Young Brave Hearts – CH 044

Chapter 44

The envelope contained a total of three thousand yuan, almost all brand-new banknotes.

Zhu Yunque wasn’t lying to Ye Tian; this was indeed money Lu Rangchen had withdrawn from an ATM before coming to see her.

In 2014, mobile payments weren’t yet widespread.

Giving a red envelope in this way was quite thoughtful, so much so that when Lu Rangchen handed it to Zhu Yunque in the restroom, she was somewhat surprised.

Lu Rangchen, however, was quite nonchalant, raising his chin and saying, “Consider it a small gift.”

…Who gives money as a gift?

Zhu Yunque held the money, somewhat helplessly.

Lu Rangchen ruffled her hair, saying casually, “Just consider it money spent to build a good relationship with him; it isn’t much anyway.”

For him, three thousand wasn’t much.

But in those days, that amount could cover Ye Tian’s food and drink for a semester.

Given his current situation, Ye Tian being able to return to school was already a blessing; no one cared about how he would survive.

Lu Rangchen’s money was undoubtedly a lifesaver.

Zhu Yunque wasn’t an unyielding rock.

Her heart was genuinely warmed, and for the first time ever, she took the initiative, holding Lu Rangchen’s hand, which was resting on the table.

The temperature dropped day by day after autumn began.

His hand had a faint coolness to it, a very smooth and warm touch, like jade.

Seeing those soft fingertips take hers, Lu Rangchen smiled slightly, his wrist turning to hold hers, their fingers intertwined.

His delicate fingertips rested on the back of her hand, gently and tenderly caressing it.

Zhu Yunque was momentarily dazed.

She thought of Nancheng last year; the weather was almost the same.

Outside the window, a hazy, gray twilight hung in the air. She sat in the brightly lit classroom of Senior Three Class A, working on the problems on her test paper again and again.

The classroom was quiet.

No one was slacking off, yet in a moment of perplexity, she suddenly stopped writing, thinking of Lu Rangchen, far away in the capital.

She couldn’t help but wonder what his life was like there, what kind of existence he led.

Perhaps he was already preparing to go abroad.

He probably had a few good friends, who, unlike these ordinary high school students, didn’t bear the immense pressure of college entrance exams every day. Even abroad, they seemed to be having smooth sailing, perhaps even quickly falling in love.

That girl would be his equal, a perfect match.

She was probably his first love, a first stirring of love, unforgettable.

In short, she wouldn’t be like her, introverted and uninteresting, burdened with unspoken worries, languishing in place.

She thought she might never see Lu Rangchen again.

He would soon forget the ordinary, quiet girl he had met in his second year of high school.

It seemed they hadn’t even had time for a proper farewell.

That moment of helpless sadness and suffocation, like a shallow mark etched into her youth, couldn’t be erased. But how could she have imagined then that one day in the future, Lu Rangchen would reappear in her life in a way that showed love?

Their hands, clasped together, tightened imperceptibly.

Zhu Yunque stared intently at Lu Rangchen, whispering, “Aren’t you being too good to me?”

She hadn’t expected to utter this after holding back for so long.

Lu Rangchen couldn’t help but chuckle. He chuckled, “Is this good enough for you?”

“…”

“That’s a bit too easy to satisfy.”

These words sounded frivolous, but they struck a chord deep within Zhu Yunque’s heart.

For her, every single moment since their reunion had been a blessing from heaven.

Lu Rangchen might never understand her feelings.

That thrill of being seen, responded to, and then passionately loved.

As if sensing the emotions in her eyes, Lu Rangchen, before Ye Tian emerged from the bathroom, leaned down and gently kissed her lips.

His deep voice, lingering like mist, chuckled, “Zhu Yunque, this isn’t called being good to you.”

“…”

“This is called loving the house because of its inhabitants.”

–

Perhaps those who were favored always had more confidence.

That night, Zhu Yunque gave him the red envelope with such confidence that even though Ye Tian initially wanted to refuse, she persuaded him.

In life, being well-fed and clothed was the most important thing.

For people from their kind of upbringing, before becoming powerful, they always had to find a way to secure their livelihood.

They were siblings who grew up together.

Ye Tian hesitated for a few seconds, then understood Zhu Yunque’s intentions.

Before leaving, Zhu Yunque also told him to call her if he needed anything and not to try to tough it out on his own.

Ye Tian wasn’t as lucky as her.

