Zhou Anran’s face flushed as she recalled his request from earlier that evening. Was he suggesting she try being on top? All her melancholy suddenly vanished.
“You’re using that trick again,” Zhou Anran glared at him.
Chen Luobai grinned, pinching her cheek. “It works, doesn’t it?”
Zhou Anran was speechless.
“I want to keep looking at the photo album,” she said.
Seeing her mood had improved, though her face was still quite red, Chen Luobai chuckled. “Come, lean back against the pillow. I’ll look through it with you.”
Zhou Anran glanced at him, then obediently snuggled back into his arms once he was lying down.
Because he had affected her mood, Zhou Anran no longer felt sad as she continued browsing. Occasionally, Chen Luobai would comment on an interesting anecdote from when he’d visited her on a particular day.
As she flipped through the photos, Zhou Anran felt like she was seeing her high school self secretly observing him. Only now, their roles were reversed in these images.
After turning through about a dozen more photos, her finger paused.
“You even took a picture of this?” she asked.
The new photo showed her with the hairstyle that Yuan Xinyue had once described as “not much better than a bowl cut.”
Chen Luobai glanced down. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s so ugly,” Zhou Anran said, her toes curling in embarrassment.
Chen Luobai looked carefully at the photo on the phone again. “What’s ugly about it? I think it’s quite cute.”
“How is it cute?” Zhou Anran turned to look at him pleadingly. “Can you please delete it?”
“No,” Chen Luobai refused.
Zhou Anran fell silent.
After a moment, she gently hooked her finger around his and gave it a small shake.
Chen Luobai’s gaze lingered on her delicate white hand for an instant, his eyebrow quirking slightly. “What’s this about?”
Zhou Anran felt a bit embarrassed, but she really didn’t want to see that hairstyle again. She spoke softly, “Didn’t you say that if I acted coy with you, you’d agree to anything?”
Chen Luobai found her utterly adorable, her face all scrunched up like she couldn’t bear to look at the photo for even a second longer. He glanced at the image on the phone screen again. “But the Zhou Anran in the photo is also acting coy with me, asking me not to delete it. What should I do?”
Zhou Anran immediately let go of his hand.
“As if,” she retorted.
Back then, she had been so focused on her studies that she’d only give herself a quick glance in the mirror before heading out. If she’d looked any longer, she definitely would have been horrified by how ugly she looked.
Chen Luobai hugged her and laughed. “If you disliked this hairstyle so much, why didn’t you fix it after getting it cut?”
Zhou Anran mumbled, “…I didn’t know you’d be coming to see me then.”
Chen Luobai was taken aback for a moment, then his smile widened. “There were so many boys at your school. Wasn’t there a single one you cared about?”
Zhou Anran hadn’t expected the topic to suddenly turn in this direction. Though she was a bit annoyed at his refusal, she didn’t want him to feel needlessly jealous. “Why would I care about other boys?”
Chen Luobai’s heart melted. “Do you really want me to delete it?”
Zhou Anran nodded.
“Alright,” Chen Luobai said, taking the phone from her hands.
Zhou Anran watched as he selected all those photos at once.
Perhaps because their senior year had truly been busy, and their class schedules mostly overlapped, he hadn’t been able to visit her often—roughly once every two months. The photos seemed numerous because he’d taken several each time.
There were shots of her leaving the school gates with Chen Yu and the others, and of her buying milk tea at a shop.
Outside the school gates, people came and went, but in every photo on his phone, she was the sole focus.
Each picture was evidence of a time he had secretly accompanied her.
Zhou Anran watched as his hand hovered in the air, as if reluctant to delete them. But because he had promised her, his finger finally moved downward—
Just before he confirmed the deletion, Zhou Anran stopped him again.
“Never mind,” she said.
“Why the change of heart?” Chen Luobai looked up.
Zhou Anran wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. “I just changed my mind.”
Zhou Anran had already been feeling drowsy before looking at the photos. After finishing, she chatted quietly with Chen Luobai for a while before her eyelids grew heavy and drooped.
Noticing the sudden silence from the person in his arms, Chen Luobai called out very softly, “Ran Ran.”
The young woman lay quietly on his shoulder, looking particularly docile as she slept.
Chen Luobai gently brushed away the hair stuck to her cheek and reached out to turn off the light. Just as he was about to switch off his phone, Zhu Ran suddenly called. The ringtone rang out jarringly in the extremely quiet bedroom.
Zhou Anran seemed disturbed by the noise and nuzzled his shoulder.
Chen Luobai hung up the call and gently patted her back with his other hand.
Just as the young woman settled down again, Zhu Ran immediately called a second time.
This time, Zhou Anran was truly woken up. She seemed very sleepy, unable to open her eyes, and spoke in a muffled voice with a slight nasal tone, “Who is it?”
Chen Luobai hung up the call again and quickly switched his phone to silent mode. “Zhu Ran.”
“Maybe it’s something urgent,” Zhou Anran said, eyes still closed, nuzzling his shoulder again. “You should answer it.”
“Ignore him,” Chen Luobai said, his voice exceptionally low. “Go back to sleep.”
