Young Brave Hearts – CH 096

Chapter 96: Diary of Unrequited Love 04

◎ “I’ll make you miserable.” ◎

Zhu Yunque had one flawless virtue.

When it came to lying, she could always do it flawlessly, with practiced ease.

She looked at you so calmly and seriously when she spoke, giving the impression that she was genuinely pure and honest.

But in reality, her true thoughts were all kept inside. Unless she said it herself, no one could see into them.

This pretentious attitude truly exasperated Lu Rangchen. He scoffed, “So, after all that, I’m not as important as that little bit of money, huh?”

This remark made Ye Tian, across from him, laugh.

Zhu Yunque, however, remained calm, her clear eyes continuing to feign innocence towards Lu Rangchen, “But how can I hang around you if I don’t have money?”

“…”

He hadn’t expected her to bring up the same point again, and from such a novel angle.

Lu Rangchen narrowed his long eyes, his gaze gradually hardening dangerously.

His eyes seemed to say, “Well, Zhu Yunque, you’ve learned to give a slap and then a sweet treat now.”

But on second thought, there wasn’t anything wrong with what she said.

Judging from the apartment she rented, it was obvious she’d spent a lot of money. She was just a teacher at a private school; how much could her salary be?

Thinking that Zhu Yunque wouldn’t even buy herself an expensive bag yet was willing to spend so much money just to live by his side, Lu Rangchen’s mood unconsciously improved.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

He was too lazy to argue with her, so he picked up another crab and slowly began peeling it for her.

She smiled inwardly as he peeled it.

Thinking to herself, “Lu Rangchen, you’re so damn easy to fool.”

–

That day at the buffet, they ended up eating for two hours.

The little brat Zhu Yuxuan was so full he couldn’t speak and fell asleep as soon as he got in the car on the way back.

Since Lu Rangchen was just dropping her off anyway, he simply set the navigation to Yanliu Lane.

The journey was quite long, and he chatted intermittently with Ye Tian, ​​during which Zhu Yunque overheard news about Zhu Ping’an and Deng Jiali’s recent situation.

To be honest, the last time Zhu Yunque saw them was at the hospital. It had only been a little over a month, but for some reason, it felt like a lifetime ago.

Lu Rangchen hadn’t expected Zhu Yunque to be so true to her word.

Back then, she coldly told Zhu Ping’an and Deng Jiali to pretend she didn’t exist, and she truly meant it, refusing to contact them at all. She hadn’t answered a single call from Zhu Ping’an for so long.

Zhu Ping’an hadn’t expected Zhu Yunque to be so decisive.

Even more unexpected was that she had gotten her marriage certificate with Lu Rangchen so quickly, without even informing him.

Zhu Ping’an had been secretly heartbroken for a long time.

How could he not be heartbroken?

His only biological daughter had not only distanced herself from him, but she hadn’t even told him about such a major life event as her marriage, severing all ties with him.

But who could he blame?

After all, he was the one who had indulged Deng Jiali’s presumptuous actions.

It was he who, over the years, gave Zhu Yunque too little care and demanded too much.

Even a dog would be heartbroken.

Let alone a living, breathing human being.

At this point, Ye Tian thought for a moment and said, “Don’t blame me for being nosy, but your father actually cares about you quite a bit; he just doesn’t know how to express it.”

“The last time at the hospital, he and my mom had a huge fight, and he even made her cry. I’m not defending my mom; I know she can be really annoying when she wants to be, and she doesn’t think before she speaks. Don’t take her words to heart; you haven’t wronged anyone.”

“As for those tens of thousands of yuan, your father didn’t spend it. He’s been saving it for you, thinking he’d add a few tens of thousands more as a dowry after your wedding.”

At this point, Ye Tian looked somewhat apologetic and sighed, “To be honest, it’s because I’m incompetent; otherwise, they wouldn’t have come to you for help.”

Actually, Ye Tian had wanted to say these things to Zhu Yunque for a long time.

But he hadn’t had the right opportunity.

Lu Rangchen glanced at Zhu Yunque upon hearing this and found that the girl’s expression remained as indifferent as ever, silently gazing at the street scenes rushing past the car window, lost in thought.