She could grab Feng Yanlai and climb out, but Ye Tian could not.

After parting ways with Zhu Yunque, Ye Tian took a taxi and left.

Zhu Yunque and Lu Rangchen watched the taxi drive away and only got in after it was completely out of sight.

The car wasn’t the one from the capital.

But it looked more expensive than that one, probably belonging to Lu Rangchen’s family. Zhu Yunque didn’t ask any questions; she wasn’t the type to pry into other people’s family backgrounds.

Lu Rangchen, however, as soon as the car started moving, asked about her relationship with Ye Tian, ​​such as whether they were half-siblings.

The answer was neither.

Lu Rangchen’s expression visibly paused, and his gaze towards her held a serious air.

Zhu Yunque looked quite innocent. “What’s wrong?”

Lu Rangchen smirked, annoyed. “Why didn’t you say you weren’t related by blood earlier?”

Zhu Yunque said, “Does it make a difference?”

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow. “If I had a sister who wasn’t related by blood, and I doted on her every day, wouldn’t you be angry?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque finally understood his implied meaning.

Her lips twitched involuntarily. She said, “Then I’ll help you get the money back.”

Lu Rangchen scoffed. “You certainly know how to annoy me.”

As he spoke, he looked straight ahead and casually extended his right hand to her. “Hold my hand.”

Zhu Yunque paused for a moment, then placed her left hand in his palm, their fingers intertwined.

It was strange.

They hadn’t been officially together for very long, but the feeling was as if they had loved each other for many years.

A faint smile played on her lips as she gazed at the street scenes rushing past the window. “Lu Rangchen,” she said, “you can be quite childish sometimes.”

Lu Rangchen merely raised an eyebrow, replying casually, “It depends on who I’m with.”

Zhu Yunque silently smiled.

The night outside the car window was hazy and deep.

That was the first romantic and private night he and she had spent in Nancheng—as his girlfriend.

That night, Lu Rangchen drove her to a quiet bar.

It was the same bar Xu Linda had taken her to before, but the owner had changed two years ago.

Lu Rangchen wasn’t familiar with that person, nor would he sing there anymore; he simply arranged for Li Tie and Zhou Jin to meet Zhu Yunque.

Compared to two years ago, Zhu Yunque’s youthful naiveté had changed a lot.

She had dressed up carefully before leaving.

Her long hair flowed gently, her thin bangs giving her a sweet and innocent look. Her features were more defined and beautiful than before, possessing a rare ethereal quality.

Li Tie was a social butterfly; he immediately started warming up the atmosphere with enthusiastic greetings and introduced himself to Zhu Yunque.

Zhou Jin was also quite nice.

She had a neat short haircut, dressed coolly, and was very warm.

The four of them sat down at their reserved seats.

A slightly chubby male singer began to sing on stage, performing Xue Kaiqi’s “Suzhou River.”

The drinks and food ordered by Lu Rangchen arrived quickly, soon filling the entire table. Of the four, Zhou Jin was the biggest drinker, followed by Li Tie.

For some reason, even though she had only been to this kind of event before, Zhu Yunque felt completely relaxed, both physically and mentally.

Lu Rangchen, worried that the other two might force her to drink, initially ordered her low-alcohol Alexander and White Russian cocktails.

Both were creamy, dessert-like drinks.

Even if she drank a whole glass, Lu Rangchen wouldn’t worry.

Most importantly, he sat close to her so that she wouldn’t lose her balance; he simply draped one arm over the back of her chair.

Zhou Jin was incredibly jealous and teased, “Lu Rangchen, I really didn’t expect you to be like this when you’re in love.”

Li Tie seized the opportunity to taunt her, “You think he’s like your boyfriend, all chauvinistic and work-obsessed?”

Zhou Jin had only recently broken up and hadn’t fully recovered her energy, so she angrily kicked him under the chair.

Li Tie wasn’t angry; he just laughed heartily.

After laughing, he ordered more drinks for Zhou Jin.

Lu Rangchen also got up to order drinks at the bar, and before leaving, he asked Zhu Yunque what she wanted to eat.

After downing a glass of White Russian, Zhu Yunque, perhaps a little tipsy, rested her chin on her hand and tilted her head, saying, “I want some cake.”

There was no cake in the bar.

Lu Rangchen smiled.

But he couldn’t bear to let her go without it.

He nodded, said okay, and ruffled the back of her head. “Then you wait patiently.”

