Lemon Soda Candy - 95

She heard that Zhou Suiqing leaned against the door of the room across the hall all night that night. Dong Chen, abandoned by his girlfriend, played video games in Zhu Ran's room until midnight and got quite a scare when he came out to return to his own room.

Zhou Anran didn't wake up until 11 a.m. the next day.

Sheng Xiaowen had thrown up once more later and slept fitfully until the early hours. Feeling uncomfortable, she got up to shower.

Zhou Anran was woken by the noise and, worried Sheng Xiaowen wasn't fully sober yet, also got up and waited outside the bathroom to keep her company.

The hotel curtains didn't block light well. The intense morning sun filtered through the thin fabric, illuminating the room.

After waking up, Zhou Anran turned her head and saw Sheng Xiaowen sitting on the bed, hair disheveled, staring blankly at her phone.

Suppressing her lingering drowsiness, she sat up as well.

Zhang Shuxian and Yan Xingxi, sleeping in the other bed, hadn't woken yet. Zhou Anran lowered her voice and asked, "How long have you been awake? Why didn't you call me? Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine." Sheng Xiaowen seemed to snap out of her daze and handed her the phone. "Zhou Suiqing says he made some congee and asked if I want to go across the hall to have some and talk with him."

Zhou Anran was still somewhat sleepy and listlessly rested her chin on her knees, her voice still soft. "Do you want to go? He seemed pretty concerned about you yesterday."

Sheng Xiaowen turned back, stared at her phone screen for a few seconds, then, as if steeling herself, abruptly turned the screen off. "I'll go. Let's just get it all out in the open clearly, once and for all."

Zhou Anran nodded. "Call me if anything comes up."

Sheng Xiaowen agreed. She had already swung one leg off the bed when she suddenly turned back and hugged Zhou Anran. "Sorry for the trouble last night."

"What trouble?" Zhou Anran smiled and shook her head again. "That's what friends are for."

Hearing her gentle tone and seeing the shallow dimples in her cheeks, her face free of makeup yet incredibly lovely, Sheng Xiaowen couldn't resist pinching her cheek. "Chen Luobai is a lucky guy. If I were a boy, I would've fought him for you back then."

Zhou Anran laughed. "Go get ready."

By the time Sheng Xiaowen returned from across the hall, both Zhang Shuxian and Yan Xingxi were up.

Zhang Shuxian, naturally curious, had been dying to know what happened after hearing Sheng Xiaowen went to see Zhou Suiqing. If things had gone badly, she might have controlled her gossipy nature, but seeing Sheng Xiaowen enter beaming, Zhang Shuxian immediately went over and looped an arm around her neck.

"Looking so happy! What's the situation? Did Zhou Suiqing agree?"

Sheng Xiaowen smiled and shook her head. "He said he'll be the one to pursue me now."

Zhang Shuxian also smiled, clearly happy for her friend. "And he let you come back so soon?"

"Dong Chen messaged me, said he probably didn't sleep at all last night." Sheng Xiaowen said. "He has a part-time job this afternoon, so I told him to get some rest first."

Since it wasn't Zhang Shuxian and the others' first time in Beicheng, and they had a show to see that evening, the group didn't go out exploring in the afternoon. After lunch, Chen Luobai booked the large penthouse suite on the hotel's top floor. The big group split into several smaller ones in the suite's living room: some watched movies, some played video games, and others played mahjong.

The movie-watchers occasionally complained about the noise from the mahjong players but didn't actually stop them. The gamers, when their characters died, would sometimes look up and watch a bit of the movie, chiming in with a few comments.

This, perhaps, is the essence of friendship: even wasting time together feels incredibly joyful.

Zhou Anran had initially been leaning against Chen Luobai, watching the movie with Sheng Xiaowen and the others. But mid-afternoon, Bao Kun, in the middle of his card game, came over to the sofa area to play video games with Dong Chen and the others, leaving Zhu Ran's mahjong table short one player.

Seeing they really couldn't find a fourth, Zhou Anran moved over to the mahjong table.

It was actually Zhou Anran's first time playing herself, but she often watched Ms. He play with relatives during New Year's celebrations every year, so she knew the rules.

As soon as she came over, Chen Luobai followed.

He had never played either, but he always learned things quickly. He soon grasped the rules clearly and could even help her calculate tiles and suggest moves.

Combined with what was probably beginner's luck, Zhou Anran kept getting fairly good hands for several rounds in a row.

