Young Brave Hearts – CH 098

Chapter 98: Classmate’s Wedding 01

◎ “You’re already moved?” ◎

Because of that surprising “Zhihu diary” and her exaggerated boasting about Lu Rangchen, Zhu Yunque finally made some preparations for him that night.

For example, she specially obtained a thin dress that was practically invisible.

It looked like it could tear at the slightest touch.

And this dress was borrowed from Xu Linda.

Just before, when Xu Linda was newly in love, she bought a lot of clothes for Zhu Yunque and showed them off, even offering to give her one.

But Zhu Yunque felt too embarrassed and refused.

Who would have thought that just a few days later, she would have to ask Xu Linda for help?

Xu Linda laughed heartily.

“Okay, Zhu Yunque, you’ve finally figured things out.”

Zhu Yunque’s ears burned.

She appeared calm but was helpless.

She had promised Lu Rangchen…

A promise was a promise.

But those kinds of clothes weren’t sold in stores, and there wasn’t enough time to buy them now. She didn’t dare go to the small shops outside, so she could only ask Xu Linda to “borrow” one.

Luckily, the girl actually had one she hadn’t worn before.

She immediately drove over with great enthusiasm, delivered it to Zhu Yunque’s doorstep, and added two small toys Zhu Yunque had never seen before. When Zhu Yunque opened it, she felt a chill run down her spine.

She even considered backing out.

Later, when Lu Rangchen returned, she was evasive, unwilling to tell him what she had gotten from Xu Linda.

However, Xu Linda, that big mouth, had already told Lu Rangchen everything.

So, after a hearty meal and drinks, Lu Rangchen pinned Zhu Yunque down on the sofa and kissed her passionately for a long time before finally catching his breath and staring at her with questioning eyes, asking, “Where are my pretty clothes? Why aren’t you wearing them for me?”

It wasn’t the red wine from dinner, but rather the allure of the man before him and his sweet words.

Zhu Yunque covered her disheveled front, looking at him with hazy, pitiful eyes, and whispered, “No more…it’s too see-through…”

Her rosy cheeks, innocent and timid without realizing it, were breathtakingly beautiful.

Before she could say anything more, Lu Rangchen, unable to bear it any longer, lifted her chin and forcefully kissed her again, silencing her breath and any words of resistance.

The rest of that night unfolded in two parts. The first half took place on the sofa, by the French windows, the curtains half-drawn, the light dim, accompanied by a vinyl record and soft whispers.

The second half took place in the bathroom, where he personally helped her put on that pretty little dress and then roughly ripped it off.

That was the first time in her life she had seen Lu Rangchen so out of control and so unrestrained.

Then, during the day, Xu Linda even called Zhu Yunque to inquire about the dress she had given her.

Lu Rangchen had been sitting beside her, patiently blow-drying her hair in his bathrobe.

Zhu Yunque blushed silently, glancing hastily at Lu Rangchen and saying, “It’s alright.”

Before Xu Linda could react, Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow, saying seriously, “I tried so hard last night, and you call that alright?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque immediately covered his mouth, looking embarrassed, and said, “I’m talking to her; can you keep your voice down?”

But Xu Linda’s ears were too sharp.

Almost simultaneously, she heard Lu Rangchen’s words and laughed loudly, like a phone alarm.

Lu Rangchen took the phone and spoke to her for Zhu Yunque.

Of course, what he said was something that could leave one quite speechless.

Because he directly asked Xu Linda where she bought the clothes, saying he wanted to buy some for Zhu Yunque too.

This was said as if it were a joke.

But it angered Zhu Yunque, and she simply snatched the phone and hung up.

Lu Rangchen laughed so hard his shoulders shook. He was mischievous and annoying, but after laughing, he pulled her close, coaxing and kissing her.

Kissing him was like an addiction.

Zhu Yunque had clearly decided to go about her business, but in the end, he still managed to get her to have sex with him again.

Throughout the rest of the summer, their frequency was plentiful and chaotic.

Lu Rangchen even neglected his duties as a king.

He actually went to Xu Linda’s store to buy those clothes and bought her a lot of items.

Zhu Yunque thought she wouldn’t be able to wear them all.

But unexpectedly, by the end of summer vacation, all twenty or so of her clothes had been gloriously sacrificed.

Even so, her belly showed no signs of pregnancy.

This made Xu Linda curious.

She said, “At this rate, all the girls around me are almost pregnant with their second child, and you two are still doing so well.”

