After applying the bandage, Zhou Anran stepped back from him, knowing she should say goodbye now. The longer she stayed with him, the greater the chance of exposing herself. Yet it was so rare to have this opportunity to be alone with him, and she was reluctant to leave.
Moreover, the image of his gloomy mood today was still imprinted in her mind.
She also hadn’t forgotten why she had left her test papers in the classroom.
After hesitating for two seconds, Zhou Anran lowered her head and spoke: “Can I ask you a question?”
Chen Luobai, still feeling the lingering itch on his elbow where she had touched him through the bandage, barely came back to his senses at her words. “What is it?”
Zhou Anran asked, “Why is Doraemon’s world all dark?”
Chen Luobai: “?”
“Why?”
Zhou Anran clenched her fist and held it up in front of him: “Because Doraemon can’t see his fingers when he stretches out his hand!”
Chen Luobai: “…”
Zhou Anran waited for a second, but when he didn’t respond, she couldn’t help but peek up at him. Sure enough, she saw a clear expression of exasperation on the handsome boy’s face. She felt a bit regretful.
Did he dislike cold jokes, or did he just think this one wasn’t funny enough? If only she had memorized more jokes when Yan Xingqian told them to her.
Zhou Anran lowered her head again, wracking her brain for other ways to cheer him up when suddenly she heard his voice.
“You noticed I was unhappy?”
Zhou Anran’s heart skipped a beat.
He was truly perceptive.
If he hadn’t been completely oblivious to her before, she probably would have given herself away hundreds of times already tonight.
Zhou Anran nodded: “You comforted me that day on the rooftop too.”
Chen Luobai lowered his gaze and saw the hand she had just held up in front of him now hanging at her side, still clenched in a fist. It was small and delicate, appearing snow-white against the black of her skirt.
Her joke just now was indeed cold, but her unexpected appearance before him today had indeed distracted him quite a bit.
“I said more than just one comforting thing that day, didn’t I?”
Zhou Anran: “?”
She couldn’t help but look up at him again.
Chen Luobai jerked his chin towards the playground: “Want to walk over there with me?”
Zhou Anran’s heart was once again filled with surprise.
But whether it was because her attempts at comfort were truly terrible or not, the boy in front of her not only hadn’t been amused by her joke just now, but his jawline had tensed up again, seeming to return to that gloomy state.
She didn’t think about why he had asked this question, nor did she worry about exposing herself.
He had helped her many times; she wanted to help him once too.
Zhou Anran gave him a slight nod.
Now it was Chen Luobai’s turn to be truly surprised.
“Zhou Anran,” he looked down at her, “That day I just handed you a pack of tissues, I didn’t cast a spell on you or anything.”
Zhou Anran: “…”
It was easy to give herself away.
“But I was truly grateful to you that day.”
His appearance before her to help her then had further convinced her that she hadn’t fallen for the wrong person.
Even though she had mistakenly believed he already liked someone else, and sadness and regret had mingled in her heart, she had never once regretted liking him.
She lowered her head and kicked at a small pebble by her foot, continuing to make excuses: “Otherwise, it would have affected my exam the next day.”
Chen Luobai remembered how that day when he told her to skip class, she had only cried harder. He couldn’t help but smile: “You are a good student.”
Zhou Anran: “…”
Chen Luobai bent down to pick up the basketball from the ground: “Let’s go.”
On the way to the playground, Chen Luobai didn’t say anything. Zhou Anran wasn’t very good at comforting people, so she didn’t speak either. He had asked her to walk with him, so she would just walk with him.
She silently followed beside him, lowering her head to take out her phone and send a message to Mrs. He, saying she had run into a classmate at school and would be back a little later.
When they reached the playground and their feet stepped onto the rubber track, Zhou Anran finally heard the boy’s voice again.
“My parents are planning to divorce.”
Zhou Anran was stunned, her footsteps suddenly stopping.
Chen Luobai saw that she had finally raised her head to look at him again, her almond eyes wide and round. He couldn’t help but smile again.
