Young Brave Hearts – CH 036

Chapter 36

Lu Rangchen’s words were very enticing.

So much so that Zhu Yunque couldn’t help but wonder, for a moment, just how good he could be as a boyfriend and how bad he could be.

However, when it actually came to that, everything seemed very different from what she had imagined.

Too many obstacles stood between them.

Perhaps just one argument would change him from her ideal to someone else, and she wouldn’t be as calm, rational, and composed as she had predicted.

At that point, it would truly be over.

She didn’t know if she could bear the prospect of becoming complete strangers with Lu Rangchen in the future.

Even so, she couldn’t suppress the surging emotions and feelings of affection within her.

Her fingers, held in his, twitched slightly, but she didn’t pull away.

Zhu Yunque, clinging to her last shred of clarity, said, “Lu Rangchen, I hope you’ve thought this through.”

Lu Rangchen slightly raised an eyebrow. “Thought what through?”

Zhu Yunque looked up at him, her seemingly calm eyes churning with turbulent emotions. “Thought about whether we’re suitable for each other.”

A rather unwelcome statement.

A normal person wouldn’t let someone they like back down in this atmosphere.

But that’s exactly what she did.

Lu Rangchen truly hadn’t expected her to react this way.

He stared at her for two seconds, then chuckled. “Is that how you reject a blind date?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque opened her mouth. “I’m not joking. We don’t really know each other. You need to know more.”

Lu Rangchen tilted his head, his eyes deep. “Do I need to know all your likes and dislikes, or do I need to know every single detail about you before we can be together? …At the very least, I know you.”

Zhu Yunque slowly opened her heart. “You don’t really know me either.”

Lu Rangchen was genuinely amused by her seemingly contradictory approach. He paused for two seconds, then said, “I don’t understand you. I don’t understand why, even though you only have eyes for me, you won’t take a single step towards me.”

“Zhu Yunque,” he said her name solemnly, “what are you afraid of? Are you afraid I’m not sincere? What sins have I committed to make you have such deep concerns?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque was speechless, overwhelmed by his exasperated tone.

In a way, Lu Rangchen truly saw through her.

Silent, she looked away and rolled down the car window.

The night was thick and inky.

In contrast, the streetscape was dazzling with lights.

Zhu Yunque spread her fingers, extending her hand outside the window. After a few seconds, she spoke slowly and deliberately, “But, Lu Rangchen, I don’t want to be a kite.” She turned to look at the boy she had liked since she was seventeen. “I only want to be the wind.”

Her deep eyes seemed to light up at her words.

Lu Rangchen lifted his gaze, fixing it on her.

His eyes held no confusion, no contempt, no disdain, just a gentle, straightforward look, as if nothing was more worthy of his attention than her presence.

Suddenly, he hummed in agreement, his tone gentle and perfectly in tune with the moment. “Why?”

Zhu Yunque pursed her lips and said, “Because wherever the wind blows, the kite must follow.”

A moment of silence followed.

Lu Rangchen chuckled softly, as if understanding something.

Sometimes he admired Zhu Yunque; she could clarify complex matters in just a few words. There was no need for a complete falling out, nor to say anything particularly hurtful. His clarity was almost unsettling.

But he still wanted to ask, “What if you can’t be the wind?”

Zhu Yunque looked at him meaningfully for the first time. She said, “Then I’ll be nothing, just be myself.”

Lu Rangchen chuckled, “Do you think I’d agree to that?”

Zhu Yunque remained silent.

Lu Rangchen narrowed his eyes, as if he couldn’t understand something and simply gave up trying, his tone almost stubbornly forceful, “Anyway, whether it’s the wind or a kite, whatever the metaphor, you have to use me.”

Zhu Yunque: “…”

The pleasant atmosphere was completely ruined by his unreasonable antics.

She pouted, “Are you a bandit? So domineering.”

Lu Rangchen laughed, somewhat annoyed. “Who’s the bandit here, you or me? You come up here and try to be the wind, blowing me around like crazy. Can’t you be a little nicer to me?”

…Zhu Yunque was already regretting saying all that to him.

She tried to pull her hand back.

But Lu Rangchen clearly wasn’t going to let her go, gripping her hand tightly, pulling several times without budging.

Zhu Yunque’s expression turned slightly annoyed.

