Young Brave Hearts – CH 019

Chapter 19

Lu Rangchen’s gaze was intensely piercing.

Even though their relationship had become somewhat closer than before, Zhu Yunque still found it hard to resist.

This wasn’t the first time he’d accused her of “peeking.”

Zhu Yunque panicked immediately, instinctively denying, “…I didn’t peek at you.”

Lu Rangchen’s eyes were unfathomable.

Zhu Yunque didn’t dare to probe the depths of his eyes, only turning her head to look out the car window, stubbornly insisting, “Then if it counts as peeking, then you’ve been peeking at me too.”

Her voice seemed hesitant, yet there was a certain truth to it.

Lu Rangchen remained silent for two seconds, then chuckled incoherently.

“…”

Zhu Yunque felt inexplicably guilty.

Fortunately, Lu Rangchen had already moved on. He sat up straight, leaning back in his seat, casually fiddling with his phone, looking like a carefree young master.

Zhu Yunque glanced at him dismissively and noticed he was chatting.

She didn’t know who he was chatting with.

But it didn’t matter who it was; it wasn’t her anyway.

Someone like him was bound to be surrounded by all sorts of beautiful girls, lining up to chat with him.

Zhu Yunque looked away, silently lowering her eyes.

She thought to herself that she didn’t need to…and had no right to care.

The journey back wasn’t long.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the driver dropped them off at their apartment complex.

As soon as Zhu Yunque and Lu Rangchen stepped off the elevator, they saw the woman from the apartment below blocking their doorway.

Upon seeing them return, the woman launched into a tirade in her local dialect, spitting as she spoke, her tone incredibly rude.

Zhu Yunque was startled, and her first reaction was to apologize.

But the woman wouldn’t listen, remaining oblivious to her own tirade.

Lu Rangchen frowned, then grabbed Zhu Yunque’s wrist and pulled her behind him.

His tall, slender figure completely blocked her view.

Zhu Yunque seemed to freeze in place.

The next second, Lu Rangchen, with impeccable manners, cracked a smile. “Auntie, don’t worry, we’re back.”

He gestured with his chin toward the doorway, his magnetic voice calm, “Besides, with you blocking the way like this, there’s no way we can fix it for you.”

His usual languid Beijing accent carried an undeniable air of authority.

The auntie, who had been seething with anger, finally shut up after hearing his words.

However, she was still seething with resentment.

She followed the two relentlessly. “I want to see what your family did to flood my roof like that!”

Lu Rangchen smirked, “What’s the rush?”

He led Zhu Yunque to the door, raising an eyebrow at the auntie. “It’s not like we’re not going to pay.”

The young man was nonchalant.

His composure carried a hint of menace.

The woman remained silent, her face grim.

Zhu Yunque, however, couldn’t distinguish whether her nervousness stemmed from the woman’s aggressive approach or from Lu Rangchen’s recent grasp of her hand.

The faint warmth of the man’s palm lingered on her wrist.

Zhu Yunque pursed her lips, took out the key with the teddy bear hanging from it, and opened the door.

Once inside, she discovered that the bathroom faucet hadn’t been turned off properly, and a small stream of water had been flowing for hours, flooding the entire living room.

This gave the woman even more reason to hurl insults.

Pointing at Zhu Yunque, her tone was extremely fierce, yelling things like, “What kind of manners do you have? Do you know how much my new renovation cost? Having neighbors like you is such bad luck!”

This time, Lu Rangchen couldn’t hold back.

He shoved away the woman’s pointed arm, a forced smile on his face. “Auntie, finding the problem is what I’m doing, but swearing won’t get me anywhere.”

The boy’s eyes were icy, his expression indifferent. “If you keep causing trouble, I really can’t guarantee I won’t be able to finish cleaning up in a while.”

The woman grew anxious. “Are you threatening me?”

Lu Rangchen smiled. “How could I dare?”

He took out his phone, his tone smug. “Or should I call the police for you? I’ll clean up after they’ve closed the case.”

The woman was speechless.

Her eyes darted angrily between them.

Knowing Lu Rangchen was a difficult person to deal with, she could only turn and walk away, annoyed.

As soon as she left, Zhu Yunque’s shoulders relaxed.

Lu Rangchen lowered his gaze and looked back at her.

The little girl’s face was fair with a rosy glow, her delicate features showing a rare hint of bewilderment.

They stared at each other for a few seconds.

Lu Rangchen chuckled, “Scared stiff?”

Zhu Yunque: “…”

She silently shook her head.

With him there, she wasn’t afraid at all.

–

As it turned out, with Lu Rangchen around, things were resolved quickly.

He first compensated the woman with five hundred yuan on Zhu Yunque’s behalf, then bought her two boxes of fruit and delivered them.

Zhu Yunque didn’t participate.

Lu Rangchen told her to stay home and mop the floor.

Zhu Yunque felt a little guilty, but seeing how badly the house was flooded, she could only do the work first.

However, before she could finish cleaning up,

Lu Rangchen returned.

Before him was a wet mess, and Zhu Yunque was diligently mopping and emptying the water. The little girl was wiping the floor.

