A Complete Defeat
The next afternoon, Zhou Anran flew back to Nancheng with her boyfriend and two close friends.
She sat next to Chen Luobai, separated from Yan Xingqian and Sheng Xiaowen by an aisle.
Having stayed up too late the previous night, Zhou Anran chatted briefly with Yan Xingqian across the aisle before her eyelids began to droop.
She told the two she wanted to sleep for a while, then leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.
In her half-asleep state, Zhou Anran felt her head repeatedly falling to the side. A warm, large hand gently supported it, placing it on a familiar-smelling shoulder.
Even in her dream, she felt inexplicably at ease and fell into a deep sleep once more.
When she woke up, it was because Chen Luobai was gently nudging her.
Zhou Anran, still groggy and barely able to open her eyes, nuzzled his shoulder and asked in a sleepy voice with a slight nasal tone, “Are we there?”
The young man’s voice was low and gentle: “Almost.”
Zhou Anran slowly opened her eyes, continuing to lean on his shoulder. As she shook off her drowsiness, she remembered the message He Nüshi had sent her before boarding.
She tugged at his sleeve and looked up at him: “Can you walk separately from us when we get off?”
Chen Luobai’s dark eyes narrowed: “Why do we need to walk separately? Am I not presentable?”
Zhou Anran quickly shook her head: “Of course not. But didn’t I tell you? My parents are coming to pick me up, and I don’t know how to explain about you to them yet.”
Seeing the young man silently gazing at her without speaking, Zhou Anran’s hand slid down from his sleeve and gently grasped his long index finger, giving it a slight shake.
“Please?” Her voice was soft and gentle as it reached Chen Luobai’s ears. He swallowed, pushing back some inappropriate thoughts.
“Zhou Anran.”
“Are you so sure I can’t resist when you act coy?”
Zhou Anran: “…”
“I’m not.”
She smiled at him, her sweet dimple appearing: “I’ll call you tonight, okay?”
Chen Luobai stared at her for two seconds, then reached out and pinched her face, making the dimple disappear. His tone was deep.
“You’d better remember.”
After Zhou Anran exited the arrival gate with her two close friends, she was surprised to find that He Nüshi and Zhou Xianhong, who had come to pick her and Yan Xingqian up, had coincidentally met Sheng Xiaowen’s parents, who were also there to pick someone up.
The parents had all attended a parent-teacher meeting in their first year of high school, and because their daughters were friends, they had greeted each other then. Now they still remembered each other and had been chatting animatedly before the girls came out.
As Zhou Anran and her friends approached, they greeted all the parents. The group chatted for a while longer before going their separate ways.
Because He Jiayi and Zhou Xianhong had to work overtime the next day, their original plan was to drop Yan Xingqian off at home, stay for a short while, and then return to Wucheng.
However, Yan Xingqian’s parents hadn’t seen He Jiayi and Zhou Xianhong for a while, and it had been over half a year since they’d seen Zhou Anran. They warmly invited them to stay for dinner.
When Zhou Anran got into the car with her parents to return to Wucheng after dinner, it was already past eight in the evening, and the sky had long since darkened.
With her parents sitting in front, Zhou Anran sat alone in the back seat, suddenly missing Chen Luobai a little.
She took out her phone from her bag. She couldn’t call him yet, but she could at least send a message.
Earlier, while at Yan Xingqian’s house, she had wanted to message him, but Yan Xingqian’s mother, not having seen her for a long time, had sat next to her and chatted continuously.
Zhou Anran opened WeChat and tapped on his profile picture.
Just as she was wondering what to write, her phone chimed.
Chen Luobai had sent her a message first.
C: [Didn’t you say you’d call me?]
Zhou Anran: “…”
The evening had only just begun, hadn’t it?
But the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up a little.
Zhou Anran: [We stayed for dinner at Qianqian’s house]
Zhou Anran: [Just left for home]
Zhou Anran sent him a picture of the night view outside the car window.
C: [Alright]
C: [I’ll forgive you for now]
Zhou Anran’s lips curved into a smile. She was about to reply when his next message popped up.
C: [Are you still feeling uncomfortable?]
Zhou Anran froze for a moment.
After realizing what he meant, she felt as if the words were burning her hands, almost dropping her phone.
