Young Brave Hearts – CH 077

Chapter 77

That afternoon, Zhu Yunque’s casual words infuriated Zhang Leyao, leaving her with a dark expression that lasted until the end of the workday.

A colleague who was on good terms with Zhu Yunque saw this and privately asked her, “How did you offend this darling again?”

Zhu Yunque was too lazy to explain and never wanted to waste time on interpersonal relationships, so she simply said, “Maybe she’s on her period.”

This remark made the colleague burst out laughing, but Zhu Yunque was completely distracted, her mind already wandering to someone else.

As it turned out, this guy was actually quite reliable.

The school bell had barely rung for Zhu Yunque when Lu Rangchen sent a message: 【I’m at your school gate.】

It was dismissal time, and the area outside the school gate was bustling with people, but that didn’t diminish the eye-catching presence of Lu Rangchen and his car.

Zhu Yunque had originally come out alone.

It was Deng Jiao who saw her from behind and happily ran over to join her.

The girl was always full of energy; she immediately grabbed Zhu Yunque’s slender arm and asked, “Teacher Zhu, where are you going? Going home?”

Zhu Yunque wasn’t the type to get too close to students, but because it was Deng Jiao, she didn’t hold back.

Of course, she didn’t forget to casually ask how her recent test scores were.

“…”

Naturally, not very good.

Deng Jiao, her face falling, said, “Teacher Zhu, why are you being so disappointing? I finally got out of school and could have a good time.”

Perhaps in a better mood, Zhu Yunque’s lips curled slightly.

Just as she was about to say something, Deng Jiao suddenly exclaimed and pointed ahead, “Brother Rangchen! What’s he doing here!”

Hearing this, Zhu Yunque also looked up.

Then she saw Lu Rangchen, bathed in the golden afterglow, leaning lazily against the car, exuding an air of nonchalance, casually smoking a cigarette.

He still had that tall and handsome figure, broad shoulders, and long legs, with well-defined and refined features. But for some reason, the cold indifference he had shown when they first met was gone; instead, a gentler, more peaceful air had appeared.

And this was him, coming to pick her up.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yunque’s heart unconsciously quickened. Unexpectedly, Deng Jiao suddenly became excited and said, “Brother Chen came to pick me up from school! Are we going out for a nice meal again tonight?”

She turned to Zhu Yunque expectantly and said, “Teacher Zhu, do you want to come with me?”

It was quite a coincidence.

Just as she finished speaking, Lu Rangchen, who was not far away, glanced at the two of them.

The man narrowed his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes showing a hint of surprise, as if he didn’t understand how these two had gotten together.

Zhu Yunque, of course, knew that Lu Rangchen was looking at her.

But the girl was so enthusiastic, she couldn’t refuse, so she pursed her lips and said, “It’s up to you.”

Deng Jiao might not be good at anything else, but she was a master at bragging.

She patted her chest and said, “Of course! Besides, you’re my teacher, and my two brothers are too busy trying to curry favor with you—”

After saying that, Deng Jiao eagerly pulled Zhu Yunque along, and in a few steps, they weaved through the crowd to stand in front of Lu Rangchen.

She hadn’t expected this scene.

Lu Rangchen lowered his eyelids, lazily glancing at Zhu Yunque.

The two of them, surprisingly, exchanged a blank stare, neither saying a word, before their gazes fell on Deng Jiao.

Deng Jiao, always oblivious, couldn’t see the subtle misunderstanding between them even with a magnifying glass. She just chatted like a happy little puppy, “Brother Rangchen, are you picking me up for dinner? What’s the event today? Can I bring my teacher along?”

As she spoke, she gave Lu Rangchen a suggestive wink.

But Lu Rangchen, with a lazy, mocking smile, deliberately ignored her.

That smile told Zhu Yunque he was up to no good.

Sure enough, Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow in a rather irritating manner and said, “No.”

His drawn-out, affected tone was completely unexpected by Deng Jiao. The girl froze, her eyes widening in surprise.

What was wrong with him?

He was just acting like he was going to die for Zhu Yunque a moment ago; why was he saying no now?

Deng Jiao quickly protested, “Why not? Do you need Teacher Zhu’s money?”

She thought this would put Lu Rangchen in his place.