Her wet trousers were rolled up, and her bangs were disheveled.

She looked rather pathetic.

Lu Rangchen suddenly chuckled, the reason for which was unclear, and without a word, rolled up his sleeves to help her clean up.

Zhu Yunque hesitated, then stopped him, “Don’t—”

Lu Rangchen glanced at her casually, his tone unreadable. “If you keep doing this, we’ll probably have to pay compensation again later.”

“Besides,” he said slowly, “this is my house.”

He meant that he should be responsible.

Zhu Yunque didn’t understand his implication and slightly parted her lips, saying, “The floor isn’t damaged.”

Lu Rangchen laughed in exasperation.

He tossed out an “I can’t be bothered with you” and rolled up his sleeves to wipe the water from the floor.

Zhu Yunque: “…”

Finally, she realized the deeper meaning in his words.

But she didn’t know what to say.

However, since he was willing to endure this hardship, she had no reason to stop him.

For the next twenty minutes, the two worked silently, like a pair of tacitly coordinated students on duty.

Thinking this, a faint smile involuntarily appeared in Zhu Yunque’s eyes.

However, the “flood” was rather severe.

After they had completely cleaned up, Lu Rangchen’s trouser legs were also wet.

Zhu Yunque took some ice water from the refrigerator and handed it to him.

Lu Rangchen leaned against the kitchen counter, took it, and downed half the bottle in one gulp.

Zhu Yunque stared at his trouser legs, wondering if there was any way to help him.

But then Lu Rangchen put the water bottle down and suddenly raised an eyebrow at her. “I’m going back to change my pants. Want to come with me and see?”

Zhu Yunque thought she had misheard.

She even stammered, “…See what?”

He realized what she was thinking.

Lu Rangchen chuckled, narrowing his eyes, deliberately teasing her, “What did you think I wanted you to see? Watch me change my pants?”

Zhu Yunque choked.

Lu Rangchen chuckled maliciously, “Dream on.”

…

Lu Rangchen certainly wasn’t taking Zhu Yunque to see him change his pants.

He was showing her another apartment of his family’s, the one-bedroom apartment right across from Zhu Yunque’s.

If Lu Rangchen hadn’t told her, Zhu Yunque would never have dreamed that this apartment also belonged to the Lu family.

The apartment had a combination lock.

Lu Rangchen pressed a few buttons and led her inside, taking a pair of clean men’s slippers from the entryway cabinet for her. “I used to live in this house. Back when I first arrived in Nancheng, I wanted some peace and quiet.”

Zhu Yunque slipped on his slippers and walked into the living room, glancing around briefly. “Don’t you live here anymore?”

“I come back sometimes.”

Lu Rangchen replied casually, then, as if noticing something, a smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

Zhu Yunque looked at him. “What are you laughing at?”

Lu Rangchen stared intently at her trouser legs. “Laughing at you wearing my slippers.”

Zhu Yunque’s feet were long and slender and not very large. Wearing Lu Rangchen’s size 44+ slippers, she looked like a child wearing adult shoes.

Zhu Yunque paused for a couple of seconds, then realized what he meant.

Suddenly, she felt his clear gaze on her become hot and alluring.

Clutching the keychain, she glanced down at her feet, now clad in clean socks. “My feet aren’t small; it’s just that your slippers are too big.”

Lu Rangchen’s eyes gleamed with interest. He asked a rather absurd question, “How big is ‘not small’?”

Zhu Yunque paused, then said, “Size 37 and a half.”

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow, as if conducting a census. “And how tall are you?”

“…166 cm.”

Whether in Nancheng or the capital, this height was definitely not short for a girl her age.

Zhu Yunque spoke with a certain confidence.

However, Lu Rangchen wouldn’t compliment her. He deliberately teased her with a raised eyebrow, “Not bad, only up to my shoulder.”

Zhu Yunque: “…”

She suppressed a laugh, softly remarking how boring he was.

Lu Rangchen, in a good mood, smirked and took a glass of fruit juice from the refrigerator, then, just like last time, suddenly pressed it against her face.

As if he wasn’t done being mischievous.

Zhu Yunque shrank back slightly from the cold, a faint honey-like glint in her eyes.

Only after taking it did she realize that this time Lu Rangchen had given her mulberry juice from the same brand as last time.

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow slightly. “Look around as you like; I’m going to change my pants.”

Zhu Yunque nodded.

Lu Rangchen turned and went into the bedroom.

The not-so-large living room instantly fell silent, the air filled with the clean, pleasant scent of the young man, almost unreal.

Zhu Yunque curled her fingertips, walked to the French windows, and with a slight turn of her head, saw the balcony of her bedroom.

So… the two of them could be this close.

So close, separated only by a pane of glass.

–

That day, Zhu Yunque didn’t stay long at Lu Rangchen’s place before heading home.

It wasn’t that Lu Rangchen was turning her away, but rather that Cheng Liru called him, asking why he hadn’t come home yet.

He said the weather was bad.

A torrential downpour was about to hit Nancheng, and there was even a typhoon warning.

Lu Rangchen, just as Xu Linda had said, truly cared for his mother. Even though he feigned laziness and weariness, he still picked up his coat and prepared to go home.