After passing the next traffic light, she finally asked, “How’s business at your bar lately?”

“It’s alright.”

Ye Tian gave a dry, forced smile. “Not much profit, but no loss either.”

Zhu Yunque was slightly taken aback, not expecting this, as she had felt there were quite a few people there when she went before.

“Of course, there are more,” Ye Tian said. “Before we opened, we had a promotion; everything was cheap, so of course, there were a lot of people. Now that the promotion is over, the foot traffic has naturally dropped.”

“…”

Zhu Yunque was silent for a moment.

She wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to comfort him.

Lu Rangchen suddenly spoke up. The man, driving the steering wheel, said in a calm voice, “Do you have any business cards? Get me some later; I’ll distribute them for you to promote the business.”

Zhu Yunque looked at him, her eyes slightly surprised.

Noticing her gaze out of the corner of his eye, Lu Rangchen turned his head away, returning her a half-smile.

Ye Tian opened his mouth, at a loss for words, and said, “Really?”

“What’s fake about it? It’s just handing out business cards for you.”

Lu Rangchen glanced at Ye Tian in the rearview mirror, seemingly unconcerned, and said, “Many people around me like going to bars, so helping out with promotion might have some effect.”

He paused, then added, “If there’s a chance in the future, I’ll try to bring people there.”

Mature men usually keep their word, especially Lu Rangchen.

Since he said it, he would never go back on his word.

Zhu Yunque blinked slowly, unable to resist turning her head to look at him again, but it seemed like his gaze hadn’t left her for a moment; he could notice her every time she looked at him.

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow at her. “What?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque pouted and said, “Nothing; it’s fine.”

Anyway, she couldn’t praise him to his face.

Otherwise, he would definitely get cocky, or he would ask her for something.

Unbeknownst to them, the car had entered Yanliu Lane.

The large vehicle contrasted sharply with the narrow lane. Fearing they would block the way, Zhu Yunque and Lu Rangchen didn’t get out, dropping them off at the entrance of the residential area before leaving.

The surrounding shops remained open, and passersby glanced at the expensive car.

It was strange, really.

Over the years, every place in the southern part of the city had changed, but Yanliu Lane remained exactly the same.

Zhu Yunque gazed at the shops along the way, a sense of melancholy washing over her.

She thought that growing up could really make life better.

She no longer had to walk through this rugged, muddy lane all year round; she could now ride in a nice car and leave this place where the sky seemed to shrink to a mere corner.

Looking at her, lost in thought, Lu Rangchen spoke casually, “The last time I came here was in winter. It was so dark you could barely see the road. I didn’t expect this alley to look so charming during the day.”

Zhu Yunque snapped out of her reverie and asked, “When did you come here?”

Lu Rangchen chuckled, looking ahead and deliberately keeping her in suspense. “Zhu Yunque, you’re such a jerk.”

“So, when I came to get back together with you in the dead of winter, you didn’t even care about me then.”

“…”

Zhu Yunque then realized he was referring to eight years ago.

Eight years ago, she broke up with Lu Rangchen, and he came to Yanliu Alley to find her during the Lunar New Year. Ye Tian had told her about it.

Ye Tian couldn’t stand it anymore and advised her, “You know, Lu Rangchen looks so dejected. Can’t you two talk things out? I can’t bear to watch him like that.”

Zhu Yunque couldn’t remember what she said back then.

She only remembered tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls.

No one knew how much she missed Lu Rangchen back then.

She couldn’t bear to part with Ye Tian’s words, which she hadn’t dared to hear, fearing that if she did, she would crumble and abandon everything to follow him recklessly.

Many years passed.

When Zhu Yunque considered returning to Nancheng from the capital, Ye Tian finally conveyed those words to her.

Those words, “My feelings for her have never changed.”

Those words were what finally made Zhu Yunque decide to quit her high-paying job in the capital and resolutely return to Nancheng, to his side.

But how could Lu Rangchen know these complex and conflicting thoughts if she didn’t speak of them?

He probably just thought she was incredibly cold-hearted.

Thinking back to the words she had deliberately used to provoke him at dinner, Zhu Yunque suddenly felt a rare pang of guilt.

She couldn’t help but think… Just how unenthusiastic was she that Lu Rangchen always felt she didn’t love him enough?

