fang Jin paused, then smiled and raised her hand to gently ruffle Zhou Anran's hair. "I'll make up the meeting gift next time, Auntie's promise."

When Yan Xingxi and the others returned, they found Zhou Anran sitting dazedly on the bench, lost in thought. She didn't notice them even as they approached.

"Ranran, what are you thinking about?" Yan Xingxi waved a hand in front of her face.

Zhou Anran snapped out of it. Her mind was still a bit fuzzy. After a moment, she told them what had just happened. "I just met Chen Luobai's mother."

Yan Xingxi was also stunned for a second. "How did you suddenly meet Chen Luobai's mother?"

Zhou Anran: "We just ran into each other unexpectedly. She recognized me."

"How was it?" Sheng Xiaowen assessed her expression, guessing the meeting had probably gone well, and asked teasingly, "What are your thoughts on meeting your future mother-in-law?"

Zhou Anran: "…?"

Her face warmed. "What future mother-in-law? Don't talk nonsense."

"What's going on?" Zhang Shuxian also adopted a teasing tone. "You're both about to graduate, and Chen Luobai hasn't gotten you to agree to marry him yet? What's he waiting for?"

After Fang Jin left, Zhou Anran had been replaying the encounter in her mind, wondering if there was anything about her behavior that hadn't been quite right.

Now, hearing Sheng Xiaowen mention Chen Luobai, Zhou Anran remembered that she should probably tell him about meeting his mother.

She ignored Zhang Shuxian's teasing, she had plenty of experience by now; the more she engaged, the more Zhang Shuxian would egg her on.

Blushing, she pretended not to hear and looked down to unlock her phone.

Her phone chimed at that very moment.

As if by some telepathy, the message was from Chen Luobai.

C: [You met my mom?]

Zhou Anran: [Little bunny nodding gif]

Zhou Anran: [I was just about to tell you]

C: [Still at the mall?]

Zhou Anran: [Yeah, but we're about to leave]

C: [Wait for me ten minutes]

C: [I'm coming to find you]

Zhou Anran looked up again and asked her friends, "You guys were planning to head back now, right?"

Sheng Xiaowen: "Yeah, why?"

Zhou Anran touched her ear. "Chen Luobai said he's coming to find me. He'll be here in ten minutes. Do you want to wait a bit? I can have him treat you to bubble tea?"

"We're full of bubble tea for tonight. He can owe us." Sheng Xiaowen waved her hand.

Zhang Shuxian agreed: "Yeah, you wait for him yourself. We're heading out."

Yan Xingxi was always a bit slower in these matters. She hesitated, looking at Zhou Anran. "Then, Ranran, should I wait for you?" 

"Wait for what?" Sheng Xiaowen tugged her. "Ranran just had an unexpected meet-the-parents moment. Chen Luobai is definitely rushing over because he's worried about her. Don't be a third wheel."

Yan Xingxi understood instantly. "Then I won't wait for you either. Should I take your stuff back for you?"

Zhou Anran: "He's probably driving over. Give me your things; I'll bring them back for you."

Yan Xingxi nodded: "Okay, less for me to carry."

Zhang Shuxian and Sheng Xiaowen waved at her. "Bye!"

Nancheng was famously a city that never slept.

Even at three or four in the morning, the downtown streets weren't empty. Right now, it was just past 9:30 p.m., the busiest time. So, Zhou Anran wasn't worried about safety, simply adding, "Then be careful on your way."

After Yan Xingxi and the others left, Zhou Anran sat back down on the bench.

Afraid Chen Luobai might be driving, she didn't send another message to disturb him. She looked down and pulled up a thesis to read.

Before long, a shadow fell over her phone screen as someone stood in front of her.

Zhou Anran looked up and saw the tall, handsome boy standing before her. He was dressed entirely in black again, as if he had rushed up from the underground parking garage. His breathing was slightly heavier than usual, and his gaze held concern as he looked at her.

She locked her phone and stood up.

