Young Brave Hearts – CH 040

Chapter 40

The decision to intercept Lin Zhinian was quite sudden.

Just last night, not long after Lu Rangchen finished his phone call with Lin Zhi, he contacted Xu Linda.

Xu Linda was a strange person. She used to call him “Brother Rangchen,” but lately she’d gone completely mad; Lu Rangchen couldn’t even see her WeChat Moments. The two hadn’t contacted each other on WeChat for a while.

Lu Rangchen thought she’d deleted him, but when he called her via WeChat, he found out that wasn’t the case.

It was only six or seven in the morning in England, and Xu Linda was still asleep in bed. Hearing Lu Rangchen’s voice, she was completely stunned, thinking she was dreaming.

Lu Rangchen teased her, “You wouldn’t be dreaming about me, would you?”

This remark struck a nerve with Xu Linda, waking her up in anger. Regardless of why Lu Rangchen had contacted her, she immediately launched into a tirade, her tone fierce, saying that all men were the same.

Lu Rangchen had a headache.

He rubbed his temples, listened to her vent for a while, and said, “Who told you Deng Zhe has a girlfriend?”

Xu Linda was stubborn as a rock, but her heart was as soft as tofu.

Anyone could see that her feelings for Deng Zhe wouldn’t disappear even after she went abroad and stopped contacting him.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Xu Linda shut up. Surprisingly, she didn’t press the matter further. Whether she was genuinely uninterested or feigning it, when she spoke again, her morning grumpiness was gone, and she asked Lu Rangchen what he wanted.

Lu Rangchen paused for a moment, then immediately mentioned Zhu Yunque.

Xu Linda was genuinely surprised this time. She said, “Don’t you have a girlfriend? Why are you still thinking about my Queque?”

Her attitude was quite indignant and tinged with defensiveness.

Lu Rangchen licked his lips and chuckled angrily, “Can you give me a break? When did I ever have a girlfriend?”

He added, “And even if I did, it would have to be Zhu Yunque.”

His unrestrained yet decisive tone immediately made Xu Linda numb.

As the one who had been kept in the dark all along, Xu Linda had only one feeling at that moment—damn it, Zhu Yunque had betrayed her.

The two had been secretly pursuing each other for so long, and Lu Rangchen had even started putting in a lot of effort to win her over, while Zhu Yunque hadn’t given her a single hint. Xu Linda, with her personality, was truly furious, constantly saying that Zhu Yunque wasn’t being fair.

Lu Rangchen, however, had already started to defend his own. He smiled strangely. “With her personality, do you think she’s like that?”

Xu Linda was emotionally expressive; anything she felt would be written all over her face, but Zhu Yunque was different.

No matter the situation, she remained expressionless. She kept everything bottled up inside, making her impossible to read. The only time he had ever witnessed her lose control of her emotions was when she ran out after arguing with her family, wearing silver-rimmed glasses, her eyes red, stubbornly walking through the crowd, tears streaming down her face.

Others cried water, but her tears were pearls.

Xu Linda, both pleased and displeased, said, “Fine, Lu Rangchen, do you still expect me to help you?”

Lu Rangchen remained nonchalant, thinking he’d simply buy her whatever she wanted.

However, Xu Linda completely ignored him. Although a little angry with Zhu Yunque, she still said, “I don’t want your favors. I just want to ask you, are you serious about Yunque?”

Truly good friends. Their attitudes were exactly the same.

Lu Rangchen was genuinely exasperated. He said, “Where did you see that I’m not serious about her?”

Xu Linda didn’t know what their relationship was like at Peking University. But she was well aware of the ambiguous relationship between the two at Nancheng No. 3 High School.

Xu Linda’s biggest pet peeve was Lin Zhinian.

Before Lu Rangchen could even ask, she rattled off all the things Lin Zhinian had done that were considered insensitive.

She accused Lu Rangchen of favoritism, saying he wouldn’t tell his friends about returning to the capital but only told Lin Zhinian.

She also said he gave Zhu Yunque and Lin Zhinian matching necklaces.

She added that he had a fiancée.

These things, while not major issues, were not insignificant.

As Lu Rangchen listened, he understood why Zhu Yunque had reacted so strangely when she learned he was leaving. Calm, so calm that she seemed almost indifferent.

After Xu Linda finished speaking as if tattling, she suddenly remembered to ask him, “Wait a minute, when did you start liking Queque? Didn’t you—”

“Didn’t you—”

“Didn’t you?”

“…”

Xu Linda was speechless because she realized she couldn’t prove that Lu Rangchen hadn’t liked Zhu Yunque before.

To be honest, Lu Rangchen was really special to Zhu Yunque. If it were any other girl, she would have already gotten carried away, but Zhu Yunque wasn’t that kind of person, and she never thought about it that way.

Anyway, things had already progressed this far, so Xu Linda had nothing more to say; it would be superfluous.

Zhu Yunque, with her personality, definitely wouldn’t like her friends revealing her secret feelings.