After a moment’s thought, Zhu Yunque finally decided to offer her hand to Lu Rangchen as a small token of her affection.

Her slender, fair hand, with fingertips as delicate as bamboo shoots, and even her eyes were exceptionally sincere, looking at Lu Rangchen with a rare, coquettish expression.

Lu Rangchen caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye, let out a muffled chuckle, and said, “Zhu Yunque, what are you doing now?”

Although his eyes and tone held a hint of disdain, his actions were upright.

As soon as he finished speaking, he readily offered one hand, taking hers and intertwining their fingers.

Before, with Ye Tian and Zhu Yuxuan present, the two couldn’t even exchange glances for long, having to endure it the whole way. Now, they finally had some private space.

Zhu Yunque stopped pretending and said, “Nothing much, I just wanted to hold your hand.”

Her nonchalant, coquettish manner was always the most alluring.

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow playfully, a faint smile playing on his lips. He went along with her, holding her hand tightly for the rest of the way.

On the way, they found themselves talking about Zhu Ping’an again.

Zhu Yunque, unusually open, said, “I don’t plan to never contact him again. He’s still my father. When he gets old, I’ll still have to take care of him until the end; that’s a child’s duty.”

She paused, then added, “Right now, I just don’t want to talk to him.”

Lu Rangchen squeezed her hand: “If you don’t want to talk to him, then don’t. If there’s anything you need to handle during this time, I’ll go in your place.”

“…”

Zhu Yunque looked at him seriously and said, “But I don’t want you to get involved in this mess.”

Lu Rangchen chuckled, “How is it getting involved? Aren’t we married?”

“But you don’t know—”

Zhu Yunque hesitated for a moment, then rephrased, “I don’t want them sucking your blood.”

Especially Deng Jiali.

That woman could be spineless when it came to earning an income.

Even if she was slapped in the face this time, she’d still beg with a smile next time there was a sweet deal or something to gain.

This kind of person was exactly what Zhu Yunque could not handle. Lu Rangchen knew this was what bothered her, and a slight smile played on his lips. “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.”

As he spoke, he winked at her. “You’re the boss at home; I’ll listen to you in everything.”

“…”

She’d heard comforting words before.

But none had given Zhu Yunque such an unprecedented sense of security.

Yes.

She had a home now.

A home with Lu Rangchen.

This fact filled Zhu Yunque’s heart with a sweet warmth, and her lips unconsciously curved into a slight smile.

However, this topic brought other things to mind.

For example, Lu Rangchen’s father.

Actually, Zhu Yunque had wanted to ask him for a long time, but she hadn’t known how to bring it up several times. It was only now, at this moment, that she finally mustered the courage to ask.

Unexpectedly, Lu Rangchen’s attitude was far more relaxed than she had imagined.

He said, “My dad’s doing well now. He’s a volunteer guide and lecturer at a temple in our hometown in Jiangsu, and he comes back occasionally.”

Back then, his affair with Feng Yanlai caused a huge scandal.

Because it trended on social media, the authorities had to take it seriously and suspended him from his job.

His reputation was ruined in one fell swoop, and everything he had built up over the years was gone. Lu Dingzhong couldn’t bear it.

He became depressed and seriously ill.

Later, Cheng Liru and Lu Rangchen went back to visit him, and he gradually came to terms with his situation.

He felt regret.

He felt remorse, but it was all too late.

Later, by chance, he began to study Buddhism, and seeking peace and tranquility, he decided to live in a place where he could find solace.

In recent years, Lu Rangchen would periodically bring rice, flour, and cooking oil to offer to the monks on his way up the mountain to see him one last time.

He didn’t stay long; just a quick chat and a sip of water, and then he went back down the mountain.

Each time, Lu Dingzhong would send Cheng Liru some small gifts.

Though they weren’t valuable, they were quite special due to the spiritual energy of the Buddhist temple over the years.

Cheng Liru received them without saying anything, always finding a clean place to put them away.

Zhu Yunque fell silent upon hearing this.

For some reason, she suddenly thought of her mother, far away abroad.

After all these years, the past between the three of them had finally come to an end.

–

They got stuck in traffic for a while.