Chen Luobai took her hand, looking her over twice. "You weren't scared, were you?"

Zhou Anran's heart softened. She shook her head. "No, your mother was very kind."

Chen Luobai breathed a sigh of relief, and the corner of his mouth finally lifted. "It's rare to hear someone call her kind."

After saying this, he looked her over again just as before, but this time his eyes held more amusement.

Zhou Anran found it strange. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Chen Luobai continued his appraisal. "Trying to see what kind of magic my girlfriend has."

Zhou Anran: "…?"

Chen Luobai: "My sister liking you is one thing, but it seems my mother probably likes you quite a bit too."

His words made Zhou Anran pause. "How do you know your mother likes me?"

Chen Luobai reached out, smiling, and pinched her cheek. "No one's called her 'kind' in years. Even Zhu Ran doesn't dare talk too much in front of her."

The slight anxiety in Zhou Anran's heart finally completely dissipated. Remembering his earlier words, the corners of her mouth also curved up. "It's probably because of you."

Whether it was Yu Bingqin or Fang Jin, they were family members who cared for and loved him, so they extended that favor to her as well.

Chen Luobai also smiled. Seemingly still not entirely reassured, he asked again to confirm, "Really weren't scared?"

Zhou Anran shook her head. "No, your mother's attitude was really very good."

Chen Luobai laced his fingers through hers, interlocking them. "But tonight's accident actually solved a problem for me."

Zhou Anran blinked. "What problem?"

Chen Luobai laughed. "I've been agonizing for over three years about how to take you to meet my parents. If I scheduled it in advance, you'd definitely be nervous right up until the meeting day."

He was speaking the absolute truth. Zhou Anran, feeling a bit embarrassed, touched her ear and said softly, "But I haven't met your father yet."

"He's not important." Chen Luobai said. "In our family, my mom has the final say."

Zhou Anran looked up at him. "What about you? Your mother said she wanted to arrange a meal with my parents."

"Me?" The corner of Chen Luobai's mouth lifted. "I've wanted to meet your parents for a long time."

The dinner for the two families was finally scheduled for the evening of the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.

Having met Chen Luobai's mother in advance, most of Zhou Anran's unease had subsided.

Added to that, Chen Luobai, probably afraid she might still be nervous, had repeatedly told her during the New Year period that his father was completely henpecked and had no status at home whatsoever. Thus, the remaining half of Zhou Anran's anxiety diminished further.

On the night of the sixth, when Zhou Anran met his father, she felt his aura was also quite commanding, not at all like someone who was henpecked. But his attitude towards her was also kind, and he was completely down-to-earth while chatting with her parents.

The dinner was exceptionally pleasant.

This was actually within Zhou Anran's expectations.

He was so well-mannered; it stood to reason that his parents must be very, very good people.

What surprised her was the person who had brazenly claimed he'd long wanted to meet her parents. She thought he wasn't nervous at all, but that evening, his jawline was tense the entire time. He answered whatever her parents asked obediently, and while eating, he even absentmindedly picked up a piece of ginger and put it in his bowl.

Zhou Anran was sitting close to him and reminded him softly, "You just picked up a piece of ginger."

Chen Luobai glanced at her sideways, his expression more serious than ever, completely unlike the scoundrel he was in private. Then, without changing his expression, he ate that piece of ginger, his tone utterly earnest. "What about the ginger? It's quite tasty."

Zhou Anran: "…"

By then, dinner was nearing its end. Fang Jin suddenly said, "I think there's some kind of performance downstairs tonight. Chen Luobai, why don't you take Ranran down to have a look?"

Chen Luobai nodded, then turned to Zhou Xianhong and He Jiayi. "Uncle, Auntie, I'll take Ranran downstairs for a short walk and come back up to keep you company in a little while."

Zhou Xianhong waved his hand with a smile. "Go ahead."

Zhou Anran guessed the parents probably had something they wanted to discuss privately. She obediently stood up with Chen Luobai.

