Young Brave Hearts – CH 003

Chapter 3

Zhu Yunque always remembered that her story with Lu Rangchen began in 2013, when she was a high school sophomore.

That year, Shenzhou-10 successfully docked with Tiangong-1, Chang’e and Yutu flew to the moon, and Faye Wong and Li Yapeng suddenly announced their divorce, shocking the entire entertainment industry.

But for Zhu Yunque, these news stories were far less memorable than what happened that semester.

—In the first month after school started, she got the worst exam ever.

It was September.

The summer heat was still intense.

Zhu Yunque, suffering from both her period and heatstroke, took the exams in a daze for two days.

After the results were released, she plummeted from a stable top ten in Class B to a C-level ranking in the entire grade. This meant that with the class reshuffling next semester, she would likely be placed in Class C, which also meant she might miss out on a top university.

The homeroom teacher, Zheng Guoxiong, was furious and summoned Zhu Yunque to his office immediately after class.

The seventeen-year-old girl, wearing the school’s uniform summer attire, had a calm and indifferent expression.

Thin bangs and glasses obscured her delicate features; a low ponytail adorned the back of her full head; her skin was a pale, almost milky white, with a texture reminiscent of jelly under the sunlight.

By all accounts, she was the most honest and well-behaved student in the class.

However, Zheng Guoxiong knew that this girl possessed a rebellious streak, no less so than the group of unruly underachievers in the class.

For example, in this exam, she could have easily scored higher, but she deliberately missed several challenging questions, and even her best subject, English, was answered haphazardly.

Zheng Guoxiong meticulously reviewed her grades in each subject, scribbled furiously for a long time, then picked up his water glass and took a sip of tea.

Setting down the glass, the man fanned himself, looking at her with exasperation. “You can’t go on like this. Have your parents come in person tomorrow.”

Hearing this,

Zhu Yunque reacted slightly, but only by pursing her lips slightly.

Finally, she nodded, “Okay.”

…

Leaving the office.

It was the afternoon break.

Laughter, conversation, and footsteps filled the teaching building.

Everywhere were young, energetic faces.

Zhu Yunque had only taken a few steps when Xu Linda, waiting at the back of the corridor, rushed towards her, asking anxiously, “How did it go? Did Old Zheng scold you?”

Zhu Yunque was a little taller than her.

She lowered her eyes, shaking her head expressionlessly. “He didn’t scold me; he just wanted to call my parents.”

Xu Linda’s greatest fear in life was “calling the parents.” She let out a drawn-out, agonizing “Ah!” “You just didn’t do well on the test because you were sick; is it really that big of a deal?”

If it were simply a matter of not doing well on the test, it certainly wouldn’t be that serious.

The problem lay in her recent study habits.

In Zheng Guoxiong’s words, her soul seemed to have flown off somewhere.

Faced with Xu Linda’s righteous indignation, Zhu Yunque remained silent.

She was always a woman of few words, so Xu Linda assumed she was just in a bad mood. She simply took her arm and walked along the corridor out.

Outside the teaching building, a pure blue sky stretched out, dotted with fluffy, white clouds like cotton candy.

On this rare, beautiful day, Xu Linda decided to treat Zhu Yunque to a Cornetto ice cream.

The two turned left and went to the small supermarket in the school’s backyard.

The supermarket was bustling with activity during the long break.

Xu Linda went to the freezer to pick out ice cream, while Zhu Yunque stared at the colorful drinks on the shelf, torn between them.

Just then, a subtle commotion arose near the doorway.

Followed by the whispers and soft laughter of girls, carrying the unique excitement and tentativeness of their age.

A sweet voice chuckled, “Lu Rangchen, let me treat you.”

The girl’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was undeniably suggestive, instantly igniting the atmosphere. Soon, a chorus of giggles and teasing erupted from the crowd—boys, girls, acquaintances, and strangers alike.

“Great, Brother Rangchen! Everyone’s drooling over him!”

“Damn, can I get one too? I’m short on allowance this month.”

“Sure, it won’t cost much more.”

“Wow, what a sweet girl!”

“Sweet girl, my foot! She’s just like us, a sophomore in high school.”

The group laughed and joked back and forth, drawing plenty of attention. Zhu Yunque’s eyelashes fluttered, and her heart skipped a beat.

She didn’t hesitate any longer and grabbed two bottles of plum green tea.

When she went to pay, Lu Rangchen was standing at the cashier with his back to her.

The boy, dressed in the same blue and white school uniform as everyone else, stood tall and handsome, over 185 cm, easily towering above the crowd.

The boy next to him was grinning and joking with him, but he finally spoke, laughing and telling her to “get lost.”