He turned to face her, one hand holding the basketball, the other in his pocket, walking backward: “No need to be so shocked. It’s probably not as dramatic as you’re imagining. They’re just both getting busier, and they both have strong personalities, so they’re becoming more and more incompatible.”
“I wasn’t…” Zhou Anran shook her head, continuing to follow him forward. Seeing that his smile didn’t reach his eyes, she couldn’t help but clumsily try to comfort him, “They love you so much, they might not go through with the divorce.”
Chen Luobai raised an eyebrow slightly: “How do you know they love me?”
Zhou Anran: “…”
It felt like a game of whack-a-mole.
Her feelings for him and her understanding of him, if she pushed them down here, would inevitably pop up somewhere else. She just couldn’t hide them well.
Because you’re always smiling, and even though you seem arrogant, the good upbringing in your bones is unmistakable. You must have grown up in a very good family environment.
“Because—” Zhou Anran tugged at her backpack strap, trying to push down this mole as well, “If they didn’t love you, you wouldn’t be so upset about their divorce, right?”
Chen Luobai: “That’s true.”
Afraid he might overthink it, Zhou Anran quickly changed the subject: “Actually, I almost transferred schools this semester.”
“Almost transferred?” Chen Luobai stopped in his tracks.
Zhou Anran nodded: “During the summer vacation, my dad had a great job opportunity in another city. They promised that if he agreed to go, they would help solve my mom’s job situation and my school transfer as well.”
Chen Luobai looked down at the girl in front of him.
He and she weren’t that close, and he wasn’t sure why he had told her about this.
Maybe it was because tonight, Zong Kai had just happened to bring Yin Yizhen along, Zhu Ran had just happened to be late, and he had just happened to be troubled by this.
And she had just happened to appear before him.
It seemed like everything had just happened to fall into place.
But if she had transferred schools this semester, then their interaction would probably have ended with that “See you next semester” he had said to her at the end of last term.
It turned out they had almost not seen each other this semester.
“Your dad gave up in the end?”
Zhou Anran nodded again: “He probably thought that since I’m introverted, it would take a long time for me to adapt to a new environment in a strange school, which would affect my studies. Parents always seem willing to make compromises for us.”
Chen Luobai continued walking backward, still looking at her: “But after compromising, they might not necessarily be happy.”
Zhou Anran pressed her lips together, but still said softly: “I felt guilty about it too, thinking I was selfish. I had overheard them talking, and I could have gone to tell them not to worry about me. But I couldn’t guarantee 100% that my grades wouldn’t be affected after transferring, just like they couldn’t guarantee that changing jobs would be a good thing. Since your parents are only planning to divorce, it means they’re still hesitating, right? They probably haven’t decided that divorce will be better than the current situation, have they?”
Chen Luobai looked at her, suddenly laughing lightly again. This time, the smile finally reached his eyes a little: “Looks like you’ve become more familiar with me. You said such a long speech while looking at me.”
Zhou Anran: “…?”
Why was he suddenly teasing her?
Her ears inexplicably grew hot again.
Chen Luobai watched as a faint blush colored her fair cheeks, feeling something stir lightly in his heart. He was about to say something when Zhu Ran’s voice suddenly came from behind.
“Chen Luobai.”
Zhu Ran ran over, still a short distance away when he started rambling: “Why did you come here? I messaged you but you didn’t reply. Hey, why is there a girl next to you? Wait, Zhou Anran?! Are you two—”
Zhou Anran, afraid Zhu Ran might misunderstand and tease them, which would displease him, quickly interrupted: “We just happened to run into each other.”
Chen Luobai raised an eyebrow, giving her a faint glance.
Zhu Ran hadn’t thought much of it, obviously believing this was the most likely possibility.
He stopped and looked directly at Chen Luobai: “Why are you alone? Where’s Zong Kai?”
Chen Luobai: “He brought Yin Yizhen.”
Zhu Ran frowned: “Is he sick? He—”
As he spoke, he remembered Zhou Anran was still beside them and swallowed the rest of his words.
At that moment, Chen Luobai’s phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
He took out his phone and answered the call.
Zhou Anran didn’t know what was said on the other end, but she saw the boy’s expression change instantly, showing a panic she had never seen before.
