“Add me on WeChat”

However, the young man standing before her wasn’t wearing the blue and white uniform of No. 2 High School.

He wore a gray hooded sweatshirt and black sweatpants. He seemed to have grown even taller than before, with less youthfulness in his features. His facial contours appeared sharper and more defined, making his face even more eye-catching than before.

Perhaps it was due to the dim lighting, but his demeanor also seemed to have gained a touch of maturity.

His pale, slender hand gripped the door handle, the small mole on his wrist blurred by distance and lighting.

Zhou Anran’s mind was in a haze.

How did Chen Luobai end up here?

Zhou Anran had imagined many scenarios of meeting him again.

It could have been in the library, cafeteria, gymnasium, or some familiar path, or maybe in a classroom for an elective course where she would accidentally encounter him.

But she never imagined it would be today.

In such an unexpected situation.

She was still clutching the jar of preserved plums that her senior had given her, yet she couldn’t grasp a sense of reality.

Until a senior’s voice rang out: “Our school’s heartthrob is finally here. Come in and sit down, your sister just stepped out.”

The young man at the door released the handle. Just like their countless encounters back at No. 2 High School, he seemed to completely ignore her presence in the corner as he stepped inside.

The door slowly swung shut behind him. Zhou Anran lowered her head and saw him sit down not too far from her.

Probably next to the couple sitting beside her.

The person singing had coincidentally just stopped, so another senior’s voice came through clearly: “Why didn’t you tell us that our other new member was him?”

“Well, now you know,” the first senior replied.

“I’ve heard a lot about you lately. They say your WeChat is particularly hard to add,” the second senior seemed to turn to speak to him, her voice tinged with amusement. “I wonder if I’ll have the honor.”

Zhou Anran felt the preserved plum she had just popped into her mouth was exceptionally sour.

After a second, or perhaps longer, that familiar voice she hadn’t heard in two years finally sounded. It carried a hint of laughter, and though she hadn’t heard his voice in two years, it was still unmistakably familiar.

“Adding my WeChat is hardly an honor.”

“Then what would you consider an honor?” the senior asked, following his lead.

His voice took on a familiar casual tone: “Contributing to the country?”

The senior who had been singing seemed to be suddenly amused by him, letting out a loud “pfft” through the microphone.

“That’s quite a grand perspective.”

The senior, whether joking or genuinely wanting to add his WeChat, didn’t persist. She gracefully backed down: “Then I’ll take your words as a good omen. I hope I’ll have the fortune to contribute to the country someday.”

Zhou Anran slowly chewed and swallowed the preserved plum in her mouth, its sourness gradually spreading from her mouth to her heart.

She had thought that after two years, seeing him again would make her feel more at ease than before. But the invisible threads entangled around her heart had never truly disappeared, and the control of those threads remained in his hands.

As the topic passed, the private room returned to its previous liveliness. Those singing continued to sing, those chatting continued to chat, and that familiar voice didn’t sound again.

Just like before.

But Zhou Anran felt as if the air around her had become thinner, making it hard to breathe.

The room was quite spacious, but even so, it had its limits.

Zhou Anran was a bit afraid of being discovered by him, afraid to see his reaction upon noticing her, afraid to know that he didn’t want to see her, and even more afraid that he had completely forgotten about her.

She felt she couldn’t sit there any longer.

Zhou Anran took out her phone and sent a message to Yu Bingqin: [Senior, I suddenly have something urgent. Can I leave first?]

Yu Bingqin didn’t reply immediately.

Zhou Anran pressed her lips together, then gently poked the senior next to her.

The senior turned her head.

Zhou Anran leaned closer to her, returning the jar of preserved plums, and said in a low voice, “Senior, I have something to attend to and need to leave. Could you please let Senior Yu know later?”

The senior nodded, “Be careful on your way back.”

As Zhou Anran stood up with her bag, she felt as if someone’s gaze fell on her from behind, though she wasn’t sure if one of those gazes belonged to him.

She didn’t dare to look back.

Since he had entered, she hadn’t dared to look in his direction again.

Zhou Anran kept her head down and quickly left the private room.

As she walked out of the KTV and was hit by the cold wind outside, Zhou Anran suddenly regretted not staying a few more minutes to secretly observe him.

Who knew when she would see him again?

Another gust of cold wind blew by.

Zhou Anran had only been here for a little over a month and hadn’t fully adapted to the weather. Back in Nancheng, people were probably still wearing short sleeves.

She pulled her jacket tighter and lowered her head as she walked towards the school.

