Young Brave Hearts – CH 023

Chapter 23

The cake and the burning candles that night ultimately became the most indelible part of Zhu Yunque’s newfound memory of her 17th birthday.

She not only heard Lu Rangchen say happy birthday to her with her own ears.

She also made a wish at Lu Rangchen’s urging.

The candles burned quickly.

So Zhu Yunque only made one wish.

That was, she hoped that Lu Rangchen would still be there for her next birthday.

Zhu Yunque made a wish that seemed effortless, then blew out the candles.

Lu Rangchen cut the cake for her and placed it on the armrest of her chair for easy eating.

Zhu Yunque didn’t have much of an appetite, but since he had prepared it, she obediently picked up a plastic fork.

Lu Rangchen also ate a piece.

He wasn’t as easily coaxed as Zhu Yunque; he frowned after the first bite.

It tasted awful.

He simply wouldn’t let Zhu Yunque eat any more.

Zhu Yunque stopped him. “We can’t waste food.”

Lu Rangchen was amused by her and twitched his lips slightly, “You’re quite thrifty.”

Zhu Yunque pretended not to hear and finished the rest, not forgetting to wipe the cream from her lips with a tissue.

As if worried she wasn’t full, Lu Rangchen casually grabbed a bag of snacks from beside him and placed it on the empty seat next to her.

Zhu Yunque was taken aback. “For me?”

“What else?” Lu Rangchen lifted his eyelids slightly. “I don’t like those things anyway.”

His tone was languid, and a captivating tension unconsciously filled his eyes.

Zhu Yunque felt a little flattered.

She glanced at the snacks in the bag; they weren’t cheap.

There were tin boxes of cookies and boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

After a couple of seconds of silence, she said, “Thank you.”

Lu Rangchen’s gaze lingered on her, as if he wanted to say something, but before he could speak, Cheng Liru called.

Being close by, Zhu Yunque recognized his mother’s voice.

Lu Rangchen stared down at the smooth floor, his eyes lowered, and gave a weary “hmm,” saying he’d be back once he was ready.

Cheng Liru seemed to have given him some further instructions.

Lu Rangchen remained silent, offering a few perfunctory words before hanging up, seemingly in a bad mood.

When she looked up again, Zhu Yunque stared at him blankly. “Going back?”

Lu Rangchen looked at her teasingly. “What, reluctant to leave?”

His playful banter was as carefree as ever.

But for a moment, Zhu Yunque had a presumptuous suspicion, wondering if there was any sincerity in his words.

However, she quickly realized what he meant.

Lu Rangchen hadn’t come specifically for her tonight; he’d come back to pack something and drop by.

But she hadn’t thought Lu Rangchen had come specifically for her.

That would be too much.

There was no such “affection” between them.

A faint resentment flickered in her eyes.

Zhu Yunque slightly averted her gaze. “Then you should go back quickly. It’s late; don’t worry your mom.”

“What about you?”

Lu Rangchen gently raised his chin. “You still have two bottles of medicine left. Will you inject yourself?”

“I’m fine; there’s a doctor here.”

Zhu Yunque said, “My mom will be back soon.”

She wasn’t lying to Lu Rangchen.

Feng Yanlai had just texted her, saying there was traffic on the way, but she’d be back to be with her soon.

Lu Rangchen remained silent for a moment, his dark eyes unreadable.

For a fleeting instant, Zhu Yunque thought he was going to say something, but that unfathomable emotion only lingered in his eyes for a very short while.

Before she could even understand, Lu Rangchen casually twitched his eyelids, as if suddenly relieved of something, and said, “It’s enough that someone’s with you.”

With that, he stood up and lazily slung his schoolbag over his shoulder.

Zhu Yunque stared intently at him.

Lu Rangchen raised his hand and suddenly ruffled her hair.

A gentle, soft touch.

It didn’t feel like a ruffle on her head but rather like a ruffle on her heart.

Zhu Yunque’s breath caught in her throat.

Lu Rangchen’s long eyes lowered slightly, his thick eyelashes seemingly concealing some unspoken emotions. He smiled lightly. “I’m leaving.”

–

Feng Yanlai didn’t arrive to pick up Zhu Yunque until almost nine o’clock.

She had bought a large birthday cake, saying she would cook some of her signature dishes for Zhu Yunque when she got home.