The orange-red basketball fell from between his arms and rolled a few times, while he had already run several meters away.
Zhu Ran picked up the basketball he had dropped and hurried after him.
Zhou Anran snapped out of her daze and quickly followed.
Chen Luobai ran out of the school gate. There were no taxis in sight, so he lowered his head to open a ride-hailing app.
Zhu Ran, holding the basketball, ran to his side: “What happened, Luo?”
Chen Luobai didn’t look up: “Help me flag down a taxi first.”
Zhu Ran knew there must be some emergency, so he didn’t ask further. He looked up to check for taxis, and just then, a taxi with a lit “Empty” sign drove by.
“A car’s coming.”
Chen Luobai exited the ride-hailing app where he hadn’t finished entering the address and raised his hand to hail the taxi.
Zhu Ran seemed to remember something: “Oh, right, Zhou Anran followed us here too.”
Chen Luobai paused slightly and turned his head.
Zhou Anran had just run up behind him. Her white T-shirt and black skirt outlined the young girl’s already subtly graceful figure. Her chest was heaving heavily, probably from running too fast. She leaned on her waist, coughing several times, her fair face flushing red.
“Why did you come out too?”
Zhou Anran was panting hard: “Did something happen? Do you need my help?”
The taxi stopped in front of them.
Chen Luobai had no time to think or explain further. He opened the car door, pulled the girl beside him in, and got into the back seat himself.
Zhu Ran, no longer in the mood to tease, quickly opened the front passenger door.
The taxi driver turned his head: “Where to?”
“Sheng Yuan Tower A,” Chen Luobai’s voice couldn’t hide his anxiety. “Please hurry, there’s a fire there.”
Zhu Ran suddenly turned his head: “Is it Aunt Fang’s law firm that’s on fire?”
Chen Luobai closed his eyes briefly and made an affirmative sound.
Zhou Anran’s heart tightened.
The driver didn’t ask any more questions and immediately started the car. Zhou Anran watched the scenery rapidly receding outside the window and the boy’s tightly drawn profile. She wanted to comfort him somehow but felt that anything she said now would be in vain.
She bit her lip, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She quickly opened her map app, searched for the desired result, and handed it to him, saying softly: “Try not to worry too much. The nearest fire station to Sheng Yuan is only about 800 meters away. They’ll respond very quickly.”
Chen Luobai lowered his head to look at the content on the phone, then raised his eyes, his gaze meeting a pair of eyes full of concern.
Er Zhong was close to Sheng Yuan, and the driver was familiar with the route. Avoiding several intersections with long wait times, they quickly arrived at their destination.
Zhu Ran paid for the ride in advance.
As soon as the taxi stopped, the three got out.
A conspicuous fire truck was parked in front of Sheng Yuan Center Tower A, with a circle of people standing around. Many were dressed relatively formally, likely white-collar workers who had been working overtime and were forced to stop due to the fire, stranded downstairs.
Chen Luobai immediately spotted the law firm’s people.
He ran over and called out to a middle-aged woman: “Aunt Zhang, how’s the situation at the law firm? Is the fire serious? Where’s my mom?”
The woman he called “Aunt Zhang” turned around: “Luobai, what do you mean how serious is the fire at the law firm? The law firm didn’t burn. It was the floor below the law firm that caught fire. The fire truck arrived in time, nothing major happened.”
She paused as if remembering something: “Your dad called you to come, right? He just called the law firm looking for your mom, and I answered. I told him there was a fire downstairs at the law firm, but he misheard it as the law firm being on fire. He rushed over just as anxiously as you did. He’s over there with your mom now.”
Aunt Zhang raised her hand to point in their direction.
Zhou Anran looked where she was pointing and saw a tall man holding a woman in a suit in his arms.
“Luo,” Zhu Ran quietly withdrew his gaze, “I have a feeling your parents’ divorce might not happen.”
Chen Luobai stared fixedly at the two people still embracing in the distance for two seconds, then couldn’t help but turn his head and laugh: “Let’s go.”
“Where to?” Zhu Ran asked.
