Sweet Campus Romance: The Candy Box and the Top Student

The Candy Box and the Gentle Little Moments with the Top Student

Su Ruan's Candy Box sits in an alley between two universities. Its pale pink sign hangs beneath a plane tree, swaying in the breeze and glowing with a sugary sweetness. She always opens at six in the morning. The faint scar between the thumb and forefinger of her left hand stands out whenever she kneads dough. She got it last year while making caramel sauce, and now it's become a little signature of the shop.

Every evening at six, Gu Yan pushes open the glass door right on time. He's the top student at the neighboring university of technology, carrying a faded backpack. He always says the same five succinct words: “Tiramisu, to go.” When Su Ruan hands him the box, she secretly slips in a little note. Sometimes it says, “Today's perfect with hot milk,” and other times, “If you're tired of coding, remember to look up at the clouds.”

They first really spoke on a day of torrential rain. Su Ruan was carrying the outdoor display stand back into the shop, unable to keep her eyes open against the rain, when a black umbrella suddenly appeared over her head. Gu Yan said little. He bent down, picked up the stand, and carried it inside. They squeezed in behind the cash register, the cramped space filled with the damp smell of rain and the sweet fragrance of cake. As Su Ruan handed him hot cocoa, her hand slipped, spilling the brown liquid over the back of his hand. She hurried to apologize, but he only said softly, “Next time it rains, I'll help you bring it in.”

Later, Su Ruan noticed that Gu Yan always stayed in the shop for a while, frowning at his computer as he coded. She quietly developed a low-sugar nut Basque cheesecake and stuck a note on the box that read “For the Top Student.” When Gu Yan took it, the tips of his ears turned red. The next day, he came with a notebook in hand. “The cake was delicious. This... is for keeping the shop accounts.”

The Moment I Truly Fell for Him