After she won several consecutive games, Zhu Ran protested: "You two teaming up as a couple is a bit much, don't you think?"

Tang Jianrui chimed in: "Yeah, Luo-ge. Is it fair for you two University A top students to gang up on us like this?"

Chen Luobai lounged lazily in his chair, his arm resting loosely around Zhou Anran's shoulders. Upon hearing this, his brow quirked slightly, his expression utterly unapologetic and infuriatingly smug. "Jealous? If you're jealous, go find yourselves a smart girlfriend too."

Zhu Ran muttered under his breath: "As if I don't have one."

Huang Shujie immediately became alert: "Having one Luo-ge is enough to make us lose. You are not allowed to call in reinforcements."

Chen Luobai laughed. "Even if he found one, it wouldn't help. He'd just drag down the average IQ himself."

Zhu Ran drew a tile and placed it, then freed a hand to pick up his phone. "Say that again, Chen. I'm recording it for your sister."

"What's my sister going to do about it?" Chen Luobai glanced at him calmly. "My girlfriend is right here. You don't actually think she'd take your side, do you?"

Zhu Ran: "…"

Zhu Ran looked at Zhou Anran and let out a frustrated, indignant sound. "Damn."

With Zhou Anran here, Yu Bingqin really might not side with him.

"Zhou Anran." Zhu Ran looked at her. "I've been curious for a long time. Why does Qin-jie like you so much? How do you usually interact with her?"

Zhou Anran: "…?"

"Just… normally?" Zhou Anran drew a tile and placed it. Chen Luobai reminded her from the side to play the Six of Bamboo, so she obediently discarded a Six of Bamboo. Then she looked up at Zhu Ran. Seeing he didn't seem to be joking but was genuinely asking for advice, she thought about it seriously. "It's that Qin-jie is a good person. She probably thinks I'm introverted, so she looks out for me a bit more."

"Is that so?" Zhu Ran looked thoughtful.

Huang Shujie finished drawing his tile and, seeing this, couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Zhou Anran is naturally introverted. A dog as chatty as you shouldn't try to imitate that, okay?"

"Don't say that." Tang Jianrui also drew a tile. "What did dogs ever do to you? Dogs are humanity's best friends."

Zhu Ran turned to Tang Jianrui. "What do you know? You still don't have a girlfriend."

Tang Jianrui: "…"

Struck in the heart, Tang Jianrui casually looked at the tile he had just drawn. His face instantly brightened. "Sorry guys, self-draw. I win."

He pushed his tiles over and reached a hand towards Zhu Ran. "Come on, pay up, pay up."

Zhu Ran glanced over. "A small win on a self-draw, just one unit. What are you so proud of?"

Tang Jianrui imitated him: "What do you know? At least I won. You haven't won a single hand yet."

Zhou Anran couldn't help but laugh.

Somehow, for the entire afternoon, Zhu Ran genuinely didn't win a single hand.

Fortunately, they were just playing for fun, and the wins and losses only amounted to the price of a few bubble teas.

As dinnertime approached, Zhu Ran pushed the tiles away. "Enough, I'm not playing anymore. Considering I've been losing all afternoon, it's not too much to ask you guys to do me a favor, right?"

"What favor?" Tang Jianrui asked.

Zhu Ran: "After the show tonight, don't leave in a hurry. It's Qin-jie's birthday tomorrow. I want to prepare a surprise for her. You don't need to do much, just help me stall for time so I can get things ready."

Tang Jianrui and Huang Shujie readily agreed.

The moment Zhou Anran's hand left the mahjong table, the guy next to her took it, playing with her fingertips one by one, just like when they used to study together in the library.

Her face warmed, and she nodded in agreement as well.

After dinner, the group walked to the livehouse.

Zhou Anran wasn't particularly interested in this kind of performance; she and Chen Luobai were mainly there as half-hosts to accompany the others.

But the charm of a live show must be experienced in person. After watching the performance, Zhou Anran began to understand why this band was so popular recently—their stage presence was truly powerful.

The tickets Yu Bingqin got them were in the front row.

After the performance ended and the band members retreated backstage, many audience members behind them were reluctant to leave.

Until someone shouted: "They're greeting fans outside by their van!"

The remaining fans quickly streamed out as well.

In the blink of an eye, the livehouse was empty except for their group.

In the quiet that followed, Zhou Anran felt the boy beside her lean in slightly, his voice low near her ear. "Zhu Ran asked me to help stall by singing a song."

