After replying to Zhu Ran’s message, Chen Luobai pocketed his phone and noticed that his left shoe’s lace had come loose. He crouched down, placing the basketball beside him. As he finished tying his shoelace and was about to stand up a slender, beautiful hand appeared in front of him, holding what seemed to be two cotton swabs. The voice above him sounded hoarse as if the speaker had a cold, with a noticeable nasal tone, yet the words were gentle and timid: “The cotton swabs have iodine inside, you can use them for disinfection. Just snap them to use.”
Chen Luobai didn’t immediately take them. He glanced up, trying to see who it was, but his gaze first landed on a pair of long, straight legs. The skin was so fair against the black skirt that it was almost blinding, and a small black mole on the inner thigh was particularly noticeable. It was an unexpected scene.
Chen Luobai quickly averted his gaze. Just then, a voice came from behind him.
“A-Luo,” it sounded like Zong Kai.
Chen Luobai turned his head, and almost simultaneously, he felt a soft, warm touch in his hand as something was placed there. He turned back to see a gentle profile.
In an instant, acting faster than thinking, Chen Luobai stood up and grabbed the person who was about to run away. The girl’s wrist was so slender it seemed fragile, and she was so light that she stumbled into his arms, pressing softly against his chest.
Chen Luobai froze for a moment, looking down into a pair of beautiful, startled eyes. He came to his senses, released her, and stepped back, noticing the red mark on her wrist where he had grabbed her. Her skin was so fair that the mark was particularly visible in the dim light.
Had he used that much force?
Just as he was about to say something, Zong Kai called him again, this time right behind him. He turned to see Zong Kai with Yin Yizhen, and his brows furrowed.
Yin Yizhen didn’t notice his frown; she was looking at the girl in front of him. She had just seen Chen Luobai hug her.
It was the first time Yin Yizhen had liked a boy so much. It was also the first time she had been so ignored by the opposite sex. She even suspected that if it weren’t for Zong Kai, Chen Luobai might not have spoken to her at all.
Unwilling to give up, she insisted on coming with Zong Kai, hoping to comfort him since she knew he was in a bad mood. She hadn’t expected to witness the scene just now.
The girl in front of her wasn’t unfamiliar, but Yin Yizhen didn’t know her well. She only remembered that she sat behind Lou Yiqi last semester, a quiet girl who had never approached Chen Luobai.
But the fact that Chen Luobai had just hugged her was undeniable.
“Chen Luobai,” Yin Yizhen’s eyes were slightly red as she pointed at the girl, “Did you reject me because of her?”
Chen Luobai’s brows remained furrowed. He had only invited Zong Kai and Zhu Ran tonight, and Yin Yizhen’s intrusion through his friend was overstepping. He was in a bad mood and didn’t feel like sparing anyone’s feelings.
He looked at her with little emotion and said bluntly, “I rejected you because I don’t like you.”
Yin Yizhen’s eyes immediately reddened, and not wanting to lose face in front of others, she turned and ran away.
Zong Kai quickly went after her, but after a few steps, he stopped, looking apologetically at Chen Luobai, “Sorry, A-Luo, I can’t leave her alone.”
Chen Luobai nodded, “Go after her.”
Zong Kai thanked him, “Thanks, Old Zhu should be here soon.”
“Zong Kai,” Chen Luobai suddenly called out.
Zong Kai paused, “What is it?”
Chen Luobai looked at him calmly, “I don’t want this to happen again.”
Zong Kai was taken aback but said nothing more, turning to chase after Yin Yizhen.
Chen Luobai turned back around. The slender girl stood with her head down in front of him, just a bit taller than his shoulder. Her shoulder-length black hair was lifted by the evening breeze, revealing her fair, pretty face, still looking obedient and quiet.
“What are you doing at school?”
Zhou Anran had intended to sneak back to the teaching building while he was talking to Zong Kai and Yin Yizhen, but she felt it would be rude. Even if he didn’t like her, she didn’t want to leave a bad impression.
She had no choice but to stay and unexpectedly witnessed him decisively rejecting Yin Yizhen. Not that she needed to see it to know. He always kept a clear distance from girls who liked him.
She didn’t want to be the next one, so she didn’t dare look up at him, “I forgot my test papers, came back to get them.”
“Got them?”
Zhou Anran nodded.
Chen Luobai still felt the soft warmth from earlier in his hand. He looked down to see that she had given him two cotton swabs and two band-aids.
“Then why did you run?”
Zhou Anran’s heart tightened. Would he suspect her too? She regretted running earlier. As an ordinary classmate, it was normal to offer medicine if she saw he was injured and happened to have some.
But he was never just an ordinary classmate to her. Giving him medicine had taken all her courage, and she hadn’t dared to stay to see his reaction, especially with his friends and Yin Yizhen there.