Lu Rangchen’s eyes and brows radiated a roguish charm, and his assessment was quite apt: “I think you’re really stubborn. Not just stubborn, but also domineering. You’re not as gentle as you seem; you have quite a personality. Yeah, pretty difficult to handle.”

His tone was casual, clearly teasing, yet there was no hint of criticism or sarcasm, only blatant indulgence.

Zhu Yunque suppressed a smile.

Unable to describe her feelings, she mumbled, “Good that you know.”

Lu Rangchen casually curled his lips, a sudden shift in tone, as if deliberately flirting with her, “I actually like stubbornness.”

“…”

Zhu Yunque’s cheeks flushed.

She suddenly understood what Lu Rangchen meant by “difficult.”

His kind of badness.

Was irresistible.

What surprised her even more was that Lu Rangchen seemed to care a lot about her attitude. He raised an eyebrow, changing the subject. “So, anything else? Tell me all at once.”

Zhu Yunque, however, perked up.

She looked away, expressionless, and said, “Nothing to say.”

Lu Rangchen let out a muffled chuckle.

He looked at her patiently. “You don’t have to say it; I’ll say it for you.”

Zhu Yunque was slightly taken aback.

Lu Rangchen leaned back lazily in the driver’s seat, one hand on the steering wheel, his gaze relaxed and at ease as he looked ahead.

After a moment’s thought, he said quite sincerely, “Zhu Yunque, don’t let my appearance fool you; I’m a very serious person, at least more serious than you think. I’m not one to make promises lightly, but I want you to know—”

He paused briefly, then turned to look at the girl seriously, his deep, resonant voice carrying an unwavering certainty.

“Come with me, and I’ll never let you regret it.”

–

“So what!!!!”

“After all this, you haven’t even been together yet, kissed, hugged, gone to a hotel, and had sex???!!!”

“Zhu Yunque, have you ever quit drugs!!!”

“Is it him or you who has the problem!!!”

Nine o’clock that evening.

The dormitory, which only housed two people, was filled with Liang Tian’s high-decibel shouts, sounding as if a thousand horses were galloping through it.

Zhu Yunque chuckled, “Liang Tian, ​​are you crazy?”

Liang Tian stared with her big, bright eyes. “I think you’re the crazy one! You’ve liked him for so long, and he even pursued you, yet you rejected him. I really don’t understand what you’re thinking.”

Zhu Yunque’s breathing quickened at her words.

She remained silent.

On the table were several dishes brought back from the restaurant. There was also a large bag of snacks and fruit that Lu Rangchen had bought for her, as if they were free.

Just as the two returned to school, Lu Rangchen locked her in the car and only let her out after he finished shopping. Later, he took her to her dormitory before leaving.

Zhu Yunque handed out fruit and snacks to Liang Tian, ​​then lowered her eyes and said, “I told him to think it over some more.”

Liang Tian, ​​clutching the large pile of food, hit the nail on the head. “That’s not really asking him to think it over; it’s clearly testing him.”

“But I don’t want to be casual.” Zhu Yunque thought for a moment and said, “I just want him to figure out whether his feelings for me are just a passing fancy or if he truly likes me.”

There were too many interesting people in this world.

If she were to do it, she wanted to be the one who would leave a lasting impression on him, not someone easily replaceable, a fleeting memory.

“You’re really quite rational,” Liang Tian exclaimed, peeling open a banana with admiration. “So, you two won’t be seeing each other for a while?”

Zhu Yunque’s thoughts went blank for a moment.

She said she didn’t know.

She didn’t know what Lu Rangchen would think. Maybe after one night, he would really come to his senses and realize that the two of them weren’t suitable.

If that were the case…

Zhu Yunque suddenly felt uneasy, truly unsure of what to do.

Meanwhile.

After taking Zhu Yunque back to her dorm, Lu Rangchen returned to his newly rented apartment. It was a rather unassuming two-bedroom apartment. The decor exuded the air of an elite working professional.

As soon as Lu Rangchen turned on the light, the chubby little cat meowed and rubbed against his legs. He squatted down and petted it for a while, changing its food and water, before receiving a call from Lin Zhi.

Lin Zhi’s drunkenness had subsided considerably, and her speech was clearer. She immediately asked him how his conversation with Zhu Yunque was going.