That day, the two arrived home close to three in the afternoon.

The club had made several calls to urge Lu Rangchen.

Lu Rangchen, however, remained unhurried, even drinking a cup of iced lemon tea that Zhu Yunque had made that morning.

That was something Zhu Yunque had just learned to make.

The preparation was clumsy, and it tasted a bit sour.

After tasting it and realizing it wasn’t very good, Zhu Yunque frowned, ate a piece of candy, and quickly peeled another, intending to put it in Lu Rangchen’s mouth.

Unexpectedly, Lu Rangchen grabbed her wrist, pulled her into his lap, and sat her on his lap.

The person on the other end of the phone was still talking.

They were rambling on and on, like they were complaining.

Lu Rangchen, however, couldn’t be bothered to listen. He put the phone aside, grabbed Zhu Yunque’s chin and the back of her head, and boldly kissed her.

He hadn’t seen her for so long while he was away on a business trip.

Yesterday at the party, he drank too much, and even if he wanted to have sex, he couldn’t fully satisfy her. Now that they finally had some alone time, how could Lu Rangchen let her go?

Just the touch of their lips and tongues ignited a spark.

Zhu Yunque was breathless from his domineering advances, her pearly teeth uttering involuntary, seductive moans, her slender fingers ruffling his white shirt.

But even this slight noise was enough for the person on the other end of the phone to sense something was amiss, leading to the extremely inopportune question, “Hey, boss, is anyone next to you?”

This shout ignited a wildfire within Zhu Yunque, instantly setting her ablaze with desire.

She swiftly pulled the man’s hand from under her skirt.

She then pushed Lu Rangchen away by drawing her knees together, covering his lips as he kissed her.

Looking at her face, a mixture of shyness, embarrassment, and a hint of lingering desire, Lu Rangchen chuckled softly, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

Just then, another voice called out from the other end of the phone, “Hey, boss? Where are you, boss?”

The voice was as noisy as a croaking frog in a pond. After speaking, it was unclear who it was, but it came through in a muffled, indistinct voice, “Damn, I just heard a woman panting on the other end of the phone. Boss, watching porn?”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunque’s sense of shame exploded. She immediately broke free from Lu Rangchen and ran barefoot back to the bedroom.

Within seconds, she emerged from the bathroom, clutching a light-colored piece of fabric, her face flushed and embarrassed.

Lu Rangchen’s lips curled into a roguish smile.

Despite his obsessive-compulsive disorder, he acted as if nothing was amiss, casually pulling out a wet wipe and wiping himself with his long, slender, white hand.

When he spoke to the person on the call with him again, his tone had returned to its usual seriousness.

Zhu Yunque took a short shower in the bathroom.

While showering, she listened to the man’s seemingly respectable voice as he worked, her heart pounding like a drum. But once the heat of the water washed away the restlessness, a smile inexplicably crept onto her lips.

She thought to herself that she had probably already been corrupted by Lu Rangchen.

No…

She was inherently bad.

–

The phone call lasted for another ten minutes or so.

Zhu Yunque took advantage of this time to shower and come out.

Lu Rangchen looked up and saw her. After saying a few words, he hung up and followed her to the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around her narrow waist from behind, affectionately resting his chin on the crook of her neck.

His warm breath teased the skin of her neck.

Zhu Yunque’s heart skipped a beat.

She was wearing her newly changed, creamy-white cotton-linen loungewear, exuding the milky scent of a post-shower bath. It was the shower gel Lu Rangchen had personally chosen for her, the one that used to most arouse his interest.

Lu Rangchen inhaled her pleasant scent and whispered in her ear, “Why did you run so fast just now, hmm? I’m not going to eat you.”

This man seemed to be born with a curse.

A few words were enough to make Zhu Yunque’s ears burn. She gave him a playful glare, and since she was cutting fruit, she used the fruit knife to skewer the sweetest piece of watermelon and fed it to him.

Lu Rangchen readily took a bite, savoring the sweet juice.

Zhu Yunque suddenly thought of his hand and looked down at it.

“I washed it a long time ago.”

Lu Rangchen said casually and flirtatiously, “Otherwise, how would I dare to hug our princess?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque was speechless, almost laughing.