Perhaps seeing that she hadn’t immediately replied, or perhaps understanding her personality, he sent more messages in quick succession.
C: [Who told you to tell me you were ready the day before winter break?]
C: [This time I can’t check for myself]
Zhou Anran: “??”
C: [So, are you or aren’t you?]
C: [If you don’t tell me, I’m coming to Wucheng tomorrow to find you]
Zhou Anran’s face instantly burned hot.
She remembered how he had pressured her last night, asking if she still felt like she was dreaming, but back then, he had many more methods and was much more unscrupulous.
He was being unscrupulous now too.
What more did he want to see?
The embarrassment and anger from last night and now combined, doubling in intensity.
Zhou Anran: [Chen Luobai!]
C: [Hmm?]
Zhou Anran: [You’re so annoying!]
C: [?]
C: [You’re already finding me annoying?]
C: [Zhou Anran]
C: [You sleep with me and then pretend it didn’t happen?]
Zhou Anran: “…?”
He had been the one teasing her from last night until now. How could this person be so good at turning the tables?
Zhou Anran: [Keep talking and I won’t call you tonight]
C: [Fine]
C: [Don’t call then]
?
Don’t call then?
He wasn’t even trying to coax her now?
The one who slept with her and pretended it didn’t happen was him, wasn’t it?
Zhou Anran’s cheeks puffed out slightly.
The next second, her phone chimed twice more.
C: [I’ll call you]
C: [Who told me to find such a heartless girlfriend who pretends nothing happened after sleeping with me]
Zhou Anran’s lips involuntarily curved up again.
He Jiayi turned back just in time to see this expression.
“Anran, who are you chatting with? You look so happy.”
Zhou Anran’s heart skipped a beat. Looking at the words “pretends nothing happened after sleeping with me” on the screen, her heartbeat quickened, and her ears began to burn.
Thankfully, the car was dark.
“I’m chatting with Qianqian,” she told a little white lie.
He Jiayi asked curiously: “What could you two possibly have so much to talk about that makes you this happy? Is she telling you those weird jokes again?”
Weird jokes?
Zhou Anran thought for a moment.
It seemed that on the day of summer vacation in their first year of high school, she had used one of Yan Xingqian’s cold jokes as an excuse.
That day, she had been delayed looking for a pen cap and was the last to leave the exam room. The scorching early summer sunlight and the clamor of cicadas filled the air as the tall boy stood outside the window, smiling and saying he’d see her next semester.
Back then, he was a secret she could only keep in her heart.
Now, he was her boyfriend.
*
During the first few days of winter break, Zhou Anran’s life was quite monotonous. She spent her days studying at home and secretly video-calling Chen Luobai in her bedroom at night.
He had said he would come to Wucheng to see her the next day, but it didn’t happen.
Firstly, she was indeed too embarrassed to agree, and secondly, he had already promised his mother that he would learn at the law firm during the winter break. The next day, his mother immediately dragged him to the firm to help out.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t take time off.
However, Zhou Anran still hoped to leave a good impression on his parents.
Moreover, his coming over wasn’t really for any proper purpose.
Wucheng is very close to Nancheng, and the winters are equally damp and cold.
They had returned on a Saturday, and for several days after that, Zhou Anran had been too afraid to go out, staying at home. It wasn’t until Friday, when Cen Yu, who had been visiting relatives, returned to Wucheng and invited her to watch a movie, that she finally went out.
They agreed to meet at the mall near her house and chose a less crowded afternoon showing.
After the movie ended in the afternoon, it was just about five o’clock, right around dinner time. Zhou Anran and Cen Yu went to a restaurant in the mall for dinner.
During the meal, Zhou Anran noticed that Cen Yu kept glancing at her secretly but didn’t say anything.
As they were finishing their meal, Zhou Anran couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you keep looking at me today? Is there something on your mind?”
Cen Yu glanced at her again, seeming hesitant to speak.
After a couple of seconds, as if making up her mind about something, she put down her chopsticks on her bowl and said, “You’re in a relationship, right?”
Zhou Anran nodded, “Yes, didn’t I tell you before?”
Cen Yu asked again, “Your boyfriend’s name is Chen Luobai, right?”
Zhou Anran nodded again, feeling a bit puzzled.
