Lemon Soda Candy

Zhou Anran's heart was pounding rapidly. 

Perhaps noticing that she had raised her head, the beautiful hand once again lightly tapped the desk, followed by a clear and bright voice of a boy. 

"The English teacher wants to see you."

The familiar voice echoed from the top of her head. 

This time he was not talking to Zhu Ran or Zong Kai or anyone else, nor did she accidentally hear it by chance. 

He was talking to her.

Realizing this fact, Zhou Anran's heart skipped a few beats faster. 

Actually, this was not the first time he talked to her.

There have been two other instances in the past.

The first time was on the day school started, he helped her and told her to be careful.

Another time was at one long-recess between classes, on the way to do exercise at the school yard downstairs, the swarm of students going down the stairs pressed their distance really close. 

He and Zhu Ran were walking diagonally behind her, they seemed to be discussing some match.

Someone was playing around at the back, he was pushed and accidentally bumped her shoulder, not sure whether he saw her or not, he leisurely said sorry to her. 

So it was actually normal for him to not remember her name.

He was the proud son of heaven who was surrounded by a myriad of stars¹.  

While she was a coward who didn't even have the courage to approach him.

She was no different than strangers, an insignificant classmate. 

Afraid that her eyes were red, Zhou Anran did not dare to look up at him, contemplating between simply responding 'Okay' or being more daring and asked him 'why does the teacher want to see me?'.

But he only came to inform her and did not require her response. Before she could contemplate further, the hand had already withdrawn from the desk, and after that the boy figure also left. 

The refreshing scent faded away soon after. 

Zhou Anran felt an emptiness in her heart. 

She slumped back to the desk and was once again chagrined at how poorly she behaved in front of him. 

But for fear that he would think she didn't take his words seriously, she quickly gathered her emotions and rose from the desk, paused on her feet, and at last went out through the front door.

Halfway along the walk, something suddenly dawned on her. 

He helped the teacher to call her, it should mean that although he didn't remember her name, he still ought to know who she is, right? 

The lump of emotion that had been smothering her chest finally lifted a little.

Still, as she neared the door of the English teacher's office, Zhou Anran thought of another possibility. 

——that is, he had mistaken her for someone else. 

Thus, the office door, which was just a few inches away, suddenly felt like some sort of abyss. She couldn't predict whether it would be heaven or hell once she stepped inside.

An English teacher from another class headed toward her way, seeing her standing near the office, seemed to find it odd and gave her a couple of extra looks. 

Zhou Anran could not hesitate any longer and took a big step forward.

The door of the office was wide open. 

Class 2's English teacher was Lin Han, a young female teacher in her early thirties, whose desk is directly opposite the office door.

Lin Han looked up as Zhou Anran raised her hand and knocked on the door.

Zhou Anran was scared she'd ask her why she was here.

Fortunately, the moment Lin Han saw her, she immediately smiled and beckoned at her,"Come on in." 

Zhou Anran breathed a huge sigh of relief in her heart, walked into the office with her fingertips curled up on the side of her school uniform pants.

Dealing with teachers was never her strong suit.

As she drew near, Lin Han seized her up and said,"I thought Sheng Xiaowen already told you about your results this time? What's the matter, aren't you happy that you ranked first in the whole grade?"

? 

Was her bad mood that obvious? 

Zhou Anran shook her head and used the same excuse as earlier, "No, I just didn't sleep well last night."

Lin Han nodded, "You should pay attention to rest, college entrance examination is a battle of endurance." 

Zhou Anran responded with an 'En'. 

"You did really well on this exam. We purposely hid a few traps on the reading comprehension question. Chen Luobai was careless and made a mistake in one of the questions. You're the only one in your grade who got a perfect score." Lin Han looked at her with a smile,"You just helped teacher win half a month's worth of breakfast."

Zhou Anran had always admired this English teacher. Her explanations were easy to understand, she was also outgoing and witty. 

She smiled at Lin Han,"It's because you're a good teacher."

Lin Han laughed, "I'm glad to hear that."

After saying that, she did not forget to turn her head and boasted to other teachers in the office, "You hear that, my student compliments me for being a good teacher." 

The office atmosphere was instantly stirred up by this, the room soon filled with teasing voices.

Zhou Anran pursed her lips.

Somewhat envious of the teacher's personality.

Lin Han turned around to give her a few advice relating to studies, then allowed her to return to class.

By the time Zhou Anran stepped out of the office, it was already dark outside.

It seems that winter is here before she know it.

The semester is also drawing to its end.

Back to the classroom, Zhou Anran succumbed and went through the back door, her gaze habitually drifting towards his seat. 

Not sure what he said to Zhu Ran, Zhu Ran stood up from his seat, looking like he was about to jump in anger. 

The boy was leaning against the desk, chuckling quietly, shoulders slightly shaking, showing a fair white nape. 

Nearing her seat, Zhou Anran heard Dong Chen comforting Yan Xingxi.

"It's no big deal if you didn't do well in math this time. It's only the first semester of our first year in high school, there's still more years ahead of us, don't cry." 