The night wind was bitterly cold, strong, and biting. Zhu Yunque, feeling weak, carried the large bag of snacks Lu Rangchen had given her and followed Feng Yanlai upstairs.

Before entering her own home, she glanced at the apartment across the hall.

The brown security door was tightly closed, and there was no sound from inside, making it impossible to tell if anyone was home.

Zhu Yunque thought that perhaps Lu Rangchen had already packed up and gone home.

But it didn’t matter.

They would see each other again tomorrow.

Perhaps due to the severity of her viral cold, Zhu Yunque only ate a quick bite with Feng Yanlai that evening before showering and going to bed.

Unsurprisingly, Lu Rangchen appeared in Zhu Yunque’s dream once more.

In her dream, she chased after Lu Rangchen onto the No. 65 bus. The road ahead was crowded with people, and no matter how hard she tried to push forward, she couldn’t catch up with him.

In the end, she could only watch helplessly as the tall, slender figure of the boy got off the bus with the flow of people and disappeared into the vast sea of ​​people.

The disappointment in her dream was like a torrential rain, soaking her heart and leaving it damp.

When she woke up, it was already three in the morning.

Zhu Yunque, slightly out of breath, stared blankly at the endless night, lost in thought.

…

The next day was Tuesday.

Feng Yanlai only left after confirming that Zhu Yunque was feeling alright. Before leaving, she told Zhu Yunque that if she really felt unwell, she should ask the teacher for leave and go home to rest.

Zhu Yunque obediently agreed.

However, she felt determined, thinking that no matter how unwell she felt, she had to go to school.

There were fewer than ten days until the final exams.

Zhu Yunque had no intention of slacking off; she had to get into Class A.

With this belief, Zhu Yunque dragged her tired body to school and returned Zhao Qijia’s scarf to him.

Zhao Qijia looked at the scarf she had folded and put in the paper bag and said with a bit of a laugh, “You’re quite thoughtful.” He looked up and saw another scarf around Zhu Yunque’s neck.

It was a gray and black color-blocked scarf.

One end had a logo printed on it; the brand was expensive and only sold men’s styles. Zhao Qijia paused, watching as Zhu Yunque took the scarf off, carefully folded it, and placed it on her desk.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Did you just buy this?”

Zhu Yunque took out her books before looking at him. “What?”

“The scarf.”

“…”

Zhu Yunque paused and, after several seconds, said, “Someone else’s.”

Zhao Qijia wanted to say it belonged to Lu Rangchen.

But seeing the faint unease in Zhu Yunque’s eyes, he didn’t ask further.

After morning reading, Zhu Yunque went to Class A to find someone, carrying the scarf.

She had brought some candied fruit that Feng Yanlai had bought from their hometown. It was expensive, sweet, and delicious; she herself couldn’t bear to eat too much, but she took a whole box, wanting Lu Rangchen to try it.

However, reality disappointed her once again.

Lu Rangchen didn’t come to morning reading again.

Zhu Yunque clutched the bag in her hand, her mind blank for a moment.

Suddenly, she remembered Lu Rangchen’s hesitant expression last night and that disheartening dream.

She was afraid, afraid that Lu Rangchen would disappear again.

An inexplicable sense of anxiety and uncertainty gripped Zhu Yunque.

The only consolation was that two books and some miscellaneous items were still on Lu Rangchen’s desk; he didn’t seem ready to “pack up and leave.”

Zhu Yunque could only tell herself not to overthink it and turned back to the classroom.

Two periods later, it was time for morning exercises as usual.

The temperature had warmed up, and the snow had almost melted; all the students had to go outside.

Zhu Yunque followed the flow of people out of the classroom, but even after lining up, she didn’t see Lu Rangchen.

His seat was empty.

It was as if he had never existed at all.

An indescribable sense of loss, like a winter fog, suffocated her.

Zhu Yunque had a vague premonition of something bad.

On the way back, Xu Linda tried to comfort her, saying perhaps he was just being lazy and didn’t want to come to class again, and offered to ask Deng Zhe for her.

This time, Zhu Yunque refused.

She wanted to ask him herself.

Back in the classroom, before the teacher arrived, Zhu Yunque took out her phone and texted Lu Rangchen.

She thought Lu Rangchen would reply much later.

