Young Brave Hearts – CH 065

Chapter 65

The power outage that day caught everyone completely off guard.

The entire Xin Yuexiang Mansion was plunged into darkness, but the streetscape seen from the upper floors was brightly lit.

Summer in the South was unbearable without air conditioning.

Zhu Yunque hadn’t even had time to dry her hair before feeling the unbearable heat of the summer night.

There was nothing in the house that could provide light, so she could only turn on her phone’s flashlight. A moment later, Xu Linda called, asking how she was doing and whether she needed to be picked up and taken home for the night.

She lived on the city’s inner ring road, which was an hour’s drive from here.

Zhu Yunque felt bad about troubling her, simply saying, “No need, I can just find a hotel downstairs.”

Xu Linda repeatedly confirmed, “Are you really sure it’s okay? You haven’t even finished showering yet?”

“I’ll just wipe myself off quickly; I’m not that delicate, and I have to go to work tomorrow.”

Zhu Yunque’s first English class was tomorrow.

It was quite a distance from Xu Linda’s place.

Xu Linda thought about how tough it was for working people, so she let her have her way, reminding her to keep in touch.

As soon as she hung up, her phone battery dropped to 20%.

“…”

Zhu Yunque suddenly remembered when the power went out while showering in college, her battery had also dropped to 10%, except back then she had a power bank, but now, she couldn’t even find a charging cable. What’s different now is that back then, she had the right and the courage to seek out Lu Rangchen.

Youthful love was fiery and reckless; with just one phone call, the person she wanted to see would travel mountains and rivers to be by her side.

But now, she didn’t even have the right to ask where he was or who was with him.

A subtle bitterness rose in her heart.

Zhu Yunque suppressed her chaotic emotions, forcing herself to quickly get ready before going downstairs to find a hotel.

However, her eyesight was too limited; even though she had undergone nearsightedness surgery years ago, her night blindness hadn’t improved.

Forget finding a charging cable; even searching for her ID card took a long time. Finding her underwear and clothes for tomorrow was even more difficult. In her haste, she bumped her ankle against the bedpost with a loud “thud.”

The pain felt excruciating.

Therefore, the knocking at the door seemed unreal and surreal for a moment.

She truly hadn’t expected anyone to come looking for her at this hour, especially given the current situation. Zhu Yunque was momentarily stunned. When she came to her senses again, the male voice outside the door was already somewhat anxious.

To be honest, Lu Rangchen was quite impatient.

Especially when he couldn’t reach Zhu Yunque.

For a moment, he even considered asking Deng Jiao for Zhu Yunque’s phone number, but before he could act on that thought, the door clicked open.

The room, without air conditioning, was stuffy and damp.

The night was pitch black, with only the faint light of a flashlight.

In the dim light, Zhu Yunque, wearing only a sundress, stood before him, her long, wet hair cascading over her slender shoulders. Her delicate collarbone was clearly defined in the light and shadow, giving her an inexplicably alluring fragility.

Her faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils.

Lu Rangchen swallowed hard.

His gaze towards her deepened slightly.

She hadn’t expected it to be him. Zhu Yunque’s eyes froze for a moment, then she belatedly murmured, “…Lu Rangchen.”

She was always like this.

When she said his name, her tone held an unintentional softness, a softness that seeped into his heart, unconsciously soothing his anger.

Just looking at her like that, Lu Rangchen suddenly lost his temper.

His gaze swept over her V-neckline, damp with hair, then slightly averted. He said, “The power’s out in the neighborhood.”

Zhu Yunque couldn’t describe her feelings at that moment.

She only felt an inexplicable flutter in her heart.

She hadn’t expected Lu Rangchen to appear.

She couldn’t be sure if he had come back specifically for her or if he had simply come to ask what was wrong because of the sudden power outage.

Thinking about it, all she could say was, “You just got back?”

Lu Rangchen hummed in response, the faint smell of alcohol emanating from him being the best proof.

He glanced inside and said, “What are you planning to do now?”

“Go downstairs and find a hotel.”

Zhu Yunque looked at him. “What about you?”

His tone was calm, his gaze peaceful, yet like a feather, it sent a slight shiver down her spine.

Lu Rangchen’s cheeks tightened, his gaze fixed on her.

Whether it was the alcohol or something else, his eyes held a hint of aggression. Making sure she wasn’t afraid, he spoke softly, “I’ll go back to the club.”

For some reason…

Zhu Yunque’s heart suddenly cooled.

She pursed her lips. “That’s good.”

“It is good.”

Lu Rangchen’s gaze was fixed intently on her. He had no patience for further small talk and said in a lazy, carefree tone, “Want to come with me?”

–

Lu Rangchen’s club was located outside the Third Ring Road.

He needed a large venue, and only that location had the most reasonable rent.

Zhu Yunque had searched online once. Even the group-buying packages were quite expensive, but the reviews were all unanimously praising the venue, facilities, and the incredibly handsome owner.

At that time, Zhu Yunque thought that maybe one day, in a fit of pique, she would go and see just how handsome their owner was. But before that dream could be realized, the club owner made her “dream come true.”

Just half an hour later.

Zhu Yunque followed Lu Rangchen back to the club.

On the taxi ride back, the two barely exchanged a word. Having likely drunk quite a bit, Lu Rangchen looked weary, and Zhu Yunque didn’t disturb him, remaining quiet.

Upon arriving at their destination, Lu Rangchen again remained silent, carrying her bag and leading her directly to the club’s dormitory.