“I thought I forgot another paper,” Zhou Anran’s palms were sweaty as she clutched her backpack strap to ease her nerves, then pointed to the items in his hand, trying to sound calm, “The cotton swabs have iodine, for disinfecting. It’s to thank you for helping me on the rooftop.”
This time, she didn’t react as dramatically as on the day of the final exam, but she kept her head down, her long, dark lashes fluttering like butterfly wings.
“Zhou Anran,” Chen Luobai asked, “Do I look scary?”
Zhou Anran tightened her grip on her backpack strap, momentarily forgetting to hide anything, and looked up at him suddenly.
What did he just call her?
He remembered her name.
Chen Luobai met her gaze again. Her eyes were indeed beautiful, large and slightly round, clear and pure, making the surprise in them all the more evident.
But he couldn’t figure out what was so surprising about his question.
“Or does my voice sound scary?”
Zhou Anran snapped back to reality, quickly lowering her head and shaking it, “No.”
“Then why don’t you dare look at me when you talk?”
Zhou Anran: “…”
Because my eyes can’t lie, they’ll reveal my secret.
“Because—” she tightened her grip on her backpack strap, “I’m not familiar with you.”
Chen Luobai paused, as if amused, “Do you think I’ll eat you?”
Zhou Anran felt a bit guilty, but seeing the wound on his elbow, she couldn’t help but point it out, “You should take care of that injury.”
Chen Luobai followed her delicate finger to his elbow. It was a minor scrape from playing basketball earlier, something he usually wouldn’t bother with.
“It’s fine.”
Zhou Anran knew he probably wouldn’t use something given by a girl, but hearing him confirm it was still a bit disappointing, “In summer, untreated wounds can get infected. If you don’t want to use my cotton swabs, you can buy medicine from a pharmacy.”
Her lashes lowered further, almost covering her eyes, her lips pressed lightly together, as if unhappy.
For some reason, Chen Luobai changed his mind, “How do I use it?”
“Huh?” Zhou Anran was taken aback, wanting to look up at him but not daring to, “The cotton swab? Just snap one end.”
Chen Luobai broke a cotton swab, the iodine flowing to the other end, and pressed it to his hand, hearing her soft gasp.
“Be gentle.”
Chen Luobai paused, lifting his eyes.
Zhou Anran had spoken without thinking, seeing his rough action. She didn’t need to look up to feel his gaze on her, her breath catching.
“Just—” she steadied herself, finding an excuse, “It looks painful.”
Chen Luobai knew she was timid, but he hadn’t expected her to be this afraid of pain, finding it amusing, “Want to do it for me?”
Zhou Anran was stunned.
She finally couldn’t resist looking at him.
The girl seemed surprised, staring at him with a bit of baby fat on her face, looking particularly soft and obedient.
Whether it was because her earlier “I’m not familiar with you” had irked him, or because her appearance made him want to tease her, Chen Luobai handed the cotton swab to her.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to thank me? Are you going to be ungrateful so soon?”
Zhou Anran’s heart raced.
What did he mean by this?
Wasn’t he always good at keeping his distance from girls? Why was he letting her help him with the medicine? Was it because he believed her when she said they weren’t familiar, and there was no one else around to misunderstand?
But whatever his reason, she couldn’t refuse him.
Besides, he hadn’t been gentle with the medicine himself.
Zhou Anran bit her lip and took the cotton swab.
Now it was Chen Luobai’s turn to be surprised.
He had only meant to tease her, not expecting her to take it.
He had only given her a pack of tissues on the rooftop that day.
The words “You’re so obedient” rolled around in his mouth, but for some reason, he didn’t say them.
The girl bent slightly, careful not to touch him, her movements gentle as she applied the medicine, so light it didn’t hurt, only tickled.
Her hair occasionally brushed his arm in the breeze, her warm breath fanning over it.
Chen Luobai felt his whole arm stiffen.
Zhou Anran cleaned the wound first.
Fortunately, it was just a small area.
Then she straightened up.
Chen Luobai exhaled almost imperceptibly, “Done?”
“Not yet,” Zhou Anran said softly, still not daring to look at him, “Give me the other one.”
Chen Luobai: “…”
He handed her the other cotton swab.
Zhou Anran took it, bending down again to carefully apply the medicine.
The proximity was unavoidable, the fresh scent of the boy enveloping her, making her ears inexplicably warm.
“Done,” she said, straightening up, “You can put the band-aid on yourself.”
Chen Luobai flexed his stiff hand, noticing her ear had turned a faint red, pausing.
Zhu Ran was right; he wasn’t as good as the girls at school thought.
The more obedient she was, the more he wanted to test how far her obedience would go.
Chen Luobai handed her the two band-aids.
“Help me all the way?”
Zhou Anran: “…?”
Why did he need help with the band-aid too?
But it wasn’t easy to apply a band-aid with one hand.
The summer night breeze rustled the leaves under the teaching building.
Chen Luobai watched as the girl lowered her head, obediently taking the band-aid, tearing it open, and gently applying it to his elbow.