So, in the end, Xu Linda covered her mouth tightly and didn’t say anything more, only instructing Lu Rangchen to explain things properly to Zhu Yunque and to let her know when they were officially together.

Lu Rangchen smiled after hearing this and said that it was for sure.

The call ended abruptly.

Lu Rangchen smoked two cigarettes and then called Deng Zhe.

Afterward, he went to Jinshi to confront Lin Zhinian, wanting her to clear up all the old grudges.

Initially, Lin Zhinian was indeed unwilling; who wants to admit to gossiping behind someone’s back?

However, Lu Rangchen was too difficult to deal with. Plus, there was Deng Zhe; the two of them were quite resourceful, and soon they caught her red-handed. Finally, she had no choice but to back down on her words via WeChat.

Lu Rangchen actually wanted just those few words from her. He couldn’t care less about seeing her.

As it turned out, those few words were quite effective. Zhu Yunque’s expression visibly softened after hearing them.

Her initial arrogance vanished inexplicably. Her lips moved, and after a long pause, she finally managed to utter, “Why didn’t you just tell me directly?”

Lu Rangchen chuckled. “If I told you directly, would you believe me?”

He leaned closer, his eyes deepening, his tone indulgent. “With your personality…”

“…”

Zhu Yunque’s heart trembled at the warmth of his deep, slightly husky voice.

Suddenly, she felt as if she were floating on clouds. That feeling was unreal.

Her eyelashes trembled, and she deliberately said, “Lu Rangchen, you’d better not like me too much.”

After saying this, her cheeks felt hot.

Lu Rangchen chuckled lightly, continuing, “Then it’s over; you’re already hooked.”

His nonchalant tone was incredibly alluring.

Zhu Yunque watched as he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the lips, without any lust. The soft, warm touch was both real and dreamlike.

Lu Rangchen lowered his gaze, his eyes fixed on her, his voice hot and sincere, “It’s a deal; you’ll be the wind.”

“…”

“I’ll be your kite.”

–

That night, the rain fell incessantly.

Lu Rangchen held Zhu Yunque’s hand until he led her back to his place.

The second bedroom in the apartment wasn’t cleaned; only the master bedroom was usable.

Lu Rangchen gave his spot to Zhu Yunque, making do on the sofa.

When Zhu Yunque came out of the shower, it was already late. She was wearing Lu Rangchen’s shirt, its length almost like a short skirt—frankly, quite alluring.

Especially when Lu Rangchen looked at her.

The girl’s legs were straight, long, white, and slender, as beautiful as any female celebrity with stunning legs. Lu Rangchen, who had been lounging on the sofa, idly watching a boring variety show on TV, suddenly curled his lips into a smile when his gaze fell on her.

His gaze lingered on her, a mixture of real and unreal, creating an inexplicably ambiguous atmosphere that made her cheeks burn.

Or perhaps the atmosphere was just too subtle.

Zhu Yunque turned and went into the master bedroom that Lu Rangchen had prepared for her, closing the door tightly.

The bedroom was clearly decorated in a masculine style, with a touch of Instagrammable flair. Every breath carried Lu Rangchen’s pleasant scent, making her heart race slightly.

This was the first time Zhu Yunque had spent the night at a man’s place. And this man was Lu Rangchen. It was hard not to have fantasies.

She was also afraid that something might ignite at any moment and get out of control.

Perhaps it was something deeply ingrained in her that made her conformist; in any case, Zhu Yunque didn’t dare to go out dressed like that and talk to Lu Rangchen.

She also felt a little regretful; she had rushed out in such a hurry that she hadn’t brought a change of clothes from her dormitory.

Luckily, Lu Rangchen had some disposable paper underwear.

…She was afraid her underwear wouldn’t be dry by tomorrow.

Lying in bed, lost in thought, her phone, charging on the table, suddenly rang twice. Zhu Yunque picked it up and saw two missed calls and several WeChat messages.

Liang Tian: 【You’re not coming back tonight, huh?】

Xu Linda: 【How’s it going? Did you two make it work out?】

Zhu Yunque replied to Liang Tian first.

She told Liang Tian she wouldn’t be back tonight but would return tomorrow.

Liang Tian replied instantly: 【You two are moving too fast! Be careful with protection, little Zhu Yunque~】

Zhu Yunque pursed her lips slightly.

She replied: 【The protection is that I kept him out of the room.】

Liang Tian: 【!!!】

Liang Tian: 【Hahaha, you’re too ruthless!】

Liang Tian: 【Anyway, as long as you two are happy and sweet!】

Liang Tian: 【I won’t bother you two anymore.】

Zhu Yunque couldn’t help but laugh and only felt relieved after confirming that Liang Tian was staying with another girl tonight.

After talking with her, Zhu Yunque went to find Xu Linda.

Both of them had been quite busy these past few days and hadn’t communicated much.

Afraid of upsetting Xu Linda, Zhu Yunque wrote a long explanation to her, explaining why she hadn’t told her about her relationship with Lu Rangchen progressing further.

