Young Brave Hearts – CH 095

Chapter 95: Diary of Unrequited Love 03

◎ Never enough with the sweet talk ◎

They were just getting down to business, and suddenly he said this.

Zhu Yunque’s heart raced slightly; she was truly at a loss.

After a moment of silence, she gently pursed her lips and said, “Lu Rangchen, where did you learn this habit of saying sweet nothings all the time?”

Although her tone held a hint of reproach, the faint curve of her lips couldn’t lie.

Lu Rangchen’s smile was nonchalant as he casually flirted with her on the other end of the phone, “What, don’t you like it?”

“…”

As if her secret had been exposed.

Zhu Yunque’s ears subtly warmed.

Thinking to herself that this man was truly wicked, he knew she liked him, and that she liked him very much, yet he still forced her to give in.

However, Zhu Yuxuan was currently complaining about being so hungry that she couldn’t flirt with Lu Rangchen. She steered the conversation back to normal, asking, “So, are you coming or not?”

At this hour, Lu Rangchen should have already returned to the club.

He had a ton of things waiting for him to handle.

But since Zhu Yunque had spoken, he couldn’t refuse. Besides, he had things to discuss with her face-to-face. So, he casually raised an eyebrow and said, “Sure.”

So, half an hour later.

Lu Rangchen drove over to pick up Zhu Yunque and the other two.

In the sweltering summer heat, Zhu Yuxuan, exhausted and sweaty, leaned listlessly against Ye Tian, ​​repeatedly asking when they could leave.

Ye Tian wasn’t so easygoing. He pinched the boy’s cheek and said, “You still have the nerve to complain? Who was it that cried and begged to come to the amusement park?”

Ye Tian had always had a cold, unapproachable face.

Zhu Yuxuan didn’t dare provoke him. His lips immediately pursed, and he moved closer to Zhu Yunque.

Just then, Lu Rangchen rolled down his car window. A glance at the amusement park entrance revealed a little boy, seemingly from another family, leaning against the soft, slender Zhu Yunque. He was being clingy and kept trying to hold her hand.

The boy was already ten years old, growing rapidly, making him impossible to ignore. Lu Rangchen’s brows furrowed immediately upon seeing him.

Zhu Yunque looked up and met his captivating gaze.

Lu Rangchen, dressed in a stylish white shirt, sat in the driver’s seat, his dark eyes fixed on her. He honked the horn impatiently, looking rather unapproachable.

Zhu Yunque: “…”

The horn blared shrilly, drawing glances from passersby. Lu Rangchen opened the car door and leisurely stepped out.

Someone exclaimed, “Wow, what a handsome guy!”

Ye Tian and Zhu Yuxuan, hearing this, looked up. The little boy blinked, his eyes wide with curiosity as he stared at the flashy car and man, momentarily forgetting to look away.

After recognizing Lu Rangchen, Ye Tian said to Zhu Yuxuan, “Look, brother-in-law’s here; isn’t he handsome?”

Zhu Yuxuan let out a rather exaggerated “Wow!”, causing Zhu Yunque to burst into laughter.

Afterwards, Lu Rangchen led the two over, casually leaning against the car, arms crossed, glancing down at Zhu Yuxuan.

To be honest, that look wasn’t friendly.

It made Zhu Yuxuan too afraid to speak, and he hid behind Ye Tian.

He thought to himself, “This brother-in-law is handsome, but why is he so fierce?”

Before he could figure it out, Zhu Yunque introduced him to Lu Rangchen, saying, “This is Xuanxuan, Zhu Yuxuan.”

Ye Tian patted Xuanxuan on the back of the head and said, “Say hello.”

Meeting the man’s imposing gaze, Zhu Yuxuan opened his mouth, then suddenly didn’t know what to say.

This sight amused Lu Rangchen.

The man, with a nonchalant smirk, bent down and knelt before Zhu Yuxuan, meeting his gaze. “You were holding my wife’s hand quite skillfully just now; how come you’re shy now?” he said.

Zhu Yuxuan was caught off guard.

Zhu Yunque chuckled, speechless. “What nonsense are you spouting to a child?”

