Young Brave Hearts – CH 092

Chapter 92: After Getting the Marriage Certificate 04

◎ “Couldn’t she love me to death?” ◎

—Crush Diary.

She could really, really like that boy.

It has to be said that either of these sentences, taken alone, would be incredibly impactful, but Deng Jiao, “a newborn calf unafraid of tigers,” said it right in front of Lu Rangchen.

Of course, she regretted it afterward.

After all, the man’s expression couldn’t be described as merely ugly.

That’s just how Lu Rangchen was.

Normally, even when he was in a bad mood, his underlying tone was always arrogant and unassuming—nothing to worry about. But now, not only had his aura turned cold, but the emotions simmering between his brows seemed to be burning with fury.

In all the years she’d known him, this was the first time Deng Jiao had seen him like this.

Her eyes darted around, and she wisely shut her mouth and lowered her head, pretending to read.

But even if it was a case of good intentions, it was too late.

Lu Rangchen’s good mood was completely ruined by her. He abruptly asked, “Where did you get that?”

Deng Jiao’s elbow twitched, and she cautiously looked up at him, pointing in a direction.

Lu Rangchen glanced sideways at the cookie tin on the bookshelf. Deng Jiao said pitifully, “The lid wasn’t closed properly; I found it by accident.”

“…”

Lu Rangchen was genuinely amused by her antics. “Your ‘accident’ was perfectly timed.”

His eyes darkened, revealing a hint of fierceness. He raised his chin slightly. “Did Teacher Zhu allow you to read it?”

Although he said “Teacher Zhu,” the protective tone in his voice was unmistakable.

Deng Jiao’s heart skipped a beat, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

Her chubby face twitched. She clasped her hands together, pleading, “Brother Rangchen, I was wrong; please don’t tell her!”

Lu Rangchen gave a cryptic smirk, completely ignoring her, and simply picked up the diary and turned to leave.

Downstairs, a lively scene was unfolding.

A few mischievous boys had the TV blasting, playing VR games. Perhaps because of the large group, the gathering seemed even more grand than the day they moved in.

Not only were club members coming, but Li Tie and Zhou Jin were also arriving later.

It was actually quite awkward.

When Zhu Yunque and Lu Rangchen got their marriage certificate, it didn’t anger the Cheng family, but it did infuriate Li Tie.

After learning about Lu Rangchen and Zhu Yunque’s impulsive marriage, he immediately called to question them.

It was evening then, and the two had just finished. Zhu Yunque was lightly asleep in his arms, clinging tightly to him.

Lu Rangchen didn’t want to wake her, so he hung up the phone and told Li Tie on WeChat that they could talk tomorrow.

But Li Tie wasn’t Deng Zhe.

Deng Zhe treated Lu Rangchen like a second elder, always obeying his every word. Li Tie, on the other hand, was a few years older than Lu Rangchen but always treated him like a younger brother.

If it were anything else, Lu Rangchen not answering the phone would be understandable.

But it was about marriage.

And marriage to Zhu Yunque.

Li Tie was truly furious. He was still talking to Zhou Jin late at night, saying, “How could Lu Rangchen be so impulsive?” They had only recently gotten back together, and they weren’t even sure how long Zhu Yunque would hold out this time, yet he was already so infatuated with someone else that he went to get a marriage certificate.

Others learned from their mistakes.

But Lu Rangchen, no matter how many times, stubbornly stepped into the same river.

Zhou Jin was incredibly sleepy at the time, and listening to his endless rambling almost made her kick him out of bed.

Li Tie, even more furious after being scolded by her, relentlessly called Lu Rangchen, demanding to know what was going on.

The phone rang again and again.

Zhu Yunque was finally woken up. Ignoring who was calling Lu Rangchen, she changed position and fell asleep again.

Lu Rangchen truly couldn’t bear to leave her gentle embrace, but Li Tie’s nagging left him no choice but to get up and go to the balcony to answer the phone while he smoked.

As he expected, Li Tie launched into a tirade, just like with Lin Zhi before.

He even asked him what he was doing, why he hadn’t answered the phone for so long, and whether something had happened to him.

“Of course, it’s sleeping with my wife.”

Lu Rangchen flicked off a bit of cigarette ash, teasing him with a roguish, flirtatious tone, “You know more about this than I do.”

Back when Li Tie finally managed to get together with Zhou Jin, he barely even knew who Lu Rangchen was, and now he had the nerve to ask him?

Hearing his sarcastic remark, Li Tie laughed and cursed in exasperation.

Lu Rangchen just chuckled lazily, his nonchalant attitude particularly irritating, and in the end, Li Tie couldn’t offer any advice.

There was nothing to advise him on.

They were already married; he couldn’t exactly encourage them to divorce.

Li Tie, being a few years older, was simply offering a few words of earnest advice.

It was precisely because he had witnessed Lu Rangchen’s despondency during their breakup that his misunderstanding of Zhu Yunque ran so deep.

Li Tie always felt that Zhu Yunque was ruthless; she was methodical and goal-oriented in everything she did and not at all love-struck.