Unexpectedly, the man raised an eyebrow, stating matter-of-factly, “Teacher Zhu’s job is certainly not bad; what’s lacking is you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Rangchen looked at Zhu Yunque, a serious smirk playing on his lips, and said, “Didn’t I tell you to avoid her when you leave work? Why did you let her follow you?”

“…”

Deng Jiao’s mind went blank for a moment.

The next second, she belatedly widened her eyes, as if finally realizing what was happening, and looked at Zhu Yunque incredulously, saying, “Teacher Zhu, what’s going on between you two?”

Lu Rangchen, too lazy to pretend anymore, simply pulled Zhu Yunque away from her and into his arms. “What do you think? What’s going on between us?”

Feeling the man’s warm, broad palm against her waist and the overly intimate scent of ebony on his body, that feeling she hadn’t experienced in eight years made Zhu Yunque’s heart skip a beat.

But Lu Rangchen was incredibly reckless, refusing to let go of her waist.

Their close proximity not only caught Zhu Yunque’s attention, but Deng Jiao was also completely stunned, her face flushing red.

It was only after Zhu Yunque gently pinched Lu Rangchen’s firm, supple abs that this scoundrel casually said to Deng Jiao, “Alright, that’s all for you today. Go home early.”

“…”

Deng Jiao suddenly felt like a stray dog ​​that had been kicked.

She protested loudly, “Lu Rangchen, you have no humanity when it comes to women!”

But Lu Rangchen wasn’t about to indulge her.

He chuckled, opened the passenger door, gestured for Zhu Yunque to get in, and coldly looked at Deng Jiao, saying, “Yes, I’m heartless. I’ll have your teacher give you some homework later.”

His tone was nonchalant, yet incredibly oppressive.

Deng Jiao was immediately dumbfounded.

Who wasn’t afraid of a teacher? She was terrified!

She almost stood at attention, then immediately said to Zhu Yunque, “Well, teacher, you’re busy; I won’t bother you!”

With that, Deng Jiao ran off like a shot.

Leaving Zhu Yunque speechless.

She turned to look at Lu Rangchen, who had just gotten into the car, and couldn’t help but say, “Don’t you always spoil her like this? You won’t even give her a ride?”

Lu Rangchen thought he had misheard, his brow furrowing slightly. “What did you say?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque said, “Didn’t you say you spoil her? I don’t see it.”

“When did I say I spoil her?”

Lu Rangchen let out a muffled laugh and said, “Did you misremember, or did I say something wrong?”

As he spoke, he glanced down at Zhu Yunque, reached out, and considerately fastened her seatbelt, leaning in very close—so close that if Zhu Yunque leaned forward even slightly, it seemed she could kiss his face.

However, it was broad daylight.

With so many people at the school gate, Zhu Yunque swallowed hard; she didn’t really dare.

So, when Lu Rangchen’s gaze lingered on her meaningfully, trying to seduce her, she chose to look away and said, “You said it… ‘You really think I can spoil you forever?'”

For some reason, after repeating those words, Zhu Yunque’s eyes became uneasy.

Sure enough, Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow, his eyes playfully turning her chin, and chuckled, “Teacher Zhu, I’ve discovered your memory is truly excellent.”

“…”

“You can even remember what was said so long ago.”

His words were blatantly mocking, yet his hands weren’t idle either, openly caressing the tip of her chin, his eyes filled with lust.

Zhu Yunque’s heart pounded, yet she couldn’t help but look directly at him, asking the question that had long lingered in her mind, “So, who was that sentence meant for?”

Her eyes held a mixture of seriousness and anticipation, as if she had been pondering this for a long time, finally feeling entitled to ask.

However, the moment she asked, Lu Rangchen had already discerned what was truly on her mind.

A playful smile played on his lips as Lu Rangchen raised a teasing eyebrow and said, “What do you think?”

The words fell.

Zhu Yunque held her breath for a moment; before she could react, a fleeting, delicate kiss landed on her lips.

The kiss was soft and sweet, the tip of his tongue briefly exploring, a fleeting, lingering touch—the scent of mint candy.

He had just eaten it immediately after extinguishing his cigarette to kiss her.

Zhu Yunque instinctively closed her eyes and swallowed hard, and when she lifted her eyelids, Lu Rangchen had already moved back, his gaze fixed intently on her. “Of course, it was for some heartless person.”

“…”

Even though she already knew this was the answer, hearing him say it aloud still stirred something within her.