Out of the corner of her eye, Zhou Anran saw Yu Bingqin, sitting at the very end, playing on her phone as if completely unaware. She nodded, also speaking softly. "Go ahead."

Chen Luobai released her hand and stood up, heading towards the backstage area.

Perhaps because they had been holding hands the whole time without letting go, Zhou Anran felt her palm was slightly damp, as if sweaty.

Whether Zhu Ran wanted to use this chance to set something up or not, the moment Chen Luobai's figure disappeared backstage, all the lights in the livehouse instantly went out. The surroundings became so dark she couldn't see her hand in front of her face.

Zhou Anran inexplicably remembered that Doraemon pun she'd heard.

She realized she still hadn't told it to him.

After a moment, a single warm, yellow spotlight pierced the complete darkness of the livehouse, half-illuminating the figure on the stage.

Chen Luobai had somehow changed his clothes.

A white shirt, black dress pants.

It somewhat resembled what he often wore during his internship at the Supreme People's Court, but probably because he wasn't going to work today, it wasn't as formal. The top button was undone, the collar slightly loose, revealing a glimpse of his pale collarbone. The shirt sleeves were rolled halfway up, exposing his arms with their well-defined muscles. It had less of a restrained feel and more of a lazy, casual vibe.

His posture was also relaxed. One leg was bent, resting against the high stool, while the other long leg stretched lazily to the floor. He held a guitar, with a standing microphone in front of him. The sharp lines of his profile were softly outlined by the warm, fuzzy-edged light.

He looked impossibly handsome.

Zhou Anran heard Zhang Shuxian on her other side let out a soft "Tch."

"Guitar, white shirt, standing mic, any one of these paired with a handsome guy is a scene that could slay. Good thing the audience has already left, otherwise, Ranran, you'd probably have a whole new wave of rivals tonight."

Zhou Anran couldn't help but smile.

She was about to reply when the person on stage tested the mic.

A low "Check" came through the speakers.

His voice was always pleasant, and amplified by the microphone, it became even more captivating.

Zhou Anran's attention was drawn back to him. She saw Chen Luobai look towards her, the corner of his mouth seeming to lift slightly.

"This song is for my girlfriend."

The corners of Zhou Anran's mouth also curved up.

Chen Luobai sang a Cantonese song.

Perhaps the staff hadn't left yet; the large screen behind him lit up with the lyrics.

"The sky at dawn and the sky during the long night are the same

The stars here and at the South Pole will all shine"

Even at this point, Zhou Anran still hadn't realized anything. It wasn't until after a few more lines that Chen Luobai, who had kept his head down since he started singing, suddenly looked up and met her gaze under the spotlight, singing softly—

"I will always appreciate you in any form

I will always like you"

The lyrics glowed brightly on the large screen behind him. Chen Luobai looked directly at her from across the short distance, his eyes dark and profound, his expression so serious it reminded her of the night he confessed his feelings years ago.

A sudden clarity dawned on Zhou Anran. Her heartbeat accelerated instantly, pounding so hard she couldn't hear the following lines he sang.

So, it wasn't Zhu Ran preparing a surprise at all.

He was the one who had prepared a surprise for her.

Zhou Anran wanted to glance at the expressions of the others to confirm her guess.

But she couldn't tear her gaze away from him for even a second.

After the first chorus came a guitar solo.

Perhaps afraid of making a mistake, Chen Luobai lowered his head again.

Zhou Anran's gaze also dropped slightly, seeing the boy's slender fingers on the guitar strings, his technique vastly more skilled than when he played "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" for her here before.

After meeting the parents during winter break, they had returned to school within a couple of days. Since then, almost all his free time outside of studying had been spent with her.

She had no idea when he had found the time to learn this song secretly, nor how long he had been preparing this in secret.

The pleasant melody of the guitar lingered in her ears. A familiar sting began to prickle Zhou Anran's nose.

Zhou Anran tightened her grip on her bag strap. Her heart was still racing, but this time she finally heard the subsequent lyrics clearly.

On stage, Chen Luobai had long since looked up again.

His posture remained lazy, but the look in his eyes held a certain steadfast affection, just like the lyrics he was softly singing—

"Never feeling lost or confused along the way, my state of mind has always been the same

No matter how things change in the world,whether the road is near or far

Facing the direction where you are,that is my bearing"

As the song ended, the other lights in the livehouse remained off.

Only another warm, gentle yellow spotlight suddenly fell squarely on Zhou Anran.

