Zhou Anran nodded, “Yes, there’s an elective course. What’s up?”
“Weren’t you going to thank me?” Chen Luobai’s fingers played with the candy in his pocket. “How about I accompany you to class tomorrow night?”
He wants to accompany her to class.
Zhou Anran’s heart skipped a beat.
But…
Zhou Anran looked up at him, puzzled. “How is that a thank-you gift?”
Chen Luobai’s hand in his pocket moved slightly, but he couldn’t resist reaching out to gently pinch her cheek. “Are you saying just any guy has the right to accompany you to class?”
Zhou Anran covered her cheek and shook her head. “Of course not.”
Chen Luobai: “So why isn’t this a thank-you gift?”
Zhou Anran understood his meaning a beat later, and her heart went from a gentle flutter to pounding wildly.
“So—” Chen Luobai started, then stopped.
Zhou Anran: “So what?”
“So—” Chen Luobai looked down at her, his dark eyes still intense. “Do I have the right to accompany you to class?”
Zhou Anran’s heart was racing uncontrollably.
But this was almost like a clear indication from him, so she felt she didn’t need to hide anything anymore.
Zhou Anran gave him a slight nod.
No one had more rights than him.
The corner of Chen Luobai’s lips curled up. “Let’s go, I’ll walk you back.”
Zhou Anran’s heart was still racing as she followed him for a few steps before remembering, “Don’t you still have to finish your homework? I can go back by myself.”
Chen Luobai glanced at her. “It won’t take that much time.”
The corners of Zhou Anran’s lips curved up, her dimples faintly visible.
Chen Luobai walked her to the dormitory building. After watching her enter and her silhouette disappear, he turned to head back to his dorm.
He had only walked a few steps when his phone rang twice.
Chen Luobai took out his phone and looked. The messages were from He Mingyu.
He Mingyu: [Do you have time after walking her back to the dorm?]
He Mingyu: [If you’re free, want to talk?]
Chen Luobai stopped: [Meet at Cafeteria One]
Before entering the cafeteria, Chen Luobai bought two cans of beer along the way. He found a random seat in the cafeteria, opened a can, and had barely taken two sips when He Mingyu appeared at the door.
He Mingyu sat down across from him.
Chen Luobai pushed the remaining can of beer towards him.
“What did you want to talk about?”
He Mingyu took the beer, opened it, and took a big gulp, remaining silent.
Chen Luobai didn’t rush him. He casually played with the pull tab on his beer can, opened his phone to refresh his Moments feed, didn’t see Zhou Anran post anything, and closed it again.
After drinking most of his beer, He Mingyu swallowed the bitter liquid in his mouth and finally spoke slowly, “That basketball game in our first year of high school, the person who helped you wasn’t Yan Xingxi, it was her.”
Chen Luobai looked up, somewhat surprised. “I know.”
“You know?” He Mingyu was also surprised. “She told you after all?”
Chen Luobai shook his head. “Yan Xingxi let it slip.”
“Alright.” He Mingyu’s mouth still tasted bitter. “Then you must have known her feelings for a while now.”
Chen Luobai nodded, pondering for a moment before saying, “You’re telling me this because you’ve decided to stop pursuing her?”
“From high school until now, you’re the only one she’s had eyes for. If I pursued her, it would only cause her trouble.” He Mingyu lowered his head and smiled. “We probably couldn’t even be friends.”
Chen Luobai fiddled with the pull tab. “Thanks, but to be honest, I’d prefer if you two couldn’t even be friends.”
He Mingyu: “Well, I’m afraid that might disappoint you.”
He finished the rest of his beer in one go and gently placed the empty can on the table. “Treat her well.”
Chen Luobai clinked his beer can against the empty one. “I won’t disappoint you on that.”
*
After returning to her dorm, Zhou Anran sat down to read for a while before remembering she had forgotten to ask why he was waiting downstairs earlier. She took out her phone, thinking he should be back in his dorm starting on his homework by now, but ultimately decided not to disturb him.
The next day was nearly a full day of classes. She didn’t stay up too late reading and went to bed early after washing up.
As she closed her eyes, remembering he said he would accompany her to class tomorrow, Zhou Anran’s lips slowly curved into a small smile.
She slept dreamlessly through the night.
The following evening, only Yu Xingyue and Zhou Anran from their dorm had chosen the same elective. After entering the classroom through the back door with Yu Xingyue, Zhou Anran stopped. “Xingyue, I want to sit in the back today.”
“Why do you want to sit in the back?” Yu Xingyue asked, confused.
Zhou Anran touched her ear. “Chen Luobai said he’d accompany me to class.”
Yu Xingyue nodded. “I see. I’ll sit in the front by myself then. You can borrow my notes from tonight’s class later.”
Zhou Anran: “…?”
She felt like Yu Xingyue might have been somewhat corrupted by their other two roommates.
