Lemon Soda Candy

That day, Zhou Anran stood still in place for a long time, her face flushed.

The skin on her lower back was burning, as if the hot and strong hand was still clasping over it through the thin summer clothes. 

Her heart beat incredibly fast.

Her mind was full of the face she had just seen. 

Zhou Anran pursed her lips, turned around, and quickly walked downstairs.

She went back to the bulletin board, 

meticulously scanned each name on the class roster, starting from the very first row.

When she discovered that the three words that matched with the name she had just heard were present on her class list, she felt as if she had been struck by a great joy.

She thought that high school would be much harder compared to middle school, that her time would only be consumed by constant studying.

Chen Luobai, however, brought a sudden burst of light into her otherwise mundane youth.

Unfortunately, this ray of light is too dazzling.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he had captivated the hearts of almost half the girls at No.2 High School.

He was out of reach. 

Zhou Anran might have already used up all her luck by being in the same class as him. In the following seating arrangement, she sat in the front left, while he sat at the back right, separated by a long distance. 

And thanks to her introverted personality, it's been more than a month since school started, but she almost never had any conversation with him.

They were practically no different than strangers who'd met a few times.

"I'm sorry." She heard another voice from the court.

It was a boy from her class, Zhu Ran, one of Chen Luobai's best friends.

As Zhou Anran snapped out of her thoughts, she realized that she still hadn't thanked him.

She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Zhu Ran's voice rang out again.

"Chen Luobai, why are you still standing there? Get down here and play."

Chen Luobai was still holding the ball that almost hit her just now, as if out of habit, he casually spun it around again,"I'm not playing today, my mother is coming to pick me up."

"Don't be like that, Luo ge¹. All of us are looking forward to eating with you tonight." Another boy named Tang Jianrui interrupted.

Chen Luobai gave him a slight glare, "Are you looking forward to eating with me or to me paying the bill?"

Tang Jianrui let out a 'he he' laugh, completely unabashed,"Isn't it all the same?"

Chen Luobai gestured his chin towards Zhu Ran, "It's still my treat tonight, have Zhu Ran settle the bill first, I'll transfer to him later."

"Then, Luo ge, you go quickly."

"Yeah, don't keep Auntie waiting."

Chen Luobai slammed the ball over, laughing while scolding, "You shameless people."

As the boy raised his hand high to throw the ball, the veins on his arms slightly bulged from the force he exerted, highlighting his noticeable strength to the girl.

Zhou Anran couldn't help but recall the feeling when that hand held her tightly that day, and before she knew it, she got lost in thought.

By the time she came to her senses, Chen Luobai had already moved several steps away from her. 

Tang Jianrui, who had caught the ball, dribbled it a few times before yelling at him, "See you next week, Luo ge."

Beneath the setting sun, Chen Luobai didn't turn around. He raised his hand and waved it behind him. The black bag hanging from his right shoulder swayed gently with the motion. Orange light leaped on top of him.

Zhou Anran did not have the courage to call him back.

The word 'thank you' on the edge of her lips, was left unspoken in the end.

Yan Xingxi grabbed her and said, "Let's go, too."

Zhou Anran gave a soft 'um'.

The boy ahead of her is tall and has long legs, their distance is growing farther and farther apart.

Whilst Zhou Anran was growing more and more frustrated. 

How come she…..

Once again failed to thank him. 

Yan Xingxi gazed at his retreating figure for a moment before blurting out, "Ranran, I'm so jealous."

Zhou Anran tried hard to keep her emotions under control,"Jealous of what?"

Yan Xingxi: "Chen Luobai."

Zhou Anran: "?"

Yan Xingxi is a chasing star girl, who only has her idol in her heart, and is one of the very few girls in class who did not fall for Chen Luobai.

They rarely talked about him.

"Why are you jealous of-" Zhou Anran paused, she could've just gone along the conversation and used 'him', but instead, she whispered his name out of her own selfish reasons,"Chen Luobai?"

"They say that when God closes a door for someone, he opens another window for them. Yet here I am, unable to get even a glimpse of my little window." Yan Xingxi scowled,"But I see that God has opened the heavens path for Chen Luobai."