Lin Zhi was shopping with them at the time, and she rolled her eyes at Xu Linda, saying, “Do you think my brother is like those other scoundrels? My brother dotes on his wife; he always wears it willingly.”

This left Xu Linda completely bewildered.

She was about to ask Zhu Yunque for confirmation.

But Zhu Yunque’s expression turned unnatural.

Staring at her, she laughed in exasperation, “Can’t you two watch your words in public?”

What did “unspoken” mean?

This was it.

Xu Linda was incredibly envious.

She even complained to Lin Zhi that her boyfriend was unreliable; she always had to force him to wear it, and once they even had a falling out.

Lin Zhi, with the air of an experienced woman, said, “Then you’d better be careful and protect yourself. Most men like that are irresponsible.”

These few words left Xu Linda sighing with melancholy.

Indeed annoyed, she frowned and said, “I’ll just find a chance to dump him.”

Lin Zhi agreed wholeheartedly, “Exactly! There are so many men in the world; it’s not like I’m settling for just one.”

Xu Linda chuckled and asked, “And you, how’s it going with Xie Han?”

This was like rubbing salt in the wound.

Lin Zhi frowned impatiently and said directly, “He recently went abroad to see my cousin.”

Zhu Yunque, sipping her coffee, couldn’t help but ask, “So, what’s the situation between you two now…?”

“Still the same, I guess.”

Lin Zhi shrugged elegantly, saying haughtily, “We get together when we have time, and when we don’t, we’re each busy with our own things.”

Xu Linda blinked. “Still just friends, huh?”

“…”

Lin Zhi rolled her eyes in exasperation and said in a perfect British accent, “That’s called an open relationship, okay?”

Xu Linda couldn’t help but chuckle.

Seeing that Lin Zhi was about to get angry, Zhu Yunque gave her a subtle, reproachful look, which made her shut her mouth and sit up straight.

The topic was too sensitive.

The three of them didn’t talk about it again.

Even without talking, Zhu Yunque still heard bits and pieces about Xie Han and Lin Zhi from Lu Rangchen.

The gist was that although Lin Zhi and Xie Han hadn’t reached the point of being officially a couple, their interactions were almost indistinguishable from those of a real couple.

Perhaps it was because they both had future marriage obligations.

Their attitude was that they were happy every day as it came, leaving no regrets.

However, despite this, in Zhu Yunque’s eyes, Lin Zhi’s attitude was far from carefree.

At least, when Xie Han texted her, her lips would curl into a smile; if he called her and gave her a gift, she would be in a good mood for most of the day.

In Lu Rangchen’s words, he was simply helpless with Lin Zhi.

He knew she would cry later, but there was nothing he could do to help her.

In comparison, Xu Linda’s love life was much better.

At least, she wasn’t nearly as love-struck as Lin Zhi.

That wasn’t a joke.

Not long after, she really did break up with her boyfriend over a minor conflict.

Zhu Yunque thought she would be devastated.

But Xu Linda only took her to a bar once, and after that, she never showed any signs of sadness again.

In contrast, the happiest person during those two months was Zhu Yunque.

Perhaps people really did change once they experienced the nourishment of love.

In short, that summer, Zhu Yunque was pampered by Lu Rangchen and surprisingly gained weight, from 90 to 95 pounds.

But she really was the type who won the lottery through genetics.

Even though she’d gained weight, she still looked very thin.

Those few pounds all went to the right places.

Before she knew it, Yuhua High School started.

The classes Zhu Yunque taught moved up to senior year, and evening self-study sessions began.

This meant that Zhu Yunque couldn’t go home for dinner on time two days a week.

That day, after the news was announced at the meeting.

Before Zhu Yunque could even text Lu Rangchen, Deng Jiao cheekily told him.

This meant that before school even let out that afternoon, the senior corridor was already buzzing with excitement.

Those teenagers, having heard from someone that Teacher Zhu’s boyfriend had come and, unable to find her office, had to be led in by Old Liu.

Within minutes, the students’ private QQ groups were buzzing with excitement—

“Holy crap, you guys didn’t see it? I saw it! He’s so handsome!!!”

“No exaggeration, folks.”

“Teacher Xiao is tall enough, right? This guy is almost a head taller than Teacher Xiao!”

“And those long legs—they’re probably longer than Teacher Zhou’s lifespan!”

“He’s incredibly handsome, too, really. At first, I thought some male celebrity was filming a TV series at our school.”

“His clothes weren’t that flashy, though.”

“It was a very understated, normal outfit, neat and good-looking, but you could tell at a glance he has great taste. The clothes looked expensive too.”