The boy beside her seemed to habitually reach for her hand, but the moment his fingers touched hers, as if remembering something, he immediately moved his hand back.

Zhou Anran followed him out the door, one after the other.

Once the private room door closed, Chen Luobai reached out again to take her hand.

Zhou Anran, her eyes curved into smiles, looked up at him. "Should I buy you some water or a drink?"

Chen Luobai stopped walking. "Buy a drink for what?"

"Didn't you just eat a piece of ginger?" Zhou Anran also stopped.

Chen Luobai raised his hand to pinch her cheek. His tone sounded annoyed, but his dark eyes held obvious laughter. "You're bringing that up? If your parents thought I was a picky eater because of what you just said, what then?"

Zhou Anran: "…"

As if he wasn't a picky eater.

But a small part of her heart seemed to soften and melt.

Zhou Anran swung their joined hands. "They wouldn't mind a small thing like that. You don't have to force yourself."

"Just a piece of ginger." Chen Luobai held her hand and continued walking forward. "It's not like walking through fire and water. How is that forcing myself?"

Zhou Anran couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from lifting again.

There really was a performance downstairs that night.

A stage had been set up in the nearby square that afternoon, and rumor had it they'd even invited a D-list celebrity.

By the time Zhou Anran and Chen Luobai arrived, the stage was surrounded by a dense crowd, at least three layers deep. Looking from a distance, it was a massive sea of people.

Chen Luobai turned to look at her. "Still want to go over?"

Zhou Anran didn't really want to go and knew he disliked crowded scenes like that. She shook her head. "Let's not."

"Then shall we just walk around?" Chen Luobai asked her.

Zhou Anran nodded.

The two turned and went in the opposite direction.

Nancheng had experienced a warm winter that year. It was only the sixth day of the New Year, and the daytime high had already exceeded 20 degrees Celsius. The evening held no chill either.

Perhaps everyone had gone to join the excitement; the streets were slightly quieter than usual. Along the way, a girl was singing with a guitar. Passersby hurried by, no one stopping to listen. She didn't look disheartened, singing very earnestly with her head slightly bowed.

A little girl, about three or four years old, being led by her mother, stopped her short legs, tilted her head, listened for a few seconds, then threw a small toy she was holding into the guitar case at the girl's feet.

The girl with the guitar smiled, changed the melody, and started singing "Mom and Dad go to work, I go to kindergarten.” 

Zhou Anran found it adorable and was about to get Chen Luobai to look when she turned her head and saw the boy's gaze fixed on the opposite side of the street. She followed his line of sight; across the street was a bubble tea shop she frequented.

Sure enough, the next second, she heard Chen Luobai speak.

"Feel like having bubble tea?"

Zhou Anran was actually quite full from dinner but was a little thirsty. Her voice unconsciously held a note of coquetishness. "I do, but I can't finish a whole cup."

"Drink as much as you want." Chen Luobai replied in a low voice. "I'll finish the rest for you."

The corners of Zhou Anran's mouth turned up again. "Then let's go."

The little girl, having listened to half the song, was led away by her mother.

Zhou Anran was led by Chen Luobai across the street.

The bubble tea shop happened to be promoting a new product. The staff poured a small sample cup and handed it to them.

Zhou Anran took a small sip, then handed the cup to Chen Luobai.

The tiny paper cup's rim still bore her lipstick mark. The boy took it and finished the remaining bit from the same spot she had drunk from.

"Want this one?" Chen Luobai asked her.

Zhou Anran nodded. "Let's try it."

The bubble tea shop wasn't busy at the moment. A cup of bubble tea was quickly made.

Zhou Anran took a small sip, then held the cup up to the boy beside her.

Chen Luobai turned his head. "Can't drink any more already?"

"No." Zhou Anran shook her head. "For you, to help mask the taste of the ginger first."

The corner of Chen Luobai's mouth also lifted. Using her hand, he lowered his head and took a sip of the bubble tea.

