Can’t think about him anymore
After composing herself, Zhou Anran first went to the restroom to wash her face. Once her eyes were less noticeably red, she slowly made her way back to the classroom.
As she approached the back door, she hesitated briefly before walking past it and entering through the front door instead.
However, as soon as she entered, Zhou Anran’s gaze involuntarily fell on the sixth desk in the second row for a moment.
His seat was empty.
She wondered if he was with Yin Yizhen.
At the thought of this possibility, Zhou Anran’s steps faltered again before she lowered her eyes and averted her gaze.
When she returned to her seat, Zhou Anran realized that Yan Xingqian wasn’t there.
Zhang Shuxian and Sheng Xiaowen had both returned, though.
Seeing her come in, one immediately turned to look at her, while the other simply walked over and sat in Yan Xingqian’s seat.
Zhang Shuxian turned around, resting her hand on Zhou Anran’s desk, and asked, “Ran Ran, where did you go?”
“Why are your eyes so red?” Sheng Xiaowen also inquired with concern.
Zhou Anran was once again grateful for her period, which provided her with a ready excuse: “My stomach was hurting badly, so I went to the bathroom.”
“Why is it so severe this time?” Zhang Shuxian frowned.
Sheng Xiaowen suggested, “If it’s that bad, why don’t you ask Teacher Gao to leave and go home to rest tonight?”
Zhou Anran couldn’t tell them the truth, but she also didn’t want them to worry about her. She shook her head, “It’s fine, I’m feeling much better now. Where’s Qian Qian?”
“You didn’t want us to bring you noodles and such because you were worried about disturbing other classmates. Qian Qian was afraid you might not have an appetite for just sandwiches, so when she saw that someone in the class had brought porridge, she remembered she could buy you some. She went to the cafeteria to get some takeout and should be back soon,” Sheng Xiaowen explained, pointing to the cup on her desk. “Shuxian also made you a cup of ginger tea with brown sugar. I opened the lid to let it cool a bit, it should be okay to drink now.”
Zhou Anran felt a lump in her throat again.
This time, it wasn’t because of him.
“Thank you all.”
“Don’t mention it. You’ve helped us plenty of times too. Remember when I had that argument with her—” Zhang Shuxian nodded towards Lou Yiqi’s empty seat, “If you hadn’t given me tissues and brought me dinner, I don’t know how upset I would have been.”
Zhou Anran smiled slightly.
She picked up the cup and took a sip of the ginger tea. The sweet and spicy flavor warmed her to the core.
She was fortunate to have so many good friends.
After Zhou Anran slowly drank a few sips of ginger tea, Yan Xingqian returned with the packed porridge.
Sheng Xiaowen gave up her seat.
With exams starting tomorrow, Zhou Anran didn’t want to waste their time. As she took the porridge from Yan Xingqian, she said, “I’m fine now. You should all get back to reviewing.”
Zhang Shuxian finally turned back to her desk, and Sheng Xiaowen returned to her seat.
But Yan Xingqian, perhaps startled by Zhou Anran’s reddened eyes, didn’t even let her throw away the trash after she finished the porridge.
With only ten minutes left before evening self-study began, Zhang Shuxian suddenly turned around again.
She leaned on Yan Xingqian’s desk, her voice lowered to a whisper as if about to share a big secret: “I just heard some super juicy gossip.”
Zhou Anran was listlessly lying on her desk, forcing herself to continue reviewing history exam points. She didn’t have the energy or mood for this, only managing to raise her eyes slightly.
Yan Xingqian, always interested in such matters, immediately put down her pen: “What super juicy gossip?”
Zhang Shuxian leaned in closer, sprawling across Yan Xingqian’s desk: “I heard that someone saw Chen Luobai and Yin Yizhen go to the arcade alone last Friday, without Zhu Ran and Zong Kai, just the two of them.”
Zhou Anran suddenly raised her head.
“I wasn’t exaggerating when I said it was super juicy gossip, right? Look how surprised our Ran Ran is,” Zhang Shuxian said, her gaze suddenly shifting behind them. “Wow, speak of the devil.”
Before coming down from the rooftop, Zhou Anran had promised herself not to secretly look at him anymore.
But Zhang Shuxian’s words were so surprising that she completely forgot her promise and instinctively turned her head.
The boy standing at the back door was wearing his school uniform, his black hair slightly damp on his forehead. He had an orange-red basketball tucked under his left arm and was holding a can of cola in his right hand. He took a sip, casually tilting his head back, while nonchalantly listening to someone behind him, a relaxed smile on his face.
It was still a sight that made her heart skip a beat.
But he was about to become someone else’s boyfriend.
Zhou Anran felt a pang in her heart and quickly turned her gaze back.
However, the classroom was relatively quiet at the moment, and the group that had just entered wasn’t particularly lowering their voices, so their conversation carried over to her without obstruction.
“Bro, you’ll be doing step-back threes in no time,” Black Shu Jie was saying.
Zhu Ran’s tone was disdainful: “You didn’t make a single shot. It wasn’t just air balls, you were hitting nothing but the backboard. How dare you call that a step-back three?”
Black Shu Jie defended himself: “Step-back threes require core strength to make the shot. Do you think everyone’s like my bro Luo? I’ve already done pretty well to learn the form, right, Luo bro?”
His voice was tinged with amusement: “Yeah, not bad.”
He paused, his amusement more evident: “But don’t tell anyone I taught you. I can’t bear that embarrassment.”
“Luo bro!” Black Shu Jie wailed in dissatisfaction.
The boy seemed to still be holding back laughter: “Alright, stop disturbing everyone’s revision.”
The classroom fell quiet again.