Zhou Anran couldn't help smiling,"What kind of strange logic is this?"

"It's the truth. I mean, look, his father is a well-known businessman, his mother is a senior associate in one of the most prominent law firms in the city. I've heard that both his grandparents are university professors. He's the epitome of a young master born with a golden spoon. In the last monthly exam he surpassed the second place by twenty to thirty points. His essay that the teacher passed around today was impressive and beautifully written. He's good looking, though not my type, he's still the school grass² of this school, not inferior to any idol. He's elegant, confident, and forthright."

Yan Xingxi paused, counting with her fingers,"Family background, intelligence, looks. For the average person, having just one of these qualities would be enough to lead a worry-free life. But he actually possessed all three, you say, doesn't that make you angry?"

Zhou Anran felt somewhat depressed, mindlessly replied,"Indeed."

He's just too outstanding.

That's why it's daunting.

Yan Xingxi seemed to recall another thing,"Oh, right, I also heard that our school's basketball coach once tried to persuade him to join the school team. Our team is one of the top three in the high school league, the main players are all expected to pursue professional basketball. So the fact that the coach is interested in him means that he is already above average in skill."

The tall, slender young men in front of them were striding further and further away from them, as if to foretell that the gap between them and him would only widen in the future.

Even the slow-witted Yan Xingxi seemed to also be aware of this, she sighed deeply,"Forget it, let's not talk about it. The more we talk, the more jealous we'll become. Let's just hurry up and buy our milk tea."

Chen Luobai had left the school gate, completely disappeared before her eyes.

Zhou Anran retracted her eyes,"Um."

After walking a few steps with her head down, she suddenly heard Yan Xingqi humming a song beside her,"To heck with your even more dangerous mountains and the waters that are even worse, difficulties have been encountered, hardships have also been suffered through, walking a path to the heavens~ wide and broad~³"

Yan Xingxi's sweet voice stood in stark contrast to the song.

Zhou Anran chuckled, feeling her frustration fade away, "Why are you suddenly humming this song?"

Yan Xingxi let out an 'ah',"I don't know, it just suddenly came to me, probably because we were just talking about heaven's path. But this old song is pleasant to listen to. What happened to the current music industry?"

Zhou Anran looked at her teasingly,"Then what about the new song your idol is going to release?"

Yan Xingxi put on a wry face,"You don't say, I don't even know the year or the month yet."

When Zhou Anran arrived home, both of her parents had not yet returned.

She placed her bag on the sofa in the living room, proceeded to the kitchen to cook rice, and then returned to the living room to retrieve her bag and enter her bedroom.

Zhou Anran took out her math homework and pulled her notebook from the bookshelf beside her. As she accidentally opened one of the pages, her fingertips paused for a second.

The whole page was neatly filled with poems.

Her gaze fell directly on the fifth, seventh and ninth verse.

Which was——

"White clouds gather and scatter still, where sinks the moon of yore? Who knows?⁴"

"The new leaves of the fragrant forest hasten the old leaves, the waves before the flowing water give way to the waves behind⁵."

"From whose house comes the voice of flute of jade unseen? It fills the town of Luoyang, spread by wind of spring.⁶"

She didn't even dare to write his name outright, she could only hide her thoughts in such a careful manner each time.

Complicated feelings once again arose within her.

Sour, sweet and astringent feelings mix together.

All of it is related to him.

However, at the thought of his back that was walking further and further away this afternoon, Zhou Anran pursed her lips, pushed down her complicated emotions, flipped her note book to a new blank page, and focused on her homework.

Though it might be difficult.

But she still wants to strive harder.

She wants to catch up with his pace, she wants to close the gap between them.

While doing one of the questions, Zhou Anran got stuck in her thoughts, she bit her lip, trying to clear her mind. But before she knew it, the pen in her hand had scribbled on the paper.

By the time she reacted, half of the paper was already filled with the words 'heavens path'.

Yan Xingxi hummed this song all the way home.

Originally, it was nothing more than the ending song of her favorite TV drama from her childhood . 

However, the moment he entered the picture, the words seemed to hold a different significance.

As if it had been stained with those sour, sweet and astringent feelings as well. 