Zhou Anran was really tired. As soon as the ringtone stopped, she drifted off again.
Chen Luobai glanced at his phone. Zhu Ran’s third call was already coming in.
He hung up again and sent a WeChat message.
C: [This better be really urgent]
The reply came quickly.
Zhu Ran: [It’s not that urgent]
Zhu Ran: [Just wanted to let you know to get ready]
Zhu Ran: [You might be calling me brother-in-law soon]
Chen Luobai: “…”
C: [Get lost]
Since they had planned to take the next day off, neither Zhou Anran nor Chen Luobai set an alarm. They slept until eleven before getting up. After lunch, the two sat in the living room to watch a movie.
Just as the opening credits finished, Chen Luobai’s phone on the coffee table rang again.
The caller ID showed Zhu Ran.
Chen Luobai picked up the phone with an expressionless face and hung up without a moment’s hesitation.
A few seconds later.
Zhu Ran called again.
Chen Luobai hung up once more.
His phone finally quieted down, but not two seconds later, Zhou Anran’s phone started ringing.
The caller ID still showed Zhu Ran.
Chen Luobai narrowed his eyes, picked up her phone, and hung up as well.
Zhou Anran blinked. “Could he have something urgent?”
“What urgent business could he possibly have?” Chen Luobai tossed both phones to the side of the sofa.
Zhou Anran vaguely remembered what had happened before she fell asleep the night before. “Didn’t he call you several times last night too?”
Chen Luobai casually replied with an “Mm,” then added, “Said to get ready to call him brother-in-law.”
Zhou Anran’s eyes suddenly widened. “He… he and Sister Qin are together? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Don’t know if they’re together or not,” Chen Luobai said, finding her shocked and slightly dazed expression particularly adorable. He reached out to pull her into his arms. “I didn’t bother with him.”
Zhou Anran settled onto his lap, still feeling surprised. “Does Sister Qin like him too?”
Chen Luobai replied, “At least she doesn’t dislike him. Otherwise, my sister definitely wouldn’t have let a chatterbox like him hang around her for so many years.”
Zhou Anran put her arms around his neck, her mind flashing back to Yu Bingqin’s incredibly cool demeanor as she left the night before. “It’s a bit hard to imagine what Sister Qin would be like in a relationship.”
Chen Luobai reached up to pinch her face. “Why are you so concerned about her?”
Zhou Anran was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh. “Why are you always jealous of Sister Qin?”
“Because your eyes always light up whenever you mention her,” Chen Luobai said, pinching her face again. “If I had known, I would have picked you up myself when A University started.”
Zhou Anran’s lips curved into a smile. Seeing that he really seemed a bit upset about it, she couldn’t resist leaning in to kiss him.
Chen Luobai raised an eyebrow slightly. “What’s this for?”
Zhou Anran tugged at the shoulder of his T-shirt, her face slightly flushed. “Will you stop being jealous?”
Chen Luobai’s lips also quirked up, but he quickly suppressed it. “No good. You can’t always use the same trick to coax me. To show your sincerity, shouldn’t you at least use your tongue?”
The tips of Zhou Anran’s ears grew hot. Hearing the phone still ringing, she turned her head away. “Answer the call first. He wouldn’t call me if it wasn’t important to you.”
Chen Luobai’s gaze lingered on her lips for a second before he reached for the phone and handed it to her.
Zhou Anran took it, inwardly sighing in relief.
The next moment, she heard him add unhurriedly, “We’ll settle the score after the call.”
Zhou Anran: “…”
Zhou Anran pretended not to hear and answered Zhu Ran’s call.
Chen Luobai casually turned on the speakerphone.
Zhu Ran’s voice immediately came through: “Zhou Anran, did Sister Qin say anything to you when she left?”
Zhou Anran was puzzled for a moment. “You mean last night?”
“No,” Zhu Ran said, “I mean this morning.”
Zhou Anran replied, “No, she told us early on not to see her off at the airport or say goodbye.”
Otherwise, she and Chen Luobai would have gotten up to see her off this morning.
Zhu Ran fell silent for a moment.
Chen Luobai then leisurely interjected, “What’s the matter? She didn’t even leave a word for you when she left this morning?”
On the other end of the phone, Zhu Ran was silent again.
Chen Luobai’s lips curled into a smirk, his tone clearly gloating: “Who was it that couldn’t sleep last night and messaged me to get ready to call him brother-in-law?”
Zhu Ran exploded instantly: “I called Zhou Anran. Why are you eavesdropping?”
Chen Luobai chuckled again, seemingly more pleased the more agitated Zhu Ran became: “So you do know you’re calling my girlfriend. If you were calling someone else, I wouldn’t even bother listening.”
Zhu Ran obviously couldn’t be bothered with him anymore and changed his focus: “Zhou Anran, can I treat you to a late-night snack tonight?”
Chen Luobai: “No.”
“I’m asking Zhou Anran,” Zhu Ran was clearly irritated by him again. “What does it have to do with you?”
Chen Luobai laughed: “How is it not my business when you’re inviting my girlfriend out for no reason?”