Zhang Shuxian was still leaning on Yan Xingqian’s desk, gossiping in a low voice: “If this news is true, then our school heartthrob Chen has been keeping it quite well hidden.”
Zhou Anran’s mind was in turmoil, but she still clearly sensed something was off.
From the conversation she overheard in the afternoon, it wasn’t hard to deduce that this should have been the first time Yin Yizhen asked him out alone. How could someone have seen them together at the arcade last Friday?
Zhou Anran couldn’t help but ask softly, “Where did you hear this news from?”
“A middle school classmate of mine in Class 10 sent it to me,” Zhang Shuxian replied.
Zhou Anran: “Did she see it herself?”
“No,” Zhang Shuxian shook her head, “She probably heard it from someone else too. You know how it is, any news related to Chen Luobai spreads like wildfire in school.”
Zhou Anran was still puzzled.
Could it be that Zong Kai and Zhu Ran were there too, but weren’t seen?
Lou Yiqi hurriedly walked in from outside, the sound of her chair scraping against the floor as she pulled it out interrupting Zhou Anran’s thoughts.
Zhang Shuxian didn’t look in Lou Yiqi’s direction, but probably remembering the argument she had with Lou Yiqi over Yin Yizhen last time, she didn’t gossip any further with them and turned to sit properly in her seat.
Zhou Anran lowered her head to continue reviewing history, but the words in the textbook started to blur again.
She forced herself to calm down.
Whether he went out alone with Yin Yizhen last Friday or plans to go out with her after the exams, the result is the same for you.
Can’t think about him anymore.
Can’t think about him.
Zhou Anran tried hard to adjust her emotions, and after a while, she was finally able to immerse herself in her studies.
However, before she could review more than a couple of pages, Zhu Ran’s voice suddenly rang out from behind.
“Damn, why is everyone saying they saw Luo Bai and Yin Yizhen at the arcade together last Friday?”
Zhou Anran’s thoughts came to a halt.
It seemed Zhang Shuxian’s words were completely accurate; news about Chen Luobai indeed spread incredibly fast in school. This particular piece of news was nothing short of a bombshell, and in just a few minutes, it had already reached Zhu Ran.
Zhou Anran resisted the urge to turn around.
But whether it was because everyone was still buried in their revision or waiting to hear the gossip, even though evening self-study hadn’t started yet, the classroom remained relatively quiet.
The conversation from behind carried over clearly.
“Old Zhu, you’re so loud. Aren’t you afraid of attracting the teacher’s attention for Luo bro?” It sounded like Tang Jianrui’s voice.
Zhu Ran’s voice sounded a bit exasperated: “Afraid of my ass. Last Friday, it was me who went to the arcade with Chen Luobai. Who the hell is so blind that they mistook me for Yin Yizhen?”
“Oh my god, hahahahaha…” Tang Jianrui seemed to be laughing so hard he was slapping the desk. “Let me see which part of you looks like a girl. Well, I have to say, your butt is quite perky.”
Zhu Ran: “Get lost.”
“My friend also sent me a WeChat message asking about the situation,” It sounded like Huang Shujie’s voice, who also seemed to be holding back laughter. “So it’s fake, right? My Luo bro doesn’t like Yin Yizhen?”
Zhu Ran still sounded irritated: “Like my ass. Your Luo bro only has eyes for studying.”
Zhang Shuxian must have heard this conversation too, as she couldn’t help but turn around and lean over again, discussing in a low voice: “Hey, hey, hey, so what’s the situation now? I’m all confused.”
Yan Xingqian: “I don’t understand either.”
Zhou Anran knew a bit more inside information than them, but now she was even more confused.
The joy and excitement in Yin Yizhen’s tone this afternoon didn’t seem fake; he must have agreed to her invitation.
Moreover, before Yin Yizhen, he truly hadn’t had any ambiguous interactions with any girl alone, not even a little bit.
Let alone agreeing to go out alone with any girl.
So when she heard that conversation this afternoon, she had come to the same conclusion as Yin Yizhen.
But what did Zhu Ran’s words mean now?
Was it because he hadn’t told Zhu Ran about his feelings for Yin Yizhen?
But he didn’t refute it just now either…
Zhou Anran didn’t dare to let herself think any further.
She didn’t want to experience the feeling of hope being completely shattered a second time.
At this moment, Zhang Shuxian suddenly nudged her elbow.
“Hey, hey, hey, Yin Yizhen is here,” Zhang Shuxian withdrew her hand, glancing back at Lou Yiqi, her voice almost a whisper, “Did someone leak the news to her?”
Whether it was because the subjects of the rumor were all present, the classroom suddenly became even quieter than before.
As a result, even though Yin Yizhen’s voice wasn’t loud, it carried clearly to the front.
“Chen Luobai, I want to talk to you.”
Zhou Anran saw many people in front of her turn their heads.
She couldn’t resist and also turned to look at the back row.
Yin Yizhen was standing at the back door. The sky had already darkened, and the light from outside was insufficient, blurring the expression on her face.
Chen Luobai’s expression was a bit different from what Zhou Anran had imagined.
To be precise, there wasn’t much expression on his face at the moment. He usually loved to smile, and when he wasn’t smiling, he always looked a bit cold.
The boy glanced at the back door, his tone also indifferent: “Let’s talk after the exams.”
Yin Yizhen’s face was still hidden in the shadows: “I want to talk now.”
Chen Luobai’s expression didn’t change. He twirled the pen in his hand without saying anything.
Zhou Anran clutched the corner of her book.
It felt as if time had suddenly been stretched into a thin line, wrapping around her heart, and at the same time, her heart seemed to have become the pen in his hand, completely controlled by that slender palm.
Then Chen Luobai casually tossed the pen onto the desk and stood up: “Let’s go then.”