Young Brave Hearts – CH 094

Chapter 94: Diary of Unrequited Love 02

◎ “Queque, you really know how to be persistent.” ◎

When she received this message, Zhu Yunque and Ye Tian had already taken Zhu Yuxuan off the Ferris wheel.

She stared blankly at her phone screen, a rare and obvious curve to her lips.

Zhu Yuxuan shook her hand, pulling her back to reality, and asked, “Sister, is something good happening?”

Before Zhu Yunque could speak, Ye Tian patted his head and said, “Sister got married recently; of course, I’m happy.”

“Married?”

Zhu Yuxuan’s face scrunched up. “I didn’t know.”

Ye Tian said, “You’re a child; it’s normal not to know.”

Zhu Yuxuan looked at Zhu Yunque unhappily and said, “So you got married while I was sick? Sister, how could you get married so quickly? Did you have a wedding banquet?”

He seemed very anxious.

Zhu Yunque couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “Not yet; I’ll definitely call you when it’s done.”

Zhu Yuxuan jumped up and down excitedly, “Then I want to be a flower boy!!!”

Ye Tian, ​​standing beside him, immediately frowned and held him down, telling him to behave, “What did I tell you? Stop jumping around; stop jumping! Have you forgotten what I told you before we left?”

Although Zhu Yuxuan had been discharged from the hospital and was recovering for a month, he still couldn’t let his guard down.

If he hadn’t begged to come out and play with tears streaming down his face, Ye Tian would never have agreed to take him to the newly opened amusement park.

Even if they had come, he would only have taken him around and let him play on some not-so-thrilling rides.

But such rides were few and far between.

Zhu Yuxuan then begged to ride the Ferris wheel again.

Ye Tian, ​​unable to resist his insistence, asked Zhu Yunque again, “Did my brother-in-law just call you? Why don’t you call him first, and I’ll take him out?”

Unexpectedly, Zhu Yunque nonchalantly put away her phone, smiling, and said, “He didn’t call me. He’s doing fine at home alone.”

Ye Tian: “…”

That wasn’t just polite talk.

It meant that Lu Rangchen, on the other side of the city, was indeed doing quite well.

After all, he still had most of a diary with him, handwritten by Zhu Yunque before she went to university.

To Lu Rangchen, it was the best wedding gift Zhu Yunque could give him.

It undoubtedly held a fatal attraction.

He really wanted to know what strange things the little girl had been thinking all day.

So, for the entire noon, Lu Rangchen didn’t reply to any work messages from the club; he simply sat quietly at the table on the balcony, intently reading the diary.

Perhaps because they had met, Zhu Yunque had been writing in her diary much more frequently since the entry on October 25th.

In the following entries, she was in a good mood, and her delicate handwriting seemed much more patient.

Although the entries were still few in length, it was clear that she cherished and was extremely happy every time she was close to Lu Rangchen and interacted with him.

Especially when she wrote about the teddy bear keychain.

Lu Rangchen couldn’t help but laugh out loud at her cuteness, finally realizing that everything that day was thanks to Xu Linda’s divine intervention.

Of course, he also hadn’t expected that after everyone parted ways that evening, Zhu Yunque would silently gaze at him, gazing at him for a very long time.

Perhaps a girl of that age always had a delicate, tender, and bittersweet heart.

Lu Rangchen suddenly felt regret.

He regretted not turning to look at that slender girl that day, and even more so, he regretted not being clearer about his thoughts at their best age.

He was never indifferent.

He had noticed her long ago.

She just didn’t know.

But before these emotions could settle, the following diary entries stirred up Lu Rangchen’s fluctuating emotions again.