On the stage, under his own spotlight, Chen Luobai stood up from the high stool, placed the guitar on the floor beside him, and reached up to adjust the height of the standing mic.

Whether he had rehearsed this or not, the motion of adjusting the mic was deft and effortless, looking exceptionally attractive.

Then, Chen Luobai rested a hand on the mic and called her name softly.

"Zhou Anran."

Zhou Anran knew he probably couldn't hear her, but she still responded in a soft voice. "Hmm."

Chen Luobai's gaze remained fixed on her. "You're so smart, you must have guessed what I want to do, right? I didn't want to make you wait this long, but learning this song took some time, and waiting for this group to all be available took some more time."

Tang Jianrui shouted from below with a laugh, "I've been crazy busy! If it weren't for your sake, Luo-ge, I'd just want to sleep for three days straight during the May Day holiday."

"Exactly!" Zhu Ran chimed in. "I even had to help you act. My performance this afternoon was practically Oscar-worthy."

Chen Luobai laughed from the stage, for once not making a sarcastic retort. "Thanks."

As he said this, his eyes were still locked on Zhou Anran.

He called her name softly again.

"Zhou Anran."

Chen Luobai paused.

The lighting was rather dim, so Zhou Anran couldn't completely make out his expression.

She only heard him speak after a few seconds, his voice carrying a hint of a smile.

"Seems a bit far from you."

Huang Shujie also shouted from below, "Don't chicken out now, Luo-ge! You're my idol!"

Bao Kun also laughed. "Never thought I'd see the day Luo-ge gets nervous."

Chen Luobai: "That's because you don't know. I was nervous as hell when I confessed to her back then too."

Zhou Anran was on the verge of tears but found herself laughing at his words.

Chen Luobai's gaze never left her as he called her name once more. "Zhou Anran."

Another second's pause followed.

Then he asked, "Wait for me a moment?"

Zhou Anran nodded towards him.

Chen Luobai reached up and undid the top button of his white shirt, then tugged the hem of the shirt partly out of his pants.

Standing at 187 cm now, with broad shoulders and long legs—a natural clothes hanger—pulling out the shirt hem like this erased the previous sense of restraint, replacing it with a wilder, more untamed energy.

Immediately after, he snapped his fingers.

In an instant, that vibrant, spirited youthful energy from years past seemed to burst forth completely once again.

Chen Luobai smiled and glanced back. "Teachers at the back, if you please?"

Teachers at the back?

Did he mean the staff?

Zhou Anran was momentarily puzzled.

The next second, the lights inside the livehouse gradually lit up, one after another.

At the same time, machines in front of the stage erupted, sending countless pieces of colorful confetti soaring into the air before fluttering down in a profuse shower.

Amid the flying confetti, Zhou Anran saw that the stage had been decorated to be dreamy and beautiful, though she didn't know when.

She saw the large screen behind him, which had previously displayed lyrics, now begin playing a slideshow of their photos. The individual photos he had taken of her at Wucheng No. 1 High School and the individual photos of himself in the No. 2 High uniform were placed side by side, as if transforming from separate "her" and "him" into a united "them," as if they had never been apart.

She saw Chen Luobai bend slightly at the waist, place his right hand on the stage for support, and leap down from the platform. The white hem of his shirt fluttered behind him for a moment, just like that year during freshman registration, when she stood at the stairwell and watched him run up to the third floor.

And then.

The boy she had fallen for at first sight.

The boy who had now grown into a shining adult.

Walked step by step to stand before her, and knelt down on one knee.

"I thought of a lot of lines in advance this time too." Chen Luobai looked at her. "But I still felt I should ask you in a clichéd, solemn, and formal way—"

He paused, and just like on the day he confessed, called her name softly again.

"Zhou Anran."

Zhou Anran looked down at him.

All the lights in the livehouse had been turned on earlier, making the interior as bright as day. This time, she could finally see his expression completely.

His dark eyes were deep and focused, his sharp, handsome jawline tense. He really did seem more nervous than on the day he confessed.

Perhaps not wanting to disturb them, their friends had fallen tacitly silent.

For a moment, Zhou Anran could only hear the rapid, accelerating beat of her own heart in her chest.

Confetti covered the floor, balloons floated overhead.

The roses on the stage were vividly red and fresh.

And then she saw Chen Luobai slowly open the velvet box in his hand, his voice soft yet solemn.

"Will you marry me?"

Warmth welled up in Zhou Anran's eyes. She nodded towards him, equally solemn.

"I do."

---

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