She looked at him absurdly and said, “What princess? Where did you learn this nonsense?”

Lu Rangchen straightened up, pinning her against the island counter, and raised an eyebrow, saying, “Isn’t that popular online now?”

He paused, then added quite seriously, “Jiang Sui said it’s good for coaxing your wife.”

Coaxing your wife was a very direct way of putting it.

Zhu Yunque’s eyes flickered uncomfortably at his bluntness.

She clutched her collar, which she had just ruffled, and looked at his undeniably handsome face, unable to resist laughing. “Lu Rangchen, what’s wrong with you?”

“What have I changed about me?”

Lu Rangchen narrowed his long eyes, a dangerous glint in them. “Tell me.”

As he spoke, he leaned in again and gave her a restrained kiss on the lips.

It wasn’t that he wanted to.

It was that the club had been pressuring him several times.

He only had enough time left to talk to Zhu Yunque a few times; that was far from enough to do that.

Zhu Yunque knew, of course, that he was holding back.

Aside from that frantic encounter in the laundry room last time, he hadn’t had a proper time in a long time.

But wicked thoughts also surfaced in her mind.

Zhu Yunque let him lightly kiss her lips, blinking her innocent eyes, and mischievously answered, “Lu Rangchen, are you pent up?”

These words struck the man like a knife.

Lu Rangchen was genuinely amused. He stopped, pinched her chin, and glared at her. “You know perfectly well; why ask? Are you deliberately trying to set me off?”

With that, he retaliated by pulling her up and sitting her on the marble countertop.

Zhu Yunque finally didn’t have to look up at Lu Rangchen anymore. Instead, she comfortably wrapped her arms around his neck, a sweet smile playing on her lips. “I was just curious what you were going to do.”

“What can I do?”

Lu Rangchen, his arms around her slender waist, unabashedly curled his lips into a wanton smile. “I’ll just use your picture and go for a manual transmission.”

“…”

She truly hadn’t expected this man to be so direct.

Zhu Yunque’s eyes shimmered like spring water, her lips trembling slightly, not entirely without shyness.

But after all, they were married and adults, so there seemed to be nothing embarrassing about discussing this topic.

So Zhu Yunque pursed her lips, pressing her advantage further, and asked, “What about before we got back together? Were you like this, too?”

Her question made Lu Rangchen realize she was investigating.

He seemed to find it amusing.

Lu Rangchen asked her seriously, “What do you think?”

She was fed up with his catchphrase.

Zhu Yunque didn’t want to talk to him and tried to get off the platform, but Lu Rangchen laughed and grabbed her around the waist, pinning her back down.

Zhu Yunque was uncharacteristically amused and exasperated, saying to him, “Why aren’t you done yet? Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

She tried to push him away as she spoke.

But she couldn’t budge him.

The man pressed himself against her, his breath hot and his eyes dark as he smiled, “Can’t you let me finish what I have to say before you leave?”

Zhu Yunque asked, “What did you want to say?”

“It’s not your question. What was I supposed to do before we got back together?”

“…”

“Watch porn, do it myself, or just endure it. Anyway, I haven’t been with anyone else.”

For some reason, the more open Lu Rangchen was, the more embarrassed Zhu Yunque became.

She couldn’t help but complain, “When are you going to have any shame?”

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow and snorted, “Now you want me to have shame? Too late.”

Zhu Yunque chuckled.

Her eyes crinkled with laughter.

Lu Rangchen rarely saw her laugh so purely. His eyes were filled with affection, and he looked at her with extra tenderness, saying, “Let’s not talk about anything else. Let’s talk about us.”

It was as if it possessed a magical power.

Lu Rangchen couldn’t help but be talkative whenever he was with Zhu Yunque, and this was even more pronounced now.

He was always the quiet, aloof one in front of others.

Thinking about it, he raised an eyebrow and said, “Remember when I read your diary at noon?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque’s cheeks flushed.

Suddenly, she felt that agreeing to let him see her diary last night was a terrible mistake.

But it was too late for regrets.

Everything she had, all her most private and deeply hidden secrets, had been revealed to him.

She felt incredibly ashamed, yet for some reason, Zhu Yunque’s heart felt as if it were melting with honey.