—November 10, 2013, Light Rain.
A somewhat down day.
I don’t know why.
Fate always likes to play tricks on me. One second, I’m ecstatic and full of hope, and the next, I’m gripped by anxiety and plunged into despair.
Anyway, it was so sudden; he went back to the capital.
He didn’t tell anyone; he just left, even though his very important bracelet is still with me, without a word.
We all got the same treatment. I know I have no reason to be sentimental, but I can’t help feeling sentimental.
Of course, there’s something to be thankful for.
He told me he deliberately didn’t answer Lin Zhinian’s calls.
Judging from his tone, he seemed annoyed by her.
Does that mean he doesn’t like her?
Alright, goodnight, Yunque.
Don’t think about it anymore.
Just focus on your studies, take good care of the bracelet for him, and wait for him to come back.

—November 26, 2013, Cloudy.
The weather hasn’t been very good lately, probably because winter is approaching.
I haven’t written in my diary for several days, and I’m a little unsure what to write.
My life is really dull and boring; it’s all about studying, studying, studying. It seems like without him around, there’s nothing worth writing about.
However, this diary is for him, though I don’t know how long I’ll keep writing.
But thinking about it, it’s not entirely meaningless.
At least I recently secretly got a few pictures of him from his mom’s WeChat Moments.
I have to say, he still looks so good in photos.
No wonder so many girls at school are infatuated with him.
But I feel even more ashamed.
…I won’t do this again. I’m like a pervert, I swear.
Oh right, I also peeked a few times at him playing games with Xu Linda.
That League of Legends game—why is it so hard? I’ve tried learning it several times, but I still can’t get the hang of it.
Oh well, if I can’t play, I won’t play.
Anyway, I don’t have time.
That’s all for today.
Anyway, I hope he comes back soon and finishes his final exams soon, and I can switch classes so we can be classmates rightfully.

—December 29, 2013, First Snow.
He’s back.
Without warning.
He was wearing a white sweater, which was unusual for him. He looked taller, thinner, warmer, and cleaner.
He looked really, really good.
So good that just thinking about it makes my heart flutter.
He probably doesn’t know that the moment I saw him, my breath caught in my throat.
But it’s so pathetic.
I stood in front of him and Lin Zhinian, not even daring to tell him it was my birthday tomorrow.
Lin Zhinian said he was going to her house for dinner tonight and also had tutoring… So they’d gotten this close already.
Then I shouldn’t be the clown.
I really, really don’t have the courage to bear the disappointment he brings. Even just a little.

—December 30, 2013, Heavy Snow.
I caught a cold and a fever.
It’s worse than ever before; my hand is still weak when I write.
But I still want to write this down.
Because he came to celebrate my birthday with me.
He accompanied me to my injection, put his scarf on me, and bought me a birthday cake and snacks. Although the cake was awful, I was still very happy, very, very happy.
However, he had other things to do.
It’s already so kind of him to stop by on his way; I can’t be so greedy.
Sure enough, he left quickly.
But it’s okay.
I can see him again tomorrow, can’t I?

…

Turning the page, his gaze and fingertips seemed frozen by some spell.

Lu Rangchen’s eyes flickered slightly, his dark eyes fixed on that sentence—”He had other things to do; I can’t be so greedy.”

So that day, it wasn’t that Zhu Yunque didn’t want to be with him.

It was that she didn’t want to hold him back.

But what was there to do?

He was only there to celebrate her birthday.

However, neither of the two immature teenagers possessed the courage to be honest with each other.

Suddenly, a wave of absurd melancholy, unlike anything he’d ever felt before, washed over him. Lu Rangchen’s eyes stung, and he chuckled softly.

He laughed at their past naiveté.

He also laughed at the cruel twist of fate.

But the most heart-wrenching moments were yet to come.

Turning the page to the 30th in the diary, he arrived at the 31st, the day he left Nancheng.

Zhu Yunque had written in her diary again.

That day, a considerable amount of snow fell, transforming Nancheng into a silver-clad wonderland.

To this day, he still vividly remembered the scene of Zhu Yunque and Zhao Qijia entering the subway together that night.