This class was in a large lecture hall.
Chen Luobai had something to do during the first period and said he’d come to accompany her for the second period. Zhou Anran didn’t want to take up a seat with a good view, so she chose a spot in the right back row near the door.
The first period ended, and more than half of the break time had passed, but the person she was waiting for still hadn’t arrived.
Zhou Anran couldn’t help but take out her phone, hesitating whether to ask him. Before she could decide, a familiar and refreshing presence suddenly invaded her space.
She turned her head to see the tall young man sit down beside her.
Chen Luobai was wearing a black windbreaker today, with a hint of fatigue in his eyes. After sitting down, he casually rested his hand on the desk, leaned his head on his arm, and just stared at her without saying anything.
Zhou Anran’s face heated up under his gaze. “What are you looking at?”
Chen Luobai laughed softly, not answering her question. Instead, he said in a low voice, “I’m a bit tired. I’ll sleep for a while. Can you keep an eye on your teacher for me?”
Zhou Anran noticed the fatigue in his eyes. “Did you stay up late doing homework again last night? Why don’t you go back and sleep?”
Chen Luobai’s voice remained soft. “I promised to accompany you to class.”
Yu Xingyue’s words came true.
Zhou Anran couldn’t focus on anything during the second period.
Their position was off to the side and didn’t attract much attention, but because it was so far back, there weren’t many people sitting in front of them. If the old professor on the podium glanced this way, he might see them.
Perhaps because someone was sleeping so blatantly, halfway through the class, the professor’s gaze began to frequently turn in their direction.
The first time he looked over, Zhou Anran didn’t have the heart to wake him up.
The second time, she still couldn’t bring herself to do it.
It wasn’t until the third time that the professor looked over that Zhou Anran bit her lip and reluctantly reached under the desk to push his arm.
The person next to her didn’t react.
Zhou Anran had no choice but to keep pushing him, but she didn’t dare make too big a movement. Her eyes were fixed on the blackboard, so when her hand came down, she didn’t find the right spot and slid from his arm to his leg.
Her face suddenly flushed, and she quickly tried to pull her hand back, but a large hand suddenly pressed down on it.
The back of her hand felt the warmth of the boy’s palm.
Her palm felt the slightly rough fabric of his jeans.
Zhou Anran’s heart skipped a heavy beat.
She didn’t notice the professor’s gaze turning towards them for the fourth time until his voice rang out.
“The young man in black at the back right, please stand up,” the professor said in a slow tone. “The young lady next to him, please wake him up.”
Zhou Anran: “…”
She suddenly came back to her senses and realized her right hand was still being pressed against his jeans.
The young man was still lying on the desk, seemingly not awake yet. What just happened might have been an unconscious action.
Zhou Anran couldn’t move her right hand, so she had to use her left hand to push him hard again.
Chen Luobai finally raised his head.
“The teacher is calling you,” Zhou Anran reminded him softly.
The professor had his hands behind his back. “Yes, this student, please stand up and answer the question I just asked?”
Zhou Anran hadn’t heard anything because of his distraction, so she couldn’t help him even if she wanted to.
But someone’s psychological quality was much better than hers. He showed no signs of nervousness or embarrassment in this situation. He stood up unhurriedly, one hand still holding hers under the desk as if he had forgotten to let go. His voice carried a hint of drowsiness, but his tone was relaxed: “I’m sorry, professor. I’m not a student in your elective class. I’m here accompanying someone. I can’t answer the question.”
His attitude was frank, and the professor on the podium was known for being open-minded, so he couldn’t get angry.
The young man’s appearance was outstanding, the kind of face you couldn’t easily forget after seeing it once. Confirming that he indeed wasn’t a student in this class, the professor joked with a smile, “You come to accompany someone to class and you sleep?”
Zhou Anran’s face heated up.
Then she heard someone lazily reply, “I won’t dare to do it again next time.”
His words were incredibly ambiguous.
It seemed like he was saying he wouldn’t dare to sleep in class again, but it sounded more like he wouldn’t dare to sleep while accompanying her again.
He was already eye-catching, and the classroom instantly erupted in a clamor of teasing voices.
Zhou Anran’s face burned intensely.
“Alright, sit down,” the professor raised his hand to quiet the class. “The rest of you, stop making noise. If you’re envious, go find someone for yourselves.”
Zhou Anran: “…?”
The classroom quieted down again, but someone still hadn’t let go of her hand.
Her heart was pounding heavily. Whether it was to avoid disturbing others in class or out of some private desire, she didn’t remind him.
The professor resumed his lecture.
The students in the classroom, after witnessing a small interlude, returned their attention to their studies.
Only the two people in the back right of the classroom remained unable to calm down.
The young man’s hidden thoughts were secretly concealed under the desk, in the clasped hands that no one could see.