Although her relationship with Cen Yu wasn’t as close as with Yan Xingqian and the others, they were still very good friends. She hadn’t hidden the fact that she was dating Chen Luobai, but since Cen Yu didn’t know him, she hadn’t gone into much detail.
But she had told her Chen Luobai’s name.
“What’s the matter?”
Cen Yu seemed to hesitate again, “Well, I want to be honest about something. Please don’t be angry with me.”
“What is it?” Zhou Anran was even more curious now.
Cen Yu was silent for another couple of seconds, “Do you remember when you first came here, that morning when you were looking at Senior Yu’s photo on the bulletin board, and I came over to talk to you?”
Zhou Anran replied, “I remember.”
” I deliberately approached you that day,” Cen Yu said.
Zhou Anran: “?”
Having started, Cen Yu seemed to find it easier to continue, “You’ve met my cousin Xu Hongliang. He’s friends with Senior Yu, and at that time, Senior Yu asked him to ask me for help. She wanted me to look after the new transfer student in our class, which was you.”
Zhou Anran’s fingers suddenly tightened on her chopsticks.
That day was the first time she had seen Yu Bingqin’s name on the bulletin board, and she had never even been to Wucheng before.
Yu Bingqin couldn’t possibly have known her.
The only possibility was that Yu Bingqin was also acting on someone else’s request.
Cen Yu tugged at her wrist and made a gesture of swearing, “I swear, at first I was just helping Senior Yu by looking after you, but after getting to know you, I thought your personality was nice and gentle. I truly became your friend. Please don’t be mad at me.”
Zhou Anran’s throat felt tight, “I’m not mad at you.”
“Then can I continue?” Cen Yu looked at her cautiously again.
Zhou Anran was startled, “There’s more?”
Cen Yu looked dejected, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, I’m not blaming you,” Zhou Anran could feel that Cen Yu was sincere about their friendship.
Her personality could be described as attentive if put nicely, or sensitive if not. If Cen Yu hadn’t been genuinely her friend, she would have sensed it.
“Go on,” she said.
“Well—” Cen Yu seemed to suddenly find it difficult to continue, pausing for quite a while, “Remember how I always gave you two gifts each time? I don’t have a habit of giving two gifts. The other gift was also from Senior Yu’s side, she asked me to give it to you. At first, I naively thought Senior Yu might be interested in you romantically, but my cousin said she’s straight. He just said she probably had some other connection with you. But a few days ago, when I was visiting my cousin, I overheard him accidentally let something slip.”
Cen Yu paused again, looking at Zhou Anran.
Zhou Anran had already guessed, her fingers still gripping the chopsticks she had forgotten to put down, the tips visibly white from the pressure.
Then Cen Yu continued softly, “Anran, it seems all those gifts were from your boyfriend. That explains why all those packages were sent from Nancheng back then.”
Zhou Anran couldn’t quite describe how she felt at that moment, only knowing that her nose suddenly felt incredibly sore.
“Cen Yu,” her voice was full of tears as soon as she spoke, “I need to go home now.”
She wanted to go back and look at those gifts again.
She also wanted to go back and call him.
Cen Yu, as an outsider, was quite moved by this and could somewhat understand her current feelings. She nodded, “Go ahead. You don’t need to pay for this meal, I’ll take care of it later. Consider it my apology to you.”
Zhou Anran wasn’t listening to what she was saying. She picked up her bag and was about to leave.
Just as she took a step, Cen Yu suddenly grabbed her again.
“I almost forgot,” Cen Yu took out a small file folder from her bag and handed it over, “Back then, I only gave you one gift but received so much gratitude from you. I’ve always felt guilty about it, so I made a list of all the things that were mailed over. I thought that when I had the chance to come clean with you, I wouldn’t have forgotten everything. I also kept all the courier receipts from when he mailed things over. I’ve saved them all for you.”
Both parents were still at work.
After arriving home, Zhou Anran went straight to her bedroom.
Cen Yu had given her quite a few gifts. Due to their different uses, she had stored them in various places. Now, after gathering them all, she found they almost filled half of her desk.
Most were small items that girls typically like, such as dolls and keychains. The prices didn’t seem too expensive, so she had never suspected anything before.
Zhou Anran sat at her desk and took out the list Cen Yu had written from the small file folder.
It was just a thin piece of paper, but holding it felt as if it weighed thousands of pounds.