“Yeah, he’s young! How could he not be young? You can tell just by looking at the car he drives. Otherwise, how could he have won over Teacher Zhu?”

“I don’t know what he’s here for, but he’s definitely looking for Teacher Zhu, right?”

The firsthand news spread like wildfire in the group chat, so much so that as soon as the last class ended, a large number of students skipped their meals and excitedly gathered near the office to see what was going on.

To join in the fun was one reason.

But another reason was genuine curiosity: what kind of incredibly handsome guy could have won over their school’s most beautiful teacher, Teacher Zhu?

As a result, Zhu Yunque, carrying books and a water bottle, had just come out of Class 1 and was heading towards the office when she was unexpectedly greeted by a swarm of students gathered at the door.

She asked, her face blank, “What are you all looking at?”

Although her classroom demeanor was quite imposing, Zhu Yunque’s voice was usually soft and sweet.

So, in private, the students weren’t afraid of her at all.

Even after they’d finished watching and had their “eyes opened,” the group of immature high school students still lingered, grinning, unwilling to leave. A few even boldly approached her and said, “Teacher Zhu, your boyfriend is so handsome!”

“…”

Zhu Yunque’s brows furrowed slightly, and she inexplicably wanted to laugh.

But before she could laugh, they all dashed away.

Zhu Yunque was completely bewildered.

When she finally made her way through the crowd and into the office, she found that Lu Rangchen was actually there.

He was sitting in the chair next to her desk.

Old Liu was standing beside him, eagerly offering him oranges, bananas, and candy.

Zhu Yunque’s heart skipped a beat. She put her book down on the table and stared blankly at Lu Rangchen, asking, “Why are you here?”

Lu Rangchen actually already knew she had come in.

He could recognize her from her footsteps.

Not to mention the scent emanating from her, both unique and alluring to him.

But this time, he wouldn’t stand up. He leaned back lazily in his chair, giving Zhu Yunque an affected, sidelong glance and saying, “Hmm? Busy Teacher Zhu is back?”

The intimate teasing in his words made Old Liu laugh.

Zhu Yunque’s eyes flickered uncomfortably.

She seemed to want to laugh, but with so many teachers present and so many students watching outside, she couldn’t flirt with him and suppressed her laughter.

After pulling out a chair and sitting down, Teacher Zhu, once again prim and proper, scrutinized Lu Rangchen, saying, “Who told you to come here?”

Lu Rangchen glanced at her, a lazy smile playing on his lips. “Interrogating someone?”

Slightly raising his chin, he pointed to the pale pink three-tiered lunchbox on her desk, his tone nonchalant. “Can’t I just bring you dinner?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque only then noticed the lunchbox and instantly fell silent.

Old Liu, standing nearby, was still teasing, “Look how nice Xiao Lu is; he even knows to bring you dinner. And you, you come in like you’re interrogating a criminal, with such a cold face.”

Old Liu’s position in Zhu Yunque’s eyes was like that of a parent.

Since she had spoken, Zhu Yunque naturally had nothing to say. She could only awkwardly move the lunchbox closer to her, glancing at Lu Rangchen and whispering, “Did you make this?”

Lu Rangchen gave a barely perceptible hum.

His gaze, fixed on her, seemed to accuse her.

Zhu Yunque pursed her lips, unsure of her own thoughts, and secretly squeezed his hand resting on his lap under the table.

Lu Rangchen glanced down at her, his eyes holding a half-smile.

Seeing the young couple together, Old Liu didn’t want to disturb them any longer. She didn’t need to supervise evening self-study that night, so she said goodbye and left.

As she left, she didn’t forget to “send away” the group of students curiously peeking in from outside.

Old Liu wasn’t as gentle as Zhu Yunque; with just one shout, the students scattered like birds.

Once they were gone, Lu Rangchen’s gaze towards Zhu Yunque became visibly blatant.

That look made Zhu Yunque too embarrassed to meet his eyes, and she even playfully kicked him under the table, signaling him not to go too far.

But this man remained unmoved.

The more uncomfortable Zhu Yunque felt, the more he smiled, teasing her with his eyes in a nonchalant manner.

He seemed eager to tell everyone about their relationship.

Under the subtle, probing gazes of the teachers in the office, Zhu Yunque could only roll her eyes at him and lower her gaze to open the lunchbox he had prepared for her.

It was probably newly bought.

The lunchbox looked exceptionally new and kept the food warm; a delicious aroma wafted out as soon as it was opened.

This man, she wondered, had some incredible energy.

He had actually brought her three dishes.