On the other hand, Lu Rangchen was usually incredibly intelligent, but whenever he was around Zhu Yunque, he would become a soft-hearted romantic.

The two of them were like pieces of a puzzle, one willing to give and the other willing to receive—a match made in heaven.

Men were much more realistic than women.

Putting everything else aside, he asked Lu Rangchen what would happen if Zhu Yunque quit and demanded a divorce. Would he just have to watch her take half of the business he had worked so hard to build?

Lu Rangchen scoffed, annoyed, and said, “Can’t you wish me well for once?”

He glanced at the bedroom as he spoke.

The door was open, and inside, the girl was still wrapped in his blanket, fast asleep.

It was a sense of security and warmth he had never felt before.

Withdrawing his gaze, Lu Rangchen lowered his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips, and said, “And how can you be so sure Zhu Yunque would insist on divorcing me?”

“…”

He shamelessly retorted, “Can’t she love me to death?”

Others might have found this sarcastic.

But in Li Tie’s eyes, it was nothing but scorn. He wasn’t intentionally trying to hurt him; it was simply the truth.

Zhu Yunque had abandoned him without a second thought.

Even knowing that her relationship with Xie Han was fake, Li Tie couldn’t look at her with the same eyes as before.

Lu Rangchen naturally understood his worries.

It was simply the fear of being hurt by her again.

But how could Li Tie understand?

Lu Rangchen had already resigned himself to his fate before they even reconciled. He knew that as long as she was still breathing, still by his side, he could never love anyone else.

So, even if they were together, there would be no good outcome.

He could only accept his fate.

There was no need for an adjustment period. They understood each other. Even after eight long years apart, their eyes met, and they still had the same unspoken understanding.

That’s how it is, he thought. He wanted to live like this for the rest of his life, at least without regrets.

So he “proposed” to Zhu Yunque, and to his surprise, she actually said yes.

Looking back, every decision he made seemed somewhat absurd, yet they actually got their marriage certificate smoothly.

Of course, Lu Rangchen explained a lot to Li Tie.

For example, why Zhu Yunque had resolutely left, why she had pretended to be Xie Han’s girlfriend, and how many schemes the Cheng family had used back then.

Li Tie hadn’t expected such inside stories and remained silent for a long time after hearing them.

He wasn’t exactly convinced, or what, but he sighed and said, “Fine, you’ve already gotten the marriage certificate anyway.”

He paused, then added, “I’m not trying to persuade you to break up with her; I’m just speechless. After all these years, you’re still so impulsive around her. You’ll just get yourself killed sooner or later.”

Lu Rangchen laughed. “You’re the same, and you’re criticizing me.”

Li Tie, usually a strategist for everyone, was completely helpless when facing Zhou Jin.

Li Tie sighed helplessly, “What can I do? I owe her something in this life. I’ve liked her since I was a kid.”

Lu Rangchen gave an exasperated “Oh.”

“Well, I’m different from you. My girl had a crush on me first.”

His tone was drawn out, almost boastful.

Li Tie was amused by his tone, saying, “You’re kidding me. She had a crush on you? Does she look like it?”

She certainly didn’t.

Even though Deng Zhe had told him before, and Zhu Yunque had even admitted it in front of so many children, Lu Rangchen didn’t really feel the truth about Zhu Yunque’s crush on him.

But even without feeling it, he still wanted to show off a little.

However, Li Tie was incredibly pragmatic and simply didn’t believe him.

Lu Rangchen was too lazy to argue with him and later stopped thinking about it carefully.

Anyway, Zhu Yunque’s heart and soul belonged to him; what did it matter whether he asked or not?

In fact, if it weren’t for Deng Jiao’s chance encounter with Zhu Yunque’s diary, he probably wouldn’t have connected the idea of ​​”crush” to anything for a long time.

He couldn’t quite explain his current feelings.

Lu Rangchen didn’t rush downstairs but went to the guest room balcony to smoke a cigarette.

The bluish-white smoke swirled and dispersed as Lu Rangchen frowned slightly, carefully examining the diary.

The notebook wasn’t very thick, just a thin, soft leather cover with colorful pages printed with girlish cartoon patterns.

Because it was well-preserved, it looked brand new even now.

On the open cover, Zhu Yunque’s name was signed.

The handwriting was elegant and flowing, the ink showing signs of age, matching her refined temperament; she clearly possessed a scholarly air.

Looking at those three words, Lu Rangchen subtly curled the corner of his mouth, about to turn the page again, when his fingertips stopped.

He thought of Deng Jiao’s words.

He thought of the expression on Deng Jiao’s face when she told him about the diary.

Logically, he would have assumed the person in the diary was him, but Deng Jiao’s look indicated that the diary’s contents would disappoint him.

As for how she would disappoint him, it was simply that the person in the diary wasn’t him.

Thinking of this, Lu Rangchen frowned inexplicably, realizing he really couldn’t flip through the diary any further.

He was genuinely unsure.

What if Zhu Yunque had harbored a secret crush on someone else back then? He truly didn’t know how he would cope.