Zhou Anran paused for several seconds before slowly opening it.
The first thing she saw was the first line on the list—
Travel gift: Rabbit keychain
That rabbit keychain was right beside her hand. She had found it cute at the time and had kept it in her schoolbag ever since. Through her second and third years of high school, even as she changed schoolbags several times, this little keychain remained. It had been washed many times and was now somewhat faded and old.
No wonder that day when Cen Yu gave everyone else a pearl bracelet as a second gift, she was the only one who got this little rabbit keychain.
Zhou Anran slowly read down the list.
She discovered that the things he had sent were far more than just what was on her desk.
Dragon Boat Festival dumplings, Mid-Autumn Festival mooncakes, Christmas apples—among the foods Cen Yu had given her more than double portions of, some were from him too.
Even the bouquet of roses Cen Yu gave her for her 17th birthday was actually from him.
The last time she had folded a candy wrapper rose for him, she thought she was the first to give him flowers.
It turned out that long before she knew, he had already sent her flowers.
For her 18th birthday, Cen Yu had given her a necklace and a rose gold bracelet. These were the two items among all the gifts that were visibly expensive.
Especially that bracelet.
But Cen Yu’s family was well-off, and at the time, she had said it was a once-in-a-lifetime coming-of-age gift, not allowing Zhou Anran to refuse.
Seeing the rose gold bracelet on the list, Zhou Anran wasn’t surprised at all.
No wonder he had specifically asked about it that day when she wore the bracelet to watch his final match.
Zhou Anran’s nose was already unbearably sore.
Tears kept flowing, but she seemed unable to cry out loud as if something was stuck in her throat.
Back then, she thought he couldn’t possibly like her.
She had only been thinking about not causing him any more trouble.
But how could it be?
How could he have been secretly caring for her all this time?
How could he still not tell her even now?
Zhou Anran took out her phone, wanting to call him, but after dialing seven or eight times, no one answered.
She almost felt the urge to go back to Nancheng to find him, but he had said early this morning that he was going on a business trip to a neighboring city with people from the law firm.
Even if she went, he wouldn’t be in Nancheng.
Zhou Anran’s blurry gaze fell on that rose gold bracelet again.
Right.
It seemed that Zhu Ran had also specifically asked about this bracelet that day.
What did he say then?
It seemed he said, “My friend also bought one to give to someone.”
Zhou Anran had thought he was just making casual conversation that day, but now it seemed Zhu Ran might have been trying to give her a hint.
She picked up her phone again and dialed Zhu Ran’s number.
This time, the call was answered quickly.
Zhu Ran’s tone sounded surprised: “Zhou Anran, why are you suddenly calling me?”
Zhou Anran didn’t bother with pleasantries and asked urgently: “Did he send me many gifts during high school?”
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.
Zhu Ran feigned ignorance: “What gifts?”
Zhou Anran’s voice was full of barely contained-tears: “My friend told me everything. That rose gold bracelet was from him, right?”
Zhu Ran was silent again for a moment: “So you know now.”
He sighed: “He told me not to tell you these things, but I always felt you should know. There are some things your friend probably doesn’t know. He came to see you many times in high school.”
Zhou Anran was stunned again.
Her throat felt even tighter as she struggled to ask: “He came to see me?”
Zhou Anran gripped her phone, and for some reason, suddenly remembered one time when she had invited Cen Yu and others out for a meal. While waiting for the green light at an intersection, she turned back and saw a figure that looked like him.
Dressed all in black, wearing a baseball cap.
At the time, she thought she had seen wrong because she missed him too much, or that it was just someone with a similar build.
But was it possible?
That person back then was him.
“Yes,” Zhu Ran said. “The last time was probably during your graduation summer break. We found out you were going to treat Yan Xingqian and the others to a meal. That day, I accompanied him to find you. He wanted to confess to you that day, but when we got there, we just happened to overhear you say you didn’t like him anymore.”
Zhou Anran’s mind went blank for a moment.
“That day—” she paused, “Did someone call out to him?”
Zhu Ran sounded surprised: “Yes, his aunt was also eating at that restaurant and unexpectedly called out to him when she saw him. Did you hear?”
Zhou Anran’s vision was completely blurred: “I thought it couldn’t possibly be him.”