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow at her seriously, letting out a muffled chuckle.

As if achieving his goal, he stood up, ruffled Zhu Yuxuan’s hair with his large hand, and said in a playful yet warning tone, “You’re not allowed to hold her hand again, understand? Only I can hold her hand.”

His threatening words silenced Zhu Yuxuan, who could only nod.

This time, not only Zhu Yunque but also Ye Tian was amused.

Feeling incredibly agitated, Zhu Yunque gave Lu Rangchen a quick glare, pursing her lips to stop him, saying, “That’s enough.”

Lu Rangchen smiled without saying a word, then, seemingly in a good mood, took her hand and led her to the car.

Once in the car, he pulled out a wet wipe and gently cleaned her hands, finger by finger.

The man’s eyes were deep and dark, his features sharp and defined, yet his movements were perfectly gentle.

Zhu Yunque was initially a little surprised, but then she thought about it and realized it was understandable.

After all, he had been a germaphobe since his youth; he couldn’t stand anyone using even a favorite pen, let alone someone else holding her hand without permission, especially a dirty little kid.

Zhu Yunque silently watched the man, suddenly finding it amusing.

She thought to herself, “So, Lu Rangchen actually has a day when he’s jealous of a child.”

Her smile was a little too obvious. After wiping her hands, Lu Rangchen glanced at her with a knowing look, as if to say, “Try letting someone else hold your hand again.”

Meanwhile, Ye Tian was fastening Zhu Yuxuan’s seatbelt in the back seat. Zhu Yuxuan was drinking the iced soda Lu Rangchen had just given him, fidgeting and shaking his head, which annoyed Ye Tian, ​​who cursed him.

Taking advantage of this moment, Zhu Yunque pursed her lips and whispered to Lu Rangchen, “You stingy little thing.”

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Rangchen suddenly leaned in and gave her a light, forceful kiss on the lips.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Zhu Yunque’s eyes widened instinctively.

Lu Rangchen, however, wore a smug smile and whispered back, “Knowing I’m stingy, you’d better watch yourself.”

“…”

Zhu Yunque’s lips trembled, thinking to herself, “This man is really something else.”

–

The restaurant was about three kilometers from the amusement park.

The drive didn’t take long.

Xuanxuan chose the place; he insisted on eating at a seafood buffet. Lu Rangchen happened to know a good one nearby, so he took him there.

When they got there, they realized it was 398 yuan per person.

Ye Tian was speechless after seeing the price and said it was too expensive, so they should eat somewhere else.

In that short time, Lu Rangchen paid the bill. He raised an eyebrow at Ye Tian and said, “Can’t you stop embarrassing your brother-in-law in public? It’s not a big deal.”

Ye Tian looked helplessly at Zhu Yunque, hoping she could persuade him.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Yunque, who always disliked extravagance, just glanced at them both and said, “Which of you will take Xuanxuan to the restroom? He needs to use the toilet.”

Originally, Zhu Yuxuan had suggested it to Zhu Yunque.

But thinking of the man’s terrible temper and his exasperating possessiveness, she simply left the child with the two men.

Unexpectedly, Ye Tian suddenly got a call.

He answered hastily, and Lu Rangchen offered, “Okay, I’ll take him.”

Zhu Yuxuan glanced at him cautiously, wanting to hold Zhu Yunque’s hand for some reassurance, but Lu Rangchen was not someone he could easily sway.

Before he could even hold Zhu Yunque’s hand, Lu Rangchen had already grabbed the child by the collar and dragged him away.

Zhu Yunque couldn’t help but laugh, standing there and calling out, “Couldn’t you be a little gentler with him?”

The two figures, one tall and one short, looked strikingly different.

Lu Rangchen didn’t even turn his head, simply waving his arm dismissively at her.

And so, Zhu Yunque ended up choosing their seat alone.

Perhaps they’d gotten to know each other better, or perhaps he thought Lu Rangchen was actually quite nice, but after everyone returned, Zhu Yuxuan and Lu Rangchen seemed noticeably more familiar with each other. The little brat even affectionately called Lu Rangchen “Brother-in-law Uncle.”