The security guard, probably seeing Lu Rangchen bring a girl back for the first time, especially such a beautiful one, glanced at them several times as he opened the gate, even smiling and asking, “Xiao Lu, why are you going back to the dormitory today?”

Lu Rangchen pulled out two cigarettes and tossed them on the guard’s table, lazily saying there was a power outage at his place.

The guard, probably unable to contain himself, glanced directly at Zhu Yunque and said, “So, who is this girl…?”

Lu Rangchen glanced at Zhu Yunque in return, his expression indifferent.

Just as Zhu Yunque was about to speak, Lu Rangchen casually said, “Upstairs neighbor.”

“…”

His tone was light and airy.

After saying that, he raised his chin, greeted the old man, and went inside.

The club was full of tennis players.

They were all men.

So, as soon as you entered the dormitory building, you could feel a strong aura of straight men.

Zhu Yunque looked up and saw a shirtless boy rushing down, almost bumping into Lu Rangchen. Lu Rangchen frowned, and the boy, like a mouse seeing a cat, immediately straightened up and said, “Hey boss, weren’t you drinking with Brother Zhe so late? Why are you back all of a sudden?”

After saying that, he stared at Zhu Yunque behind Lu Rangchen as if he had discovered a new continent.

Even though she was only halfway through her shower, her hair wasn’t dry.

But Zhu Yunque was undeniably beautiful.

Her beauty was different from the artificiality of carefully applied makeup; she possessed an innate, serene, and pure quality, like white moonlight.

Moreover, she was only wearing a figure-hugging sundress, revealing her slender yet shapely figure.

When it was just the two of them on the way, Lu Rangchen hadn’t paid much attention.

But now, he realized there was some danger.

Seemingly sensing his boss’s displeasure, the boy immediately looked away, chuckled, and said, “Boss, they are cooking hot pot in the activity room upstairs. Come on over later.”

Lu Rangchen hummed in response, his deep, magnetic voice revealing no emotion.

After the boy went downstairs, he suddenly raised his voice, cold and ruthless, “Get your clothes on.”

The boy immediately stood at attention, saluted, and said loudly, “Yes, sir!”

Zhu Yunque couldn’t help but twitch her lips.

When she looked up again, she met Lu Rangchen’s deep, dark eyes.

Lu Rangchen stared directly at her, as if trying to burn a hole in her face, his tone slightly sarcastic, saying, “Is he that pretty?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque was suddenly speechless.

She looked at Lu Rangchen speechlessly and retorted, “Yes, youth makes him pretty.”

She turned and went upstairs.

A few seconds later, she heard Lu Rangchen chuckle unhappily behind her, his steps casual as he followed.

Upon reaching the fourth floor, Lu Rangchen led her to his private dormitory room, a small one-bedroom apartment with a bathroom and shower.

Lu Rangchen put her things down, explained how to use the water heater, and then casually sat on the sofa with his long legs crossed, lighting a cigarette.

Zhu Yunque closed the door halfway before remembering to ask him, “I’m staying here tonight; what’ll you do?”

Lu Rangchen couldn’t help but be mischievous.

Especially thinking about how she had just complimented another man’s looks gave him a thrill.

He chuckled, lifting his eyelids to look at her, deliberately saying, “What can we do? Sleep in the same bed, of course.”

He emphasized the word “sleep.”

A wicked, roguish laugh.

Zhu Yunque’s heart skipped a beat.

Seeing her small, oval face, genuinely pursing her lips and staring at him silently, Lu Rangchen chuckled again, saying, “You wish.”

“…”

Zhu Yunque slammed the door shut.

Lu Rangchen let out a muffled laugh.

His shoulders trembled slightly from laughing.

He held a cigarette in his mouth for a moment, then tossed it onto the coffee table, got up, put his hands in his pockets, and went to the bathroom door, knocking with his long, slender fingers.

A swaying figure could be vaguely seen through the frosted glass.

She was probably undressing.

The next second, the girl said irritably, “What now?”

She was clearly annoyed by what he had just said.

With a barely perceptible smirk, Lu Rangchen, hands in his pockets, said in a drawn-out tone, “Don’t turn off the power when you’re done. I haven’t showered yet.”

It was the middle of summer.

Anyone who didn’t shower for a night felt uncomfortable.

It was actually quite normal, but given their relationship, Zhu Yunque felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

But it was someone else’s space, so she could only purse her lips and say okay.

The person outside finally left, and Zhu Yunque didn’t care where he went. She just wanted to finish her shower as soon as possible.

When she came out again, she was wearing pajamas.

Zhu Yunque scanned the living room but couldn’t find her things, so she pushed open the bedroom door.

She found that, as expected, Lu Rangchen had arranged everything.

The bedding had been changed; it was light beige, and there was a faint scent of dried laundry detergent in the air.

But when she first entered, the sheets and duvet cover were dark blue.

So, Lu Rangchen changed them?

Staring at everything before her, Zhu Yunque was momentarily stunned.

When she came to her senses, Lu Rangchen called her name again.

The man was leaning against the bedroom doorway, his tone light and a half-smile playing on his lips as he looked at her, saying, “Did you leave something in the bathroom?”

His words fell.

Zhu Yunque’s brow furrowed suddenly.

She turned to Lu Rangchen, a hint of helplessness in her eyes. “What did I leave behind?”

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow.

He genuinely didn’t know if she had done it on purpose.

He chuckled slightly, a hint of irritation in his voice. “What do you think?”

As he spoke, he glanced almost imperceptibly at the beautiful curve of Zhu Yunque’s slightly heaving chest, then his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly before he looked away, his gaze landing on her face. “Do you need me to get it for you?” he said.