Young Brave Hearts – CH 014

Chapter 14

She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination.

Zhu Yunque felt that Lu Rangchen’s tone carried a hint of emotion.

Each word seemed to carry an invisible force, hammering at her heart.

Before her turbulent emotions could calm down, she was overwhelmed by the boy’s clear gaze, her face flushing.

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Zhu Yunque: “…”

Zhu Yunque suppressed her racing heartbeat. “You said it yourself; you have a girlfriend.”

The study window wasn’t fully closed, and a breeze blew in, gently ruffling the girl’s stray hairs.

The perfect sunlight made her pupils appear pale, and her light blue shirt seemed to have fuzzy gold edges, giving her a pure and lively cuteness.

His gaze was suddenly drawn to her.

Lu Rangchen felt a jolt in his heart, and his throat tightened.

Suddenly, he remembered that he had indeed said such a ridiculous thing to her face.

Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “At the bar?”

Zhu Yunque slowly hummed in agreement, “A girl asked for your WeChat; you told her yourself.”

The girl’s tone was serious, with a hint of hidden reproach.

Lu Rangchen chuckled inexplicably, “You remember quite clearly.”

“…”

Zhu Yunque didn’t respond, afraid of revealing something.

Just as she reached the door, Lu Rangchen stretched out his long leg, seemingly casually blocking her path.

The boy looked down at her, speaking slowly and deliberately, “I didn’t want to give out my number back then, so I just lied.”

He said earnestly, “I’m a good student; I don’t date early.”

As their eyes met, Lu Rangchen’s gaze was excessively intense.

Intense enough to make Zhu Yunque’s heart race.

She had to look away, trying to appear calm. “Then why did you…”

She carefully chose her words: “You are quite good at lying.”

At this point, Lu Rangchen genuinely couldn’t help but laugh.

He laughed so hard his shoulders shook, and a growing gleam of interest curved his thin lips as he sincerely complimented her, “I’ve discovered you’re much more interesting than I imagined.”

Zhu Yunque’s gaze flickered, an immense flutter hidden in her eyes.

She said, “I’m quite interesting, by all accounts.”

Her pink lips tightened.

A rare, proud stubbornness shone through.

Lu Rangchen unconsciously twitched his lips. “Didn’t Deng Zhe and Xu Linda tell you I was lying?”

Zhu Yunque shook her head. “I didn’t ask, and no one told me.”

Lu Rangchen nodded, unsurprised. “True, you don’t pay attention to me anyway.”

His words were casual, tinged with a self-deprecating nonchalance.

Yet, they stirred a strange turmoil within Zhu Yunque.

In a flash, Lu Rangchen regained control, asking bluntly, “And you, who was that guy at the convenience store last time?”

Zhu Yunque paused slightly. “What guy?”

Lu Rangchen smiled faintly. “What do you think?”

He just had that ability.

He didn’t need to pry; a few glances were enough for him to see into someone’s heart.

Zhu Yunque was first surprised, speechless, but what settled in her heart was a sense of helplessness and an inexplicable panic—panic that Lu Rangchen had been silently paying attention to her.

After a few seconds of blankness, she subconsciously answered, “He’s my cousin.”

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat unconvinced.

Zhu Yunque didn’t want to bring up that day, but facing Lu Rangchen’s questioning gaze, she had to tell the truth: “I’m telling the truth. That boy really is my cousin. I had a fight with my family that night, and he was worried about me, so he came out to pick me up.”

Cousin, fight with family.

Lu Rangchen grasped these two key points and suddenly remembered her crying her eyes out that night and the image of her not resisting when the boy grabbed her wrist.

But before he could say anything, Cheng Liru’s urging voice came from downstairs again.

Cheng Liru had other things to take care of. Seeing that the handover of the house was complete, she saw no need to linger and urged him on.

Lu Rangchen seemed a little annoyed, his eyes lowered, and he lazily responded with a perfunctory reply before going downstairs.