It was a thick Beijing accent, not from Nancheng.

His voice was languid and magnetic, yet held a touch of youthful naiveté, wild and unrestrained.

Her grip on the bottle tightened.

Zhu Yunque stood silently in line near Lu Rangchen, watching him patiently pay everyone’s bills with his long neck slightly bowed.

Drinks, mineral water, ice cream, lollipops, potato chips, and two packs of cigarettes. Mobile payments were already widespread that year.

Yet he still used cash.

Several crisp red bills were tucked into his black wallet. As he took out the money, Zhu Yunque clearly saw a silver obsidian bracelet on his right wrist. His fingers were long, slender, and strong, with clean, neat edges.

She stared at it unconsciously for a few seconds.

Xu Linda suddenly appeared and patted Zhu Yunque on the shoulder.

Zhu Yunque was startled, and her shoulders twitched. Just as she was about to speak, Xu Linda winked at her and whispered in her ear, “Look, Lu Rangchen.”

“…”

Zhu Yunque’s gaze returned to the boy.

Lu Rangchen, having paid, left the crowd with a few friends. Several girls followed, laughing and joking. She only caught a fleeting glimpse of his profile.

His nose was high, his jawline sharp and smooth, and his Adam’s apple prominently defined.

His eyes were narrow and long, double-lidded, with the corners fanning out like swallowtails, and his eyelashes were thick and long.

His skin, bathed in sunlight, was porcelain white and translucent.

He possessed an undeniably dazzling, refreshing, and sharp youthful charm.

Zhu Yunque’s gaze unconsciously followed him for a long distance.

Until Xu Linda spoke up gleefully, “Gao Ge is doomed. If he knew the art class beauty also had her eye on Lu Rangchen, he’d probably be furious.”

The art class beauty was the girl who had just been asking Lu Rangchen out.

And Gao Ge was the top student in their class and also the student on duty in the same group as Zhu Yunque, who was proud and self-centered.

Zhu Yunque snapped out of her reverie, belatedly realizing her mistake, and paused for a moment.

Xu Linda blinked and said, “But even without that class beauty, I don’t think Gao Ge has a chance.”

“…”

“That Lu Rangchen, he’s so hard to win over.”

–

After the long break.

Class B of Grade 11 had two self-study periods.

The results had just been released, and the whole class was deathly still.

Everyone hadn’t done very well this time, so Zheng Guoxiong simply made them study hard and reflect on their performance. He even made a harsh statement, saying that if they continued to get such grades in the remaining two exams of the semester, they would definitely be transferred to Class C next semester.

Unlike Class B and Class A, there were ten Class C classes in total.

The students in the ten classes were of varying abilities, and the teachers each had their own “tricks.”

Nobody wanted to adapt to a new class, so everyone studied hard during these two self-study periods.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Like Xu Linda and Gao Ge, who got first place this time.

Xu Linda was already prepared to go to Class C. Her family was rich, so she had nothing to fear, not even the teachers cared much.

As for Gao Ge, her grades were guaranteed to get her into Class A next semester, so she naturally had the fearlessness of being a big fish in a small pond.

These two types of people were the kind Zhu Yunque envied, yet she was stuck in the middle.

After self-study, Gao Ge, who sat in front of her, came to ask for leave again, saying she had something to do after school and wouldn’t be doing her cleaning duty that day, promising to take full responsibility next time.

Hearing this, Xu Linda, sitting to Zhu Yunque’s right, exclaimed, “Gao, you’re going too far with this! You made Yunque do all the morning exercises by herself, and now you’re making her do it all after school, too?”

Gao Ge and Xu Linda had always been at odds, and Xu Linda’s words made Gao Ge’s face fall. “Didn’t I say Zhu Yunque doesn’t have to do the cleaning duty next time?”

Xu Linda scoffed, “That sounds nice, but who knows what excuse you’ll have next time?”

Gao Ge said anxiously, “But I really have something to do tonight.”

Xu Linda tilted her head and teased, “What is it? Are you going to intercept Lu Rangchen?”

Zhu Yunque, who was engrossed in her work, heard the name, and her pen slipped, poking a hole in her test paper.

Gao Ge stomped her foot. “Xu Linda, keep your voice down!”

Xu Linda scoffed, “You really are going to confront Lu Rangchen?!”

Gao Ge, annoyed, immediately covered Xu Linda’s mouth. Their movements were so forceful that Zhu Yunque’s arm jerked, and with a tearing sound, the exam paper ripped open.

The two stopped arguing.

One put her arm around the other’s arm, saying, “I bumped into you; I’m sorry, baby.”

The other looked at her awkwardly. “Give me a word, okay?”