She looked at him with pure eyes and asked, “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“What I’m trying to say is,” Lu Rangchen’s lips curled into a smile, his tone drawn out and affected, “I’ve finally returned from my business trip, and now I want to hear you say something nice.”

Zhu Yunque laughed speechlessly, “Aren’t there plenty of nice things in your diary?”

“How can that be?”

Lu Rangchen said shamelessly, “That was written by the past Zhu Yunque, not the present you.”

Zhu Yunque retorted, provoking him, “So you mean you don’t like the past Zhu Yunque?”

Lu Rangchen chuckled, deliberately grunted, and emphasized, “I don’t like her, so much so that I specially wore white for her, just to get her to look at me more today.”

Hearing him say that, Zhu Yunque finally understood.

She glanced down at Lu Rangchen’s unusually white shirt. “…I was wondering why you’re wearing white today, something I’ve never seen before.”

Zhu Yunque remembered clearly that since their reunion, she had almost never seen Lu Rangchen wear white; he mostly wore dark-colored clothes.

Lu Rangchen had mentioned it before.

He said that as he got older, he should be more mature and composed, especially since he often had to meet clients, and he couldn’t dress as conspicuously as he did in school.

Besides, white clothes would make his features stand out too much, making him more likely to outshine the young men at the club.

If this came from any other man, he would probably only elicit a dismissive “so-so.”

But from Lu Rangchen, it was the truth.

Zhu Yunque still remembered that when they were eating at the restaurant earlier, a young girl who looked quite young had asked for Lu Rangchen’s WeChat.

The girl looked at him excitedly, almost winking at him.

Lu Rangchen merely glanced at her coldly, then raised his long, slender hand to show her the wedding ring on his finger.

It was the one Zhu Yunque had bought for Lu Rangchen.

He was showing it off like it was some precious treasure.

However, the girl was too young to understand his meaning. She opened her mouth and uttered a soft “Ah,” as if asking what he meant.

Lu Rangchen was truly speechless.

He chuckled, too lazy to say anything.

He simply gestured with his chin towards Zhu Yunque, who was taking care of Zhu Yuxuan behind him, and said, “My wife manages my WeChat. If you want it, ask my wife.”

Even a fool would understand what he meant.

Not to mention that Zhu Yunque had indifferently raised her eyes and glanced at the girl expressionlessly.

Just one glance.

The girl immediately blushed and slunk away.

Ye Tian was still laughing, saying, “Brother-in-law, are you always this attention-grabbing?”

Lu Rangchen, sensing Zhu Yunque’s gaze and as if afraid of making her jealous, casually smirked, “Maybe it’s because I look too good today.”

Zhu Yunque remembered giving him a slight eye roll at that moment.

Turning around, she realized that Lu Rangchen had worn white specifically for her.

Lu Rangchen looked down at her, a faint smile playing on his lips, and said, “Didn’t you say I look good in a white sweater, so good that you fell in love at first sight?”

“…”

How could someone recite someone else’s diary?

Zhu Yunque looked at him, speechless, her ears burning.

She felt as if she were completely naked in front of Lu Rangchen.

Yet, she couldn’t escape him.

Seeing her shyness, the man’s smile deepened. He gave her a greedy kiss on the lips and said, “So, do you like how I look today?”

—How I look today.

Not only was he wearing a nice white shirt, but he was also wearing his usual style of casual pants.

His short hair was styled, and he wore extra cologne. Gone was his usual cool and aloof demeanor; he looked more like a peacock in heat, openly flirting in front of her.

Zhu Yunque couldn’t help but twitch her lips, her eyes showing a hint of disdain, yet secretly admiring as she looked at the man before her. “Lu Rangchen, can you stop being so coquettish?”

Lu Rangchen laughed matter-of-factly. “What’s wrong with being coquettish?”

He leaned closer, deliberately threatening in her ear, “You don’t like it?”

Zhu Yunque pursed her lips, staring intently at his handsome and captivating face so close to hers.

They stared at each other for two seconds, seemingly locked in a battle of wills, before she suddenly confessed, “If you keep acting all cute with me… I won’t be able to handle it.”

She truly hadn’t expected him to suddenly “turn the tables on her.”

Lu Rangchen’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and a subtle change visibly occurred in his eyes.