After speaking, he casually straightened up.

Standing at over 185 cm, he was a head taller than Zhu Yunque, his broad shoulders and long legs making him undeniably captivating.

Zhu Yunque looked up at him. “Are you leaving?”

Lu Rangchen hummed in response, unable to resist teasing her, “Anything else?”

A flicker of unease crossed Zhu Yunque’s face. “No.”

His delicate, plain, and innocent face was so alluring that even a slight provocation felt like a crime.

Lu Rangchen gave a barely perceptible smile, nodded, and said, “Then let’s go.”

And so, the two descended the stairs, one after the other.

This time, Zhu Yunque walked ahead of Lu Rangchen, yet the distance between them unconsciously shortened compared to when they arrived.

Or rather, closer than ever before.

The faint scent of gardenia mingled with the rich aroma of ebony on the young woman, creating a subtly ambiguous atmosphere in the narrow stairwell. With just a slight turn of her head, Zhu Yunque could see Lu Rangchen’s long, languid legs.

It was as if, in this vast world, this corner belonged solely to the two of them.

Unfortunately, this ambiguous relationship lasted too short a time.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the two quickly returned to a distance as clear as still water.

Lu Rangchen, unlike his unrestrained self upstairs, reverted to his usual measured and well-mannered self, a true prodigy.

Zhu Yunque, on the other hand, reverted to her previous quiet and uninteresting demeanor.

She only dared to steal a glance at Lu Rangchen when he stood at the door, preparing to leave.

Faced with Feng Yanlai’s reluctance to part, Cheng Liru jokingly offered to bring Zhu Yunque to her home sometime.

Feng Yanlai readily agreed and even nudged Zhu Yunque forward, saying she had some study problems and could ask Lu Rangchen for help.

Hearing this, Lu Rangchen finally looked up from his phone.

He glanced at Zhu Yunque up and down, then suddenly smiled, “Don’t be like that; she studies harder than I do.”

His eyes were clear and bright as he said this.

There was no hint of the malicious teasing or sarcasm typical of teenage boys.

Only heartfelt appreciation and praise.

So much so that many years later, after seeing countless men and women in crowded places, Zhu Yunque could still remember the bright, precious look in young Lu Rangchen’s eyes.

It was that look that made her know.

This person.

She had never loved the wrong person.

–

That afternoon, Cheng Liru and Lu Rangchen were picked up by Lu Dingzhong.

Lu Dingzhong was Lu Rangchen’s father, the chief law professor at Nancheng University, famous not only in Nancheng but throughout the country, and he frequently gave national academic lectures.

Zhu Yunque had heard of him before, but she never imagined that such a celebrity, so different from her own life, would be so close to her.

Feng Yanlai told her about this.

While the two were settling into their new home, she told Zhu Yunque many things about Lu Rangchen’s family.

For example, Cheng Liru was the daughter of a powerful family in the capital and initially looked down on the young Lu Dingzhong.

Because of this, Cheng Liru even severed ties with her family for love when she was young, until Lu Dingzhong made a name for himself in academia and Lu Rangchen was born, at which point her family’s relationship with her improved.

However, although the relationship improved, Cheng Liru didn’t rely on the Cheng family. She was a very successful woman with her own clothing company, and it was through work that Feng Yanlai met her in the capital.

The two were of similar age and taste and got along well, becoming close friends who could talk about anything.

Another example was Lu Rangchen, who was very favored in the Cheng family, practically a future heir, so he would occasionally return to the capital for a while.

They came to live in Nancheng because Lu Dingzhong was transferred to Nanjing University a few years ago, and Cheng Liru didn’t want the family of three to be separated, so she brought Lu Rangchen to live with them. “Speaking of which,” Feng Yanlai asked her, “many girls at your school like him, right?”

Zhu Yunque paused, her hands still folding clothes.

She wanted to say yes.

But then she shook her head, unable to explain.