It wasn’t that she wanted to hide it. It was that she was afraid of being presumptuous again, and saying too much would only be pointless.

Unexpectedly, Xu Linda had already let it go.

Xu Linda: 【Sigh, what can I do? We’re best friends in the world. Oh well, I forgive you.】

Xu Linda: 【But what’s the situation between you two now? Are you dating or not?】

Xu Linda: 【I was so anxious!】

A sweet smile appeared in her eyes, and Zhu Yunque’s lips involuntarily curved into a smile.

She said: 【We’re together!】

The next second after sending this message.

Xu Linda sent a long string of 【Ahhhhhh!】, making her phone vibrate.

Xu Linda: 【This feels like marrying off my daughter, sob sob sob! Who would have thought that our little Yunque, who secretly had a crush, would actually get her wish!】

Xu Linda: 【I told you!! He’d like you!! You didn’t believe me!!!】

Xu Linda: 【Hmph! I have sharp eyes; come at me if you dare!】

Emotions were contagious.

Xu Linda’s excitement made Zhu Yunque’s heart flutter with joy as well.

Xu Linda added, 【But don’t worry, I didn’t tell anyone about your crush on him.】

Xu Linda: 【He doesn’t know you had a crush on him in high school.】

Zhu Yunque’s fingers paused, slightly lost in thought.

Back in the car, she hadn’t thought much of it or perhaps subconsciously felt that Lu Rangchen already knew her feelings.

She hadn’t expected Xu Linda to be so tight-lipped.

Zhu Yunque asked her, 【Why didn’t you tell anyone?】

Xu Linda: 【Why should I?】

Xu Linda: 【If you’re with him, I’d love for you to be in the lead, so I wouldn’t tell him how much you used to have a crush on him.】

Xu Linda: 【I won’t tell, and you’re not allowed to tell either.】

Xu Linda: 【To be with a guy like Rangchen long-term, you have to have him completely under your control. That’s called playing hard to get, understand?】

Zhu Yunque: 【…】

She suddenly smiled helplessly.

Although a bit childish.

But there was some truth to it.

Besides, she herself was playing hard to get with Lu Rangchen, wasn’t she?

What about kites and wind? It sounded so pretentious.

Thinking about it now, she didn’t know how she could have said those things back then.

The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt. Zhu Yunque buried her head in the pillow, exhaled deeply, and when she inhaled again, her nostrils were filled with Lu Rangchen’s scent.

It was as if she were completely nestled in his arms.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yunque couldn’t help but look towards the door. It was quiet inside and outside; she wondered what that guy was doing.

Perhaps lovers were truly in sync.

Just then, her phone rang again. Zhu Yunque picked it up to look—

Lu Rangchen: 【Why are you avoiding me?】

Her heart skipped a beat.

Zhu Yunque pursed her lips and typed: 【Chatting with Xu Linda, now getting ready for bed.】

Lu Rangchen: 【Mm.】

A few seconds later.

Lu Rangchen: 【I thought I could hug you again.】

“…”

This was practically blatant flirting.

Zhu Yunque truly hadn’t expected Lu Rangchen to be like this in a relationship—clingy and domineering.

Her ears burned.

She restrained herself and refused without hesitation: 【No.】

Just as she sent the message, she heard a faint chuckle from outside the door—an annoying yet captivating sound that made her heart itch.

Zhu Yunque bit her lip and said, 【Go to sleep.】

Lu Rangchen: 【Okay.】

Lu Rangchen: 【I’ll kiss you early tomorrow.】

Zhu Yunque: 【…】

She didn’t want to talk to him anymore. She tossed her phone aside, took a deep breath, pulled the covers over herself, and turned off the light, but she couldn’t fall asleep.

The rest of the night was restless for Zhu Yunque. She wasn’t used to the new environment, and the constant scent of Lu Rangchen kept her wide awake.

She didn’t know how long it took before she finally fell asleep, but when she woke up the next day, it was past ten o’clock.

The room was quiet.

A humidifier, installed sometime during the night, was quietly running in the bedroom, emitting a faint fragrance.

On the bedside table were her phone, a square black jewelry box, and a sticky note.

Zhu Yunque rubbed her neck, her brows furrowing slightly as she picked up the note and saw Lu Rangchen’s free and unrestrained handwriting.

“Breakfast is in the living room; just heat it up if it gets cold.”

“The things in the box are for you.”

“Something came up at home; I have to go back for a bit. Be good here; I’ll come back to you as soon as possible.”

After writing these lines, he seemed to suddenly remember something and added—

“I kissed you.”

Upon reading this, Zhu Yunque’s heart skipped a beat for no reason.

Her fingertips gently traced the three words, and she inexplicably thought of that beautiful dream she had while half-asleep… In the dream, Lu Rangchen leaned down and kissed her, his soft lips gently caressing hers. She raised her hand and hooked her arms around his neck.

Her face flushed involuntarily.

Zhu Yunque raised her hand to touch her lips, and she could actually feel that the forceful touch and warmth of his body still lingered on them.