Suddenly, he chuckled mischievously and said, “How exactly will you be unable to handle it? Tell me.”

As he spoke, his hand around her waist began to wander.

He gently kneaded her slender waist.

Zhu Yunque felt her bones go weak.

Yet, she couldn’t bear to break free from his embrace.

Just then, a phone call interrupted their legally intimate moment.

Lu Rangchen, however, completely ignored it.

He leaned in, rubbing his forehead against hers, his voice low and husky, “Queque, kiss me.”

“…”

“Kiss me first, then I’ll leave.”

His deep, seductive, and almost reckless voice was so alluring it sent a shiver down Zhu Yunque’s spine.

Suddenly, she understood why some wealthy women would rather spend money to visit Japanese host clubs with young men… the experience of being surrounded by male beauty was simply too wonderful.

Moreover, she was far happier than those wealthy women.

Because what she had was the best and most precious person in the world, Lu Rangchen.

No amount of money could buy that.

Thinking of this, a wave of sorrow washed over her.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Zhu Yunque embraced Lu Rangchen, closed her eyes, and kissed him.

She didn’t know how much Lu Rangchen had longed for her to kiss him first.

He longed for it so much that he dared not even dream of it.

But in this very moment, it had truly happened.

Perhaps deeply loving someone means experiencing that feeling of soul resonance and shared tremor.

In short, at this moment, the one who melted and was captivated was Lu Rangchen.

He cupped the back of Zhu Yunqiao’s head, as if afraid she might pull away even an inch, responding to her with passionate fervor, deepening the kiss to its utmost limit.

By the end, they had devoured every last breath between them.

Zhu Yunqiao pulled away, her lips flushed, ending the French kiss.

Her face held a bashful blush.

Breathless, she murmured, “Are you satisfied now?”

Lu Rangchen laughed suddenly, his magnetic voice sexy and teasing as he replied, “Not bad.”

…He was so infuriatingly annoying, she wanted to punch him.

A sudden competitive streak ignited in Zhu Yunqiao. She leaned in and bit his Adam’s apple—never had she acted so childish.

Perhaps this was the magic of falling in love.

It transformed people without them even realizing it. Just as Lu Rangchen, usually aloof and mature, would privately act spoiled toward her, her normally cool and distant demeanor would make her do immature things for him. Yet, they were both hopelessly addicted, as if bewitched.

Even the pain seemed sweet.

Lu Rangchen hissed as she bit him, unconsciously laughing as he touched his Adam’s apple.

But before he could speak,

Zhu Yunque wrapped her arms around his neck, her face flushed, and softly threatened him, “I’ll be waiting for you to come back tonight.”

She pursed her lips, her innocent yet unknowingly arrogant tone saying, “I’ll make you ecstatic.”

The air fell silent.

Lu Rangchen stared at her incredulously, then, after a couple of seconds, he suddenly burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Zhu Yunque: “…”

Her ears were as red as if steamed, and she pounded his shoulder hard. “Don’t laugh!”

…

Because of this, Lu Rangchen was a few minutes late leaving that day.

It was Zhu Yunque who persuaded him to leave.

The result? Even after he left, the jerk kept texting her on the way.

Lu Rangchen: 【Get ready, I’m waiting to see how you’re going to make me ecstatic tonight.】

Zhu Yunque: “…”

She truly regretted making that bold promise.

Now she was in a bind.

However, she wasn’t completely lying to him. Not long after he left, Zhu Yunque actually went to the closet to look around, thinking about what nice clothes she could wear to Lu Rangchen that night.

She just hadn’t come up with anything yet.

Lu Rangchen suddenly sent her a post from Zhihu.

Zhu Yunque was stunned.

As far as she could remember, she had never known Lu Rangchen used Zhihu.

Most importantly, the post’s title was a bit pretentious—”Are there really guys who can’t forget their ex-girlfriends for many years after a breakup?”

…So, what did this mean?

Zhu Yunque was briefly confused, then casually sent Lu Rangchen a question mark.

Lu Rangchen: 【Didn’t I read your diary?】

Lu Rangchen: 【This is to repay you.】

Zhu Yunque: “…”

She was at a loss for a few seconds, then, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, she clicked on the link.