Feng Yanlai didn’t notice anything amiss, only a hint of envy in her eyes—envy that Cheng Liru not only had a good family background and high education but also such an outstanding husband and son.

After speaking, she seemed to remember something and sighed, “I don’t expect you to be first in the grade like him. I’d be satisfied if you could just get your grades back to what they used to be.”

“…”

Zhu Yunque listened silently, her eyes lowered.

She didn’t reply, didn’t argue.

Like an emotionless rag doll.

It wasn’t until later, when Feng Yanlai asked her how she knew Lu Rangchen, that Zhu Yunque finally replied hesitantly, “My friend and his friend are very close, and we gradually got to know each other.”

Feng Yanlai didn’t know much about her life.

After hearing this, she simply nodded, saying that knowing a boy like that was quite good; he could look out for her if anything happened at school.

Not long after, Zhu Yunque’s bedroom was tidied up.

Feng Yanlai was busy tidying up other places and didn’t pay any more attention to her.

During this time, Zhu Yunque received a call from Zhu Ping’an.

Zhu Ping’an had several shifts these past few days and couldn’t personally see her off. He was worried she might be upset, so he called as soon as he had a spare moment.

Lying in her much more comfortable and spacious bedroom than before, Zhu Yunque gazed at the stylish ceiling and the expensive-looking curtains by the window, listening absentmindedly.

In short, Zhu Ping’an was telling her to be obedient while living with her mother.

She also needed to study hard and not let her mother down, and to come home for meals more often, as he and Deng Jiali missed her.

“…”

Zhu Yunque finally spoke after a long pause, “But I’m very busy with my studies.”

Zhu Ping’an was silent for a moment, then smiled. “That’s true. I’ll come see you when I have time, and we can eat alone. Dad will treat you to something nice.”

Zhu Yunque casually said, “Okay.”

Seemingly sensing her resistance, Zhu Ping’an didn’t continue the conversation, ending the call hastily after a few words.

The call finally ended.

Zhu Yunque stared blankly at the azure sky outside the high-rise building. Even a blink felt unreal.

Unreal because she had truly escaped that home that wasn’t hers.

It wasn’t quite real that she’d actually met Lu Rangchen in this stable and comfortable new home.

And… Lu Rangchen didn’t have a girlfriend.

It felt like she’d suddenly been freed from all her shackles.

That overwhelming feeling of being blessed by heaven, like hydrogen filling her body, left Zhu Yunque speechless for a long time, until Xu Linda replied to her WeChat message.

Xu Linda: [Ah]

Xu Linda: [Brother Rang??]

Xu Linda: [Is the apartment your mom rented Brother Rang’s??]

A young girl’s secrets could only be shared with her peers.

Zhu Yunque finally perked up.

She briefly told Xu Linda what had happened, then got up and filmed a short video of the bedroom for Xu Linda.

Xu Linda: [Wow, his house was so beautiful!]

Xu Linda: [What incredible luck! You managed to run into someone like that, haha! If Gao Ge knew, she’d be green with envy.]

This sounded a bit harsh.

But Zhu Yunque admitted she was indeed very lucky.

However, this luck didn’t mean anything. Their social classes meant they were still worlds apart. For example, the house she could only afford through hard work was a rare find in Lu Rangchen’s life.

Zhu Yunque couldn’t describe the feeling of powerlessness.

She gave a self-deprecating smile: [Even with luck, I still have to pay rent, and besides, I didn’t even live with him.]

Xu Linda criticized her: [Why were you so pessimistic?]

Xu Linda: [Let me put it this way, I think you and Rangchen have a good chance.]

This was so sudden.

Zhu Yunque’s heart skipped a beat.

It was like a long-hidden secret suddenly being unearthed and exposed to the sunlight.

However, Xu Linda had already seen through her: [Alright, stop lying to me. I’ve known for a long time. You like Lu Rangchen.[

Zhu Yunque: “…”

A conflicted, hesitant, and timid feeling welled up inside her.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally gave up: [When did you figure it out?]