Besides, a diary is too private. Even if Zhu Yunque hadn’t been very careful, a diary was a diary, a secret was a secret, and he couldn’t be so disrespectful to her.

So, after much deliberation, he finally put the diary away.

Even the location was carefully considered.

It was in the bedside table drawer in their bedroom, easily accessible with a simple turn.

Just then, Li Tie and Zhou Jin arrived.

Lu Rangchen had just come downstairs with his hands in his pockets when he saw the two of them carrying a pile of things, standing at the door exchanging pleasantries with Zhu Yunque.

Zhou Jin had always been quite enthusiastic towards Zhu Yunque; having missed the last visit due to other commitments, she had specially brought them a wedding gift.

Li Tie, however, seemed much more distant. After all, he had been the most opposed to their reconciliation, so now he simply stood behind Zhou Jin, keeping her company without saying a word, like a retired official.

It wasn’t until he saw Lu Rangchen approach that he raised an eyebrow. “Why did you go down so late?”

Zhu Yunque turned to look at Lu Rangchen upon hearing this.

Lu Rangchen glanced at her, walked to her side, and looked at Zhou Jin and Li Tie, saying, “I just went upstairs to check on Deng Jiao.”

Zhu Yunque asked, “Did she diligently do her homework?”

Lu Rangchen hummed in agreement, “She’s alright.”

For some reason, Zhu Yunque felt that Lu Rangchen was in a bad mood.

But because there were so many people around, she didn’t dare ask.

She simply stayed with him, greeting everyone.

Not long after, Deng Zhe arrived, and only then did Deng Jiao come out of the study.

She acted as if she had done something wrong and been reprimanded, only daring to stay by Deng Zhe’s side.

Deng Zhe even asked Zhu Yunque why Xu Linda hadn’t come.

At that time, everyone was on the second-floor roof deck preparing for the BBQ, while she and Deng Zhe were downstairs preparing snacks and side dishes. Hearing this, Zhu Yunque deliberately paused for a few seconds before saying, “She went on vacation abroad with her boyfriend.”

The air was silent for a few seconds after she said this.

Deng Zhe seemed to realize something belatedly, feigning calmness as he said, “Oh, I see.”

Zhu Yunque looked at him.

Deng Zhe smiled without much reaction and nodded, saying, “That’s true, finding a partner is more important.”

Zhu Yunque didn’t want to say anything to him, and the two carried their things upstairs.

The roof deck was quite spacious, and Lu Rangchen and the boys had arranged the seating.

Deng Jiao sat with a group of boys, while the adults sat at another table.

Zhu Yunque naturally sat next to Lu Rangchen.

However, Lu Rangchen was busy grilling skewers for everyone.

Deng Zhe was the best at grilling skewers, but he was clearly overwhelmed, so Lu Rangchen went to help.

It was at this moment that Zhu Yunque took the initiative to go over, giving them a slightly more private space.

Zhu Yunque helped him set up the ingredients, blinking as she asked, “Were you angry with Deng Jiao just now?”

Her tone was as gentle as usual.

But for some reason, coupled with her direct, upward gaze, it seemed particularly lively and alluring.

Lu Rangchen glanced at her, a smile inexplicably playing on his lips.

He wanted to reach out and pinch her soft, white cheek, but the gloves on his hands prevented him.

So he leaned down and kissed her.

He didn’t care if anyone else was around.

Perhaps influenced by him, Zhu Yunque actually tiptoed and offered her lips.

It was a fleeting, light kiss, unnoticed even by Deng Zhe.

Stepping back, Zhu Yunque tilted her head slightly to look at him and said, “Wasn’t she doing her homework again?”

“No.”

Lu Rangchen lowered his gaze to place new ingredients on the stove, his tone casual: “I’m too lazy to argue with her.”

“Then why?”

Zhu Yunque, unusually persistent, said, “I noticed you were in a bad mood ever since you came downstairs.”

He hadn’t expected this girl to be so observant of him. Lu Rangchen narrowed his eyes, a slightly appeasing smile on his face. “You’re quite observant of your husband.”

Zhu Yunque: “…”

She lowered her gaze to add fuel to the stove, her lips uttering, “You’re so cheeky.”

Lu Rangchen chuckled lightly, genuinely not wanting to pretend anymore.

If he continued pretending, he would only feel increasingly stifled, especially thinking of Deng Jiao’s “So lovable, so lovable,” which made him grit his teeth in annoyance.

Thinking it best to be straightforward, he shrugged and said, “It’s nothing, just a little jealous.”

Zhu Yunque paused, looking at him with slight surprise. “Jealous?”

“Jealous.”

Zhu Yunque was slightly bewildered, her eyes blank. “…Who made you jealous?”

Lu Rangchen seemed to have finally found a topic to express himself freely. He raised an eyebrow, looked back at her seriously, and smiled confidently. “What do you think?”

“…”

“Besides you, my wife, who else?”

Author’s Note:
Asian King of Jealousy
I’ll try my best to write the diary entries in the next chapter!!!
Give me some time!!!