Her mind, however, was still replaying the scene from the private room.

No longer in the same room as him, Zhou Anran’s thoughts returned from their sluggish state to normal, belatedly realizing that he must be the other new member Yu Bingqin had mentioned.

Was he the one who couldn’t play guitar and was extremely picky?

And when he came in, what did that senior say again?

It seemed to be something like “Your sister just stepped out.”

The only person who had left midway was Senior Yu Bingqin. Did “your sister” refer to Senior Yu? Was he Senior Yu’s brother?

Their surnames were different, so maybe he was her cousin?

Or had she misheard?

Lost in these thoughts, Zhou Anran didn’t notice a small electric scooter turning out from the alley behind her.

The person riding the scooter was holding the handlebar with one hand and looking down at their phone with the other, not noticing the person in front of them.

By the time Zhou Anran heard the sound and turned her head, the electric scooter was almost upon her.

In that split second, a warm hand grasped her wrist.

The next moment, Zhou Anran found herself in an embrace with a fresh, clean scent, narrowly avoiding the electric scooter.

She instinctively looked up, intending to say thank you, but before she could speak, she saw a face she had dreamed of a thousand times.

Zhou Anran was suddenly stunned.

Until Chen Luobai spoke first.

The young man still had one hand on her wrist, the other hovering lightly at her lower back. His voice was somewhat low: “Are you scared?”

Zhou Anran came back to her senses, yet not fully. Her mind seemed full of questions, yet also seemed to have only one. It wasn’t until she heard her voice that she realized she had asked without thinking: “Why did you come out too?”

“It was boring,” Chen Luobai said lightly. After speaking, he let go of her and stepped back.

The warmth on her wrist and the fresh scent in her nose suddenly disappeared, yet seemed to leave a lingering trace. Her nose and wrist felt a slight itch.

Zhou Anran wanted to reach out and touch where he had touched her, but she resisted. She lowered her head, not daring to look at him again, her mind in complete disarray.

The electric scooter had long since gone.

She hadn’t even noticed if the rider had apologized.

This was a small path, already quiet, and for a moment it seemed only the sound of wind rustling through tree leaves remained.

After about a second or two, Zhou Anran heard that familiar voice sound again, his tone somewhat flat, as if asking casually, with no discernible emotion.

“Heading back to school?”

Zhou Anran’s mind buzzed, becoming even more chaotic.

She could understand him finding the gathering boring and leaving early. She could understand him helping her when he happened to pass by and saw her in danger – he had always been a well-mannered young man.

But why would he actively speak to her after helping her?

Her little crush on him had been completely exposed in front of him that day when she was called to the guidance counselor’s office.

According to his past habits, once he knew a girl liked him, he would only maintain a greater distance, not giving the other person any chance to misunderstand.

Or…

Maybe he actually hadn’t recognized her at all and had just happened to glance at her in the private room earlier, recognizing her as a member of the club, so he casually asked.

This seemed to make sense.

After all, her appearance had changed a bit compared to high school. She had grown a little taller, her hair was longer, and during the summer break, Cen Yu had taught her how to apply makeup. Today, to make a good impression on everyone, she had even taken some time to apply light makeup before coming out.

After all, they had only exchanged a few words back then, barely more than strangers as ordinary classmates.

It was perfectly normal for him not to recognize her.

Having come to this conclusion, Zhou Anran’s heart suddenly felt as if it was soaked in a pool of acid.

But at the same time, when facing him, she finally felt like she could be a little more at ease. Perhaps it was because this was already the worst scenario she had imagined, and she had nothing else to fear.

Zhou Anran nodded, “Yes, back to school.”

“I’m heading back too. Shall we go together?” His tone still sounded indifferent.

Zhou Anran was stunned again and couldn’t help but look up at him.

The young man stood in the shadows, most of his face hidden in the night. He seemed to be looking down at her, but his expression was indistinct.

The small path in front of Zhou Anran was clear though, the street lamps casting a dim yellow light. Apart from them, there were no other pedestrians.

It had been daytime when she came here in the afternoon, but now looking at it, it did seem quite secluded.

If she hadn’t been lost in thought and just walked here without thinking, Zhou Anran probably wouldn’t have dared to walk this path alone. She might have chosen to take the busier main road or take a ride.

Was that why he made this suggestion?

Before looking away, Zhou Anran took one more lingering yet restrained glance at the young man.

He had one hand in his pocket, his sharp features blurred in the night, still a sight that could make one’s heart skip a beat at first glance.