Xu Linda: [Last time at the bar, and recently… recently, every time you see him, your eyes dart away.]

Xu Linda: [That time during recess when Lin Zhinian came to find him, you have no idea how awful your face looked. I’m not blind; can’t I tell since you’re my best friend?]

Being exposed time and again, Zhu Yunque was speechless.

She thought she was pretending well, but she hadn’t expected it to be so obvious to others.

Zhu Yunque’s cheeks burned: [You didn’t tell anyone, did you?]

Xu Linda: [How could I? I love you the most; how could I tell anyone?]

Xu Linda might be a bit gossipy, but her character was absolutely impeccable, especially regarding something like this.

Zhu Yunque silently relaxed.

Xu Linda continued: [That day in the cafeteria, he asked me if you’d encountered any trouble lately. The funniest thing was that he even asked if you were dating someone! I laughed so hard!]

Zhu Yunque’s ears burned.

She said: [How could I possibly be dating someone?]

Xu Linda: [Yeah, even if the sky fell, you wouldn’t date someone. That’s what I told him, too. I was wondering why he suddenly asked that.]

…Maybe he saw Lin Lang coming to pick her up.

Zhu Yunque felt a mix of anticipation and amusement: [What did he say?]

Xu Linda: [He didn’t say much. After I said no, he didn’t ask again.]

Xu Linda: [Oh, right, he gave you those two plum blossom cakes too.]

Zhu Yunque’s mood, which had been calming down, was unexpectedly reignited by these words.

Her fingertips trembled slightly.

She typed: [Did he buy the plum blossom cakes?]

Xu Linda: [No, Lin Zhinian gave them to him.]

The plum blossom cakes at the Third Middle School cafeteria were a specialty snack, always very popular.

However, they didn’t make many, and the cafeteria wasn’t open in the afternoon, so if you wanted to eat them, you could only buy them at noon, and they usually sold out in no time.

That day, Lin Zhinian bought a few and happened to see Lu Rangchen, so she excitedly gave him two.

Xu Linda: [Brother Rang didn’t want them originally, but I mentioned that Zhu Yunque liked them, so he accepted the two plum blossom cakes and gave them to me.]

Xu Linda: [Lin Zhinian’s face turned green at that moment; it was hilarious!]

Hearing her describe it like that, Zhu Yunque could almost see the dramatic scene.

Her heart started racing.

Zhu Yunque asked again: [Why didn’t you tell me that day?]

Xu Linda replied matter-of-factly: [Brother Rang told me not to say!]

Zhu Yunque: […Why?]

Xu Linda: [He said it was just a casual thing, and Lin Zhinian bought them, so you should thank her instead.]

Xu Linda: [I thought about it and realized it was true, so I didn’t tell you, because I felt like you didn’t really like Lin Zhinian.]

The implication was clear.

She didn’t want Zhu Yunque to feel upset about eating.

Zhu Yunque hadn’t expected Xu Linda to see through her thoughts so clearly, and for a moment, she felt a pang of indescribable shame.

However, she didn’t dislike Lin Zhinian; she simply envied her—envied her beauty, confidence, and sunny disposition.

So much so that every time Zhu Yunque saw her, it was like facing a mirror, reflecting only her own unappealing and bland self.

After a while, Xu Linda said again: [Anyway, I feel that Lu Rangchen treats you differently. If you really like him, you can seize this opportunity to spend more time with him.]

Xu Linda was bold; once she set her sights on someone, she would definitely act without hesitation.

But Zhu Yunque was different.

She was naturally introverted and sensitive, weighing the pros and cons before doing anything.

Moreover, she didn’t have the luxury of being reckless, nor did she have the confidence to believe that Lu Rangchen would like her.

She pondered for a few seconds.

Zhu Yunque pursed her lips and replied: [No, I need to focus on my studies]

Zhu Yunque: [Other things, we’ll see]

Xu Linda: […………………………]

You could practically feel her speechlessness even through the screen.