With that, Lu Rangchen left.

Zhu Yunque drank her Alexander, listening to the music on stage.

A little while later, Li Tie returned, carrying fresh snacks and fruit. He and Zhou Jin naturally struck up a conversation with Zhu Yunque.

Having gotten a bit more familiar with each other, Li Tie smiled and said to Zhu Yunque, “Lu Rangchen was quite annoyed with you the other day. How come you two are together so quickly?”

Zhou Jin chimed in, “Yes, yes, how did you get together? Tell us!”

Hoping Lu Rangchen would tell them was unlikely.

They couldn’t get a complete sentence out of that guy.

Zhu Yunque certainly didn’t disappoint them.

The girl had a little to drink, and she was getting tipsy. She propped her cheek on her hand, her eyes slightly flushed and earnest. “He said he likes me, and he’s pursuing me.”

Zhou Jin’s eyes widened immediately. “Damn, that’s a straight line! And then?”

Li Tie interjected, “And then they got together; didn’t you see how fast they got together?”

Zhu Yunque smiled, her lips pursed.

Her cheeks flushed, and she exuded a youthful shyness.

Li Tie said, “It isn’t that I’m trying to be nice to my brother, but Ah Rang has never really had a girlfriend before. Other girls always pursued him. For him to directly tell you he likes you and is pursuing you, he must be really into you.”

Zhou Jin chimed in, “Absolutely! To be honest, I thought you were the one who pursued him.”

Zhu Yunque smiled but remained silent.

Zhou Jin took the opportunity to hand her a glass of wine, saying, “Drink this, Ah Rang; I’ll be back soon anyway.”

Zhu Yunque glanced at it, took it, and said, “Thank you.”

Just then, Lu Rangchen returned carrying a cake.

He slammed the not-so-large six-inch cream cake onto the table, and the next second, he snatched the Long Island Iced Tea from Zhu Yunque’s hand.

Zhu Yunque’s lips hadn’t even touched the glass when he took it, and she froze.

After drinking, her eyes were different from usual.

Gone was that cold, unfathomable clarity; now she was dazed and easily manipulated.

Lu Rangchen glanced down at her, amused. “How come you’ll drink anything when I’m not around for a little while?”

Then he looked at Zhou Jin. “Did you give it to her?”

Zhou Jin immediately shut her mouth, gave Li Tie a look, and said, “He ordered this.”

Li Tie scoffed, “Didn’t you tell me to order this?!”

Zhou Jin immediately got up, said she was going to the restroom, and scurried away.

Li Tie wasn’t stupid; seeing Zhou Jin had left, he quickly made an excuse to go make a phone call.

Lu Rangchen watched their retreating figures, grinding his teeth, then pulled out a chair and sat down, turning his head to stare intently at Zhu Yunque.

Zhu Yunque looked at him honestly.

Actually, her face was even more beautiful up close. Her skin was white and delicate, her features were refined and pretty, very pleasing to the eye, and her eyes were direct and pure, like a fire burning in your heart.

She was very alluring, so alluring that you wanted to pull her away and kiss her passionately.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and Lu Rangchen suppressed the urge, pointing with his chin to the untouched Long Island Iced Tea on the table. “You know what this is, yet you dare to drink it.”

Zhu Yunque’s gaze followed his to the cocktail that looked a bit like cola, her lips tightening.

Lu Rangchen simply poured the drink into Li Tie’s glass, scoffing softly, “You even dare to drink Long Island Iced Tea.”

Zhu Yunque frowned slightly, still not quite understanding.

“What’s wrong with Long Island Iced Tea?” she asked.

Lu Rangchen was immediately amused and annoyed.

He glanced at Zhu Yunque with a sidelong glance, stared at her for two seconds, then simply lifted his leg and hooked her chair towards him.

Zhu Yunque was light on her feet, and he hooked her chair almost instantly.

Lu Rangchen was now closer to her.

He braced himself against the back of Zhu Yunque’s chair with one hand, his posture almost like half-embracing her, gazing at her with deep eyes, his gaze gradually heating up to a burning intensity.

Their eyes met for a few seconds.

Lu Rangchen finally couldn’t resist, lowering his gaze to kiss her lips tenderly.

Zhu Yunque instinctively closed her eyes.

His lips were soft and sweet.

When she opened her eyes again, Lu Rangchen’s gaze seemed to be suppressing something.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice low and seductive, “If you drink, you’re mine tonight.”