Zhou Anran took her seat.

Dong Chen looked at her as if she were a savior, saying, "You're finally back, please comfort her."

Zhou Anran knew Yan Xingxi's character all too well, there was no way she would cry just because she didn't do well on exams. She glanced at Yan Xingxi and saw that she had put her tied-up hair down, and guessed what was going on.

She looked at Dong Chen, couldn't help but feel some sympathy, "She's wearing earphones."

Dong Chen froze, "…?"

Zhou Anran reached out to remove one side of Yan Xingxi's earphones.

Only then did Yan Xingxi notice that she was back, she sniffled, "Ranran, you're back, huhuhu, my idol live broadcast really brings people to tears." 

Dong Chen: "......"

An exasperated voice came from behind them,"Yan Xingxi, are you a pig?" 

Yan Xingxi turned her head in confusion, "What is your problem, really? You ARE the pig!" 

The two people quarreled again.

Zhou Anran lay on her desk, her gaze hovered to the corner of the desk.

Today, that beautiful hand touched her desk for a brief moment.

As she listened to the childish quarrel next to her, she couldn't stop herself from smiling. 

That's right.

There's still more years ahead. 

She received a compliment from her favorite teacher today.

He even spoke to her personally because of it.

Things didn't seem so bad after all.

***

Nancheng has a very harsh winter.

The southern city has no heating system in place and the teaching building used by 10th grade was an old building without air conditioning. As a result, once winter hits, shutting all doors and windows tightly has become the norm in class 2. 

She doesn't know if it was because of this, or if it was because all the girls who came to confess to Chen Luobai a while ago were rejected by him, the number of girls loitering around the door of class 2 have dropped during this time. 

The last part of their first semester in high school went by serenely. 

Zhou Anran grew up fearing the cold.

This was the first time she enjoyed winter. 

The shut classroom doors and windows sealed off a little corner of the world. 

She and the boy she secretly likes were confined inside it, immersing themselves to strive towards their respective futures. 

Although they have yet to know what awaits them in the future.

But she believes it will be brimming with hope. 

The day the final exams ended, it was already time to leave school, under the guise of watching the quarrel between Yan Xingxi and Dong Chen, Zhou Anran secretly observed the movement at the back row.

When the boy chatted with a classmate, she slowed down her pace in packing stuff. When she heard Zhu Ran rushing him away, she hurriedly stuffed all the things on her desk into her school bag. 

In the end, she was able to leave school with him.

Along the way, many people came to greet him.

Perhaps because of all the basketball matches he played, he seemed to be familiar with a lot of people from other classes, even including their seniors.

There were those who came to ask him to play together during winter vacation, while others simply wished him a Happy New Year or see you next semester to him.

Fortunately, nearly all of them are boys.

So far, there hasn't been any girl who was particularly close to him. He also appeared to be more polite and distant towards the opposite sex.

Most of the time he will not refuse those girls in class who boldly approach him to ask questions.

But just like those two times he helped her, he gave off the impression that he was only helping out of politeness and not because you were special to him.

Outside the east gate, Zhou Anran and Yan Xingxi went to the left, Chen Luobai and Zhu Ran went to the right. Sometimes his family would pick them up by car, other times he would take the bus with Zhu Ran, and occasionally he would take a taxi by himself, but he always went to the right. 

The opposite direction from her.

She wouldn't be able to see him for more than a month. 

As they parted ways, Zhou Anran couldn't resist looking back once more, observing the boy's retreating figure, and silently whispering in her heart, see you next semester.

There was a pause.

She added one more sentence, Happy New Year.

***

For the first half of the winter vacation, the weather in Nancheng was freezing cold, Zhou Anran only went out once to go shopping with Yan Xingxi, and never went out again.

The day before Lunar New Year's Eve, she and her parents, as is customary, return to their hometown in the countryside to celebrate the New Year with her grandparents.

The elderly couple are still in good health, just like the previous years, they insisted on not letting them help prepare for their first meal after coming back. Zhou Anran and her parents followed her grandma to the kitchen to greet grandpa.

When they came out again, Zhou Xianhong was dragged to play cards by her uncle who lived next door.

Zhou Anran went to the living room with her mother to warm themselves and watch TV.

Not long after, there was the sound of a car outside, followed by the sound of her aunt and uncle greeting people.

Similar to Zhou Xianhong, Uncle Zhou Xianji was immediately pulled into a card game after exchanging greetings. Aunt Jia Fenghua, on the other hand, entered the living room in her high heels and took a seat next to them.

He Jiayi quietly elbowed Zhou Anran.

Suppressing her reluctance, Zhou Anran greeted, "Auntie."

Jia Fenghua smiled at her, raising the bag in her hand and waving it in front of He Jiayi, "I just bought this bag the other day. What do you think?"

He Jiayi glanced at it and said, "It looks nice." 

Jia Fenghua placed the bag aside, pretended to act nonchalant as she said, "The bag isn't that expensive, only a few hundred thousand. But you have to spend another hundred thousand on other products to get it. These luxury stores can be such a hassle." 