Xu Linda: [Is studying all you think about? He’s practically offered himself up, and you aren’t even taking advantage of the opportunity? Do you really want Lin Zhinian to beat you to it?]

Zhu Yunque suddenly didn’t know how to explain to her.

Perhaps it was because she was naturally indifferent.

Anyway, she’d always been like this since childhood.

Even if she really liked something or wanted to do something, she would first calm down and focus on what she should be doing in the present moment.

At this age, the only thing she could focus on was studying. Only in this way could she possibly stand at the same level as the person she liked in the future, looking at the same sky.

Zhu Yunque typed with unwavering resolve: [If they can really get together so easily, then it means we aren’t meant to be.]

Thinking of this, she pursed her lips slightly: [Then I should love myself even more.]

She was stunned by her words.

Xu Linda immediately sent her a cheer: [Awesome!]

Zhu Yunque had thought she was being sarcastic, but Xu Linda genuinely admired her.

Xu Linda: [Now that you mention it, I think I should study harder. I can’t keep drifting like this.]

Zhu Yunque paused, then asked: [But weren’t you planning to go abroad after graduating high school?]

Xu Linda: [No, my thoughts have changed.]

Xu Linda: [I want to stay in China for university.]

Zhu Yunque couldn’t help but ask: [Is it because of Deng Zhe?]

A long silence followed.

Xu Linda replied with a grinning emoji: [Good sisters, we saw through each other but didn’t say anything, haha]

Zhu Yunque chuckled.

Her tense heart lightened at the sudden appearance of a kindred spirit.

However, Xu Linda wasn’t as passionate and outgoing as she’d imagined.

She was just a smooth talker, eloquent in her encouragement of others, but a coward herself.

Zhu Yunque finally saw through her.

As for her feelings for Deng Zhe, Xu Linda, like herself, wanted to keep it all hidden, like a huge secret.

Xu Linda: [Anyway, no one else is allowed to know about this except you and me.]

Xu Linda: [I don’t want that arrogant brat to know my feelings.]

Zhu Yunque traded this: [Then you have to keep my secret too.]

Xu Linda sent a grinning emoji: [Of course.]

–

Perhaps it was the unrequited love that finally had a sliver of respite. On her first day in the new house, Zhu Yunque was in excessively good spirits.

She not only spent the entire afternoon doing practice problems but also memorized a lot of obscure vocabulary.

Xu Linda called her a devil, then told her something tragic: after the midterm exam results were released, Zheng Guoxiong would arrange the seating according to class rankings, which meant she could no longer sit next to Zhu Yunque.

Xu Linda lamented on WeChat for a long time, but as soon as she finished crying, she turned around and played games with Deng Zhe.

Zhu Yunque knew her character and couldn’t be bothered with her, though she felt a little uneasy.

Bearing these worries with her, she fell asleep in a daze that night.

Fortunately, her new home was much closer to Nancheng No. 3 Middle School than before; in the morning, she only needed to take the subway for about ten minutes to get to school.

As it turned out, Xu Linda’s news wasn’t unfounded.

After the second period, Zheng Guoxiong announced that seating would be reassigned after the results were released, according to exam rankings.

Everyone groaned in despair.

Only a few were happy.

Class monitor Pang Shuo was one of them. His grades were similar to Gao Ge’s, and the two usually alternated between first and second place; this time would likely be no exception.

Hearing this news, he was genuinely delighted.

As soon as Zheng Guoxiong left, he eagerly went over to chat with Gao Ge.

Gao Ge clearly ignored him, leaning back in her seat, fiddling with her phone, and offering only perfunctory replies.

Zhu Yunque silently prepared her books for the next class. Xu Linda leaned over and nudged her. “Look at Pang Shuo, grinning like that; he’s so smug.”

“Now that’s great; Gao Ge can finally give up on me, and he can even be Gao Ge’s deskmate.”