Zhou Anran bowed her head, her pen touched the paper's surface, she only managed to make one stroke when the door was abruptly pushed open.

Flustered, she quickly covered the note and glanced up at the person entering, her voice carrying a hint of dissatisfaction, "Mom, why didn't you knock on the door again?" 

"Do I need to knock on my own house?" He Jiayi stared at her daughter's guilty expression as she walked in, placing the freshly washed fruit on the desk and stood beside her, "What were you writing? You hid it as soon as I came in."

It was Zhou Anran's subconscious reaction just now, at this moment, she slowly realized that there was nothing inappropriate in what she just wrote and obediently moved her hand away.

He Jiayi lowered her head to take a look.

The first half of the page had numbers and formulas written on it, while the other half was filled with a bunch of 'heaven's paths'.

He Jiayi: "?"

"Why did you write so many 'heaven's paths'?"

Zhou Anran curled her finger, "Nothing, I just suddenly wanted to watch the Journey to the West."

He Jiayi burst into laughter,"You're already grown up, why do you still want to watch Journey to the West? You're a first-year high school student now, you should focus and study well."

Zhou Anran looked down, "Understood, mom."

"Then eat some fruit first."He Jiayi pointed to the plate on the table. "Mom will cook now."

After He Jiayi went out, Zhou Anran stayed in the room to do her homework for another 40 minutes.

She stretched her stiff neck, tidied up the desk, then got up to open the door and leave.

Her father had also returned home.

Her parents were talking in the kitchen. 

The noise from the kitchen range hood masked the sound of her footsteps, allowing Zhou Anran to reach the doorway without being noticed.

A conversation echoed from inside. 

He Jiayi: "Lao Zhou, guess what I saw in your daughter's note book today?"

"What did you see?" Zhou Xianhong asked.

He Jiayi: "She wrote half a page of heaven's path. I don't think you need to worry about her having puppy love. Your daughter hasn't grown up yet. She's still thinking about watching the Journey to the West."

Zhou Xianhong laughed and said, "Of course, she's still young."

Zhou Anran paused in her steps.

Although He Jiayi didn't intentionally go through her things, she still felt a bit uncomfortable about having her privacy invaded when her mother told her father what was written in her book.

Zhou Anran pursed her lips and reached for the door.

The two parents in the kitchen finally noticed her.

He Jiayi turned to her head, "Are you hungry?"

Zhou Anran did not pay much attention to her, just shook her head sullenly.

He Jiayi pointed her chin to a plate beside her, "If you're not hungry, then help me send this plate of chicken feet to Xixi's family first. I still have to make two more dishes, but it will be ready soon, you can eat them when you come back."

Zhou Anran walked over.

Four dishes had been placed near the stove.

They were all her favorite food.

In fact, Ms. He regular job is quite demanding, so when she has to work overtime, Zhou Xianhong and herself usually just order some noodles to get dinner over with.

But when she comes back on weekends, she will spend extra hours cooking for her.

In an instant, her little sulk was already gone before anyone had a chance to take a heed of it.

After eating dinner, Zhou Xianhong put the bowl in the kitchen and went back to the living room to turn on the TV.

"You just left the bowl in the kitchen like that?" He Jiayi expressed dissatisfaction.

Zhou Xianhong grabbed the remote control, "It's the opening game of the CBA tonight. I'll wash it after watching the match."

Initially, Zhou Anran was going to offer to wash it instead, but upon hearing this, she swallowed back her words and went to sit on the sofa next to Zhou Xianhong, "Dad, I'll watch with you."

He Jiayi, who was just about to go to the balcony to get the clothes, stopped and asked, "Have you finished your homework?"

Zhou Anran nodded obediently, "It's all done."

He Jiayi: "Then go review tomorrow's lesson. You're already in high school, what are you watching TV for?"

Zhou Xianhong interrupted,"Isn't she just a high school's freshman? Besides, she just finished eating, we should let the child rest. She's watching a basketball game with me, not a TV show. They also have PE classes at school, maybe she can learn something from it."

He Jiayi pondered for a moment, "Then she's only allowed to watch for half an hour."

Zhou Xianhong: "You can't even get to watch half of the match in half an hour."

He Jiayi glanced at her daughter's palm-sized face, "Forty-five minutes, end of discussion."

