Chen Luobai
Friday afternoon.
The autumn sunset painted half the sky red.
From the windows of Class 2, Grade 10, one could see the basketball court. The last window offered the best view.
As Zhou Anran cleaned near the last window, she paused and looked outside.
The teaching building wasn’t particularly close to the court. The distance blurred the forms and features of the boys running freely on the court. From afar, they looked like blue and white stick figures in constant motion.
Zhou Anran believed she was quite familiar with his build and appearance, but she couldn’t distinguish him from this group of moving stick figures.
She withdrew her gaze, her eyes falling on the seat in the second group, sixth row, left side.
The spot was already empty.
The books on the desk weren’t neatly arranged, but they weren’t messy either.
Just like their owner.
He was a good student in all teachers’ eyes.
But not the kind of good student who followed every rule.
When class ended, he often left more eagerly than anyone else.
His black backpack usually hung casually over one shoulder.
Because he found it troublesome, he hadn’t agreed to be a class officer, not even a subject representative.
“Anran, are you done sweeping?” Yan Xingqian’s voice suddenly rang out.
Zhou Anran snapped back to reality: “Almost done.”
After disposing of the collected trash together, Zhou Anran and Yan Xingqian’s task was complete.
The two returned to their desks to pack their bags. Yan Xingqian turned to look at the boy sitting behind her: “He Mingyu, aren’t you leaving yet?”
The bespectacled boy behind her was bent over a test paper. Hearing her, he looked up: “I’ll leave in a bit.”
“Alright, we’re heading out then,” Yan Xingqian didn’t say more. “Let’s go, Anran.”
Class 2 was on the second floor.
Zhou Anran linked arms with her as they went downstairs.
Their parents were good friends, and they had grown up together in the same neighborhood.
They took the bus home from the school’s east gate.
To reach the east gate from the teaching building, they had to pass by the basketball court.
Realizing she might see him again, Zhou Anran’s mood lifted. Her steps became lighter, and even the heavy schoolbag on her shoulder seemed to lose some weight.
On the basketball court, he was always the most eye-catching sight.
Many passing students, both boys and girls, would often unconsciously glance over.
Zhou Anran, blending in with the crowd, didn’t stand out.
This was one of the few chances in a week when she could openly watch him without drawing attention.
Halfway down the stairs, Yan Xingqian wanted to ask Zhou Anran if she wanted to buy milk tea before heading home. She turned her head and saw her friend’s long, curled eyelashes, slightly upturned lips, and a small dimple on her almost luminous white cheek.
Even after knowing her for so many years, Yan Xingqian was still occasionally sweetened by this sight.
However, the school had strict rules about hairstyles and attire. Zhou Anran, always obedient, never tried to skirt the rules with her appearance. With her baby fat and quiet personality that didn’t seek attention, she wasn’t particularly noticeable in class.
Yan Xingqian couldn’t help but stare for a few seconds.
As they walked down, Zhou Anran’s little dimple was alternately hidden and revealed by her shoulder-length hair.
Surprisingly, it was still there when visible.
“Anran.” Yan Xingqian shook her hand. “What’s going on? You seem exceptionally happy today.”
Zhou Anran’s heart skipped a beat: “Aren’t you happy about the upcoming holiday?”
“Of course I am.” Yan Xingqian continued to stare at her. “But you seem even happier than usual today.”
Zhou Anran averted her gaze: “My mom said she’s making tiger skin chicken feet tonight. I’ll bring some over to you later.”
Yan Xingqian loved Zhou Anran’s mother’s tiger skin chicken feet the most. Hearing this, her attention immediately shifted: “Aww, Anran, I love you, and I love Auntie too.”
After leaving the teaching building, Zhou Anran and Yan Xingqian continued their casual chat.
The basketball court soon came into view.
Er Zhong’s basketball area was a spacious expanse, divided into six standard courts by red and white lines.
Two rows, three courts in each row.
He and his friends seemed to prefer playing on the third court in the first row.
Her gaze unconsciously fell on the third court in the first row.
As the distance gradually closed, the boys running on the court were no longer blurry blue and white lines. She could now make out more specific features.
There were tall, lanky ones, some with more robust builds, some with hair so long they’d probably soon be scolded by teachers and others who had opted for convenient crew cuts.