“Tsk tsk, what a smug little man.”

Pang Shuo was widely considered the most disliked boy among the girls in Class B.

Because of his good grades, he was always arrogant, spoke harshly, and was especially disrespectful to girls, often mocking them behind their backs for being ugly or fat, and even tattling on them to the teachers.

Yet, this same person was chasing after Gao Ge like a sycophant.

This only made his arrogant behavior more contemptible.

Xu Linda disliked him the most and even felt sorry for Gao Ge. “If they really get first and second place, how miserable would Gao Ge be?” she said.

Zhu Yunque, on the other hand, was indifferent to both of them and didn’t care. She was just worried that Xu Linda’s gossip was too loud and that they might hear it, so she gave her a look to stop her.

Xu Linda, however, curled her lip indifferently, a look of schadenfreude on her face.

In her mind, it was a foregone conclusion that these two would sit at the same table, but she never expected that the midterm exam results in Class B would be such a shock.

Pang Shuo remained firmly in second place, but the first place wasn’t Gao Ge’s.

It was Zhu Yunque’s.

This news not only stunned the students in Class B, but even the students in Class A were buzzing with discussion.

Because Zhu Yunque wasn’t only first in Class B but also ranked 29th in the entire grade. Keep in mind, the highest ranking ever achieved by Class B was only 32nd, as Gao Ge had achieved previously.

“Damn, who’s Zhu Yunque? She’s amazing! I’ve never heard of her before.”

“She’s from Class B, I think. Anyway, she’s pretty quiet. My impression of her is that she’s clean-cut and pretty and doesn’t talk much.”

“Ah, now I remember, she’s the one who argued with Gao Ge, right?”

“Yeah, I think it’s her.”

“But seriously, her grades are like cheating! How can someone improve by over a hundred places in one go? That’s unbelievable.”

“Could she be cheating? I heard their exams are pretty lenient.”

“Anyway, I don’t believe anyone can improve that much in one go.”

A few boys in the front row were discussing it enthusiastically.

Lu Rangchen, earphones in, was casually working through physics problems when he suddenly heard Zhu Yunque’s ranking, and his pen paused briefly.

The student in front of him turned and asked, “Hey Rangchen, do you know this girl?”

Lu Rangchen twirled his pen with his long, slender fingers.

Lu Rangchen slowly raised his eyes and removed one earphone.

The boy smiled. “Can you ask her how she did it? Her grades improved so much overnight. Give us some pointers!”

The boy’s tone was mocking, but his eyes held a hint of malicious speculation.

Lu Rangchen glanced at him casually.

Suddenly, he lowered his gaze and chuckled lightly, “I’ll ask you what your relationship is with me.”

The boy’s voice was cold, his enunciation sharp, and his arrogant and conceited demeanor clearly indicated he wasn’t to be trifled with.

“…”

The boy’s face turned pale, then flushed.

Perhaps realizing that Lu Rangchen and this “female lead” had a close relationship, the others nearby quickly shut their mouths and stopped discussing it.

Just then, his phone beeped twice.

Lu Rangchen glanced down; it was a photo of the top 100 list sent by Deng Zhe.

Deng Zhe: [Wow, Zhu Yunque is amazing!]

Deng Zhe: [I thought she was a hidden genius like Xu Linda!]

Deng Zhe: [Turns out she’s a top student like you!]

Lu Rangchen clicked to look and saw that the 29th place in the grade was clearly marked “Zhu Yunque.”

Her grades were well-balanced across all subjects, with no weaknesses.

Her scores were impressively high.

Suddenly, he recalled Zhu Yunque’s always calm and quiet face.

Seemingly reserved and introverted, yet possessing a sharp strength.

She easily broke through the ranks.

After glancing at it twice, Lu Rangchen turned off his phone, lowered his eyes to continue staring at the unfinished physics problem, and twirled his pen.

A smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

That afternoon, Zhu Yunque undoubtedly became the star of Class B.