Zhu Yunque followed him.

As the elevator approached, Zhu Yunque couldn’t help but say, “Why don’t I get you an umbrella? It looks like it’s going to rain outside.”

Lu Rangchen paused, then said, “No need; the driver is waiting downstairs.”

Zhu Yunque looked puzzled. “The driver?”

Lu Rangchen hummed in agreement. “My mom’s.”

He didn’t elaborate, only giving her a goodbye look before getting into the elevator.

Before the elevator doors closed, they briefly exchanged a glance.

Standing at the elevator door, watching it descend rapidly, Zhu Yunque felt a sudden, indescribable emptiness welling up inside her.

Back in her spotless home.

Zhu Yunque placed the bottle of mulberry juice Lu Rangchen had given her on her desk, next to the empty bottle from last time.

She slumped over her desk, lost in thought for a while.

Not long after, Feng Yanlai returned.

Zhu Yunque came out of the bedroom upon hearing the sound.

Feng Yanlai was standing in the entryway making a phone call, her smile carrying a hint of subtle flattery. “Thank you so much to Xiao Rang. If it weren’t for him, Queque definitely wouldn’t have handled it well; she’s so timid.”

“Yes, yes, yes, the person downstairs also told me and even asked if Xiao Rang was my child. I said I’m not that lucky.”

“No, no, no, please don’t refuse the money. It’s what we should give. It was just a faucet that wasn’t turned off properly, not a problem with the house.”

“We’re practically family; just take it. I’ll treat you to dinner another day.”

“Oh, he left something here? What is it?”

At this point, Zhu Yunque’s eyes met Feng Yanlai’s.

Something seemed to be said on the other end. Feng Yanlai responded twice and called Zhu Yunque over.

Zhu Yunque’s heart skipped a beat.

Feng Yanlai handed her the phone and whispered, “Your Aunt Cheng asked you to help her find something.”

Zhu Yunque’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. She obediently took the phone and held it to her ear.

Then, she heard Lu Rangchen’s deep, magnetic voice resonate in her ear, “It’s me.”

Zhu Yunque: “…”

Like a drowning person taking their first breath of fresh air.

Zhu Yunque’s heart pounded uncontrollably.

She instinctively turned her back to avoid Feng Yanlai seeing her expression. “You’re home?”

Lu Rangchen gave a lazy, low hum, “Just arrived.”

Thinking that Cheng Liru might be with Lu Rangchen right now, Zhu Yunque felt a little awkward. “What do you need me to find?”

“The bracelet.”

Lu Rangchen said succinctly, “Could you check if I left it with you?”

Zhu Yunque remembered that Lu Rangchen hadn’t been wearing a bracelet when he helped her clean up the water, so she looked directly towards the kitchen.

Sure enough, the obsidian bracelet lay quietly on the kitchen island.

Zhu Yunque picked it up; it felt heavy. She held it in her palm. “Found it.”

Lu Rangchen’s tone seemed more relaxed. He gave a casual reply, saying it was good that it was found.

A concerned voice sounded from beside her, “Found it? That’s good.”

Since it wasn’t her phone, Zhu Yunque didn’t say anything more, turning to hand it back to Feng Yanlai. Feng Yanlai glanced at the phone in her hand but didn’t say much, exchanging a few more pleasantries with Cheng Liru.

After finishing the call, she went into the bedroom to find Zhu Yunque and asked her what had happened that day.

Zhu Yunque knew she was in the wrong and didn’t dare to be evasive, so she honestly said that the faucet hadn’t been turned off properly and that she had gone back to school that morning to pick up some things, which was why she ran into Lu Rangchen.

After all, she was her daughter.

Even if Feng Yanlai was angry, she couldn’t do anything about it, only warning her to be careful next time and asking if she had eaten lunch.

Zhu Yunque inexplicably thought of the lunch she hadn’t been able to have with Lu Rangchen.

…She wondered if she would ever have such an opportunity again. Zhu Yunque gently shook her head: “I didn’t eat much.”

Feng Yanlai assumed Zhu Yunque was upset because of what had happened that day, so she softened her voice slightly. “Okay, I’ll go make you something. I haven’t eaten either.”

Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered, “Oh, right, remember to return that bracelet to Lu Rangchen tomorrow. His mother said it’s quite important to him.”

With that, she closed the door and left.

Zhu Yunque opened her palm and looked again at the obsidian bracelet lying in her hand, wondering how important it was.

Or perhaps it was given to him by a very important person, which was why it was so precious.

Her mind wandered uncontrollably, and she picked up her phone, almost unconsciously, took a picture of the bracelet, and sent it to Lu Rangchen.

A completely clumsy way of “starting a conversation.” Lu Rangchen might only respond with a single “Mmm.”

But even just one “Mmm” was enough for her.

However, Lu Rangchen always surprised her.

Just seconds after sending that photo, he replied to Zhu Yunque with two WeChat messages.

The messages popped up quickly—

Lu Rangchen: 【Why were you speaking so softly?】

Lu Rangchen: 【Afraid I’d eat you up from afar?】