But none of them was him.
Not a single one was him.
Even though she couldn’t see their faces yet.
Zhou Anran could still easily tell that he wasn’t on the third court in the first row.
She stubbornly looked at the other courts.
He wasn’t on the first court in the first row, nor the second.
The first court in the second row was empty, he wasn’t on the second, and the third was also empty.
It felt as if a small part of her heart had emptied too.
Her schoolbag suddenly felt heavy again.
Two girls paused for a few seconds at the edge of the court before leaving. They must have been boarding students not going home, heading towards the school buildings, coming in Zhou Anran and Yan Xingqian’s direction.
As they passed by, Zhou Anran overheard their conversation.
“Why isn’t Chen Luobai at the court today? Doesn’t he usually stay to play basketball around this time every week?”
“I know, right? I thought I’d see him today. It’s been several days since I last saw him.”
“Nonsense, didn’t you pretend to pass by their classroom door yesterday to sneak a peek at him?”
“That’s because I couldn’t see him yesterday.”
Their tone matched Zhou Anran’s current mood.
Disappointed and melancholic.
She had also thought she’d see him one more time today.
She had heard him telling his friends during the break that they’d play basketball together.
Confirming he wasn’t on the court, Zhou Anran withdrew her gaze, lowering her head to absent-mindedly look at the ground until she saw Yan Xingqian’s hand waving in front of her eyes.
“Anran.”
Zhou Anran turned her head: “What is it?”
Yan Xingqian: “I should be asking you what’s wrong. You were so happy just now, but now you’re all droopy. You didn’t even respond when I was talking to you.”
Zhou Anran pressed her lips together: “What were you saying to me just now?”
Yan Xingqian: “I asked if you wanted to buy some milk tea before going home.”
Zhou Anran felt a bit guilty for being lost in her thoughts and not listening to her best friend. She nodded: “Let’s go, my treat.”
“Great!” Yan Xingqian, whose personality was the opposite of hers, was carefree and didn’t think much of it. “I don’t have much pocket money left this month anyway.”
Zhou Anran continued chatting with her as they walked.
They soon passed the court.
She couldn’t help but look up at the third court in the first row again, recognizing several familiar faces. One from Class 3, the rest from their class.
All were people who hung out with Chen Luobai.
She found them familiar because they hung out with Chen Luobai.
But if his friends were playing basketball, why wasn’t he there?
Zhou Anran couldn’t help but become distracted again.
So when the distant “Watch out, classmate!” reached her ears, she was slow to react—
The orange-red basketball was almost about to hit her face.
It was an unexpected scene she was completely unprepared for. It seemed too late to dodge. Zhou Anran froze in place, waiting for the pain to come.
Almost simultaneously, a fresh laundry detergent scent invaded her nostrils, and a long, pale hand reached out from the side, intercepting the basketball that was right in front of her eyes.
It must have been less than two inches away.
Close enough for Zhou Anran to see the fine hair on that large hand and the slightly protruding veins from the effort.
And on the wrist, just above the bone, was that small mole she had glimpsed a few times from varying distances, enough for her to instantly recognize the owner’s identity. It was finally right before her eyes.
It wasn’t black after all, but a small brownish dot.
Zhou Anran’s heart suddenly began to race out of rhythm.
Accompanied by the heartbeat only she could hear, the owner of the hand’s voice also sounded beside her ear. It was familiar too, slightly lower than his peers, but still carrying the unique clarity of a young man.
“You almost hit a girl and you’re not even going to apologize?”
Voices from the basketball court mingled as they carried over.
“Luo-ge, you’re finally here. We’ve been waiting for you for ages. Are you still playing?” This one sounded enthusiastic.
“Sorry, classmate.” This one sounded slightly perfunctory.
“Ah Luo, what did Old Gao call you over for?” This one was curious.
So he had been called away by their homeroom teacher.
Zhou Anran’s heart was still racing. Her fingers, hanging at her side, curled slightly. She wanted to turn her head to look at him properly.
Yan Xingqian, who had also been a bit startled earlier, finally reacted. She pulled Zhou Anran back two steps and shouted at the basketball court: “Can’t you guys watch where you’re throwing when you play?”