Zhu Yunque stared at the torn exam paper, remaining silent.

Gao Ge persisted, asking again.

Just as she was about to offer a promise, Zhu Yunque looked up at her, coldly stating, “No.”

The air fell silent instantly.

Gao Ge was dumbfounded.

Xu Linda was utterly surprised.

Zhu Yunque simply withdrew her gaze, flipped the exam paper over, and continued working on the questions.

–

After school.

The students sparsely packed up and went home.

Before leaving, Xu Linda accompanied Zhu Yunque to the washroom to wash the mop, gossiping to her about Gao Ge giving Lu Rangchen a confession gift during morning exercises.

Zhu Yunque paused in washing the mop, then realized why Gao Ge had unusually asked her to stay in the classroom.

She asked, “Did Lu Rangchen accept it?”

“Yes, he did.”

Xu Linda said matter-of-factly, “Lu Rangchen never embarrasses girls in public. As for what happens afterward, that’s hard to say.”

As she spoke, she winked at Zhu Yunque. “I have to warn you: that beautiful Gao is a bit resentful. Be careful; don’t do all the dirty work yourself.”

Zhu Yunque chuckled and nodded.

Xu Linda then swaggered away.

As it turned out, Xu Linda’s worries were correct; Gao Ge was indeed unhappy, even sweeping the floor with resentment.

Zhu Yunque pretended not to notice.

The two of them continued working in silence.

Until she went to wash the mop a second time and returned to find the classroom door locked.

Zhu Yunque picked up the mop and twisted the doorknob a couple of times, her heart sinking.

All her belongings were in the classroom: her schoolbag, phone, bus pass, and the test paper she planned to redo that evening.

Now, she probably would have to walk home.

Zhu Yunque had a headache.

To make matters worse, the office was empty; the teachers had long since left.

As she walked back with the mop, wondering whether to ask the security guard for help, a tall, slender figure leaning against the door of Class 2B suddenly came into view.

Compared to his appearance at the supermarket, Lu Rangchen had changed into sportswear suitable for playing tennis. A loose white T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his shoulders revealed his lean and strong arms, and athletic pants accentuated his long, shapely legs.

From the front, his neatly styled short sideburns made his handsome, well-defined face appear even more refined and clean-cut.

As if noticing her out of the corner of his eye, Lu Rangchen paused in typing, his deep, straight gaze fixed on her.

Zhu Yunque’s steps suddenly slowed, her heart skipping a beat.

The skin below her ears gradually heated up.

Lu Rangchen, however, refused to look away, silently staring at her until she reached the classroom door.

He put away his phone and stood up straight, casually standing beside Zhu Yunque with his hands in his pockets.

The pleasant scent of ebony, mixed with the unique hormones emanating from a young man, permeated the surrounding air like an all-encompassing net.

Zhu Yunque, trapped within it, felt her heart pounding.

He was too tall.

She didn’t even dare to look up at him.

Fortunately, Lu Rangchen finally spoke, calling her “classmate.”

His magnetic, pleasant voice filled her ears, rippling through her heart.

Zhu Yunque reluctantly looked at him, seeing Lu Rangchen hand her a bag and raise an eyebrow at her. “Can you do me a favor?”

The pink shopping bag contained a large gift box—Gao Ge’s.

Lu Rangchen looked into her eyes behind her glasses and said, “Return this to Gao Ge for me, thank you.”

Hearing this, Zhu Yunque’s eyes flickered slightly.

Even though she knew there was almost no chance for Gao Ge and him, she still felt inexplicably relieved for a moment.

She pursed her lips slightly, took the mop, and subconsciously said “you.”

Lu Rangchen, who was about to leave with his hands in his pockets, stopped and looked at her patiently. “What is it?”

Zhu Yunque stared at him intently.

She wanted to say, “Do you still remember me?”

But in the end, all that came out was, “Could you lend me two yuan? I need to take the bus home.”

The girl’s voice was sweet and clear, with a hint of reserved vulnerability.

Seemingly surprised that she had stammered out this, Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow.

Zhu Yunque looked away. “Gao Ge left early and locked me out.”

Her voice trailed off, and she looked down in embarrassment, wishing she could throw the mop away. “If you don’t want to, then—”

Before she could finish,

Lu Rangchen had already searched all his pockets. Fortunately, he found some money—a hundred yuan.

Back then, a hundred yuan was a lot for a student.

Lu Rangchen casually folded the bill into a small, perfectly sized piece and carefully slipped it into the crevice of her hand holding the mop handle.

Zhu Yunque’s back stiffened.

Their eyes met.

Lu Rangchen looked down at her, a nonchalant smirk playing on his lips. “Two yuan? No, only a hundred.”