Knowing her sister-in-law's nature, He Jiayi didn't bother responding and pushed the fruit plate towards her. "These oranges are quite sweet." 

Jia Fenghua's smile faded, took an orange and looked at Zhou Anran, "Ranran, how did you do on your final exam?"

Zhou Anran pursed her lips, she could just tell that this aunt would not have anything nice to say.

She didn't really want to pay attention to her.

He Jiayi secretly pinched her and helped to take up the question, "It's not bad, she ranked 8th in her class."

Jia Fenghua's mouth curved up momentarily, but she quickly suppressed it and said in a caring tone, "Isn't this a step back for Ranran? I remember she was always in the top three in her class during middle school. Well, no matter how much girls study, they will always be inferior to boys."

He Jiayi replied calmly, "She's in an experimental class and ranked 55th in her grade. You know that No. 2 High School has a pass rate of over ninety percent. As long as she maintains this ranking, she should score 985 points on the entrance exam without any issues." 

Jia Fenghua's curved mouth turned rigid, "That's pretty impressive, but why is she still not talkative and only knows how to read books? It's not good to be so introverted. You also know her uncle's qualifications, the reason he could expand his business so successfully is because he's quick-witted and well-spoken. But it's not a big deal, she's just one girl in our family. No matter what happens in the future, she can still come to work for her uncle, just like her father."

Zhou Anran couldn't care less of what her aunt said about her, but not when she talked nonsense about her parents. She lowered her eyes and noticed He Jiayi clenched hand.

"Auntie." She never criticized anybody, her hand hanging on the side was also clenched, speaking softly, "Is my cousin not coming back to celebrate Lunar New Year's this year?"

Jia Fenghua's smile came back, "Yes, he's very busy with his studies. People abroad don't celebrate the spring festival, so I told him to just stay there."

Zhou Anran reached out for a mandarin and peeled it slowly, "Oh, then does he still hang out with that brother next door named Wu De. "

Jia Fenghua was a little confused, "I guess so, why?" 

Zhou Anran handed the peeled mandarin to He Jiayi and looked at Jia Fenghua. "You should advise my cousin not to hang out with him. The other day, I saw Wu De sharing a picture of marijuana online." 

Jia Fenghua's complexion instantly changed, "Don't talk nonsense."

Zhou Anran clapped her hand clean, "Whether it was nonsense or not, you can go check for yourself."

He Jiayi took the orange, her heart had somehow been soothed. She nudged at her daughter sitting next to her," Didn't you say you haven't finished your winter vacation's homework? Go and do your homework first."

Zhou Anran looked at her.

He Jiayi patted her, "Go."

Zhou Anran nodded and just as she stepped out the door, she heard Jia Fenghua's voice echoed behind her.

"I'm going to watch brother-in-law play cards, so I won't watch TV with you."

Zhou Anran sighed softly and returned to the room that her grandparents had specifically prepared for her. 

She took a seat and spread out her math paper but she couldn't bring herself to concentrate.

Zhou Anran didn't like this aunt of hers nor did she care about what she said.

Just now, she couldn't help to streak back because she said that about her father had upset her mother. And though she wasn't particularly close with her cousin, he still treats her fairly well, she didn't want him to go down the wrong path.

However, Zhou Anran was aware that, leaving aside anything else, Ms. He probably also approved of her aunt's view about 'it's not good to be so introverted'.

She has mentioned this to her many times at home.

At first she thought that personality was only classified as this type or that type.

But in her parents' eyes, it seemed to be categorized as either good or bad, right or wrong.

Extroverts are good and right.

Introverts are bad and wrong.

It's not that she hadn't tried to change.

There just seems to be a battery in her body, when reading books, doing homework, or chatting and interacting with her loved ones, the power can last for a long time.

But when she forced herself to be extroverted, and try to socialize with people regardless of whether she likes them or not, the power will run out quickly, that even a good night's sleep wouldn't fully restore it. 

And when she woke up and saw the blue sky, she would find it bleak.

In the end, all her attempts to change ended in failure.

What about him?

A familiar handsome face flashed through Zhou Anran's mind. 

He should also like that kind of cheerful and easygoing girl.

Not sure if it was because she was worried about her son in faraway land, or because she became more restrained with her uncle around. Jia Fenghua didn't make any sarcastic remarks in the following days.

Zhou Anran spend a pleasant new year.

On the fourth day of the first lunar month, she safely returned home with her parents.

The next day, she was pulled out to eat and stroll around by Yan Xingxi, who had received a lot of new year money. Throughout the outing, Yan Xingxi complained about online quarrel she had with Dong Chen the day before. 

Zhou Anran laughed as she listened, but afterwards, she somehow felt a little depressed.

Chen Luobai's social circle and hers did not have any overlap at the moment, she had no clue about how he spent his winter vacation.

For the first time, Zhou Anran was looking forward to the start of school.

But she never thought there would be an additional girl beside Chen Luobai when the new semester begins.

_______

¹: Someone who drew a circle of admirers around them.