Lu Rangchen slumped lazily on the sofa, a half-lit cigarette between his fingers, and chuckled irritably. “You two have known each other for a while, haven’t you?”

Lin Zhi was bewildered. “Are you crazy, Lu Rangchen? I haven’t seen you in ages! How could I know her? I’ve never been to Nancheng.”

Lu Rangchen scoffed. “Then how did she recognize you so quickly and even ask me if we’d marry?”

Lin Zhi exclaimed in surprise, “How did she know all that? She knows all that?”

Lu Rangchen said, “Know what? Who wants to marry you?”

Lin Zhi retorted, “You seem to look down on me, huh?”

Lu Rangchen said impatiently, “Tell the truth.”

Lin Zhi yelled at him, “You brat, show some respect! I’m the same age as Zhi Tao; she’s your older sister by seniority. How dare you talk like that?”

She was always outspoken and couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

She regretted it as soon as she said it.

Hearing Lu Rangchen’s silence, she coughed twice and changed the subject. “Well, I really don’t know her; don’t wrong me.”

She was crazy, but she never lied.

Lu Rangchen was silent for a moment, then said indifferently, planning to ask someone else later.

Lin Zhi was quite concerned. “What, you two didn’t reach an agreement?”

Perhaps she didn’t know who to talk to.

Lu Rangchen lit a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and after two seconds, hummed in agreement, briefly recounting their conversation.

Lin Zhi was going crazy. “This girl is ruthless; she even rejected you??”

Lu Rangchen chuckled, “What about me? Am I not human?”

His words contained a light, self-deprecating tone, a hint of his sharpness being thwarted.

Lin Zhi didn’t understand. “Didn’t you say she used to have a crush on you?”

Lu Rangchen chuckled, a slight smirk playing on his lips. “That only counts if she tells me herself.”

Lin Zhi: “…”

She was genuinely speechless. “Why don’t you just ask her about it?”

Lu Rangchen scoffed. “With her personality, if I actually asked, we wouldn’t have anything to talk about.”

Lin Zhi asked, “Why?”

Lu Rangchen thought for a moment and said, “She’s too innocent.”

“…”

“Besides, the reason a crush is called a crush is that you don’t want to tell the person involved.”

Lin Zhi clicked her tongue in exasperation. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Don’t curse me.”

“Really, it’s not good.”

Lin Zhi said, “It’s not that I think you can’t win her over; it’s just that this girl has you under her thumb too easily.”

He casually glanced at the burning crimson at his fingertips. Lu Rangchen’s gaze drifted blankly.

Lin Zhi said, “If your friend’s information is correct, then this girl is frighteningly rational. She’s secretly liked you for so long, yet she’s kept it all bottled up. Even if you confess, she’ll make you think it through. Isn’t that just pulling you along, dragging your initial 60% liking to a 90%? Good heavens, if I had her skills, I wouldn’t have had 28 relationships.”

Lu Rangchen flicked his cigarette ash, amused and exasperated. “Can you please not talk so harshly? Listen.”

Lin Zhi teased him, “Oh, oh, oh, she hasn’t even given you a title yet, and you’re already protecting her.”

Lu Rangchen laughed. “That’s enough.”

Lin Zhi stopped there. “Anyway, be careful; don’t get caught up in her mess one day without even knowing it.”

Lu Rangchen nonchalantly curled his lip. “Then I’ll get caught,” he said. “As long as she’s happy.”

Lin Zhi really wanted to scold him awake, but she knew that in matters between men and women, once things got heated, scolding wouldn’t help. Thinking for a moment, she asked, “So what do you plan to do now, really take a few days to cool off?”

Lu Rangchen was decisive: “Impossible.”

He couldn’t cool off. He had a hard time calming down all night.

Lin Zhi said, “Then do you need me to help you with anything, like explaining our relationship to her? Acting as a mediator?”

He took the last drag of his cigarette, the milky white smoke dissipating.

Lu Rangchen inexplicably thought of Zhu Yunque’s reddened eyes when she asked, “Will you and she get married in the future?”

He stubbed out his cigarette, his voice rising slightly at the end, “You can go, just don’t say anything out of line.”

“My future girlfriend,” Lu Rangchen’s tone was helpless, yet he smiled indulgently, “is too hard to coax.”