Zheng Guoxiong praised her incessantly in class, his eyes brimming with joy. Even more exaggeratedly, he made Zhu Yunque stand up and share with everyone why she had improved so much.

Although Zhu Yunque was introverted, she didn’t have stage fright.

She stood up and spoke confidently and modestly when asked.

The girl’s voice was gentle and refined. Her summary of the experience was to do more practice problems and to seek help from the teacher as soon as possible if she didn’t understand something.

However, her sincere advice was seen as “empty words” by others, as if she were deliberately keeping a treasure to herself.

After she finished speaking, a sparse round of applause rang out in the class.

Interspersed among it were a few sarcastic and disdainful snorts.

Zhu Yunque ignored them, sitting down expressionlessly.

Xu Linda, however, muttered under her breath towards Pang Shuo, “Is he crazy?”

After class.

The whole class listlessly began packing up, preparing to change seats.

As the top student in the class, Zhu Yunque was to move to the front row, right in the middle, which also offered the best view.

And her new deskmate was Pang Shuo.

Xu Linda muttered as she packed her things, “It’s all my fault for having such a bad mouth, ugh, ugh, ugh.”

She looked at Zhu Yunque with pity. “Yunque, I feel so sorry for you.”

Zhu Yunque knew her days ahead wouldn’t be easy, but she had no reason to complain.

She gently shook her head. “It’s okay.”

Anyway, she was usually quiet and didn’t need to communicate with Pang Shuo.

As for Xu Linda, she got a nice girl as her deskmate, so she was lucky.

After school.

To celebrate Zhu Yunque’s top score in her exams, Xu Linda planned a dinner party, inviting Deng Zhe and Lu Rangchen to a delicious Northeastern Chinese restaurant outside the school; she would treat them.

Zhu Yunque was slightly taken aback when she heard Lu Rangchen’s name. “Isn’t he supposed to be practicing tennis?”

Xu Linda teased her while creating a WeChat group, “You even know Rangchen’s schedule so well!”

The two were just coming downstairs.

Although there weren’t many students around, the echo was quite loud.

Startled, Zhu Yunque quickly covered Xu Linda’s mouth.

Xu Linda giggled incessantly and immediately shared the news in the small group chat.

Her phone kept vibrating.

Zhu Yunque checked her phone and found that the four of them were already in a small group chat.

For some reason, Zhu Yunque’s heart suddenly started racing.

However, Lu Rangchen still didn’t appear.

It was Deng Zhe who relayed the message: he had something to do that evening.

As for what it was about, Deng Zhe didn’t mention it, and Zhu Yunque didn’t dare ask.

She felt her emotions like a helium-filled balloon, rising and falling uncontrollably, restless and unable to settle.

Xu Linda comforted her, “It’s okay; just ask him next time you have time.”

It was impossible not to feel disappointed.

But Zhu Yunque didn’t say anything.

The two went to the restaurant to choose seats. Deng Zhe said he wouldn’t be there for a while.

Xu Linda didn’t know his tastes, so she didn’t order in advance.

Zhu Yunque was bored, so she went to the corridor to look at the menu.

Although Xu Linda said she would treat this meal, she had won a good ranking, and she couldn’t let Xu Linda pay for it.

Besides, the restaurant Xu Linda chose was very affordable, with dishes priced at several tens of yuan per large portion; the three of them wouldn’t eat much.

Having made up her mind, Zhu Yunque took out her phone and took a few pictures of the menu covering the wall. She didn’t forget to tell Feng Yanlai she’d be home late tonight.

Feng Yanlai was very happy to know she’d gotten first place in the exam and supported her having dinner with friends, giving her an extra 300 yuan.

Zhu Yunque said, “Thank you, Mom,” and clicked to accept.

Back at her seat, she sent the menu to the group chat for Deng Zhe to see.

Xu Linda immediately praised her in the group chat: [Ah, as expected of my Yunque, so thoughtful!]