The corner of Zhou Anran's mouth curved up, she then heard Zhou Xianhong open his mouth again.

"Why do you suddenly want to watch the game with dad? You weren't interested in it before."

An image of a tall figure running on the field flashed through Zhou Anran's mind, she unconsciously replied, "He's very handsome."

Zhou Xianhong put down the remote control, raising an eyebrow, "Who is handsome?"

Zhou Anran: "......"

It's really hard to hide it when you like someone.

Something is bound to accidentally slip out.

Zhou Anran tried to cover up this slip, but the truth is, she never paid attention when Zhou Xianhong watched CBA before. After racking her brain, she realized she only knew the name of one active player, "Yi Jianlian." 

Zhou Xianhong looked at her with a smile, "You sure have good eyes, but Hong Yan⁷ is not playing tonight."

Zhou Anran didn't even know what Hong Yan was, her heart was still beating at a chaotic pace, she nodded her head absent-mindedly, "Then I'll just accompany you watch."

Autumn rain brings cold weather.

Following a heavy rainfall on Sunday, the temperature in Nancheng dropped significantly on Monday.

When Zhou Anran and Yan Xingxi arrived at school early in the morning, they noticed that most students, including themselves, had switched to wearing autumn uniforms.

The two arrived at the classroom at seven o'clock sharp.

As soon as Yan Xingxi sat down, she began to bury herself in math homework.

Zhou Anran took a seat next to her, and was about to took out her English vocabulary book when a classmate named Wang Qintong came up to her and asked in a low voice, "Zhou Anran, can we switch seats for a while? I need to ask He Mingyu some physics questions."

He Mingyu is their class representative for physics.

Zhou Anran agreed, picked up her English vocabulary, grabbed another notebook, and then stood up to give her seat to Wang Qintong. 

As she walked towards Wang Qintong's seat, Zhou Anran's heart started beating a little faster.

Wang Qintong's desk is......

Right in front of Chen Luobai's.

His seat is still empty, retaining the same state she saw before she left last Friday.

Zhou Anran glanced at it and quickly looked away, then proceeded to sit in Wang Qintong's seat.

Even though morning self-study is not compulsory in No.2 High School, but as one of the experimental classes, almost all the students in class 2 will come early.

At this moment, most of the students have arrived in the classroom before the morning self-study begins.

On Monday mornings after the holidays, people's hearts are bound to be more unstable compared to any other times of the week, and even the experimental class is not exempt from this.

The classroom is a little noisy.

But for Zhou Anran, it was still not as distracting as the empty seat behind her.

It took her a little longer than usual to settle down.

She started by memorizing words in a specific order, then organized them based on common prefixes and suffixes to deepen her memory. Lastly, she wrote down words that are easily confused with others in a designated notebook.

As she got engrossed into it, the noises around her seemed to naturally fade away.

Until suddenly a name came into her ear.

"Chen Luobai."

Like a spell, the name instantly pulled her out of her detached learning state, bringing back all the sounds around her.

Chattering.

Footsteps.

The dragging of chairs.

She wondered if any of those footsteps belonged to him. 

Zhou Anran wanted to look back.

But she felt it would be too obvious.

However, she soon knew the answer even without looking back.

The seat behind her seemed to have been moved, she could hear the dragging sound clearly in her ear, and the refreshing scent that she smelled from a close distance last Friday invaded her nose once again.

Zhou Anran had never sat so close to him before, her back was tense.

The voice of Zhu Ran, who was sitting behind her, suddenly rang out.

"Chen Luobai, why do you look so tired, what did you do last night?"

Zhou Anran stopped her writing.

The boy at the desk behind her did not utter a word, on the contrary, Zhu Ran's voice suddenly took on an ambiguous tone after a pause,"Don't tell me you went to chat with that beautiful senior from last week?"

Zhou Anran's pen abruptly made a horrid stroke on her notebook.

_______

¹: Brother/bro.

²: The most handsome guy in school.

³: Listen here it starts at 2.40 marks.

⁴: Here Li Bai's poem.

⁵: Here Liu Yuxi's poem.

⁶: Here Li Bai's poem.

⁷: A basketball team name.