After walking a short distance further, Zhou Anran suddenly stopped.

Chen Luobai stopped with her. "What's wrong?"

Zhou Anran pointed at the shop window next to them. "Does that little rabbit inside look like the one you gave me in our second year of high school?"

Chen Luobai looked in the direction she pointed, then lightly lifted his chin. "Let's go. Buy it."

"There's no need." Zhou Anran looked at the little rabbit. "I'm about to graduate from university. Wouldn't hanging a fluffy little rabbit on my bag look a bit childish?"

Chen Luobai pulled her inside. "Who says you can't like little rabbit charms after graduating? Don't put limits on yourself."

It was often these small details that made Zhou Anran's heart flutter especially for him.

She thought of that time at the livehouse, when he had said to her in a low voice, "There's no law in the world that says everyone has to be outgoing." He was studying law, the field with the most rules and frameworks, yet his thinking was incredibly free, never constrained by mundane prejudices.

The person she liked understood the ways of the world but was never bound by them.

The corners of her mouth curved up again as she obediently let him lead her into the shop.

After buying the little rabbit, Chen Luobai opened the packaging.

Then the tall boy stood in front of her, lowered his head, and attached the little rabbit to her small crossbody bag. His voice sounded light, yet seemed to carry a smile. "This time, I can hang it for you myself."

So, as they continued walking, a little rabbit now dangled and swayed from Zhou Anran's bag.

When they reached the riverbank, Zhou Anran handed her bubble tea to him. "I can't drink any more."

Chen Luobai took it, finished it in a few gulps, and tossed the cup into a roadside trash bin.

Zhou Anran tilted her head to look at him. "Do you have something you want to tell me?"

Chen Luobai also looked at her. "Why do you ask that?"

Zhou Anran: "You've looked at me several times tonight like you wanted to say something but stopped yourself."

Chen Luobai's brow quirked slightly. "That sounds familiar."

Zhou Anran: "You said something similar to me before."

Back when they had just started dating.

On the night... of his first kiss.

Chen Luobai made a "Hmm" sound, as if recalling that day.

"Then didn't I also say something like, 'If you don't tell me, I'll just keep kissing you'—" The boy paused, his tone becoming meaningful again. "Zhou Anran, if you're going to copy me, shouldn't you do it completely?"

Zhou Anran: "…"

Sure enough, away from her parents, this person couldn't stay serious for long.

Her face warmed slightly. "No way."

"Zhou Anran." Chen Luobai reached out and pinched her cheek again, his gaze still holding laughter. "I feel like you don't like me as much as you used to."

Zhou Anran could tell he was joking, but still softly refuted him. "That's not true."

Chen Luobai: "You used to obediently agree to whatever I said. Not long after we started dating, I took you to my apartment, and you obediently came with me. Now, you won't even agree to threaten me like I did back then."

Zhou Anran shot him a glance. "Is that a threat to you?"

"True." Chen Luobai's gaze dropped to her lips for a second; her lipstick color was especially pretty today. "It really isn't a threat."

This time, Zhou Anran didn't follow his lead. If she did, who knows what nonsensical direction he'd take it. She steered the conversation back. "What exactly did you want to tell me?"

Chen Luobai stopped walking. The gaze he fixed on her seemed more serious and focused than before.

He just looked at her quietly like that, not speaking, his dark eyes bright and profound.

Zhou Anran's heartbeat quickened by several beats under his gaze.

After a few seconds, she finally saw him open his mouth.

Just then, a motorcycle passed by on the road.

The roar drowned out his voice. Zhou Anran only barely caught the latter part of his sentence.

It seemed to be "...should be more solemn."

"What did you just say?" Zhou Anran asked, puzzled.

"Nothing." Chen Luobai took her hand and continued walking forward. "I'll tell you later."

Zhou Anran puffed her cheeks. "Why does it have to be later again?"

"Didn't I say?" The boy's voice carried a smile. "Have to keep some suspense to keep my girlfriend hooked."

---

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