Zhou Anran patted her hand soothingly, but in the end, couldn’t resist turning her head to look at him.
The four seasons in Nancheng were indistinct.
Although it was already late October, the weather was still scorching hot. The vast majority of students were still wearing their summer uniforms.
But some people seemed to be naturally favored by God from birth.
The boy’s figure was tall and slender. Er Zhong’s loose blue and white uniform looked particularly clean and refreshing on him. His side profile, gilded by the setting sun, had smooth and sharp lines. His eyelashes were long and black, with deep double eyelid creases.
The basketball that had nearly hit her was now in his hand. He casually spun it a couple of times. The boy’s smile was lazy, his gaze fixed on the basketball court, without even a hint falling on her.
Zhou Anran’s suspended heart fell heavily.
Dense disappointment filled it again.
But she shouldn’t be disappointed.
She should have anticipated this scene.
She should have known that his action of helping her just now was merely the innate courtesy ingrained in him. As for whether the person he helped was passerby A, B, C, or D, he probably didn’t care.
After all, this wasn’t the first time she had received his help.
On the day of high school enrollment, it happened to coincide with Yan Xingqian’s grandfather’s 70th birthday celebration. Her family had already requested leave from the teachers, planning to come for enrollment two days later.
Zhou Anran’s parents also had work that day. She didn’t let them take special leave to send her off, choosing to come to Er Zhong for enrollment by herself.
The registration area was on the second floor of the office building. She had arrived early, and there was no one else on the stairs.
That day, it was pouring rain in Nancheng.
Zhou Anran slowly climbed the stairs.
After reaching the last step, she turned her head, looking around for directions. Someone had carelessly thrown a banana peel on the ground. She didn’t notice and stepped on it. The ground was slippery from the rain, and she lost her balance, falling backward—
Then she fell into a warm, strong embrace, enveloped by a fresh scent.
A slightly low male voice sounded in her ear: “Careful.”
Zhou Anran turned her head, her gaze meeting a pair of narrow, pitch-black eyes.
A head poked out from the staircase railing near the third floor, someone shouting in their direction: “Chen Luobai, hurry up!”
Seeming to realize their current posture, a teasing smile appeared on the person’s face: “What’s going on? I’ve been waiting for you forever, and you’re here flirting with a girl? Already hugging? Not bad, pretty quick.”
Zhou Anran’s face heated slightly.
She wasn’t sure if she was blushing.
The boy beside her, however, seemed to pay no attention to her reaction. As soon as he steadied her, he quickly let go. He looked up at the head near the third floor, laughing and cursing: “Are you sick? The girl almost fell, and I just gave her a hand. You have a mouth just to talk nonsense, huh?”
He was wearing a simple white T-shirt and black sweatpants. His short, messy black hair fell across his forehead, making him look fresh and clean. When he smiled, there was an irrepressible youthful energy about him.
“Then hurry up and come up!”
It wasn’t until the person on the third floor spoke again that Zhou Anran remembered she should thank him. But the boy didn’t give her the chance.
He didn’t linger, nor did he look at her again. He turned and took large strides up the stairs.
A sudden gust of wind blew.
The nearby camphor trees on the second floor rustled loudly, raindrops falling from the verdant leaves and branches.
Zhou Anran looked up amidst the sound of wind and rain, only catching a glimpse of a tall, retreating figure and the white hem of his shirt fluttering in the wind.
Author’s Note:
“Quietly With You” next door has also started. You can check it out if you’re interested (though updates for “Quietly” will be very irregular for now, so be cautious about jumping in)
After graduating from high school, Ji Qiao’s best friend encouraged her to confess to the school heartthrob, with whom she was in an ambiguous relationship.
Ji Qiao: “How should I confess?”
Best Friend 1: “Isn’t he inviting us to his house for a birthday party? When the lights go out, you go and kiss him!”
Best Friend 2: “I’ll be responsible for turning off the lights!”
On the day of the birthday party.
Best Friend 2 turns off the lights, the school heartthrob leans down to blow out the candles, and just as Ji Qiao is starting to hesitate, Best Friend 1 pushes her from behind—
Ji Qiao falls into a broad embrace, and after kissing in her panic, she realizes the scent is wrong.
She seems to have kissed the school heartthrob’s brother.