Zhu Ran continued: “Then he was in a pretty bad mood that summer. He had originally planned to go on a trip with us but didn’t go, just staying at home reading books. When it was almost time for school to start, I couldn’t stand it anymore and called him out to play basketball. That day he was distracted the whole time and ended up spraining his ankle.”
Zhou Anran’s heart clenched.
No wonder he didn’t let Zhu Ran tell her that day. He hadn’t lied to her himself, just concealed a small part of the truth.
“Oh, right,” Zhu Ran seemed to remember something else. “He considered transferring to Wucheng back then. After all, his uncle’s family, which is your Senior Yu’s family, is in Wucheng, so he wouldn’t have had anywhere to stay. His mom didn’t stop him at the time, just asked him a few questions and told him to think it through carefully.”
“What questions?”
“She asked if he could be sure that his transfer would be touching to you rather than troublesome. She asked if he could guarantee that if his grades dropped because of the transfer, he wouldn’t resent you for it. She asked if he could guarantee he would like you for a lifetime, otherwise how could he dare to disturb you at such an important time as the second year of high school? She asked if he could guarantee it wouldn’t affect your grades.”
Zhu Ran paused.
“He said he could guarantee he would like you for a lifetime. He said he would never meet another girl who seemed too timid to even speak to him, yet would always stand up to protect him. But he wasn’t sure if it would affect your grades.”
*
At 6:10 PM, He Jiayi got off work and arrived home.
The living room was dark, looking as if no one was home.
He Jiayi thought for a moment and still walked to her daughter’s bedroom door. There was no light coming from inside as if no one was in the room either.
She still raised her hand and knocked on the door: “Anran.”
There was no response from inside.
He Jiayi turned the doorknob and saw a figure sitting motionlessly at the desk in the dim room, with a mess of things scattered on the desk.
If it weren’t for the faint light coming in from the window, and if it weren’t her own daughter whom she knew so well, He Jiayi might have been startled.
“Anran, you’re home, why didn’t you answer when mom knocked, and why didn’t you turn on the lights?”
He Jiayi said as she turned on the lights herself. Her eyes were first dazzled by the bright light, and then she saw that her daughter’s eyes were very red.
“What’s wrong, Anran? Why are you crying again? Is it related to that boy called Chen Luobai again? I was wondering why he’s downstairs again.”
Zhou Anran, who had been unable to reach him on the phone and had been crying in a daze, only came back to her senses when she heard the name “Chen Luobai”: “Mom, what did you say? He’s downstairs?”
He Jiayi nodded: “Yes.”
“You didn’t see wrong?” Zhou Anran suddenly stood up from her chair.
He Jiayi: “With his outstanding appearance, it would be hard to mistake him for someone else—”
Zhou Anran no longer had the patience to listen to her finish. She grabbed her phone and was about to go out: “Mom, I’ll talk to you later. I need to go find him first.”
He Jiayi held her back: “Wait.”
Seeing her daughter’s reaction, it didn’t seem like she had been hurt by him again. He Jiayi’s suspicions instantly reversed.
“Are you two together now?”
Zhou Anran made an “mm” sound, no longer hiding it. He had done so much for her in secret, how could she not have the courage to be honest with her parents?
“I’ll explain to you later, okay? I have something urgent I need to discuss with him.”
“Anran,” He Jiayi paused, “He came to look for you before.”
Zhou Anran was suddenly stunned: “What did you say?”
Some details she hadn’t noticed before slowly sank in.
For example, how did her mom recognize him?
For example, her mom had just said, “I was wondering why he’s downstairs again.”
He Jiayi: “He came to look for you once, on the day you transferred schools.”
Because she had taken Zhou Anran’s phone at that time, it was she who answered that boy’s call and went down to meet him.
That boy was indeed exceptionally good-looking, so even after several years, she recognized him at a glance today.
At that time, he was just wearing the No. 2 High School uniform, with no accessories except for a watch he used to check the time.
But she had a boastful sister-in-law, so she could tell at a glance that his watch and sneakers were both quite expensive.
Those shoes were a limited edition that her sister-in-law wanted to buy for her son but couldn’t get.
But that boy showed no trace of the arrogance typical of rich kids. His tone was exceptionally polite as he asked if he could see her daughter.
What did she say to him then?
“What can you do if you see her now? Don’t blame auntie for being direct, but I’ve raised my daughter to this age, and last night was the first time I’ve seen her cry so miserably.”