Xu Linda: [@Deng Zhe, hurry up and choose; let’s start eating when we get here!]

Deng Zhe: [Damn, you two were too fast!]

Deng Zhe: [Let me see]

Zhu Yunque silently watched the group chat.

Thinking she’d order as soon as he chose, she was surprised when that previously silent profile picture suddenly popped up.

Lu Rangchen: [Ignore him; order whatever you want to eat.]

Both his appearance and his words caught everyone off guard.

Xu Linda froze. “Huh? Why is Brother Rang here?”

Zhu Yunque’s thoughts snapped back to reality, her heart skipping a beat.

Before she could even ask,

Deng Zhe said, [Yeah, don’t worry about me; order whatever you want.]

Deng Zhe: [Just letting you know in advance, we are bringing someone else.]

He didn’t say “I.”

It was “we.”

Her mind went blank for a few seconds.

An indescribable joy and excitement welled up from the bottom of her heart, and Zhu Yunque’s breathing even became lighter.

Lu Rangchen also chimed in, [Yeah, bringing Zhou Chuang.]

He tagged Zhu Yunque: [Do you mind?]

Upon hearing this, Xu Linda immediately gave Zhu Yunque a meaningful look. “Brother Rang is talking to you!!!”

“…”

Zhu Yunque’s heart rate increased even more.

Only after she came to her senses did she realize that she had completely ignored the question.

Zhu Yunque: [You said you weren’t coming]

No punctuation, no emoticons.

Yet, there was a strange, subtle resentment.

Zhu Yunque belatedly realized.

She felt a little guilty.

Just as she was about to add an emoji, Lu Rangchen beat her to it.

Lu Rangchen: [Not welcoming me?]

Zhu Yunque’s heart skipped a beat, her fingertips trembling slightly.

How could she not welcome him? She’d be overjoyed.

But even though that’s what she thought, when she replied, she couldn’t help but shudder: [How dare I?]

Lu Rangchen didn’t say anything.

Zhu Yunque’s cheeks flushed. Looking up, she saw Xu Linda’s suggestive gaze. “Okay, Zhu Yunque.”

Zhu Yunque: “…”

Zhu Yunque awkwardly said, “I’ll go order.”

She returned to the window.

It was lunchtime, and the flow of customers was increasing, with many people coming and going.

Zhu Yunque waited quite a while before the waiter took her order.

First, she ordered Xu Linda’s favorite braised fish, then the restaurant’s signature sweet and sour pork, and finally, dry-fried green beans.

She was about to add something when a cool, magnetic male voice sounded above her, “Less pepper and chili, please.”

Lu Rangchen’s voice was clear and pleasant, with perfect politeness.

His youthful energy was refreshing and alluring.

The air was filled with the pleasant scent of ebony.

She looked up and met Lu Rangchen’s deep, penetrating gaze, feeling a sudden, dizzying shock.

Lu Rangchen was wearing the tennis team’s uniform, a gray sports bag slung over his shoulder, looking like he’d just come from the school team.

Zhu Yunque’s voice was hurried and unnatural. “When did you get here?”

“Just now.”

“…It’s not that you didn’t want to come.”

She still couldn’t let go of the question.

Lu Rangchen didn’t avoid it.

His deep, resonant voice casually replied, jokingly, “I just didn’t have time to come.”

Just then, a waiter carrying a large pot of boiled fish passed by.

Lu Rangchen reached out and pulled Zhu Yunque in front of him.

Zhu Yunque was helplessly at his mercy.

Her slender back pressed against the boy’s broad, supple chest.

Their breaths mingled, almost intertwining.

Zhu Yunque’s breath caught in her throat.

Lu Rangchen looked down at her, his long, deep eyes gleaming with an unreadable light.

Suddenly, he curled his lips into a slight smile, his eyes pure and cheerful. “Wanted to come and congratulate the first-place winner? Is that not allowed?”