Then, she saw a reply from a netizen named Chen from two months ago—

“Let me tell you very clearly, yes.

Because I am the one who can’t forget.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

Zhu Yunque swiped her finger and saw the words he had written below the dividing line.

I met her in 2013.
I remember it clearly because we went to the same school, though we were not classmates.
She was the kind of person who was quite scholarly, gentle, and kind. At first glance, she seemed very approachable, but upon closer inspection, you’d find her aloof and reserved, rarely showing her emotions, making her seem unapproachable.
My first strong impression of her was at the bus stop. It was a coincidence; I ran into her there. She was wearing her No. 3 Middle School uniform, with a school badge pinned to her shirt.
At the time, I thought this girl was excessively honest. Frankly, no one in her class wore that badge, but she did, and she wore it quite well.
The bus arrived that day, and she was still asleep, so I casually woke her up.
The next time I saw her was at the entrance to her classroom. I was looking for someone to pass something on for me, and that’s when I ran into her.
Later, it was through a friend of a friend—a rather old-fashioned way—that I finally remembered that day… She was the one secretly watching me during recess.
Looking back, I realize we were actually quite restrained back in school.
It wasn’t that she was restrained, but rather that I was.
I’m usually a pretty reckless person, but by the time I met her, I wasn’t anymore, so I couldn’t be too proactive in getting close to her. I was afraid of affecting her studies.
The main thing was, I didn’t know she liked me back then.
I guess young people are just more proud.
I didn’t intend to confront her about it then. I just stubbornly let her be. I went back to Beijing, and she stayed in the southern part of the city, keeping to ourselves.
Later, by chance, a friend told me that she had actually had a crush on me for a long time.
Maybe it was just fate.
During that time, I really missed her. Even though I pretended to have forgotten her, I would secretly save any nice things I saw, thinking I could give them to her someday.
Then that friend became the contributing factor.
Because of that sentence, I chose her university.
It was a pretty good 211 university and Double First-Class university, perfect for my tennis playing; that’s what I told myself, and that’s what I told my family.
But after I went there and saw her in person, I realized it wasn’t like that.
I only chose it to see her.
I just couldn’t bear to part with her; I couldn’t forget her.
Those few months of dating were truly happy. She was emotionally stable and almost never got angry with me.
She had a great figure and became even more beautiful. Sometimes when we were out, men would look at her, and I would always coldly block her from view. She would look at me blankly, not understanding why I was suddenly annoyed.
Why would I be annoyed?
Jealousy, of course.
However, there was still one thing I wasn’t entirely satisfied with: she was a bit stubborn.
She didn’t like to open up to people.
She would rather bottle up her emotions alone than tell me.
I was completely focused on her, just constantly revolving around her, and I even missed several tennis team tryouts.
My family scolded me back then.
They said, “Didn’t you say you were going to play tennis? I bet you’re just dating someone else” (laughs).
I was young then.
I didn’t repent even after being scolded.
I continued dating her, the kind of relationship where we wanted to get married, but in reality, we were both only freshmen in college.
After dating for about a few months, it was her birthday, and I wanted to celebrate with her, but then something happened in both our families.
Our families knew each other.
I won’t go into what that incident was, but that winter was a nightmare.
I knew she had her reasons.
But I still wanted to be with her, even if it meant disregarding everything else.
But the result was terrible.
That year, I tried everything, but she wouldn’t come back. Not only that, she got together with another guy.
To be honest, I truly hated her for a while.
I hated her so much that I needed medication to fall asleep at night.
When I couldn’t sleep, I kept wondering, did she ever really love me? Did she ever have a crush on me?
Is her current boyfriend any better than me?
Anyway, it was a very painful and obsessive period. I got through it, but honestly, getting through it only meant getting through the physical pain. Everything seemed to return to normal, but you know, it’s very difficult to fall in love with anyone else in this life.
There’s no way around it; she’s too deeply ingrained in my life.
So deeply ingrained that as long as she’s alive, a certain thread in my heart will still tremble for her.
I guess that’s just human nature’s inherent weakness.
Even though she betrayed me first, I still wanted a future with her.

Author’s Note:
So plump and delicious~~~ (hands on hips)