“You’re in your second year of high school now, which is the most crucial stage. Auntie can see that your family background is good. Your future doesn’t depend on how many points you get in the college entrance exam, you have many options. But for Anran to get into the experimental class at No. 2 High School and maintain her steadily improving grades, it’s the result of her waking up at five or six every morning. I don’t want all her efforts to be in vain.”
“She’s a girl, so finding a job in the future will definitely be relatively more difficult. Moreover, we only have this one child. Her father and I won’t be able to protect her for a lifetime, and she doesn’t have any siblings to help her. We still hope she can get into a better university if possible, so she can have better skills to support herself in the future.”
*
Chen Luobai had turned his phone to silent mode in the afternoon. When he finally turned it on, he found nearly 60 missed calls.
More than 30 of them were from Zhou Anran.
The remaining 20-plus were from Zhu Ran.
His heart skipped a beat. Zhou Anran had never called him so many times at once before.
And this was even knowing that he was out on a business trip today.
Afraid that something had happened, Chen Luobai’s fingers trembled a bit as they hovered over her number, about to call back, when Zhu Ran’s call suddenly came in again.
Thinking that these two people calling him so many times during the same period must be about the same thing, Chen Luobai quickly answered.
Zhu Ran’s voice sounded a bit urgent, and obviously a bit guilty: “Um, Chen Luobai, I need to tell you something. Zhou Anran somehow found out from her friend that all those gifts were from you, so I went ahead and told her everything else too. She was crying the whole time when she called me, and I don’t know how she is now. You’d better go comfort her quickly.”
After saying this, as if afraid of being scolded, he immediately hung up.
Chen Luobai felt an urge to go back to Nancheng and drag him out for a beating.
However, confirming that it was his own past actions that had been exposed, and not that something else had happened to her, he still felt slightly relieved.
Chen Luobai didn’t bother dealing with Zhu Ran anymore. The most urgent matter now was to comfort his girlfriend.
Chen Luobai was about to call her back immediately when his eyes suddenly caught sight of a metro station downstairs. He tucked his phone back into his pocket, returned to the office to inform the lawyer who had brought him there, and then hurriedly went downstairs.
It would only take 20 minutes by metro from here to the station near Zhou Anran’s home.
However, Chen Luobai felt that every minute and second passed excruciatingly slowly. Midway through, he thought about calling her first to comfort her, but feared that like the previous two times, the more he tried to console her, the harder she would cry. Over the phone, he couldn’t do much, and during the rush hour, the metro was particularly crowded, making it impossible for him to even take out his phone.
When he finally got off the train, Chen Luobai took out his phone, only to find that the screen wouldn’t light up at all.
He had left in a hurry this afternoon and hadn’t had time to charge it. The phone was most likely out of battery.
Chen Luobai entered a convenience store at the foot of her apartment building, bought two bottles of drinks, and then borrowed a charger from the shopkeeper.
As soon as the screen lit up, he immediately turned on the phone, went to the call log, and dialed her number.
The convenience store owner, a middle-aged woman, saw this and reminded him, “Young man, they say on the internet that it’s dangerous to make calls while charging. It might explode.”
Chen Luobai didn’t even bother to look up: “Don’t worry, I won’t talk for long. I’m just calling someone to come down.”
The store owner, having seen many people come and go, instantly guessed, “Meeting your girlfriend?”
Chen Luobai gave an affirmative “Mm.”
The call connected quickly, and he composed himself, hearing the girl ask with an obvious crying tone, “Where are you?”
Chen Luobai comforted her briefly over the phone, gave her his location, then unplugged the charging cable, thanked the store owner, and went to wait for her under a tree at the entrance of the residential complex.
Soon, he saw the girl hurriedly running out from inside.
The temperature in Wu City was only about 7 degrees Celsius today, and she hadn’t even worn an outer coat, just rushing out in a sweater.
Chen Luobai unzipped his down jacket and opened his arms to her.
Zhou Anran crashed into his embrace. She had run out so hastily that Chen Luobai, focused on checking if she had been crying, was unusually pushed back a step.
He wrapped her tightly in his down jacket, raised his head to touch her cheek, and indeed felt a handful of tears.