He remembered even more how he had been then—arrogant, conceited, and proud, thinking himself carefree, when in reality he was just numbing himself in another way—numbing himself to the fact that he liked Zhu Yunque and numbing himself to the fact that Zhu Yunque didn’t like him.

As a teenager, Lu Rangchen even wondered what merits the boy named Zhao Qijia possessed.

And what exactly did Zhu Yunque like about him?

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand, nor could he fathom where he had gone wrong.

He only knew that Zhu Yunque that day was decisive and cold-hearted; in the end, she refused to even see him.

Therefore, for a long time afterward, Lu Rangchen restrained himself, forcing himself not to think about Zhu Yunque, not to think about her at all.

But in the end, he still lost.

He still loved Zhu Yunque.

Even if she didn’t love him, he would still be moved by her time and time again.

Of course, it was also thanks to his defeat that he was able to see her true thoughts recorded in her diary.

The thin pages were turned.

Lu Rangchen swallowed hard, his deep eyes swirling with a complex emotion, finally seeing this entry in the diary.

Was it just his imagination? The paper clearly bore traces of dried tears, as if it had been soaked and then dried.

A second look confirmed it wasn’t an illusion; some of the handwriting in the diary had become blurred and indistinct.

—December 31, 2013, Snow.
This is my last diary entry, because he is leaving for good, returning to the capital.
This time, he would never come back. I think my story with him ends here.
Actually, I shouldn’t have had any expectations.
He was the lonely moon hanging high above the mountains, the eagle poised to soar atop the majestic peaks.
We were never from the same world.
So, there’s nothing to regret.
Even if it’s incredibly painful right now, so painful it feels like I can’t breathe, it will eventually pass.
I just wanted to wish him well, so very much.
But I didn’t have the courage to say those words to him in person.
I won’t be able to hide it.
I won’t be able to hide my feelings for him.
I’m even more afraid that before I can even speak, tears will make me lose face.
Xu Linda also asked me why I don’t go see him. Only in front of her can I reveal my true self.
I said, “If I see him, I’ll never forget him.”
I don’t want to never forget.
But what about the future? Can I really forget him?
I don’t know.
I only know this:
Liking him is something I’ve never regretted.

…

The diary ended abruptly here, followed by blank pages.

His fingertips gently traced the faintly blurred words. Lu Rangchen’s mind conjured up Zhu Yunque’s stubborn yet fragile crying face, as if that girl were truly standing before him.

So, the one who made her cry was always him, never anyone else.

Lu Rangchen suddenly took a deep breath and smiled bitterly.

He laughed at his own foolishness and the overwhelming grief he felt at that moment.

Just then, his phone rang.

It wasn’t someone from the club, but Zhu Yunque, the grown-up Zhu Yunque who would become his wife nine years later.

His recent realization seemed to travel through a time tunnel. Lu Rangchen finally snapped back to reality and pressed the answer button.

His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he said, “Hello.”

The girl’s light and melodious voice answered, “We just came from the amusement park and are going to lunch now. Xuanxuan and Ye Tian both asked if you wanted to come and eat with us. Xuanxuan really wants to see you.”

However, after she finished speaking, Lu Rangchen remained silent.

Zhu Yunque frowned slightly and said, “Hello, are you there? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

As soon as she finished speaking, her magnetic voice let out a low, husky laugh.

Lu Rangchen spoke calmly, “I’m here, just a little dazed.”

Zhu Yunque snapped out of her daze, glanced at the time incredulously, and said, “You’re still reading the diary?”

Lu Rangchen hummed in agreement, “Just finished reading it.”

As he spoke, he lowered his gaze, carefully closing the diary, then gave a lazy smile, his tone bittersweet, “Queque, you really know how to be persistent.”

“…”

His deep, husky voice warmed her ear, every word Lu Rangchen spoke brimming with tender affection.

His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he slowly said, “What am I supposed to do with you?”

“How can I make up for the love I owed you back then?”

Author’s Note:
Happy Winter Solstice, everyone~~~~