Zhu Ran: “Who says I don’t have a reason? I need Zhou Anran’s help with something.”
Somehow, perhaps out of habit from high school, Zhou Anran had always enjoyed watching them bicker. At this point, she finally asked with a smile: “What do you need my help with?”
“Well—” Zhu Ran hesitated before speaking, “Tonight, when Sister Qin arrives there, could you ask her what she thinks for me?”
Chen Luobai interjected: “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
“It’s none of your business,” Zhu Ran repeated.
Chen Luobai couldn’t stop laughing: “Just say you don’t dare. It’s not like anyone doesn’t know what you’re like.”
Zhu Ran clearly didn’t want to engage with him anymore: “Zhou Anran, control your boyfriend.”
Zhou Anran couldn’t help but smile. She looked at the man holding her and mouthed: “Shall we go?”
Chen Luobai, his fingers playing with the ends of her hair, nodded.
“What time tonight?” Zhou Anran then asked Zhu Ran.
Zhu Ran’s tone brightened again: “So you agree. Is 10 PM okay? Sister Qin should arrive around 10:30.”
Zhou Anran agreed: “That works.”
After hanging up, Zhou Anran didn’t continue watching the movie. Instead, a certain someone spent the entire afternoon “settling scores” with her on the sofa.
In the evening, after showering, they had a simple dinner together before returning to the now-tidy sofa to finish the movie.
At 9:30 PM, Zhou Anran and Chen Luobai left to meet Zhu Ran.
At the late-night eatery, Zhu Ran ordered a table full of food but barely ate anything himself. He even talked less than usual.
As soon as it was past 10:30, Zhou Anran saw him looking at her expectantly: “Sister Qin should have landed. Can you ask her if she’s arrived?”
Zhou Anran nodded, put down her chopsticks, and opened WeChat to send Yu Bingqin a message: [Sister Qin, have you arrived?]
The reply came quickly.
Yu Bingqin: [I have]
Zhou Anran looked up at Zhu Ran: “She says she’s arrived. What do you want me to ask her?”
Zhu Ran hesitated for a moment: “Just directly ask her what she thinks for me.”
Zhou Anran lowered her head and sent another message: [Zhu Ran says you didn’t even call him when you left this morning. He wants me to ask what you think.]
Her phone chimed again shortly after.
Yu Bingqin: [Tell him to ask me himself]
Zhou Anran looked up and relayed the message to Zhu Ran.
Zhu Ran picked up his own phone, hesitating again, and muttered, “I should have asked you to call her. Can’t tell her tone from WeChat. Don’t know if she’s angry or not.”
Seeing his behavior, Chen Luobai snorted derisively: “Where’s that courage you had last night when you went to her apartment? You can’t even ask her directly now, yet you want to be my brother-in-law.”
“Who says I don’t dare?” Zhu Ran, still susceptible to provocation, stood up with his phone. “I’m stepping out for a bit.”
He closed the private room door from the outside.
Soon, it opened again.
When Zhu Ran left, his face was full of uncertainty. When he came back, he couldn’t hide his joy.
Zhou Anran was quite curious but didn’t feel it was appropriate to ask directly.
Chen Luobai, meanwhile, was focused on peeling shrimp for her, not even sparing Zhu Ran a glance.
It was Zhu Ran, unable to contain himself, who placed his phone on the table and said: “Aren’t you going to ask what she said to me?”
Chen Luobai casually looked up at him, placing the peeled shrimp in Zhou Anran’s bowl, and nonchalantly replied with two words: “Don’t want to.”
Zhu Ran: “…”
“Well, I don’t want to tell you anyway.”
Zhou Anran was indeed curious. Though Zhu Ran hadn’t said much, it wasn’t hard to guess that he must have stayed at Yu Bingqin’s apartment last night. Now, Zhu Ran was clearly struggling to keep the words from spilling out and seemed on the verge of being infuriated by her boyfriend. She ate the shrimp in her bowl and asked with a smile: “What did Sister Qin say to you?”
Zhu Ran: “She told me to visit her during the National Day holiday.”
Zhou Anran blinked: “Congratulations, then.”
Zhu Ran’s lips kept curving upwards: “Wait until we’ve officially confirmed our relationship before congratulating me.”
He glanced at Chen Luobai again: “By then, someone might really have to call me brother-in-law.”
Chen Luobai ignored him, turning to Zhou Anran and asking softly: “Are you still eating?”
Zhou Anran shook her head: “I’m full.”
Only then did Chen Luobai lazily look back at Zhu Ran: “Are you done talking? If so, I’m taking her home.”
Zhu Ran rolled his eyes: “You think I care to talk to you more? If it weren’t for Zhou Anran, you wouldn’t even be having this late-night snack. You should be grateful. You must have saved the galaxy in your past life to find such a good girlfriend.”
Chen Luobai’s lips curled into a smile: “You’re right about that.”
Zhu Ran, expecting him to argue back, was momentarily stunned: “What am I right about?”
Chen Luobai took hold of Zhou Anran’s hand: “I really did save the galaxy in my past life.”