Chen Luobai regretted not buying a pack of tissues earlier; she was crying so hard that her hands couldn’t wipe the tears clean.
He lowered his head to kiss the corner of her eye, tasting the salty flavor of tears.
“Baby, don’t cry anymore,” Chen Luobai comforted her in a low voice.
Zhou Anran had actually calmed down earlier, but upon seeing him, she couldn’t help but start crying again for some reason.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Chen Luobai was still gently wiping her tears with the back of his hand, his voice low.
“I felt there wasn’t much to say about it.”
“After all, I was the one who wrote that love letter, and Zong Kai put it in your English book because he wanted to make Yin Yizhen give up on me. Your sudden transfer was partly my responsibility, so having someone look after you was something I should have done. Telling you about it would have seemed like I was bragging about doing what I should have done.”
“As for sending you gifts… using your trust in a good friend wasn’t exactly an honorable tactic.”
“What about the foot injury?” Zhou Anran asked again.
Chen Luobai could guess what Zhu Ran had said, and the urge to drag him out and beat him up surfaced again: “The foot injury really had nothing to do with you. Who doesn’t get injured playing basketball? It was almost time for school to start, and I was already prepared to pursue you when school began. I was in a bad mood at the beginning of summer vacation, but I wasn’t that fragile.”
Zhou Anran’s voice choked with sobs: “What if I had never found out?”
“But you did find out, didn’t you?” Chen Luobai’s hands were wet from her tears, and his heart felt tight. “Please stop crying, okay? If you cry anymore, I’ll think you’re regretting it.”
Zhou Anran’s crying paused: “Regretting what?”
Chen Luobai looked down at her: “Regretting that you used to see me through rose-colored glasses, and now you’ve discovered that Chen Luobai, apart from being decent-looking and having good grades, is just an ordinary person full of flaws. Someone who uses your trust in friends to achieve his own selfish desires, who’s petty, bad-tempered, and always bullying you. Actually, there’s nothing really likeable about me.”
Zhou Anran quickly shook her head: “That’s not true.”
“What’s not true?” Chen Luobai asked.
Zhou Anran replied without thinking: “It’s not rose-colored glasses, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you now. I still like you very much.”
Chen Luobai’s motion of wiping her tears suddenly paused.
Of course, he knew she liked him.
Whether it was the way she looked at him or the things she did for him, everything pointed to this fact.
But her personality was too reserved; she wasn’t used to expressing her feelings even in everyday conversation, let alone saying words of love. He hadn’t expected her to ever say it out loud.
“What did you just say?”
Zhou Anran, wrapped in his down jacket, tugged at the sweater inside his coat.
He was right when he confessed to her that time.
Some things should be said to him properly at least once.
“You asked me last time what I was if not obedient, right?”
Chen Luobai felt he already knew the answer, but still gently asked along with her words: “So what is it?”
Zhou Anran hugged his waist, suppressing her shyness, and looked up at him.
“Because I really, really like you.”
“That day at the restaurant when I told Qianqian and the others that I didn’t like you anymore, that wasn’t true. I was afraid they would worry, and I was also afraid of causing you any more trouble.”
“From the moment I first saw you at the high school enrollment, I’ve liked you until now, without stopping for a single second, and without regretting it for a single moment.”
Chen Luobai’s heart melted instantly. He let go of the down jacket and put his hands on her waist, hugging her tightly for a moment before speaking softly: “Then that’s all that matters.”
Zhou Anran didn’t understand immediately: “What matters?”
Chen Luobai: “You liked me before, you like me now, and you’ll continue to like me in the future, right?”
Zhou Anran nodded.
Chen Luobai gently touched the corner of her eye, which seemed to have finally dried. He let out a heavy sigh of relief, the corner of his mouth curling up: “Then what’s there to cry about if I secretly send some gifts to my future wife?”
Zhou Anran: “…?”
Wait a minute?
His future what?
“Can’t you be serious for once?”
Chen Luobai chuckled again: “How am I not being serious? Didn’t you just admit that you’ll continue to like me in the future? Are you going back on your word now?”
Zhou Anran: “…”
She puffed out her cheeks: “Anyway, I can never win an argument with you.”
Chen Luobai: “How can you say you never win an argument with me?”
Zhou Anran: “?”
Chen Luobai pinched her cheek: “If you act cute with me, I’ll be completely defeated.”