At first, it was a loose grip, but later, someone slowly opened their small hand, gradually intertwining their fingers.
By mid-November, the northern city had already seen the first signs of severe cold. The official heating wouldn’t start until tomorrow, and there was still a chill breeze in the closed classroom. However, the tightly held hands began to sweat finely. Because they were pressed so closely together, it was impossible to tell whose sweat it was. All they knew was that both of their palms were getting increasingly hot.
Their heartbeats also seemed unstoppable, each beat stronger than the last.
For the second half of the class, Zhou Anran didn’t hear a single word.
It wasn’t until the sudden ringing of the dismissal bell that she snapped back to reality. Her fingers moved instinctively but were held even tighter by him.
Zhou Anran’s heartbeat, which had just calmed down, quickened again. She finally couldn’t help but remind him softly, “Class is over.”
Chen Luobai made a sound of acknowledgment, his gaze slowly moving from the blackboard to her face. “Wait for them to leave first. I have something to tell you.”
Zhou Anran: “…?”
Why does he have something to tell her again?
The last time he said he had something to tell her, he ended up playing and singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” for her in an empty Live House.
Surely he wasn’t planning to play the guitar for her in the classroom today?
There weren’t any instruments in the classroom, and even if there were, it wouldn’t be appropriate, right?
The students in the classroom gradually left. Yu Xingyue, who was leaving through the back door, stopped near their seats. “Anran, you’re not leaving now, right?”
Zhou Anran’s heart was beating fast. If Yu Xingyue’s gaze shifted just a bit, she would see that her hand was being held by a large hand.
“I’m not leaving yet. You go ahead.”
Fortunately, Yu Xingyue probably hadn’t been completely corrupted by those two yet. She didn’t tease her, just nodded and left through the back door with her books.
A few minutes later, the classroom finally quieted down.
But she still didn’t hear him speak.
She couldn’t help but ask softly again, “What did you want to tell me?”
Chen Luobai’s other hand, which was in his coat pocket, had also been sweating for a long time. He tightened his jaw for a moment, then slowly released her hand.
Zhou Anran’s fingertips trembled, and she slowly pulled her hand back to her side.
Chen Luobai lowered his gaze to watch this small movement, then suddenly smiled. The tension that had intensified after letting go of her hand seemed to ease in an instant. Without further hesitation, he took out the two pieces of candy he had been holding in his pocket and placed them in the desk compartment in front of her.
When she saw what he had put there, Zhou Anran was suddenly stunned.
“Have you seen this candy before?”
Zhou Anran’s heart was beating rapidly, and she didn’t answer.
Then she heard the young man next to her continue slowly, “I know this candy because, in high school, someone put two pieces on my desk. Other people put love letters on my desk, but she only put two pieces of candy. I thought someone had just randomly put them there, but—”
He suddenly paused.
Zhou Anran’s heart was pounding heavily. She couldn’t help but look up at him, and her gaze instantly met the young man’s smiling yet focused eyes. He looked at her as if implying something.
“It was quite sweet.”
Zhou Anran’s fingertips curled slightly. “How do you even know about this?”
She hadn’t told even Yan Xingxi about this.
She thought those two pieces of candy would forever remain a secret known only to her.
Chen Luobai: “That morning when I went to find Yan Xingxi, I saw one fall out of her pocket. She was a bit emotional at the time, crying and saying you had bought them for her.”
Zhou Anran: “…”
So it was revealed through Yan Xingxi after all.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
Before, she didn’t dare let him know because she was afraid that if he found out, she would become like other girls, one of the people he distanced himself from. She would lose even the right to secretly like him.
But now, it seemed she had already received his blatant approach in advance.
She thought… she might have guessed what he wanted to tell her tonight.
“Zhou Anran.” Chen Luobai called her name very softly.
Zhou Anran’s voice was also soft: “Mm.”
“The candy, the basketball game, and the medicine that night, these are the things I know about,” Chen Luobai looked at her. “Are there any other things I missed that you feel regretful about?”
Zhou Anran’s nose suddenly felt sore, and she shook her head vigorously. “No, there aren’t.”
How could she possibly have any regrets?
Chen Luobai had placed the candy he had been holding for so long in front of her. His hands felt somewhat empty, and his fingers involuntarily tightened. “Then you can probably guess what I’m about to say. I’ve thought of many lines beforehand, but I still feel I should formally and clearly say these four words to you.”
“Zhou Anran,” he called her name again in a low voice.
Zhou Anran looked up.
The young man’s pitch-black eyes gazed at her, his expression more serious than at any other moment. Because his jawline was tightly set, he also appeared somewhat nervous.
In this second of his pause, time seemed to suddenly stretch infinitely.
Zhou Anran’s heartbeat seemed to have never been this fast before.
Then she heard Chen Luobai say, enunciating each word clearly—
“I like you.”