“There’s a good place across the street,” Chen Luobai jerked his chin towards the opposite side, his gaze falling on the girl following behind them, his voice inexplicably softening, “Are you in a hurry to get home? If not, can I treat you to a late-night snack?”
Zhou Anran, suddenly reminded of the time by his question, quickly took out her phone from her bag. Sure enough, she saw that He Jiayi had messaged asking why she wasn’t home yet.
She suppressed the longing in her heart and shook her head at him: “My mom is urging me to go home.”
“Where do you live?” Chen Luobai asked.
Zhou Anran: “?”
The boy had his hands in his pockets, the corner of his mouth curled up, and his mood improved: “You came to help me, I can’t let you go back alone, can I?”
Was he…
Offering to send her home?
Zhou Anran’s heart started racing again.
Once again, she found herself quite helplessly unable to refuse him.
She clutched her phone and softly told him an address.
“It’s not far,” Chen Luobai pointed his chin towards where they had just gotten out of the car. “Let’s go.”
Zhu Ran watched the back-and-forth between these two as if they had completely forgotten there was still a living person like him beside them: “Wait, what about me?”
Chen Luobai slowly turned his head to look at him, as if finally remembering there was still another person: “You go eat at the shop across the street first. I’ll come find you after I send her home.”
Zhu Ran’s gaze moved back and forth between the two of them a couple of times, his tone becoming meaningful: “Alright, take your time. Just remember to come back and pay the bill for me.”
The three parted ways.
Zhu Ran went to the underground passage in front to cross the street, while Zhou Anran and Chen Luobai hailed a taxi at the roadside.
After get
ting in, the taxi drove in the direction they had come from.
But now, without the urgency of before, Zhou Anran didn’t feel comfortable staring directly at him, so she just turned her head to look out the window on her side.
The light in the car was dim, the window faintly reflecting the handsome profile of the boy.
Outside, the scenery receded, neon lights and street lamps drawing strips of colorful light on the car window.
It was like a bizarre dream.
And the boy she liked was right here in her dream.
Chen Luobai was in her dream.
Neither of them spoke the whole way, until the driver’s voice broke the silence: “Is it here? Which entrance should I stop at?”
Zhou Anran came back to her senses. She had been secretly watching him in the car window the whole time, and only now realized that the buildings outside were already very familiar. They had already arrived at her neighborhood.
Why was this journey so short?
“It’s here, you can stop at the main entrance up ahead.”
All dreams must end.
She didn’t know if next week when they returned to school, they would go back to being almost strangers again.
Thinking of this, Zhou Anran couldn’t help but glance at him.
The boy happened to turn his head to look at her at that moment, catching her gaze.
Zhou Anran’s heart skipped a big beat.
But it was only proper to say goodbye to him before getting out of the car, so she tried to stay calm and didn’t look away.
Chen Luobai didn’t seem to think much of it either, only asking in a low voice: “We’re here?”
Zhou Anran nodded.
The driver happened to stop the car at that moment.
Chen Luobai put his hand on the door handle: “Shall I walk you in?”
Zhou Anran almost nodded again.
But thinking about how his emotions had been up and down tonight, it would be better for him to go back and rest early. Besides, if he walked her in and they ran into neighbors, it would be hard to explain to her parents.
She still reluctantly shook her head: “No need. You should go back and rest early. My neighborhood is very lively at this time, with lots of parents taking their kids to play downstairs, and many aunties and grandmas doing square dancing.”
Chen Luobai turned his head to look at her.
As if she liked the scene she had just described, a faint dimple appeared at the corner of the girl’s lips, making her look both obedient and sweet.
Chen Luobai’s fingers on the door handle paused for a moment, then withdrew: “Alright.”
Zhou Anran put the backpack she had been holding back on her shoulders: “Then I’ll get out now.”
As she said this and pushed open the car door, she heard the boy suddenly call her name.
“Zhou Anran.”
This was the third time tonight she had heard him call her name, and it still felt a bit like a dream.
Zhou Anran turned back, her gaze meeting the boy’s smiling black eyes.
Chen Luobai took his hand out of his pocket, waving his phone at her, his voice reaching her ears in a low tone: “Add me on WeChat?”