So, those words really were meant to provoke her.

Zhu Yunque bit her lip lightly, her eyes slightly glazed as she uttered an “oh,” as if only in this way could she conceal her current flutter of excitement and joy.

Lu Rangchen, of course, knew what she was thinking.

He glanced down at her, completely losing focus on driving. After a few seconds, he smiled and said, “So, aren’t you going to share your thoughts?”

“…My thoughts are…”

Zhu Yunque looked up at him, pursing her lips obediently, and said, “From now on, you’re not allowed to spoil others.”

To be honest, it was a rather childish statement.

But it was exactly what Zhu Yunque wanted to say at that moment.

She was just that domineering, that unreasonable, and that jealous, and yet Lu Rangchen always fell for it.

The man’s lips curled into a wild smile, and he nodded slightly, saying, “Okay.”

“But in exchange.”

Lu Rangchen stared intently at her and said, “Don’t you have to promise me something?”

Zhu Yunque looked at him. “What do you want me to promise you?”

Lu Rangchen glanced at her up and down, deliberately teasing her. “I haven’t thought about it yet. I’ll tell you when I do.”

Zhu Yunque: “…”

Fine.

Seeing that it was almost time, Lu Rangchen didn’t linger. They were boyfriend and girlfriend now, so he didn’t bother with formalities. He simply took her hand and drove onto the main road with one hand, taking her to a place to eat.

It was the most popular barbecue restaurant in Nancheng City.

Lu Rangchen was always rather casual about food; he had specifically asked Lin Zhi to find out about this place.

In Lin Zhi’s words, the food was delicious, the atmosphere was great, and it was perfect for taking photos. Lu Rangchen figured Zhu Yunque would also like this kind of place, so he called and made a reservation.

Thankfully, he had made a reservation.

At this time, the restaurant was almost completely full.

Fortunately, Lu Rangchen’s reservation was good, with a great view, but it was precisely because of the good view that Zhu Yunque was able to spot Lin Zhi as soon as she entered.

The girl was dressed casually today and seemed to be wearing little makeup.

So much so that when Zhu Yunque recognized her, she was genuinely stunned.

Lu Rangchen was looking down at the menu when Zhu Yunque, unsure, gently touched Lu Rangchen’s hand and said, “Look at that person; isn’t that Lin Zhi?”

Hearing Lin Zhi’s name, Lu Rangchen’s eyelids twitched, and in the instant he grasped Zhu Yunque’s hand, he glanced sideways.

It was quite a coincidence.

His gaze had barely passed when Xie Han followed Lin Zhi into the restaurant.

Both of them had good figures and looked quite well-matched.

It was just then that Lin Zhi and Xie Han finally noticed the two people in the seats.

Compared to them, Lu Rangchen and Zhu Yunque were obviously more eye-catching.

But what truly blinded Lin Zhi’s eyes, as if looking at a 24k titanium alloy, was Lu Rangchen’s half-closed, probing gaze as he glanced at her.

Lin Zhi: “…”

Lin Zhi immediately covered her face with her purse and turned to slip away.

But Xie Han, completely oblivious to her “romantic” nature, grabbed her arm and said, “Lu Rangchen and Zhu Yunque are over there; let’s go over?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Rangchen stood up.

The man, hands in his pockets, stood casually, his gaze falling leisurely on Lin Zhi, and said nonchalantly, “Why are you running?”

Lin Zhi’s ears immediately burned.

Lin Zhi put down her bag, looking at Lu Rangchen with a hint of guilt, and said, “What are you doing here?”

Lu Rangchen was truly amused by her. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?”

As he spoke, he glanced at Xie Han with a serious expression and said, “What’s going on between you two?”

“…”

Lin Zhi was momentarily speechless under his gaze and quite annoyed.

Xie Han paused, wanting to say something, but suddenly became displeased and blocked his way, saying, “What could it be? Of course, we went all the way.”

Perhaps out of embarrassment and anger.

Lin Zhi raised her voice and retorted to Lu Rangchen, “What, you didn’t have sex with Zhu Yunque last night?!”

But little did she know, her seemingly reasonable words were like a knife stabbing straight into Lu Rangchen’s heart.

Lu Rangchen: “…”

He glanced at Zhu Yunque, who was ordering food from a waiter not far away, and suddenly licked his lips and chuckled in exasperation.

Hmm.

It was true, not at all.