Two years had passed, and he seemed to have changed a little, yet also seemed unchanged. He was still the same youth who would rush upstairs and instinctively reach out to steady her if he saw her about to fall.

Still a very, very good person, still worth liking.

Even if he didn’t like her.

Even if their relationship should have regressed from classmates whose names he couldn’t quite remember to strangers who didn’t recognize each other when they met.

She didn’t regret falling for him.

Never regretted it.

Zhou Anran couldn’t bring herself to refuse his offer and nodded at him.

Let her take advantage of his kindness one last time. After accompanying him on this final stretch of road, she would apply to quit the club with Senior Yu, and then truly never bother him again.

As if confirming her guess, Chen Luobai didn’t speak for the rest of the way.

Zhou Anran’s mind was still in turmoil. Halfway through, she remembered that his leg had been injured some time ago and wondered if it had fully healed.

She wanted to ask him but ultimately didn’t speak up.

Given her current status as a “stranger,” it didn’t seem appropriate to ask such a question.

This was the first time Zhou Anran had walked together with him.

It should also be the last time.

The young man was tall with long legs, his height now seemingly over 185 cm. Even though he seemed to be consciously accommodating her as a “stranger” by slightly slowing his pace, his strides were still much larger than hers. Zhou Anran had trouble keeping up and would occasionally fall behind.

Looking at this, his leg injury should indeed be fine now, right?

Zhou Anran carefully observed him from behind for a moment, finally feeling somewhat relieved.

She quite enjoyed being left behind by him like this.

In high school, although she knew it was almost impossible given their heights, she would occasionally hope that maybe one day the homeroom teacher would arrange her seat behind his. That way, she wouldn’t have to secretly find opportunities to look back at him; she could openly gaze at his back.

Today, she finally had such an undisturbed opportunity.

But this path was so short, so very short.

It quickly came to an end.

When the school gate appeared in the distance, Zhou Anran stopped, seeing their shadows overlap for a moment.

As intimate as an illusory embrace.

This should be it.

As they turned out from the small path, there were more people around. Once they entered the school gates, the chances of him being recognized would be even higher.

Even considering that he had helped her again today, she shouldn’t cause him any more trouble.

Perhaps noticing that the person behind him hadn’t kept up, the young frontman also stopped and half-turned, most of his face still hidden in the night.

“What’s wrong?”

Zhou Anran vaguely pointed to the other side of the school gate: “I need to go buy something for a friend, so I won’t go in with you. Thank you for your help earlier.”

After saying this, she didn’t know why, but her nose stung again with emotion.

Zhou Anran barely held back this surge of feeling. She didn’t dare look at him again and didn’t wait for his response before turning and walking resolutely in the direction she had just pointed.

After walking quickly for a few steps, she realized she had forgotten to say goodbye to him.

But it seemed there shouldn’t be any more opportunities to say goodbye.

She had promised herself not to bother him again.

Zhou Anran kept her head down and took another step forward, then heard Chen Luobai’s voice behind her.

“Zhou Anran.”

His voice hadn’t changed much, still, the familiar tone she had secretly listened to hundreds of times in high school.

But these three syllables coming from his mouth seemed utterly unfamiliar.

In the thousands of days since meeting him on registration day until now, this was the first time Zhou Anran had heard her name on his lips.

For a moment, she even thought she might be hearing things.

Zhou Anran turned around in a daze and saw Chen Luobai still standing where he was, not having moved.

The young man had one hand in his pocket. Seeing her turn, he suddenly strode towards her, finally stopping in front of her.

“Zhou Anran,” he called her name again.

Under the dim street light, Chen Luobai’s face, which had been hidden in the night all evening, finally appeared clearly before her eyes.

Just like that September in the small supermarket, he stood in front of her, looking down at her from close up. Only this time, his face didn’t wear that casual yet inexplicably heart-stirring smile.

The young man’s jawline was slightly tense, giving his expression an inexplicably focused quality. Those eyes also seemed particularly deep, as if they could draw someone in.

Amidst her quickening heartbeat, Zhou Anran heard him speak again.

Chen Luobai took out the hand from his pocket, casually twirling his black phone once. As he half-raised it, the small mole on his wrist became clear in her eyes for a moment. His voice was low and clear.

“It’s rare to run into each other again in college. Want to add each other on WeChat?”

Author’s Note:

Ahhh! My darlings! Sweet story author Su Shiwu is about to come back online!!

And do you all not remember Senior Yu? She (her name) appeared very early on (refer to Chapter 4)

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