This absurd form of address left Zhu Yunque and Ye Tian speechless.

Lu Rangchen, however, seemed quite pleased, saying that it was more appropriate that way.

After saying that, he deliberately looked at Zhu Yunque mischievously, his gaze slow and full of intimacy. “Even this little brat knows how to call me uncle; shouldn’t you call me that too?”

The restaurant was noisy, and only Zhu Yunque could hear him clearly.

“…”

Zhu Yunque felt a jolt in her heart, as if struck by lightning, from his gaze.

She knew all too well what mischief this man was plotting, and she knew exactly what kind of nonsense he was thinking right now.

What “Uncle, Uncle”?

He wanted to hear far more than just that; he’d even complained that her mouth was too tightly shut and her moans weren’t loud enough, so he’d tried all sorts of tricks on her.

Before she knew it, her ears were burning.

Zhu Yunque simply put on a stern face and punched Lu Rangchen’s leg hard under the table.

But what happened? Lu Rangchen turned the tables on her.

The man’s lips curled into a casual smile, seemingly dignified, but under the table, he grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

Zhu Yunque: “…”

Her lips curved slightly.

Letting Lu Rangchen’s fingers intertwine with hers, he subtly and tacitly took her hand again.

It seemed like they couldn’t get enough of being affectionate.

However, because they needed to eat, Zhu Yunque pulled her hand away after a while and went out to get food several times.

When she returned, Lu Rangchen had already peeled crab meat for her and was chatting amiably with Ye Tian. Ye Tian hadn’t seen Lu Rangchen for a long time either. Last time at the hospital, they only caught a fleeting glimpse of each other without much interaction. Now that they had time, they could finally have a proper chat.

Compared to back then, both of them were much more mature and stable, and since they both ran their own businesses, they got along quite well.

Lu Rangchen knew that Ye Tian and his friends owned a bar, so he asked him for the name and location.

Ye Tian peeled shrimp for Zhu Yuxuan and said, “It’s near Qiaonan Street. There are college students there; it’s quite lively. The downside is that you can’t set the prices too high, and the crowds drop during holidays.”

Lu Rangchen asked, “The one where Deng Jiao used to work?”

Hearing Deng Jiao’s name, Ye Tian was slightly taken aback and said, “You know her?”

Lu Rangchen chuckled and said, “More than just know her.”

He gestured with his chin towards Zhu Yunque. “That girl was Queque’s student.”

Only then did Ye Tian remember, “Oh, I remember that.”

He said, “I was there that day too, but my sister went to the police station with me afterwards.”

Lu Rangchen seemed to suddenly remember something, glancing at Zhu Yunque, and said, “We met again that day, right?”

Zhu Yunque paused slightly, looking at him, and said, “Right?”

Ye Tian was stunned upon hearing this. “What kind of fate is this between you two?”

He looked at Lu Rangchen, inadvertently exposing Zhu Yunque’s lie, saying, “You have no idea; she couldn’t find you anywhere before. She almost went to the club to look for you.”

Lu Rangchen had heard Zhu Yunque mention this herself at a previous dinner party.

Back then, under the influence of alcohol, he only felt a flutter in his heart, but now, hearing it, there was a different feeling.

It was like suddenly grasping some extremely easy-to-overlook blind spot.

He turned his head, his gaze playfully fixed on the stunned Zhu Yunque, and said with feigned seriousness, “What were you going to do if we didn’t run into each other at the police station?”

She hadn’t expected this man to be so prone to overthinking.

Zhu Yunque paused in her grip on her fork, looking up at Lu Rangchen speechlessly.

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow, looking at her expectantly, as if waiting for a satisfactory answer.

But Zhu Yunque was by no means one to readily agree.

The more Lu Rangchen expected something, the less she acted that way.

She even calmly wiped her mouth with a tissue, saying nonchalantly, “If I can’t find you again, I’ll just have to go back.”

“…”

Lu Rangchen chuckled, his eyes gradually darkening with displeasure. “Go back where?”

“Back to the capital.”

Zhu Yunque turned to look at him, blinked, and said, “The pay is higher there.”

Author’s Note:
I’m so angry I could vomit blood!