Unexpectedly, he responded very quickly.

Lu Rangchen: 【Something came up today; you can leave the things with Zhou Chuang.】

Zhu Yunque’s fingertips went numb from the message, but her heart, which had been pounding, instantly settled.

She wanted to ask Lu Rangchen what was wrong, but after typing it out, she felt it was inappropriate, so she deleted it and sent a simple 【okay.】

Lu Rangchen asked her: 【Are you feeling better?】

Zhu Yunque pursed her lips and said she wasn’t fully recovered yet.

Lu Rangchen: 【Then take more medicine.】

Zhu Yunque’s fingertips, which had just been cold, gradually warmed up.

Zhu Yunque said: 【When you come back, I’ll treat you to dinner as a belated birthday celebration.】

After sending this message, the sound of two teachers laughing and talking came from the corridor, one of whom was Zheng Guoxiong.

Zhu Yunque didn’t dare to make any moves in his class and quickly put her phone away.

Just a moment before putting it back on her desk,

Lu Rangchen replied with an 【okay.】

Her anxious mood quickly brightened because of his few words.

Zhu Yunque focused on Zheng Guoxiong’s class. As soon as the bell rang, Xu Linda came over to find Zhu Yunque to go to the restroom together and also told her about what she had found out from Deng Zhe.

Deng Zhe said Lu Rangchen seemed to have taken the day off.

Zhu Yunque nodded upon hearing this, saying she knew.

Xu Linda’s eyes widened. “You asked Brother Rang?”

Zhu Yunque gave a slight smile and said yes.

Xu Linda immediately clicked her tongue, her tone incredibly sour. “He really has no regard for women! I texted him too, and he didn’t even reply.”

Zhu Yunque was slightly surprised.

Xu Linda playfully nudged her. “I feel like I’ll be calling you Sister-in-law Rangchen soon.”

“…”

This joke was really a bit too much.

Zhu Yunque’s eyelids twitched, and she quickly stopped her with a look.

Fortunately, they went to a small, not-so-crowded restroom. There weren’t many people outside, and they were all unfamiliar faces.

Xu Linda stuck out her tongue at her and quickly went inside to find a stall.

Zhu Yunque went to the stall next to hers.

Just then, a few more people entered the restroom.

There were only four stalls, and they were all filled in the blink of an eye. Lin Zhinian and her best friend, who didn’t have a stall, weren’t in a hurry. They stayed outside, chatting and waiting.

They must have been holding it in for a long time.

Lin Zhinian sighed, and her first words were, “Honey, I feel so bad. Lu Rangchen is leaving in a few days.”

The moment she finished speaking…

Zhu Yunque had just buttoned up her pants.

Hearing this, she froze, caught off guard, even forgetting to hold her breath.

But she wasn’t the only one surprised.

Lin Zhinian’s friend exclaimed, “He’s leaving? Where is he going?”

“Of course, he’s going back to Beijing.”

Lin Zhinian said whinely, “His grandma is really sick this time, and she’s old. He couldn’t leave her behind, so he’s going back to be with her.”

The girl looked regretful. “Will he come back?”

“How could he possibly come back?”

Lin Zhinian pouted. “That’s the capital city; everything’s better than Nancheng. Besides, he has less than a year and a half left in high school. By the time he’s done being with her, he’ll have graduated.”

At this point, Xu Linda, unable to contain herself any longer, slammed open the door and shouted, “Who told you that?”

Lin Zhinian was startled, clutching her chest and giving her a reproachful look. “Are you crazy? Why did you come out so suddenly?”

Zhu Yunque also pushed open the door and came out.

Compared to Xu Linda’s exaggerated reaction, she was much calmer.

Lin Zhinian glanced at her briefly, then immediately shut her mouth.

Xu Linda rolled her eyes. “Fine, don’t tell me then.”

She and Zhu Yunque went to wash their hands at the sink.

Lin Zhinian stared at them, initially unwilling to speak.

Seeing Zhu Yunque wash her hands with almost no reaction, she suddenly couldn’t hold back and blurted out seriously, “Of course, Lu Rangchen told me himself. Who else could it be?”

With that, she slammed the bathroom door shut.

Zhu Yunque lowered her eyes, watching the cold tap water wash over her reddened fingertips.

A sudden pang of pain shot through her heart.