There were garlic spare ribs, braised chicken feet, and stir-fried broccoli—all of Zhu Yunque’s favorites.

Zhu Yunque was genuinely surprised.

She looked at Lu Rangchen, bewildered, and said, “You made all of this?”

“How could I?”

Lu Rangchen raised his chin and said, “The garlic ribs and chicken feet were ordered from the restaurant, but I made the broccoli.”

“…”

Although…

Even so, it was still heartwarming.

Because from childhood to adulthood, no one had ever brought her food when she needed it.

Zhu Yunque was momentarily speechless, looking at Lu Rangchen expectantly.

Lu Rangchen smiled at her, his eyes full of doting affection. “What, you’re already moved?”

If they were at home, Zhu Yunque would definitely lean in and kiss him right now.

But they were in the office.

There were several teachers watching, and she was too embarrassed to do anything.

So, thinking about it, she could only purse her lips, lower her eyes, pick up her chopsticks, and set out the lunchbox. Then she looked up and asked Lu Rangchen, “Have you eaten?”

Lu Rangchen said, “Yes, I ate before I brought it to you.”

Zhu Yunque said, “Oh,” and then picked up her chopsticks with a sense of relief.

She usually ate very slowly.

Slowly and gracefully.

Lu Rangchen always joked that every time he saw her eating, he worried she’d go hungry because she couldn’t compete with others for food.

But this time, Zhu Yunque was clearly eating faster.

Lu Rangchen clicked his tongue and said, “What’s the rush? Nobody’s going to take it from you.”

As he spoke, he reached for a tissue and wiped a small amount of sauce from the corner of her mouth.

Zhu Yunque licked her lips in his direction, looking at him and saying in a low, indistinct voice, “…I was just afraid you’d be anxious.”

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow and chuckled, “Why would I be anxious?”

“…Aren’t you going back to the club?”

Zhu Yunque blinked and said, “Aren’t you in a hurry today?”

It was usually like this.

Lu Rangchen would accompany her back for dinner that evening, then go back to the club. It was a quick drive anyway, and most importantly, the club had been getting busier lately.

They said they’d rented several new venues for commercial events, and they were currently under renovation, so Lu Rangchen had to keep an eye on things frequently.

Unexpectedly, today, Lu Rangchen was quite relaxed. He casually opened the juice he’d brought for Zhu Yunque, placed it in front of her, and said with a hint of helplessness, “Even if I’m in a hurry, I still have to wait for my wife to finish dinner, right?”

“…”

Zhu Yunque’s face flushed, and she suddenly felt embarrassed.

A sweet feeling welled up inside her.

She muttered under her breath, “Keep your voice down; the other teachers are still here.”

Lu Rangchen chuckled nonchalantly.

Zhu Yunque, however, said in a husky voice, “Don’t you care if people say behind my back that I’m being cheesy with our lovey-dovey stuff?”

Lu Rangchen raised an eyebrow at her words.

He was about to retort when the office door was suddenly pushed open.

Two teachers had just returned from picking up their takeout. One was a math teacher with whom Zhu Yunque had a good relationship. Upon seeing Zhu Yunque, she instinctively smiled and said, “Hey, Teacher Zhu, you brought your own dinner?”

The other was Zhang Leyao.

Ever since that incident, their relationship had remained lukewarm, avoiding communication in the office whenever possible.

But sometimes, some things really can’t be avoided by not communicating.

For example, right now, when Zhu Yunque smiled at the teacher in front and said, “I didn’t bring it,” Zhang Leyao immediately noticed the handsome man sitting next to her… Who else could it be but Lu Rangchen?

Her heart skipped a beat.

Zhang Leyao was completely embarrassed and dumbfounded.

And to make matters worse, both of their gazes were tacitly directed at her.

Especially Lu Rangchen’s.

Although he glanced at her, his gaze was completely different from the intense, deep affection he showed Zhu Yunque.

It was more like he was appraising a not-so-appetizing dish.

Zhang Leyao’s cheeks instantly flushed, and with a look of disgust, she turned and went back to her seat.

Thinking to herself, “Damn it, this is so unlucky.”

“I hope Lu Rangchen doesn’t recognize me as the one who once actively pursued him.”

But as it turned out, she had worried completely unnecessarily.

Lu Rangchen stared at her back for a couple of inexplicable seconds, frowned slightly, and turned back to Zhu Yunque, asking innocently, “Who was that just now?”

“…”

“Did she glare at me?”

Author’s Note:
Today is the last day of 2023!
Happy New Year, everyone!
May the New Year bring you good fortune and health!